America 1982-Chapter 629 - 142: One for One, Fair Trade

Major Robert tossed a folder to Dennis, then picked up the coffee cup on the table and took a sip:

"The Federal State Department formulated an operation plan named ’Justice Assistance’ in 1984, which mainly aims to combat global terrorism targeting America. The plan hopes to collect real information clues at a high price to strike against those terrorists, to protect the lives and interests of American citizens abroad, and to maintain American national security. The results have been rather good; so far, about twenty people have made around ten million dollars in rewards by providing reliable intelligence to America."

As Dennis flipped through the information in his hands, he asked, "So, me and my group of elite army men suffering from severe syphilis, idiocy, vision and hearing deficiencies, and other occupational diseases are responsible for collecting valuable intelligence in this area to help the army make some extra money from the State Department?"

"Members of Congress claim that it’s an army’s sacred duty to maintain national security, so American military personnel providing intelligence is an obligation, not eligible for rewards," Robert put down his coffee cup, lit up a Windsor Camel cigarette that had been air-shipped from America, and leisurely looked at Dennis:

"The information in front of you details the reward program’s targets in the Lebanon area, divided into two categories: terrorists and hostages. No matter which category, as long as someone provides accurate information on their whereabouts, America will pay the rewards after sending troops to capture or rescue the target."

Dennis closed the folder and looked at his superior: "If soldiers can’t receive rewards, then what’s the point of Good Men Squad staying in Nakoura, Colonel? I already saw those pitiful guys yesterday. If the Pentagon expects these men to help Israel invade Lebanon, forgive my frankness, but a dozen wild boars would be more battle-ready than they are."

"America won’t fight for Israel, but this temporary military base in Nakoura represents an attitude, allowing Israel to feel that America stands with them, their Jewish comrades, and the Christian armed forces in Lebanon," Robert explained at a leisurely pace to Dennis:

"The presence of those riff-raff here is because the army believes they definitely won’t spark a war, nor will they actively go looking for trouble with the Lebanese terrorists. Each of them is a completely rotten coward who only knows how to be a waste of space in the blue zone, but having non-heroic wastes has its benefits. It makes it easier for our lords and officials to negotiate with Israel by saying proudly, ’Hey, I support you, we have a military base at Nakoura ready to join the fight if you’re struggling.’ Then, taking our attitude into account, let those Israelis keep buying our arms at a high price for protection fees."

With his head down, Dennis glanced at the file in his hands and then back at Colonel Robert, before turning his gaze out the window: "I’ve done nothing, and now I’m being left to rot in a place like this by Major Marshall? Who knows when this war will end."

Lebanon currently has no complete governance, with sixty percent of its territory controlled by the Syrian military and its supported regime and forty percent by Israel and Lahad.

The United Nations peacekeeping forces had to stay obediently in places like Nakoura, an Israeli security zone, limited to maintaining basic order for refugees. Daring to head north to mediate on the front lines where Israel and Syria confronted each other could lead to both sides firing at the peacekeepers simultaneously—don’t doubt it, both are capable of such actions.

After all, since 1982, more than a hundred peacekeepers had died on the battlefields of Lebanon, with no concrete culprit identified, and both Syria and Israel shifting the blame onto each other.

"I don’t want to talk about what you did under Major Marshall, but this is the work arrangement for you in Nakoura. Take this file, go back, and continue to urge those wastes to inquire in bars about the Lebanese waitresses, the nurses in hospitals, and the refugees in the camps, to see if they recognize anyone from the file. No one expects these guys to obtain any information; just consider it a walk. If they can collect intelligence, that would be great; if not, it doesn’t matter. No one has any expectations anyway," Robert said to Dennis.

Dennis stood up and saluted, ready to take his leave. As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked, "Commander, what’s the benefit if we save hostages or capture terrorists?"

"The hostages and terrorists are your benefits, Lieutenant. If you capture terrorists or save listed hostages, you could return home to receive commendation, perhaps even bid farewell to overseas service," Colonel Robert said with a smile full of mockery. "You just stay put and do nothing for a year or two, and that alone will add a fine touch to your record. If it weren’t for your connections calling me, you wouldn’t have gotten such a cozy spot."

Dennis shook the folder he was holding: "Will my guys get commended too?"

"If they behave and retire with honors, their discharge papers might mention their participation. The benefit is that it might make it easier for them to get hired as security guards at department stores or as firefighters after they leave the service," Robert replied with a shake of his head.

