the team reaches the nearest town, where, to his fury, bannon finds soldiers from c company lounging around. bannon reports to the task force commander; the team is placed in reserve, where it can recover and receive reinforcements. 2nd lt. avery, an armor school classmate of 2nd lt garger's, reports as lt mcallister's replacement. avery is puzzled by the slightly distant reception he gets from the team's officers, including garger.