Dinosaurs Come Alive

By Ronnie Gregory

Brent Robenston was a seasoned Helicopter pilot in Viet Nam. During his last mission, which took him and his crew beyond the borders of Cambodia, they rescued a delirious Vietnamese man with an unbelievable story. Attempting to return to his life at home, Brent could not get the man's story out of his head. It was inevitable, he had to return to Cambodia to see with his own eyes If what the man was proclaiming was true. It was! They were introduced to a land which time had forgot. Brent and his crew had to fight to save themselves from being devoured by dinosaurs that the world had forgotten about. They were supposed to be extinct. What made these Dinosaurs Come Alive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ronnie Gregory
• Release date: Jul 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201643645

Book preview

Table of Contents

Dinosaurs Come Alive

CHAPTER SEVEN, WILL YOU MARRY ME?

DINOSAURS COME ALIVE

This is a work of fiction. The contents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is coincidental.

Foreword

CHAPTER 1, THE HUEY’S

Brent rose from his afternoon nap, feeling exhausted. He thought, why am I so wasted? Ten Tequila’s and 3 beers are nothing. I used to drink those and still have room for the senorita’s that would line up to meet me when I was younger. Jason and I had missions all day. From sunrise to sunset. Ditty bop to town and meet the ladies while putting down the suds and back to ops without a nap. 

From 1955 to 1975, the Viet Nam War wreaked havoc on North Vietnam and South Viet Nam in a struggle to unify the nation. The United States was one country that became involved. Full military involvement began when President Kennedy sent troops.

The United States discovered that fighting the war on the ground was useless because of the terrain of Viet Nam. The thick jungles and mountains proved difficult to traverse. We had to develop a better way of fighting. The U.S. Air Force assigned the task to design a new breed of a helicopter, one that was multifunctional. Bell Helicopter designed the Model 204 Helicopter. They named it the HU-1 Iroquois, soon referred to as the Huey. The introduction of the Huey made possible the Pilot Program. This allowed soldiers without college degrees to become helicopter pilots. These pilots were part of the 101st Air Calvary.

The Huey was useful in the war, but not without its problems. The rotors of the Huey should have lasted 1,000 flight hours before needing replacement. Unfortunately, because of the harsh Vietnam conditions, they needed replacement every 200 hours. On top of their maintenance issues, the Huey’s became targeted. To be safe, they needed to stay close to the treetops. That made them susceptible to ground fire. The pilots had a $25,000 bounty on their heads. 

Brent was a Huey copter pilot during the Viet Nam War. He was 35 years of age now, albeit he felt like 85 years old. Brent had 5 tours to Viet Nam and was part of the 101st Air Calvary, which had the longest tours in history. Damn, I am so tired of getting shot at! Brent exclaimed to his copilot, Jason Johannsen. The Viet Cong would shoot at Huey’s, hoping to shoot them out of the air. 53 Carbine, SKS, AK-47’s, and now the K-50 machine gun, all aiming at them. The life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam was between 13-30 days. Brent had outlived this many times over. He was nervous about this. Is today going to be his day?

He survived and returned home, but not without the war’s damage. Mental damage. Brent had a hard time sleeping the night through. Nightmares haunted him! He would wake up, wringing wet from sweat, reliving a rescue operation in Country (Viet Nam). Sitting the Huey on the ground, taking on heavy ground fire, to pick up the wounded. Gripping the controls of the copter so tight, that it would crack his fingernails. Praying to an unseen God that they could take off without injury. Day in and day out, they flew these missions without fail. Every day, he would witness his comrades and fellow pilots blown out of the sky. Their bodies disintegrated. The only thing that prevented a pilot from flying his mission was killed or shot down and taken prisoner. 

