by Jack L Knapp
Increasing vibration, thumping noises, the helicopter lifted off and gained altitude fast. The helicopter’s crew chief manned an M-60 machine-gun at the starboard door as soon as we were off the ground.
I’d ridden in a Chinook before, but never with this much company. There were about thirty troops with their gear in the aft cabin now. These things are huge.
The flight smoothed out once the chopper reached altitude. I had body armor and helmet on, just like the others. My rifle was held upright, magazine not inserted in its well. We can stick the magazine in and chamber a round after we get there. The lieutenant will tell us when.
I kept my mouth shut, listened, and learned.
“All right, people, magazines in. Do NOT chamber a round until you feel dirt under your feet, and then only when you hear shooting. If we start taking fire, you’ll know it. You grenadiers, keep your muzzles up and downrange. Bravo Company had an accidental discharge last week and it could have caused a lot of casualties. I don’t want casualties in my platoon, so keep your head out of your ass. Do it by the numbers people, just like you’ve practiced.
“Chief, you stay close to Corporal McGregor. Do what he does. When people start firing, put some rounds where the squad is shooting, OK? I’ll talk to you when we get back.”
Thump, bounce, the wheels hit the ground and roll. The rear hatch drops and I hustle out, trying to follow the guys in front. Stay with Corporal McGregor and go where he goes. Magazine is in, the rifle’s muzzle is up, the safety is on. McGregor is running so I run too. I’m breathing a little harder, the altitude is higher and the air is thin. The squad leader waves us into place, so I flop down between the SAW gunner and a rifleman. He gives me a dirty look and motions me aside. I move over and make room. The rifleman needs to be next to the gunner. He’s carrying extra belts of linked 5.56mm rounds for the SAW, the squad automatic weapon.
I’m at the end of the squad but there’s another squad beyond me. Having people around you in a combat situation is comforting.
Look to the front. There’s nothing there but brown, flat, dusty desert. Nothing is moving. I hear gunshots off to the side and look wildly around, but the guys next to me aren’t moving. No one on this side is shooting, so I calm down, try to just keep my cool.
There’s a weed out front of me, maybe forty meters away. Could a jihadist hide there?
I watch the weed. It’s dead and dry. Nothing’s there, but still…does my Talent still work? I’ve had this doubt before. So far, it’s always been reliable since I started the AI-feedback course at the School.
I reached out with my PK and tried to pull the weed. It snapped off, leaving the roots in the ground. I started to look around and the private next to me growled “Keep still. Are you trying to draw some rag’s attention?”
It turned out later that the gunshots happened because a new troop fired a round and three others nearby decided they should too. They got a memorable ass-chewing from a weary company XO, the First Lieutenant Executive Officer. He’d seen it before.
I didn’t remember drinking but my canteens were empty. When had that happened? They’d been full when we took off. I was thirsty by the time the Chinook delivered us back to our Forward Operating Base, FOB. That was my first lesson; QRF duty educated me. I was more careful with my water after that.
Whatever the MOS claimed, after that first deployment I was an infantryman and soon after that I became a true veteran, a combat infantryman. I got my baptism of hostile fire.
I went on my first combat patrol with the 3rd platoon. The platoon leader was experienced and his platoon sergeant even more so. I watched and learned. I gained more experience working with third squad for six weeks, then transferred TDY to a Stryker unit.
I worked with the Stryker Troop for a couple of months. I managed to fit in well with the guys in the Stryker I rode before transferring again, still TDY, to a transportation company for convoy duty. That assignment lasted for almost five months.
During each of my abbreviated tours of duty, I used my developing Talent, moving things from time to time and keeping my ability secret. I don’t know that the PK helped much, but I got stronger with exercise. I suffered fewer headaches too.
The troops in the new units understood I was no rookie even if I was some kind of spook. There was too much ingrained dust in my BDU’s, my boots were too scuffed by the desert sand; no, some kind of weird intelligence dude but not a rookie.
I expected the compound would be my final operational assignment. Even if I had no alert orders and was still showing up on the patrol roster, I’d been in-country now for more than a year. The Army, the School, hadn’t forgotten about me, had they?
Concentrate, it’s time to concentrate. There’s still a patrol to lead. These guys depend on me.
That cardboard box was still there although the dog had moved on. Maybe he’d learned to be wary of soldiers. The box was now less than two hundred meters ahead.
Books by the author:
The Wizards Trilogy:
Combat Wizard
Wizard at Work
Talent (forthcoming)
The Darwin's World Series:
Darwin's World
The Trek
Home (forthcoming)
About the Author:
Jack Knapp is a former soldier and teacher and is now a novelist. Four books in two series are currently available from Amazon and other publishers.
Jack retired (twice) before becoming a full-time caregiver for a disabled adult son, now deceased. That kept him at home, but didn't occupy all of his time, so he turned to writing.
A member of Mensa and the Society for Creative Anachronism, Jack's married; the Knapp's have two sons and three grandchildren. He's invented himself a number of times over the years. Currently Jack is a blogger, scientist, musician, photographer, birdwatcher, and commentator on current affairs; he also continues writing fiction. Talent is almost finished and will likely be published in June of 2014; Home will be published by September.
http://jacklknapp.com and http://jlknapp505.com
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT
Dedication
Preface
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Combat Wizard, an Excerpt: Chapter 1
Books by the author:
About the Author:
