Healing Holt

by Shannon Nemechek

  Oh… Boy! Helen, well she was madder than an old wet hen. The fireworks that followed, I swear they were visible in town. Then daddy took the loan papers with his forged signature and the pictures to Barnibas the family lawyer. You remember him, right? What am I saying? Of course you do. Well, he filed for Daddy’s divorce, and when they are done with Helen, she will wish she had never met Daddy. She will be lucky if she can afford to go back to her low-rent trailer! That’s what Daddy was saying, anyway.

  Let’s see what else… Oh yeah, my rescues are doing good and I have been able to adopt them out as quickly as I rescue them. I had to start charging a fee because I now make sure all of them are spayed or neutered before they find their homes. Everyone seems happy to pay it, and this also helps me to afford all the fees associated with the service.

  I also attended an animal rescue convention sponsored by Healing Heroes. It was amazing, and for those of us that do animal rescue and rehab, I learned so much. They take rescue dogs and train them for our veterans who suffer from PTSD. It's my way of giving back to the service men and women who give everything to our country.

  In case you were wondering, I am trying to stay out of trouble (don’t trust what Julia says) and I can’t wait ‘til you get home.

  * * *

  Lots of Love,

  Aspen

  * * *

  P.S. Here is a recent picture of me with my new rescue!

  Before tucking the letter under his pillow, he inhaled one last whiff of Aspen’s perfume. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his final thoughts were of Aspen and how good it would be to see her again.

  3

  He had barely dozed off when Gunner moved, so Holt adjusted his position when something hit his foot. He hadn’t been asleep long, so he moved his foot again, hoping it was only his imagination… It must have been his imagination. Gunner barked and nudged Holt on the cheek, his tail wagging, as Bryant kicked his boot again.

  “Time to wake up, Shaggy, ya fucking asshat. We got work to do. It’s time get back what’s ours.”

  Grasping the edge of the cot, he pulled himself up and grabbed his ACH, plopping it on his head as he put Gunner’s gear on and did an ammo check. “You ready to get some, Gunner?” The dog jumped off the bed and barked.

  He saw Aspen’s letter sticking out from under his pillow, and folded it to put in the pocket over his heart, along with her picture. Pressing the Velcro down, he grabbed his weapon and slung it over his shoulder.

  “For good luck.” Holt glanced down at Gunner, patting down the Velcro one last time, ensuring the letter and picture were secure. “Can’t lose this…right, boy? It’s our good luck charm.” Gunner barked again, and he laughed, thinking the dog might actually understand him.

  “Come on dick bag, we got work to do!” Bryant repeated. “We got a meeting in the command tent.”

  “All right, give me a damn minute, man. Why you in such a hurry? It’s not like you got pussy to get,” Holt replied.

  “No, might not be pussy, but I sure as hell am gonna get some.”

  “True,” Holt conceded, knowing his friend was right. They did have a lot of work ahead of them, and he wanted to get those motherfuckers as much as everyone else. He respected Chief, who had been like a father to him, a newbie to the unit. Tommy, on the other hand, was a bit of a self-centered asshole, not unlike a lot of people in this world.

  The only thing that had kept Holt from falling was the knowledge of what was waiting at home. Aspen gave him the strength to make sure he’d crawl out of that butthole of a country and go home to her. She was his the day they met and one day he would make her his forever; she just didn’t realize it yet. I have a lot to go home to.

  Laughing as Gunner ran past him and to the door, Holt saw Bryant waiting outside. They followed Bryant and made their way to the command tent.

  Most of the team was already assembled in the commander’s tent when Bryant, Gunner, and Holt arrived. The tension in the air was thick, a sense the men were all too aware of, knowing what was ahead of them. Locating seats, they sat toward the front, Gunner curled up at his handler’s feet. Most of the men were already seated and were chatting amongst themselves while Holt sat in silence, still mulling over the letter from home and wondering what it would be like to see Aspen again. He had to get her out of his mind, at least for the moment, but seeing her picture with her auburn hair flowing past her shoulders in that white tank top and shorts—it was hard not to envision those long legs wrapped around his shoulders.

