Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.

No Man Left Behind

By Suzie2b

The Rat Patrol had just finished a mission to destroy a German radar station far behind enemy lines. After a long day of driving through the desert on their way back to their base in Ras Tanura, they had pulled the jeeps into a wadi for the night. The plan was to get to a supply cache the next day for some much need fuel, ammunition, and other supplies.

After a hot meal, the first in several days and the last of their C-rations, Troy assigned sentry duty. Hitch first, then Tully, Troy, and Moffitt.

With a yawn Hitch nudged Tully awake, "Time to get up."

Tully sighed as he opened his eyes. "Already?"

"Yep. It's been a quiet night so far. Even the jackals haven't been yipping."

Tully stood up and stretched. "Good. Get yourself some sleep."

Hitch handed him the machine gun and binoculars. "I plan on it."

Morning dawned bright on the horizon. Moffitt could smell the last of their coffee brewing and turned from his station at the top of the wadi to head down to camp for a cold breakfast. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a movement in the distance. With the binoculars he saw that it was a lone truck moving slowly across the desert. He gave a sharp whistle to get Troy's attention then signaled him to come up.

Troy hurried to the top of the wadi and took the binoculars to look where Moffitt pointed. After about ten seconds, Troy said, "Looks American. Wonder what they're doing out here alone?" He looked at the other sergeant. "Why don't you and Tully go check on 'em."

Moffitt and Tully took the jeep and went out of the wadi the back way so as not to give away their position. They circled around and headed for the slow moving truck with Moffitt manning the 50 caliber just in case.

As they got closer, the truck rolled to a stop. They could see steam rising from the engine compartment. The man on the passenger side opened the door and stood on the running board. He appeared to be leaning through the window of the open door. More men jumped out of the back. The next thing Moffitt and Tully knew bullets were pelting the jeep.

Tully floored it and headed for the truck in a wide arc as Moffitt primed the 50. As Tully circled the truck, Moffitt laid down a curtain of rounds into the sand and sent them all jumping for cover. Tully finally pulled to a stop next to the driver's side of the truck and Moffitt kept the 50 trained on the cab and said, "What are you doing?"

The driver put his hands up. "We thought you were Germans!"

Tully said angrily, "Do we look German?"

The wide eyed driver said, "Not close up."

Other men began coming out from under the truck where they had dove for cover.

Moffitt moved the 50 so it wasn't pointed directly into the truck's cab. "You do realize you're behind enemy lines, don't you?"

The passenger, a captain, finally spoke up. "I'm Captain Harding. We were part of a convoy delivering fresh troops to a company near Al-Hasa when we were ambushed. Lost two truckloads of men. We managed to get away, but now our truck is dying and we're out of water to feed it. That's why we're moving so slow."

"That doesn't explain why you're this far behind enemy lines. Al-Hasa is about a hundred and sixty kilometers north of here."

The driver stuck his thumb over his shoulder and said, "You mean back that way?"

"Afraid so."

Captain Harding scrubbed his hands over his tired face. "When I said 'fresh troops' I should have said 'new recruits.' Me and my men just arrived in North Africa a week ago. This was our first trip into the desert. We were being escorted, but then we were attacked…"

Moffitt nodded. "All right, captain. Follow us to our camp and we'll see what we can do."

##########################

Troy had been watching the exchange from the wadi and wasn't too happy when he heard the gunfire. But it was short lived and things settled down. After some tense minutes, he was glad to see the truck following his men back.

When the two vehicles arrived in the wadi, Troy went to the jeep. "What's going on, Moffitt?"

He watched as the captain climbed out of the truck and replied, "That's Captain Harding. He says he was part of a convoy transporting troops to Al-Hasa. The convoy was attacked and this is all that's left."

As the captain stepped up beside Troy, he said, "That's right. According to the sergeant here, we've been going totally in the wrong direction."

Troy looked Captain Harding up and down. "I'll say. It would've been safer to stay where you were and call for help."

"Our radio was destroyed in the attack. Don't even have a compass."

Moffitt said, "New recruits. First time into the desert."

The captain nodded with a sigh. "It's been a long couple of days. No food, we're out of water, and a truck that's on its last legs."

Troy looked at the men who were filing out of the back of the truck. "How many?"

"Counting me … twelve."

"Any wounded?"

Captain Harding nodded. "Two in the back. Pretty bad. I'm surprised either one has made it this far."

Troy looked at Moffitt. "Go check it out." Moffitt got out of the jeep and grabbed a med kit. Troy pointed at one of his privates. "Hitch, start getting these guys set up with food and water."

He nodded and headed for the other jeep. "Right, sarge."

"All we can offer is K-rations, captain, but it's better than nothing."

"Thank you, sergeant…"

"Troy … Sergeant Sam Troy." He looked at Tully, who had gotten out of the jeep and was waiting for the order he knew was coming. "Tully, see what you can do with this truck. We're going to need it."

Tully reached for his toolbox. "On my way, sarge."

"All right, captain, let's get you something to eat and drink."

