by Unknown
“Good move. No use getting a bunch of guys killed. The trucks and Jeep are waiting. When we go, we set the fuses and take off. I’ll also call it in so the guys down the line can get ready. We got a new General named Richardson who’s calling the shots now. I don’t know the plan, but it sounds to me like they are just going to let these guys in a while,” Hufham said.
“I sure as hell hope they know what they’re doing.”
Across the DMZ someone began yelling at the assembled men. Everything got quiet except for his excited words.
“What’s he saying?” Ricks asked.
“He’s telling them to fight for their country and for their leader Kim Sung Nua. He is telling them about the glory that is theirs and their duty to the state that cares for them.” Hufham paused a minute. “He’s getting ready to sound the charge. Get the men back to the trucks,” he ordered.
Ricks crossed the road at a run and began calling for the men to fall back. Within a minute the thirty guys with them were piling into the trucks. Hufham heard the trucks start farther down at the original compound and knew those soldiers were on their way.
Suddenly the air was filled with the yells of men as they tore down the fence on the northern side and began running across the DMZ. The mines that had not been detonated began exploding under the feet of the soldiers as they ran. Hufham set the detonators and made a mad run to the Jeep as the trucks pulled off. As Ricks drove them away he grabbed the radio.
“Outpost 24 to base, the horde has run. I repeat, the horde has run, over.”
“This is base, message received, get the hell out, over!”
“This is Outpost 24, we are way ahead of you, out,” he shouted into the microphone. A thunderous explosion went off behind them as the charges the men had set went off. Ricks and the demolitions team had filled the North Korean tunnels with as many explosives as they could pack in. It went off just as the first of the North Korean troops arrived at the fenceline. The explosion lifted dirt and debris high into the air and shook the ground so hard Ricks had to fight to control the Jeep. The resulting trenches stopped the advance for a few minutes until they could climb out the other side. More than 100 men had been buried alive just from the debris that was blown over them.
Ricks passed the trucks as they went down the road. They motioned for the drivers to speed up. The fallback line was a full 20 klicks away. As they drove, they met up with other units coming in from the Z. MPs on the ground were directing the traffic and urging the trucks forward. The whole line of trucks was being directed southeast away from the Z following the valleys between the hills. As they went, Hufham glanced at the speedometer and saw Ricks was going nearly 60 miles per hour. Fighter jets screamed overhead moving to where they had just left. Then came the Warthogs. It looked like 200 or more had sailed over the hill they were passing. The sound of explosions was heard behind them.
Ricks kept his eyes on the rearview mirror to make sure he kept his people in view. The trucks were keeping up. None of them wanted to be caught by that wave of angry soldiers. Just before they came to their lines, Ricks and Hufham saw the aircraft returning without the bombs they had been carrying. They were passed by more heading in the opposite direction.
As Ricks came around the far side of a hill both men looked in astonishment at what was in front of them. It was like a military brick wall. Tanks, guns, emplacements, missile launchers, artillery, and more were assembled. It was thick with people and munitions. The line slowed as they were let through the gauntlet. Ricks pulled over and waited for his trucks to come through. They were the last ones on the road.
“Are you guys the last?” the sentry at the line asked.
“As far as I know,” Ricks said. “The next thing you see will probably be the whole North Korean Army,” he said as he pulled the Jeep away.
USS Iowa
RADM Shranski and his team were going over their findings. The Iowa got underway late that afternoon and was steaming north at flank speed to join the others off the Korean coast. The orders were to patrol just south of Wonsan to Yangyang, a distance of only 100 miles. With four battleships on station, that left only a twenty-five mile patrol area for each ship and it would take only a couple of hours for the others to join up if needed. Shranski and his team had decided to stay aboard and finish the job. If they had to remain onboard for a few extra days it was no problem. Their report could be sent by message. Shranski sat at the head of the table in his cabin.
“I went over all the logs and interviewed the Strike watch,” said Captain Scott Bass, the Chief of Staff. “Everything was done in accordance with policy and regulations with the exception that the Captain ordered the ship into danger. He took all the precautions and all of his orders were valid,” he said. “I worked up this chronology from the team members. We know what was done and when.”
“So nothing out of order from your side,” Shranski stated.
“That’s right, Admiral. The crew, from what I see, did a magnificent job and the Captain put it on the line.”
“What about the bridge crew?”
“All interviewed,” said LCDR Reynolds. “The XO took the deck and conn just as the Captain gave the order. He knows how to handle the ship. Placed her in the right place to take on those missiles. I also looked into Weapons. The Weapons Officer had the 5-inch guns engage even though the onboard computers couldn’t generate solutions for aircraft going that fast. He had trained the gun captains to fire locally. The Mk-37 system locked on and tracked while the gun captains just led the missiles visually. They used VT-FRAG rounds and actually shot down one missile. The CIWS got one, but didn’t designate to the second. After looking at the data, the missiles were practically lined up together, so they didn’t break out. The crew did its job properly. All PQS and PMS are on the money,” he said. The Personal Qualifications System and the Planned Maintenance System set the standard for training and maintenance on the ship.
