Ir's been a long while, but Audrey's story is still ongoing. For now, here's another memory flashback to her first Nam tour. I wrote this, after seeing "We Were Soldiers" for about the 20th time, and thinking, how would the Strike Witches handle this situation? Here is my take on that.
Late Fall 1965
166th Air Support Squadron
Da Nang, South Vietnam
Audrey, Mary Ann "Juggs" Williams, Donna "Digger" Phillips, and Jasmine "Anvil" Roberts took off from Da Nang, their A-1D strikers loaded with "Snakes" (Mk 81 250 lb high drag HE bombs) and "Nape" (Mk 47 Incendiary munitions). Their target was a suspected Neuroi assembly area in the Mekong River Delta.
Digger and Anvil were new Witches to the 166th, and both Audrey and Mary Ann were taking them on their first combat mission. This was supposed to be a "milk run", but both Audrey and Juggs remembered that their first mission was supposed to be a "milk run" as well. That turned into an awful mess, that saw the loss of 3 Witches to Neuroi ground fire. Audrey, as flight leader, was not taking any chances. She and Juggs would go in first, hit the Neuroi hard, suppress any ground fire and watch carefully over the newbies to make sure they didn't encounter any surprises.
Audrey and Juggs were laughing at a joke Digger told, when the All Theater radio channel crackled to life.
"This is Bravo 1-7, BROKEN ARROW! I SAY AGAIN, BROKEN ARROW! BROKEN ARROW!"
Another voice answered almost immediately.
"Bravo 1-7, this is Summit. Broken Arrow confirmed. Break, All airborne units, Bravo 1-7 has called Broken Arrow. All airborne units respond." the voice announced.
Audrey answered immediately.
"Summit, this is Valkyrie flight, answering Broken Arrow." Audrey announced
"Valkyrie, Summit, rendezvous at Point Zulu, orbit at Angels 5 and stand by" the voice replied
"Summit, Valkyrie, acknowledged" Audrey answered.
"Who's Summit, and what the heck is Broken Arrow?" Anvil asked.
"Summit is Theater Tactical Air Command. They're in charge of all tactical air strike forces in Vietnam, aircraft and Strikers. Broken Arrow is code for a Liberion ground unit about to be overrun by the Neuroi and is a call for close air support from everyone, Navy included, to target their position with any available ordnance." Juggs answered.
"But isn't that dangerous, asking for close air support to target their position?" Digger asked, a look of horror on her face that was mirrored by Anvil.
"Yeah, it's dangerous, but the guys on the ground figure it's less dangerous, than to let the Neuroi overrun their position." Juggs answered grimly.
Kitana had already plotted Point Zulu, and had laid out a course. Audrey and Juggs banked to the indicated direction and climbed to Angels 5, followed by Digger and Anvil. It took only a few minutes to arrive and they all started orbiting the indicated position.
"Summit, Valkyrie. We've arrived at Point Zulu. Standing by." Audrey announced.
"Valkyrie, Summit. Contact Bravo 1-7 on preset channel 6. You are weapons free" Summit replied.
"Summit, Valkyrie acknowledges weapons free" Audrey stated, and then changed channels
"Bravo 1-7, Valkyrie. Can you mark your position?" Audrey called the ground unit.
"Negative, Valkyrie. We are out of smoke. We're at the northern end of the valley, on the east side of the river, just south of the clump of really tall treas and the really big boulder on the riverbank." Bravo 1-7 replied.
"Valkyrie, we'll come in from the north, following the river. Form up in echelon right. Valkyrie 1 and 3 will release their Snakes, Valkyrie 2 and 4 will release their Nape. We're going in at full speed and at 5-0 feet. We'll swing back around and come in from the south after forming up in echelon left. Valkyrie 1 and 3 will release their Nape, Valkyrie 2 and 4 will release their Snakes. We'll go in strafing to help minimize return ground fire. Any questions?" Audrey asked.
