Marcus looked at what remained of the face of the man lying motionless before him. He’d known that face for all of his life; the man in the body bag was his father, General Titus Augustus Roman! Teresa Roman took one look at her father-in-law’s battered and pale face and choked back a sob. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned to Marcus, putting her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder. Tears rolled down Marcus’ cheeks and he nodded to Lopez to close the body bag.
Lopez sealed the black bag containing the general’s body, then unzipped the bag on the lower shelf. Marcus looked closer and recognized the face of Kenneth Halsted, a former colonel in the U.S. Army, a Special Agent with the Combined Bureau of Intelligence and Investigation, and a close friend of the Roman family for many years. Marcus nodded to Lopez again and turned to LTCOL Garry.
“What happened, Bennett?” Marcus demanded, fighting to remain in control of his emotions.
Garry looked down at his feet for a moment then turned his gaze to Marcus, obviously he was struggling to find the words. Finally, he began to speak. “We received word at Headquarters of the incursion here in Nogales. It was bad and several requests for reinforcements came in. The general gathered up every available combat-ready trooper, we raided the armory for all the weapons and ammo we could carry, and were airlifted by Chinooks flying at top speed. Our landing zone near Nogales was overrun right after we landed. The enemy we faced were IGC fanatics who kept coming no matter how many we took out. We began taking heavy casualties and the general ordered them put on the choppers and evacuated first.”
Garry paused for a moment to calm himself. “As the choppers took off, the enemy shot them down with shoulder launched missiles. Then they broke through our lines. At one point, the fighting was hand-to-hand. I was with the general and Colonel Halsted when a grenade went off near us. I caught some of the shrapnel. Another piece caught Colonel Halsted in the upper thigh and punctured his femoral artery. He continued firing his pistol right up until he passed out from the blood loss. The bastards kept coming and we couldn’t stop fighting, so Colonel Halsted bled to death!” Garry paused again, tears flowing from his eyes and a catch could be heard in his voice.
“The general…the general went down firing at them with his automatic. Three of the bastards were on top of him, hacking at him with their bayonets. I was able to get two of them but not before the third one shot…shot the general in the face. I blew the fucker’s brains out. I got out my first aid kit to try to help the general but we came under attack again. Suddenly, more of our troopers arrived to help us. By the time we repelled the attack it…it…it was too late. The general…your father…he…he was…dead!” Garry’s head dipped down and his shoulders slumped, he tried to choke back his tears and sobs but could not. He’d worked with General Roman for many years and respected the man immensely. In many ways, General Roman had been like a second father to Garry.
With one arm still around his wife, Marcus reached out with his free arm and draped it over Garry’s shoulders and drew the man closer. “It’s not your fault, Bennett. It’s not your fault. Dad…and Ken went out the way they’d have wanted to…as soldiers…in the defense of their country.”
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January 25th, 2303hours (MST)
ASGuard Command
Verde Valley, AZ
The helipads were brightly lit and hundreds of ASGuard personnel stood by in loose formations listening and scanning the night sky. “Here they come!” someone yelled. The sounds of four incoming helicopters grew louder as the aircraft neared the base. When the landing lights of the helicopters became visible, officers called their squads to attention and the ASGuard troopers snapped to attention.
A CH-47 Chinook came in first and landed; its rear cargo ramp pointed towards the assembled personnel. As the rotors slowed, the ramp opened. A moment passed then movement was visible inside the cargo area of the Chinook. The senior ASGuard officer ordered the troopers to render a salute and every man and woman present saluted smartly and held the salute. Marcus, Teresa, and four other troopers appeared in the bay; carried between them was the flag-draped casket bearing the remains of General Titus Augustus Roman. More movement became visible within the Chinook and Cowen and five other troopers appeared carrying a second flag-draped casket; this one containing the body of Ken Halstead. The pallbearers marched slowly in perfect step with one another. Two hearses sat nearby, awaiting the arrival of the deceased.
As the casket bearing General Roman neared the first hearse, a woman holding the hand of a young boy stepped forward. Marcus, Teresa, and the other pallbearers gently lowered the general’s casket onto a tray extending from the back of the hearse. The woman and boy approached and for the first time Marcus saw who it was…his mother and his son.
Marion Roman stepped closer to the casket; fighting back the tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks. She released her grandson’s hand and placed both of her hands on the flag atop the casket’s lid. She started to draw the flag back but Marcus stepped forward and took both of her hands in his. Marion looked into her son’s eyes as Marcus shook his head from side to side, warning her that she did not want to see her husband as he now appeared. “I’m sorry, Mother! Please don’t…just remember him as he was…please.” Marion nodded and Marcus released her hands. Mrs. Roman carefully adjusted the flag and smoothed it against the casket once more. Then, she leaned forward and gently kissed the flag. Only then did Marion Roman allow her son and daughter-in-law to help her walk away from the hearse.
