Viper Team Seven (The Viper Team Seven Series Book 1) (6 page)

The major had just received final approval for Parks’ new set of orders,
and he was sending the 4th MEB’s Anti-Terrorism Battalion Headquarters an
electronic copy. After the orders were sent, Forn could wash his hands of the
entire matter and forget about it. He just hoped he’d fulfill his goal of
making Marines miserable with where they were going to be stationed.

*          *          *

Parks eased back
into the office’s parking lot and got out of his truck. The sun made the spring
day warm and just about perfect. He strolled into the office building and made
a quick trip to see one of his platoon sergeants, Gunnery Sergeant Zhao Zhou,
to check and see if the man had received his new duty station orders. Zhou had
arrived at the base the exact day Parks had, and both were due to move at the
same time.

“Hey Gunny,”
Parks greeted, coming into Zhou’s office and taking a seat on the edge of his
desk. “Anything new going on?”

“Yes sir, there
is,” the small, Chinese man said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his
elbows on the desk in front of him. “I think you’d like to know my PCS orders
just arrived about fifteen minutes ago.”

“Good, it seems
you’ve been waitin’ forever, just like me.” Parks looked for any indication of
the results in the gunny’s facial expression and then cautiously asked,
“Where’d you get stationed this time?”

“I got snagged
to go to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, sir,” Zhou replied quickly.

“China?” Parks asked in amazement.

“Do you know any
other Beijing, sir?”

“No, but I
thought you’ve already been there.”

“No sir, I was
stationed at Okinawa – my first duty station.”

“Smedley
Butler…that’s right.”

“I hated the
place but my wife loved it. She’d never been out of the States before so she
enjoyed seeing another country. If it were up to me though, I’d never leave
here, sir. It’s not worth it to leave this country to see any other place.”

“What choice do
you have?” Parks asked flatly, already knowing the answer.

“None whatsoever,
sir. But I can still complain, can’t I?” Zhou stated as he threw his arms up in
helplessness.

“Yeah. You might
have company with the complaints after I find out where I’m headed.”

“Yes sir, I just
might.”

“I’d better go
and check if my orders arrived. See ya.”

Parks stood, and walked briskly out of the room. He was nervous. He had a
bad feeling that something was going to happen that he didn’t want to have
happen concerning his PCS orders. A little voice in the back of his mind kept
telling him that something would go wrong.

*          *          *

The Anti-Terrorism
Battalion S-1 (Administration) had just received an email from HQMC. The email
was really a set of electronic PCS orders for a Captain Keith Parks (Major
Select), who, as of today,
was
a major.

The Admin Chief,
Staff Sergeant Bill Carson, knew exactly what to do. He’d done this once
already today, and a million times in his career. Just as always, he printed
the orders, grabbed them, and walked over to his computer where he would copy
them and then “battalionize” a set for the CO’s signature, which was usually
designated to him to sign by direction of the CO. The battalion set of orders
would allow Parks to obtain his travel pay, have his household goods shipped to
his new duty station, and arrange for all the other details that came with
moving to a new base.

The staff
sergeant began to type the orders as he thought of Parks. Just about everyone
in the battalion knew who he was. Not surprisingly, as the man had received the
highest award possible while fighting with the Anti-Terrorism Battalion, not to
mention the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Carson had seen Parks once or twice,
and he didn’t really know him well, but he knew enough about him to know that
he wouldn’t be too happy with this new assignment to D.C. From what Carson could tell, he’d be working on the White House staff instead of HQMC or the Marine
Corps Barracks at 8th and I. The orders didn’t explain why or what he’d be
doing there; in fact, PCS orders never did. It would seem as though the
monitors wanted Marines to sweat about their next duty station, and have them
bite their nails until they found out what exactly they’d be doing.

Carson snapped his mind back to his work and focused completely on
finishing the task. If he had to be the bearer of bad news he wanted to get it
over with as soon as he could.

*          *          *

Parks looked up
from his office desk to see a Marine corporal knock on his already-opened
hatch. The corporal requested permission to enter.

“Come in,
Corporal,” Parks ordered, noticing the folder tucked underneath the man’s left
arm. He swallowed hard and then asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Sir, the Admin
Chief ordered me to see that you got this.” The corporal pulled out the folder
and placed it right in front of Parks.

“PCS orders?”

“PCS orders,
sir.”

Parks looked down
at the miniature statue of a bulldog, the Marine Corps mascot, which was
resting on his desk right beside the small American and Marine flags. “Well,
you delivered them,” he said. “Carry on, Corporal.”

“Yes sir,” the
man obeyed, closing the hatch on his way out.

Reluctantly and slowly, Parks peeled open the folder marked “PCS Orders –
Major Keith Parks,” pulled out the orders, and began to read.

