Principles of War

Lee Stetson neared the edge of the clearing on the trail that would lead them to a village, one that had been on their side, and hopefully still was. He looked to his sergeant.

"I haven't seen any sign of them lately, sir."

Lee spoke with relief in his voice. He was tired of running into VC. They came out of no where and he'd seen too many villages in the hands of the VC. Sure the South Vietnamese were loyal to the Communists when they took over a village, who wouldn't be when someone had a rifle to your child's head. The sergeant nodded. They were almost there. When they finally came to the edges of the village, it looked perfectly safe.

"Looks ok, let's go see."

They were there to check on the South Vietnamese regulars who were they working on pacification and bring some supplies. Everything looked fine, perfect. The Americans relaxed some. Lee went on about his duties when he heard some children.

"Candy."

He turned around to see two boys. One about fourteen and the other about 12. He shook his head.

"I haven't got any."

"Candy."

Lee sighed. 'Probably the only English they know.' He looked quickly for Andy Hawkins, who knew more Vietnamese than he did.

"Andy! Get over here!"

The nineteen-year-old Marine from North Carolina walked over to where Lee stood facing the two Vietnamese boys. Andy had a knack for languages and was helping Lee get over the small barriers in pronunciation. Lee was determined to learn what he needed to know.

"What?"

"These kids want candy. I don't have any."

"I do."

Andy pulled two Hershey's bars from his jacket pocket and handed them over. Lee smiled and turned to Andy.

"Thanks. Give me a hand with this will ya?"

Lee was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. He felt pretty good, and not just because they’d given him something to fight off infection, but mostly because of the gorgeous nurse who’d administered it.

"Stetson."

He turned his head to see a Major standing in his doorway. He stood up and saluted.

"Yes sir?"

"Your doctor informs me you're feeling better, starting to flirt with the nurses."

Lee just glanced at the floor and back at the officer, not saying anything. The older man just smiled at the young corporal.

"I've got an assignment I want you on in two days. We're conducting an MIA sweep into Cambodia, try to locate some of the men we've lost on these recon and attack missions. You feeling up to it?"

Lee's eyes lit up. He definitely wanted the chance to get back out there and do some damage to the North Vietnamese. After all, they'd been getting away with murder for years, ever since this whole thing started. Nixon was the right guy too late, the man had guts and was willing to go after the supply, he didn't care what the whiny protestors back home thought.

"Yes sir. When do I go?"

"You're leaving this hospital now. Come with me, you'll be briefed at MACV HQ."

Lee dressed quickly and followed along. Two days later, Lee was getting off a helicopter with a squad of men and heading into the dense jungle of Cambodia, just across the border from South Vietnam. The helicopters were supposed to be back to pick them up in two days.

The three squads split up to follow their assigned paths. They were searching for three particular men, aviators that had gone down. The CIA had triangulated this area of Cambodia as where they were, assuming they were alive and free.

Lee hoped they were free, no body believed the story Hanoi put out about treating POWs well. The East Germans had written an article, pictures and all, and Time magazine had published it. Lee was not about to believe it. Sure, they'd signed the Geneva Convention, but so had the Nazis. Lee marched along, mentally deciding he'd rather be dead than captured, but if he was caught, he'd do whatever it took to escape.

Hours passed with no sign or signals from the pilot's they were searching for. It was nearing time to stop and get some rest. They were able to find a position that would give them some cover, but also a good position to prevent any sneak attacks from the VC. Lee was put on first watch.

"Stetson, you've been out in this jungle before, so I'm assuming you won't get jumpy out here."

"No sir. I won't. I know the difference between an animal and the enemy."

"Just remember kid, some of the animals are the enemy."

Lee watched Sergeant Kepler walk away from him. The man was several years older than Lee, a career NCO. Lee looked out into the jungle, all of his senses alert to anything out of the ordinary. Maybe, if this mission went well, his uncle would think he did something right for a change. Lee sighed, maybe . . . he'd thought that a lot, he'd hoped maybe once he'd be told he'd done well, on something. Oh well, now wasn't the time to be worrying about that. Lee straightened his stance and watched the jungle. He had more important things to think about than whether or not his uncle approved.

Hours passed without a sign of anything. He turned slightly at the sound of approaching footsteps to see his relief coming.

"Hey Mills."

"Stetson. Anything out there?"

"Nope. It's been quiet."

Mills raised his eyebrows. "That's what I'm afraid of man. If it's quiet, they're out there, no doubt about it."

Lee stood at the edge of the clearing where the helicopter was supposed to pick them up in a matter of minutes. They waited silently, knowing their luck had been a little too good, but still hoping it held out. The sound of a helicopter could be heard in the distance, but just as the Marines began to hear the approaching helicopter, the rattle of machine gun fire broke through the jungle.