"Understood, goodbye, Commander," Dennis said, then walked out of Robert’s office with the folder.

When Dennis returned to Hero Squad’s base, he tossed the folder to Glen, lit a cigarette, and said to Glen, who was flipping through the folder, "We need to put our heads together and leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible."

"Another time helping the local government bust a smuggling ring of weapons or narcotics?" Glen said without looking up.

Dennis exhaled a cloud of smoke, "We need to go back to enjoy some real life, Glen. Use your head and see if there’s a chance to find a few of those hostages or terrorists. If we can manage that, Robert promised me a return home with commendations, and no more stops in places like this. Ask your informants, the ones you’ve dealt with in Beirut, who once helped us screw the French."

"Those guys are greedy, they only take US Dollars, not Lebanese Pounds. Most of the cash we made before has been spent buying information from them to avoid attacks. I mean, even if they have information, I doubt they’ll settle for just a few hundred to a thousand this time," Glen said, still looking through the list.

Dennis spoke with certainty, "First, let’s see if there’s any information. Money has never been an issue if there’s a lead. Do I look like someone who would dodge a debt?"

Without denying Dennis’s words, Glen had to admit that as long as he had known Dennis, from their betting days at West Point to the wagers with comrades in service, or even the slightly shady business with others, Dennis never failed to settle debts. That’s why the Lebanese militants they knew in Beirut were willing to do business with them and sell them tips; in a war-torn Lebanon, it was rare to find someone who would trade cash for goods so reliably.

Glen was efficient at his work, and that very afternoon, just as Dennis finished an exhausting nap, Glen appeared before him.

Ignoring the mess on the bed, he said, "I contacted the Lebanese we’ve dealt with before, but most don’t have any information to offer. After all, they operate around Beirut and have no idea about the Israeli-occupied areas..."

"Just spit it out—come on, Glen," Dennis, naked as the day he was born, leapt out of bed, took a sip of water from the glass on the table, handed a few US Dollar bills to the woman who sat up in bed, a South Korean United Nations worker who had just engaged in a brief affair with Dennis during the siesta. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

South Korea had sent almost three hundred workers to Nakoura, on the suggestion of the US command in South Korea, with few military personnel—mainly for medical aid and cultural exchange. It was gratifying that South Korea was very considerate, sending nearly half of them as female medical workers. Apart from being a bit more expensive and frequently wanting to marry American servicemen for a Green Card, they were almost faultless, mild in temperament.

Glen waited for the woman to dress and leave amidst the whistles of the men in Hero Squad, and then continued, "But it wasn’t entirely fruitless, one guy said he has information about an American hostage, but the price is steep—he wants fifty thousand in cash, US Dollars. But there’s no way for us to verify if he’s telling the truth or lying, given that this guy has a history of bluffing to scam some petty cash from us."

"Where the hell am I supposed to find fifty thousand in cash to give him, fifty thousand US Dollars could feed all the refugees in Nakoura for a whole day. If I go to Major Robert now and say there’s a lead, and I need fifty thousand in cash for operational funds, I’d likely end up being arrested for fraud," Dennis said, running his hands through his hair after hearing Glen’s words. "Fifty thousand, is that American hostage the President or something? Right, how much could we raise if all these sick and decrepit men under our command donated their salaries?"

Glen nipped Dennis’ fundraising idea in the bud with a single remark: "Forget it, I’ve looked into it, everyone has loans back home to pay off—mortgages, car payments, child support. I think you could get them to follow you into battle and they wouldn’t have the guts, but tell them we’re going back to take out Jimmy Carter, and they’d be tripping over each other to sign up."

"Alright, then how do we make sure the information he has is reliable and get him to agree to delivery before payment?" Dennis asked, pulling open his room’s door, naked, and checking out the surroundings as he muttered to himself.

With a shrug, Glen said from behind him, "There’s no way, I’ve considered everything possible."

Dennis slowly turned around, looking at Glen, and raised a finger, "Wait a minute, I just thought of a way—something that might make him agree to give us the goods before taking payment."

"What way?" Glen frowned, doubting that Dennis could have come up with something he hadn’t already thought of.

Dennis looked at Glen’s dark, honest face, "We could send you as collateral, Glen. This way, if they’re worried we’ll renege on the deal after getting the information, they’ll still have you. Even if we rescue the hostage in the end, they’ll still have you, an American officer, one for one, a fair trade."