Juggs, Digger and Anvil had no questions and acknowledged Audrey's instructions.
Everyone moved into an echelon right formation, with Audrey leading, Juggs, Digger and Anvil arranged to the right and behind their flight mate. Audrey saw the notch of the ally's northern end and the river flowing south. She dropped down to 50 feet, accelerated to 400 knots, as she unhooked and cocked her machine gun.
"Bravo 1-7, Valkyrie. Can you give me a grid?" Audrey called out.
"Valkyrie, Bravo 1-7, Grid 85675737" Bravo 1-7 replied.
"Bravo 1-7, Valkyrie is rolling in hot" Audrey announced.
NO! ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! Kitana screamed in Audrey's mind.
"Valkyrie! ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!" Audrey yelled in her throat mike, as she climbed out of the valley and banked east, as the rest of the flight followed her.
Back at point Zulu, Audrey checked and discovered she hadn't released any ordnance.
"Valkyrie, did anyone release anything?" Audrey asked shakily, fearing the answer.
"Not me" Juggs replied.
"Still got all my stuff" Digger chimed in.
"All ordnance accounted for" Anvil sang out.
Audrey breathed a shuddering sigh of relief. She was shaking at the though of what might have happened.
Thank goodness! Kitana, what's going on? Audrey thought
The grid coordinates he gave were for their command post! Anything we released would have been right on their heads! Kitana replied.
"Let's circle back and try this again" Audrey announced to the flight, as she fought to control her shaking and focus on the mission.
Coming in again at the northern end of the valley, the Neuroi were prepared for them this time. Beams shot up at the Witches, who had deployed their shields. Audrey angled her shields, deflecting rather than blocking the Neuroi beams. She had found that it was just as effective, but consumed far less magic. Juggs, Digger, and Anvil did the same. The four Witches dropped to 50 feet and accelerated to 400 knots. All of them squeezed their triggers, and the spray of bullets rained down on the Neuroi crossing the river and on the western bank. The Witches let up on their triggers as they passed the Neuroi. Coming up to the biggest concentration of Neuroi, Audrey keyed her radio.
"Bravo 1-7, can you give me a good grid?" Audrey radioed.
"Roger Valkyrie, Grid 85657773" Bravo 1-7 replied.
"Bravo 1-7, Copy Grid 85657773. Rolling in hot." Audrey announced, as Kitana mapped the grid coordinates and set the IP for the Snakes.
"Breakaway! Breakaway! Breakaway!" Juggs and Anvil called out as they released their Nape
"Breakaway! Breakaway! Breakaway!" Audrey and Digger announced three seconds later, as the Snakes released cleanly.
Instantly the river and the east bank disappeared in thunderous rippling explosions, as the Snake detonated and the Nape ignited in huge blooms of fire and thick black smoke rolling up in the thick humid air. Audrey thought she saw flashes of brightness through the clouds of black smoke. It looked almost like a number of Neuroi were disintegrating when hit by the Nape. The Witches turned west, and climbed up, reforming in an echelon left formation. Then they turned north as they flew up the river from the south, dropping again to 50 feet.
Once again, the Neuroi began shooting up at them and once again the Witches deployed their shields. The Witches triggered their machine guns as they flew into the target area. They saw the brush and trees burning furiously, and even floating patches of burning Nape on the river flowing downstream. The ground fire was certainly less, and they could see there were fewer Neuroi on the eastern river bank, as well as attempting to cross the river.
'"Bravo 1-7, Valkyrie is rolling in hot. Request BDA" Audrey called out.
"Valkyrie, Acknowledged" Bravo 1-7 replied.
As the Witches let up on their triggers, the flight crossed the first IP. Audrey mentally released her Nape as Digger did the same.
"Breakaway! Breakaway! Breakaway!" Audrey and Digger called out as the Nape canisters were released.
"Breakaway! Breakaway! Breakaway!" Juggs and Anvil announced, as their Snakes dropped away from their Strikers.