  Holt finally broke off his thoughts about Aspen when Bryant shoved him in the shoulder as their colonel stepped in front of the podium to brief them.

  “New intel has come in from our informants. The village close to where Tommy and Chief had been pinned down is where they are also being held. The latest intel is also saying there are only two being held now. Bodies recovered by locals that are known sympathizers to our cause have been placed in temporary internments. God rest their souls.” He paused, inspecting the room. “Before we go any further, I want to bring in Chaplain Christopher Murphy. He has asked to lead us in a prayer. Afterward, I will continue the briefing.” The Colonel stepped back from the podium as the chaplain made his way over and stepped in front of the men.

  “Please bow your heads.”

  As the chaplain finished and exited through the front of the tent, the room went completely silent. Only the faint sounds of Holt’s heartbeat rang in his ears and visions of Aspen echoed through his mind. The colonel stepped forward again and continued, his words muffled, as Holt tried to pay attention but his mind kept drifting.

  “We will be dropped fifteen clicks away from the village, double-time to the search area, and a three-man team will locate an extraction point while the remaining will split off into three squads. Once we have established the location of Tommy and Chief, Alpha Team will take point while Bravo and Charlie split off and take perimeter. Is that clear?”

  The entire tent roared with a loud, “HOOAH.”

  “Good. Now Doc, I want you to go in with Alpha Team in case one of the men needs medical attention. Roger?”

  “Hooah!”

  “Sergeant Holt, is Gunner ready?”

  “He will be, sir.”

  “Good. I want you and Bryant on point along with Jacobs and Wolverine.”

  “Roger, sir. Once we are in the AO, I will give Gunner the scents.”

  “Hooah. Let’s get our guys out. Dismissed,” the colonel announced.

  As the tent emptied, Holt waited with Bryant, Jacobs, and Wolverine to go over a plan. Afterward, Holt headed to retrieve something of Chief’s and Tommy’s for Gunner to get their scents.

  When they got to the foothills of the Takur Ghar mountains, Gunner was anxious and ready to work. Holt let him smell the items with Chief’s and Tommy’s scents, and ordered, “Gunner… Track,” shoving the men’s t-shirts into a cargo pocket as the dog moved out.

  When he joined the 9th Special Forces, Gunner needed to learn the scents and mannerisms of each team member, so he spent time with everyone. He had to have every chance possible to find his unit members in the event something happened. Now they were following Gunner up and over the Takur Ghar mountain range and toward the same makeshift village in the Shah-i-Kot Valley where Tommy and Chief were supposedly being held.

  Trekking into the mountains searching for their brothers, reminded Holt of the mountain range he had seen in Arizona when they were training. Now it all makes sense why they had us train in that part of the states. The only thing missing now is the pool and a beer at the end of a long day.

  4

  They had been searching the Shah-i-Kot for over a week, and they were getting closer to two weeks out. They changed the search grid based on new information from a local villager. Getting intel from a local made everyone nervous, since most of the time they didn’t know who to trust. A debate had started over whether they had been given bad intel when Gunner alerted. Holt signaled to the rest of the
team to halt until Gunner could show Holt what caught his attention.

  Moving forward with Gunner, Holt waited while the dog sniffed the ground. Whatever it was, the dog recognized the scent; Gunner was trained for search and rescue and to alert his team to the presence of IEDs. If it was an explosive he would drop down into a sit, pointing at the spot. But this was definitely not an IED.

  Taking out Chief’s shirt so Gunner could catch his scent again, Holt said, “Gunner… Track.” The dog yipped lightly and moved his head as if to say, This way. Follow me, he’s this way. A rustle in the bushes, ahead and to the right, something barely discernable, caught the team’s attention. Holt signaled to the others that he had a lead, and Gunner forged ahead.

  They spread out to prepare for what was ahead. Gunner began dancing as he pawed the ground, his nose in the air. Holt saw his excitement and gave him a silent command to move forward. Gunner dropped to the ground and low-crawled forward, disappearing into the brush. He wasted no time before giving another yip.