United States Marine Corps

Headquarters Company

Anti-Terrorism
Battalion

Camp Lejeune , North Carolina, 28542

1320/1

S-1

12 Mar 14

FIRST
ENDORSEMENT on DSO 2415-14 dtd 12 Mar 14

From:  Commanding Officer, Headquarters Company, Anti-Terrorism
Battalion

To:  Major K. B. Parks 201 05 1877/0302
U.S.M.C.

Subj:  PERMANENT CHANGE OF
STATION ORDERS

1.
_
Delivered. Effective 1600, 13 March 2014 you will
stand detached from your present station and duties and will proceed and report
by 2400, 17 March 2014 to the National Security Advisor to the President, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C. for duty.

2.
_
You are authorized 04 days proceed and travel via
privately owned vehicle. You are authorized to draw advance dislocation
allowance, advance travel/per diem and dependents travel/per diem.

3.
_
You have given your leave address as: Box 19, Elko, NV 89801, telephone: (775) 738-4244. You have given the person to be notified
in the event of an emergency as: Rowdy Parks (Father), address and telephone
same as above. Any change in your status shall be reported to the National
Security Advisor to the President, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.

4.
_
Before making any rental or lease agreements or
purchasing a home you will report to the local military housing office at your
new duty station if one is located thereat. You are further directed to report
to the disbursing office within 3 working days upon completion of travel to
settle travel expenses.

5.
_
Travel is chargeable to appropriation: Travel Code
“C” of your Basic Orders.

6.
_
All other provisions of your basic orders remain
the same.

B. Y. Carson

B. Y. Carson

By
direction

The PCS orders
papers slipped from Parks’ hand and gracefully floated down to the desk. Had he
read it right? Did it really say to report to the National Security Advisor to
the President, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C. for duty? It
couldn’t be.

He slumped
further in his swivel chair, picked the papers up again, and stared at the
words “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.”
Why?
he kept asking
himself.
What for?

 
Parks
hated big cities, and D.C. was most certainly big. Actually, it was enormous.
He buried his head in his hands and said aloud, “A hundred bases in this
military and I got picked for D.C.” Then it struck him. He wasn’t going to a
military base at all. He wasn’t going to HQMC or 8th and I or anywhere else. He
had to report to the National Security Advisor to the President, which could
mean only one thing: the White House staff.

Wednesday, March 12
^th
– 1400 hours

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Parks sat alone
in his office. He still could not believe what he had just read. His mind
couldn’t register it. How could everything turn out so badly? Five minutes ago
he was dreaming about the cool mountain days of Montana, hoping he’d be
fortunate enough to be stationed there, and now this. He’d read the PCS orders
over again just to be sure that he was reading things correctly. Unfortunately
he was. Nothing had changed, except for a rising sense of dread over the duty
station where he’d be working in less than five days.

At last, Parks
shoved the papers back into the folder and set it on the edge of the desk. His
work phone began to ring, and he answered it immediately. “Major Parks, 4th MEB’s Anti-Terrorism Battalion.” It felt weird to say “major” instead of
“captain,” but he’d get used to it.

“Hey Keith, it’s
Colonel Johnson. You busy?”

“Not really,
sir,” he replied, hoping that the colonel wouldn’t want to see him. He was in
no mood for a conversation with anyone.

“You got a
minute then?” Johnson asked.

“However many
you need, sir,” Parks offered, not wanting his CO to sense that he didn’t want
to speak with him. “Would you like me to come over to your office, sir?”

“That’d be fine.
See you soon.”

After hanging
up, Parks headed for the colonel’s office. When he arrived, the office door was
open, so he stepped in and stood at attention. After Johnson told him to relax,
Parks greeted the colonel who was flipping through an
Outdoor Life
magazine. Johnson was a big-time outdoorsman. He loved to get out in the fall to
camp, hunt, and fish, for weeks on end. He rarely took leave during the spring
and summer; he was saving it all for his mega hunting expeditions. Parks was
also a hunter, but he rarely seemed to have time anymore to do anything like
that. He was always busy with work and whatever else popped up. He hated seeing
the pictures Johnson hung up in his office every fall. They consisted of the
big bucks he’d shot, and the monster fish he’d managed to hook, and the animals
he’d trapped. Parks was jealous. Jealous over how
he
never had time to
do anything leisurely. Why was he always so busy? He needed to make some time
to get out and do outdoorsy things once in a while. But how would he be able to
do that in Washington D.C. of all places?

“Have a seat,
Keith,” Johnson offered.

“Thank you, sir,”
Parks acknowledged, pulling up a hard leather chair opposite Johnson’s desk.

“I imagine it
was quite a shock for you to hear about your next duty station?”

“It was sir.”

“Let me tell you
Keith, there are a lot worse places you can go, and for a lot worse reasons. D.C
ain’t such a bad place anyhow. Are you looking forward to going?”

“No sir.”

“Hmmm. How
come?”