Sergeant Kepler ordered them to stay down and to return fire. Lee hit the ground. He couldn't see anything but trees, all he could do was shoot in the direction from which the enemy fire was coming.

"They're here, let's move out. Come on!"

Lee glanced over his shoulder to see the helicopter coming down in the clearing. They'd have to go fast, there were an unknown number of VC or regulars shooting and they had to get out as quickly as possible. Lee took up position at the rear of the group, continuing to fire. He moved backwards, towards the helicopter. The Vietnamese were starting to come forward, out of the jungle area. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Collins go down and moved towards him.

"You OK?"

"Yeah, just in the arm, I'll be fine."

"Then go on."

Lee stayed in his kneeling position and fired as Collins made a run for the now departing helicopter. Lee could see the position was being over run, and he was running out of bullets. They had to leave, if they stayed, they'd be in danger of being shot down. Lee hoped Collins had made it and turned towards the enemy, firing his last rounds.

He wasn't about to surrender, and yet he didn't have much in the way of options. Getting killed now would have no effect on anything. If he was a POW he could attempt escape, possibly do some damage on the way. Either way, he was confident that his side knew he was alive and that could be his advantage. Lee held his rifle forward and slammed it into a VC who was coming towards him, he wasn't going to go down easily. It was a blow from behind that sent him to his knees. Lee tried to stand back up, but was forced down onto his knees, a gun at his head.

"Go ahead and shoot you damn. .." His words were cut short by a blow to his head that knocked him out.

Lee felt the cold, damp dirt floor against his face and sat up slowly. His hands were tied behind his back. He looked up to see he was in a building and tried to stand, only to find his feet bound at the ankles. He heard someone speak behind him and turned to see a VC officer come in, followed by two guards. He was dragged to his feet and the Vietnamese spoke.

"You are awake. You have committed an act of war, you are American spy. Confess, and we will allow you to live."

Lee stared at the short man. For a moment, his mind not certain of his circumstances, he wondered if they somehow knew he was with Marine Intelligence. He had to play this careful, he had to follow the rules he knew and hoped that those were the right ones.

"Stetson, Lee H. Corporal. United States Marine Corps. 5987352. June 17, 1951."

He recited the information with a detached manner. He was a prisoner-of-war, that was what he was supposed to do. His mind presented him with that single course of action, the one that was so clearly dictated by the Code of Conduct and the Geneva Convention. Ok, so he was in Cambodia, he was captured by the enemy, same rules, right?

"Corporal, you are not a prisoner-of-war. You are a spy, this is a neutral country, under the protection of Vietnam."

Lee forced himself not to laugh at that one. Neutral? Yeah, letting the Ho Chi Minh Trail run through the country, accepting Russian vessels in Sihanoukville Harbor, being on the US's side for a while, real neutral.

"You will confess."

"No."

He stayed perfectly calm. His hazel eyes were devoid of any fear as he spoke. Something was said in Vietnamese that he couldn't understand and he found himself being dragged from the room and into a small room. He was untied and the guards left him alone.

The four concrete walls were dark and the room that was roughly six feet by five feet and the ceiling was about eight feet high. He was standing there trying to figure out a way to get out of his situation. There was a thin blanket and mat for him to sleep on, a bucket sat in the corner and there was enough light coming from a hole near the ceiling that he knew it was day. Thoughts swarmed through his head. He really didn't want to die. He wanted to survive, without being a traitor. What about escape? They'd done it in WWII, he'd heard plenty of stories. A handful of men had even escaped from the Vietnamese, although he'd never met them. He stood up and started pacing, trying to collect his thoughts and figure out how to get out.

A clanking sound outside the door interrupted his thoughts. He turned towards the door and saw two VC enter, one with a tray.

"Bow."

Lee stared blankly at them. He was not about to bow to anybody any time, especially not them. Americans do not bow. He just stood there.

"Bow!!"

A look of absolute defiance came into his eyes.

"Go to Hell."

He wasn't prepared for the blow to his stomach and doubled over in pain. Once he was down they began to kick him and after a few minutes they left. Lee laid there for a moment before sitting up, holding his side.

"Smooth move Stetson. Couldn't you pick something better to get beat up over?" He mentally chastised himself and decided to pick his battles more carefully in the future. He looked around to see if they'd left the tray. The had, he looked over the food. Meat, some greyish rice and some water. He poked at the meat with his fork to find it wasn't cooked well. He forced a few bites down, very aware that he was hungry. He finally shoved the food aside and reached for the water. It was warm and tasted bitter, but he took a few sips anyway.

Lee's instinct to survive had taken over and he forced himself to think carefully about his situation. His side had to know he was alive, but would they announce it or try to get him out? It wasn't like he was a prisoner in North Vietnam, this was different. He realized that he had to be alive for a reason, there certainly wasn't a reason for them to keep him alive here, in the middle of nowhere where they could just as easily claim he was killed-in-action.

