There was no place to go, the small privacy room was built to hold one human being at a time and had thick wooden walls so telephone calls could not be overheard. I stepped outside, letting the spring action built into the door, and slowly close it behind me. That the two officers didn’t grab hold of me immediately I took as a good sign, but I made no move to avoid or run from them. There was no place to go for a Caucasian man who, at normal American male height, stood almost six inches above the obvious oriental men and women occupying the huge city.
“We would speak in private,” the older officer said, although it was very hard for me to properly gauge the ages of almost anyone I met. The adage of ‘all Indians look alike’ came unbidden to my mind.
Finally got my laptop back up and running and glad to see this chapter appear !!
S.K Mafia ?? Interesting and I assume never previously known to you or your compadres in the Company !!
Great read James, keep ’em coming 🙂
Semper Fi
Thanks Sgt. Volume II and III of Cowardly are out for sale or ordering for autographed copies.
Volume Two Here
Volume Three Here
The first volume should be out next week as the second edition. Cleaner and better edited than the first edition.
The Asian mafia operations kept things pretty
close to their chest, not like the American mafia. Merciless though, although wearing the metaphorical iron ring of Rome had a lot
of protection back then as it does today. Nobody wants to mess with Americans out there because they know that eventually someone like
me is coming. One person or two, with the Agency, NSA, NRO, US Army, Marines, Air Force (and the list goes on) and tons of unending cash, is a force to consider.
Thanks for the compliment,
Semper fi,
Jim
I sat down after perfunctory greetings and laid out the plan and the potential timing, which wouldn’t be finalized under I was back home and had things set up there.
* finalized until I was
Thanks Don, as usual, for the editing help.
Semper fi,
Jim
Excellent!
Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thanks Tim, much appreciate that compliment.
Semper fi,
Jim
That is a cliffhanger of a spot to leave us
I hope you aren’t going on vacation before the next chapter!!!!
Thanks Joe, for wanting more and it being okay to leave you hanging a time or two every once and awhile.
Semper fi,
Jim
I appreciate you and love reading your adventures.
My cousin a Marine was killed in 1967. My first cousin was an infantry officer who died of Agent Orange. My brother-in-law was with the engineers.
Some of my close friends died of Agent Orange.
I received your letter and appreciated it more than you will ever know.
God bless and keep the stories coming.
It was my pleasure to write that letter Jim and you are correct…it came straight from the heart.
So many have lost so much from out wars and to have those wars denigrated and the people who fought them
is a tragedy of the first order. There was some of that back when we came home from Vietnam and then all
that went away with the middle eastern operations. Now, it’s back, and it’s being led, as usual, by men who
did not serve, much less with honor.
Thanks for the comment on here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
First off – “My mind was racing.” Not sure if I’m far off, but for probably 99+% of humanity, they would write, like me, “My butt was pooping”.) Just sayin’.
Buying the “Super Bonder” – “Is it illegal to possess that in Korea?” I asked, thinking fast, my next comment to be based on how the question was answered.” Thinking about various “next comments” while simultaneously listening intently to the ‘security guys’ response to ensure you came up with the ‘right’ response to realistically keep up the façade of who you were and why you were in SK in the first place – Again – 120 mph.
Question – When you were growing up and your brain was still in the ‘formation’ stage (Like before 3rd grade.), had you read all the ‘spy/crime’ novels ever written since BC, Shakespearian plays, etc, committing them to memory so you could pull all the information up, discarding all that had nothing to do with the current ‘situation’ and using what you needed, consciously/unconsciously? Just wondering.
Reference the “older”, more experienced (My thoughts only.) guy – “He examined it closely from one end to the other.” Hadn’t the shoulder rig already been ‘soaked’, perhaps leaving the impression of either the weapon or magazines inside? If so, then he would have thought that your ‘cover’ story was BS and that whoever you truly were, you were a danger to their operation and would have to be dealt with soon?
“Good,” smiled the older officer. “Very good,” he said, more to himself or his partner or even me.” “I didn’t like the sound of the simple words.”