Shranski nodded. “Damage Control?”
“PQS is perfect. PMS on the gear is the same,” said Commander Sharpe. “They are constantly running drills and the repair parties know their stuff top to bottom. They responded within thirty seconds of the hits with the proper gear and got the job done very quickly. I took a look at where the missiles hit. The wooden deck both forward and aft is filled with shrapnel from the missiles. We all saw the funnel. There is a little deep scoring on turret one from the missile hit and there was paint scraping. The same was found on the barbette on three. Hot damn these things can take a beating. Knowing what this ship can take, I think Captain Hammond could take the missiles on without much fear of losing either the ship or crew. It’s one of the best trained crews I have ever seen.”
“I’ll second that,” said Commander Parsons, an engineering duty officer. “Every crewman I talked to is knowledgeable and highly motivated. They think Hammond is the best thing since sliced bread. He shares information with them and is fair all round. Even the old guys like this captain. I found out he makes rounds every day and stops by to talk to nearly every crewman he sees. Even the guys he’s nailed at Captain’s Mast like the guy. The engineers usually just get their job done and sleep, but he comes down and talks to the snipes. The Chiefs like him coming down and just asking one of the younger guys to tell him how his equipment works. Hammond already knows, but it gives him a good idea of what training needs to be done and makes the snipes feel better about themselves. If you let me, Admiral, I’ll stay and do top watches again,” he said.
Shranski sat back in his seat. “So you guys are telling me Hammond is a saint.”
“By act of Congress,” Bass said. “Admiral, I don’t see a thing that this guy or this crew did wrong. Sure, there are a few minor problems, like a partial gundeck of a PMS card, but he has procedures to catch and correct things like that, and he acts on them. The ship is as solid as I have ever seen. We laid out our recommendations for medals as we see them. There are 22 major and 34 minor in all. We can look deeper, but I almost gu
arantee you won’t find anything.”
Shranski smiled at the men. “No, I don’t think you will either. I haven’t told you this, but I met the guy the day old Granger got canned. We were the ones who got these old battleships recommissioned. Making Hammond the CO of this ship was probably the best thing the Navy ever did,” he said. “OK, write it up. Let’s get a message out tomorrow via the satellite. Make it short and sweet. We can take the entire report with us when we go back. Until then, be as helpful as we can and stay out of the way. It may be a few days before we can leave, but that’s okay. You gentlemen helped me out a lot. I appreciate it. Is there anything else?”
“I don’t think so, Admiral,” said Bass.
“Then good night everyone,” Shranski said. The men stood and gathered the reams of paper they had been using. Shranski walked over to the small opening into the galley and knocked on the door.
The door opened and his mess specialist looked in. “Can I help you, Admiral?”
“We’re done, Harris. Could you come get this stuff and bring me some kind of snack? I feel hungry,” Shranski said.
“Harris broke into a wide grin. “No problem, Admiral. I’ll be right in,” he said.
Shranski walked out of his office and looked at the captain’s cabin door. The sentry was not there. He glanced at his watch. It was after 9 pm. Hammond would be on the bridge. He stuck his head in the pantry. “Harris, hold that snack for me a few minutes, I’m going up to see the Captain. If you could, please bring it in when I get back,” he said.
Hammond was sitting in his chair on the bridge reading message traffic when Shranski came up.
“Any news from home?” Shranski asked.
Hammond got up out of his seat. “The usual, sir. Is everything going okay from your end?” he asked.
“Just wanted to let you know our investigation is over. You and your guys did an amazing job. I hated to be the one to come over and do this, but it had to be done.”
“I know, sir. I wasn’t really worried and it gave us some time to talk again. Do you need for me to arrange some kind of helo to come pick you guys up?”
“Give us a couple of days so we can see what happens in the schedule. If push comes to shove, I can get the helo from the carrier to come in and get us. With all that’s going on ashore, I’m not too sure I want to go that way,” Shranski said. “Let’s get some fresh air.”
Hammond followed Shranski to the open bridge wing. The cool wind felt good after being cooped up inside for a few days. A half moon lit up the night sky. “Just so you know, I am recommending over fifty medals for the crew. My whole staff was impressed.”
“That’s great, sir. They deserve a lot. I appreciate it.”
“We’re alone, Roger. Relax a little. I hadn’t really planned on finding much anyway. I knew you had done good.”
“Thanks, Mike, but don’t worry about me. Give it all to the guys. They had this ship pretty well trained up before I even got here.”
“Yeah, I take it the older guys had things together.”
“Three bags full. It’s almost as if they never left the ship. I really like all these guys. When I go on my tours, they are more open and focused than the younger guys. They don’t mind telling me if something is messed up. Makes my job a lot easier.”
“Yeah, I’ve taken a few tours around. Even the snipes talk to me about their jobs. They’re not afraid of these admiral’s stars.”
“Take some time and explore while you’re on here. Go up to Spot One sometime and talk to Skelly. That man can talk your ears off. Plus it’s the best panoramic view of the ship!”
“I may do that. Any problems with the repairs?”
