The Revolution Begins (Molon Labe) (11 page)

We laughed and walked to our mission prep area.  It was great to see Neil happy.  He had been unhappy for quite some time, and I hoped that Allison would fill the void in his life.  All indicators were pointing in that direction.

Kyle, Chad, Neil, and I sat in the mission prep area and began to discuss the operation.  Kyle and Chad became quick friends and joked about their time in the Marines.  It seems they had spent time together on bases but had never run into each other.  After playing the name game and laying out all of their skill sets, we learned that not only was Chad an expert at reconnaissance, but also had gone through Marine Scout Sniper School and had been in a Sniper Platoon for three years.  That would be very helpful to us.

Kyle and Chad would recon the back of
the base and infiltrate in UN uniforms to scout the interior.  Neil and I would be over-watch from the ridgeline where we could see most of the normal day to day activities.  We would get there by using the ATV’s we had appropriated.  The engineers had modified the exhaust systems on them to reduce the engine noise to minimal levels.  We could move about in the woods without making much noise at all. 

We chose a dismount point in the woods about two kilometers from the base and from there we would stalk our way in.  We had one week to operate.  While we were operating at the base,
four separate teams were being sent into Queenwood to continue harassing the UN troops operating in the town. They served two purposes.  The first was to disrupt normal operations, and the second was to win the hearts of the people.  We needed them to back us.

Chapter 38

Whiteman Air Force Base

“Sir we have
four small vehicles, probably ATV’s leaving the vicinity”, said Amy.

“Follow them via Global H
awk. Mark their destination and keep the satellite coverage on the main objective”, ordered the watch officer.

“Yes Sir”
, said Amy, while trying not to convey her worry through her tone of voice.

Two hours later she reported to the Watch Officer that the ATV’s had split up and stopped in the woods approximately two kilometers from a National G
uard Base being occupied by UN troops. Another Airman reported that eight bodies had left the objective and headed in a direction that would lead them towards the town of Queenwood, West Virginia.

Chapter 39

Camp
Dawkins

Neil and I had set up at our observation post and noted all of the pertinent data.  The base was using tethered overhead surveillance to detect any movement towards the base.  We had stalked in from over a kilometer away using mylar lined ghillie-suits to hide our heat signature. We were soaked with sweat, but set up nicely to view the objective. Using the mylar to reflect back our own heat, we should appear as small animals to any heat sensing equipment they may be using. To the naked eye we would be invisible from our position. 

The first thing we noted was the number of civilians that were working (against their wills) on the base.  I could see many women walking about gathering up litter and
occasionally being harassed by the troops walking by.  There were UN troops everywhere.  They had grown quite comfortable on the base.  The air strip to our right had a C-130 sitting near its ramp.  There was also a Blackhawk helicopter on the helipad.  Small arms fire could be heard from the training ranges on the other side of the air strip.  It looked like a normal daily operation on any given base. 

The fron
t gate was being manned by two guards and behind them was an APC with its fifty caliber weapon oriented at the gate. Small convoys were going in and out of the gate sporadically.  A count of the armor on the base included seven tanks, twenty five wheeled Armored Personnel Carriers (APC’s), and seven tracked APC’s. There were at least twenty Hummers that appeared to be armored and had machine guns mounted atop.  There was only one helicopter and it did not appear to have any armament.  We were sure that more vehicles were out on patrols.

The officers we saw moved freely about the compound brazenly.  It was easy to identify them from the multiple salutes they w
ere forced to return each time they walked past an enlisted soldier.

We recorded the movements of troops and civilians to and from the base.
This happened much as Gerome had told us earlier; once in the morning to bring everyone in, and then in the afternoon to take everyone out. What disgusted me the most was the presence of a UN flag flying where the Stars and Stripes should have been proudly waving.

Chad and Kyle scouted the perimeter of the base quietly and found a nice observation post at the rear of the base.  Chad was very familiar with the base
.  His knowledge of the woods surrounding the base came from extensive land navigation tests on the base.  He literally knew where everything was located at the base and in the surrounding woods.  When he found a newly cut road he announce his surprise. “This road wasn’t here the last time I was.”  The road seemed to be well used and had deep grooves cut from large vehicles.

“Let’s follow it and see what
the boys in blue have going on”, said Kyle.

They followed it for two hundred meters.  What they found sickened them both.  The woods had
been cut back to create a space nearly two hundred square meters.  The area was surrounded by a chain-link fence and concertina wire.  Each corner held a tower with armed soldiers.  Inside were placed tents. The only electricity was being run by a generator and from all indications, the purpose was to man lights so the towers could see inside.  What was most disturbing was who was being held inside the small prison. 

American w
omen and children were cowering inside the fence. They appeared to be hungry and beaten down.  It was a horrific sight.  It reminded Kyle and Chad of old video footage on the history channel documenting the holocaust victims.  This couldn’t be happening here.  These were Americans!  This is what they had planned for Kyle’s sons. It made his blood boil and he barely contained the urge to start shooting at the guards inside and out. 

There seemed to be an impossible number of women and children in the prison.  It was disgusting to see.  There was apparently no system for sanitation set up, and no running water.  There was a water buffalo in place to dispense water and the line for water and whatever they were passing off as food was long.  Chad had to hold Kyle down when a child was struck to the ground by a soldier dispensing food.  Apparently the child had gone back for seconds and been caught. 