Me neither. For example, saying to yourself ‘I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.’ Indicates some kind of mental issue or be code for ‘I intend to snap your neck like a twig’. Just me thinking out loud.
“simple words” can be the best or worst kind – Difficult to ‘read between the lines’. On the other hand, can be very important to try and to include in current and future planning.
While taking with Herbert, he says “Adventure is doing something dangerous that has a happy ending.” Again, I think that ‘99+%’ rule applies here. I think for most folks, saying to the waiter ‘And don’t forget, make it as hot and spicy as you can!’ is their idea of an “adventure”.
“Somehow, I’d become a proven quantity to the bank, although there was no way to solve the mystery of why.” Maybe Mr. Kim had folks on his payroll all over
“‘cone of silence’ from the ancient television show Get Smart” – Should have left the “Get Smart” part out. Let folks not old enough, umm not ‘mature enough’ (Yeah, that sounds better.) to remember think this is some Agency ‘thing’ you’ll address in a later chapter. Or better, go search on ‘Google’. (I know, sometimes I’m just an arsehole.)
“Money wasn’t always the best material to make or seal relationships and quite possibly I’d proven that once again.” Yup. Sometimes “money” goes as soon as it’s acquired, along with any “relationship”. (By the way, I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday …)
“I asked the driver to find an entertainment … There was no glass between us as in the other hotel vehicle I’d taken earlier.” Why? Just a coincidence or another guy on Kim’s ‘payroll’. Wondering how ‘they’ knew exactly where to find you and use a “targeting laser”. Maybe Kim, after a report by “the older’ guy? (And don’t blame me for thinking like this. This type of thinking only began after I started reading your books. Before that, I was very wholesome. Ya’ know: “Similar: good, nice, virtuous, pure, Innocent, uplifting, upstanding, respectable, squeaky clean”. Whew, this is even too much for me.)
Enough for now (At this point, you may be thinking ‘Thank goodness, I have a life ya’ know’.)
Sincere regards my friend,
Doug
Major Danko, my friend, I did not know you had a life.
I see you in that tattered broken down motor home you are shacked up in with a half a case of Tito vodka still in it and an old tube television in black and white that somehow still works.
I suppose that’s a life, of sorts, or is that merely my imagination?
I love your comments, and I love your attention to detail as you read along.
I don’t use google much to look anything up, unless it’s some complexity i haven’t used or applied for awhile…like the formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius and other stuff that I don’t much use.
Thanks for the complexity of your going through so many things and also for your rye, cute and funny responses to some of the
things I write. I will be visiting other piano bars around the world from time to time…and the results will never be
what one might think, but then what of my life has been that way?
Take care my good fried, and I hope you
are enjoying the story as much as you seem to be.
Semper fi,
Jim
Yikes! Great chapter.
For some reason the comments I have submitted for the last chapters never got posted but I’m here & following this amazing saga. Been w/you since 30 days.
Some people are having a hard time getting comments to show up. I’ll check with Chuck about that. I do answer each and every
one that I get, like I’m doing this night. Thanks for taking the time to be patient and try again.
Semper fi,
Jim
Othere are complaining. I will get Chuck on this issue, as your comments mean everything to me!
Semper fi,
Jim
Getting a bit more dangerous now! Looks like your driver,Ho, has had enough I hope he comes back and continues to drive and help when he can!
Trying to gauge the members of another culture is tough.
Even facial expressions are not dependable. In Japan, men look like they are crying when they laugh, go figure.
Korea, the men are overly friendly but not really that way unless they have time and the language to get to know you.
The women are cold as the driven snow, by and large, unless they see you as a target for marriage. I wasn’t emitting
those kind of vibes. Thanks for the nice comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
The locals are amazingly resilient and careful in tribal societies…
More on this as we go along.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
I tried to post this earlier but it disappeared. I think the South Korean police had something to do with its disappearance. So I will try again.
So, we ride on again into the tortuous twists of the multiple mysteries.
EDIT: “cut the stakes were high” BUT?
EDIT: “… as there was a multi-thousand-dollar cover to get in”
multi-thousand Korean won?
