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“Firebase Blaze” began the turn
of the tide for the NVA/VC. Legion of Assassins, Red’s Command Team, directed by Captain
Martin Storgard, had some strategic tricks of their own. They
coupled the flank maneuver
with successful paint slinging
to hand the U.S. Army a piece of
humble pie baked with a goose
egg! They doubled their score
to 16 while holding Blue at 25.
The wind had picked up by this
time, and several players kept
a weather eye open for falling
branches and trees!
The next mission – “The Tet Offensive” – wasn’t nearly as dramatic as mission five, but Red
pulled out another point majority with five and managed to allow Blue two points: B27-R21.
The prepped the stage perfectly
for a Mission Masters-style finale in mission seven: “Hamburger
Hill.” Twelve points were up for
the taking in the final mission of
the day, per usual in the Mission
Masters formula. It was anyone’s game, but Blue’s to lose.
They carried a six-point lead
into the final mission. Would
they hold on, or would they let
the lead slip to the NVA/VC?
Another new section of field,
“Hamburger Hill,” started off
dramatic as a member of Whiskey Squad of Team Blue was,
within the first 90 seconds, hit
June 2014
in the “unspeakable region” and
slipped on the gravel as he advanced on the NVA/VC flank.
No permanent injury and the
mission was restarted. The Legion of Assassins led the charge
from the top of the Hill to take
positions all along the rim overlooking the valley below where
the U.S. Army crept. Their flanks
were exposed, and Blue took
advantage. Several mortar positions lied open to predation on
the flanks, and Blue easily took
out the right flank mortar with
a well-placed stick of dynamite.
In the final seconds, a member of the U.S. Army bolted forward with the U.S. flag, but was
marked multiple times before
dislodging the NVA/VC flag and
hanging theirs. No score!
Thirty seconds remained, but
the few remaining NVA/VC
markers held the only U.S. Army
players at bay along the unprotected road leading to the flag.
No score! Red kept their flag
flying at the whistle. But wait,
what about the other mortar location along the left flank? Team
Blue sent several players to that
flank with a dynamite prop, but
when they threw it from the
rim-side brush, it hit the mortar tube and bounced away to a
harmless distance (more than
20 feet away)! No score! But
could the U.S. sol