(C-62)
Operation Skunk
Fooling them again
‘May God have Mercy on my enemies, because I won’t.’
General George S. Patton
‘Fortunate is the country that has hero’s,
Pity the country that needs them.’
Movie ‘Reign of Fire’
‘Attack or defend with the mountain to your back,
he is your best friend and will guard it well.’
An Apache Saying
In War
If you think with your head,
critics will call you hardhearted.
If you think with your heart,
you will lose your head.
You fight wars to win.
As the Victor chooses the peace that follows.
JN
A lot of hard work and planning by my men is going to pay off, Lt. Woo and the Sgt. Major say’s were going to give them such a kick in the pants and they will wish they were back home in China. It has taken us ten days of hard work to set up this next attack, when it normally would have been over two weeks just to plan and write the operations order alone, I am truly amazed.
A little over two months ago after Sgt. Ling tapped into the telephone lines linking the Division HQ to the battalion supply units, all of that listening has really boosted our Intelligence gathering ability. Especially since we know their plans related to their supply schedules and where and when units pick up the needed stores, our hunting for targets became a whole lot easier.
More then any thing else it’s hard for him and the Militia troops to believe the clerks at both ends weren’t aware of the philosophy that ‘loose lips sink ships’, as they talked openly about troop movements, timetables, ration and Ammo requirements and the staging areas. Plus the scuttle butt and beefs about officers and senior NCOs and the usual soldier’s perceived ideas of the men that rank over them and all of their shortcomings in leadership.
Oh well, any advantage we could get and use we will, our survival depends on it, and besides we all liked the idea of seizing supplies that are destined to be used against us, then to turn around and use them against our enemies.
Dan still can’t understand how they haven’t figured out this major gap in their security by now? Especially after all of the successful ambushes and attacks we conducted against them since our operations started there on the west side?
I just wish that Jeff, as commander of my old battalion, hadn’t of talked me into letting him start this next battle, I liked better the idea of his unit in a line position or as a reserve force, not as the main blocking force, but I couldn’t play favorites. No matter what my gut feelings were?
Believe it or not, in the last few months I’ve came to realize that I am a warrior at heart. And no I don’t love war, anymore then a religious man loves sin, nor does a doctor love disease! In the same way, a warrior does not love war, for he has seen the ugliest aspects of it all, but in the end, he fights! For, that is what he was meant for and what he does best...and hoping, praying for peace! Maybe it’s in the planning and then making preparation’s for the next few battles that has a certain amount of satisfaction. Sort of like playing chess, in thinking ahead on all of the many different moves, of laying traps for your opponent and watching him make the necessary moves in leading up to those traps.
“Gentlemen our first five brigades have moved in without being found out and the last three are moving now and will be in hiding by tomorrow evening. In a little over four days this next battle is going to be a very decisive one and will help shorten the War here. We will be using eight out of our twelve brigades available, from the three Militia Divisions, plus the 2nd California brigade will be our reserve force if needed. I hate to leave four Brigades out but I have to hold them back for our deception to work up north!”
“With the latest Intel this last week we had to change our plans, and with that the name of the next operation I changed it to Skunk instead of Wolverine and from our originally planned attack driving across Highway 49 and into the central valley.”
“Wolverine is on hold for a few weeks, all because we have the exact time and order of March on three Enemy Divisions, two Chinese and a newly formed Jihad Division. Operation Skunk is going to be another larger ambush and follow up attack pushing north up to the south side of Jackson and as I as we all hope, it will shorten the war here in the US by months.”
“The Enemy units moving north have very few tanks or wheeled APC’s and most of their troops will be in open trucks or in side of buses. There is a fourth Division we have to be aware of, it's the 45th a supply and support unit. Mostly made up of drivers, mechanics, store-men and ammo handlers, they do have an attached Artillery Brigade. The 45th and the artillery brigand is broken down into batteries and battalion supply positions, they are located in the positions marked in orange on your maps. Their orders state that they are supposed to act as a spoiling force if one of our scout platoons or companies were attempting to harass this large troop movement.
“The Enemy units moving north have very few tanks or wheeled APC’s and most of their troops will be in open trucks or in side of buses. There is a fourth Division we have to be aware of, it's the 45th a supply and support unit. Mostly made up of drivers, mechanics, store-men and ammo handlers, they do have an attached Artillery Brigade. The 45th and the artillery brigand is broken down into batteries and battalion supply positions, they are located in the positions marked in orange on your maps. Their orders state that they are supposed to act as a spoiling force if one of our scout platoons or companies were attempting to harass this large troop movement.
In our overall attack plan we will have to attack several of these scattered battalions and companies at the same time we spring our ambush, as they might cause us some trouble.”
“So we are to Skunk them, as in making them smell bad,” General Dix the Corp XO added. The Brigade commanders all laughed at the lame joke, several even nod their heads as they see that the Operations name is very fitting..
“Before anyone asks, General Yu Shan has surrendered his 28th Division that has been blocking 108 highway. They did so over a month ago and that is why we stopped our attacks against them. With their surrender we received a wind fall of information, some of that has indicated a major rift between the commander of the 25th Army Corp and his boss up at the tenth Army Group General Gobi or if we use there command structure and call him Field Marshal Gobi who commands all of the Chinese and their allies Corps here in middle California.”
“Then when General Tsingtao surrendered his 89th Division blocking highway 4, two days ago this rift was confirmed. The commanders of the 28th and the 89th agreed that General Gobi as the overall commander has hamstrung General Jiu Chen of the 25th Corp in all of his operations. That is lucky for us because if Jiu had been in charge we would be fighting our way back across Nevada right now.”
Dan paused for a second letting that information soak in. Then offered his reason for using the term skunk, “As Jim joked, Operation Skunk gives us an opportunity to further that rift inside their leadership, to keep them at odds and make that dislike between the two grow. That’s almost as good as our first priority of destroying the three Divisions on the road. One big battle, two victories for us, now here is what I have planned gentlemen, there wasn’t time to make a terrain model as the area is to large,” Turning to the large map on the wall Dan takes a laser pointer and highlights the north end, “Here by Placerville are elements of the 25th Corp, the sub units are...”
Two days later, all the orders have been issued and the plans are in motion for the largest Ambush in modern warfare on the North American Continent, Dan still don’t like the idea that Jeff hadn’t volunteered the 1st Battalion to be the cork in the bottle below San Andreas, I agree with him as I'm afraid for my neighbors, my friends that I had trained with over the years. Maybe it because I’ve read too much history, I know what happens most of the time to the units that are placed in blocking positions. The Anvil may be the hardest steel but it sure takes a beating.
When Jeff and the rest of us were briefed that the 89th Division that had been blocking the pass on highway 4 and their General Tsingtao had surrendered, we all felt relief. Knowing that the pass was now under our control and most of our Armor would be here in time to support our Ops, was going to make the task easier. Unfortunately our Division Commander Gen. Stoddard could only give 1st Battalion one tank platoon of M60A3’s and only one platoon from the track mounted anti-tank company, but they would have a whole battery of 155 artillery in direct support, it should be enough.
Dan had assigned two battalions from the1st California Brigade for watching his old battalions back, they were up around Mokelumne Hill and Valley Springs. Jeff felt better, even more so when they attached two more companies of infantry to his command for watching his flanks. By placing one Company down south of the Kentucky House cement plant along the spur from hill 1182 they would block any attempt to flank his right. It’s very unlikely they would see any action down there as the Chinese would be moving up the main highway. The other Cal Company he planned to use on his left flank on the side road east of 49.
The orders called for him to prepare three defensive lines facing south so he could give up ground as the Chinese used up their men trying to pin him down. The first defensive line was for a quick hit and to wipe out their lead companies and stop the enemy on the road and then for his troops to fall back as the pressure mounted.
The second line is where he would have most of his firepower concentrated and to really check the enemies advance forcing them to stop, plan and then mount a formal all out attack. With any luck the rest of our 1st Ks brigade would be hitting them from the rear forcing them to surrender or be destroyed.
If that didn’t happen and they attacked in force he would disengage, covering his fall back with the 155 batteries firing in support. And just in case the worst happened his third prepared line was his final defensive line; he knew he had to hold this so the rest of the ambush would succeed.
Jeff after the Division three-hour order and briefing session came up to Dan and saluted, then smiling said, “General I have four days to move in and finish preparations below San Andreas the terrain really favors us there. We’ll keep a watch out for any Chinese patrols and stay completely off the road until the last. When we crater it and drop the road blocks then the Chinese will know we are at them again.”
Dan smiled back, “Yes we have time to move a lot of men into position and dig in, and we are very fortunate the ground does favor us Jeff. You and your men are the cork in the bottle; you guys hold and we will destroy the three divisions. I hate to put the monkey on your shoulder but it’s up to your men and you.”
Jeff saw the slight hint of concern in Dan’s face. That was something he had never seen before, he stared into Dan’s eyes for a brief instant then looked away thinking. ‘Never knew Dan to look worried before.’ As he said, “Thanks for letting the boys from California watch my flanks, they will do a good job.”
“Yes, they have a little revenge owed to them, make sure they keep it in check.”
Jeff absorbed that request in silence, Dan knew he would do what is right.
Jeff then grinned, suddenly feeling foolish in Dan’s presence, there past friendship was still there but Dan had to remain aloft he couldn’t show any favoritism.
“Fighting will be heavy all along the highway, think the Chins will commit a lot of Air assists?”
“I would, but I know the plan. Most of their air up north here has been held in reserve since we cleaned their plow in Op Trenton, sooner or later they will come out to fight, but then again maybe not today if our surprise is successful?”
“Well sir, we will just have to make sure the ambush is a success and along with our radio jamming, their Army HQ won’t know what has happened for at least thirty minuets maybe even longer. The fight will be over by then, the mopping up completed and almost everyone of our units will have moved into their next hide and started digging in getting ready for any counter attack.”
Dan cautions him, “Remember Jeff, the first causality of any battle is the plan.”
“I don’t know about that sir, so far yours have gone pretty well.”
Dan shook his head no, “Luck only last so long Jeff, don’t count on it.”
Jeff glanced over to a couple of Dan’s staff officers; the men were avoiding his gaze, refusing to meet his eyes. They knew the sacrifice his unit would have to make if any thing went wrong.