In Kyle and Chad’s eyes, this was the new priority for action by the militia.  This abomination and any like it had to be destroyed. Unable to do anything but watch, they began the tasks of surveillance and documentation. Kyle cried real tears while taking pictures and remembering the faces of each UN Soldier he planned to kill from this place. Those incarcerated in this camp were the wives and children of patriots.  They deserved better than this.  If he had to do it alone, Kyle would see to it that each of these families would be rescued, and that each of the monsters holding them captive would die a merciless death.

Chapter 40

Executive Order 11000 Allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.

Unaware of what Kyle and Chad had locate
d, Neil and I spent our time merely watching the base. We took pictures of the base and took notice of the few times in the night when busses would arrive and drive onto the base and disappear into the wood line to the rear of the camp.  We noticed the glow of lighting in the woods and hoped Chad and Kyle could fill in the gaps in their information about it.  After their report came in on the DMAG, my heart sank at the news, and the knowledge that we were so close, but couldn’t do anything to help immediately.

On the second day we watched as the troops gathered for a large inspection
.  There were perhaps four hundred troops standing in formation waiting for the base commander to inspect and address them. When he appeared, he was easy to identify.  He was short and stout.  He walked with an air of superiority and had an entourage of ass-kissing officers flanking him.  They all but rolled out the blue carpet for him. 

He strolled up and down the ranks of soldiers and pointed at soldiers who were not up to his standards and watched as sergeants swarmed and physically corrected the infractions.  I took an immediate disliking to this prick.  I took many pictures of him and had to fight the urge to shoot him.
The range was only three hundred meters from our location and the shot would be a piece of cake.  It was tough reminding myself that our mission did not include targets of opportunity.  Snoop and poop. That’s it. Come back with Intel and go from there.  It was interesting to see the troop makeup for the first time en-masse.  Most of the troops were Caucasian and appeared to be European or Slavic.  I did note the presence of nearly thirty Asian soldiers who stood on the periphery and appeared to not be subject to the inspection.  They wore the UN uniform, but held themselves differently.  The UN soldiers looked shabby compared to them. Without a closer look, that was all I could report for now.

Chapter 41

Executive Order 11001 Allows the government to take over all health, education, and welfare functions.

On the second d
ay of the recon, Chad and Kyle moved closer to the rear of the actual base and began watching movements.  From their vantage point, they could see early troop physical training, and mid-day squad training.  They too noticed the Asian troops and noted as well that they trained on their own together and were never approached by the “normal” UN troops.  Chad pointed out to Kyle the key components of the base from their site.  Part of Chad and Kyle’s mission included a walk-through of the base in UN uniforms if possible.  To do this, they began noting troop movements and times of high traffic.  Two soldiers walking together and talking lowly should not gather much attention.  In mid-afternoon, they decided to move towards the ranges and the Ammo Supply Point bunker.  From their position they could see that the bunker was manned by two guards who seemed complacent at best.  They watched intently as the guards changed shifts with little conversation. The afternoon went smoothly with nothing of note to report.

“Why in the world did you ever leave the Corps to join the Army?”
Kyle asked jokingly.

“I got married to a girl from West
Virginia, and she got homesick”, Chad said. “She stuck by me for fifteen years in the Corps.  She stood by me through every deployment and never spoke a word of leaving.  She was my rock.  I knew she was homesick, but the Marine Corps was my home no matter where I was.  That all changed when she started getting sick.  I could see things were wrong and she smiled through it.  When she couldn’t take the pain anymore, she saw a doctor.  She had pancreatic cancer.  I left the Corps and brought her home to Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.  She lived for a year and a half.  It tore me up to see her dying and nearly killed me when she passed.  The best part of me was buried with her.  I went back to the only thing I knew and the closest thing here was this base.  I poured what was left of my heart into being a Green Beret.”

Sobered at the truth of what he had started as a joke, Kyle simply said
, “Semper Fi, Green Beret, Semper Fi.”

Chad
nodded and said, “I was getting older and thought I needed something less challenging.  The Army seemed like it fit my needs. I was expecting a cake walk after being a Marine.  Then I went to Ranger School, then Selection.  I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I still miss the Corps.  It’s good to be on an op with a Marine.”

Changing the subject, Kyle asked, “Where do you want to do our walk through?  I’m thinking that ASP looks mighty inviting.”

Chad smiled and said, “I was hoping you’d be game for something like that.  I’ve got a few plans that we can talk about this evening. I can’t watch much more of the prison camp.  I’m honestly not sure if I can leave this place without helping those people.”

Kyle smiled and said
, “Brother, I know exactly what you are saying and I agree. It’s really all I’ve been able to think about since I’ve seen it.  We need to put our brains together and come up with a plan that Chris will go along with.  I know that two Marines should be more than enough to do the job, but I guess we need those other two Army guys to help carry the bags.”

They laughed together and began to plan.

Chapter 42

Executive Order 11002 Designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons.

The third day brought an unexpected surprise.  Our digital burst report from the snipers in town reported that troop numbers in the town had dropped of drastically.  Troop numbers were down to less than twenty for the whole town. Neil and I had noticed increased troop activity and watched as the UN commander seemed to be running about like a chicken with his head cut off.  It looked as though he was very worried about something.  That "something" turned out to be a "someone".  At about 1300, convoys started arriving presumably from town.  As the units from town were disembarking their vehicles, orders were barked out and they hastily created a mass formation.  What seemed like the entire base stood in formation for nearly an hour playing the famous hurry up and wait game.  We watched and wondered what was going on.  The only difference from the last formation was that the Asian troops were front and center (as a unit) in the formation.