Going After Cacciato

The soldiers sit in two rows, facing each other, in a Chinook helicopter. The door gunners fire their weapons. The men don’t talk, just sit and fidget—Stink clicking his teeth, Eddie rolling his neck, Jim Pederson holding his stomach. The ride is rough as they descend.

The crew chief gives them a four-minute warning, and Oscar passes around a joint. At three minutes, Vaught starts giggling and can’t stop. The gunners keep firing as the time to disembark approaches. The men load their weapons, then stand and begin to move towards the ramp at the rear.

At one minute, they hear new, high-pitched sounds. Holes and tears start to appear in the chopper, and Harold Murphy falls and lies there, smiling and shaking his head. Pederson is still sitting. The Chinook jolts and the men are thrown against the walls. It finally lands, and the chief shoves the soldiers towards the ramp, yelling for someone to pull Pederson along.

The paddies are slick; Paul falls and lies quietly, watching as the gunners continue to fire. Pederson is shot in the legs and sits down; then he’s shot again and falls back. Lying in the mud, Pederson fires his rifle, slowly and methodically, at the Chinook as it climbs higher.