Tales of the Yellow Silk

The storys main character James Kendle is a sergeant in the US Army. Kendles first assignment after completing Ranger School at Fort Benning is command of a Long Range Recon Patrol based in Lopburi Thailand. The story begins with Kendles arrival in Thailand and assignment to Team Delta. The first task that Delta Team is to undertake is a routine patrol along the Burmese border. The patrol is patched with a few tense moments but is otherwise unproductive from a military standpoint. Delta Team returns from the field to find that Military Assistance Command Thailand needs all Special Forces units closer to the border of Cambodia. Ironically Deltas first assignment after moving to U Taphao Airbase is honor guard duty at the Royal Palace of King Bhumipol. Here Kendle meets Princess Mai Yop Dui and falls deeply in love. Their attraction is instantaneous but the relationship is difficult for both of them to pursue. As US military influence in the region declines the political situation in Cambodia and Vietnam worsens. With this Kendles Team is sent on increasingly difficult and riskier missions. Kendle and Mai see each other as often as possible but with decreasing frequency. Kendle soon comes to learn that the US State Department and the Thai Monarchy have discovered his relationship with the princess. Forbidden to pursue it any further Kendle is given one last opportunity to see Mai if he and his team will conduct a deep insertion into Cambodia to escort out a high level CIA operative. He and his team agree. The mission goes horribly wrong - the helicopter carrying Delta Team is shot down by a Khmer Rouge patrol. Two of Kendles teammates are killed and Kendle himself is badly injured but a trailing helicopter picks up the remaining men. Kendle and his men are taken to the US military hospital in Bangkok where Kendle spends several weeks in recovery.