CHAPTER 2, UNKNOWN PASSENGER

This morning Brent woke up remembering this rescue operation in Cambodia. The world did not know that the U.S. was flying operations over the Cambodian border. It was a night operation. Brent was flying his Huey alongside what looked like a tall Cliff. He could not see the top. All they could see was this cliff. He questioned in his mind how tall was it? How far did this cliff extend? They had heard rumors about regions in Cambodia that were unknown to the inhabitants. Was this one of those regions? Then, Jason, the copilot pointed to the left, there’s a light down there, he said. Brent turned the copter in the light’s direction. As they approached the light, they could make out the image of a small man. He began waving the light as they approached. Brent was looking for a clearing to set down. Jason remarked, Weird we are not taking fire. Brent thought about that. You’re right. Let’s be happy about it. About 200 yards south of the man was a clearing large enough to land. He made a wide circle of the landing area and it looked clear. He sat her down. Brent kept the rotors turning in case they had to get out fast. Jason and Adam Zeller, the gunner on the ship, jumped out to see who this man with the light was. 

The man was running as if Godzilla were after him. Frightened of someone or something. Jason looked around to see if he could see anything that would frighten a man. He saw nothing. Jason and Adam restrained the man before he got on board the copter. Charlie, known for planting bombs on people and loading them on the Huey’s, and boom! The Huey was no more. They were not going to let this happen. The man was screaming something they could not understand. Adam grabbed a hold of him and asked, lan nua, (meant again in Vietnamese). The man repeated, tu vong, tu vong. They could not understand him. They searched him for weapons and found none. They loaded him on the copter, and Brent took off as swiftly as he could. If captured in Cambodia, that would start another war involving Cambodia. Even though we knew the Viet Cong was using the border of Cambodia to hide from us. 

Once Brent got them back to Danang, he began questioning the passenger. He asked, Ten, ten, (name in Vietnamese). The man answered, Batang. His name was Batang. He was still frightened. Brent tried to get some information out of him the best way he could, without knowing the language. All the man would say was, Tu vong, tu vong (death). Brent and Jason looked at each other. What the hell does that mean, Jason asked. Brent told Adam, Go find someone that can speak the language. Adam came back with a young girl that said she could speak to him. She began conversing with him in his language. Then she had this horrible look on her face. She explained, He was in a terrible place of death. That is what tu vong means, death. A terrible place of death. What did that mean, Brent wondered? She continued to talk to him and found out there were more in his party. Murdered by beasts! The girl found out that there was a village nearby. The Chief in the village could explain to them about the mountain. That must have been the cliff they were flying along. Brent said, another day we can investigate and find out what scared this guy. Jason agreed. A TERRIBLE PLACE OF DEATH, Brent repeated.

CHAPTER 3, END OF TOUR

Brent and Jason sat at the local bar drinking some beer. The local bar was a makeshift bench the Marines built. They used 8 X 1 boards and nailed them together to make a bench where you could sit and drink. For chairs, you were on your own. You had to bring a chair with you. Each company had plenty of chairs to donate to the cause. Mostly, they used foldup canvas chairs to sit on. After the 5th drink, you didn’t care, anyway. 

It was the end of Brent and Jason’s tour, and they were homebound. But they were not that excited. Their tour was for 1 year. For anyone else, the tour is for 6-months. For the helicopter pilots, it was a 12-month deployment. A long time in Country. And to still be alive! Amazing! After being in Country for that long, you become hardened. You become numb. It’s like you are dreaming. Their flight left this afternoon for home. 

Home for Brent was Missoula, Montana. Population of about 73,000. In Pioneer days, known as Fort Missoula. Now it is a town. You cannot live in a better place. Montana, the Treasure State. Known for rich deposits of minerals including gold. The rich deposits of minerals earned its nickname, the Treasure State. 

Having returned from his tour in Viet Nam, he had not settled in yet. He had a little ranch north of Missoula. His parents left it for him. They were both killed in an accident that happened a few years prior on a winter night. They were on their way home from dinner. It was snowing and the roads were icy. An out-of-control logging truck hit them head-on, killing them. Brent was the only child, so the ranch became his. His parents had some horses and cattle, which he sold immediately. Being in the Air Force and a Huey pilot, he had to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. He did not want to have to worry about feeding animals when he returned. 