Halstead’s casket was loaded into the second hearse, the doors were closed, and the hearses pulled away. The remains of the two old soldiers would be cremated and, one day soon, they would be interred in the new cemetery created for the fallen of the Arizona State Guard.
Once the hearses pulled away, the senior officer shouted “Order Arms” then “Troops…Dismissed”! As the members of the Arizona State Guard returned to their duties there was not a dry eye among them!
Chapter 19
February 23rd, 0900 hours (MST)
ASGuard Command
Verde Valley, AZ
The sun was well above the horizon and the air was already growing warm for a winter’s day. ASGuard troopers in full dress uniforms were standing in formations in the Garden of the Fallen, the Arizona State Guard’s cemetery. Several dignitaries and high ranking ASGuard officers sat on either side of a podium positioned in front of the first columbarium in the new cemetery.
The columbarium was constructed of white marble and measured 6 feet high, 25 feet long, and was 4 feet deep. Four rows of niches lined the front and back of Columbarium One, 128 niches to a side for a total of 256 niches. Each niche was reserved for the cremated remains of one member of the Arizona State Guard and his or her spouse. Special honorees who had been of immeasurable service to the ASGuard were also to be granted permission to be interred in the cemetery as well, on a case-by-case basis.
All of the niche cover plates for Columbarium One had already been engraved. Only 11 plates on the back side of Columbarium Two were still bare; such had been the ASGuard’s losses over the past few years
Today’s ceremony was to honor of the fallen members of the Arizona State Guard who had just been interred. Arizona Governor Eleanor "Ellie" Alvarez stood at the podium and began her speech at 0900 hours on the dot.
“Good morning, everyone! And a beautiful day it is for us to gather here to honor the fallen defenders of our Great State of Arizona,” Alvarez began. “Over the last several years our Nation and this state have gone through Hell as our country was torn asunder and, once more, brother fought brother, sister fought sister. Once more our people have passed through a crucible of fire and our freedom has been forged anew in the heat of that crucible.”
“Our state has defended itself with honor and thus helped protect the United States of America,” she continued. “As of yesterday, our foreign enemies have been driven from the shores of the North American continent and our dome
stic enemies have sued for peace and re-unification! Around the globe, our American forces, working closely with the foreign militaries we harbored for years, are freeing other nations from the grip of the Islamic Global Caliphate. Freedom fighters in many countries, armed and trained by our Nation, have begun preparing for the day our troops and our Allies arrive to liberate their nations!” She paused to allow the ASGuard troopers and their guests to clap and cheer at the wonderful news.
When the clapping and cheering subsided, the governor continued her speech. “We have been through Freedom’s Forge and we have come out stronger…and hopefully wiser. Our citizens have delivered to our national government a stronger Constitution, limiting the power of the federal government in the hopes that we will never again face another Constitutional crisis. The checks and balances our Founding Fathers created to limit our government have been strengthened and the protections on our individual freedoms, gifts from our Creator, restored. Today, we honor those who died in defending our nation and our great state, that we might to build a new and better United States of America! And because of their sacrifices, we shall. Colonel Marcus Roman, please join me at the podium, sir!”
Marcus rose from his seat and stepped over to stand next to the governor. “ASGuard troopers, Ten-hut!” The sound of the hundreds of dress shoe heels slapping together filled the air. “I will now call the roll of our Honored Fallen. As I call each person’s name, will someone answer for our fallen brother or sister? General Titus Augustus Roman!” Marcus paused then said, “I answer for him!”
“Colonel Steven Dixon!” said Marcus.
“I answer for him,” answered Sergeant Major Tobias Cowen.
“Colonel Anna Miller!”
“I answer for her!” replied Lieutenant Colonel Bennett Garry.
“Major Frederick Hills!”
“I answer for him,” responded Major Melissa Henley.
“Major Luella Mingus!”
“I answer for her!” replied Master Sergeant Roberto Abril.
“Major Matthew Dillon!”
“I answer for him,” responded Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hebert.
The ceremony continued in that manner as the name of each fallen member of the ASGuard was called and someone answered for the deceased. Some people in the audience noticed that Marcus Roman was not using a script, but recalling each name from his memory alone. Finally, Marcus fell silent for a moment.
“We have two more people we would like to honor today. These men have worked closely with the Arizona State Guard since its creation and today we formally acknowledge them as Honorary Members of the ASGuard. By their honorable actions, they have earned the right to sleep among our honored fallen as our brothers. Our first Honorary Member served in the U.S. Army Special Forces with both my father and, later, with me. During the Second American Civil War, he served in the Combined Bureau of Intelligence and Investigation as Intelligence Liaison Officer to the State of Arizona. Colonel Kenneth Halsted!”
Governor Ellie Alvarez responded, “I answer for him!”
“Our second Honorary Member literally wrote the book on the origins of the Arizona State Guard. He was a world renowned author of fiction and non-fiction who inspired many members of the ASGuard with his literary works. More importantly, he was our friend,” said Marcus. “Mister Liam W. Evanston!”