Once again, rippling explosions and huge fireballs with clouds of oily black smoke enveloped the target area. Again, Audrey coughed several times on the dust, smoke and choking stench of raw gasoline. Once again, she saw brilliant flashes through the smoke, as some Neuroi disintegrated into fragments when hit by the Nape. She climbed out of the valley, and turned east, with the rest of Valkyrie flight following her.
"Valkyrie, Bravo 1-7, looks like you caught them climbing up the river bank and roasted them pretty good. We've got some breathing room now. Thanks much for coming through!' Bravo 1-7 reported.
"Bravo 1-7, any time. We always deliver the freshest Snakes and Nape." Audrey replied, hoarsely.
Audrey switched back to the All Theater channel.
"Summit, Valkyrie is Winchester. We are RTB" Audrey croaked, her throat raw from the fumes, smoke and dust.
"Valkyrie, Summit, Acknowledged. You are Weapons Hold. Thanks for the prompt response. Summit out" the voice replied.
"Valkyrie acknowledges Weapons Hold. Valkyrie Out." Audrey replied huskily, as she safed her machine guns and clipped to her side, while watching the rest of her flight do the same.
Now that the mission was over, the adrenaline surge ebbed away, leaving Audrey feeling exhausted and worn. Her throat ached, her eyes burned, and she felt like she'd been worked over by a giant washing machine. Looking at her flight mates, she could see that they were just as tired. Thinking back on the mission, Audrey felt chills of horror as she remembered when Kitana screamed at her to abort. She started shaking, thinking about the potential casualties from a "blue-on-blue" or "friendly fire" incident.
Kitana tried to comfort her, telling her that it didn't happen because they both reacted in time.
We did good today. We clobbered the Neuroi that were after those ground pounders. I know it's scary to think of what might have happened, but it didn't happen. We were both alert enough that it didn't happen. That's what counts. We did the job we were assigned to do, and everyone is flying home. It doesn't get any better. And it's all due to you and your leadership. Take some credit for a job well done! Kitana thought, trying to lighten Audrey's somber mood.
The four Witches landed at Da Nang, and slowly taxied to the 166th squadron hangers. Locking their Strikers in their cradles, they weakly crawled out of their Strikers, saying goodbye to their familiars, and taking off their helmets. First things first. All the Witches hit the rest rooms. Coming out, they all filed into Squadron Ops for their mission debriefing.
Audrey was a mess. Her hair had come undone from its bun, her face was smudged from the smoke and streaked with sweat and tears. The smell of smoke, dust, sweat and raw gasoline permeated her hair, skin and uniform. She was so drained physically, mentally and emotionally, that she barely managed to shuffle to a chair and collapse into it. Slumping in the chair, she tried and failed to still the shaking of her hands. She sobbed silently, fresh tears leaving more streaks on her smoke and soot stained face.
Colonel Monson, the 166th 's CO, leaned against the desk in the Ops office, looking at Audrey. She then walked over to her chair, and gently rubbed Audrey's shoulder.
"Let's do the debrief later, Boings. You're so worn down, that it looks like you're going to pass out there. Go get a shower, change and catch a nap. It'll do you some good, Boings." Colonel Monson said quietly.
Audrey sat up straighter and took a deep shuddering breath. Letting it out, she wiped away the tears and sweat, smudging her face even more. She looked Colonel Monson in the eye.
"No ma'am, this can't wait. Let's get this done now, while it's fresh in my mind." Audrey said hoarsely.
For the next hour, Audrey recounted the mission, from the first call, to the RTB message. Colonel Monson asked some questions about the time line of the mission. When Audrey got to the part about calling abort, she broke down and started to sob. Colonel Monson waited patiently until Audrey pulled herself together and then asked detailed questions on the radio exchange and the situation.
