Chapter 2 -- Those Left Behind
Kinch looked out at the gathered prisoners from all twenty barracks at Stalag 13. The prisoners had brought benches from both inside and outside each individual barrack to accommodate the crowd. Kinch marveled at how many people the Colonel had touched in the camp. He noticed how lost most of them now looked. Kinch spotted LeBeau, Carter and Newkirk seated in the front row beside Kommandant Klink and Sergeant Schultz. LeBeau had Hogan's crush cap and bomber jacket in his lap, and was guarding them with care. Even Kinch had to admit that the Kommandant still looked stunned from the event of Hogan's passing. And Schultz was trying hard to control his emotions. If you could only see how many lives you touched, Colonel. There's not one man in Stalag 13 that you didn't have some dealings with even in a small capacity.
Kinch was grateful that Klink had arranged for a podium with a microphone so when Kinch addressed the crowd, he could be heard. Noticing everybody was seated, Kinch took a deep breath and stepped up to the podium, removing a folded paper from his jacket. Unfolding it, he lay it in front of him. "I want to thank all of you for being here," he began. "I know Colonel Hogan would be touched at this turnout. But those of us who were closest to him know he probably would even be a bit embarrassed by it." Kinch paused, taking a deep breath. Help me get through this, Colonel.
"Today, we are gathered here to remember Colonel Robert E. Hogan, our Senior POW officer. And although he was a full Colonel, he was more than just an officer. He was a friend who was always available whenever any of his men needed him, no matter what the reason. He always had time to listen when someone had a problem, or just needed someone to talk to."
Feeling his voice beginning to crack with emotion, Kinch let his eyes focus on LeBeau, Carter and Newkirk. "….Colonel Hogan always looked out for his men. They were always first with him. In fact, he always put them before himself. And those of us who were closest to him and that he was closest to such as myself, LeBeau, Carter and Newkirk, all thought of ourselves as a family. His family. But despite the four of us being his family, we all loved and respected him. And even though he is gone, we shall remain his family." He nodded at leBeau who, with tears streaming down his face, stood and approached the podium. He draped Hogan's bomber jacket across the front of the podium and sat the crush cap on top of the jacket, the military insignia facing the crowd. He then returned to his seat.
"The best way we could think of to honor the Colonel is this," Kinch concluded. He moved from behind the podium and walked around to the front, facing the jacket and crush cap. "Ten-hut!" he said and saluted the crush cap. The crowd also rose as one and saluted as well, including Klink and Schultz who by now, was crying like a baby.
After the salute, Kinch was fighting to regain his composure. He stared at the jacket and crush cap. "Goodbye, Colonel. We'll all miss you. But especially LeBeau, Carter, Newkirk and myself."
It was about two hours later that Hogan's men were back in their barracks, sitting at the table drinking coffee. Hogan's jacket hung on a hanger from the top bunk, while the crush cap rested on the table between them. They were all emotionally drained. Carter glanced at the cap. This cap and jacket are all that's left of Colonel Hogan. I don't know how to carry on without you, Colonel. I mean, you always had faith in me and your faith made me have faith in myself. But now….
Newkirk touched the young man's arm. "You okay, Andrew?" he said softly.
Carter shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. It's just that it feels strange, us being here having coffee without the Colonel being here. I don't know how to continue without him. I mean, nobody had the faith in me like he had."
"We have faith in you, Carter," said Kinch. "The Colonel wasn't the only one."
LeBeau took a sip of his coffee. "I know how Carter feels. It is strange. I expect him to walk in the barracks door or out of his quarters at any moment." He sighed. "Kinch, any word from London yet?"
"Nothing yet. Baker's monitoring the radio. He'll let us know if anything comes in." He stared at his coffee. "Y'know, I think the Colonel would have been amazed at the turnout to honor him today."
The others agreed. "It was a ruddy good turnout at that," Newkirk commented. "I don't think there's one person in this entire camp that Colonel Hogan didn't have some contact with or helped in some way."
"Oui," LeBeau replied quietly. "There is nobody who didn't love or respect the Colonel. And that's a tribute to the kind of man he was."
"And there'll never be another like him," Carter added as tears started rolling down his cheeks. He wiped them away quickly. "Y'know, how did this even happen? The Colonel's death, I mean. We all turned in and in the morning…." He didn't finish as the words stuck in his throat.
LeBeau reflected back to that day. "Carter's right now that I think about it. Nothing unusual happened that day. Colonel Hogan didn't complain about not feeling well…."
"Not that he would anyway," Newkirk interrupted.
LeBeau ignored him. "I mean, he met with that member of the underground, came back to camp, had some coffee with us and explained what he had been told at the meeting, and then we all turned in for the night."
"The only strange thing I remember after he returned from that meeting was that he kept shaking his right hand almost as if he had a cramp in it. He wasn't doing that before he left," Kinch remarked.
Newkirk recalled the incident. "Kinch is right. And what about that momentary bout of dizziness he had."
"Not to mention the Colonel was suddenly so sleepy he almost passed out in front of us," Carter added.
