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."Wojinski lies," Lowell said, nodding at the middle-aged warrant officer."How do you know what I told him, Duke?" Wojinski asked."The thing to remember about Colonel Lowell, Ellis," Major Parker said, "isthat he is insane.If you keep that in mind, everything else he does fallsinto place.""I'm insane? I'm surrounded by people who eat snakes, jump out of perfectlyfunctioning airplanes, and wear girl scout hats, and I'm insane?""There he goes with that hat shit again," MacMillan said, and then stopped astwo waiters appeared with trays of steaming lobsters."So far as the hat is concerned, Craig," Colonel Hanrahan said, "we broughtone for you.""I don't understand," Lowell said."You will wear it tomorrow," Hanrahan said.It was clearly an order."May I ask why?" Lowell asked.It was a subordinate asking a question of asuperior, not a challenge."Because Lieutenant Commander Eaglebury was killed as a Green Beret, and willbe carried to his grave by Green Berets.This will probably be the lastceremony in which people will wear green berets.Indulge me; we Irish areemotional and love symbolism.""I am not, Colonel, a Green Beret," Lowell said softly."Just wear the ha , Craig, and don't argue with me," Hanrahan said angrily,.and then softened."But you are.You've commanded foreign troops in combat.You're as entitled as Felter and me.""Yes, sir," Lowell said.He looked thoughtful a moment, then shrugged.He looked over at Mac MacMillan."You don't eat the red part, Mac," he said."Open it up and eat what'sinside.""Fuck you, Lowell," Lieutenant Colonel MacMillan said.Colonel Paul T.Hanrahan was on the curb outside Bookbinder's, about to enterPage 26 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe maroon limousine, before he thought of the check."We didn't pay the bill," he said, looking at Lowell."The bill has been taken care of, Colonel," Lowell said.He remembered that during the flap about Ellis's beer, the headwaiter hadcalled Lowell by name."You fixed it with the headwaiter," Hanrahan accused."Would the colonel enter the vehicle, please"" Lowell said "The colonel isblocking the sidewalk.""Damn you, Craig," Hanrahan said, and got in the limousine.(Four) Company "C," First Battalion Eleventh Infantry Regiment U.S.Army BasicTraining Center Fort Jackson, South Carolina 2105 Hours, 29 November 1961Company "C" occupied four two-story wooden barracks built in 1941 to last fiveyears.Two barracks faced the other two across an open area, itself about aslong as a barrack.To one side were two one-story frame buildings.One housedthe orderly room, the mailroom, and the arms room.the other the supply room.Company "C" consisted of four platoons, each of forty men.Each platoon had abarracks, the Third Platoon occupying one of the barracks closest to theorderly room and supply-room buildings.Each platoon consisted of four squads,each of ten men.The third and fourth squads of the Third Platoon occupied thesecond floor of the Third Platoon's barracks.At the top of the stairway weretwo private rooms.These were occupied by the acting squad leaders of the twoplatoons.The other basic trainees' bunks and equipment were in the squad bay,nine trainees on each side.The interior of the barracks was open frame work.To the two-by-four studbeside each bed, a shelf had been nailed.The shelf supported the trainee'shelmets, protective, steel; their liners, helmet; and their caps, service,brimmed.The shelf support studs had been drilled, and lengths of pipe hadbeen inserted in the holes.The trainees hung their uniforms from the pipes:overcoat; raincoat; field jacket; tunic # 1 (with trousers inside); tunic # 2;shirts khaki, #1 through #3, fatigue jacket # 1 (with fatigue trousersinside); fatigue jacket # 2.Beside fatigue jacket # 2 was hung bath towel # 1(on a wire hanger) with face cloth #1 on top of bath towel #1, centered.Eachtrainee kept beneath the left side of his bed near the aisle his two pairs ofBoots, combat, his pair of Shoes, Low Quarter, and his shower clogs, the toeslined up so as to be directly below the left frame of the bunk.His laundrybag was tied to the end of his bunk, immediately to the left of the name platehanging from the center of the bunk's frame.Bath towel #2, face cloth #2, and other items (undershirts, men's, cotton,w/sleeves; under drawers, men's, cotton, w/snap fasteners; socks, men's, wool,cushion-sole; and so on) were kept in a prescribed order in the locker at thefoot of each bunk.The arrangement of clothing and footlockers was subject to inspection at anytime, and in the seven and one half weeks the men of "C-One-Eleven" had beenin basic training, they had learned to store their gear neatly and accordingto regulation.Regulation forbade the use of bunks between the hours of 0355 (when first callwas sounded, via a phonograph record played over the PA system) and 2055Page 27 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlhours, when Lights Out was sounded.On this particular night, for some reason,Lights Out had not been sounded, although it was ten minutes after theschedule called for it.Because the trainees had been taught to do nothingunless expressly ordered to, they had not felt free to remove the blanketplaced in the prescribed manner over the pillows and get into their bunks.Some of them lay on the floor beside the bunks; some of them sat on their footlockers; and others were gathered around the red-painted #10 cans, the "buttcans" nailed to pillars along the aisle between the two rows of bunks.To a man, they were wondering whether Staff Sergeant Douglas B
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