Kepi' in the 'Istan

By Jerry Lee Brumbelow

KEPI' in the 'ISTAN is the third novel in the BLUEMAN trilogy. It tells the story of an Army Special Forces deserter who by chance joins the French Foreign Legion. It follows his adventures in the South Pacific area and in French Guiana and later Afghanistan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477118382

Jerry Lee Brumbelow

Mr. Brumbelow was born in East Texas. He graduated from Fair Park High School in Shreveport, LA and college from the Univ. of Maryland. He served 6 years in the Army in Military Intelligence with the 18th Airborne in North Carolina, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan. He also was attached to the US Dept. of State in Honduras, China, and Germany. He served as a civilian advisor to the US He retired from the National Security Agency as a computer scientist, and is currently employed by the Anne Arundel County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. He is a member of the American Legion Post # 7 of Annapolis, MD

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

French Polynesia

Warrant Officer (WO) Leone received a registered package in the mail addressed to him at D Company, the 2nd Para Regiment headquarters in Papeete, Tahiti, in Polynesia. It was marked ‘Personal’ and had a return address from Lieutenant Azule-Blue of the 3rd Regiment Estrange Infantry in French Guiana, South America. Both organizations were units of the French Foreign Legion. Leone put the package aside until he had finished all his official mail and correspondence. Once his work load was finished, he got up and closed his office door. This would let the company personnel know that he did not want to be interrupted for anything less critical than the starting of World War III.

After carefully reviewing the outside of the package, as to any and all information it might contain, he was certain that it was from his good friend, Jean Azule. What surprised him was that the return address had the name Azule-Blue. He was one of the few men who knew that Azule’s original name was John Blue, an American. He tried to consider the implications of the package containing both names. Finally he realized that he was not going to figure out this strange event without some help. Therefore he should go ahead and open. the package and see what it contained.

Leone carefully cut the clear plastic tape that had sealed the package and then slowly, almost with trepidation, opened the package. Inside the package he found three envelopes, each marked with a number, 1 thru 3, and a smaller package marked number 4.

Envelope number 1 was addressed to him, WO Leone, and marked Personal Read First. The next envelope, number 2, was also addressed to WO Leone, To be read second. The third envelope was addressed to Doctor Margaret Pummet, also marked ‘Personal for Maggie.’ The smaller package was also addressed to Maggie Pummet, Very Personal. Leone found all of this intriguing and very unusual. He decided that he would follow the sequence to the letter, and opened envelope number 1 first.

After using his letter opener to cut envelope number 1 open, he found a typed letter. It read.

To my best friend Leone, I am writing this letter to catch you up on the recent events here in Guiana. First the great news is that on Bastille Day, the French Council to French Guiana awarded me my French citizenship, and a passport to go along with it. My four years with the Legion have paid off, and I am no longer a man without a country. It feels real good. I will be rather short with much of the detail, I am sure you will be able to guess why. As you can tell by the use of Blue on the return address, that the cat is out of the bag.

A few days ago one of the French Army helicopters returning to Kourou discovered a wrecked helicopter in the jungle about fifty miles from here. They landed beside the wrecked helicopter to investigate. The helicopter was painted totally black and had no identification marks on it. Inside they found four men, three of whom were dead. None of these three had any identification on them or their uniforms. The fourth man did have a pilot’s jump suit, like coveralls, with his name and rank. He was still alive, but very badly injured. The army crew brought him to the civilian run hospital here at Kourou Missile Launch facility. I happened to be visiting at the time from my post, two miles away. The two doctors and I went to the emergency room to look at the injured man. We examined the man’s extensive injuries, including that he had possibly been blinded in one eye.

I was able to take a guess that the blindness was not caused by the accident, due to the paler skin around his eye, and a narrow strip of paler skin line around his whole head. To me it was obvious that the man had been wearing an eye patch, like a pirate. After retrieving the fuel soaked uniform the man had been wearing from nurses, I found, at no surprise to me, that the man’s name and rank were Colonel Thomas, a Master Helicopter Pilot of the US Army. He was my last commanding officer before I deserted. I had to make a very hard decision as whether to try to save the man’s life, or to just remove myself from the scene. There really wasn’t much of a choice, because he was the pilot who saved me from capture the last time I was sent to Cuba. He literarily and figuratively had saved my life. There was no choice to be made.

After telling the two doctors who Thomas was, I then put in a telephone call to my old outfit, the Joint Warfare Center at Tampa, Florida. I called on a special phone number not available to the public, but remembered from my service there. The captain I first talked to would admit to nothing, but did patch me through to the commanding general after I threatened him with the fact that the next person he would hear from was the President of France. The threat worked.

The man who answered the general’s phone was our old friend Fat Man Cork, from that little patrol in Africa. After threatening him if he hung up on me, by first calling him by his nickname and then telling him I had Patch Thomas on my operating table, he got very cooperative.

Seven hours later, the General, Sergeant Major Cork, a chest doctor, and an Army lawyer showed up here in the General’s personal aircraft. After getting the chest doctor to the hospital, I then faced the General. He was a little pissed, to say the least. First because I had deserted in Colombia, and second that I was still alive, after he had a ceremony burying me. He made sure the Army lawyer stayed to hear my explanation, and know the facts when he prepared charges against me, for desertion. I kept your name out of the Legion rescue of me from the ocean, and the ultimate recruitment into the Legion. The General was not impressed with the fact that the Army had just left me alone, a hundred miles inside Colombia, and never attempted to look for me.

