It was a dark and dreary night, …………. wait a second…., it was dark, but it wasn’t dreary. Rinny and I had been posted on a post that bordered the Bomb-dump. I think it was Post # 5. Anyway, it was the post that was on the northeast corner of the Dump, where the road did a ninety degree turn to the right and headed for the beach. Anybody who has been there knows what I’m talk’in about. Well anyway, there we were, me and Rinny strolling along, doing the post sweep. We were right in the area of the bend in the road, when Rinny went on the alert. Now, I don’t know if ya’ll could read your dogs when they alerted, but I had Rinny figured out pretty good. When it was an animal, he’d run back and forth fairly rapidly, and jump a little off his front feet, always looking at whatever it was he was alerting on. When it was a human, he’d pace back and forth, tugging a little on the leash, and looking straight at target. Well, when he alerted this time, he started doing something I ain’t never seen him do before, and it had me confused for a second. He was alerting like he was on an animal, and then like he was on a human. Well thank God for the perimeter lighting. I looked out in the direction of his alert, and low and behold, I saw movement. And the movement was going parallel to the fence-line, just on the other side. Now, I don’t know about you but this is a dog handler’s dream. After all those nights of walking the post, and your dog not alerting on anything but a mongoose, panther, Thai-guard, or another handler, I had movement on the fence. Particularly, where it shouldn’t be. Talk about a rush!! So, you might ask, “Tom, what did you do”? Well, I’ll tell ya. I got on my trusty radio which I hardly ever used and called Security Control. “Security Control, this is K-9, post 5, I have movement on the fence-line, and request permission to use a slap-flare”……… “Security Control, 10-4”. Boy, did I like using those slap-flares. Seems like every-time I used one, it was like the 4th of July. Darn, I loved the sight, the smell, the dog going crazy. It just made me feel good. Like,” Yeah!, I did that”!….. Sorry, my mind got away from me there for a second…. Where was I,…. oh yeah….. Anyway, I pulled out one of my flares, getting it ready, while at the same time trying to watch the movement along the fence. Now this was no easy chore, because Rinny was still alerting, and if any of you remember Rinny, he was a dog that for lack of a better word or words, “wanted some ass”. And he quite frankly didn’t give a darn who’s it was. The SOB even tried to kill me the first time I took him out, but that’s another story…… There goes my mind again. Anyway, I pulled out one of my flares, armed it, and slapped the heck out it…., I watched as it went high into the sky….. then it burst into that radiate light which I enjoyed so much….I looked towards where the movement was. Then I started to laugh,…. and laugh,…. and laugh……. Darn my sides started to hurt. There he was, my nemesis, my intruder, my enemy! It was a Papa-San. But not just that, he was riding a Water Buffalo. But that ain’t what made me laugh until my sides hurt. Now, Papa-San might have been upset at Mama-Sam about something, or she had been doggin him out about something, and he decided to take the “ole WB” out for a ride just to get away from the hootch for awhile. Heck, we’ve all been there, but on this particular night, he rode the “ole WB” a little too close to the fence. Some of you guys, or you know some guys, who have ridden Water Buffaloes. Now, I ain’t never ridden one, but I heard that they are a little skittish. Well, let me tell you that they are. When that slap-flare burst, that darn Water Buffalo lost it’s mind. And that’s what I started laughing about. When that slap-flare burst, that Water Buffalo shifted it into high gear running away from the fence, Papa-San on his back raising heck, … I couldn’t understand a thing he was saying, but I knew from the sound of it he wasn’t in control, … I called Security Control and advised them what I had , but I could hardly get it across because I was laughing so hard. Then I pulled out another slap-flare and hit it too. Well, that did it. Papa-San and the Water Buffalo had been in a
somewhat plowed field when the first flare went off, and they both headed
across that field towards the jungle, away from the fence-line. When that
second one burst, that Water Buffalo shifted it into overdrive and hit the
jungle. I could hear it crashing through
the brush, Papa-San raisin heck, Rinny going ape-shit the whole
time, me laughing………… God it’s was good to be an American! |