"What are you all saying?" asked LeBeau, becoming agitated. "Are you suggesting someone did something to the Colonel that caused his death later that night?"
"Take it easy, Louie," Newkirk replied. "All we're saying is what we remember from that night. That's all."
LeBeau seemed to calm down. "I'm glad you're not saying something else, because if I thought for one moment that somebody did something to Colonel Hogan that caused his death, there would be no place that person could hide where they would be safe from me."
"That goes for me as well," said Kinch.
"And me," added Newkirk.
"Count me in," Carter chimed in.
Newkirk suddenly had a thought. "Kinch, did anybody contact the underground and let them know about Colonel Hogan?"
"There wasn't time," said Kinch, getting up. "I'll have Baker contact them now. They should be informed." He approached the bunk in the corner of the barracks and hit the upper bed frame. The lower bunk raised up and a ladder lowered revealing the tunnel entrance. Kinch climbed down the ladder. The others watched him disappear. One of the other men in the barracks stood watch at the barracks door.
"So what do we do now?" asked Carter.
"I guess we sit still and do nothing until we hear from London," LeBeau replied.
"Y'know," Carter said thoughtfully. "I almost hope London shuts us down."
Newkirk and LeBeau both looked at him with surprise on their faces.
"Why would you say a thing like that, Carter," Newkirk replied. "To do that would be an insult to the Colonel's memory."
"And is that what you want?" LeBeau nudged Carter's arm. "To have everything Colonel Hogan set up die with him?"
"No, of course not," Carter was amazed his friends would think that is what he wanted to have happen. "It's just that it would be very strange and awkward taking orders from someone other than Colonel Hogan. And I don't know whether I could do that. I mean, could you guys?"
LeBeau and Newkirk looked at each other.
"He's right, y'know, Louie," Newkirk lit a cigarette. He needed a smoke badly right now. "I mean, I never gave it any thought. I guess because I always thought the Colonel would be with us."
LeBeau nodded. "Oui, so did I. It would be awkward and strange. But it is something we would have to do regardless of how we feel if London sends someone. We would have to do it for Colonel Hogan. He would want us to."
Newkirk puffed on his cigarette. "As long as they don't send that bloody Colonel Crittendon. Blimey, if they send him, I'll contact London meself personally and ask for help escaping."
LeBeau smiled faintly. "Oui, and I'll ask for help getting back to France."
The men remembered the bumbling English Colonel who, on more than one occasion, had interfered with Hogan's plans and sometimes nearly got them all caught by the Germans.
Their thoughts were interrupted by Kinch re-emerging from the tunnel. He hit the bed frame again and watched the lower bunk drop down and close over the tunnel entrance. There was a troubled look on his face.
"What's wrong?" asked Carter.
"We got an answer from London," Kinch explained softly. "They're shutting us down for now. Whether or not it becomes permanent will be decided after further review."
The news stunned the others though it was not totally unexpected. "I hope you let London have it, mate," said Newkirk.
"Oh, I let them have it all right, Newkirk," Kinch replied. "For all the good it did. In their opinion, with the death of Colonel Hogan, this operation has become expendable. And apparently so have we."
"Isn't that bloody charming," Newkirk sneered. "The Colonel's dead only a few days and they're already writing him and us off. And after all he's done for them. This is the thanks he gets! Well they can go to bloody hell for all I care." He took a long drag on his cigarette.
"There's something else," Kinch added.
"There's more?" asked LeBeau.
"I had Baker contact the underground to inform them of the Colonel's death. They said they never sent anybody to meet with him that night." He sat down at the table.
The others exchanged stunned looks. "But that's crazy!" exclaimed LeBeau. "We all heard the Colonel receive the message from the underground from someone code name the Snowman, asking for a meeting. Something about a missile silo being constructed."
"The underground said they don't have anybody with the code name of the Snowman."
Newkirk was the first to get the full impact of what was being said. "Kinch, do you know what you're implying?"
"Yeah, I do. And I don't like it."
"What?" asked Carter, confused.
"If the underground didn't send anybody, then that means someone else sent that radio message to the Colonel and specifically wanted a meeting with him," Newkirk explained.
"And," Kinch continued. "It's quite possible that whoever met with Hogan did something to him that led to his death later that night."
LeBeau didn't hide his anger. "Are you saying that someone set up Colonel Hogan and possibly murdered him?"
Newkirk glanced at Kinch. "I guess that's what we're saying."
LeBeau slammed his fist on the table. "Filthy pig! That person will pay!"
"Bloody right he will," Newkirk added.
"Count me in," Carter replied.
"Me to," Kinch said. "But just keep in mind that whatever we do, we'll be doing it without any help from London."
"The hell with London!" Newkirk snapped. He was angry. "I mean it hurts saying that as I'm British and all, but they wrote off Colonel Hogan and us. So again I say, the hell with 'em!"
"Right," Carter chimed in. "I mean, we still have the underground. And I'm sure they'll help."
"First things first," Kinch reminded the others. "We need to review everything that happened that day from the time the Colonel received that message supposedly from the underground and see if there's anything we missed or didn't take notice of. Hopefully we'll find a clue to tell us who's responsible."