The Army lawyer then spoke up and asked me several questions. How long had it taken me to be picked up by the French, and what had happened to my uniform? I told him my uniform, had no markings, and had been thrown away by the people that rescued me at sea. Also, from the time I had been shot down in Colombia, the eight days floating down the river, and the five days at sea, the date was probably the 23rd of the month. The lawyer’s next comment, that after reading Blue’s 201 personnel file, on the aircraft coming down here, he had discovered that my current enlistment in the US Army had expired on the 15th of that same month. I was due for reenlistment, but never got the chance to do so. Legally I had been out of the army by the time you, and the Legion, rescued me from the ocean. Therefore, by law, the Army could not charge me with desertion, or anything else.

The General asked me what I wanted to do, and I quickly told him, that for two reasons, I preferred to remain with the Legion. One because we never leave a legionnaire behind, and two the US Army would not recognize my medical degree. I can do more good here. He agreed with me and said that if I ever changed my mind, he had a job for me.

Now to get to the meat of this package, I need you to do me a very personal favor. The second letter, which you may read first, is to Maggie and it tries to explain to her why I could say nothing of my past and why I had no future. I am asking you to deliver it personally to her, and to answer any questions she might have. Now here is the hard part for you; to judge Maggie’s reaction, and determine what her feelings, for or against my not being able to have told her of my past. After giving her the letter and answering any questions, if she is not royally mad, or has not thrown you out the door, you may give her the third envelope. According to her reaction of the third letter, you will know whether or not to give her the package. If you get to the third level, it will be my proposal. The package contains a trinket I purchased in Brazil.

I know that this is asking a lot for our friendship, but you are really the only friend I have in Tahiti, except hopefully, Maggie.

Your friend and comrade in arms,

Jean Azule-Blue

PS: The General and lawyer said they will try to get my American citizenship reinstated after the government buried me four years ago.

Leone, after reading the entire first letter through for the second time, leaned back in his chair, got a brandy and thought what to do next. He decided that he would follow through with the delivery instructions by inviting Maggie Pummet to dinner and see what her reaction would be. There would probably be a complicated reaction from her, and he decided that it would be easier, for him, in a public place. He knew that the young doctor was still at the Tahitian hospital, but did not quite know her current dating/engaged status, or if there was one. But, he knew he owed his friend the effort to try.

Leone picked up his telephone, dialed the hospital and asked to speak to Doctor Donatic, the head surgeon. Once on the phone he identified himself and told the Doctor that he was inquiring about Doctor Maggie Pummet, and how she was doing. Doctor Donatic said that if he had news about Jean Azule, he knew that Maggie would be greatly appreciative. He knew that she had received several letters from Jean, and had shared the news with him when she received one. And to answer the Warrant Officer’s unspoken question, Maggie would be thrilled with any information on Azule. He knew that she was deeply in love with the legionnaire. The Doctor then asked, Does that answer what you were beating around the bush about Mister Leone? Leone said, Yes, Doctor, that about does it.

Doctor Donatic said he would transfer the call to the area Maggie was working in. He transferred the call, and it was answered by Doctor Pummet. Leone identified himself and said that he had an envelope from Azule, and would like to deliver it to her over dinner that evening. She readily agreed to meet him at a restaurant that she and Jean Azule had often gone to. WO Leone, in his dress white uniform was waiting at the bar of the small Shanghai South Restaurant on the waterfront walk in downtown Papeete. It was a small, but upscale eating establishment, serving specialty oriental dishes. The bar was known for its oversized, extra ingredients, and higher priced drinks. The one saving grace of the place was that it was quiet, and you could have uninterrupted conversations if you desired.

Maggie walked in the front door and the owner approached her with a big smile, and asked how she was. He had not seen her in over a year, and hoped her life was still as bright as it had been before. This was typical of the owner, who she believed, really liked her and Jean. He did not ask her what she wanted but took her directly to Leone. After the two had greeted, the owner asked if they would like a private dining room overlooking the bay. Leone said that would be fine. The two people were shown to a room off to one side of the main dining room, and once the shutters were opened, they had a view of the harbor, and within another thirty minutes, the sunset. It was very quiet and the serving staff made sure to knock on the door, and wait for an invitation before entering into the room.

This was exactly what Leone had hoped for, privacy and very little noise. He was somewhat anxious about the meeting, and the part he had to play. On the other hand, Maggie was very anxious to get her hand on news of Jean. But she did not push Leone to tell her. Leone told her that he had received a letter from Azule, and that he was fine. Azule had asked him to deliver another letter to you. He said after reading it, I was to answer any questions she might have, if I could. With that Leone pulled the envelope, still sealed, from his inside pocket and gave it to Maggie.

She held the letter to her heart for a few seconds, uttering what sounded like a small prayer. There were tears in her eyes, and he could tell she was almost afraid to open it. There was a soft knock at the door interrupting them. Leone said for whoever it was to come in. It was the owner with a special bottle of wine, much more expensive than Leone had ordered. The owner put his finger over his mouth, and then said, This is from me, for the beautiful lady. He then opened and poured the wine, exiting the room afterwards.

Leone raised his glass and said, To love, friendship, and absent comrades. They both drank to the toast. Finally after taking a deep breath, Maggie opened the envelope marked number 2. She very carefully, almost slowly, spread the page open, and started to read. The letter said:

Maggie my love,

This is a very hard letter for me to write. You know that I have often told you that there are things in my life that I could not talk about, even to you. Well the time has now come, that I am finally able to tell you some of them. I was born John Blue in Gueydon, Louisiana. At nineteen I joined the US Army, and spent the next ten years as a Special Forces soldier. Four years ago, I was deserted by my comrades during a mission in the northern part of South America. After spending ten days floating down a river and into the Pacific Ocean, I was in bad shape. That is when my dear friend Leone, and his company of legionnaires found me floating in the ocean. He saved my life, and offered me sanctuary in the Legion. I am extremely grateful. To continue, last week here in Guiana, a survivor from a helicopter crash was brought into the hospital. He was