Don’t bleed around your unit cartoonist; Bill’s trick back

George Hand
Apr 29, 2020 3:50 PM PDT
1 minute read
Don’t bleed around your unit cartoonist; Bill’s trick back

SUMMARY

Master Sergeant George Hand US Army (ret) was a member of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, The Delta Force. He is a now a master photographer, cartoonist and storyteller. Master Sergeant Bill — and that was his r…

Master Sergeant George Hand US Army (ret) was a member of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, The Delta Force. He is a now a master photographer, cartoonist and storyteller.

Master Sergeant Bill — and that was his real last name — had a trick back, so he claimed. It seemed to flare up just as we were on the cusp of an unpleasant mission. My gosh, it didn't seem to trouble him much at all during "good deal" trips, no Sir. Whether or not it was a valid ailment, that we shall never know, but the timing of the affliction sure seemed suspect over the years.

Well sure, I understood as well as the next man, that with all of the non-stop training we did to satisfy our charter to deploy in just a few hours, to deploy to the four corners of the planet and be ready to sustain combat for several days... a brother just needed a break now and then to harness and hold a semblance of sanity — "to each his own," I often rationalized.


"Woo, yeah brother... I can feel my back getting ready to go out again. Yes sirree I can feel it coming on."

"$hit Bill, your back goes out more than a hooker on East Central... I don't suppose your back is just feeling the freezing cold early on, is it?"

"What freezing cold?"

"Yeah, the freezing cold of our trip to Fairbanks Alaska for Arctic weather training."

"Oh, yeah... well I guess that is coming up, isn't it..."

"Oh, well yeah... I guess it is, Bill."

(Arctic warfare training always promised deep snow and freezing temperatures)

There were a few brothers that had a perceived penchant for backing out of what we called "bad deal trips," in favor of pursuing only the "good deal trips." They were just slick like that. Again it was just a perception, but perception is the better part of reality in most cases.

Three of the guys earned the following monikers:

Samuel: Good deal Sam, bad deal — scram!

William: Good deal Will, bad deal — chill!

Martin: Good deal Marty, bad deal — departy!

Ah, but Sergeant Bill... now he just carried his maneuvers a smidge farther than the rest, and he didn't deserve any finesse in his moniker:

Bill: Good deal Bill, bad deal — fake a back injury!

When I look back on some of our more gruesome training missions I am aware, ever so aware, that I do not recollect his presence there. There was the Arctic training in Alaska where we endured temperature plummets as low as -45 degree Fahrenheit while we made death marches on skis and snowshoes all night long.

No Sergeant Bill — threw his dang back out.

There was the trip to British Guyana 100 miles south of the infamous Jones Town where some 950 followers of Jim Jones' "religion" committed suicide by poisonous Kool-aid in honor of their leader. Triple canopy jungles, All night movements again on foot and by tactical assault boats through snaking inland riverways in the sweltering heat.

No Sergeant Bill — threw his dad-blamed back out.

Hey but the desert mobility training trip where we planned extreme long range patrols... Bill was there! Oh, but his back got to acting up, and he stayed in the rear at the communications relay station — bless his lame heart. If that were not enough, then there was this thing that happened:

Long range tactical patrols meant movement all night long. Before the sun comes up, we stopped and set up camouflage nets. We then performed work priorities, set out guards, and tried to sleep in the frying pan desert as best we could.

(An Austrian Pinzgauer, the vehicle of choice for desert mobility movements)

We played the tactical game to the hilt because we knew there were Russian helicopters flying the desert looking for our Rally Over Day (ROD) locations at this particular state-side training venue. To be spotted was a compromise and we would have to pack up and run from them in daylight— a losing situation.

To the lonely sound of the buzzing of deer flies, punctuated by the omnipresent smacking noise of the swatting of deer flies, was the low rumble of men in fitful sleep. Very suddenly came the booming of the heavy rotor blades of a Russian Hind-D attack helicopter looming at some 75 feet of altitude... with spineless Bill leaning out of a cargo window pointing wildly to us on the ground.

(The very intimidating Russian attack helicopter Hind-D)

"I'm going to kill him pretty soon... I'm going to kill spineless Bill. I'm going to chop him up into pieces then burn each of the pieces to ashes. I'm going to collect up those ashes and tamp them down into the barrel of a 12-pound Napoleon cannon, and fire his ashes out of over a field full of cow sh!t; when the cows come to eat the grass I'm going to kill them too and then burn the grass... and I'm going to do it all on a piping-hot Summer's day," projected the oath a particularly agitated brother.

The moral of the story here could possibly be: whether your back injury is real or faked, and perception being the greater part of reality, your shenanigans will not write you a day pass from... THE UNIT CARTOONIST!

(12-pound Napoleon cannon)

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