Dan turned to him, and Jeff looked at his eyes again seeing that he was tired but weren’t they all, he waited for him to speak.
Dan looking into his old friends face he can see the pride and strength he has in his unit, without warning a cold chill swept over him cutting him to the bone with its icy finger.
Jeff sensed that same chill and suddenly was aware of his and his men’s own mortality, the same for all men everywhere and every day not just his soldiers. In that few seconds glance into Dan’s eyes he sensed something of his own death, and knowing that it comes to all men in many ways.
In that few seconds look he realized the situation, he knew what Dan was thinking. Yet he had to do what he had volunteered his unit for there was no turning away now, no matter how hot the fire. If we hesitated or failed in this next test of arms, all of them could fail. He had cast the dice and had to live with his roll.
Dan held out his hand and Jeff took it to shake, looking into the familiar brown-green eyes he was grateful to see no fear there, only resolve and friendship. They both knew the situation approaching would be deadly, as each realized that the outcome of the ambush depended on his men holding firm. Jeff had already done the soul-search of himself a long time ago, being a leader and an officer in the Militia he knew exactly what he and his men had to do if it became necessary. Not something anyone wanted to talk about, but something everyone of them would do, their duty.
Dan said, “You better go now Colonel, you have a lot of work to do. Hold them by the nose we will kick the stuffing out of the rest of the units following.”
Jeff knew what Dan was telling him, asking of him and his old Battalion, for all of his friends there, of the sacrifice they would have to give if it became necessary.
Jeff saluted again and Dan returned it then he turned and walked away. Jeff couldn’t help but think, ‘You trained us Dan, and very well to. Thank you for the trust you have in us, we will return it with honor, we won’t let you down.’
The nest day and with 6 hours to go
Colonel Withers arriving at the forward mobile HQ alerts Dan with the good news that the Air Force has released four of their 1000 pound SFW for us to use.
“What’s an SFW,” Dan asked?
“Sensor Fused Weapon, its the CBU-97, a damn good cluster bomb that was original developed to take out the front battalion of an armor attack. Each sub-bomb has a heat sensor that pinpoints the enemy’s tanks engine compartment, homes in on it and penetrates through the thin top armor. They were used in the first Iraq war with devastating results, the Marines loved them. Since then they have been further modified and if no armor is present it goes after the back half of a truck or bus where the cargo or troops are carried. When it blows up it sends molten cooper pellets raining down on the target, killing or destroying it.”
“Do we know how to use them properly?”
“No, but the Air Force is also loaning us four F-16’s to delivery them, a quick in and out sortie for them. My boys will stay around and help finish the job though. The Air Force Lt. Col. leading their flight suggested we go after the Chinese second Brigade size unit at the front with two bombs, and then to hit the very last units at the rear of the column with the other two, cutting off the head and stopping the tail from retreating.”
Dan sees the tactical advantage of this plan and agrees, “Sounds good make sure this word gets out to all of our AA units I don’t want any of our men shooting or firing a missile at our jets. Any chance that those F-16’s can carry some napalm or any other ordnance to assist us?”
With a smile Mike says, “Wouldn’t hurt to ask, I know the flight leader wouldn’t mind helping.”
“Anything extra they can bring along for this fight would be greatly appreciated, and not wasted,” Dan said smiling.
“Ha, they will have more then enough targets to choose from, that’s for sure,” Mike said with a chuckle.
20 hours to go.
As Dan crawled as quietly as possible back from the forward out post followed by his aide-decamp and Capt. Sam Johnson, he stops as he listens and hears something, and then gives the hand signal for the other two to listen. All three are listening hard; Lt. Carter has on a set of ‘Ear Shot’ amplifiers and is listening for any noise out of the ordinary. After a full minuet he shacks his head nothing. Dan continues to hold up his hand for silence, and then he smiles as the faint melody is repeated softly again. Lt. Carter had ignored that sound at first as normal then he smiles too as he hears and recognizes the rich flute-like phrases.
Capt Johnson doesn’t recognize what the two are hearing and just frowns as Dan starts to crawl back to his Companies forward lines. When they are within Grenade throwing range the First Sgt. in a low voice tells them to halt and gives the first part of the pass word, “Pork,” Dan gives the counter phrase “Rinds,” and then holds up three fingers for the number in the group. The First Sgt. then motions them to continue crawling until they reach his position and the three men pile into the low trench he is in.
Dan in a whisper tells Capt. Sam Johnson and 1st. Sgt Garry Frost, “You did good, your people are in an excellent position, that forward OP couldn’t be any closer to the Chinese unless you were hidden in their back pocket. The khan’s forces will get another deadly surprise tomorrow at noon when you guys roll up their flank. I won’t say keep quiet, you already know that.”
“Thanks sir, Lyle’s people picked out our position and we moved in two days ago and dug our positions. When the Chinese moved in and set up this morning our men thought they would be found, but the enemy is only looking to their front, they do have the one lone flanking guard outpost, which our op is behind. That is all they have covering this ravine, they haven’t a clue we are in here, hiding. If you don’t mind what were you and Lt. Carter listening to and smiling about I didn’t hear a thing Sir,” Capt. Johnson asks?
With a quiet whispered laugh Dan smiles then answers, “Back home that would have been the song of a Wood Thrush, I’m sure you have them down in Louisiana, out here they are called a Hermit Thrush, it’s good to hear them singing. Thoreau said on hearing the Thrush, ‘whenever a man hears it he is young, and Nature is in her spring; whenever he hears it, it is a new world and a free country, and the gates of heaven are not shut against him.’ Tell your people up in the front positions to listen to the birds singing and especially for that thrush, it helps to ease the stress and strain and that knot of worms feeling in the stomach.”
“Also when the bird’s stop singing and flies in your direction that means something is closing in on you. So have them listen, and keep a very sharp look out. The birds are just as good as having seismic intrusion detectors without the worry of having dead batteries or leaving them behind.”
Lt. Carter added, “Reminded me of home and sitting in the garden and the peace and comfort to be found there, Sir I don’t mean to speak up, but we need to head back to HQ.”
Dan nodded his head in agreement as he shook Sam and Garry’s hands then turned and getting out of the shallow trench, he crabbed walked among the low brush for fifty or so yards where his security detail was hidden. When he reaches them they all stood up quietly and continued walking slowly back toward the Company hide that was over the low ridge, and then on back to where their vehicles were parked.
When the General was out of sight Gary asked Sam, “Does Dan still think we can role up a whole battalion by ourselves?”
With a sly wiry smile the Captain nodded his head as he said, “Yes. Either Dan is one of the best tactical men around, just damn lucky, or he can read minds, not sure which one! But as you saw this morning when the Chinese set up, and we just now confirmed it, we’re behind the right flank of a Signals unit watching the ridge above them and the road that runs down it. I don’t know how many time’s Dan can keep flanking the enemy but he sure is good at it. One of Eli and D’s scouts back at HQ had shown us on the map where that Battalion of Artillery is set up; they’re maybe another quarter mile away, just behind this signals unit. If even half of the plan works out in our favor those Chin soldiers are going to be surprised once again. We attack on the run and we’ll be among them so fast they won’t know what hit them, they will be dead or POW’s inside of five minuets.”
“When their Artillery position is attacked by the rest of the battalion these Chines to our flank are going to be doing a 180-degree turn to face that threat. Then when they are halfway through their move we will attack along their exposed flank rolling them up killing and or capturing most of them.”
“Remember Murphy’s law about plans and the first shot, sir!”
“That’s for sure. But he said that the Chinese think we are still on the east side of the Mountains over 50 Ks away, waiting for most of the snow to melt before we begin our spring offensive. When the rest of the 2nd Battalion and our attached artillerymen role out of the woods tomorrow at noon Dan expects them to capture more then half the guns and rocket launchers before the Chinese can make any effort to resist. We should have the same success here, and we should be able to catch the main body of the signal unit here all standing in line at their mess tents, or running to get into defensive positions,” with a sigh he finished, “at least that’s the plan.”
First light, 6 hours to go
All of the final briefings were finished yesterday afternoon and the commander’s have given their troops the lastest Intel. Dan and CMS Wolf head toward their position with their security sections, every fighting man is going to be needed to accomplish this task. Each command will have a small reserve but because of the size of the ambush there aren’t enough troops to form a main central reserve force that would be effective. Coming around a corner and slowing for some of the light tanks ahead and the last of the infantry moving forward into their positions. Dan spies a small white church setting off to the side, he motions for Sgt Tavinga to stop the vehicle. It’s the same church and the scene of tanks and artillery and moving troops that Dan has seen so many times in premonitions over the last 20 years. “I’ve been here, the Lord has shown me this and everything up to know.”
Cody looks at Dan as he asks, “A waking dream?”
“Yes.”
“What happens after this?” Cody knows that waking dreams are a message from God and needed to be listened to.
“I don’t know, except that sorrow and hardship follows, with many years of hard work and harder prayer to follow.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but do we, does America come out OK?”
“That wasn’t reviled to me Cody, I want to say yes, but that is something I’m not sure off. I do know that I need to go in and say a few prayers and read some passages from the book setting on the front left pew.”
Part of Dan’s security team, a two-man detail opens the door and quickly checks the small chapel but nothing and no one is inside.
Dan taking off his helmet then enters and walks up to the front and takes a seat to pray. Several other of his men enter and take seats, also to say silent prayers. After several minuets of prayer Dan picks up the only book on the pew it’s a hymnal and it is open face down to page’s 438 and 439. Page 438 is ‘Soldiers of Christ, Arise’, and page 439 is ‘The Son of God Goes Forth to War’. Reading both hymns Dan nods his head, both are very relevant to their cause and today’s task at hand. Verse one starts with, ‘Soldiers of Christ a-rise, and put your armor on.’ And verse four begins and ends with, ‘Leave no un-guarded place, No weakness of the soul. Tread all of the powers of darkness down, and win the well-fought day.’ Dan reads, ‘Strong in the strength which God supplies, through his eternal son.’ As he prays, ‘Oh Lord let our cause be your cause that we are on your side, keep my men safe oh Lord and forever in your grace.’
Reading more he sees, ‘A glorious band the chosen few,’ the next line down, “A noble army, men and boys,’ then later ‘They met the tyrant’s brandished steel, the lion’s gory mane. They climbed the steep ascent of heaven, Through peril, toil, and pain.’ Closing the hymn book Dan thinks, ‘I think I understand Lord, and I ask oh father to make my enemies aim poor, his resolve weak, and his fear great. I pray for you to make my soldiers strong of heart, yet merciful when the fighting is done. Though our task maybe one that is violent and bloody, and one that we rather not have to do oh Lord, please give us the courage to see it finished. We didn’t want this war but the issue has been forced on us oh Lord and your will be done, Amen. Holding the hymnbook and opening it to the last pages Dan saw the Star Spangle Banner and for some reason the third verse draws his attention.
‘Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "in God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.’
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "in God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.’
Dan whispers a last prayer, “Thank you oh Lord, I think I understand, please keep as many of my men safe as can be, as I pray always in your guiding light, Amen.”
Dan got up and headed out the door, stepping outside and looking up into the sky he remembers one of his grandfathers favorite passages from the bible Psalms 84:10, 11 and 12, taking his soldiers bible out of his pocket he opens it to Psalms and reads,
‘For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God then dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is man who trusts in thee!
His heart not as heavy with worry as it was before he entered the chapel, Dan headed over to their vehicles and waited for the last of his men inside to finish, and that was just a few minuets. Cody was the last one out and shut the Chapel door; all of the men were getting back into their seats as Dan asked him, “Better.”
“Yes, and you sir?”
“There is a light at the end, Sergeant Major. The path is dark and perilous with thorns that hurt and rocks to stumble over. We have a job to do, a very unpleasant task to perform, someone has to do it, and if not us then whom?”
Cody could see that a heavy burden had been lifted from Dan. That was almost always the case when you see in real time a waking dream. The Lord does work in mysterious ways, fortunate is the man who listens to God, as he should, did he not let his son die for us so that we could all be saved!
Nodding his head he affirmed, “Sir, you and I have trained this army to fight not to parade, and it’s time to fight again, as Mr. Beamer on flight 93 said, as he lead the other members of the Militia, his fellow passengers on that fateful day, of 9/11. ‘Let’s Roll’, and may our attempt be as successful. But with out the total sacrifice that those brave men and women had to give.”
“Then, Let’s Roll CSM,” Dan said as Sgt. Tavinga let out the clutch as they rolled forward.
(C63)
‘Sometimes it is not enough to do our best;
sometimes we must do what is required.’
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Jesus said, "There is no greater love than the one who lays down his life for another."
‘True heroes never go out of style. It’s the ultimate sacrifice someone can give. It shows you that materialistic stuff, fame and everything, is not important.’
Pat Tillman
Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet!
(Stonewall Jackson's reply to Colonel B.E. Bee when he reported that the enemy were beating them back. At the first battle of Bull Run, July 1861
1155 hours.
As with any ambush, the waiting on when it’s time to spring the surprise is the hardest part. It doesn’t matter what size the ambushing force is; a single squad waiting for another squad to walk into the kill zone. Or a Platoon waiting for the right moment to catch a unsuspecting enemy platoon in travel mode. Or even like the 1ST Brigade when they caught the Chinese 5th Division in marching formation, it all comes down to training and discipline, the ability to be patient. The chain, no matter its thickness is only as strong as it’s weakest link.
In this case a young excited Corporal, in the Texas 1ST Militia Division, a tank gunner in the 3rd Brigade Armor Battalion, is worried that the last Chinese tank topping the rise at a little over two kilometers away and soon to move out of his sight will be his only hard target. So by accident he presses the firing trigger sending the loaded 105MM APFSDS-T round zipping to the target (armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding-sabot long-rod penetrator-Tracer). It covers the distance in a little more then two seconds and strikes the turret ring punching a hole through the two inches of armor, as easy a pushing a needle through this one page.
The result is an instantaneous explosion as the tungsten rod rattles around inside the turret shredding the bodies of the two men in the turret smashing into control yokes, sights. And shattering the tanks ready rounds stored in a rack on the floor, exposing the propellant to the 2700-degree cloud of red-hot molten metal that the sabot produced when it came through the armored steel turret. With a loud Kaboom, Operation Skunk begins.
Instead of the ambush starting at the head of the column, it starts in the middle and quickly spreads up and down the line. The Commander of the Chinese front units orders a halt and deploys his men to cover his flanks. This forces Jeff’s people at the front to engage their targets at maximum range with only their tanks main guns and the few anti-tank missiles they have. Their mortars are given new firing orders and it takes them several seconds to re-aim and start up their barrage.
The front two Chinese infantry battalions having unloaded from their trucks with out being fired on quickly disperse into the woods on either side of the road, then fan out advancing in a battle line formation.
Lt. Colonel Green has to pull back his first two companies from their first ambush positions, other wise they will have their flanks turned and become trapped. First blowing all of their pre-positioned claymores, the two companies cross over to the north side of Calaveritas Creek to their second defensive line with out having fired a shot from their rifles. The one chance of taking out a whole battalion of infantry in the first few minuets and reducing the odds against them are gone, their surprise ambush has disappeared in an instant. The fight is now going to be harder, a lot more deadly and longer.
‘Who dares, wins.’ SAS motto
just over an hour later, 1323 hours O xein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti têde/
keimetha tois keinôn rhêmasi peithomenoi
keimetha tois keinôn rhêmasi peithomenoi
Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by
that here, obedient to their law, we lie’
that here, obedient to their law, we lie’
A quote by Herodotus, the Greek historian,
On the battle fought at Thermopylae
The deeds of a good warrior should never go unobserved.
But the size of his honor guard (dead enemies) he sends to hell,
will know his true worth.
JN
"When it comes time to die,
Be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death.
Sing your song of death and die like a hero going home"
Sing your song of death and die like a hero going home"
-Chief Aupumut, Mohican
“One thing to keep in mind the enemy isn’t expecting our counter attack, they think we will be frozen in place and that we are afraid of a close in fight. Well we are going to show them that couldn’t be further from the truth, they will be the ones surprised and frozen in mind set. A lot of their men had their bayonets fixed last time, our Intel was correct they Chins only had a combat load and no reserve. We will fight fire with fire,” Jeff orders, “Every one fix bayonets and lock and load.”
“Don’t worry guys we can do it, now if you have a pistol, chamber a round and top off the magazine, remember to work in your buddy teams one man to fire as the other reloads as we counter attack,” he pauses for a few seconds then shouts, “you have five seconds, get ready because here they come.”
“Ready, charge.” As Jeff jumps up in front of the leading attacker and stabs him in the chest with his bayonet and kicks him off the end of his rifle saving his thirty rounds for when the fighting really gets hairy, the two platoon’s with him jump up out of there hidden skirmish trenches and advance killing the attackers as fast as they can; shooting some and using bayonets and rifle butts on as many as they can reach, the two militia platoons are killing dozens of more men as they loose one here and one there. Even with these odds in the kill ratio, the numbers are against them, a little over 80 men who counter attack against 600 attacking or more Chinese, in a heads up battle just isn’t the right number, in any tactical book.
But one must never forget that the Élan of a unit, that the proud fighting spirit counts sometimes far more then numbers do. And the Militia’s counter attack is winning, pushing the Chinese back out of they’re perimeter, Jeff leading the HQ elements and MP platoons desperate counter-attack gamble is succeeding.
Lt Col. Green is exposed more then any one else as he is leading the charge, as he crushes the face of a Chinese soldier with a vicious butt stroke, and delivers a cutting slash to another one's chest, he feels a deep burning pain in his side, he can’t get his breath and knows something is wrong. By using sheer will power he continues and takes another step forward, then he feels a sledgehammer blow to his chest quickly followed by another. Looking at his radioman his buddy, as he falls to his knees, all he can think to say is “Phil I’m sorry, tell my wife my kids the men, I tried, I tried. Were we successful, did we push them back, did we…” His buddy wasn’t sure if those were the Colonels exact words, but that’s what he thinks Jeff said.
Even with their commander is killed the Militia’s counter attack continues driving the enemy completely back from their positions.
Staff Sgt. Little doesn’t see Jeff go down, he has two Chinese soldiers trying to kill him. If he could draw his pistol from his shoulder holster the fight would be over quickly and in his favor. All three men’s rifles are out of ammo and its down to butt strokes and bayonets. When one of the Chinese lunges, David has to parry and watch both men; he can’t attack one man, as this would expose him to the other. The two Chinese figure this out in less then a second and both rush him at the same time. Little using all of his strength sweeps his rifle from left to right against the man on his left throwing him into the other man. As the two men fall Sgt Little loses his footing and falls to one side, one of the Chinese regains his footing a little faster then the Sgt can and makes a swiping motion that cuts him through his webbing, his combat shirt and opens a half-inch deep gash across his right front shoulder. As Sgt Little recoils from the painful cut he falls back with his right knee on the ground as his throws his rifle into the face of the man who is now attempting to stab him again.
It’s a good thing he is left handed, as he quickly pulls his tomahawk from its leg sheath and upper cuts the one man in the groin, even with out the razor sharp edge cutting him deeply this would have been a disabling blow. Little can feel the hot sticky blood splash onto his hand and left forearm.
The force of the blow causes the man to fall back onto his companion, forcing him in pulling his rifle back and the bayonet away from the Sgt, who springs up and uses the tomahawk on both men, two quick slashing blows from the blade side across each of their faces then he delivers one hard hit to each of their foreheads using the spike on the back side of the tomahawk, and they are both dead.
His self-absorbed fight over he again becomes aware of the intense battle all around him and looks to his right. With out thinking Sgt. Little throws the tomahawk at a Chinese soldier who is about to stab one of his men. It’s a good throw and splits the enemies face, killing him and saving a militiaman’s life. Gross quickly flashes through his mind, and if I think about it I’ll puck later.
Sgt. Little then pulls his FN Five-seven pistol from its shoulder holster and starts shooting, one head shoot to each man of the still advancing Chinese that are closet to him, as he yells a war cry , “Haaa-yeee ya-heee, Today is a good day to die, come forward be brave my enemies.” To his soldiers he yells, “men reload quickly we need firepower now,” several of the militia close to him hear his order; they reload their weapons and start a withering fire. With most of the Chinese soldiers in this attacking unit out of ammunition, their attack slows..