Lee's hands were tied tightly behind his back as he was lead outside. He blinked several times, trying to get used to the sun's brightness. He saw several VC and North Vietnamese regulars. They stopped a few yards away from the group of North Vietnamese officers.

"You are a criminal. A spy. If you will confess to your crimes you will be allowed to live, if not, you will be shot."

Lee stood there and stared down at the VC officer.

"I'm a prisoner-of-war and you have no right to shoot me."

"You are not!!"

Lee was lead to another room. Inside, there was a table covered with delicious looking food--American food. The North Vietnamese officer who had stopped the VC the day before was standing next to the table. He said something to the guard and the guard left, leaving Lee alone with the North Vietnamese officer.

"Do not try anything Corporal Stetson, the guards would stop you before you had a chance to escape. I am Trong van Khai. I wish only to speak with you."

Lee just stood there. He was thinking he could probably get away with an escape attempt if he used this guy as a hostage. Lee's eyes remained emotionless.

"Corporal, you have not been eating well. I understand perhaps you are not used to our food, here in the jungle is not like the restaurants of Hanoi or Saigon. Please, sit."

Lee eyed the officer suspiciously now. Sure, Lee knew about LINEBACKER, but it wasn't like that was a huge secret. Did they know he was in intelligence? Was this some trap to get him to talk about something more important?

"Perhaps you think this is a trap? It is not. I merely wish to speak with you as gentlemen. We are alone, sit down, please."

Khai gestured to the table. Lee was hungry and it was all he could do to not succumb to the smell of the food. Hamburgers, chicken, vegetables, all the food he missed. There was even milk on the table, and he hadn’t had real milk in a long time. He stood his ground, determined not to give in.

"Corporal, you do not trust me and I understand. But, if I wanted to kill you, I would have let them shoot you. I only want to talk to you."

Lee just stared at Khai. He didn't trust him, why should he? He couldn't trust them. But, it would help if he knew what they wanted, then he would know how to fight. He slowly moved forward and sat down, never taking his eyes off Khai. Khai sat down across from Lee, and began to eat. Lee stared at him, unmoving. He was very aware of his stomach's increasing demands for food.

"Eat, please. There is nothing wrong with the food."

Lee's conscience finally decided that eating wasn't a sign of surrender. He needed to know what this guy wanted from him. Lee reached out and took some of the food. Khai didn't speak again and when they were done eating, Lee was taken back to his cell.

Lee was brought back the next afternoon.

"Please have a seat Corporal."

Lee sat slowly, still unsure of what was really going on. Khai took his seat and began to eat.

"Corporal Stetson, what do you know of Operation LINEBACKER?"

Lee just looked at Khai. Maybe they thought LINEBACKER was something other than what it was, or maybe he didn't know what he thought he knew.

"Why should I tell you anything?"

Khai looked silently at Lee for a moment before responding.

Lee sat silently across from Khai, they'd been through the same routine for the last three days, Lee pushing a little further each day, testing to see what he could get away with. Ho Chi Minh was dead, maybe that accounted for Khai's patience, then again, maybe he was the one nice guy in North Vietnam.

"I am tired of this game you are playing Corporal, perhaps I've been too lenient with you. I thought you would react well to this more civilized method as so many of your comrades have."

Lee believed in his heart that Khai was lying to get him to talk. He knew he was walking a thin line, they could kill him if they wanted too badly enough. Those words had to be meant to make him think that several POWs had talked--but somewhere inside, Lee knew that had to be a lie.

"Civilized method? Look, I'm not going to tell you anything. You're lying about cooperation."

"No. Maybe you have had it too good here."

"Good? You're breaking the Geneva Convention in every way possible here."

"You are not a prisoner of war, it does not apply here."

"I am a prisoner of war, and you're the one breaking the rules. I've been beaten up, nearly shot, fed lousy food with dirty water, there are rats swarming all over the place, and you are claiming to be civilized?" Lee held his tone of voice in check, just speaking normally and pointing out the facts. He couldn't afford to display any anger.

"You are the ones who kill civilians and interfere where you aren't wanted."

Lee stared at Khai, selecting his words very carefully before speaking. "We are here to assist the South Vietnamese. If Saigon really wanted to be a part of the Communist regime, the VC wouldn't have to hold guns to peoples heads. The Russians and Chinese have been assisting your government. I suggest you take a closer look at the situation."

Khai had Lee brought into his office. Lee walked slowly between the two guards and arriving in the room, he all but collapsed onto the floor. Khai offered a chair, which Lee accepted and sat down, facing Khai. Khai looked at Lee for a few minutes before speaking.

"You were right. There are many things which are wrong, but how to fix them?"

Lee looked at Khai, he wanted to go home, but honorably. Lee finally spoke.

"Working for us. If we had someone on the inside of the Hanoi government, we'd have a better understanding of what was going on, of what you're thinking."