Retribution (Soldier Up - Book Five 5) (18 page)

It was an incredible sight; C-47s filled the sky over them. ’Where the hell did they get so many of the old planes?’ most of the 28
th
ID thought.  Then the sky filled with soldiers from the 184
th
Infantry Regiment (Airborne), landing in the empty fields north of Fredericks.  Brigadier General Clayton had gone out to meet with Major General Boney and inform him of the impending drop.  Also, he told them he’d appreciate it if they didn’t shoot at any of the paratroopers.    

              As the paratroopers landed they gathered up their chutes and hustled to their respective rally points, where their Platoon Leaders and Sergeant would get a head count.  Every soldier from the 184
th
was happy that the drop would be unopposed. In the past year they had dropped into several hot LZ’s and many men were lost.  Once at their respective rally points they formed into their squads, then platoons, companies and battalions.  During this time the respective leaders were getting a headcount and treating the injured, because there were always injuries after a jump: sprained or broken ankles, legs, the occasional arm or jammed shoulder.  Very rarely did the number of injures affect the overall mission and this was no different. 

              The 28
th
ID had gotten less than a twenty-four hour notice of the arrival of the 184
th
and only got that because of the arrival of BG Clayton.  Major General Boney had never met or even heard of BG Clayton, because the two generals didn’t travel in the same circles.  In Special Operations there were several active Medal of Honor winners, or there were before the event. BG Clayton didn’t know had happened to them.  BG Clayton was given a heads-up by the SF soldiers they had in the field that had been watching the Army of the Potomac.  Two of the teams had been given specific instructions to watch and evaluate anything going on in and around Fredericks.  Then the scouting elements from the 11
th
ACR and 82
nd
led by Sergeant Major Valliant ran smack dead into the redeploying 28
th
Infantry Division. 

When the Sergeant Major first came into contact with the 28
th
there was a bit of tension between the two opposing forces.  When Major General Boney saw the armor he knew for a fact that there was nowhere General Magnus could have gotten any armor.  It also led him to question the Sergeant Major about where he had obtained it, as there were no armor units on the East Coast.  Major General Boney recognized the Sergeant Major when they met, and then invited him into his CP and the Sergeant Major brought him up to speed.  Then the Sergeant Major had his communications soldiers come in and set up their short wave radio set, which also surprised the hell out of the General.  Just like that they were back in the world, part of something much bigger than themselves.  Sergeant Major Valliant reported back to BG Clayton what they had stumbled upon, which turned into a huge concern for him.  One of the missions given to the Sergeant Major was to secure the DZ for the 184
th
.

              What was left of the 28
th
ID was spread all over and potentially ready to cut down any paratrooper dropping out of the sky.  BG Clayton hurried out of the Capital in the first Humvee out of town and was there within hours. He presented Major General Boney with the letter from the President and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as well as a letter from the Secretary of the Army, in case there was any doubt about BG Clayton’s credentials. 

MG Boney was very impressed with the qualification badges and combat patch. The General recognized it as a patch normal worn by members of Delta.  Before BG Clayton left DC he was brought up to speed by the Secretary of the Army on Major General Boney. General Clayton was equally impressed by General Boney’s own accomplishments.  The two men met with, along with the Sergeant Major to discuss the deployment of their respective forces.  All were in agreement that they were drawing the line at Fredericks, and then the other shoe dropped.  MG Boney was informed that there were almost three thousand Marines on their way north now.

              They had been broken down into two columns, one marching up the coast to Baltimore, where they would take on all comers.  The other coming around from the east would support any and all operations in and around Fredericks, unless of course the Army of the Potomac turned east before Fredericks, then the Army would have to support the Marines.  Either way, it was going to be quite a surprise for the Army of the Potomac.  Major General Boney had called for his staff and once they arrived at his CP, he asked BG Clayton to repeat his entire briefing.  BG Clayton shrugged. It had become quite routine for him by now, so he started from the beginning and finished an hour and a half later. 