The Militia is mowing down the final parts of the last attacking wave, and other militia in the counter attack see several of their men shooting and they reload too, thus adding more rounds down range. This causes the last wave of the Chinese attack to falter then stop; then a few of them turn and run, as other attackers see this it quickly turns into a rout. Many of the escaping enemy soldiers are shot in the back running away from the Americans fearful retribution.
The following lull allows the greatly reduced in strength battalion’s defensive line time to regroup and reform.
Second Lt. Joe Lineman is the only non-wounded officer left in B Company, with less then half a company of men to command, he tells his NCOs , have the men occupy only every other position one man on guard the other to take the ammo from the dead Militia and to gather all of the ammo and weapons off the dead Chinese, to get ready for another attack. Once that is done he asks the men to use the rain ponchos of the dead Militia and Chinese soldier’s to cover the bodies as best they can.
Lt. Lineman also witnessed the Colonels death and then the wounding of Sgt. Little and his desperate fight, to the sounding of his war cry that rallied the faltering counterattack. After the fighting is over and he hastily organizes his defensive line he quickly writes down a few notes for his after action report that he will have to write later, he wants others to know all that happened here. That report and several other eyewitness accounts earn two Congressional Medal of Honors for the 1st/1st Kansas Militia that day, one of them regrettably is awarded posthumously.
The battered battalion doesn’t know it yet but the Chinese have had their fill of these dog soldiers as they call them, men who won’t quit fighting even when out numbered and their positions are being over ran. The Chinese instead break off from attacking again and fall back to their line of departure and start to regroup, only to be cut down, as another American unit attacks up the road, from their rear and finds them unprepared.
.
(C-64)
If We Had A Bugle
We could sound the Charge
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight,
it's the size of the fight in the dog."
- Mark Twain
1208 hours.
Thirteen minuets after the ambushes early start, reports are coming in from many of the units and their sub-commands that it was a complete success. With large numbers of Chin and Jihadist men killed, as most were taken completely by surprise by the fire from mini’ guns, quad fifties, and the limited air attack of a few jets and dozens of fixed wing aircraft dropping hundreds of ten pound bombs and doing strafing runs. And of course using the just attacked and captured Chin artillery batteries that had been turned around and fired against them.
Many commanders send in reports, of the complete devastation of any enemy units that had attempted to de-bus, form up and then attack the ambushers. Most of our tanks were able to destroy four or five of the enemy’s light armored vehicles before their crews even got off one shot in return. Of the Chinese forty-helicopter gun ships flying in support of the convoy, the militias blew most of them out of the air in the first fifteen seconds using man pads or vehicle based systems. The 40MM dusters were used in both roles and with just one or two shots destroyed the vehicles, both the airborne attack platforms and the trucks on the ground. Large numbers of the enemy were captured when they threw down their weapons after seeing one or two trucks or buses ripped open and hearing that deadly Pom-Poms sound, knowing they didn’t stand a chance.
Other enemy units having taken cover in the ditches behind their vehicles are returning fire, while others are attempting to make a counter attack. Many of these units are sighted by the few militiamen hidden behind them and are cut to pieces by the pre-positioned claymores they control.
And thousand upon thousands of the enemy are killed from the very deadly shots that were coming from the numerous FN’s in the hands of thousands of trained riflemen, all taking a very heavy toll on the surprised foe. With many of these shoots being made in the 300 to 500 meter range, most of them well beyond anything the AK’s of the Jihadist or the Chinese using their 5.8mm rifles could hope to hit.
Reports from the Kansas first Brigade are sporadic and continue with messages of intensive fighting, with several of their units having to fall back to secondary positions and asking for more fire support and if possible additional air support.
Twenty minuets after the shooting started Dan has a gut feeling that things aren’t going that good up on the North end and starts the reserve MP Company he is with to head that way. He orders them to link up with the California Company holding the eastern flank along the private road, and to wait on him for further orders, while he gather's more troops. Next he finds a scout car platoon and one company of truck mounted infantry in the rear of the 2nd brigade 1st Division, using a secure satellite phone he calls Gen. Stoddard and he lets him know that he is pulling units from this area and shifting them north to assist the 1st Battalion. And orders him to push more units north along the back roads as fast as he can, telling him “Red I’m not going to wait. I will attack as soon as I figure out where my limited force can best be applied. If the Chinese hit Jeff hard and you don’t have people coming up to give him a hand they might break through, a good number of them will get away.” He didn’t need to add and destroy one of our battalions doing it too.
Dan finds a few more squads of engineers and a whole single’s company and then three more squads made up of truck drivers attached as security to a platoon size medical detachment; along the way he comes across a reserve platoon of M41’s refueling from a tanker that’s guarded by two squads of infantry that has just come down from the pass. He exchanges one of his squads of 14 drivers for the two infantry squads guarding the fuel tanker, this now gives him close to 400 men total and some needed firepower in the light armor, it will have to do, he can’t look for any more.
Forty-five minuets after the ambush started he groups this force at the wide spot in the road called Calaveritas where he finds a platoon from A Company, 2nd Battalion Kansas Militia holding the junction. Asking some hard pointed questions he finds out from the Lieutenant in charge, that the 2nd Bn. had originally occupied the high ground east of Dutch Ed Gulch. But were supposedly forced back to Simmons point, and are now in a defensive line running south up and over Donovan Ridge then angling back to over look highway 49. Where they had been trading shots with a few Chinese troops in between. Dan doesn’t like what he is hearing, he suspects that this battalion never engaged the enemy on the road as planned, allowing the ones they should have ambushed to reinforce the enemy units attacking Jeff’s battalion.
To start with, they only had a single infantry company on the north side of the creek above Simmons point and they had been ordered to pull back with out having fired a single shot. Orders to fall back that were given by their Battalion commander, so that one company would be on line with the rest of the battalion.
Dan looking at the map can see that the ground had favored them in their original orders from the division, and the whole Battalion should have been right down on top of 49 highway. If they had followed their orders Jeff’s Battalion wouldn’t be fighting for their lives now. The Lt. tells Dan, that their forward OP’s reported when the Chinese had moved a few scouting squads up to the ridge-line and onto the 4x4 trail where they turned and headed back down towards the highway.
Dan and every man present can hear the deadly battle going on to the northwest just a little over two kilometers away, the heavy and continuous sound of rifle and machine-gun fire and the thump and explosions from the barrage of mortars rounds falling and the louder ground shaking 155MM artillery falling on top of some poor Chinese unit..
A major battle is going on, and he finds a battalion sitting out this fight, doing nothing to help their fellow soldiers. He has his signals Sgt change to the 1st Battalions frequencies and hears the raw messages between the companies of constant attacks by the Chinese and their having to fall back a few meters at a time to their last defensive lines.
Scanning the map Dan can see that a strong push down the 4x4 trail heading northwest and staying behind the ridge line for cover will place them where he thinks the Chinese rear will be. The Infantry Company with the light armor in support will cut the highway just south of Calaveritas Creek. Thus chocking off any more reinforcements being feed up to the Chinese units attacking Jeff’s people, or with luck catching the enemy in the rear by surprise. Either way it didn’t matter 1st battalion needed help, now.
Sgt. Tavinga listening in, understands all that is going on and heads back to the three command vehicles, where he tells the younger men in Dan’s security squad, “It’s going to be OK, General Dan, when he was a Lieutenant had this same problem, not enough men, too many enemies.”
“What happened then sarge,” Cpl Hager asked a little fear showing in his eyes?
“Ha ha, we would go on the attack and make the Terrs run from the battle field every time, leaving their dead and lots of equipment. Today those surviving enemies are now older men like me and the General, but with one difference, they know they are cowards, not warriors,” then thumping his chest he adds, “not Prairie Ghost like us,” as he laughs some more.
Telling the younger men, “Watch and do as I do.” As he starts stripping extra equipment off of Dan’s LBE, the extra canteen with its cup, emptying the butt pack of everything except for a couple of granola bars and one can of peaches, Dan’s favorite snack. Then he added a sealed battle packet of 140 rounds, 7.62 NATO to the butt pack. For the reloading of his magazines later, if that is needed?
Taking the radio pouch off, adding fresh batteries from it to the militia unit’s radio then attached the radio on to the side of Dan’s camelback and secures it with an extra piece of para cord as a precaution, and then securing the ear bud/ microphone to the left front shoulder strap where he can reach it. He then clips on another M-14 pouch with two more full FN magazines to the belt where the radio pouch had been, as he adds two HE grenades to the holders on either side and snaps the straps into place, securing them.
“Now do as I did, but you men are younger then us old guys, you’re to carry 16 loaded FN magazines, two extra grenades and one battle pack of 7.62 for reloading. You two SAW gunners carry two extra drums of belted ammo, and you two M203 men your job is to be grenadiers first, not riflemen, so carry extra 40 mm rounds in your putt packs, firepower is what we will need. Lots of firepower and this enemy will run away too, ha, ha,” as he laughs again at his own joke.
“Leave everything else here ponchos, shovels, machetes everything but your iron rations and your radios. We have to protect the General, the air liaison Major and the two-artillerymen fire controllers that are with us, so there will be us ten fighters to guard the four of them, you know what your job is, what we will have to do if necessary, I will not say more.”
“Sgt Kruger you and the other two vehicle drivers will stay with the three vehicles, load any extra Ammo you can find here or at the 2nd Battalion supply train and bring it forward when you are called. Have this company supply Sergeant do the same and have him give you an extra truck and driver too, we might need more ammo then what you can carry to reload us all.”
With a quick assessment of the forces available to him on the spot Dan makes a simple plan and writes down some basic notes and code words. He has the last squad of truck drivers take over the duty of watching the road junction from the A company Platoon and they lead his force to their company CP. Using the landlines from the company to the Battalion CP he gets a hold of the Battalions Lt. Col and quickly outlines his attack plan, to save time he has all of the company commanders and their platoon leaders listen in, before he begins he has them issue a quick warning order to their men, to make ready to attack.
“The MP company that I sent forward along with the California company will move to a position running south from hill 1191, on command they will attack west, swiping the ridge up to the highway then turn 90 degrees and clear the slope down to here, to Calaveritas Creek.”
Pointing to the map so all of the Officers and NCOs present would understand he orders, “My mixed force of 400 men and its armor platoon will move northwest behind this ridge in A Co’s area. We will be using the 4x4 track as the axis of advance and attack into the middle or rear of the Chinese forces bunched up on the south side of the Creek.”
