by Cliff Deane
At a distance of twenty feet, the three men were ordered to halt; a fire team made its way forward to search the visitors and to ensure that Corporal Spencer was indeed all right.
Once the visitors were proven to be unarmed, they were led through the perimeter and met by Captain Scott, the First Sergeant, and the Company XO, Lt Nick Plunkett.
Introductions quickly followed, before Captain Scott asked,” Is all this accompanying firepower intended to intimidate us, because if it is, then you have been successful.
Colonel, do you think we might just bring down the tension a couple of notches?”
Gus raised his left arm, which was the signal to stand down, with only minimal security. All of the troopers except two arose and shouldering their weapons, and walked toward the assemblage.
Captain Scott said, “I guess a request to disarm your security would not sit well?”
“No, Captain,” said Gus in a droll voice, “it would not. If the situation were reversed, would you disarm your security before getting to know each other?”
“No Colonel, I would not, but, about the Cobra Gunships; are they really necessary?”
Gus pumped his left arm two times, and the Gunships returned to the Convoy Helipad.
“I think we have reached a fair compromise, Captain; what say we adjourn to our luncheon meeting and get acquainted.”
Hot Damn!
An Infantry Basic Training Cadre!
13 October 1730
Hwy 190 West
The Road
Gus returned just in time for supper, so he and Levi decided to discuss the day’s events over a hot meal.
“Levi, they served filet mignon, potatoes, corn, and hot, fresh bread with butter, real butter.”
“Damn, I knew I should have gone instead of sending you. How was it, brother?”
“Oh man, it melted in my mouth.”
“All right, already, enough about lunch, tell me their story,” said Levi.
Gus spent the next forty minutes relating the history of Echo, as they called themselves, to include their run-in with the Mercs. They also knew the Commander’s name; Colonel Rolf Steiner.”
“Steiner, Steiner,” said Levi, “I know that name from somewhere; damn, for the first time I miss Google.”
Following the serious briefing, Gus said, “Levi, we really should sign this group up. Echo will fill a future need for proper combat basic training.
Echo isn’t really a company either; they’re more like platoon sized, but rank heavy because they are a Cadre.
Hell, Boss, let’s sign ‘em up just to latch onto the cook.”
Levi laughed and asked, “And what do you think Sergeant. Wong will have to say about that?”
“No, not a problem, I’ve got that all figured out; if Wong raises too much hell, we just shoot him,” and both men laughed long and hard.
“All right,” said Levi, “let’s bring the top three in for a meet and greet before we ask them to join up. Can we do it tomorrow?”
“Ayup,” smiled Gus, “they’ll be here for lunch tomorrow.”
Echo
14 October 1130
Echo Company
Base Camp
The Big Three from Echo arrived by Humvee at precisely 1130 hours; they were taken to the TOC (Tactical Operations Center) where they were introduced to General Levi Levins, Colonel Ben Smith, and Sergeant Major Bradley Cobb.
An additional GP (General Purpose) Medium Tent was erected for the luncheon and subsequent meeting, to consider an offer to allow Echo Company to join the First Armored Brigade of the Republic of America.
“General,” said Captain Scott, “I certainly appreciate your hospitality. The meal was excellent, but I am curious as to why you have asked us here.”
Levi smiled and said, “Captain, do you really wonder why we have requested this meeting? I would think the answer would be fairly obvious; after lengthy discussions of our Brain Trust, we have decided to extend an invitation to you. Would you and your command accept an offer to join our intrepid band of miscreants?”
Though Echo’s Command Staff was thrilled with the offer, they attempted to appear nonplussed and failed miserably. Captain Scott said, “General, I had considered negotiating with you, but in truth, there is nothing that would please us more. So, if you are, in fact, offering a place in the ROA, we gratefully accept.”
“That is good news, Captain, but I must be sure you fully understand that we will expect you to serve both during times of peace, and war. We are determined to destroy evil men wherever we find them, as well as continuing our fight against the Caliphate. Are you willing to agree to participate in this Quixotic (Kee ‘hoe tic) Mission?
If you need to discuss it with your staff, we will give you up to thirty minutes to consider the ramifications of enlisting in the Army of the Republic of America.”
“No, sir,” said Captain Scott, “with only one caveat; please tell us your vision for the creation of the ROA, your anticipated political structure, and of critical importance; do you plan on a nation ruled by your military?”
Levi turned to Gus and said, “You were right, he is smarter than the average Bear,” causing both to chuckle.
“Captain, are you familiar with a document called the Constitution of the United States of America? Sorry, rhetorical question. While we do plan certain minor modifications to this magnificent document as pertains to things like term limits, the ROA Government will follow this Constitution.
As far as military rule goes, the answer is flatly, no; the job of a military is not to rule, but to be prepared to fight the wars of the nation.
Does this brief summary sufficiently assuage your concerns?”
Captain Scott smiled and said, “Yes, General Levins it does, and we do not need thirty minutes to discuss the matter. We came here seeking admittance to the ROA, if your objective is to form a Constitutionally Conservative Republic.
I would, however, like to know how you plan to utilize our Cadre.”
Levi looked to Gus saying, “XO, would you like to field this question?”
“Yes, sir, of course,” said Gus. “Captain, our general outline is to attach you to Colonel Smith’s Company of scroungers, until we find a place to try, once again, to establish the Republic of America. Once we reach our Promised Land, you will return to your mission of training new recruits. This way you will be able to remain together and prepared to fight along with Colonel Smith’s company.
Do you find this a valid use of Echo; oh, you may, if you wish, retain the name of Echo, but you will be Echo Detachment, as opposed to Company.”
This was a far better deal than Echo’s leadership had hoped for and the Commander readily agreed.
The First Brigade then grew by forty-two new members, although the Ammo Handlers were to be directly detached and assigned to Smith’s Company of ammo handlers.
***
Chapter 5
Patrols and Rabbits
14 October 1400
Echo Company
Base Camp
Gus found Levi in the TOC, speaking with the Sergeant Major; he approached them and suggested they accompany him to his tent to discuss an idea.
The three took seats around Gus’ tiny field desk, and after some idle chat, Gus said, “Sir, I think we should send out two patrols; the first one, to range out to about five to ten miles; they will maintain communication through our patrolling Cobras. Doing this will give us more, and better, feedback on suspicious visuals in our path. A ground patrol may be better equipped to deal with any bad boys to our front, hopefully catching them before they can hide out until we pass.
The second patrol should be choppered out, perhaps as far as Fort Polk. We should also send a Maintenance team with them to get a couple of Humvees up and running.”
Levi asked, “And we should do this, why? Oh, wait, Steiner, right?”
“Yes sir,” said Gus, “we know they are far ahead of us, so if we send out a Long-Range Recon we might be abl
e to locate them without showing our Ace in the Hole; the Cobras.”
Both Levi and the Sergeant Major liked the idea and began brainstorming the who, what, when, and how to maintain commo with the LRRP (Lurp).
The Sergeant Major thought that Sergeant Harold Primm might well be considered to lead the LRRP, that is if he were a Staff Sergeant rather than a Buck Sergeant.
Levi smiled at the Sergeant Major’s obvious push to promote Primm and said, “Sergeant Major, please refresh me on Sergeant Primm, the name sounds familiar, but I just can’t seem to place him.”
“Yes sir,” said the Sergeant Major, “Buck Sergeant Primm…”
Levi laughed and said, “Okay, Bradley, if you think his promotion is in order, prepare the paperwork and Gus can make it official; sorry to interrupt, please go on.”
“Thank you, sir. Staff Sergeant Primm led a patrol to one of the mosques we were after. He had a bad feeling about going down a certain street, and his premonition was spot on because that street was a Caliphate ambush site. His patrol suffered casualties, but if he had ignored his gut and continued down that street, the entire patrol would have been toast. He pulled his patrol, complete with dead and wounded into a nearby house and successfully held off a vastly superior hostile force until our Cobras arrived.
I’ve kept an eye on him since that patrol, and he seems to be a natural leader, with very good instincts. I think he would do a superior job leading the LRRP.”
Gus asked, “Levi, do you think we should send an officer along? It will surely provide an excellent opportunity to gain invaluable experience.”
The Sergeant Major was not all that thrilled at the suggestion but remained silent.
Levi thought the idea had merit, but he didn’t really know a Junior Officer that stood out as a shoe-in for the LRRP mission.
“Do you have someone in mind?” asked Levi.
Gus laid out his plan, “Actually, I do. I was thinking we might send Lieutenant Costello.”
“Costello,” asked Levi, “why him? Isn’t he still in recovery from his broken leg?”
Gus knew he had Levi just where he wanted him, as he said, “Sir, it has been more than six weeks since his leg was broken, and according to Doc Faith, he is fit for duty. Additionally, he won’t have any strenuous hiking requirements, well more than a couple of miles. The Doc says he’ll be fine in that role.
It also seems to me that when we meet up with Steiner, we might, be in need of close air support. I believe that Costello might be able to pick up some useful experience working as our Forward Air Traffic Control Officer.
If we keep a Cobra and a Dust-Off behind the LRRP with scheduled commo checks, we could keep them far enough behind the patrol to keep them pretty much out of sight of any bad guys, yet available for close air support if necessary.”
The Sergeant Major asked, “Sirs, I like your plan, for the most part, but Lieutenant Costello has no ground experience to allow him to lead this patrol. Do you really think putting him in charge is such a good idea?”
“Bradley,” said Gus, “you are absolutely right, so what would you think if we sent a Commo Section along and put Costello in charge of that? This way Primm will remain the ground commander. I’ll make sure Costello knows that he is in charge of the Commo Section, and Close Air Ops, but not the overall ground patrol.”
The Sergeant Major was amenable to the idea, but he asked, “Why Costello? He’s an okay pilot, well, except for bending the General’s Cobra and setting it on fire. Other than that, well, he just doesn’t stand out.”
Gus said, “I think Costello is the right choice because the Doc tells me that his leg will never heal sufficiently to allow him ever again to pilot an aircraft. So, as a former pilot who understands air ops, he seems the ideal choice as a Forward Close Air guy.”
Levi asked why Costello’s leg wouldn’t allow him to be a helicopter driver, and asked, “I thought the break of his shin bone was healing fine. What happened?”
“Sorry, sir, I thought you knew, Costello also suffered a torn ligament in his knee, and without the proper facilities and a joint specific surgeon, the ligament just didn’t heal well enough.”
Levi looked concerned and asked, “Gus, if the ligament won’t heal properly, how can he serve as the Forward Air Controller?”
“Sir, Doc Monroe told me that he would have only a slight limp, but he just won’t be able to apply sufficient pressure on the right rudder pedal to control the tail through an emergency yaw maneuver. The stress on his knee could bring extreme pain, causing him to lose control of the bird.”
“Hmm,” said Levi, “Okay, I can go with that. What about you, Bradley?”
“Yes sir, just so long as the L T knows who is in charge of patrol ops. If we can make that distinction, then, yeah, I like it.”
Bradley’s agreement sealed the deal, and the trio continued the planning session.
Bradley said, “Sir, if I may, I’d like to up-man the patrol to nineteen. The patrol would consist of three Humvees, one Commo Truck, one Maintenance Truck, and trailers for each vehicle.
Personnel consisting of six Infantrymen, four drivers, four assistant drivers/machine gunners, two Commo guys, two Wrench Turners, and Lieutenant Costello as the Air Traffic Controller with additional responsibility for communications. Each vehicle to mount an M-60 machine gun, and up-gunned with an auto grenade launcher. Each Trooper will also carry their personal weapons and side arms.”
Gus sat back and asked, “Bradley, don’t you think that we have changed the mission from a patrol to a small convoy?”
