We All Look Alike
By; AliasCWN
Did you ever wonder why the guys wear those hats? This is my version…..
(For those of you who don't know. Cotter was the fourth member of the Rat Patrol before Moffitt joined them. He died just before Moffitt was introduced.)
Troy and Cotter lay on the top of the dune and watched the procession through binoculars. A group of mounted Arabs were leading four prisoners across the desert headed for an oasis just miles ahead.
The prisoners, American soldiers, struggled to stay on their feet. One fell and was drug behind the horseman who held the rope attached to the prisoner's wrists. Another prisoner stumbled as he tried to rush forward to help the fallen man. He caught his balance but a third man had to pull the fallen man to his feet. Staggering from the heat, exhaustion and lack of water, the prisoners looked like they were at the end of their rope.
"Do you think they'll make it to the oasis?" Cotter ask Troy.
"Hard to tell." Troy glanced over his shoulder to check on Hitchcock and Pettigrew with the jeeps. Another glance at the sun told him the afternoon was well on the way to being over.
"What do you want to do?"
"Those guys may not make it to the oasis. They look all in now. I think we should level the 50's at those Arabs and tell them to leave the prisoners and ride away."
"Sounds good to me."
Troy continued to watch the Arabs and their captives. Another of the Americans fell and had trouble getting up.
"Let's shake it. And Cotter…."
Cotter turned to face Troy, waiting expectantly.
"If they even look like they want to argue, open fire. If they don't drop the ropes, shoot the horses."
"Got it Sarge."
The two men slid down the hill, running to keep their balance as the loose sand moved under their feet. They reached the jeeps and Troy filled the privates in on the situation and the plan for a rescue. The jeeps raced around the dunes to head off the riders, coming to a stop facing the horseman. Both 50's were primed and ready to fire. The men behind the guns were just as ready.
In the end, the Arabs did not put up much of a fight. Out gunned, they decided retreat was their best option. They dropped the ropes and rode away with the muzzles of the 50's following them.
As soon as they were sure the Arabs were gone the four men of the Rat Patrol loaded the four freed prisoners into their jeeps and they made tracks to a safer area.
When he was sure they were far enough away to be safe, Troy called a halt to care for the ex-prisoners.
They gave them all water and treated the abrasions from the ropes. The privates used tarps to make shade so the men could cool down.
Something about the men nagged at the back of Troy's mind but he couldn't pinpoint the problem. They rested for the rest of the day and set up camp for the night. All four of the prisoners fell asleep and slept through the night. Troy and his men stood guard to keep them safe until they could return them to the Allied base.
The next morning found the ex-prisoners much more alert and talkative. They gratefully accepted the k-rations Tully heated for breakfast. They gobbled the food like they hadn't eaten in days.
"So how did you come to be out here in the desert with those Arabs?" Troy ask casually as he passed the canteen around. His sixth sense was telling him there was more to this situation than they knew. He didn't like mysteries.
"Well, that's a funny thing." One of the dark-haired soldiers replied in a puzzled tone. He looked around at his companions. "The four of us were on leave together. Just having a good time. This Arab stopped by our table and told us that he knew where we could go have a really good time. It sounded like fun so we followed him into an alley, a shortcut he said. Some shortcut. A bunch of them jumped us and tied us up. They hauled us out into the desert. They kept calling us 'rats'. Said the Germans would pay well for us." The guy shook his head as if it made no sense to him.
Troy took another look at the ex-prisoners. Two dark-haired, two blonds, on leave together, as a group. 'Rats.' Bounty.
"The Arabs thought you were us." Troy said, the realization hitting home. "The German just recently raised the bounty on our heads. The Arabs saw an opportunity to collect a lot of money. Too bad they got the wrong guys."
The ex-prisoners stared at Troy in amazement.
"You. Just who are you guys?"
"We're the Rat Patrol. The Germans gave us the name."
"And they have a bounty on your heads?" One of the blond prisoners ask in surprise. "How much?"
"A lot." Troy laughed. "Why? You thinking of trying to collect? I have to warn you, everyone who has tried so far is dead."
"Not me." The blond private shook his head. "You guys saved our lives." He glanced around at Troy's men in wonder. "Does this sort of thing happen to you often?"
"Not that often. Like I said, everyone who tried to collect is dead. That sort of discourages the next guy." Troy paused as he thought of something.