“2nd Battalion will send another company to assist A company as they sweep west down to 49 and help watch our flank and back. At the same time the other three companies of 2nd Battalion will sweep back west reclaim their lost ground. Then the southern company will move back into a blocking force on 49 here just north of San Domingo Creek.”
“By that time, 3rd Battalion down at Burner hill will have their job wrapped up then and they will then send their two Mechanized companies with half of their tank company north on the highway and pass just in front of 2nd Battalion to finish up the push to help Jeff’s people. The 4th and 5th battalions are still engaged with the Chinese and they have hands full down there.”
Looking at his map the Battalion commander says, “That only leaves me three companies to cover over a mile and half of ground with no reserve force, I don’t like that.”
Dan said, “There is no like to it Colonel that’s an order, besides you have your HQ Company as a reserve, use them. Your one company watching 49 highway above Domingo reported twenty minuets ago that there are no Chinese troops to his front and he can’t see any enemy on the road north to where it makes the bend, that’s over a mile. So that leaves you two companies to check out the last half mile!”
“If that’s an order sir, I will need it in writing then.”
Dan refused to get mad besides there wasn’t time; he knew from the tone of voice used by the Battalion CO that he was a coward. So instead of being mad, Dan asked, “Is your XO present?”
“Yes sir, he heard the whole exchange.”
“What is his name please?”
With a puzzled tone in his voice the Lt. Col answered, “Its Major Xavier, Jorge Xavier.”
With out any fanfare Dan said, “Thank you Colonel that will be all, you are now relieved of your command. Maj. Xavier you are now the 2nd Battalion Commander. As you look at your map, I’m sure you can clearly see and understand the attack plan I described, we need to move fast and right now. We have to launch our attack in twenty to twenty-five minuets. As you can hear 1st Battalion is really getting hammered.” With a hard edge to his voice Dan added, “I need only one answer Jorge, that you can do it!”
“Yes sir, we can do it sir, my FO people will set up a three minuet prep fire, for all of our mortars and any Artillery we can arrange before you attack. Concentration will start from where the 4x4 trail comes out onto 49 highway. Then they will walk it up the road to Calaveritas Creek, as your men advance. Is that OK sir?”
“Do it, I’ll take an FO from A company to coordinate your fire support from my forward location. I want you to get that 2nd company on the move. The one that's going to assist your A Company; they can stay on high ground from just west of Italian point and cross over on the ridge. My Alpha Lima is keying in the way points now and will send them to your digital map.”
Major Xavier tells the Charlie Company CO over the phone net, “Don, have you men pull out now, its only 400 meters more for your men to go, that way Bravo won’t have to make their way down that steep hill, cross the creek then climb back up to that that ridge, it looks like its close to one, maybe one and a quarter k’s. How soon before your first platoon can move?”
“My 4th platoon,” he pauses for a second and gives orders to someone else then says, “support platoon and most of my HQ element are moving right now, the other three platoons will follow in two minuets, no packs, just fighting gear, our 2nd line stuff only. Twenty minuets max and I will have all my men over that road and ready sir. I have a lot of trip claymores and flares out front of my position, my Supply Sgt. and his clerks plus the mortar squad from support platoon will stay behind to show people where they are.”
“Good,” Dan answered.
Major Xavier continued, “Support company will send up all of their people less the mortar platoon, the CSM will bring up some of the supply drivers, mechanics and any other men. Bravo, Delta and Echo Company will advance on command back down to 49 and….”
Dan set the phone down he didn’t need to listen in as he then briefed the senior commanders of his thrown together force on the final details of his planned attack, and the radio frequencies they are to use. He tells the FO from A company, “As you heard you’re coming with me, stay close and keep your battalion and company mortars ahead of our advance.” In two minuets the final details are hashed out and the leaders ran the short distance to their commands and in turn gave them their brief orders.
Dan tells the medical platoon leader to coordinate with the 2nd Battalions medical platoon, and to set up a clearing station down near the fighting to bring the wounded back too. Two squads of engineers are detailed to guard the medical platoon and to set up a holding area for any prisoners taken.
With that finished Dan radios orders to the commander of the 1st Battalion California to move his company from there blocking position south of the Kentucky House cement plant. They are to move north and east of the plant to a new blocking position, to kill or capture any Chinese that attempt to escape by running down the creek bed. He suggests that they form a net with both edges anchored on the 1000 ft. contour lines but that is up to the company commander when he is able to survey the ground and find a good position.
Ten minuets later and after applying a layer of camouflage paint to their faces, all of the men in Dan’s thrown together force are moving forward to their start lines.
Sgt Tavinga tells Dan, “General Greene and CSM Wolf are going to be mad if I let something happens to you Sir, I need to ask that you stay back, I have my orders.”
With a wiry smile Dan retorted, “I won’t be leading at the front my friend, that’s the job of the Infantry Company along with the tanks who will be in the front then followed by us, with the rest of the engineers and the two squads of infantry, followed by the Signal Company working as an infantry unit with the scout cars.”
“That may be the plan sir, but once the shooting starts…”
“Don’t worry, our hitting them from the flank like this will be a complete surprise, they are going to breakup and scatter and when the Mechs from third battalion arrive, then we will pull back out of the fight.” Dan retracts the bolt carrier halfway on his FN looking into the chamber making sure there is a ready round there, then lets it slam back forward re-locking the round, as he flicks his safety to fire, ready to go.
Turning to Major Sharp his Air Force liaison officer Dan says, “Sorry David, didn’t mean to drag you along into a bare knuckles fight like this, it’s going to be a bloody mess before it’s all over, something most of you guys are above.”
Shrugging his shoulders the Major answers with a grin, “It doesn’t really matter Sir, besides how else will I win my Combat badge? I’ve been carrying this M16 for four months now, and except for our range time once a month I haven’t had a chance to shoot it. One thing I need to ask, Sgt Tavinga added three more pouches to my LBE giving me a total of 19 magazines; now if I lose any after I emptied them, do I have to pay for em?”
Dan and the other men who hear the Major chuckle at the lame joke, a good attitude, he’s a good man that can be counted on in times like this. Dan just hopes his hasty plan of attack catches the Chinese Brigade by surprise, otherwise his 400 men attacking a unit of close to 2000 men won’t work, and it would be suicidal.
To late to worry about that now, we have to save my men that are holding them up front, period. Just before the mortars start firing he takes a knee and says a silent prayer. ‘Lord protect my men, hold them in your loving hands. If any of them fall bless them and their families. I ask this in the name of the lamb, your son Jesus Christ our savior, Amen.”
Just as 2nd Battalion starts the mortar fire for Dan’s attack, Jeff calls his HQ men together to get ready for their counterattack.
With the barrage just starting, Cpl. Charlie Hager in Dan’s security detail can see the look on some of the other young soldiers faces, the fear, the anguish, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead for them. Placing his hand on his pocket that holds his soldiers bible, he closes his eyes and says a silent prayer. When he opens them he can see Dan down on one knee also praying silently and he can feel his own tension and senses the same with the others around them also easing.
Dan stands up and asks his men if the are ready, a couple of them nod their heads or give a nervous laugh, the General turns to Charlie and asks him, “You OK son?”
With out thinking he answers, “No sir I’m scared!”
With a solemn look Dan says, “Good. Stay scared but when we advance stay with your buddy and with the team. Stay focused and you’ll find that being scared will help you.”
“Yes sir but aren’t you scared to sir?”
Dan with a chuckle answers, “Yes I am Charlie, but being scared doesn’t give me a reason to slack off. We have a battalion that needs our help, they are scared to, and we are in a position to give them that help.”
“Your not showing that you scared or fearful sir,”
“Believe me, every day I wake up scared, and I dread reading the Intelligence reports from the day before, where I see how many of my friends and fellow country men have died or have been wounded in the last 24 hours. But I still have to do my duty, my job and I can’t let fear rule over me, or slow me down. We all have to be strong and have faith in God, for each other, our families and for our country. If we let fear take hold, we will lose all of that and evil wins. I’m not willing to let evil win in anything.”
“I feel the same sir, but this is going to be my third action, after this one does it get any easier?”
“No Charlie, it doesn’t get easier, it never will. We just have to suck it up and see it through.”
“I know sir, my friends are up their in the first battalion and we are coming to help them.”
“That’s right son, but even if it was a unit from another state, they are still our friends and we would have to do the same for them.”
The FO with a loud whisper say’s, “Two minuets. Two minuets.”
Dan gives the thumbs up and walks over to Sgt. Tavinga and gives a knowing nod. The Sgt doesn’t say anything his lips are closed tight and his eyes just slits in his face, like a carved wooden mask, no emotion showing as he says, “Chingera Imbawa sir.”
Dan’s face changes and takes on that hard wooden look too, the soldier’s masks as some people call it, knowing that he will face death, and be dealing death, to save others and to keep his men from dying. Dan heard the radioman say, “One minuet.” As he answers his old comrade, “Yes my friend, the enemy better beware, Chingera Imbawa.” Speaking into his radio he gives the code word, “Assegai, I say again Assegai,” to the men around him he orders, “move out now.”
When Charlie and the others in the task force hear the order from Dan to start moving forward over their headsets, any fear or apprehension that he had vanishes instantly, as he now feels the strength and the courage of the men with him, who take those first running strides through the under brush and the trees, heading down the slope to what might be instant death, just a short 300 meters ahead of them.
It was death, but not for them but for the Chinese, who had thought the only Americans close to them was to their front to the north. Not suddenly appearing on their right unprotected flank, and rolling into them, a fast moving wave of fire and death.
The fight is quick and furious, very bloody, very deadly and in ten very quick minuets, over
The few surviving Chinese soldiers that escaped death or capture from this unexpected attack and later make it back to their lines to the west tell this story,
‘sir I swear that these Americans suddenly appeared among us, it was like these dog soldiers had sprung up out of the ground at our feet, or out of the dust and smoke that the mortar barrage had made, like ghost. But far worse because they were vengeful spirits dealing death to us, no order was given to run. When some men turned to fight they were killed before the could raise there weapons, and most who ran were shot before they covered fifty meters, we had no chance, so I turned and ran. I am not ashamed of my actions, because of them you know what happened to the three divisions. I saw hard savage action in southern California three months ago against their Marines and I’m not afraid of the enemy or in dying, as that is war. But up here were the Militia are, they have brought with them the dead restless spirits of the Americans soldiers from past wars, and they are roaming free to kill. We are helpless, our weapons unless, we can not fight such devils!’
