by James Rosone
Tipson grabbed the handset and depressed the talk button. “Thunder Five, this is Falcon Three. Fire mission. How copy?”
The fire direction officer on the other end replied, “Good copy, Falcon Three. We’re back online now. Send fire mission.”
“I need one round HE. NK 7413 8774. Danger close!” he yelled, trying to be heard over the constant machine-gun fire.
A minute went by with silence on the radio. Then they heard, “Shot out, advise on adjustments.”
Long took aim at the enemy soldiers now constituting the second wave as they continued to close the gap. They were less than 200 meters away when he heard the whistling sound of the incoming artillery round. The high-explosive round landed roughly a hundred meters behind the enemy soldiers, throwing shrapnel in all directions, killing many of them.
“Spot-on. Now we need to lay it on thick,” Master Sergeant Long thought.
“Good BDA. Adjust fire, down one hundred meters. Fifty-foot airburst, fire for effect, three rounds HE. Danger close!” he yelled into the handset. He had readjusted the target to give his own troops more of a safe radius. The airburst rounds would also throw significantly more shrapnel at the enemy and cause a lot of the pine trees to splinter, throwing wood chunks at the Chinese soldiers.
While Master Sergeant Long was waiting for the fire support to decimate the advancing enemy, a series of thunderous explosions rocked their position. Long felt himself being lifted into the air. He floated briefly above his soldiers’ position, weightless, before gravity took over and he was thrown violently to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.
Long regained consciousness a few seconds later, desperately trying to breathe. As his lungs filled with air, his body ached everywhere. His brain was still trying to register what had just happened to him. For a moment, he wasn’t even sure where he was. Then his hearing began to return, and the roar of explosions and machine-gun fire brought him back to the reality of where he was and what was happening.
“How long was I out?” he asked himself. He patted down his chest and legs, checking to make sure everything was still there and working properly. Sitting up, he saw the fighting position he had previously occupied with the heavy machine gun was gone. In its place was a smoldering crater, surrounded by the torn body parts of the two Marines who had been operating the heavy weapon.
Long turned to his left and saw his RTO, Lance Corporal Tipson, crying out toward the amtrack, where several of the corpsmen and medics had set up a triage point. Both of Tipson’s legs were gone, and his left arm was shredded. Tipson desperately tried to use his right arm to pull his body toward help. A few seconds later, he stopped and went limp.
Turning to look back toward the advancing Chinese, Master Sergeant Long saw that the enemy soldiers were now less than thirty meters from him. He looked around him, desperately trying to find his rifle. Bullets kicked up dirt all around him. He frantically continued searching, but he still couldn’t find his rifle. His mind was still a haze. Now desperate for a weapon, his eyes settled on an entrenching shovel less than a few feet from him.
Long reached down, grabbing the entrenching tool. At that moment, he knew he was most likely going to die, and an inner rage welled up within him. His grip on the shovel tightened. He brought it up like a bayonet and yelled a primordial scream, charging fiercely into the rushing enemy soldiers.
In his peripheral vision, he saw both Marines and Army soldiers firing point-blank into the Chinese, and he swung the shovel for all his worth at the enemy soldier nearest to him. The blade of the digging tool sliced cleanly through the man’s throat, ripping it open. A stream of arterial spray reached Sergeant Long, hitting him in the chest. The Chinese soldier dropped his weapon, both of his hands reaching for his throat in a desperate attempt to stop the rushing flow of blood.
Long turned to face the next enemy soldier, still filled with an instinctual rage. Like a demonically possessed crazy person, he ran into a throng of enemy soldiers and screamed wildly. He slashed at the enemy soldiers with the entrenching tool, oblivious to his own pain and everything going on around him.
A Chinese soldier, not more than a few feet away from Master Sergeant Long, leveled his rifle at him. Knowing he was seconds away from being killed, Long instinctively grabbed the man whose throat he had just sliced open, and with every ounce of strength he could muster, Long threw him at the man who was about to shoot him.
In that instant, his right hand fell to his side, and his mind registered that he still had a sidearm on him. He grabbed the SIG Sauer and leveled it at the enemy soldiers who were overrunning their position. He fired multiple rounds at them, killing several of the advancing soldiers with headshots and hitting several more in the center mass before his pistol locked to the rear, empty.
Master Sergeant Long reached down to grab another magazine. Just then, he heard the familiar sound of American machine guns firing. Suddenly, the enemy soldiers near him clutched at their chests, hit by multiple rounds. Half a dozen Marines ran past him, killing the remaining Chinese soldiers as they pushed them back down the ridge.
Long spotted an M4 on the ground next to a dead Marine and quickly reached down to grab it. Checking the chamber, he joined the fray, picking off the remaining enemy soldiers, now in full retreat.
Master Sergeant Long looked back behind him and saw dozens of tracked and wheeled vehicles bringing additional reinforcements to their position.
“‘Bout time the cavalry arrived,” he thought. Suddenly, he involuntarily dropped to his knees and fell forward on the ground. His body ached everywhere, and he felt incredibly tired and thirsty.
