a supposedly cleared lane.
Entering the DMZ was strictly forbidden, especially with armored vehicles, but both sides did go in-to test each other's reactions and to find blind spots. Vorishnov would have preferred not to go in that night. One of his patrols, however, had gotten a BMP stuck while it was in the DMZ. Knowing the sensitivity of such violations, Vorishnov had decided to go in and personally supervise the recovery. He wanted to be out of there before dawn. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay.
The young lieutenant, new to the unit, had been reluctant to wake the major.
When reports about an unidentified vehicle arrived at the TOC, the lieutenant had decided not to bother the major until the vehicle was positively identified. Besides, the sergeant on duty told him that it was no big deal, that the Russians did that sort of thing 'all the time.' But when three additional vehicles were reported to have entered the DMZ, the lieutenant became nervous and sent a runner to wake Major Dixon and tell him of the violation.
Dixon stormed into the TOC, so enraged over not having been awakened immediately at the first report that he was unable to speak coherently.
He chewed the lieutenant out, calling him everything he could think of. Then he turned on the sergeant on duty and chewed him out for being stupid enough to allow the lieutenant to do dumb things. When Dixon left for the DMZ at the head of a two-Bradley reaction section, he was still in a rage.
It took the entire trip and the cold night air to subdue his anger.
Recovery of an armored vehicle is never easy. What looks so simple and commonsense in a book or during a demonstration is a major undertaking when attempted in the field, in darkness, by men tired, hungry and scared.
Vorishnov, impatient to be out of the DMZ, stood behind the warrant officer, asking questions and rendering advice. The warrant officer, as tactfully as possible, informed the major that he had the situation in hand. Taking the hint, Vorishnov went back to his vehicle to wait.
Leaning against the side of the armored car, he began to doze.
Night was giving way to predawn twilight when the commander of the BRDM shook Vorishnov and told him there was some kind of vehicle moving in the American half of the DMZ. Vorishnov climbed up onto the BRDM and peered in the direction the BRDM commander indicated toward a slight rise south of the wire fence that marked the boundary between U.S. and Soviet-occupied Iran.
Both men scanned the horizon until they detected a motionless antenna protruding over the rise. Evidently there was a patrol there, watching them. The antenna probably belonged to an armored vehicle. Vorishnov turned and looked at the progress of the recovery operation. It would still be some time before it was finished. With nothing better to do, he jumped down from the track and walked up to the wire fence, exercising great care as to where he stepped.
Once he was at the fence, Vorishnov stopped, folded his arms and stared at the point where they had seen the antenna. Perhaps he could cause the Americans to move or expose themselves. If both sides violated the DMZ, the Soviet violation could be explained as a reaction to the Americans' violation. It was worth a try.
'What the hell do you suppose he's up to?'
Dixon did not answer the scout-section sergeant immediately. Instead, he continued to watch the lone Soviet major standing at the wire, arms folded, staring toward the spot where they were. He couldn't imagine what the Russian was looking at. Rolling over from his stomach to his side, Dixon looked back at the Bradley to their rear. It was down low, its turret well below the rise. Their approach had been slow and quiet.
There was nothing that could have given them away. Nothing, except the antenna. When Dixon saw the antenna sticking up instead of being tied down, he knew what the Russian had seen. Tapping the section sergeant on the shoulder, he pointed out the antenna. The sergeant mumbled an obscenity, then asked, 'Now what?'
To the sergeant's surprise, Dixon stood up, looked in the direction of the Russian and said, 'Now I go find out what he wants.' With that, he began to walk toward the wire fence, being careful where he walked.
As he approached the fence, he could see the Russian watching him intently.
Behind the Russian major the men working on the BMP stopped and stared.
The Russian major was a big man, half a head taller than Dixon.
Dixon did not let that bother him. He walked up to the fence and stopped, staring into the Russian's eyes.
For a moment, the two faced each other awkwardly. Each man had seen men of the other side, mostly prisoners of war. This was different.
The man across the fence was not a beaten man. He was armed and he controlled other armed men. Not knowing what to do, and more from reflex than by intent, the two saluted each other.
Dixon spoke first. 'In the name of the Allied forces, I must protest the unprovoked introduction of forces and armored vehicles into the demilitarized zone. This is in direct violation of the armistice agreement. I demand their immediate withdrawal.'
Vorishnov, straight-faced, responded in English, 'Our presence in the demilitarized zone is in response to your provocation. It is you who have violated the armistice.'
Dixon looked from Vorishnov to where the Russian was looking-in the direction of the waiting scout sergeant and the concealed Bradley. Finally he said, 'Perhaps we are both guilty of violating the treaty.'
Vorishnov looked at the American and agreed. 'Perhaps, but only a little.'
Each man studied the man across the fence. Each knew what unit he faced across the DMZ and the role that that unit had played in the fighting. Each had seen much and knew that the man he faced had also.
Both had seen too much.
It was Vorishnov who spoke first. 'How long do you suppose this will last, Major?'
Dixon thought for a moment. 'Hard to say. These things take time. In Korea, negotiations took years. We still have forces there in the DMZ.'
Vorishnov sighed. 'Yes, diplomats do not have the need to hurry. They do not have to face what we have to.'
Dixon asked, 'Do you suppose things would be different if they were here?'
'No, I suppose not. Besides, they are not of our kind.
They could no more do what we must than we could do what they are ordered to do.'
The Russian's reference to 'our kind' was a revelation to Dixon. He had never looked upon a Russian in that light or thought there was a bond, a common ground, a similarity. As he considered that, it made sense. The Russian, like him, was a tanker, a veteran, a survivor.
A Russian soldier called out to Vorishnov. He turned and saw that the BMP was out of the ditch and beginning to move toward the BRDM. 'It is time to leave now, Major. May your journey back be safe.'
Dixon stepped back. 'Yes. Be careful of the mines. We have a hell of a time keeping the Iranians from moving them about.'
Vorishnov smiled for the first time. 'You see, we share the same problems. Goodbye, Major.'
With that, the two saluted, turned and walked back to their vehicles.
Glossary of Military Terms
A-10 — The A-10 Thunderbolt, nicknamed the Warthog, is a ground-attack aircraft specially built for the U.S. Air Force to crack tanks. Armed with a 30mm. cannon capable of destroying tanks from above, the A-10 can also carry 8 tons of ammunition. It has a maximum speed of 423 mph and an operational range of 288 miles.
AH-64 — The U.S. Army's current attack helicopter, named the Apache. Now being fielded, it is capable of carrying sixteen Hellfire antitank guided missiles or seventy-six 2.75-inch rockets. In addition, the helicopter is armed with a 30mm. cannon. It has a maximum speed of 192 mph and an operational range of 380 miles. A computer-driven fire-control system that includes thermal sights and a laser designator tracker range finder makes the AH-64 one of the most effective antitank weapons systems in the world.
