the radio with higher—battalion, brigade,
division? I’m busy but listen to what I can
pick-up. We’re inside the range fans of friendly
artillery and we need serious fire support but
artillery is notoriously inaccurate and therefore
very dangerous at night, so he asks them for a
Spooky gunship.

What he wants is an AC-130H, a
four engine Air Force transport loaded with guns
and flares. It’s officially known as “Spectre” but
still referred to by all grunts by the name of the
original C-47 gunship—“Spooky”.

It seems he’s
getting the runaround. I can guess that he’s being
told, most likely by some field grade sitting in a
bunker way in the rear, that this is an important
asset to be committed only in the most urgent of
situations. Finally he shouts into the handset,
“If you don’t get us a fucking Spooky right now,
we won’t be here in the morning.” Then moments
later, he passes the word—Spooky is on the way.
Maybe we’ll see the sunrise, after all.

While