When Audrey mentioned that she saw a handful of Neuroi disintegrate into fragments when they dropped the Nape, Colonel Monson asked further questions. About how many Neuroi were destroyed by the Nape? This was a mystery, since napalm was simply jellied gasoline with an impact incendiary fuse, and no explosive potential or shrapnel at all. Other missions had seen similar things. It was an ongoing puzzle for the intel analysts to chew over.
As much as Audrey wanted to take a hot shower, grab something to drink and take a long nap, she forced herself to write up her after-action report. It took longer than normal, mainly because she had to pause to still the shaking of her hand, so her handwriting would be legible. Finally finishing it, she signed the report and took it to the Squadron Ops front desk to hand to the Duty NCO. She then shuffled back to her quarters.
Getting back to the room she shared with Juggs, Audrey took down her hair, and stripped off every piece of clothing. She had to fight to keep from gagging at the smell, as she stuffed all her clothes into the laundry bag. She wrapped a towel around her and slipped into her shower shoes. She picked up another towel and her shower carrier that had her soap, washcloth, shampoo and conditioner and headed to the showers.
Getting into the shower stall, Audrey hung up her towels and shower caddy. She turned on the water, and adjusted it till the steam was rolling out of the stall. She stepped into the stream of hot water, and gasped as the heat washed over her. She bent her head down and let the water cascade down her body. She reached into her caddy, picked out her shampoo and squeezed out a generous amount onto her hand. She began to vigorously work it into a thick lather, trying to get rid of the gasoline smell. She ducked back under the steaming stream of water, washing the suds out. Then she repeated the process twice. Audrey then grabbed the conditioner, poured out a handful, and stepped away from the shower as she put it on her head and carefully worked in, making sure to cover every part of her hair and scalp. After a few minutes, she stepped back into the shower of water and thoroughly rinsed out her hair. She grabbed the soap and washcloth and used both to work up a thick lather. She then vigorously scrubbed her face, neck, arms, chest, stomach and legs. After rinsing off her front, she did it again. Rubbing the washcloth and soap together to make more lather, she tossed one end of the washcloth over her shoulder and grabbed the other end down by her opposite hip. She vigorously scrubbed her shoulders and back, stopping only to re-lather the washcloth and toss an end over the other shoulder and scrub the other shoulder and side of her back. She stepped back into the stream of hot water, and let it flow over her, as she tilted her head back.
Shutting off the water after several minutes, Audrey swept her hands through her hair, twisting the ends to wring out the excess water. She picked up the smaller towel she brought and wrapped it around her hair. Picking up the bigger towel, she dried herself and then wrapped it around her body. Picking up her shower caddy, she shuffled back to her quarters.
Getting back to her quarters, Audrey unwrapped her hair, vigorously rubbed with the towel and stuffed the towel into her laundry bag. She unwrapped the towel from around her body, wiped her feet and stuffed that into the laundry bag as well. Since it was still around lunchtime, she wasn't off-duty yet, so she reached into her footlocker, picked out a pair of OD bikini shorts and pulled them on. Next was a pair of ankle socks, followed by the low heel pumps. She pulled on a sports bra, a OD green t shirt and went to her wall locker to get a fatigues shirt. After buttoning up the fatigue shirt, she turned to the mirror in the wall locker and picked up her brush. Audrey brushed out her hair for a few minutes, and then pulled it back into a tight bun, securing it with bobbie pins. She then put on her dog tags, her chronometer, then picked up her wallet, keys and service cap. She stepped out the door and locked it behind her.
Feeling refreshed by the shower and change of uniform (not smelling of gasoline helped a great deal), Audrey was surprised by the rumbling of her stomach.
That's right! I haven't had anything to eat since 0400, and it's past noon! Audrey realized.
Yes! Go get something to eat! You're still a growing girl and you've expended crap ton of energy and calories today! You need to refill all that! Kitana admonished her, in a tone reminiscent of her mother.
Yes, mother Audrey replied, doing her best not to openly giggle.