Ten minutes later Moffitt joined Troy and Captain Harding. "I'm afraid there's little I can do for your wounded men, sir. They need a hospital if they are going to survive."

The captain nodded. "Yeah, I kind of figured that."

Hitch had finished passing out food and water, then went to see if there was anything he could do to help Tully with the truck. "How's it look?"

Tully straightened up. "Bad. Bullets went through the radiator and parted a couple of hoses. It's leaking both water and oil. I can do a temporary fix on the hoses, but the radiator is toast, and I haven't found the oil leak yet."

"I'm surprised they got as far as they did."

Tully sighed. "I'd be surprised if this thing even starts again. Guess I'd better go tell Troy."

After Tully's report, Troy frowned. "You're sure?"

Tully gave a shrug. "I can try, but it'd be a waste of time."

Troy sighed as he thought, then said, "Okay, you and Hitch head for the supply cache. Get whatever we need, along with extra food, water, and medical supplies. Moffitt go get the map. Let's see if we can round up another vehicle."

##########################

Six hours later, Hitch and Tully returned to camp with the refueled jeep loaded with extra gas and supplies.

Troy and Moffitt walked up to the jeep and Moffitt said, "Run into any problems? Took you longer than expected."

Hitch said, "Ran into a German patrol on the way back, but they didn't see us. We went the long way around."

"Any medical supplies?"

Tully nodded. "Brought some extra med kits and morphine. Found some penicillin too."

Moffitt smiled slightly. "Well, that's a start. You both need to go talk to Troy. We've worked out a plan."

Troy, Captain Harding, Hitch, and Tully huddled around a map on the hood of the jeep. Troy explained, "Our favorite German battalion is about eighty-five kilometers from here. We're going in and get us a truck."

Captain Harding asked, "If the army's known about this battalion long enough to put it on the map, why hasn't there been an airstrike called in?"

Troy smiled. "We've been in and out of that camp a few times over the last several months, gaining bits and pieces of information from them. In fact, that supply cache Hitch and Tully went to is stocked by the Germans. We would hate to lose that pipeline without a good reason."

"But aren't those troops causing problems for our side?"

"They've stayed to themselves so far. They send out daily patrols, but that's about it. We've kept a low profile so as not to attract attention."

Captain Harding nodded. "I'd feel better if you'd take a couple of my men in with you."

Troy said, "Your men aren't experienced on how we do things. It would be better…"

Tully interrupted, "You know, sarge, we could use at least one extra man to drive the truck out of there."

Troy thought about it, then nodded as he looked at the captain. "Okay, pick two of your men to come with us. We'll leave right away and go in tonight. Captain, you'll need to make sure your men are ready to load up and get moving as soon as we get back."

##########################

The captain picked two of his men, Corporal Marshall and Private Evans. They piled in, three to a jeep. By the time they reached the hills above the battalion, the sun had just winked out on the horizon.

Generators were fired up in the camp and lights began to come on. Troy and Moffitt were on a hill watching the routine change for the evening. Sentries were posted around the perimeter. It didn't look like anything had changed since the last time they were there.

Troy said, "We'll go in an hour after the first changing of the guards. Tully, you take Marshall and Evans to the motor pool and get a truck, then high-tail it back to the jeep." He looked at the corporal and private. "You two stay out of sight in the truck until you get my signal."

Corporal Marshall asked, "What's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you hear it." Troy looked at Tully. "Okay, the three of you go down and get ready. Go in at 2400, got it?"

Tully nodded. "Got it, sarge." He looked at his two charges. "Let's go."

As expected, at precisely 2300 hours, Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch watched the guards change. Soon everything was settled and quiet again. They made their way down the hill and took up their positions to make sure the truck got away.

At 2400, Tully led the way to the motor pool and quickly picked a truck to take. Marshall and Evans crawled quietly into the cab of the truck as Tully whispered, "Remember to stay out of sight and wait for the signal, then get the heck out of here. Don't wait for the jeeps. We'll be right behind you."

Private Evans whispered excitedly, "There's no key!"

"One of you must know how to hot wire…" The looks on the other two men's faces made him sigh. He quickly pulled two wires from under the dash and striped the covers off. "When it's time to go, touch these two wires together. The engine will start."

Marshall gave Tully the thumbs up and Evans quietly pulled the door shut. Tully knew he was now going to be late getting back to the jeep. In fact he didn't quite make it out of the motor pool before Troy's signal—an "accidental" fire in the mess tent on the other side of the camp. The alarm went up and a second later Tully heard the truck start up. He started to run, hoping the fire would preoccupy the German's long enough so he could get away.

##########################

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch saw the truck drive out of the camp as they were headed for the jeeps. Confusion reigned. Several German soldiers saw the truck and raised their rifles, but then the gas that fed the stove ignited and the mess tent exploded.

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch reached the jeeps, but there was no sign of Tully. Hitch said worriedly, "It's not like him to be late."