“Hang in there, Master Sergeant. I do not give you permission to die yet,” Captain Culley said as he knelt down next to him. “This is the second time I’ve come to your rescue and seen you surrounded by dead enemy soldiers. We’re going to have to award you another valor medal, aren’t we?” he joked with a smile.
Tim snorted. “Cutting it a little close there, Captain. They nearly had us this time.”
“You just hang in there, Tim. You guys did a heck of a job. Now if I could just get you to stop collecting Purple Hearts and actually stick around long enough to do your job…”
A corpsman ran up to them and began to treat Tim’s multiple shrapnel wounds.
*******
The battle for Hill 597 at Taechon lasted for nearly 24 hours before the Americans managed to stop the Chinese advance. As the weather cleared, the Allies were able to resume tactical air support. Between that and the multiple Arc Light missions by the heavy bombers, they eventually decimated the Chinese assault into North Korea. With the aid of 60,000 Marines, the Army and ROK Forces were able to recapture nearly all the territory lost and pushed the Chinese back across the Yalu River, saving the Allies from a repeat of the disastrous retreat that defined the previous Korean War.
*******
Chijiabao, China
Ten Kilometers North of Yalu River
Sergeant First Class Ian Slater stumbled briefly as the older Chinese soldier shoved him with the butt of his rifle and yelled at him, “Move faster!”
Only one of their captors, the crotchety old soldier who kept shoving him, spoke English. He kept insisting that they walk more rapidly and telling them that hot food and shelter would be given to them once they made it to their end destination.
“I’d like to take that rifle and club him with it,” thought Slater angrily as he continued to march further north with the two dozen or so American prisoners. While the blizzard-like conditions had largely dissipated over the last few hours, the heavy cloud cover and steady snowfall still meant visibility was shoddy.
“At least the wind has died down,” Sergeant Slater thought, trying to be positive for a moment. “Now if I could just keep my hands from freezing, I’d be in better shape.” When he had been captured, the Chinese soldiers had stripped him of his body armor, but at least they had let him keep his jacket once they had made sure he had no weapons in it.
Slater’s mind kept flashing back to that horrific walk out of the shattered bunker when he had been captured. He felt sick to his stomach as he pictured the ground, littered with bodies. He heard the crunch again as he unwittingly stepped on a hand that had been separated from one of the members of his unit—there had hardly been a place to step without walking on body parts that had been torn apart and mangled by high explosives, grenades or heavy machine-gun bullets. A wave of grief washed over him. Many of the dead had been part of his unit, and some of them had been friends.
“I miss Joe,” Sergeant Slater thought as he remembered his friend who had died dramatically in his arms. He wished Joe hadn’t been lost in the bunker, but as he trudged along, he wondered if maybe his friend had gotten it easy compared to what was about to happen to him and the rest of the prisoners.
Slater wasn’t sure what time it was since his watch had been taken from him, but as his column of prisoners neared the city of Chijiabao, they heard a soft whistling noise high above them. That noise steadily grew in intensity as it got closer. Sergeant Slater knew immediately what it was, and he suspected the other American soldiers recognized the sound, but the Chinese soldiers didn’t seem to care.
The first explosions rocked the ground, and then thunderous booms followed as bombers delivered a high-altitude bombing run across their old positions to wipe out the Chinese advance. The noises drew hastily closer. Sergeant Slater quickly ran to the ditch next to the side of the road, trying to seek even a semblance of shelter. The other Americans quickly followed suit.
The Chinese soldiers suddenly realized the imminent danger approaching them and scattered in all directions, looking for a place to hide from the incoming bombs. Some of them ran into each other as they scrambled away in a disorganized horde.
Sergeant Slater saw this as his golden opportunity to try and make a break for it. All of the Americans had instinctively followed their training, dropping to the ground; however, they were all still somewhat clustered together. The Chinese had run off to every corner of the field, leaving them alone and unguarded. As the bombs got closer and the explosions louder and more violent, Slater yelled to the others, “Follow my lead!”
Slater ran toward a small cluster of their captors who had taken shelter in a ditch not far from them, several of his American comrades right behind him. Together, they pounced on their terrified captors like lions on their prey. The PLA soldiers were so surprised by their captives’ attack, they hardly had time to react. They had been so terrified of the falling bombs heading toward them that they had forgotten about the danger of leaving a group of American prisoners alone.
While dozens of 500-pound bombs landed nearby, the American soldiers attacked their captors in hand-to-hand combat, using their fists, rocks and anything else they could grab to overpower them. As shrapnel flew everywhere, Sergeant Slater and his fellow prisoners grabbed their captors’ weapons and ammunition and summarily killed the remaining cadre of PLA soldiers the bombs had missed. Once the dirt, snow, and chaos from the bombing subsided, the newly freed soldiers looked to Sergeant Slater and asked, “What do we do now?”
Slater hadn’t thought about that just yet. He’d figured they might just die right there from the bombing run, and if they were going to die, they might as well as try and kill their captors in the process. Now that they had survived, they were suddenly free, but very far behind enemy lines. He took a deep breath and calculated all the options.
“OK, guys, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to try and get back to our own fighting line…”
The Xi’an Accords - Eastern Alliance
Xi’an, China
Angsana Hotel
The city of Xi’an had once been known as Chang’an, which translated in English as “eternal peace.” It was a fitting name, considering the meeting that was to take place within its city limits. The city was also the endpoint of the famed Silk Road, the meeting of East and West that had introduced Europe to Asia and spurred economic trade that still continued to this day. In addition, the city was also home to the famed Bingmayong (Terra Cotta Army).
Today, the leaders of Asia who weren’t included in the new American-led Global Defense Force would meet to discuss joining a similar alliance. It had been incredibly difficult to organize—especially with war spreading to more and more countries across the globe—but the leaders of India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia and the Stan countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Sudan were set to discuss the future of the world, and a new treaty that Russia and China were spearheading in response to the West’s creation of their new Global Defense Force.
*******
Looking out the window of the presidential suite, Xi noticed the slight drizzle of rain had now turned into a steady downpour, bringing much-needed rain to the city of Xi’an. The moisture helped to remove the pollutants in the air and lowered the level of smog in the city, at least for a few hours. Despite the rain, the hotel building was bustling with security both inside and out. High above the city, fighters patrolled the skies to help ensure no American bombers tried to attack the facility that was playing host to this crucial meeting, one which in all reality would most likely change the future of the world.
Looking in the mirror, President Xi felt confident about the proposal they would be discussing. While the Americans were negotiating the creation of a new military alliance, Xi was also negotiating a global realignment that he believed would change the course of history—one that would see America and Europe replaced as world powers, with China and Russia as the new global leaders of the 21st century. He made a last-minute adjustment to his tie and then quickly headed toward the door and the elevator that would lead them to the conference room for the negotiation.
As he walked into the ornately decorated conference room, Xi surveyed the other leaders at the table. He smiled when he spotted Petrov sipping a cup of tea, grinning and talking with President Pranab Nath Kovind of India. Sitting next to them was President Jusuf Subianto of Indonesia, who didn’t look happy to be in this meeting, and Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, who was equally unenthused.
“They will come around to our line of thinking, or they will be replaced by leaders who will see the benefit of being a part of this new world order,” thought Xi as he forced himself to keep smiling and play host and salesman.
As Xi continued into the room and slid into his spot near President Petrov, the discussions of the various leaders slowly ended, and all eyes turned to him. Petrov smiled and nodded toward Xi, which reminded President Xi of the conversation the two of them had had the night before, strategizing ways to work the room. Xi took the nod as Petrov’s signal that he was carrying out the plan they had discussed.
Xi cleared his throat. “Welcome, gentlemen. Prior to the Second World War, France, Great Britain, and the nations of Europe ruled most of the world as colonial powers. They divided the world up, drawing national borders with the intent of pitting us against each other to keep us weak—to keep us focused on fighting each other so that even in relinquishing colonial rule, they could still hold power over us.”
He tapped the table for emphasis. “Following the end of the end of World War II, the United States joined their elitist club. And what have they accomplished for the good of humanity? They brought us the two world wars, then they instigated the Cold War against the peace-loving people of the Soviet Union and spurred numerous regional wars, using them to gain access and control our national resources for their benefit, stripping us of our wealth.”
Xi surveyed the other world leaders. So far, their affect was flat. He continued, “When a government didn’t bow down to their authority or corporate interests, they interfered with our internal elections and actively worked to subvert our governments. In many cases, they’d be the driving force behind a coup or popular uprising to install their own puppet regime. Look at what the Americans did in Chile, installing that brutal dictator Pin
ochet rather than allowing the people to form their own socialist government. Even more recently, we can look at Libya, a nation that functioned and provided for its people. Now it’s a complete mess run by warlords and terrorists.”
Xi looked directly at each of the leaders from Muslim-dominated countries, making sure he had their full attention before he continued. “In 1949, the West unilaterally took the lands of Palestine and gave it to the Jews to create the nation of Israel. The West, led by the United States and Great Britain, have meddled endlessly in the Middle East, stoking one war after another, all in the name of ‘freedom.’ In reality, it’s just a ploy to enrich their nations at the expense of those who cannot resist them.”
Several leaders nodded, and Xi smiled inwardly. “The West looks to divide us and corrupt the minds of our youth. They insist that we accept their moral perversion of homosexuality, and this mental disease they call transgender. They pervert our religious views and insist that we change our culture, religion and belief systems to accept what they deem acceptable to their version of freedom. I say enough of this moral depravity and the insistence that we adhere to their forms of government, religion, and morality.”
More leaders nodded. The only exceptions were the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Malaysia, who looked on with passive expressions.
“During the past six months, the Russian Federation and my nation, China, have shown you that even the vaunted American military can be defeated on the battlefield. Now is the time to unite and finish the West off,” Xi concluded. He nodded to Petrov to take the lead.
President Petrov went over the progress his forces had made in Europe, and how the Allies had essentially fought themselves into a stalemate. He talked about the battle losses the Allies had sustained, and the estimates of what it would take for their economy to replace them. The more he talked about these specific facts, the more interested the leaders at the table seemed to be.
