Billy Palmer by Ronald Zastre
“They were okay to me when we were kids,” Manny said, “but they sure weren’t pro Billy. I realized that a long time ago. And talking to his mother this morning, you’d think she was describing Attila the Hun. You wonder about people like that, what makes them tick? Then you realize you’d have to spend time with them to find out, and all of a sudden the need to know is not so important anymore.”
“Manny, you’re such a pragmatic, scatter brained, character.”
“Is that a compliment, or a hint?”
“It’s a praise darling. I’d hate to see you chance, any other Manny might not be as interesting.”
“I’m going to see Donny out in Utah.”
“Yeah, he told me.”
“You don’t want to go?”
“Nah, he’ll be here with Danny in three more weeks for the holidays. It’ll be great to see them both together again.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to everyone being together. We sure are lucky, all this Billy stuff has made me realize how important a close, loving family can be. A simple little thing like being there for each other makes such a difference.”
“I hope it will always be like that Manny,” Cassey said, snuggling up to Manny
“I couldn’t imagine anything that could change it my love,” Manny said, holding her tight.
“I found a guy that Billy worked for in Tucson Arizona. Ted Gannet, Gannet Construction, and he’s agreed to meet with me. After Donny, I’ll swing down and then back home for the holidays.”
“Nothing from Mark Tainer about Timtown?” Cassey questioned.
“Nah, I guess he’s too busy right now.”
“Curious, I mean, wasn’t Billy important to him?”
“Cassey, he’s got a business to run. He said he hasn’t even got the time to write anything himself. He said he would get back to us after the holidays.”
Chapter 17
Cheryl Crow was rocking on the juke box, singing about sunshine somewhere, while Manny was sitting in a dimly lit restaurant. He was in the back of the establishment, and the patrons were mostly soldiers. There was anything but sunshine out the window. The mountains in the near distance were cut horizontally by a solid gray line of heavy clouds. Manny was talking with one of the soldiers, a good looking blond boy.
“Mom says you are on some sort of quest?” the soldier asked.
“Did she say anything about it?”
“No, not much. Just, you’re trying to find out about a guy you both knew.”
“Yeah, Billy Palmer.”
“Who was he?”
“A guy we grew up with. He went to Vietnam.”
“Did he get back?”
“Yeah, but that’s where his problems started. He did his thing, and we never appreciated him for it.”
“What was he in?”
“The Marines, he was a sniper.”
“Whoa, tough dude.”
“You know about those guys?”
“Oh yeah, around here we get the noise. You think you’re tough, try that on for size, etc., things like that. There’s a group of snipers here in camp, and I kind of know one of the guys because he’s from Minnesota, and we’ve talked. You should talk to him. I can check it out if you want?”
“You think they’d talk to me?”
“Can’t hurt to try. I’ll look him up tonight when I get back to base, and see what he says.”
“I’d appreciate that. How they treating you here?”
“Good, the training is intense, but I guess it’s for a reason. Never know when we might need to be sharp.”
“To protect our way of life, huh?”
“Damn right Pop, the other side doesn’t believe in cheerleaders. Can you imagine life without pretty girls in short skirts.”
“No, I can’t even begin to imagine that,” Manny said smiling, thinking back to his school days, and pretty Cassey out there cheering everyone on.
*
The next morning Manny was back in the same place, but this time in one of the booths toward the front, eating breakfast. However, this morning there is a little bit of sun shining outside, the solid overcast from the day before had dissipated, giving way to scattered clouds. His son Donny walked through the door with another soldier and headed toward Manny. This one is older.
“Dad, this is the Minnesota guy I told you about, Staff Sergeant Baylor,” Donny said as they took the seat across from Manny. “He got interested when I mentioned you knew a Marine sniper from Vietnam. They idolize those guys.”
“Yes, Sir, we do, Sir.” I’m Staff Sergeant Baylor, Special OP’s, nice to meet you. You’re from Red Pine?”
“Yes, Manny Anderson.” Manny shook his hand. The Sergeant was a tall thin guy, but he looked in great shape, the muscles on his arms were impressive. “My son tells me you’re from Minnesota too.”
“From the big city, Minneapolis, but I go hunting up in your neck of the woods, beautiful country.”
“Only in the summer, Sergeant.”
“Mr. Anderson, Minnesota is great anytime of the year, compared to some of the places we end up.”
“I can imagine. Donny tells me you’re part of a sniper team.”
“Yes, Sir, but we do many different things.”
“Donny told you why I wanted to speak to you?”
“Sort of. You’re looking for information about a Vietnam vet, somebody you knew.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I can help, but if I can, I certainly will. That was a long time ago and things are different now. Donny tells me your friend was a Marine?”
“Yes, his name was Billy Palmer and he was in Vietnam in sixty-six and sixty-seven. I’ve talked to some of the people that knew him there, and it’s quite a story.”