(C-65)
Clean Up
‘It is well that war is so terrible,
lest we grow too fond of it.’
lest we grow too fond of it.’
Robert E. Lee
"Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me." He added, after a pause, looking me full in the face: "That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave"
General (Stonewall) Jackson
‘It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who have died.
Rather we should thank God that such men lived.’
Gen. George S Patton
1710 hours.
Everyone ducks as a couple of Chinese 155MM shells scream overhead in the late afternoon light, they exploded several hundred meters off to the northeast. As they stand up, Major Bill Cox the 1st battalion XO says, “They have two self propelled guns somewhere up north and for the last hour they have been shooting two shells at us every ten minuets or so, it’s just harassment fire not effective but it gets on your nerves. They shoot and move before their rounds hit, so our counter battery fire just kicks up dirt where they have been. So far not one of their shells has been close enough to hurt any of my men, but it keeps us digging just in case they do find the range.”
Looking at Dan’s torn BDU and the blood crusted field dressing covering part pf his left forearm Major Cox offers, “Sir my medics have taken care of my wounded I can have one of them look at that?”
“It doesn’t hurt that much Bill, the bullet missed but the splinters from the tree it hit got me. I pulled the largest ones out, it just looks a lot worse then it really is.” Dan answered as he turned and walked among the dug in positions his friends had prepared. Seeing that they were well sited and mutually supporting, he nods his head, Jeff and his company commanders had done their jobs very well.
Dan stopped on the edge of one foxhole looking down hill as he shook his head in silence, so much death and destruction. Why won’t good men learn, to never let tyrants like the Khan or the Jahadist gain a foothold and then climb to power? Why?
One would think that the world would learn from the past, to not let history keep repeating the same mistakes time and again? As the world did in the 1920’s and 30’s, where they had set back and watched Italy, Germany and Japan preparing for war. And then stupid us as we made the same mistake again these last few years, again doing nothing. Watching China making ready, along with the fanatical jihad movement that was growing in power as they toppled our allies in the Mid-east and waging their terror war, against the west. All perfect excellent examples of the aggressive and murderous nature of tyrants. Will good people never learn to take a stand and say ‘No stop now, don’t make me thump you? And then to start the thumping and stop this insanity before it has engulfed the world once more?
“Sir we have recovered most of the dead militia’s bodies and identified them. We should finish before last light. For a few of the men we will have to use DNA testing on them as there wasn’t a whole lot left after that final Artillery barrage and their last infantry attack. And we have a lot of Chinese dead mingled with ours especially after they took most of our forward defensive position,” Capt. Hays of the burial and recovery detachment said solemnly.
Chocking back emotion, and in a almost whisper Dan asked, “What about Jeff, I mean Lt. Col Green?”
“We found his body intact sir, it was in the Bravo company area, he was shot three times but he died from the two shots to the chest they were fired at point blank range, one of them hit him directly in the heart, he must have died instantly. From the reports we are getting from the survivors he was leading the counter attack that had succeeded..
Dan didn’t say anything, so Capt Hays continued, “He had blood on his bayonet and rifle butt, his FN’s thirty round magazine was empty. You know the one he always joked about and called it his last stand magazine, the one with the light brown R painted on both sides of it.”
Dan couldn’t say anything, he knew his voice would break so he nodded his head in agreement, this part of the report hurt too much for him to say a thing.
“His men confirmed he was in the thick of the last fighting, and died just as the Chinese attack broke and fled from their position. Would you like to see his body,” Maj. Cox asked?”
Shaking his head no Dan whispered, “Later.” As he turned away to hide the tears that were trying to come to his eyes, afraid to say anything more. He knew his voice would betray him, his long practiced Welsh reserve was starting to show the strain. As he thought of the last words spoken by Stonewall Jackson; ‘Lets us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees…’
“What was that sir,” Capt Hays asked?
“He said later Captain,” answered the Division Command Sgt. Major for Dan. Cody had brought up a few more reserves troops and arrived just after Dan’s force finished their flank attack. His tone softened as he added, “Damn shame, Col. Green was a good man, he recruited me back in 95’. I’m, I mean he’s going to be missed by a lot of us who knew him well. I know that almost everyone in the brigade knew him, and he knew quiet a few of them by name too. He would be pleased to know that his bayonet charge and the counter attack worked so well.”
Glancing at Dan, Cody adds, “Like you sir, he also had an uncanny sense for danger and an good instinctive grasp of the best tactics to apply in those situations, those skills will be sorely missed and maybe not easily replaced.”
Dan as he wiped away the tears said with a shy, “Yes, he was a good man, and a good friend. Jeff was a good student in learning to trust his sixth sense; you know I gave him that thirty round magazine years ago, it was one of the few I brought back with me from Rhodesia, I never figured it to be used in combat again. I’m sure Jeff put it to good use, he probable got one man with each round fired, he was one of the best point shooter’s I have ever seen.”
The Corps Executive Officer (XO), General Dix arrives with another unit of tracks and truck-mounted infantry, it’s the 1st Oklahoma Brigade lead by their battalion of mixed armor. With him come some other staff officers (strap hangers). He orders the 1st Oklahoma commander to push north and stop around Mokelumne Hill, that’s where the 1st California Brigade has people watching the road for any advancing Chin units. It’s good defensive ground and he orders them to dig in; they must be ready to receive an expected attack by the Chinese, as they will be pushing down from Jackson.
“We found this in his shirt pocket sir, I think he wrote it expecting us to attack into the southern Sacramento suburbs next.” Capt. Hays said as he handed a small notebook to General Marion. “He had written on the first page that if he was killed to see that you got it.”
Dan took it, opened it and glanced at the first few pages, as he read some of the notes out loud. “This is a personnel journal, the third note book he has written, and are his thoughts about the wonders of nature we have seen here in middle California especially the deep snows, and the majestic mountains.”
Dan reads the next paragraph silently, ‘My God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, I have tried so hard to lead a good life, to be a witness for you in all things, I ask of thee to have pity on my failings my shortcomings, 2nd Timothy 4, verse 6 and 7, ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.’ Protect those I leave behind my family, my friends and forgive mine enemies. Show them the light and the truth as you have me, as always your will be done.’
Dan pauses and takes a deep breath, holds it for a few seconds then slowly blows it out through his mouth, even in war Jeff ask for forgiveness for our enemies. As he silently ask, 'Oh Lord if you can give me such strength too.'
The next few pages deal with the depth of depravity and unspeakable atrocities that some of the Islamic and Chinese forces have committed on innocent American civilians.”
“He mentions there is a letter for his family that he wants me to send, it is with his Battalion supply train, CSM please make sure to get that for me,” as Dan turned and looked at Cody who nodes his head in agreement, trying to fight back his own tears.
With a heavy sigh and looking back down at the book Dan says, “Thank you CSM. Here’s a page with ideas and thoughts looking beyond the end of the war. Maybe about getting into politics,” reading further and turning the next page.
“He has a quote from President Reagan, ‘Government is not the solution to the problem, it is the problem. We’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people.
Well if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solution we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price. Ronald Regan.’ Don’t know about the rest of you, but that part about us all bearing the burden is the truth. When the fighting is over we all have more work ahead, to help set America back on its true course of freedom and a smaller federal Government and the giving back to the states more local control.”
“He does write a few notes about having to plan on city fighting, and the last entry from two days ago has a short poem he wrote. I didn’t know Jeff was an aspiring poet, let me read it to you guys.” Clearing his throat with a cough Dan reads, “He titled it ‘Unto the Gates of Hell’.
‘The gates of Hell man,
we’re at the gates of Hell.
We have to continue to fight for what is right,
when we storm the gates of Hell.
Many will be the patriots there,
Who fought and died to shut that door in Satan’s face.
Together we will rise in one voice, TO Shout,
DEATH TO ALL TYRANTS.
On my right, on my left, patriots all, forward we go
the legions of freedom will not fail.
We have fought many the good fights,
The last will be when we take the gates of Hell.
If I’m to die a soldiers death,
Let it be said I fought for freedom.
I hope I sent many a freedoms foe,
Back through; The Gates of Hell.’
Dan’s voice was trembling as he read the last lines, unashamed as a few tears trickled down his cheeks. The loss of so many friends and neighbors and the death of one of his best friends, a true Patriot and a faithful comrade in arms was too hard to bottle up inside. They letting out a big sigh and regaining his composure, he didn’t have the luxury of time to take that emotional runaway ride of doubt or feeling of guilt, not now anyway.
The other officers and men present all had a few tears too, even the newer staff officers who didn’t know Jeff Green or Dan., they knew the sacrifice that the 1st battalion, 1st brigade, Kansas Militia had made in holding their ground and keeping the front two Chinese motorized Brigades occupied. In doing so they had allowed the rest of the Militia Divisions to destroy or capture almost all of the following two Chinese infantry and the one Jihad Divisions in the ambush. And the killing or capturing of most of the 49th support Division, the few smaller parts not captured or attacked were scattered and they will be rounded up in the next two days.
Dan said, “Make sure the families are notified and I’ll make the call to Jeff’s and Capt. Lloyd Woldens’s wives later tonight, I know them both they’re good friends of the family. Jim have the Division Padre’s staff ready to forward the rest of the names to our liaisons personnel back home, they will have a few hard day’s work ahead of them.”
Colonel Ploughman the 1st. Militia Corps new assistant J-3 said, “They should have never let themselves get pinned down like this, another fall back position would have prevented this. Then he asked, “You have called home for so many sir, how do you get used to doing that? It may sound rude but its not your job, can’t you let someone else do it.”
A pained look appeared for a brief moment in Dan’s eyes, not trusting himself to keep from saying some choice cuss words Dan started to look down then turned and walked away shaking his head side to side, thinking ‘until you walk a mile in our shoes.’
Cody watched the General walk away then turning to Colonel Ploughman he said, “I mean this with no disrespect sir, but that was a real dump ass statement. Even the best plans get fouled up when contact is made. If you didn't know the General knew a lot of these men, this was his battalion seven, now closer to eight months ago. Several of these younger men who died here played at one time or another on his son’s various sports teams in high school. And most of these men, like Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Green have been some of his closest friends for over ten years.”