"Hey Sarge. Do you think this might explain the disappearances of some of those soldiers from the base?" Cotter ask Troy.
"Could be. Especially those who vanished just after the Germans increased the bounty. Every raise brings a whole new crop of bounty hunters."
"Well heck Sarge, those Arabs don't know us. They only have our descriptions to go on and all Americans look alike to most of them." Mark Hitchcock added.
"Two dark-haired, two blond." Tully agreed. He was looking pointedly at the hair of the rescued Americans. "Anyone fitting that description and hanging out in a group could be mistaken for us. The Arabs are willing to take the chance for the amount of money the Germans are offering."
"Doesn't seem fair." Hitch chimed in. When the others looked at him he shrugged and explained. "We made the krauts mad. It's us they want. All these other guys are paying the price for the things we've done. Maybe we ought to send the krauts our pictures so they can put them on reward posters." He only half joked. "It just doesn't seem right to let somebody else pay for what we do. I'm willing to deal with it but I didn't figure on letting somebody else suffer."
The others had to agree. They all knew that the Germans wanted them dead. They accepted that. None of them had ever expected this development.
"I'll have a talk with the Colonel when we get back." Troy assured them all. "Maybe we can figure out a way to avoid this in the future."
"I sure hope so Sarge. I'm starting to feel really guilty about all this and it's not even our fault." Tully avoided the eyes of the rescued men as the reason for their suffering became all too clear.
Restless, the Rat Patrol loaded their jeeps and began the journey to Allied headquarters with heavy hearts.
They dropped the four ex-prisoners at the medical tent before they headed for the Colonel's office. Troy sent Hitch and Tully to drop the jeeps at the motor pool. He entered the building with Cotter by his side.
"You wanted to see me Troy?" Colonel Dan Wilson opened the door to allow the two sargents to enter his office. He motioned them to two chairs as he closed the door. "Did you just get in?"
"Yes Sir." Troy responded. He proceeded to report the events of the last several days. "So you see Sir, it looks like the Arabs are kidnapping men who fit the general description of my team. Our reputation has grown enough that we are now a target for greedy Arabs willing to collect blood money."
The Colonel listened with growing concern. He had a report on his desk at that very moment that seemed to confirm the theory the sargent had just outlined. It was a serious matter. He couldn't protect all his men on leave just because they fit the Rat Patrol's general description.
"Since you brought it up, I assume you have some thoughts on the matter." He waited to hear what Troy had to say. Knowing the sargent, he was fairly certain the man had come up with a solution to the problem.
"Well Colonel. It seems to me that the problem is that all Allied soldiers look alike to the Arabs. Our jeeps are easily recognizable with the 50's mounted on the back. As soon as they see them they know our identity."
"Are you suggesting that I allow you to take your jeeps on leave with you? I'm sorry Sargent, that just isn't possible." The Colonel was quick to squash that idea. He couldn't have those jeeps sitting around unattended while Troy's crew was out having a good time.
"Of course not Colonel. I was just thinking that we need something to make us look different. Something that sets us apart like the 50's do for the jeeps."
Intrigued, the Colonel encouraged him to continue.
"I have this Australian bush hat. I don't know anyone else around here who has one. If I could wear that instead of a helmet, it would set our group off from any other group of four men. The Arabs would soon hear about it. They would look for that before they grabbed anyone else for us."
"That would mark you as a target Sargent." The Colonel warned.
"Yes Sir. But as Hitch was quick to point out, we're the ones the Germans want. We made them mad. It doesn't seem fair to let someone else pay for what we've done. We're willing to take the chances Sir. At least we know what we're up against. Most of the guys they're grabbing have no idea what's going on."
"I see your point Sargent. And I applaud your willingness to accept the risks. Does the rest of your team feel the same way?"
When the Colonel looked his way Cotter nodded.
"Yes Sir. Hitch and Tully are fully on board with this idea. All we need is your permission."
Colonel Wilson studied the men in front of him. He realized what his permission would mean. It would single them out as targets. They would no longer be able to blend into the mass of Allied soldiers on leave. Their determined expressions told him how serious they were about the plan. He had to admit that it would most likely work. It would make further abductions unlikely. Reluctantly he nodded his agreement.
"You have my permission Sargent You and your men may wear whatever head gear you wish. I just hope you know what you're doing,"
"If they want to collect the bounty they're going to have to take us to do it. We won't make it easy for them." The Sargent promised..