Sipping on the hot coffee and then downing a shot of whiskey I felt a little better. After a few minutes the aspirin kicked in and I felt better except for my broken fingers. I removed the tape on my fingers and from my chest and took a cold shower to wake me up.
It was cold but it woke me up. I looked at the clock it was 8 am. I never sleep past 6 am and felt I wasted two hours sleeping. I went outside for a smoke and found Tommy and Jim Bo outside. They both said good morning.
Jim Bo asked, “How do you feel?”
“I feel like shit Jim Bo. How do you feel?”
Neither one replied to me as I pulled out a smoke. I was not in a good mood and they knew it. I was in a lot of pain today. The next day the pain is always worse when you have an injury. My head really hurt and I could hardly move my jaw to speak. My whole head felt like someone kicked it a number of times. Oh yes, I remember someone did kick me in the head.
Thinking back I was amazed at what we did. I looked down at the floor while going for a cup of coffee and saw the pile of money on the floor. I felt dizzy and did not feel well at all. I fell down on the floor and couldn’t move then everything went black.
Hemmi yelled, “Tommy come and help your Dad!”
I was out of it and don’t remember what happened until I woke up a few hours later. Hemmi brought me some food to eat but I just looked at it not wanting to eat. I fell asleep and woke up about eight hours later.
Getting out of bed I didn’t know what time it was, looking at my watch it was 5 pm so I went down stairs and everyone was eating dinner. My grand kids, Shanda, Kendra, Johnny and Jimmy came running over to me and gave me a big hug. I gathered them all in my arms as best as I could and hugged them back.
I was feeling better already. Their energy was flowing into me giving me strength. Nothing else mattered at the time. A warm feeling ran through my body, I was being healed, I could feel the energy, it was electric, the feeling of love. What a feeling it was to have these great kids hugging me, I started to cry. Tears ran down my cheeks as I sat there, I was speechless.
I didn’t want to let the kids go from my hug because it felt so good but Hemmi asked me, “Jack do you want to eat something?”
“Yes give me some fruit and whatever you have.”
I was eating and Johnny asked me, “What happen to your face Grandpa Jack?”
I told him, “I fell into a hole and hit my head and face. I’ll be ok.”
Then the kids all went to play and I went outside feeling better and thinking about what just happed. I felt better, almost normal, my pain for the most part was gone expect for my broken fingers and ribs. God heals all things if you believe and I do believe in God.
Hemmi asked me, “Jack are you ok now?”
“Yes Honey I feel much better now, so don’t worry.”
Ron, Jim Bo, and Tommy just looked at me and Tommy said, “Dad go back to bed you need the rest. Don’t worry about us we are fine. We weighed and counted the money and there is a grand total of 1.2 million dollars using the current gold price of $11,000 per troy oz. We took it to the bank and it is all locked up and safe.”
“Great job, I am going to bed now. I need more rest. I guess I got kicked in the head harder than I thought, good night.”
MAY 18, 2025
I woke up at 4 am and actually felt pretty good. I was hungry, needed a cup of coffee. I went down stairs and Tommy was there having a coffee and he poured me one.
We walked outside and he asked me, “How do you feel today?”
“I feel a lot better, almost normal.”
“Dad you need to take it easy, slow down, you are not a spring chicken anymore. You take too many risks.”
“Yep, you’re right but I don’t feel old and I am in pretty good shape for an old fart. I took care of those al-Qaida fighters.” Deep down I knew Tommy was right.
“Dad, you shouldn’t go running or lift weights for at least another week. Let’s get something to eat.”
We walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few oranges. Soon the girls would be up and would cook some breakfast and I could eat a horse. That’s it, I needed some good red meat to help repair the damage done to my body, I needed protein, but we only had chicken meat, eggs, and fish. That would have to do for now.
I sat down at the table to make up a work list. Tommy and Ron need to do a gun count and ammo check. I need to call Colonel Turner about moving the Muslim women to the Islamic Society in Tampa. I also wanted to call Captain Sessions. Rick needs to set up a meeting to discuss how to handle the loot we found.