“Only that the stack looks newer than anything else on the ship. The engineers aren’t complaining and the stack gasses aren’t being drawn back down into engineering like they had been. We appreciate you getting the plans out here so the shipyard could fix us.”
“Well, there’s more to it. I got a call from the Hyundai people when the word came out about your damage. That shipyard performed the repairs at no charge,” Shranski said.
Hammond looked in disbelief. “I would have sworn something like that might cost a couple million dollars. They did it for nothing?” he asked.
“Yep. And when your band was playing as you came in, the guys got really excited. If I asked them to build a whole new ship, they would have. See? Some of the small things you do pay off,” Shranski said. He looked up toward Spot One. “You think Skelly is up there?”
Hammond grunted. “Probably. Either way it’s a great view.”
Shranski thought a moment. “Maybe I’ll wait till tomorrow while the sun is out. I think I’ll turn in instead,” he said.
‘Thanks for the update, Mike. Have a good evening,” Hammond said.
Shranski left the bridge wing and went back to his cabin. Harris brought in some hot peach pie and coffee. Shranski sat back on the couch and ate his snack while propping up his feet. When he was done, he passed the empty plate and cup through the pantry door and turned in. Tomorrow he would take himself a good tour of the ship.
Pyongyang, North Korea
“Comrade Chairman, I am happy to announce we have met the goals you set out for us,” the new Defense Minister said to the assembled group of leaders. “We have crossed the border as directed and our troops are already at their assigned progress points. Despite the Americans’ best efforts, they have not been able to deal with our forces or your leadership,” he said.
There was polite applause in the hall as Kim thanked his Ministers. The Defense Minister raised his hand. There is also news that our missiles struck an American battleship. Their news media has announced that one of the ships was struck three times while trying to protect one of their aircraft carriers. Their media reports that the ship is well; however, we have been told repeatedly by our allies that no ship could successfully survive more than two such hits. We feel it is a propaganda ploy to deceive the masses. So we also congratulate you on the sinking of one of the Americans’ capital ships.”
Once again, there was applause in the hall. Kim quieted the men. “Comrades, no one expects any war will be what the Americans call a cake walk. We must always expect there will be times when our forces will have troubles. However, we have one of the top armies in the world. We have rocket forces second to none and we are a nuclear power. No one can dare oppose us on our own soil. As you can see, when properly led, our forces can be victorious.” He pointed to his Defense Minister. “Thank you, Comrade.”
Again polite applause echoed around the stark walls of the hall and the Defense Minister bowed humbly. “Now comrade, please tell us of where we stand,” the Chairman said.
The Defense Minister began pointing to a chart and laid out the lines of advance as he spoke. “Our forces crossed in these two places. The second one was to regain access to some units in this general sector. The first was a direct thrust to the southeast to eventually take Yecheon. From there, we will consolidate and push almost straight south to Pusan. Once we are there, we will have divided their forces and can spread to both sides, driving them to the sea.”
“I have ordered that our submarine forces be sent out to attack the American ships patrolling our coasts and sink them. Without support from the sea, the Americans cannot hope to keep their troops supplied and they will be forced to either surrender or withdraw. Our missile forces are making daily attacks against their population and military assets. This will demoralize their citizens and because of their political weakness, should force their leadership to sue for peace. I have also ordered the camouflaging of our remaining nuclear missile ship so that it is not disturbed by air or surface attacks. We are even now looking at ways we can use these assets if it is deemed politically necessary. Our Chairman has ordered that our forces complete the task of taking Pusan in three weeks. Our forces are well on their way to attaining that goal,” recited the Defense Minister from a one way briefing he had received only one hour before by Ki
m himself. He was determined he would not go the way of previous ministers and would meet the goals set for him. The troops would have to show progress every single day or heads would roll. He nodded to the Chairman. “Thank you, Comrade Chairman.”
Kim stood again. “Comrades, every asset of the People’s Government must be tuned to achieving our military goals. The people demand victory and we shall give it to them,” he demanded. “I want daily reports from each of your offices on what you have done to achieve this goal,” he said.
The men broke out into applause again and began leaving the room. Kim stopped the Defense Minister. “You briefed them well, Comrade. Now tell me. Do you think we can do what you promised?”
The Defense Minister swallowed hard. The Chairman had trapped him into giving the brief and therefore taking the responsibility. He was not about to fall into another trap. “Comrade Chairman, it makes no difference what I think. These are things we must do. Our goals will be met, even if I have to use every soldier in the army to do it.”
Kim nodded. That was the attitude he was hoping to attain. “Good, Comrade. Now go see to this war and achieve our victory.”
Kim left the room almost strutting. The Defense Minister remembered the statistics he had been handed just before the meeting. The army had achieved its goals, but with the loss of over 75,000 men in the last twenty-four hours. The allied air power had decimated his men and materials. Even the border crossings had been terrible to watch. The last of the troops who could be pulled away from other duties had been sent to the front and would cross the border within the next twelve hours. What were left were only the troops on the border with China and the ones always on parade in the capital. He had even sent sailors and airmen who had been left with nothing to do when the airplanes and ships were gone. If these men could not get the job done, there was no hope left.