Arriving at the mess hall, Audrey paid for her meal, and took her place in line. She was really hungry, so she went all out for lunch. Two double cheeseburgers, a side of fries, a side of onion rings, and a big slice of banana cream pie. Taking her tray to the drink bar, she got a big cup of Coke and ice. Audrey looked around and saw Juggs, Digger and Anvil at a table close by, ready to dig into their lunch. She took her loaded tray and found a place to sit with them. She dug into her food and didn't slow down until both cheeseburgers, the onion rings and most of the fries disappeared, which only took a few minutes. Finally slowing down to take a big swig of her Coke, she looked up at her flight mates, seeing that they had mostly finished lunch as well.
"You okay, Boings? I thought you might have passed out during the debrief or got washed away in the shower." Juggs inquired, concern on her face and in the tone of her voice.
"Yeah, I'm better. Getting a shower helped a whole bunch. Just getting that napalm smell off of me made it a whole lot better." Audrey replied, as she started to dig into her banana cream pie.
"So what did you guys think of your first mission?" Juggs asked, turning to Digger and Anvil.
"That was really scary! Are they all that bad?" Anvil asked anxiously, with Digger nodding in agreement.
"No, they aren't all this scary, but you never know how things will go. Our first mission was to hit a column of Neuroi heading to attack a fire base. This was supposed to be our gentle introduction. We ended up losing 3 Witches, leaving me as the flight lead. It turned into an ugly mess." Audrey said quietly, with Juggs nodding solemnly.
"Yeah, unexpected things do happen, so you need to keep alert and aware. Be prepared for Murphy and have plans to punch him in the nose, if he shows up." Juggs said emphatically.
"Murphy?" Digger asked, a confused expression on her face.
"Murphy, as in Murphy's Law. 'Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, at the most inconvenient time and place and in the most unexpected manner.' " Audrey replied, finishing her dessert.
"Let's go back to the ready room. It's almost time for the afternoon briefing." Juggs said, briskly.
Getting up, the Witches took their trays to the kitchen area, and then headed out. Arriving at the squadron ready room, they all found chairs close to each other, as they waited for the afternoon briefing.
"Attention!" someone barked, as Colonel Monson strode to the podium at the front of the room.
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet and came to attention.
"At ease, ladies. Take your seats" Colonel Monson said, as everyone sat back down.
"At 0710 this morning, a Liberion ground unit, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division, came on the All Theater Tactical Air Channel to call "Broken Arrow" Colonel Monson stated, as the murmuring rose in volume.
"Quiet, ladies. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the code phrase, 'Broken Arrow' means that a Liberion ground unit is in danger of being overrun by the Neuroi, and calls for help from any available airborne strike asset, planes or Strikers, to target their position with any available ordnance." Colonel Monson said quietly.
"At that time, Valkyrie flight was the first to respond to the all-TacAir call. Boings, Juggs, Digger and Anvil, could you stand up, please?" Colonel Monson requested.
Audrey, Juggs, Digger and Anvil stood, all of them feeling embarrassed and self-conscious.
"These 4 Witches went in, hit the Neuroi hard, and bought Bravo 1-7 enough breathing room and time that they were able to repel the Neuroi thrust at their position and set them up to call in succeeding waves of close support aircraft and Witches." Colonel Monson intoned.
"Congratulations, on a job well done, girls! This was so dangerous and there were so many things that could have gone wrong, but you pulled it off!" Colonel Monson exclaimed as she started to applaud, soon to be joined by the rest of the squadron.
"That's all for the afternoon brief! Dismissed! Boings, Juggs, Digger and Anvil, take the rest of the day off and catch a nap. Lords knows you need it" Colonel Monson ordered, a smile on her face.
Audrey, Juggs, Digger and Anvil walked slowly back to their quarters. Juggs unlocked and opened the door and then she and Audrey filed in. Juggs locked the door from the inside, as Audrey stripped off her uniform, and flopped down on her bunk. She was snoring before Juggs could finish undressing and turn off the light. Both of them were sleeping hard in a few minutes.