After I took a shower and ate four eggs, a piece of fried fish, and an apple I gained some energy, so I told Tommy, “Let’s walk down to the bridge and see what is going on.”
We both put on our bullet proof vests and then our combat vests over top. Putting our hand guns in their holsters we went to the safe to obtain our rifles. I pulled out my Black Bear and saw it had blood on it so I washed it off and cleaned it. Pulling out my sharpening stone I ran it up and down the blade as we walked to the bridge. No wind was blowing so it would be another hot day.
Tommy commented, “Too bad you and Uncle Ron got your trucks blown up.”
“Those were good trucks. Now I only have only one truck which is not trustworthy.”
“Tommy what do you think we should do with all the money we found?”
“Well I think Camp Tocabaga owes you and Ron a new truck. They got blown up doing the work of the people.”
As we continued to walk Tommy advised me, “Colonel Turner stopped by the house when you were passed out yesterday and he wants you to go to the hospital at SOCOM to get your head scanned.
“He also told us that al-Qaida is pretty much defeated but you can’t kill them all. Good news is it should be a long time before they give us any trouble again.”
“So that area on the mainland is safe now?”
“You know it is never totally safe.”
“My head scanned, I need a new head, but this could be a good time to fly the Muslim women and kids to the Islamic Society in Tampa. You want to go with me?”
“Yup, count me in on a chopper ride. We could stop in and see Captain Sessions.”
I got on the phone to Colonel Turner and he blessed the idea of flying the women and me at the same time. He told me to report to Captain Clark at the Fort by 11 am today. I looked at my watch it was 8 am.
I called Rahim, “Get the woman and kids ready to go. We will leave at 10:30 am and fly them to the Islamic Society so call your buddy over there and tell him we will be there by noon.”
“Ok, that is great Jack. I will have them get ready.”
“I will pick you up at 10:30 sharp so be on time.
“Tommy find Ron and get your gear ready, the three of us will go with Rahim. Bring 300 rounds of rifle ammo and the normal amount of pistol ammo. Wear full body armor and a camel back for water. You never know what will happen. Oh and bring some power bars to snack on.”
We went home to get ready and give our wives the bad news. When you leave Tocabaga you need to be prepped for anything. It is a jungle out there and we have no idea what we will run into at the Islamic Society. I worry that we may encounter some more al-Qaida.
Just then my phone rang it was Rahim, “Jack I talked to my friend Mihran and he advised us to land in the big parking lot on the south side of the building. He told me once the women and kids are off the chopper to take off right away. As you may know the Army is not well liked and neither are you. Everyone has seen the pictures on the internet of dead Osama Hussein, killed by Jack Gunn. There is still a reward for your head.”
“Shit that’s not good. I’ll wear a flight helmet with a dark shield so no one can see my face.”
“Yes that is a good idea but we do not stay on the ground long or we will be killed.”
“Can’t we fly a white flag?”
“They don’t give a crap about a white flag.”
“I’ll need to discuss this with Captain Clark who
will be flying the chopper; he may not go when he hears this. Rahim just get everyone ready to leave.”
I phoned Captain Clark, whom I have never had the pleasure of meeting and I told him the situation. He advised me he‘d check out the landing site, file a flight path, and alert SOCOM of our ETA. All in all he did not seem so concerned. He told me the chopper is fully armored and they have two M134 mini Gatling guns.
At 10:30 we picked up Rahim, seven Muslim women, and four children. We rode to the Fort in two trucks. The women seemed happy to be going to the Islamic Society in Tampa. Rahim told them his friend Mihran would take care of them. Some of them already knew Mihran.
Arriving at the helicopter area, Captain Clark walked up to my truck and said, “Are you Jack Gunn?”
“Yes I am Jack, nice to meet you Captain.”
Getting out of the trucks we did brief introductions and he asked, “How many people are coming?"
“Ron told Clark, “We have a total of 15 people. Four kids and seven women will go to the Islamic Society. After we drop them off Jack needs to go to SOCOM HQ for a brain scan and we also want to visit Captain Sessions at the Clinic.”