  Holt quickly moved toward the brush, pushing through it with his weapon drawn. He saw a squirrel run out of a boot. “Good boy, Gunner!”

  Holt pressed his coms. “Shaggy to Wolverine.”

  “Go for Wolverine.” The voice buzzed in his ear.

  “Wolverine, we got a combat boot.”

  “Roger that, Shaggy. Keep movin’.”

  “Roger. Shaggy out.”

  Bryant joined Gunner and Holt as they made their way through the sparse brush and onto the valley floor, pushing forward until they reached the outskirts of a village. Two guards were out on foot patrol while another six huddled in a small shack.

  “Shaggy to Wolverine.”

  “Go for Wolverine.”

  “Wolverine, I am counting eight sheep and six are at Gretel’s. I’m assuming Gretel’s is on the menu.”

  “Roger, Shaggy. I see the menu and I will place your order in five.”

  “Roger, Wolverine. Shaggy out.”

  As each of the team checked in, Holt went over Gunner one more time. “You ready boy?” Gunner replied with a tail wag while both Holt and Bryant did another check of their ammunition.

  Waiting was the worst part; as the minutes ticked down, each member of the team wondered if this would be the moment they found their friends. Wolverine finally called, his voice again buzzing in Holt’s ear. “Order is placed.”

  Bryant and Holt moved in unison toward the shack with the six village guards as Wolverine took out the other two, then moved around to the back of the hut to box them in. All the village guards were disabled within minutes, and the team moved silently inside.

  He prayed the guys were still there. Gunner’s reaction showed he had a strong scent which meant they were there somewhere, or had been. Bryant took out one of the guards as they entered the shack again, and Wolverine took out another. Gunner bolted for a room in the back and Shaggy ran to catch up.

  Entering the room, it was dimly lit but Holt could see where they had held the men. The pit of his stomach turned as he searched the hut but came up empty. “Wolverine, our packages aren’t here.”

  “Copy…spread out. Let’s see if we can get a location on them,” Wolverine replied.

  After giving Gunner the scents again, they started a grid search when Gunner yipped and pulled the lead. Holt gave Gunner room to work. They had traveled less than a click when Gunner signaled that he found something. Holt gave his squad members a silent command to halt, and Gunner again dropped down and crawled into the bushes. Holt eased into the scrubs with his gun drawn to find Chief. Hunching down in front of him, he was checking for a pulse when Chief grabbed his arm.

  “Whoa there, Chief. It’s me, Shaggy.”

  Chief opened his eyes. “Hey, Shaggy. I sure could use one of those Scooby snacks you always carry.” Digging in his leg pocket, Holt pulled out an energy bar and reached for his canteen. Chief eagerly grabbed the canteen, guzzling down half its contents.

  Handing him the energy bar, Holt said, “Here you go, Chief. Easy now, I don’t need you getting sick on me.” Gunner lay closer to Chief, giving him warmth.

  “Where is Tommy?” Holt asked, hearing the snap of a twig behind him.

  “Hey Shaggy, you got a snack for me?” Tommy replied.

  “You look like hell, Tommy, but Chief looks worse. Let me get the guys and we can give you something to snack on. Gunner… Guard.”

  Stepping back out of the brush, Holt tapped his com. The sound of static briefly pierced his ear. “Wolverine, got a copy?”

  “Go for Wolverine.”

  “Shaggy here. I have our packages.”

  “Roger, Shaggy,” Wolverine replied, with muffled hooahs from Bryant and the others filtering through. Holt shifted his attention back to Chief and Tommy.

  “Okay guys, the rest of the team will be here in a shake, and we’ll get you outta here and back home to the FOB,” Holt announced. “Chief, any injuries that need Campbell’s immediate attention?” A tap on his shoulder diverted his concentration as Campbell kneeled next to him and began attending to Chief.

  “Here Shag, let me check him out. Evac should be here soon. We need to get him ready for transport.” Campbell, the team medic, gently pushed Holt out of the way.

  “You need me to grab some saline, Doc?”

  “Yeah, Shag. I have the needle, so grab me the saline and the quick clot.”