The ranch needed a lot of work. Weeds were climbing the exterior walls. The fences were falling over from the winter winds and snow. There was plenty of work to keep him busy. No doubt about that. For right now, Brent was trying to acclimate himself. A year in Viet Nam changes a person. You’re accustomed to sleeping light, keeping alert for enemy attacks. Flying Huey helicopters made you edgy most of the time. Being home is the opposite. It’s laid-back, never in a hurry to go somewhere. Folks are polite and talkative. It takes a little time to adjust your lifestyle to slow down. That’s where Brent was right now, attempting to adjust his lifestyle for home.

He held on to one horse. It was his favorite. It was a white and brown Appaloosa. Her name was Dash, on account that she could start at a really fast gallop and then level off. She was good for the dashes, but not so for endurance. Trent didn’t care about any of that, though. He loved her because she was fun to ride. A good neighbor was allowing Brent to board her while on tour. He would not charge Brent for boarding her, but Brent felt obliged to pay them something. Bent was not one for talking on the phone, so he drove over and check on Dash. It was only a few minutes away, but a little farther to walk, unless you had plenty of time to spare. As he pulled into their driveway, he spotted Dash grazing in the pasture. She looked great. Not fat! He parked his pickup. A Ford F350, 4X4, black. He walked out into the pasture and stopped. He stood there to see what Dash would do. Did she recognize him? Dash raised her head and looked. At first, Brent thought she did not, then she began moving in his direction. She picked up the pace to a trot. She came right up to him. Brent wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her. Yep, she knows me, Brent thought. Brent noticed, out of the corner of his left eye, the neighbor coming towards him. His name was Kurt Grimes, a well-seasoned cowboy. Spent 5 years on the rodeo circuit as a bronc buster. He also attempted some bull riding but opted out of that quick. He loved his body without the misconfigurations. Kurt’s knowledge of horses and cattle was beyond question. He came from a family of cattle ranchers. Brent raised his arm and hollered, Hi ah Kurt! Goddam, if it isn’t Brent Robenston. After hearing the reporters talk, I thought you would be dead, Kurt replied. Nah, you know you can’t believe a word that comes out of their mouth, Brent said. Coming to take her home? Kurt asked? Yes sir, sure am. How much do I owe you? Nothing, he said as he waved his hand off at Brent. Brent looked at him with a scowl and said, I have to pay you something, Kurt. No, you don’t. You spent an entire year overseas fighting for us, and that is payment enough, and I don’t want to hear any more about it! Brent could tell Kurt was serious and if he pushed any harder to pay him, he might get upset, so he dropped it. Thank you so much, you’re a good neighbor, Brent said. Can I wait and pick her up tomorrow, when I have the trailer hooked up? No problem. I know you don’t like the phone but call first. We have to go to town and get some things. Kurt explained. Sure thing. See you tomorrow, Kurt, and thanks again. Brent left and headed back to the ranch.

Brent also left behind someone that he cared about and was eager to see again. A year is a long time, worried that it may have been too long. Her name was Angie Charlaten. She was a school sweetheart and the feelings never left. Even when he was in Country. They kept in touch by letters. Angie did most of the letter writing. Brent would write, when possible, but if he was not flying missions, he was sleeping to be ready for the next one. 

Brent was into sports, especially football and track. He was not the quarterback, but a defensive end. He loved hitting, hitting, and hitting! Angie was a cheerleader. She was the lead cheerleader. She was good, beautiful, and well respected. She designed almost all the moves they performed. Angie enjoyed doing this part of the program. She quit cheerleading and became the dance designer. She was that good! If they had offered scholarships for Dance Design back then, she was a shoo-in for sure. 