“I answer for him!” replied Jessica Allison Evanston, Liam's niece and writing partner and the latest addition to the Arizona State Guard Advisory Board.
Marcus paused to look out at the faces in the audience and in the formations of ASGuard troopers. “As we dedicate this sacred place, keep our fallen brothers and sisters, and their families, in your thoughts and prayers. I wish to share with you the words of Laurence Binyon:”
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”
Marcus paused again to let the words sink in then added, “The battles we have fought since the Arizona State Guard was formed have been few but have been decisive in protecting our state and our country. We must remain ever vigilant…trained and prepared for the day when we are called upon to do battle once more. ASGuard troopers…Salute!” As the ASGuard troopers saluted, the Guard’s bugler began to play “Taps”. As the last mournful note faded, Marcus called out, “Order, arms!”
He started to return to his seat but was stopped by the governor who laid a gentle hand on his sleeve. “Colonel Roman, please remain here, sir,” she said to him. Marcus returned to his place beside the governor.
A smile played across Governor Alvarez’s face as she spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, in the last week, I have been in conference with the Arizona State Guard Advisory Board, senior officers and noncommissioned officers of the ASGuard, and numerous state legislators. Since the tragic death of General Titus Roman, the Arizona State Guard has been led on a temporary basis by Colonel Marcus Roman, who is currently the ASGuard’s senior combat-rated officer. I am pleased to say that our search for a new commanding officer has come to a successful conclusion. Colonel Marcus Aurelius Roman, attention to orders!”
Marcus snapped to attention. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see his mother, Marion, and his wife, Teresa, walking toward the podium. Marion stopped on his left while Teresa took her position on his right. Alvarez smiled and nodded to them then turned her gaze to the sheet of paper on the podium before her.
“Effective this date, Colonel Marcus Aurelius Roman, is hereby promoted to the rank of General and is hereby assigned to the position of Commander of the Arizona State Guard and its units in accordance with the Laws of the State of Arizona and the regulations of the Arizona State Guard. Signed this date, Eleanor Alvarez, Governor of the State of Arizona!” Governor Alvarez handed Marcus his commission and then nodded again to Marion and Teresa. They reached under the epaulets on the shoulders of Marcus’ uniform and unclasped his colonel’s insignia. Then they replaced the silver eagles with two large silver stars. Marion leaned closer to her son and whispered, “These were your father’s!” Marcus gave his mother a quick smile.
Once his new stars were in place, Governor Alvarez said, “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present…General Marcus Aurelius Roman, Commander of the Arizona State Guard!” Marcus saluted the governor then dropped the salute to shake her hand. The ASGuard members in the audience clapped and cheered their new commanding general.
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February 26th, 1013 hours (MST)
Roman Ranch
30 miles WNW of Fort Huachuca, AZ
Marcus, Teresa, Marion, and young Julian stood on the stone patio staring at the fire damaged remains of their old ranch house. Hank Eberle, the foreman of Roman Ranch, stood next to them shaking his head in a combination of anger and sorrow.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, “maybe the boys and I should have stayed here to protect the ranch instead of heading to Nogales to help fight the invaders!” Hank shook his head again.
Marcus reached over and put a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “You and the others did what you thought was right,” said Marcus. “We needed every person we could get down there and I, for one, am glad you went and fought.” Marcus and Hank moved forward, entering what was left of the house. With great care, they made their way to a thick wall of rock and mortar. What few knew was that the wall contained a hidden doorway that led to the basement that contained the family vault. The vault contained gold and silver coins and ingots, first editions of many books, rare artwork, family records and heirlooms, and much, much more.
A short time later, they returned to the patio and reported to Marion and Teresa that the vault door was intact and that the contents of the vault were still there…safe and sound! The invaders had not discovered the hidden doorway or what it hid.
“Daddy, what are we going to do?” asked young Julian Antoninus Roman.
&n
bsp; Marcus picked his son up and placed him on his shoulders, much as his own father used to do on this very patio decades before. “We’ll rebuild our home…just as we are rebuilding our nation. Better and stronger than before! Then…we’ll move home. C’mon, everyone, let’s finish checking the old place out. We’ve got a full day planned! So much to do and so little time!”
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Thank You!
If you enjoyed this e-novel, I invite you to take a moment to visit the Amazon.com website for this e-novel and leave a product review. I am always eager to hear from my readers! And don't forget to tell your friends and family members about this e-book!
While you're at it, I hope you take a moment and find another of my e-books to enjoy!
P.S. – If you would like to learn more about Project Foothold, Kent and Cord Morgan, and the secret/secure location mentioned earlier in this novel, please check out my Terra-Bravo Saga novels! - JMF
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Glossary of Terms
AH-64 — a four-blade, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter gunship with a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew.
AH-64 Image: Public Domain
AH-64 Apache Longbow — an upgraded variation of the AH-64 attack helicopter.
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) — fire suppression operations involving the response to, hazard mitigation, evacuation, and possible rescue of passengers and crew of an aircraft involved in an emergency.
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 59