              As usual, after one of his briefings on the current status of the union, you could hear a pin drop, while the men and women fathomed what they had heard.  it was hard to believe everything he had told them, but much of the proof they had witnessed with the 184
th
parachuting in from aircraft most, if not all of them had seen before, except in World War Two movies or the history books. , Nevertheless, there they were, they were all also shown the short wave radio, which was quite active now.  The communications soldiers were busy, taking and giving reports.  “Sir.” Master Sergeant Match said. “I’ve seen that type of radio before during one of our patrols through Fredericks I saw one.”

              Everyone turned their heads and looked at the Master Sergeant.  “Do you recall where you saw it?” Major General Boney asked.  “Yes sir I sure do, but I have no idea if it’s operational or not.”

              “Sergeant, take what you need and check it out,” the Major General responded.

              “Sir, I’d advise that whatever he finds to bring it back so our commo folks can check it out.  It may or may not work, but we may be able to pull parts from it,” BG Clayton stated.

              “You heard the man Sergeant.  Anything else on that shopping list?” MG Boney asked.

              General Clayton thought about it a moment. “I’d like to tag along if you don’t mind Sergeant.”

              Master Sergeant Match looked at Major General Boney, “Well Sergeant he has been through the master snake eater course.”  The General referred to General Clayton’s Delta work.  Master Sergeant Match looked at BG Clayton’s chest, eyeing all of his been there done that badges.  “It’d be an honor to have you along sir.” the Master Sergeant said.  “We’ll be pulling out in fifteen minutes; can you be ready to go by then?”

              “I’m ready now, let’s go.” Brigadier General Clayton replied and walked out of the CP.  Master Sergeant Match was startled by the response and quickly took off following the General out of the CP.

Brigadier General Lane had split his forces. Conventional military wisdom said you never split your forces; however, he never believed it applied to United States Marines.  Roughly fifteen hundred Marines would head towards Baltimore and seventeen hundred would head northeast to cut on any potential move by the Army of the Potomac.   He would lead the Marines heading into Baltimore. Their orders were to clear the city if need be, secure the oil terminals along the course and act as a blocking force in the event the Army of the Potomac turned West.

              Colonel Ramon Bit, a fine combat Marine, with multiple tours with the 1
st
Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq and Afghanistan, led the team.  He had been a front line commander and had no qualms about leading men and women into combat and usually from the front.  The men and women that he commanded loved him for it. He would never ask any of his Marines to do anything he had never done or would never do.  This greatly endeared him to them although he was a tough and fair commander, and he didn’t believe in giving up and that there was a solution to every situation.

              BG Lane entrusted the second force heading northeast to Colonel Bit, who would lead the men and women from the front and if there was any combat he’d be the first to engage the enemy.  After the first week in Norfolk the two men, BG Lane and Colonel Bit met once more, not to discuss the mission, but for a sip of whiskey, good ol’ Tennessee sipping whiskey.  The two men drank, wished each other the best and success, shook hands and headed out. 

              The two forces headed into Norfolk, right through town, one heading north and the other east; it was quite a sight for the civilians that had seen so much.  Never in their wildest dreams did they expect to see thousands of Marines heading off to battle in their own country.  The Marines sang cadence as they marched through town and the suburbs. People lined the streets to see the spectacle because never had they been more proud; it sent shivers up their spines.  The force heading north would encounter town after town and finally cut through Washington DC itself.  Once they entered town they at first would be escorted through by the 3
rd
Infantry Regiment, then half way through they would be handed off to the 82
nd
Airborne.  Not one Marine thought it was necessary that they needed Army escorts.

              The Marines heading east once out of Norfolk would hit country roads and townships. There had been several militias out this way earlier, but they were cleared out by Lt Colonel Luxon’s Marines and the Naval Special Weapon’s sailors, which the current Marine force found hard to believe.  The LAVs and AAVs as well as the Humvees and trucks were split equally between the two forces.  Fuel, rations and water were also split. They brought with them fuel pumping devices that would allow them to pull fuel from the underground storage at gas stations.  It had been developed by the 19
th
Special Forces early on and had only a few modifications. 

