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about 300 feet. The plan was that Tommy would take the west side of the road and I would take the east side of the road. That way if one of us was spotted we could set up a crossfire and cover each other. A line of trees and heavy mangroves on each side of the road would provide cover most of the way to the first buildings.
    We crossed the bridge at 3 am, as the best time to sneak around is 2 to 4 am. That is when most people are in deep sleep. I was moving down the east side and Tommy down the west side of the road on the edge of the shrubs and mangrove trees. I could hardly see Tommy in the moonless night. He was about 100 feet across the road from me. We each had a radio to stay in touch. Clicking the transmit button three times meant stop and five times meant go. With this signal, the radio would hiss a static soft clicking noise. No talking unless it was necessary.
    As we got within 400 yards of the first building I saw a person sitting on the edge of the road in a chair. I clicked three times to Tommy and he stopped. Using my night vision I saw this guy was asleep or had his eyes closed. I clicked five times to go. While Tommy proceeded I aimed my AR15 9mm at the guard’s head. After Tommy was clear, he would cover me.
    I had to pass within twenty feet of this guard. I held my breath and watched where I was walking so as not to make any noise, creeping along step-by-step until I was about one hundred feet past him. It was time for Tommy to cross the road over to my side, since the view was better on the east side of the street. Tommy slowly crawled on his belly across the road taking about 15 minutes, while I covered him. So far, so good, we had not been spotted.
    I whisper ed to Tommy, “I think these guys are in one of the big four-story buildings and may have a shooter on the top floor. It’s probably the one near the road.”
    This complex ha d about ten big buildings with two near the road, one on the east side and one on the west, so maybe they were in both buildings. As we sneaked around the buildings, keeping near the plants for cover, we spotted their cars at the one building on the east side of the road.
    Tommy said quietly, “I want to go inside.”
    I replied, “ Negative, too dangerous. Let’s go back, we’ve got enough information.”
    Tommy nodded and we started back.
    As we approached the guard sleeping in the road, he suddenly woke up when an owl screamed in the night. He stood up and I froze about 30 feet away from him. Tommy was on the other side of the road out of sight. I clicked three times on the radio. The guy looked around dazed and then he saw me on the edge of the mangroves and jumped to reach for his AK47. I popped him with my AR 9mm carbine three times, which of course made three loud bangs. He was no doubt dead, as I never miss with my AR15 9mm. It shoots like a BB gun with very little recoil.
    We both started to run for the bridge , keeping close to the overgrowth. Tommy would run ahead about 50 feet since he was faster than me and then stop and look back, aiming his rifle to provide cover fire.
    We were about halfway back and Tommy shouted, “Dad, keep running to the bridge, I will cover you. They’re coming in a car.”
    I was so out of breath I could n’t speak or reply to him, but my brain was working overtime. I turned to see one car coming. That meant possibly three or four men.
    I stopped , trying to regain my breath and replied, “Don’t shoot, hide until they pass you. I am running in the middle of the road so they can see me.”
    “Ok, Dad,” yelled Tommy.
    I thought I could run faster on the road than in the dirt. I can make it. My hope was if they saw me in the road then they would drive right past Tommy, who was hidden in the mangroves, come after me and then we’d have them in a trap.
    I knew Ron and Robbie would be there with more men and we would kill them if they came within range. I was huffing and puffing, running at full speed, slower than a turtle it