“I’m sure it was, those guys were something. They operated by themselves— mostly—very little support, something we don’t have to worry about. Much of our doctrine was put together by those guys. Did he make it back?
“Yes.”
“I’d like to talk to him, if that’s possible, next time I’m up near Red Pine.”
“He died a month ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Those Marine Snipers were one tough bunch though. If the brass would have listened to them they might have won that war. Really kicked some serious gook ass.”
“That’s what I’m finding out. It took a different kind of person to be a sniper then. What kind of person do they look for now?
“Independent, people that can think for themselves. Oddly enough, the sort of personnel that make good special Op’s troops are not necessarily good military men.”
“I’m finding that out too. Apparently my friend didn’t have much patience for military thinking, or discipline.”
“Small units like that don’t rely on the chain of command. Every guy is expected to be a leader, if and when it becomes necessary.”
“How could I get access to Billy’s military record, or is that legal?”
“Yes, of course, I would be glad to do it for you. They encourage us to get involved, dig into the histories of our predecessors. I have the day off, give me any information you have and I will see what I can find.”
Manny gave Baylor Billy’s social security number, Billy’s military number and his birth date. “Is this enough for you?”
“Yes, I think I can get what you need with this.”
*
Manny, Donny, and Baylor were sitting in a fancier place this time, and it was dark outside.
“I pulled Billy Palmer’s records, and you will definitely be interested in what they say,” said Baylor. “This guy, your friend Billy Palmer, he was definitely a real Marine. This is his first proficiency report, done after week four in boot camp.”
Sergeant Baylor handed Manny the report.
Manny took the paper and began to read.
“Private Palmer, is quick to learn, but has no inclination to lead. He is willing, however, to assist in any and all endeavors placed upon
After Manny was finished and put the paper down, Baylor picked up another one. “This is a second proficiency report done after week six, after they had done the rifle range training.”
“Private Palmer was lacking in enthusiasm and needed some discipline concerning the snapping in phase of rifle training, but exhibited extreme proficiency in the actual shooting, constantly scoring very high numbers. Private Palmer is not in the least intimidated by the rank structure and has no apparent insolence to it either.”
When Manny was done with the second report, the Sergeant spoke. “This is exactly the kind of person they look for. One that can run his own show, but will get involved if it is necessary. A loner that is willing to participate. I can tell you that this friend of yours, this Billy Palmer is the sort of guy we modeled our tactics from.”
“This report about Billy, what did you call it?”
“A proficiency report, it’s the evaluation of a person’s progress.”
“This is fascinating. Who wrote these? They’re damn good.”
“Ah, let’s see, these were done in boot,” Baylor said “The guy was one of the DI’s, a Gunnery Sergeant Mullens.”
“This guy was just a drill Sergeant, he seems quite intelligent?”
“What, you think just anybody is allowed to be a recruit training member?” Baylor laughed. “Those guys are handpicked, just like the snipers. They end up there because they are good at what they do. If you want to see competence, you should spend a couple of hours aboard one of our aircraft carriers.”
“Oh man, Pop, he’s not kidding,” Donny cut in. “We had a short detachment on the Carl Vincent. Man those sailors are something. I was scared shitless up on that flight deck, so much going on, but it was just another day to them.”
“Yeah, it seems like the general public sees only the worst part of the military,” Baylor added. “The big story generally comes along when something goes wrong, like Vietnam. There the only part anyone saw was the mess.”
“I’m still having trouble understanding why it got so convoluted, so out of control,” Donny said, shaking his head.
“I guess the politicians had free reign on that one,” Baylor stated.
“That Sergeant, is a summation if I’ve ever heard one,” Manny said. “I’ve personally known quite a few politicians, and I doubt if they could successfully run anything. They can never get beyond the reelection mentality. Their decisions are not based on what effect they’ll have, just on how many votes they’ll win or lose.”
“I’ll never understand politics,” Donny said.
“Someone has to be there, to take the credit,” Manny laughed.
“What about the blame?” Donny asked.
“Oh, you won’t see a politician within miles of that discussion, trust me on that one.”
Manny turned to Baylor. “So Sergeant, tell me what fascinates you so much about Billy Palmer and his cohorts?”
“Well, Sir, those guys had no radios, no way to summon support. They just went into the bush on hunting trips. Some of them never came back, you know. Now, we are always in contact with support, air, artillery, medical and rescue elements. Those guys in Vietnam, especially the Marine units, went out entirely on their own, under no one’s orders, I might add, and capture was not an option.”
“What do you mean, without orders?”
“They operated without getting orders from any higher source. They did all this on their own. They decided when and where to go, all on their own.”
“You mean they didn’t have to go into the field?”
“Correct, they could have probably spent that war in the rear, but didn’t.”