              The Marines in each column would be marching the entire way, with the exception of those of course in their respective vehicles.  The armored Humvees and LAV-25s were pulling scouting patrols, because this was more important to the group in the east than it was the group heading north.  The Army and Navy had already secured and held everything between Norfolk and Washington.  BG Lane would deploy his scouts ten miles out of the capital, which was designated Indian country.  It was expected to take a week and a half to march from Norfolk to DC.

              BG Lane’s Marines were two miles from the local rail-head. As they got closer, heavily armed soldiers appeared at various checkpoints.  BG Lane thought it odd he hadn’t been briefed that there was any Army in the area.  The BG arrived at the rail head and was met by one US Army Colonel Lambert, the commander of the 3
rd
Infantry Regiment.

              “Good morning, General,” Colonel Lambert moved to the General’s Humvee.

              “Good morning, Colonel,” The General returned the greeting.  “What’s the Army up to Colonel?”

              “Well sir, if you and your Marines can find your way over to the rather large black behemoth sitting over there on the rails we can get you loaded up and on your way.”

              Brigadier General Lane sat there for a moment and let it sink in. “No shit?”

              Colonel Lambert laughed. “No shit, sir. It’ll take us a few hours to get you all loaded, but it’s better than the alternative.”

              “You have any experience loading combat vehicles Colonel?”

              “Yes sir, we loaded up several Abrams and Bradley’s about a week or so ago.”

              “Where the hell did those come from?”

              “11
th
ACR.”

              “Must have been some of the bullshit Brigadier General Clayton did,” BG Lane was chuckling.

              Colonel Lambert smiled. “Yes sir it was.  He’s currently with them up north of Fredericks with what’s left of the 28
th
Infantry Division.”

              “That bad?”

              “No sir, not at all.  The 28
th
ID is a National Guard component out of PA and they don’t have the entire division.  They have been pulling back slowly, using what delaying tactics they can, to slow down the Army of the Potomac.  Their commander, Major General Boney, decided to make Frederick’s his final stand.”

              “Damn, I sure hope we can get there in time to help.”

              “As we speak now sir, the 184
th
Infantry Regiment is dropping to their location, another courtesy of General Clayton.”

              “The 184
th
huh, good unit, we fought alongside them against Mexico, damn good fighters.  They’ll hold the line you can count on that.”

              Brigadier General Lane looked over the old armored train, “Where in the hell did you find this monster?”

              Colonel Lambert grinned from ear-to-ear, also remembering General Clayton’s first response, ‘holy fuck!’ “Local train museum actually; we were also able to grab a couple of old passenger trains. I suppose y’all got train service on the West Coast?”

              “Not just on the coast, we have it from San Diego to Tucson, Fort Huachuca, Portland, Seattle, Olympia, 29 Palms, lots of places.”  BG Lane responded.               “I’m surprised General Clayton didn’t mention it, since he’s the one responsible for getting it all started.”

              “No, he never said anything; I’ve heard a lot of the good General’s exploits, though sometimes I wanna call bullshit on some of it.”

              “I wouldn’t since most of it I have seen firsthand. It’s amazing what the man has been able to accomplish.  Of course if you ask him, he’ll tell you he had nothing to do with it.”

              The two men chatted a bit more about the overall situation of the country, not once mentioning the mission.  “How long’s the ride?” BG Lane asked.

              “All the way to your LOD,” Colonel Lambert replied.

              BG Lane nodded. “That’s great, as much as I like the Army, we were having some heart burn about having to be escorted through the city by you doggies.”

              Colonel Lambert smiled. “I’m sure you were. I’m sure you were.”  The Colonel looked around. “Well let me go check and see where we are and I’ll get right back with you, sir.” 