Can’t comprehend why the two ‘policemen’ were so satisfied with their search of you and your room when they found only the holster but no weapon. Didn’t seem to do a very thorough search of your room. Didn’t ask you for a receipt of the ‘purchase’?
I could predict that your decision to go to a night club would be a bad one.
Until next week…
Wishing you the best, sir.
THE WALTER DUKE. Walt, I didn’t do a good job of laying out just what a rough and tumble place Seoul was back then.
Except for the big department stores in the heart of the town, the rest of the place just jumped day and night with all kinds of rag tag producers and sellers of all manner of goods, both authentic and fake. No receipts for anything and customs back home wasn’t anything like it is now when bringing back stuff. Itaewon was famous even then for being wild and woolly. The cops knew that, of course, and also knew but could not prove that there had to be a gun somewhere…but then they weren’t truly real either. Won, not dollars, as you mention. Thanks for the help as I missed that.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
Whew… Definitely not in Kansas any more, and hopefully out of Korea very soon, with no more holes in you!! Great chapter sir anxiously awaiting the next phase of this spellbinding trip until your on that big ole jetliner. Semper fi Lt
Thanks Bob, yes, it was a relief when I finally hit home turf again. I got better as time went by, once I figured out just how little I knew about the world outside of the USA. You cannot resist or argue with massive differences in culture, you can only accommodate them, but first you have to have an attitude of accommodation up front, not later on. Thanks for the neat comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
Wow quite a cliff hanger
Indeed, Robert, that kind of life…which I like to think has been mostly accidental but likely not.
I’m sure others are saying that same phrase in their minds after the reading of that chapter.
Semper fi, and thanks,
Jim
From one jungle to another . Both put your life at risk. One enmey you can see the other is a complete mystery ! Only you could manage to get into dangerous situations such as these. Moma isn’t going to be happy Lt. That’s will be the next battle. good luck with that !
Fire and maneuver, adapt, dazzle them with your footwork or baffle them with your bullshit…all these wonderful
Marine expressions coming to be useful tools to be applied. Interesting stuff and that part of the work I just
loved. Like hot air ballooning, no control of where you might end up…well, some, but not much.
Thanks for the accurate comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
another brilliant chapter so the stories about the CIA and the mob are true that they conspired to kill Ritchie Valens on that flight in Iowa is that correct it was the Korean police that did it because of their taste for rock ‘n’ roll oh well
knowing you and understanding I can easily see how you could’ve navigated such an uncertain situation you have a quick mind and you keep things simple it doesn’t surprise me that you succeeded so well on your first mission I can’t wait for the next chapter to come furthermore I wish I had a bank I could go to and get cash it will just by saying some magic words that would be a wonderful system
The CIA was, indeed, ‘magical’ in some sense of the word, at least to a person so new at the game. No wonder it remains so quietly effective to this very day. Some missions survive to success by good fortune alone, but you have to be there to
experience and then apply the results. This particular mission would live on through the ages, much of it under my control in the very beginning. The medical insurance company still exists, as does the evacuation company…with many competitors now.
Thanks for the compliment and the humor.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
“The place was relatively quiet inside, and I was able to get a small corner both with my back set into that corner.”
booth,not both
Thanks for the help, Steve. Corrected,
Appreciate your sharp eye
Jim
Jim,
So, we ride on again into the tortuous twists of the multiple mysteries.
EDIT: “cut the stakes were high” BUT?
EDIT: “… as there was a multi-thousand-dollar cover to get in”
multi-thousand Korean won?
Can’t comprehend why the two ‘policemen’ were so satisfied with their search of you and your room when they found only the holster but no weapon. Didn’t seem to do a very thorough search of your room. Didn’t ask you for a receipt of the ‘purchase’?
I could predict that your decision to go to a night club would be a bad one.
Until next week…
Wishing you the best, sir.
Here’s the post that ‘disappeared’ Walt! Showed up late, is all.
