Ruth
- Doesn’t talk about about him himself
- He was a law officer, a constable, a judge, and an owner of a private security agency
This is from page 98 titled something to think about
“ an individuals choices and decisions affected life and often that of others and ways that are far more reaching than anyone cares to admit or probably even understands.
There are rare instances, though, when a choice and decisions made by individual Directly affect, not only his outcome, but out of the world here 24 untold story reflects such a choice such a decision and such an outcome”
The story begins in Buckingham Palace
Ivan recruited, Jamie, in Buckingham Palace. She was part of the cleaning crew and got paid 2000 pounds.
I paid six there’s already action. Playing with two VIPs had an explosion.
Page 21 reveals who the vips are
December 2007, aunt Jo was his mother
Kevin and Melvin, Two friends find Tom almost 40 years later
Page 28 we find out there are Russians in Cambodia. They were holding American POWs.
- Page 32 is chapter 3. Tom is born in 1942 in Nashville. Left mom and the three boys went to live in an orphanage.
- Tom wrote a book called silent tears about the experience and made him tough. They lived there for five years until they went back to live with their mom when she got remarried.
- Tom learn to fight. Got a fight with two guys. Rules are no rules.
- Went to a computer tech school in Texas and became an engineering technician at Arlington State College later known as UTA then got a job for Texas instruments government product division
- Telling the story 53 years later
- Drafted in January 1969 into the army
- May 1969 orders to Vietnam
- June 69 sent back to the US
- July 69 sent back to Vietnam as a military contractor for a six month contract
- December 69 the story begins
“ 30 days before my contract expired and the required return to United States, the event of a lifetime occurred. I was obligated to keep that occurrence secret and have done so all these years. That event is now long in the past, and I am now old enough to care less about such affairs.”
- Texas instrument he worked on a proximity fuse for a 55 mm canon
- He received top-secret clearance
- He was not drafted because he had two young sons and worked for TI who was an important government contractor
- His wife divorced in 1968. His ex-wife contacted the draft and told him that he was single and eligible for the draft.
- He was drafted in January 1969 and had to go to basic training while waiting for his exemption to come through
- When Vietnam had to wait about 30 days for the paperwork to go through,
- Tom was bored and was then offered an opportunity to go on a convoy
- I love the part where Tom showed up with grenades enough ammo to start a war.
- Tom actually threw a grenade while being in a ditch and firing aimlessly into the trees
- After that you sent back to the US in June 1969
- And Louis military service he had to sign a one-year agreement to serve as a government contractor
- Because of this, he went back to the same base one month later in Vietnam
- He was not allowed to leave the base. All I could do is train the troops on how to use the new proximity fuses.
- Tom also brought with him a F – 111 infrared device. That was revolutionary night, vision technology at the time.
- Who’s assigned to share room with first Lieutenant Bill Joyner. Westpoint bad ass.
- Because the times clearance was able to find out that Bill was the leader of a highly trained army special forces platoon
- Bill would be gone for weeks at a time
- Tom convince Bill to take him on a mission five months into a six month commitment. Tom wanted the excitement.
Rescue mission with 31 men
- Lieutenant Joyner two sergeants two medics two translators 23 special forces troops and one government contractor
- Day one Tom didn’t sleep well because he was so excited. They traveled at night.
- Day two. Jungle conditions with heavy packs.
- Hiding 31 men in the jungle can be challenges, but these guys were pros
- Day two he was still on a high
- This is when Bill told Tom why they were there and the mission was to rescue the survivors
Seven people on the plane they think three survived
- Day three at the border of Cambodia Kevin and Melvin were the two sergeants
- Before they moved out to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. At 10 PM, the bombing began And allow them to enter Cambodia
- Then around 2 AM a shot hit lieutenant Joyner and he was down
- Use the Infrared device and found the sniper
This is where Tom tells a little lie
- Tom tells everyone he was a first lieutenant and the second in command of the unit
- Day five They were within 10 miles of their destination.
- The compound is on the edge of a Ricefield had three towers with arm guards no walls were built or wire fence to deal with
“ I realized in the menu that my orders were a death sentence to anyone they encountered in that compound except the prisoners. We were not going in there, hollering and screaming. We were going in silently but deadly force just before midnight. I could hear the frogs making their music other than that, there was no sound the memory that moment remains to this day.
As midnight approached, I was a bit on edge and The words of Lieutenant Joyner reminded me “keep your mind on the goal and the plan to achieve it”. The team was ready and so was I.
Two squad soldiers, for focused on the lighted center building exits were silently covered, and one squad of seven men entered the building. I went in behind them.
- Became obvious that the Russians were involved because the compound was built specifically for the two VIPs
- They got done about 1 AM and set up camp across the rice Patti
- The next hundred Viet Kong were on their tail
- Duvet VIPs were split up to hedge their bet that one would survive. They even gave the young KGB guy a gun.
- Out of nowhere, Apache helicopter gun ships appeared and took over the battle and allow them to escape
Chapter 10 Mission accomplished
Six men but no casualties
Chapter 11 the dilemma and the plan
- He is a civilian, and the mission was a violation of military regulations
- Assumed control the mission by lying
- The mission was in neutral country, which is another violation
- And obviously, Tom could lose his job
- At this point, the KGB kid was one of the guys because he fought in combat with him. They couldn’t turn them over to authorities. He said that the KGB could be one of his attendance and escorted him on the trip. They were then dropping off at the Russian embassy.
- They recovered Lieutenant joiner on the story was that he died on the way back
- Mason and Kevin wanted to hear the real story someday until then Tom wouldn’t give the details
“ OK” said Mason but someday I’d like to hear your real story”
“Thanks” I said. “You two and the rest of the team are unique. I’ll never see the likes of you again. I get to live my life, knowing that I fought in Vietnam with the best fighting force in the world. I won’t forget it.”
Tom left Vietnam on December 23, 1969 and arrive back to the United States and Christmas Day.