The Sage of Saigon
by
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He took a quick look to his right to see if the LT was listening. By the look on "his face, he knew he had his undivided attention.
Ross thought about the situation he was now in for a moment. I never would have imagined that, on my very first day in Vietnam, I'd be holding a gun and watching out for an attack by the Viet Cong on motorcycles.
Brenner started to get a little concerned.
"Let's go, guys. I don't think we're welcome here. It's time to di di,11 Brenner said, as he put his hands up and made a motion for the approaching hot-headed guy to back off.
It didn't work. The man pulled a switchblade knife out and began waving it menacingly at the three Americans. As if they'd rehearsed the move many times, they all brought out their .38 Specials in a flash. With three gun barrels pointed at his face, the man did a quick about-face and ran into the car wash office as fast as his Ho Chi Minh sandals could carry him.
When the man disappeared into the darken ed office, the three CIA agents beat a hasty retreat. They didn't want to start an inci dent.
"Hey, Brenner."
"Yeah, Mann."
"How do you say, 'Don't bring a knife to a gunfight'in Vietnamese?"
"Ha, ha, very funny. Let's get the hell out of here,11 Decker said as they picked up the pace.
This was the first time that Ross had seen Genevieve in something other than an ao dai. The black silk pants and gray blouse made her look more petite somehow. She looked more attractive than ever. She had removed her sandals as soon as they were inside her apartment. He immediately noticed how small and pretty her feet were. Well-manicured, no polish. None on her fingers either. No trace of makeup on her face. Just a young beautiful woman who looked like she'd just gotten out of the shower and was•in no need of anything to enhance her natural good looks. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
She offered him the only chair in the room and she sat on the bed.
"So, this is where you live?" he asked,realizing it was a dumb question afterwards.
"Yes, but it is only temporary," she replied, looking a little nervous.
Just then there was shouting from the street down below. Genevieve got up quickly and moved to the window, close to where Ross sat. She looked down at the people gathering together in a small crowd.
Henri continued."You must learn about your enemies and know them well, Tom. The willpower of the Vietnamese Communists here and in the North will eventually overcome the willpower of the leaders of your country and South Vietnam. Mark my words young man. We French learned that the hard way. We lost over 35,000 killed and more than 48,000 wounded. It was also financially disastrous for our'country too. From what I have observed, it seems that American politicians have learned nothing from history and are repeating it."
Henri would soon explain to Ross what that information he just gave him had to do with what he was about to propose.
"Genevieve my dear," he said as he stood up on unsteady legs, 11please excuse Tom and I for a few minutes. We are going to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I would like to speak to him in private. Don't worry, I won't keep him long," he said as he smiled, first at Ross, then at Genevieve.
Miss Lee stood up also and handed Henri his cane, now forced to use one because of his worsening condition. He slowly led Ross into the kitchen and instructed Mai to make them a pot of coffee. Genevieve had mentioned to him before that when she saw Ross drink coffee in the morning, it reminded her of him when she was a child. She had memories of her mother having tea while he had coffee in the morning.
When they were seated in the kitchen and sipping some really good coffee, Henri told Ross about the information Nha had shared with him. It included Nha's beliefs about the im pending demise of South Vietnam. Then he really shocked him with the news of his journals, their specific contents and his plan.
The explosions continued after the siren stopped because it had taken a direct hit. Ross was worried that this might be an attack meant to overrun the base like the big attack during the 1968 Tet Offensive. He'd heard all about that one.
He wasn't a very religious person but today he prayed.
"Please God, make it stop." And just in case there was something to what Genevieve had told him, added, "Please Buddha, make it stop."
It seemed like the explosions had been going on for 15 to 20 minutes. It seemed like an eternity, especially when a few near misses shook the whole building. Ross could feel the close ones in every bone in his body. When the building shook, his whole body shook with it.
When the attack was finally over and he felt it was safe to go outside, he went to the office to check out. The airman behind the front desk was now wearing a helmet and flack jacket. Should have brought mine, he thought.
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About the Book
The action in this historical novel takes place during the turbulent final full year of American military involvement in Vietnam, 1972. First Lieutenant Tom Ross and his fellow investigators of MACV’s 1st Special Investigations Unit constantly find themselves in challenging situations while investigating drug use, drug smuggling and other illegal activities by U.S. military personnel in Saigon and other locations. Ross meets a beautiful young half-French, half-Vietnamese tour guide named Genevieve Ferrand who, unknowingly, helps him by introducing him to her father, Henri Ferrand. Henri has been living in Vietnam since 1947 when it was still French Indochina. He has more information about the high-ranking Vietnamese civilian and military officials who are at the heart of the rampant corruption, drug trafficking and black marketing than anyone else. He’s been blackmailed and he and his daughter’s lives have been threatened by his boss, the second richest and one of the most corrupt and dangerous men in all of South Vietnam. Henri has an unusual plan to save his daughter’s life, but it will take a deal with Lieutenant Ross to make the plan work. Meetings between high-ranking Viet Cong members of the Communist Provisional Revolutionary Government provide a unique insight and viewpoints from the “other side” as they plan for the final overthrow of South Vietnam’s “puppet” government shortly after the departure of U.S. troops. Their direct involvement in the corruption of South Vietnamese leaders, the drug trade, and how they got millions of dollars from the U.S. government, shocks Lieutenant Ross and the MACV commander once the truth is revealed in the journals kept by the “Sage of Saigon.”
About the Author
Steve Crews is the author of SURVIVING BIEN HOA and A DEATH IN KOREA AND THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS. All of his books can be ordered online at www.trafford.com or email orders@trafford.com. They are also available at major online book retailers. He was an Air Force “brat” for the first eighteen years of his life before his own twenty-two year Air Force career began. He is a graduate of Los Angeles City College (Business), Community College of the Air Force (Instructional Technology) and the University of the Philippines (Social Sciences). After a lifetime of travelling in eight countries and all 50 states, he now lives in Mississippi.