the overlapping grip.
As they finished the last magazine in the forty-five, Lieutenant (j.g.) Ed DeWitt brought the platoon up to theside of the Kill House. DeWitt’s cammies were sweat-soaked on the chest and under each arm. He carried a Colt M-4A1 with the 40mm grenade launcher over his right shoulder, and stared at Murdock and Kat.
“DeWitt, get over here and stop gawking.”
DeWitt walked up and kept staring at Kat.
“Kat Garnet, I’d like you to meet Lieutenant (j.g.) Ed DeWitt, second in command of the Third Platoon. Ed, this is Katherine Garnet, Lieutenant Garnet to you.”
Ed saluted sharply and stepped forward. “Pardon me for staring, Lieutenant, but it isn’t often that we have a pretty lady on our little training site out here in the desert.”
“I’ll be around from now on, Lieutenant. Call me Kat. I’d expect that Murdock has some interesting news for you and the rest of the platoon.” That half little smile edged her face again, and Murdock wasn’t sure if she were really smiling or laughing at him.
“Oh, yeah, there’s that. Kat, maybe you’d like to tell the troops?”
“Not a chance, Murdock. I’ll be interested to see how you handle the news.”
“Me, too,” Murdock said and they both laughed. DeWitt didn’t understand what was going on.
“Murdock, past chow time,” DeWitt said.
Murdock chuckled. “Oh, yeah, great idea. Put this off, and let me think on it a minute.”
DeWitt called, and the platoon broke out of its position on a run and converged on the bus.
“While we’re here, let me show you the new H&K G11. It’s an automatic rifle. Works this way. Two positions on the fire selector. Fully automatic and three-round bursts.”
Murdock moved the selector to three-round and charged a round into the chamber, then leveled the boxlike weapon at the Kill House and blasted out three rounds.
“Fully auto it works this way.”
He pushed the selector lever to auto, and chattered out a dozen rounds into the Kill House.
She tried it. He fit the butt to her shoulder and she fired. The three rounds stuttered out, and the barrel hardly moved. When he shifted the selector to automatic she looked at him.
“I just pull the trigger and hold it back?”
“Right. It fires up to fifty rounds as long as you hold back the trigger.”
She looked at him, then set her mouth. Her finger closed around the trigger, and she aimed at the Kill House. The first three rounds hit it, then the rounds climbed into the sky. Murdock caught the weapon and brought it back down. She eased off the trigger.
“Forgot to tell you that you have to really hold this one steady or it climbs on you.”
“Now you tell me.”
“Enough for today. You’ll need daily training on weapons. Now how about a delicious meal at the mess hall?”
Her dark brown eyes evaluated him. “Murdock, how can I figure out when you’re teasing me and when to believe you?”
“Tough question, Kat. So far few people have figured that out.”
The mess hall was the bus. The delicious meal was the famous MRE, Meal Ready to Eat. This particular one was Menu No. 6. The MREs are stable, long-lasting field rations and not the favorite of most of the GI’s who use them now and then. For the SEALs they were a lot easier than hauling a kitchen out to the firing/training range at Niland.
“Thought we were getting McDonald’s takeout this time,” Harry “Horse” Ronson called. The SEALs shouted him down.
Murdock gave Kat one of the dark brown MREs and sat in the dust on the shady side of the bus with one of his own.
“Have a seat, anywhere,” he said.
Murdock cut open the heavy brown plastic envelope onKat’s MRE, which was a foot long and seven inches wide. “Enjoy.”
Kat poured out the contents. The largest olive drab plastic envelope was the main course: “Chicken à la King, #2117.”
“Heat it up or eat it cold,” Murdock said.
She investigated the rest: one plastic package of cocoa beverage powder, a
As they finished the last magazine in the forty-five, Lieutenant (j.g.) Ed DeWitt brought the platoon up to theside of the Kill House. DeWitt’s cammies were sweat-soaked on the chest and under each arm. He carried a Colt M-4A1 with the 40mm grenade launcher over his right shoulder, and stared at Murdock and Kat.
“DeWitt, get over here and stop gawking.”
DeWitt walked up and kept staring at Kat.
“Kat Garnet, I’d like you to meet Lieutenant (j.g.) Ed DeWitt, second in command of the Third Platoon. Ed, this is Katherine Garnet, Lieutenant Garnet to you.”
Ed saluted sharply and stepped forward. “Pardon me for staring, Lieutenant, but it isn’t often that we have a pretty lady on our little training site out here in the desert.”
“I’ll be around from now on, Lieutenant. Call me Kat. I’d expect that Murdock has some interesting news for you and the rest of the platoon.” That half little smile edged her face again, and Murdock wasn’t sure if she were really smiling or laughing at him.
“Oh, yeah, there’s that. Kat, maybe you’d like to tell the troops?”
“Not a chance, Murdock. I’ll be interested to see how you handle the news.”
“Me, too,” Murdock said and they both laughed. DeWitt didn’t understand what was going on.
“Murdock, past chow time,” DeWitt said.
Murdock chuckled. “Oh, yeah, great idea. Put this off, and let me think on it a minute.”
DeWitt called, and the platoon broke out of its position on a run and converged on the bus.
“While we’re here, let me show you the new H&K G11. It’s an automatic rifle. Works this way. Two positions on the fire selector. Fully automatic and three-round bursts.”
Murdock moved the selector to three-round and charged a round into the chamber, then leveled the boxlike weapon at the Kill House and blasted out three rounds.
“Fully auto it works this way.”
He pushed the selector lever to auto, and chattered out a dozen rounds into the Kill House.
She tried it. He fit the butt to her shoulder and she fired. The three rounds stuttered out, and the barrel hardly moved. When he shifted the selector to automatic she looked at him.
“I just pull the trigger and hold it back?”
“Right. It fires up to fifty rounds as long as you hold back the trigger.”
She looked at him, then set her mouth. Her finger closed around the trigger, and she aimed at the Kill House. The first three rounds hit it, then the rounds climbed into the sky. Murdock caught the weapon and brought it back down. She eased off the trigger.
“Forgot to tell you that you have to really hold this one steady or it climbs on you.”
“Now you tell me.”
“Enough for today. You’ll need daily training on weapons. Now how about a delicious meal at the mess hall?”
Her dark brown eyes evaluated him. “Murdock, how can I figure out when you’re teasing me and when to believe you?”
“Tough question, Kat. So far few people have figured that out.”
The mess hall was the bus. The delicious meal was the famous MRE, Meal Ready to Eat. This particular one was Menu No. 6. The MREs are stable, long-lasting field rations and not the favorite of most of the GI’s who use them now and then. For the SEALs they were a lot easier than hauling a kitchen out to the firing/training range at Niland.
“Thought we were getting McDonald’s takeout this time,” Harry “Horse” Ronson called. The SEALs shouted him down.
Murdock gave Kat one of the dark brown MREs and sat in the dust on the shady side of the bus with one of his own.
“Have a seat, anywhere,” he said.
Murdock cut open the heavy brown plastic envelope onKat’s MRE, which was a foot long and seven inches wide. “Enjoy.”
Kat poured out the contents. The largest olive drab plastic envelope was the main course: “Chicken à la King, #2117.”
“Heat it up or eat it cold,” Murdock said.
She investigated the rest: one plastic package of cocoa beverage powder, a
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