“And referring to having to make that call sir, you never get used to it; not if you’re a good leader and care.” With that Cody saluted, turned and hurried to catch up to his boss, he didn’t care if the sarcasm he felt had shown.
The Colonel said in a low voice, “You stupid Militia want-to-be solider you’ll regret talking to me like that.”
Brigadier General Dix held up his hand to stop the Colonel from saying anything else as Cody caught up to General Marion.
Waiting a few moments he then said in a low voice so that the soldiers working around them wouldn’t hear. “If you were to stick around you would come to learn that most of these Militia people are a very close nit group of like minded patriots. Just to let you know a whole lot of them are prior service, and many had seen combat before this war started. Over the last sixteen years they have suffered a lot of abuse from some very narrow-minded leftist politicians, and their low life no-good commie loving buddies in the press, and from the holly-weird dumb ass crowd. And worse from men in the Military who know the history of the Militia and the sacrifice they are called to make in every war.”
“That doesn’t matter sir, no half ass can talk to me like I’m a…’
“Shut up Colonel! I can tell by you’re commit and facial expression it continues today, the Militia is being snubbed by people like you and the other perfumed princes back at the Pentagon. It’s you and the people like you and your buddies who forgot their history, and others like you who in the many past battles in many other wars, and again just like the one today, the Militia helped make the difference. And just like the regular army they are also fighting and dying again trying to save American.”
“I resent that sir,” the Colonel said a little anger showing on his face.
James held up his hand again stopping the Colonel from saying anything else, “You don’t know a thing about history do you, or the present situation. I’ll tell you the obvious, these guys in the Militia never gave up, not one chance in hell would that ever happen. When most of America forgot our heritage, these men kept the faith knowing that what they were doing was right, that someday they just might be needed, just like today. And they were needed again, and thank God they were ready to step up and help once more to defend an ungrateful nation. All because they knew that what they were doing all along is their duty, that is also required of every man according to the Constitution.”
“If they lose even a single man, all of the commander’s from the fire team level up to the General wonder if it was their own fault, maybe they made the wrong decision, or it’s poor planning or overlooking an obvious simple little detail. A lot of the people in each of these unit come from the same communities or counties back home in Kansas and it’s the same with the other states that are represented in the other four Divisions that fought today. Hell there might even be a platoon or two that have over half of their men from the same block or neighborhood.”
“Still sir, no enlisted man can…”Col Ploughman angrily started to answer in his own defense.
General Dix cut him off continuing, “And I back the CSM in what he said to you, that sure was a dump ass statement. By the-way that comment about the CSM being a stupid Militia want-to-be was way out of line Colonel. Take a look around you, look at all of those rust colored spots on the ground, that’s dried blood, some of it belonged to Militia patriots who stepped up to the plate and were willing to serve all those years while others laughed at them, and now they gave it their all. All of those years they trained while being badmouthed and denigrated by the very people they are now dying to free or help keep free. These dead and wounded patriots paid that hard price today; they gave their full measure for freedom Colonel, so show some respect. Because all of the years you have been a soldier you were paid to be on duty. But for them they did it out of pocket, paying for everything so they could get training: and today right here some paid with their lives.”
“Maybe I was wrong to say that sir but no Sergeant is going to talk to me like that,” Colonel Ploughman said, his anger showing at being given a history lesson.
Jim sighed and shook his head lightly side to side, “For some reason I always thought you boys from the high school on the Hudson always had something over us ROTC folk when it came to leadership. Boy, I sure was wrong. Now I can see that they never taught you any compassion or empathy or even respect for those under your command, or maybe that’s simply a character trait lacking in you, what ever. That sergeant you’re referring to is the Command Sergeant Major of our Corp., the top enlisted man, he’s also the right hand of General Marion and to be honest with you, whenever he makes a suggestion I listen. If he says in all due respect as he did to you, it’s a reminder that you’re out of line, and you were, especially that part about him regretting what he said. I won’t put up with that kind of shit, I don’t give a damn who you think you are.”
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that sir, I have friends…”
Shacking his head again then looking at his watch Jim lowered the boom, “You have been the assistant Corp J-3 for what, a little over seventy-two hours, and, oh-well you’re not worth wasting my breath on. I’ll say it in simple terms so you can understand, this isn’t going to look good on your OER, but your fired.”
Turning to one of the aids he said, “Sgt. Dewitt please accompany the good Colonel back to HQ he is to pack up his belongings and then take him to see the J-1 for his transfer orders,” turning back to the Colonel he said, “you’re now dismissed Colonel.”
General Dix then turned to talk to Jeff’s battalion Executive Officer, and the two surviving and the now three acting company commanders, “Maj. Cox gather your men and equipment, Boa has some trucks at grid…”
Colonel Ploughman didn’t leave he just stood there for a second listening then grabbed Dix by the arm spinning him around and shouted right in the Generals face, “You have no idea what the fuck you’re doing you stupid ROTCee jackass. If not for your sucking up to General Greene and Mr. Marion with his worthless Militia Generals rank, that means nothing back in DC. I know that you’re still a regular Army dumb-ass Armor Major, and I out rank you shit-head. To me your nothing but Militia crap, I have connections back in DC and you’ll be relieved of command so fast…”
Dix took a step back and looked at the shouting man, and before anyone else could even move Jim pulled his 45 cal. pistol from it’s shoulder holster cocked the hammer and pointed it straight at the Colonels face. With a slight smirk he said, “Bad move mister, grabbing me like that can be construed as assault, and I have the right and the desire to defend myself. I’ll blow your brains out right here, right now, if you don’t shut your useless trap.”
The Colonel saw that look in the Generals eye, and knew that shooting him would be the same as if he was swatting a fly, no thought or care, just getting rid of a noisy pest. His knees instantly turned to jelly and he almost fell to the ground, as he fought the urge at the same time to keep from empting his bowels, he was really scarred, he knew that he was looking death in the face.
General Dix resisted the urge to pull the trigger, as he calmly said, “I could shoot you and claim you as just another one of the dead who fought off the Chinese. But then that might make you a hero; nope, I won’t shoot you no matter how tempting. One of the politicians, the whore’s you referred to back in DC would just pin a medal on your coffin and your family would receive a pension, that’s too easy for you buck-o.”
Instead he ordered, “Put your hands behind your back Colonel, Sgt. Dewitt use your handcuffs please. Good now take his side arm and place him under arrest, assault and insubordination to a commanding officer in a combat zone are the first charges, I’ll have the JAG people make a list of charges later.” James Dix then said with a satisfied smile, “If you wish a trail by court martial with all of the necessary accompanying public humiliation be my guest?”
Dix then leaned forward and whispered in the Colonels ear, “Every man around you is a Militia Man from Kansas, it does sound funny to say this but your sorry ass is going to end up back in Kansas long before they get to go home Colonel. And instead of being at home, you’ll be doing some very hard time at the Fort Leavenworth disciplinary barracks.”
“Sgt. Dewitt take him to the MP battalion HQ, have the Colonels driver take you both. My report will get there sometime tonight. He is to stay handcuffed and under arrest at all times until we can arrange transportation back to Reno. If he continues to talk and it becomes bothersome, you have orders to gag him.”
Sgt. Dewitt led his prisoner away as Gen. Dix then de-cocked his 45, and returned it to his shoulder holster. Then turning back to the men he continued talking as if nothing had happened, “As I said Boa will have those trucks take you back at the Brigade trains to clean up and refit, we will arrange further transportation to take your men back over the pass for a few day’s of R&R, to rest and get you the needed replacements. Paul as the Bn. XO you are in charge until we can bring your unit back up to full strength. If General Stoddard ask for my opinion I think you would make a good Battalion commander. As far as replacement company commanders, I know Dan likes to promote from within the battalions and brigades. I’m not sure whom the senior Lieutenants are, the Brigade S-1 will make a list and tomorrow we will fill in the company commander’s positions, as for the Platoon Leaders and Sergeants I want you to promote some men from your battalion who….”
The two 155 Chinese howitzer have fired again and this time the incoming rounds sound has changed, Jim yells, “Take cover,” and dives into a trench followed by everyone else. One of the rounds landed a little over fifty meters to the rear kicking up dirt and rocks and sending sizable chunks of wood whistling by from a tree that got in it’s way.
It takes a few seconds for the men’s hearing to return to normal, as the dreaded words are heard, “Medic, Medic we have a man down we need a medic, hurry.”
Jim and several other men jump up and run over to give a hand and they see the man who was shouting is Sgt. Dewitt. He’s ignoring his own injuries, as he uses a field dressing and attempts to stop the gushing blood flow from Colonels Ploughman’s missing lower right leg.
A medic coming from the other direction arrives next and uses some rubber tubing and an attached stick as a tourniquet on the leg above the knee stopping the blood flow. Once he has that in place he starts to turn the Colonel over who has been laying on his side, to lay him flat on his back. He stops as he realizes there’s a large tree splinter the size of a 2x10 and at least a foot long sticking out of the colonels back it has almost ran him through and he is bleeding out fast. Taking a large dressing from his bag he try’s to stop the bleeding as the Colonel starts his final convulsing and dies.
Stopping his work on the Colonel he now turns his attention to Sgt Dewitt, he is bleeding from a nice deep gash to his shoulder and he has several minor shrapnel wounds, in a way was lucky, the Colonel had absorbed most of the flying splinters and steel from the shell that came their way.
General Dix says, “Take the cuffs off the Colonel, and not a word about his arrest guys, I’ll not say anything bad about the dead. You all agree with me don’t you?”
The men all nod their heads as they say, “Yes sir.”
“Thanks men, I guess this just make him another causality in the war.”
No one disagrees; they know that many more Americans are going to die before it’s all over, a lot more, both good and bad ones!
Not aware of what has happened behind them, and just before Dan gets to his Humvee he turns back towards the woods his friends fought so hard to hold and died in as he reads a poem he has written in his notebook.
‘You can shed tears that they are gone
or you can smile because they lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that they’ll come back to
or you can open your eyes and see all that they left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see them
or you can be full of the friendship you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember them and only that they are gone
or you can cherish their memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what they would want:
Smile, open your eyes, make new friends and go on.’
. As another tear runs down his cheek he comes to attention and salutes the battalion’s battle ground, as he recites from memory;
“If you are wounded,
I will carry you.