Troy looked around, then said, "Okay, Moffitt, you and Hitch head back to the wadi and make sure everyone gets loaded into that truck and out of there. Stay with them."

Hitch started to argue. "But, sarge…"

"No, Hitch. They'll never find their way back to our lines without help. I'll stay and find Tully. We'll catch up as soon as we can."

Troy watched the jeep speed away, then turned his attention to finding his second private. He headed back towards the camp using the route he knew Tully took with Corporal Marshall and Private Evans.

The sergeant was sure that Tully had made it out of the camp, because there was no indication of interest in anything other than the burning mess tent. He searched the perimeter of the camp and eventually found one dead German with a slit throat. Troy knew that Tully had to be nearby. With his small flashlight he carefully searched the sand around the dead body. He found tracks leading away from the camp.

Troy found Tully five minutes later where he'd passed out. Troy rolled him onto his back and searched for injuries with the beam of his flashlight. Blood was staining the front of Tully's jacket. When the sergeant opened it he found a stab wound in the private's abdomen.

Tully opened his eyes and saw Troy applying a temporary field dressing. His voice was hoarse. "Sarge?"

"Yeah, Tully?"

"What're you doing?"

Troy smiled slightly. "Fixin' you up so we can get out of here."

Tully gritted his teeth against the pain. "You shouldn't have come back for me."

Troy ignored the comment and said in a low voice, "Moffitt and Hitch went to escort the truck. We'll join them soon enough." He finished the bandage. "Okay, let's get back to the jeep."

##########################

When Tully woke up again, he was bouncing around in the back of the jeep as Troy sped along. It was still dark and as much as he hated to admit it, the pain was too much. He reached over the back of the seat and gripped Troy's shoulder.

The sergeant immediately slowed to a stop and jumped out of the jeep to check on Tully. The flashlight came on as Troy said, "How ya doing, Tully?"

The private couldn't lie as pain coursed through him and said quietly, "Hurts bad, sarge."

Troy checked Tully's wound and the private hissed with pain. "It's a ragged wound, but not too deep." He didn't mention the blood loss. Troy hesitated, then got a sedative out of the med kit. "I gave you morphine less than two hours ago. How about you just go to sleep while I drive?" Tully nodded, but remained quiet as Troy injected the drug and watched the private slowly fade into unconsciousness.

As the sun was rising, Troy caught up with Moffitt, Hitch, and the truckload of men at a waterhole. Hitch was on watch and alerted Moffitt to the approaching jeep.

Moffitt hurried over as Troy stopped and he found Tully in the back. "What happened?"

Troy got out of the jeep and said, "He apparently got into a knife fight when he was spotted leaving the camp. I had to sedate him. What's going on? Why did you stop?"

Moffitt started to remove the dressing from Tully's wound. "One of the two wounded soldiers died last night. Captain Harding wanted to stop to bury the body. There's been no sign that we were being followed, so I felt it couldn't hurt."

Troy nodded. "See what you can do for Tully. I'm going to go talk to the captain."

Hitch grabbed one of the other soldiers to take over watch and ran over to check on his friend. He looked down at a pale, unconscious Tully and asked, "How's he doing?"

Moffitt gently cleaned the gash. "Knife wound. It's stopped bleeding, but he lost quite a bit before that."

Troy found Captain Harding watching several of his men filling in the grave. The dead private's dog tags dangled from the captain's hand. He noticed the sergeant standing next to him and said, "I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did." The captain looked at Troy. "I see your man's been injured. How's he doing?"

Troy nodded. "As well as can be expected, sir. I'd like to put him in the truck. The ride will be smoother for him. As soon as we cross into allied territory, we'll get to a field hospital."

"Of course, sergeant. I'll have a couple of my men help load him into the back."

Twenty-four hours later Tully opened his eyes and looked up at Corporal Marshall. The corporal smiled down at him. "Hang in there. We're almost to the aid station."

Tully could feel the rocking of the truck as it moved along. He could hear the jeeps outside and Troy's voice shouting orders. He closed his eyes and let oblivion take over again.

##########################

At the field hospital, Tully and the other wounded soldier were taken care of. Tully was given two units of plasma as his wound was cleaned up and stitched closed. He was given a healthy dose of antibiotics and pain killers before he was finally tucked into a bunk.

When Tully finally began to wake up, he could hear quiet voices and immediately recognized them. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see Moffitt looking down at him. Tully whispered, "Hi."

Moffitt smiled. "Hi yourself. It's about time you woke up."

Tully tried to look around, but the movement made him dizzy. "Did everyone make it?"

Hitch said, "We lost one of the wounded guys. The other is hanging on after a long time in surgery."

Troy moved from the chair he'd been in to the edge of the bed. "How're you feeling, Tully?"

He managed a groggy smile. "Ready to go whenever you are, sarge."

Troy patted the private's leg and returned the smile. "Well, we're not going anywhere for a few days. So you just rest up."

Tully nodded slightly, his eyelids feeling heavy with sleep. "Sarge?"

"Yeah, Tully?"

"Thanks for coming back for me."