Brent did not contact her right away when he returned. And now he was ready to pursue what may have been there when he left. Excitement and nervousness flow through him at the same time. A feeling he had not felt in a long time. He was hoping they would start back up where they left off. More than friendship. He thought, may as well call her to see if we still have feelings. Brent was old-fashioned because the ranch still had a telephone. Or do we say landline? Brent was never one to carry a cell phone with him. He dialed her phone number from memory. There was nothing wrong with his memory, he thought. The phone rang and a women’s voice answered, Hello. Hi, this is Brent. Brent, the voice exclaimed! It is so good to hear from you. I was so worried after listening to the news about what was happening over there. Brent replied, you can’t believe everything you hear on the news. I am fine. How are you? I am good. I miss you. I missed you too. More than you know. She answered, I don’t know about that. I know a lot about missing someone. How much did you miss me, Brent? Let’s see, Hum, this much. Come on, tell me, please? Brent said, I missed you so much my heart is still breaking because I haven’t seen you in a year! Angie said, oh, that is so sweet. Brent could hear the crackle in her voice and knew she was crying. Got time to see me tonight, Brent asked? I do, you are coming here? Pick you up at 7:00? Great, I’ll be ready, Brent said goodbye and hung up. 

7:00 came quick. Brent felt like he was going on the first date all over again. Was she still having feelings for him? Brent hoped Viet Nam had not changed him so much that she no longer had those same feelings. His feelings for her have not changed. Love? What is love? Strong feelings for someone? Not being able to be away from someone? Being willing to sacrifice your life in place of someone else’s life? All the above and more! Loving the person despite their faults. Loving the person despite their snoring when they sleep. And, loving the person regardless of their feelings about Viet Nam? A good question! Many had hatred in their hearts because of the stand we took in Viet Nam. Many called us baby killers. They spat on us when we came home and threw shit at us! Will she still have strong feelings after seeing that is how others felt about us? Brent felt sure he would have the answer to these questions soon.

He showered, shaved, and cleaned up. Brent allowed his mind to wander back to Viet Nam. Nice being able to take a shower without someone rushing you. Nice, not worrying about using too much hot water. Nice being able to shower period. There were nights in Country when we could not return to base. If the opposition was too strong and too much ground fire, we would have to hold in place. That meant, spend the night in the jungle and hope you survived. It meant no shower again! After a while, you got used to the odor of body filth. It was normal hygiene in the NAM. 

CHAPTER 4, ANGIE CHARLATEN

Brent finished his shower and took off to pick up Angie. He was nervous and anxious. Not sure why? This is not the first time he and Angie went out. Why am I so excited, he thought? He had changed because of Viet Nam, tho’ he did not realize it. War makes a man appreciate the common things of this world a little more. Makes a man cherish the love of a woman or man. Makes a man respect others. He knew one thing for sure, his feelings for Angie were stronger than they were before he left. He thought, hope she feels the same.

Angie came from a family of 4. Her Mom and dad, younger sister, and older brother. The family owned a hardware store in Missoula. Charlaten Family Hardware. It was a successful store. Did not produce millions for them but allowed for comfortable living. Their house was a beautiful 2-story house with 40 acres of wheat. The field workers managed the wheat fields, which allowed him and his wife to run the hardware store. The family attended church services on Sundays without fail, except for sickness. The church was a little neighborhood church with a congregation of approximately 120. Angie had a wonderful voice and would sing on occasions. Brent loved to listen to her sing! 

Brent approached the Charlaten house and stopped the pickup. He sat there for a few minutes, remembering back to when he was home last time. How happy they were together. How comfortable he was with her and the family. 

He drove up and parked, started to get out of the pickup when Angie came busting out from the front door. She wrapped her arms around his neck. I am so glad to see you, she whispered in his ear and kissed him on the cheek. Brent thought, she still loves me. He hugged her back, hard. She felt so good. Her smell was like it was before. Brent thought he remembered she liked My Way, a French perfume. Whatever it was, it was delicious on her. I missed you so much. I thought I was going to lose you, Brent said. Tears rolled down alongside her nose. She kissed him hard, and wet, as their mouth’s parted and the tips of their tongues touched. Brent felt aroused already, and they haven’t even finished the greeting. He squirmed and push away a little to ease the excitement. Angie looked at him with a smile, a smile that melted him, and he