Audrey and Juggs slept for over 17 hours. Both of them woke before reveille, and went through their respective morning rituals. Audrey got dressed in her gym clothes and went out for 5 mile run. Juggs did her morning stretches and then went through the barre exercises as she had since childhood.
Both went to breakfast, like they always had, and the day started normally. As the week progressed, it seemed like the normal rhythm of Squadron Operations had been restored, with the Witches taking turns sortieing on missions every 2-3 days. Life seemed to settle down, but the anticipation of the holidays perked up everyone's mood.
Three Weeks Later
Thanksgiving had just passed, and everyone was getting energized for Solstice Day. The mood was one of festive anticipation. For Audrey and Juggs, there was an added anticipation. They were within 60 days of DEROS (Date of Estimated Return from Overseas). They were both taken off the flight roster, and assigned duties overseeing maintenance of the Strikers by Colonel Monson. It was necessary work, requiring the expertise of flight qualified Witches, but none could be spared until now. Audrey hated the paperwork, necessary as it was, but she was grateful that Colonel Monson was doing what she could to make sure that she and Juggs got to fly home.
Four soldiers walked into the Squadron Ops office, led by a tall burly older man with a close cropped haircut, a complexion so dark it had a bluish cast and piercing dark brown eyes. All of them were wearing Army fatigues, with a large yellow patch on the left sleeve that had a broad black stripe running diagonally across it and a black horse head in the upper right quadrant.
The older man stepped up to the counter, and an airman came up to meet him.
"Can I help you?" She asked politely.
"Yes, we'd like to speak with Valkyrie Flight" the older man stated in a gravelly voice.
"Just a minute, I'll get some one who can help you" the airman said, as she turned around and knocked on the office door behind her.
The airman stuck her head in, said a few words to the occupant of the office. She came back to the front counter and faced the older man.
"Someone who can help you will be out in a moment" she said, as she returned to her desk to do some paperwork.
Major Collins, the Squadron Ops officer came out to the front counter. All the men in front of the counter snapped to attention and saluted."
"Ma'am!" the older man barked.
Major Collins came to attention and returned the salute.
"At ease, gentlemen. How can I help you? It's not often we see Army personnel here" Major Collins said.
"Ma'am, I'm First Sergeant Bryan Wallace" the older man said.
"This is Sergeant First Class Clay Barton" First Sergeant Wallace said, gesturing to the man beside him.
"This is Corporal Juan Gonzales" First Sergeant Williams said, pointing to the third man in line.
"And this is Private First Class Dan Ryan" First Sergeant Wallace said, waving his hand at the last man in line.
"Ma'am, we're all from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. A few weeks ago, we got trapped in a valley by an overwhelming force of Neuroi. We were forced to retreat across a river and were scattered to hell and gone. Captain Shanklin, with permission from Regimental Command, called in Broken Arrow. We were desperate. The Neuroi were coming across the river in force and we just didn't have enough time to organize a defense. If the Neuroi got enough forces across, they'd overrun our positions and slaughter us all." First Sergeant Wallace said, in a tone of quiet certainty.
"Valkyrie Flight came roaring down from the north end of the valley and bombed the crap out of the Neuroi (pardon my language, ma'am), then the turned around and did it again coming up the river from the south. It bought us enough time to pull everyone together and dig in. By the time the Neuroi were organized enough to launch an attack, we were organized and we had other close air support to help us. But Valkyrie Flight was the first and I know that if they didn't show when they did, we'd all be dead." First Sergeant Wallace stated flatly.
"So Captain Shanklin thought it would be a nice gesture for us to show our appreciation to the ladies who saved our butts from the tightest crack I've seen in my twenty-three years in the Army." First Sergeant Wallace said earnestly.
