"Joe Haldeman - 1968" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

"Maybe the ambush, I don' know. Maybe somebody's fuckin' around, or had an accident." Then there
was a sustained burst of automatic-rifle fire. "No, that's an AK-47. We've got contact."

Somebody started screaming, an eerie wavering ululation. There were several bursts of M16 return fire
and another grenade blast, then two more. The screaming man stopped, and then started again.

"What're we supposed to do?" Spider said.

"Keep down," Batman said. "Wait an' see."

Four artillery rounds rushed in, spaced about two seconds apart. Then three came in almost
simultaneously. "Quick work," Killer said.
"Still zeroed from the smoke rounds," Batman said. "Just drop it a cunt hair and fire for effect."

Moses came scrambling up the hill. "Know anything?" Batman shook his head.

An M60 machine gun started up, a constant manic chatter to accompany the screaming. When the
machine gun stopped, the screaming stopped, too. "Wonder if that's one of us who got hurt," Moses
said.

"Oh yeah," Batman said. "Charlie don't scream." In the distance they could hear the thumping blades of a
helicopter approaching. "Medevac already."

For a minute there was no sound except the helicopter, louder and louder. Then four men struggled up
the hill by their bunker, carrying a casualty by the armpits and ankles. The wounded man had his pants
pulled down to his knees and clutched a bloody pile of bandages over his crotch. His eyes were clenched
shut and he kept repeating "Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh."

One of the carriers was a short black man whose skin was gray with shock or fear or empathy. He
recognized Batman. "Fuckin' dick shot off, Jesus. Shot clean off." He held out his hand, displaying a small
scrap of bloody meat. "Jesus."

"Anybody else?"

"Huh uh. Dead gook."

They watched them stagger toward the LZ. "Might as well throw it away," Spider said. "No way they
can sew it back on."

"What makes you an expert?" Killer said. "You sew on a lot of dicks?"

Spider grabbed his crotch. "Sew this, motherfucker."

"Let's get down to the LZ, assholes," Batman said, moving. "Might have to offload some stuff."
Medevacs weren't always done by medical helicopters. If someone was in the air nearby and not on a
fire mission, he'd drop in for a pickup if that would move the casualty to help a little faster.

This time it was a medevac chopper, a red cross in a white square painted on the nose. There was one
other wounded man aboard, his arm in a makeshift sling and his hand bandaged. He looked annoyed at