  Holt started rummaging through Doc’s bag when Adams strolled in behind Tommy, an energy bar in one hand and a canteen of water in the other. The sound of rotor blades reverberated in the distance. The chopper wasn’t far off.

  “Here you go, Tommy,” Adams said. “I have some water and an energy bar for you.”

  “Let’s go, Gunner… Come.” Holt and Gunner headed out with Wolverine to set up a landing zone for the chopper.

  When the helicopter set down, Bryant and Campbell were already on their way with Chief on a stretcher, Tommy following close behind.

  “Gunner… Jump,” Holt ordered. Gunner jumped in and snuggled next to Chief.

  The chopper lifted off and Holt settled in behind the .50 caliber machine gun in the chance event some of the Taliban decided to try to shoot them down. Wolverine and Bryant continued to assist Doc Campbell, prepping Tommy and Chief for further MEDEVAC to Germany.

  5

  The team had been back at Forward Operating Base Viper for a few weeks, and Chief and Tommy were in Germany receiving further medical care. The normal daily grind of camp was in full swing, and although the number of patrols stayed the same, duty hours lessened due to the arrival of more soldiers. Holt prepared Gunner for the daily FOB sweep as he took a final gulp of his cold coffee.

  “Gunner… Come… Search.” They were making rounds through the camp when Gunner came to attention and pointed out an IED. They took cover so Holt could call in the camp EOD team, but the IED exploded before he could make the call. All hell broke loose. Even though they had taken cover, both were hit with shrapnel. Pain gripped Holt’s body and Gunner shrieked. Gunner pulled himself close to Holt, licking his cheek while Holt’s world turned black.

  Landstuhl Medical Center, Germany

  A cold, wet nose nuzzled Holt’s ear as he slowly opened his eyes. The grogginess of what he guessed was a pain killer made his vision blur, and the light that peeked through the curtain stung his eyes, making them water. The coolness of the air touched his skin as his eyes finally adjusted to his surroundings.

  “Well, this sure ain’t Afghanistan, that’s for damn sure,” he blurted, trying to adjust in the bed he realized he was lying in. He struggled to move his arm, but to no avail. He was stuck.

  “Well, if this is some initiation of the newbie, they can all kiss my ass. Hey, somebody! Anybody! Get me the fuck out of these things. No joke, guys, this isn’t funny.”

  Gunner popped his head up at the side of the bed. Instantly on his hind legs, he leaned on the edge of the bed, lathering Holt in a wet kiss up the side of his cheek.

 
; “Hey boy! How are you doing?” He attempted to scratch Gunner’s ears, but he was frozen in place. He finally realized it was no joke; he was in the hospital. Gunner’s ears twitched and he gave a yip as the nurse pulled the curtain back.

  “Sergeant Lawson, you finally decided to join us,” the nurse announced, walking over to check the monitors. She also addressed the dog.

  “Gunner, your doc will be here soon.” Gunner’s tail wagged and he curled up on the pallet next to his bed.

  “I’m surprised they let him stay here with me.”

  “Oh, it’s procedure. You needn’t worry! Sergeant Gunner is in good hands with our veterinarian here.”

  “Thanks. Now where is here? And how long have I been here?”

  “Well, you certainly are feeling better. You are full of questions. Well, your physician should be in soon and can answer any concerns you may have. Until then, you need to rest.”

  “Can I get these restraints off?” Holt pulled at them again.

  “I’m sorry, Sergeant Lawson. I can’t take them off without doctor’s orders. But like I said, he should be by soon.” She turned and left the room as he pouted about his predicament.

  As Holt lay in the bed, trying to get his bearings, the sounds of horns honking outside drew his attention. He gathered he was at least in civilization. Where in the world he had no idea, but if he was going to guess, he’d say he was in Germany.

  Not long after the nurse left, Dr. Hardy finally walked in. Without a word, he grabbed Holt’s chart and glanced over it, not once acknowledging his presence. Glancing up over the chart, the doctor said, “How are we doing, Sergeant Lawson? Any major pain I need to worry about?”