“I’m not a big
fan of large cities, sir. It’ll just be a big change going to the capital and
all. You know, sir, the crowds, the traffic, the crime rate.”

“Yeah,” Johnson
agreed. “I understand.”  He swatted at a fly that was buzzing around and
mumbled to himself about how the creature had gotten into the building. “You
nervous about going?” he asked.

“Not yet sir,”
Parks said. “Once my shock wears off I’m sure I will be though.”

Finally, Johnson
closed his magazine and stared squarely at him. Johnson stood at around 6’, and
was about 185 lbs., and had a shaved head that always looked sun burnt. His
personal awards for bravery in combat consisted of the Navy Cross and Bronze
Star, and he often joked that his achievements were one step behind Parks’. It
was all in good fun though. Parks and Johnson were great friends, and it was hard
to find a better pair of Marines. Johnson was kind of a role model for Parks,
and it had been that way since the first day Parks had arrived on his second
Anti-Terrorism assignment and took command of Bravo Company.

“Four days isn’t
too long to get to your new duty station, and you’ve still gotta get packed up,”
the colonel stated.

“Yes sir I
know.”

“I guess you’re
gonna have a change of command ceremony tomorrow then?”

“Yes sir. Will
you be there, sir?”

“I’d never miss
it.” The colonel stalled before saying. “It’s been a short three years, Keith,
but they’ve been good.”

Parks wasn’t sure
if Johnson wanted him to agree with that statement or not, but he took a long
breath and spoke his mind anyway. “Yes sir. I wish I didn’t have to leave this
base.”

“Well,
everything’s got to end sometime. The whole battalion will miss you.”

Parks squirmed
in his chair. He wasn’t certain what to say or do, so he just said, “They’re
good Marines, sir.”

Johnson agreed
and then added, “You’ll keep in touch, right? Rebecca and I would love to hear
from you.”

Parks promised
he would and then the two men stood and shook hands.

“That’ll be all, Keith,” the colonel stated. “Thanks for stopping by.”

*          *          *

“You asked for
me, sir?” First Sergeant John Bingham stood at attention in front of Parks’
office desk. Parks had called for the first sergeant so that they could go over
the details of tomorrow’s change of command ceremony that Bingham would be
conducting.

“I did,” Parks
said, closing the PCS orders file that he’d been looking over yet again. “I
thought we’d better go over tomorrow’s change of command ceremony.”

“All right sir.”

“Have a seat,”
Parks offered.

“Thank you,
sir.” The first sergeant seated himself and then began. “We’ll kick it off at
1400, and we’ll hold it at the Headquarters parking lot. I’ll form Bravo
Company at attention, and then we’ll hand things over to Colonel Johnson. He’ll
present your going away award and all that good stuff, and then he’ll step
away. Next, you can say your farewells to the company and when you’re done,
Captain Harrison will come and stand next to you while the narrator reads the
change of command orders.”

Captain Joe
Harrison was the Marine who would be taking command of Bravo Company. He was a
good Marine, and Parks liked him a lot. Harrison had been Parks’ Executive
Officer (XO) for the last year, and even though he
was
an ordinary Joe –
considering he was rather plain – he was consistent, and that’s what made him a
good Marine, and a great man to be the new commander.

“When the
captain comes up beside you, sir, I’ll go and get the company’s guidon and give
it to you,” Bingham continued. “Then Captain Harrison and you will both face
inboard and at that time you can pass it over to him. You’ll both face forward
again and I’ll come up and get the flag from the captain and bring it back. The
narrator will then read the ‘Welcome Aboard’ message from the colonel to Captain
Harrison. When he’s done reading that, the captain will do his deal of saying
how he’s looking forward to commanding, and thanks to the colonel for the
opportunity, and whatever else comes to his mind. After that, I’ll take charge
of the company and that’ll be pretty much it. Any questions, comments, or
revisions on anything, sir?”

“No. That’s good
enough for me,” Parks approved. “Good work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“No, thank you.
Do you have any questions?”

“Negative sir.
Everything is clear. The change of command ceremony should proceed very
smoothly.”

Parks was sure
it would. First Sergeant Bingham had been the company’s first sergeant since
the day Parks had arrived, and he would probably stay that way until he retired,
which would be in just a year. Bingham was the best at conducting ceremony
drill and administration tasks. He was the model enlisted man for the company.
He lived to be a Marine and he devoted a lot of his time to the Corps. Parks
often thought that if Bingham stayed in for a few more years he would be a good
candidate to become the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the highest ranking
enlisted man in the Corps.

“Well, that’s
all,” Parks told him, looking again to the PCS orders file.

As Bingham stood
and began to leave, Parks called after him. “Thanks for the good service,
Marine. You’re one of the finest.”

Bingham turned
around and looked at his CO, searching for something appropriate to say.
“Semper Fi, sir,” he said at last. Then, he turned again and walked out the
door.