“My Choppers can only hold fourteen people each. We need two pilots and a crew chief to man the guns. So we need to use two Black Hawks.”
“I was a crew Chief on these choppers for 20 years so I can fill in on one chopper if you agree.”
“Ok sounds good divide your group, half in each chopper. We will be taking these two here, Chopper 011 and 012, they are the best we have.”
Ron walked around each one looking very carefully at whatever they check on the outside of the Black Hawks. He knew what he was looking at but I didn’t. Finally he seemed satisfied so he climbed in and checked out the M134 Gatling guns.
Captain Clark asked Ron, “Are you satisfied everything is A-OK?”
“Yes Sir everything checked out A-OK, let’s go.”
The Black Hawk is armored to withstand hits from 23 mm shells, and its airframe is designed to crush on impact to protect the crew. The pilot and co-pilot have armor plated seats. The helicopter also accommodates door gunners, who provide security for the crew and aircraft using machine guns.
Additional specifications (UH-60L, most recent model):
Maximum Gross Weight: 23,500 pounds
Empty Weight: 11,516 pounds
Maximum Speed: 193 knots / 222 mph
Armament: Two 7.62 mm M134 miniguns
Rotor System: 5 3 feet, 8 inches in diameter
Length: 64 feet, 10 inches
Height: Varies from 13 feet to 17 feet
Range: 352 miles
I split the group up, Rahim and me with three women and two kids. The other group was Ron and Tommy along with four women and two kids.
Captain Clark introduced Lieutenant Boyer, who was his co-pilot, and Captain Keener with Lieutenant Jones. He reviewed the flight plan and had pictures of the Islamic Society showing where we would land. Clark suggested that we land in a football field right across the street as that way both Black Hawks can land at the same time. He also advised we would arrive at least 15 minutes early to throw off any attack they may have planned.
I thought it was a great plan using a different landing area and a different arrival time. Mihran or any other questionable people would not be expecting us to land across the street.
The flight plan was, take off from the Fort, and fly over the water at an altitude of 3,000 feet. Once over land we would fly at tree top level as it is harder to hit a fast flying chopper which is close to the ground. By the time you hear it and look up it is gone.
We would unload the women as fast as possible with motors still running. Both Black hawks would then fly to SOCOM and drop us off. One would stay to bring us back to Fort Desoto a few hours later.
We climbed into the Black Hawks and fastened our seat belts. I always liked the joke “In case of an emergency bend over as far as you can and kiss your ass good bye.” I hate to fly in anything. If God wanted us to fly we would have wings.
The motors started to whine and the blades began to turn slowly at first then speeding up to create a powerful roar. Then suddenly the chopper moved forward and lifted off the ground. I put on a flight helmet which covered my face and I could talk to everyone in both choppers.
Captain Clark advised us, “The ETA is 15 minutes. So everyone be ready.”
Flying over the Skyway Bridge we could see it was falling apart due to no maintenance for the last 5 years. Zooming over Tampa Bay we could see a large number of sharks. I counted ten sharks from my side of the chopper.
Flying in a helicopter is very different than an airplane. You fly low and can see everything, but the main difference is the bumpy, noisy ride. You feel like you are part of the machine, the doors are open and the wind is blowing inside. Your whole body pulsates in tune with the craft.
With land approaching the chopper made a fast dive down and we were flying right over the tops of buildings. Then Clark said, “LZ (landing zone) one minute.”
Clark put on the air brakes and the chopper stopped in mid air with the nose pointed up and quickly dropped to the ground bouncing on the landing gear. Rahim and I jumped out and helped the women and kids dismount, keeping low to avoid the wind from the blades. Rahim yelled at them in Arabic to run across the street to the Islamic Society.
The other chopper was unloaded and we were ready to go. Clark was applying power to the engines when we heard bullets hit the fuselage. Captain Clark replied, “We are under fire from the small building at 3 o’clock.”