"Airman, why don't you go fetch Lieutenants Gains and Williams? They should be in the Squadron Maintenance Office. Then get Lieutenants Phillips and Roberts in the ready room to come here.." Major Collins ordered.
When Audrey, Juggs, Digger and Anvil arrived in the Squadron Ops office, all the men snapped to attention, and saluted.
"Ma'am!" barked First Sergeant Wallace.
""At ease, everyone. Boings, Juggs, Digger, and Anvil, First Sergeant Wallace has something to say to you all." Major Collins said.
" Ma'am, we're from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. A few weeks ago, the Neuroi were threatening to overrun us. You all came down on them like a hammer of the gods and bought us enough time to organize a defense. You saved our butts, and the whole company thought it would be nice to give you all something to show our appreciation" First Sergeant Wallace announced.
"Ma'am, this is for you" First Sergeant Wallace said, handing Audrey a large wrapped box.
Each of the other men handed a Witch a similar large box.
Audrey tore off the wrapping and gasped. It was a box of chocolates. But not just any chocolates, These were Ostmark Toberlone chocolates, 1.5 Kg in weight. Quickly doing the math in her head, Audrey gasped. That was over 3 pounds of the finest Ostmark chocolates! Juggs, Digger, and Anvil found similar chocolates when they unwrapped their packages.
"Captain Shanklin contacted some friends in Karlsland to send these here. After talking with his wife, he thought you'd all appreciate them." First Sergeant Wallace said, beaming.
"There's also this" First Sergeant Wallace said, handing Audrey a small envelope, as the other men did the same to the rest of the Witches..
Audrey tore open the envelope and poured out a small oval medal on a chain. She examined it more closely. It appeared to be made of brass, and had a face carved on it, with something written on the back. Audrey read the inscription and turned to First Sergeant Wallace.
"First Sergeant, who's St. Jude?" Audrey asked.
"Ma'am, St Jude is the patron saint of lost causes. We were a lost cause before you ladies came swooping down to hit the Neuroi. The company armorer made these from spent .50 caliber cartridge cases, to signify that you Strike Witches are the ones to answer a soldier's prayers to St Jude, when all seems lost." First Sergeant Wallace said quietly.
"Thank you, First Sergeant. I sincerely appreciate this, and I will always treasure it. We're all glad that we were able to come in time." Audrey sobbed, looking at Juggs, Digger and Anvil, and seeing them tearing up as well.
Audrey looped the chain over her head and saw everyone else do the same.
"Detail, Attention! Present Arms!" First Sergeant Wallace ordered, as the soldiers saluted.
Major Collins and Valkyrie Flight all came to attention and returned the salute.
"Order Arms!" Major Collins ordered.
"Ma'am, permission to be dismissed" First Sergeant Wallace requested.
"Permission granted! Detail, dismissed" Major Collins ordered
"Right Face! Forward, March!" ordered First Sergeant Wallace and the four soldiers marched out of the Squadron Ops office.
"Ladies, I'll let you put these away, but then it's back to work!" Major Collins announced.
The rest of the day seemed to drag, until they were all off duty. Gathering in Audrey and Jugg's room, they all opened their respective boxes of chocolates and started to feast. But the chocolates were so rich, that they were full after a handful, even though their taste buds craved more. All of them were so stuffed, dinner was the last thing they could think of.
Laying on her bunk after Digger and Anvil had left, Audrey picked up the St Jude's medal and started thinking. She remembered Advanced Flight School and being so thoroughly crushed at having failed to qualify to fly any of the Air Force's jet strikers and having to settle for the old propeller driven Skyraiders. At the time it seemed like a slap in the face, that she would never be a "real" Strike Witch. Well today, this medal was proof that she was doing an important job that mattered to real people on the ground. Yeah, it mattered and she was able to make a real difference. That was more than enough, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep, with the feeling Kitana was hugging her and whispering in her mind You done good Audrey. I'm proud of you.You're growing up quickly into a really fine Strike Witch. I think you'll be okay and do just fine.