Thanks for a variant of the other comment. “Piano bars” as I came to know them across the world,
are always a bad decision to enter, and an even worse place to get ‘modified’ in. Danger lurks
inside all of them and new bad experiences one could never imagine without experiencing. A certain
piano bar out there in the world is the only civilian establishment I ever went off mission to
blow off the face of them map (there was nobody there at five a.m. thank God).
Thanks for this clone…
and semper fi,
Jim
You do manage to keep the excitement going through the whole chapter, Jim! Certainly piques the interest of the reader!
Had you noticed the bathroom vent window as a possible place of concealment, or was that a spur of the moment idea? Certainly fit in with that tube of CA!
These days spotting a laser beam focused on your chest would be an omen of death – were they in common use late ’60’s, early ’70’s? I cannot recall just when they were used as such. I did play around a bit with a “weather laser” in the mid-’70’s, but they were an oddity at that time (although my cat recognized it as “the enemy” right off!
Good luck with Kim’s Mafia! Believe it sure scared off your loyal tuk-tuk driver!
Laser designators, as they are called, were invented in the late sixties and in common use for rifle and handguns
but the mid-seventies. Lasers were also used in places of entertainment for years before eye injuries ended them being
allowed in bars like the one in Seoul. I noticed the ‘window’ because it was so odd and led me to examine it so it was already on my mind. I had to hope that the ledge outside was big enough, which it was. I never forgot the other part of the lesson of using the window. A weapon, unmarked, untraceable, with no prints and prints removed from cartridge surfaces cannot be attributable in ownership or possession even if very close by. Nice to know.
Thanks for the great comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
Wow, just when I thought you were out of the frying pan into the fire you go. South Korea does not seem like a nice place to visit or for business travels.
Remember Charles, I was brand new and knew almost nothing. Plus the Korean War was still very fresh on people’s minds.
PTSD for a whole culture is a tough set of things to deal with especially for visitors. Much better now, and the Koreans are very accommodating and thankful to Americans as we gave them a country.
Thanks for the neat comment, as usua.
Semper fi, my friendly
Jim
My oh my. Even when it seems to be calming down you seem to find trouble. Of course what were you thinking – going into an “entertainment bar” that surely was owned by the local mafia!?
Sometimes, even a person who thinks he’s smart, can do dumb things and not realize it until the
stupidity is violently revealed for what it is. I was tired, I was so totally mission oriented that I
wanted a break…and chose the wrong way to take that break.
Simper fi,
Jim
Never really having “support” when abroad, all the learning experiences were sort of a punt! “How the hell am I going to get out of this?” It is interesting finding out that working through hassles as a “round-eyed white person” carried a lot of power! As a local or other such low life one would just end up as debris!
Another good one!
Americans abroad are mostly unaware that they metaphorically wear the iron ring of Rome, as Roman citizens wore so others would know. The newspapers and other media are not filled with stories of Americans being killed or hurt abroad because it is that rare. You see, if an American gets in that kind of trouble, or dead, then the powers that be would send someone like me, or you…and with all the monstrous backup. If you get into extreme trouble abroad it’s not the embassy or consulate that’s going to pull your bacon from the fire or get retribution. This you know, of course, being one of the few…the proud…and the unknown.
Semper fi, my great friend,
Jim
The Korean Mafia ? Painted by Laser ? Jim you got yourself in a real jackpot this time . This time you are loose in a foreign country with no one to back you up at a moment’s notice. For the record any respect that I had for Tony , I am quickly losing , whatever he was doing doesn’t square with the man that had my utmost admiration .
Tony was a pawn and in the CIA, unless you can ‘escape’ to foreign lands and then be in charge, for the most part, of
reports that go back home, you do what you are ordered to do. There is no secrets act that you must sign, like in Great
Britain but you still security sign your life away if the Agency is to find fault is some area they feel is important that
you didn’t. I loved Herbert as a control officer. He really did care. He also checked in on family. I found out later that
this was very uncommon. Sometimes the backup the Agency gives you is either overkill, like a nuclear sub offshore, or it’s none
at all because they don’t think you’ll need it and the presence of such may blow your cover and there goes the mission.
Thanks for the well thought out comment.
And letting me defend Herbert.
Semper fi,
Jim