As we lifted off he rotated the chopper moving away from the gun fire. The door gunner fired three buzzing bursts from the M134 Gatling gun into the building as we zoomed away. In less than five minutes we landed at SOCOM, the old Mac Dill Air Force base.
As we dismounted the aircraft Captain Clark said, “Thank you for flying Tocabaga Airlines. The Medical Clinic is located in the third building on the left. I will wait here for your return.”
“Thanks Captain Clark,” I replied.
Finding the Clinic, which was more like a full blown hospital, we located Captain Sessions asleep in his room.
I gently tapped his shoulder and softly said, “Captain Sessions Jack Gunn reporting for duty.”
He awoke seeing us there and reached out to shake our hands saying, “It’s great to see you guys are still alive. Hello Rahim.”
Rahim nodded his head and said, “Nice to see you Captain.”
Ron asked, “How are you doing and when can you get back to work?”
Before Sessions could answer Tommy commented, “Some people do anything for a vacation.”
“I just want to thank you guys for the rescue. I will be out of here in a month they put some kind of new cast on my leg and it greatly reduces the healing time using electronic stimulation.”
I asked, “Captain, why did you cut out your implant?”
“I cut it out just in case al-Qaida could track it. Maybe they knew about it and maybe not, but I didn’t want to take any chances. How about Johnny and Jimmy Evans, they really saved me and I want them to receive a medal.”
“I agree with you they need a medal. By the way they are now living with me and Tommy. Tommy is acting Dad and I am Grandpa Jack. They are happy and doing well.”
“Jack, that is great news, I was concerned about them, but now I know they are in good hands. Please tell them I said hello.
“I heard from Colonel Turner that you killed Osama Hussein and found the al-Qaida cache. That is really something.”
“Thanks Captain I got beat up pretty good. I came here for a brain scan from them kicking me in the head. Oh by the way we dropped off the Muslim women at the Islamic Society.
“Captain that place must be a hot spot for al-Qaida. Don’t you think so Rahim?”
“Well it is true the Muslims living there do not have good friends like I do. They have not adjusted to the American way of life. People there just want to live there in peace
for the most part following Islam. There are however some very radical men there for sure. I do not know if they are al-Qaida.”
Sessions said, “We have checked them out and we leave them alone as long as they leave us alone. Someday however they will have to follow the US Constitution and our laws.”
Just then an Orderly came in and said, “We are ready for Jack Gunn.”
I told Tommy, Ron, and Rahim, “Stay here with Sessions and I’ll be back soon.”
After the scan Doctor Cramer told me I had brain damage due to a concussion. He told me take it easy and don’t drink alcohol or take aspirin for about 2 weeks. I thought bull shit I don’t need a brain scan to tell me that. I went back to see Sessions.
Walking into his room I looked at my watch it was now almost 4 pm and I said, “Well we’re going to leave now. I only got a brain concussion. Captain, if we can do anything for you let us know. Captain Clark is waiting to fly us back to Tocabaga so we better get going.”
“Thank you all for coming to see me.
“Oh one more thing, Jack I have assigned Sergeant Major Willis and Sergeant Smith as your security team. These Rangers are the best I have. Please use them whenever you leave Tocabaga as I know about the reward for your head. When my Rangers found out what you did they all wanted to be on your security team.”
“Shit Captain I don’t want any Rangers getting killed protecting me. I can take care of myself.”
“Too bad Jack you got them whether you want them or not. We are also giving you two fully armored Humvees with 50 caliber guns to replace the trucks you lost.”
Putting all are hands on top of one another and standing in a huddle around the hospital bed we all said, “Rangers Lead the Way!”
Rahim stood there watching us, I wondered what he was thinking, and if he knew why we did that.
It was a short flight back to Fort Desoto and no one spoke on the way back. As a matter of fact I fell asleep even with all the noise. Landing at the Fort we thanked Captain Clark and made our way to the bar for a drink and a smoke. A little brain damage isn’t going to stop me from having a shot or two of JD.
THE TOCABAGA CHRONICLES: (BOX SET - PART I - BOOKS #1-5) Page 20