If your are captured,
I will come for you.
And if you are killed,
I will always remember you.”
Dropping his salute he continued with, “I’m sorry it had to be you guys who had to pay this full measure, as I told a good friend once before and as I now tell you now. This is not a good-bye, cause one day I will meet you at the Bulls Nose, with our FN’s in hand, we will all take that long walk down to Mukumbura, but today is not that day.
I still have a lot of work to do here. When the lord is finished with me and it’s my time, then we will all take that walk.”
Cody and the security detail along with the Generals driver Sgt Tavinga stood quietly to one side and also bowed their heads as the General said his prayer, and his farewell.
Watching as Dan took off his Kevlar helmet then bowed his head in prayer as he said, “Our savior Jesus, they are in your loving embrace now, have mercy on them for having to be rough men these last few month, comfort their families and loved one, fill their hearts with joy knowing that these hero’s rest waiting for the day when they will all be together again. Help us as we make our nation whole again and once more protected by your enduring love for us, Lord in your name I pray, Amen.”
Replacing his helmet and slowly coming to attention with a final salute for his fallen men he says, “Hamba kakuhle my friends, Asesabi Lutho.”
As Dan then turns to the rest of his group Cody asks, “Sir I would like to read a poem I have it’s from Michelle Malkins webb site a few years ago?”
“Go ahead Sergeant Major,” Dan said in a hushed voice.
Taking a small note pad from his cargo pocket Cody reads,
“Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.
Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.
Peace, peace, and farewell…”
He then snaps to attention and salutes his fallen friends. Coming back to at easy he says as a farewell, “That final sentence of the Star Spangled banner was answered once again by your actions my friends. Yes the flag still wave's o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
Cody turns to Dan and said, “I saw that poem below a picture of the snow covered graves decorated with Christmas wreathes at Arlington cemetery, and I thought it fitting then and for what happened here to sir.”
With a deep sigh Dan agreed, “Yes very fitting, thank you Cody, if no one else has anything they wish to say let’s load up, work is waiting on us.”
As the group loaded into the vehicles Cody said, “You know sir, that the real battle going on all around us is not visible? At least it’s not a fight that we can see.”
Dan shook his head in agreement, he knew what his CSM was alluding to, the spiritual battle between Good and Evil. As he added, “And we rely on Him to see us through it.”
“Yes but not all of us will see it through to the end.”
“Very true Sergeant Major, very true, and very sad. Among the dead could be the man who would have found the cure for most cancers, or the person who would have been the first man or women to step on to the surface of Mars. It doesn’t matter if he was Chinese or American because the whole world still loses, that’s the ugly side of war, always has been. Good wins most of the time but evil hurts the good, and slows down our climbing to that higher plane. No matter what, we who survive must keep the faith and stay the course.”
“That’s right sir, we the living must carry on, not just for our selves but for the ones who died and made it possible.”
Driving back to the HQ Sgt Tavinga said, “Ziambe will be there, waiting for them sir. He’ll have morning tea ready and will make them laugh, he was good at doing that for us mombo.”
Driving back to the HQ Sgt Tavinga said, “Ziambe will be there, waiting for them sir. He’ll have morning tea ready and will make them laugh, he was good at doing that for us mombo.”
“Yes he was a good man, he is now joined by many more.”
“It’s good for us have friends like that sir, Ziambe and Colonel Green, and that was a good poem too.”
“Thank you, that came from back home Sarge, Evelyn’s cousin from Gwelo, in Zim’s, he sent us an E-mail a few years ago telling us about a good friend of her Dad’s who had just died, he sent us that poem, I liked it and wrote it down. I never thought I’d use it. It’s not about the dead but about us the living, and family, that we all must carry on. To get on with life and with living, thanks for letting me have a few minuets”
Cody in the back said as an order “When we get back to HQ, your going to have that arm looked at sir.”
Dan raised his arm up and looked at the blood crusted bandaged covering his wound, when he flexed his fingers he felt a sharp pain, thinking maybe the bullet didn’t miss me after all, or I have more wood splinters in there that are a lot deeper then the few I pulled out earlier. So he answered with a sheepish grin, “OK you win, it is starting to throb and I don’t have time to get a fever and to be down, sick from an infection, we have too much work to do.”
2115 hours.
Later that night Dan tells his friends, “Eli, Cody this has been another hard day but it’s behind us. Our casualties were way too high with over 1400 killed and almost another 2200 of our men wounded or hurt, at least that’s the numbers that have been reported so far; when you know the exact number Cody let me know please. As for the enemy dead and wounded we will know only after the sun is up tomorrow, and then only after our men finish combing the hillsides and woods, but right now the count is up to over 20,000 killed and we took well over another eighteen thousand as prisoners. Looks like we can count this, our fourth major battle as a win,” taking a breath and turning his face to hide the pain he said softly, “I’m not sure that when this is all over I’ll be able to wash this stain off of my soul. To be honest I find no comfort in the slaughter I have had to command over.”
“Sir, I wish there was another way, but I don’t see that path, we all do what we have to do and there is no shame in that. Your job is the hardest because you have to command, and I can’t think of another man that the men or I would rather have lead us.” Cody’s voice got firmer as he continued, “Yes it’s hard to lead, we know and see that, and we elected you to bring as many of us home as you can. Those of us, who have died, they did so for freedom, and the rest of us living will always continue fighting for that same freedom. You lead with the lords help and our hard work does the rest, don’t doubt your self Dan. I don’t mean to sound informal but you have been my friend for years, and as your friend I will help to my full ability, and if it’s necessary to do just as Jeff and the others did today.”
Dan nodded his head with out saying anything, as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.
“Here, I was going to save this and give it to you on your birthday,” Cody said as he held out a small ‘Dream-catcher’.
Dan reached out and took it, saying “Thanks.”
“My youngest son Kenny gave it to me, he just deployed forward with the Nebraska 1st, his youngest daughter Maggie made it for you. You do know the story of the ‘Dream-catcher’?”
“Not really? Except that they have some significant meaning for the Plains tribes.”
Cody smiling saying, “Kenny married a Lakota, anyway her people believe that the air is filled with both good and bad dreams, dream-catchers were hung in the tipi or lodge to catch them. The good dreams pass through the center hole to the sleeping person. The bad dreams are trapped in the web, and perish in the light of dawn. Maggie in her letter to me said you needed it to protect you and all of us who are with you and follow you.”
Dan didn’t need to say anything his smile and the pride he felt said thank you from his heart.
Cody paused for a second then added, “Very few commanders have ever had the complete and full trust or the devotion of their men as you do. When they complained this last winter, it was about the cold and the deep snow, chow and lack of action. All the complaints of a soldier’s life minus the bitching about how the officers always have it better. You have lead by example, to share in the hardships of the soldiers you command, and all of the officers under you have copied your style.
I didn’t hear any complaints about the rigorous ski and snow show training, because they knew that training would get most of them over the Mountains. And again no complaining, non at all on the plans when given the orders to walk, ski and snowshoe, three whole divisions plus all of the food needed over the snow covered Sierra Nevada’s here at the end of winter and to make today’s victory possible.”
“Some of the men in the three brigades tasked with bringing supplies forward and working in relays made four round trips, just so we could attack the enemy and drive them out of California. So sir continue to be modest, remain humble because the men see that and know you consider them first. But don’t doubt yourself; you lead, we follow even into death if necessary, you do your job and we will do ours. You must stand tall strong and be brave, then the rest of us your braves will do the same.”
“Cody’s right Dan, I understand how you feel about this butchers yard we stand in, this battle and the others you have describe as a place of slaughter,” Eli shivers as he said, “a Tsavo, I know how you feel now, having done this before too, but it’s them or us. So far it’s been a lot more of them, only a few of us. Just a WAG (wild ass guess) estimate but it’s got to be close to a 15 to one kill ratio or higher. But even losing the one hurts, I know but there is no other way. And as the CSM said, you command, we will follow, each man does his job, as you have told me and others, the Lord gives us all tasks, none more then we can bare, just some of us have to carry more then others.”
Eli took a breath then adds, “The commander of Op Hurricane back home couldn’t have worked this job any better then your doing, I can say that with all honesty, from having seen him and you both absorbed in your respective tasks. No good man likes it, but sometimes we have to wade through a river of blood, to witness death and destruction beyond anything Hollywood could dream up, just to keep our county free. I’ve heard you say, many times, Freedom isn’t Free. And I believe that in what we do in these fights, it gives another generation a chance to breath free air. That reward to me is worth all that we do, it’s defiantly worth all the pain and sacrifice. Knowing if I were to die tomorrow, I will die a free man, and I know all of your men feel the same way.”
“Dan, volunteers surround you, every man here by his own choice, not like the lackeys we face. Or those poor men conned by a religious fanatic with a promises of a false paradise and pleasures forbidden to them on earth. Free men chose you to lead them, consider yourself lucky, I would be if I were in your shoes. I know I’m lucky in just serving with good men once again.”
Dan set there quietly and listened, not to the phrase but to the support offered him. He knew it was his job, his task, just as each of them had separate responsibilities, but all were sharing in what must be done. That’s what friends were for, sharing. Putting the Dream-catcher in his pocket he says, “Thank you Eli and Cody, it’s hard to keep from having doubts, especially when the battle is over. None of us know what is around the corner awaiting us on this journey we call life. But with the Lords help and friends like you at my side we will see it through, again my thanks.”
Then turning back to the task at hand, Dan composing the final lines in a letter to Jeff’s wife Holly, ‘I know what I have written can only express my own sorrow as I try to help ease the numbing pain of your lose. I take heart in words that were written over 140 years ago by Gen. Robert E. Lee upon hearing of the death of one of his best friends Gen A.P. Hill during the battle of Petersburg Va. just a few weeks before the end of the Civil War. ‘He is at rest, and we who are left are the ones to suffer.’
‘Yes Holly, He is at rest.’ And I thank the Lord at having known him. I loved him as only a brother could. I was honored at having him call me his friend, and I can’t tell you how proud I am at having served with such a Patriot. Jeff and too many men like him who died today are the true hero’s of our country. Once again I thank the Lord for knowing men like him.’
Pausing for a second as he pulls a small book from his map case he opens it and reads silently a few lines then he adds a final quote to the letter,
‘pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom,‘
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Abraham Lincoln, November 1864
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