“Bill’s partner told me they would snatch villagers to get to the rear.”
“Why did he say they did that?”
“Sometimes, some officers would try to incorporate them into the field company operations, walk point, dig bunkers, stand guard, things like that, and the guys didn’t like it so they would grab a villager and then escort them to the rear.”
“I wouldn’t have blamed them in the least. There is nothing worse for a specialist trained in covert operations to be subjected to the everyday mayhem the normal units operate under. Many of the line companies want special OP’s personnel because of their expertise, but the special Op’s people don’t relish what they consider the risky business of the ground troops. Each entity considers the other to be crazy, or foolish, to this day.”
“Yeah, Billy’s partner, Mark Tainer, told me Billy was very good at knowing where he was. Every line officer in the regiment knew that and wanted Billy around. Tainer told me Billy was wounded three times, and every time it was with a large unit, they’d just walk into the shit. The last time got him sent home, knocked out of the game.”
“It’s all in here,” Baylor said, handing Manny Billy’s records.
“Find anything bad?”
“Some incidences of insubordination, but that’s to be expected. The command structure of the military would naturally come in conflict with a man like Billy, but he did his job well, I can tell you that.”
Chapter 18
Mt. Lemon was dappled in sun light, as Manny stopped in front of Gannet Construction. Tucson Arizona was one of his favorite cities because it was a blend of the old Spanish and the new technology looks. The surrounding mountains and desert always had a fresh clean look. This haven in the desert experienced more rain than was the norm for the Desert Southwest.
Manny entered and did not have to wait to see Ted Gannet. He was ushered into the man’s office by a secretary and introduced himself.
“Billy Palmer, yeah I knew him,” Ted Gannet volunteered without provocation. “Best damn equipment operator I ever had. I met him at the VA hospital and we got to talking. He said he had run some equipment, somewhere, and he needed a job. I gave him a try and I wasn’t disappointed. He did a hell of a job, the most dependable guy I ever had. He was real creative. We do a lot of golf course shaping and you need guys that can visualize. Billy was real good at that.”
“How long did he work for you?” Manny asked.
“Oh hell, must have been three, three and a half years. You’re a friend right? How did that come about?”
“We were friends, a long time ago. We were close when we were kids.”
“What’s the scoop? What do you want to know about him for? I’m sorry to hear he’s dead. How long ago?”
“He’s been dead for a month now.”
“Sorry to hear that, I liked the guy. What’re you doing snooping around his past? Did he do something or what?”
“No, I was a friend of his when we were kids, like I said. I sort of lost track of him, and after he died, I just became interested in his life.”
“What, you writing a book or something?”
“I don’t know, maybe, but Billy was the one who wrote a couple of them, good ones too.”
“No kidding? I often wondered about that guy. He was really astute, but he said so little about himself, I never really knew much.”
“He never said anything about his military service?”
“Nah, I asked him a couple of times, but he wouldn’t say. I figured it must have been a bad experience, so I didn’t press it. You know anything about it?”
Manny opened his brief case and handed Ted a copy of Billy’s records. Ted opened the records and started reading. Ted read for five minutes, silent the whole time. He finally looked over the top of the papers, staring at Manny for a moment.
“I’ll be damned This is all true?”
“Yes, Sir, every word has been verified.”
“I’ve got someone that should see this, do you mind?” Ted reached for the phone on his desk and pushed a button.
“Is Miller around anywhere close?” Ted asked when the secretary answered.
“Yes, Mr. Gannet, he said he was going back to the yard.”
“Get him in here, right away.” Ted looked over at Manny. “Miller, that’s my main foreman. He didn’t like Palmer, claimed he was a coward.”
“Why would he think that?”
“Oh, he’s a dumb-ass redneck. He said Bill was a pussy because he and a couple of the other guys took him out hunting, and Bill didn’t measure up to their lofty standards. I guess Palmer wouldn’t shoot Bambi, or something like that. Miller accused him of being scared and insinuated that Bill was a coward in the military. Those idiots were always harassing him. I’m sure they were just threatened. Like I said, Bill was real smart, and most of the guys in this business aren’t known for their brilliance. I’ve got some that aren’t much smarter than the fibrous food group.” Ted continued to read through the information. “This is quite a record. I had no idea Palmer was even a Marine.”
From Manny’s position in the office he could see down a hall running to the secretary’s desk and beyond to the front door. A big, rough, burley man in jeans, cowboy boots, and work shirt opened the front door and stepped through. The man continued on past the secretary and stepped into the office.
“What’s up Boss, sounded important?” The man looked over at Manny and just nodded.
“Got something here you might be interested in. Brute Miller, Manny Anderson. Brute’s a nickname he picked up somewhere, can’t imagine where,” Ted chuckled, looking at Manny. The two men simply nodded at each other because Brute made no effort to go over to Manny.