The Sergeant Major smiled and said, “Yes sir, in some ways, but we gotta’ remember that our Troopers will be as much as two hundred miles ahead of us, with very limited support. I’d really like to give them the necessary onsite support and firepower.”
Levi jumped in, saying, “Gus, I like Brad’s thought process on this mission. Let’s run with it.”
Gus was also convinced of the Sergeant Major’s logic and agreed with the plan. The LRRP would fly out to Polk at 0800 on 16 Oct. Once over Fort Polk; the birds would make a quick recon before landing in a convenient Motor Park to begin their search for transportation.
The Sergeant Major would meet with Staff Sergeant Primm and would ask for volunteers at the morning formation.
Lieutenant Costello was Gus’ task.
The short patrol out five to ten miles would be handled by the Mounted Cavalry, under Major Page.
Word requesting volunteers for the two recon missions went out at the morning formation on the 15th. Every hand in the formation went up.
“Crap,” said Gus to Levi, I guess the Sergeant Major and I will spend the morning deciding who will go.”
Following the formation, Gus and Sergeant Major Cobb began the process of searching for the right mix. Now, the two men wished they had not asked for volunteers because those not selected would be pissed.
Sergeant Major Cobb looked at Colonel Murtaugh and said, “Come on, sir, we’d best get to it.”
Levi watched them make their way to, what Levi called his M-TOC (Mobile Tactical Ops Center) to get to work.
The truck was a rather special Semi-trailer the civilian carpenters had decked out as the M-TOC. It saved a lot of time since no tent was needed and all the maps and associated gear was locked into place.
The trailer had been presented to Levi as a birthday present from the civilian side of the ROA nomads. The entire project had been completed in only twelve hours; Levi was thrilled and very moved by the gesture.
Levi decided to pay a visit to the Rabbit Truck to see how the breeding process was coming along.
Levi found Jay White, and several other members of his farming group busily at work tending the dozens of rabbit cages.
“Hey Jay,” shouted Levi, as he climbed into the fifty-four-foot trailer, “how they hangin’ my friend?”
Jay laughed and told Levi they were hangin’ just fine, thank you very much. He said, “Come on up, Genrul, I ne
ed some advice.”
Levi laughed and asked, “What, you need advice from me? Okay, what about?”
“Well, sir, we got two-hundred cages, and we have one-hundred and twenty-five pregnant Silver Fox rabbit females that will, in just a few days drop litters of five to ten babies. When that happens, we will separate the mother with kits into single cages. Soon, all of the cages will be filled.”
Levi asked, “Silver Fox Rabbits? Aren’t rabbits, well, just rabbits?”
Jay chuckled and explained that there were many breeds of rabbits. The Silver Fox breed was bred in Canton, Ohio in 1925 to be large and meaty. Each Doe produces an average litter of six kits but can have more.”
Levi was curious about the name, and asked, “Jay, why are these rabbits called Silver Foxes?”
“Oh, yes sir, that’s because their fur has the same appearance as a Silver Fox, and that’s what the originator of the breed decided to name them.”
“Jay, if you have a couple of minutes, how about showing me how your processing of the meat works?”
Jay smiled broadly and said, “Yes, sir, I’d love to show off our processes. Come on over here; for starters, we keep one Buck for ten to twenty Does. When one gets pregnant, we isolate her with another pregnant Doe for company. Once she delivers her brood, she is transferred to a single cage until the kits are weaned. Then, at about six weeks we select those we want to breed from those we process into meat and pelts.
If you look over here, you will see what looks like a towel bar, but it’s actually how we begin the processing. This bar snaps their neck immediately and is completely painless to the rabbit.”
Levi was fascinated at the entire process and asked Jay how many pounds of rabbit meat his group could turn out every week, once they got up to full production.
“Oh, yeah, I see, but come on, Jay,” asked Levi, “how much meat can we really expect to get from bunnies? Is this project really going to provide a serious dent in our meat requirements?”