              “Roger that Colonel, and thanks again.”  The two men shook hands and Colonel Lambert left the General’s AO.  Right after that an Army Captain approached General Lane, “Sir if your driver can take the vehicle over to the flatbeds we can get it loaded and be on our way,” the Captain said.

              “Alright Frank, take it over.” BG Lane ordered his driver.

              “Sir.” The Captain said. “Would you please come with me? We can get you some chow on the train and get you settled.”

              It then occurred to the General he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon and he was starving. “I sure hope the grub is good on that bucket.”  The General said.

              “Eh…” The Captain responded.  “It’ll get you through, sir.”

              General Lane wondered what the hell that meant, but didn’t want to grill the poor Captain. After all he wasn’t a Marine.  “Lead the way Captain. I’m right behind you.”

              On the eastern side the Marines had a much longer walk over two hundred and thirty miles. They were looking at a two-week march.  Their first big break would be Richmond, Virginia, which was over ninety miles away.  The march started off slow at first, but once they were in the rhythm, they were making good time.  It took them three and a half days to reach Richmond. They rested there for two days to get everyone restocked, fix any broken down vehicles and get a head count of the walking wounded. 

              To Colonel Bit’s great surprise there was a train waiting for them at Richmond station.  It was a huge black armored train, something right out of a World War Two movie.  As the Colonel passed the rail head they were stopped by soldiers from the 3
rd
Infantry Regiment, United States Army.  Colonel Bit as a little surprised and suspicious, as this hadn’t been part of the briefing.  He was guided to the railroad terminal, where he exited the Humvee to find what the hell was going on.  He was met by one Colonel Lambert, who claimed to be the commander of the 3
rd
.  

              “Before you ask me anything please read this,” Colonel Lambert handed Colonel Bit a letter.

              “Who’s it from?” Colonel Bit asked, but Colonel Lambert didn’t answer.

              Colonel Bit was perturbed that his question went unanswered, because he wasn’t accustomed to that.  However, he recognized there was nothing he could do about it.  Colonel Lambert stood in front of him, staring at the good Colonel Bit, which he found unnerving.  Colonel Bit ripped open the envelope, pulled the letter out and quickly read it.  He looked at Colonel Lambert, “This on the up-and-up?”

              “Absolutely,” was the only remark Colonel Lambert made.

              “Well hot damn! Let’s get the show on the road then,” Colonel Bit stated.  He sent out runners to gather up his staff and tell them to report ASAP and for everyone to hold in place. Members of the General’s staff began to arrive at his Humvee within ten minutes and within twenty minutes everyone was there.  Colonel Bit quickly brought everyone up to speed and introduced Colonel Lambert. Colonel Lambert took over from there and told the commanders what he needed loaded first and where to take them.  If the load was similar to the others, it should take no longer than two hours to get it all loaded.  However, that was predicated on getting everyone to pitch in.  One of the Marines said, “You’re damn right we’ll all pitch in. We’re Marines, not the damned Army!” Everyone laughed.

              From there the commanders took off and got the ball rolling, Colonel Bit kept security out for obvious reasons.  Even though the enemy was supposed to be hundreds of miles north of them, he knew that he couldn’t be too careful.  Colonel Lambert and Colonel Bit met to discuss a new embarkation point. They agreed that Colonel Lambert would take them as far as Leesburg.  Colonel Lambert pointed out that by going the route they had outlined he didn’t know how long it would take to get through, since they would have to stop and make sure they got all the correct switches at each rail head, and there was the possibility of unfriendlies.  Colonel Bit in turn, pointed out, that regardless if they were walking they would still have to deal with the bad guys. 

              Colonel Bit’s logic was that he didn’t want to commit his forces a hundred percent to Fredericks, since that wasn’t the plan.  The plan was to be able to flank the Army of the Potomac or act as blocking element if they moved east past Fredericks.  Granted, if that was the case, they’d have to hold the line until Army forces north of Fredericks could redeploy.