by Cliff Deane
The Supreme Leader approved of the plan. He felt most comfortable in the belief that before the enemy could possibly reach him, winter would end the attack, and as the enemy could not know his present whereabouts, he would not order moving his Headquarters to the prepared sections of Detroit; as such a movement might be spotted by those infernal drones.
*
28 July 0900
ROA, TOC
Bedford
Beginning on 28 July, the scouts began putting out WASP patrols 24/7 in an effort to identify potential ambushes, and for the first two days, the biggest warm body was a thin, female Dog with six malnourished pups.
The bitch was terribly afraid of humans, and she squirmed, belly to the ground with tail wagging in a wide and submissive manner. She was in trouble, and she knew it. This allowed her true nature to surface as she, at first, reluctantly, then eagerly, allowed the scout to give her food and physical comfort through his caresses on her head and back.
This information was passed along to the convoy and Levi ordered that, if possible, the mama and pups were to be saved and taken to the medical vehicle for evaluation.
Levi told Gus that a friendly dog had become very rare and he felt the ROA and humanity as a whole would benefit from a revival in the union of man and dog.
Gus loved the idea and ordered a jeep to be dispatched to the scout’s location to retrieve the dog and her litter.
When the new additions to the Brigade arrived, Levi and Gus were thrilled to see that they had recruited a Yellow Lab and a litter of Lab mutts.
The news of this event spread like wildfire through the Brigade, and the spirits of everyone were lifted. Although Sgt. Wong, the cook was ordered to keep his hands off the dogs. Rumor had it that he went into a deep depression.
The pups were nearly weaned, so the Doc fed them separately to allow the bitch to save her remaining strength.
Sadly, she was found too late to save. She died that night; her last act was to lick the Doctor’s hand. The command was shocked and saddened, but soon everyone felt that by licking the Doc’s hand, she was saying thank you for saving her pups, and for the show of kindness in her last hours.
The puppies, however, thrived under the care of the Medical Staff and soon would be on regular food. If the three females and three males knew nothing else, they knew the love from the entire Brigade as every single soul tried to see, and pet them when the men were off duty.
Troopers, the tip of the spear; men, and women who knew how to effectively use their bullet launchers, fought, killed, and died for their new nation. These men and women, who never hesitated to pull the trigger for their country, could also show such depths of love and compassion for these little puppies.
Levi was so proud of his command and knew the depths of their ability to love and protect the helpless and the oppressed, while also being capable of fighting to the death, any who opposed their country or their brothers in arms, oh, and puppies.
Levi agreed to allow the Command to keep the largest pup as a mascot. A request for name suggestions brought in many responses, but one stood out among all the others. This newest Trooper would be named Gunny as a show of respect and love of the defunct US Marine Corps that gave so much to their fledgling nation; The Republic of America.
Though the original plan had called for the 1st Brigade (Bde) to begin movement to Dearborn on 23 July; this timetable had been reset to allow the FTOC to return to Bedford and for both scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance on two of the LAV IIIs, which required transmission repair or possible replacement. LAV Bravo 1-3 had to be towed back to Bedford by the M-88 VTR.
The tanks received routine maintenance and were loaded onto their Low-Boy trailers.
The convoy to Dearborn crossed the LOD on time at 0900 hours. Travel was very slow, and 1st Bde averaged only twenty miles per day. This delay was as much from vehicular maintenance problems as to road clearing, but that all changed on 30 July when a drone spotted three figures running from the road, into a small, deserted village on the right flank; their heat signature disappeared about one mile ahead of the scouting patrol.
Using the PRC 77 radio which operates at a range out to five miles, the Lead Scout reported that a drone had seen three men running into the village, then disappearing from the drone’s thermal imagery.
Levi directed the scouts to send out two other drones to verify proper function of the first WASP and for the convoy to take a defensive posture while awaiting further orders.
He then called the brain trust together to try to figure out how this was possible. General Levins, Col. Murtaugh, Cpt. Page, Major Turner, Sgt. Major Cobb, and 1st Sgt. Torre met around the trailer attached to Levi’s jeep.
Levi opened the session with, “One, why were these men running away; two, who are these men; three, how did they manage to become invisible to the WASP’s thermal imagery; four, where did they go; and five what was their mission?
Lt. Col. Smith suggested the possibility that they may have just finished prepping a car bomb.
This seemed the most likely possibility as they had seen no evidence of human habitation since leaving the Cleveland area.
“All right,” said Levi, “let’s run with the idea that we are now facing car bombs from here to Dearborn. What do we do about them, and how do we find them?”
Lt. Col. Ben Smith said, “Let’s presume that these men were prepping an IED and we know these IEDs must be remotely detonated only by wire. As this is the case, then we should use the WASPs to search for wires.
Yes, I know, wires are not the easiest things to spot, and they will probably be covered with dirt or litter, so we look for these anomalies along with our search for wires.”
Captain Neal Page noted that this practice would slow our advance even more. Everyone agreed but felt that caution must be the order of the day.
The 1st Sgt felt that those men must be Caliphate since there was no one else around, and if they were not hostile, why run away as it is apparent the 1st Brigade is not Caliphate.
Again everyone was in agreement, and it was decided that any person running away was to be considered hostile.
Levi chimed in with, “Okay, now we come to the very important question of how it is that they are no longer visible to our FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) Radar?”
The possibilities discussed were atmospheric interference, sub basement, earth covered spider hole, or possibly the trick used back in West Virginia by the mercenary sniper hiding under a thermal blanket to conceal his location.
Ben felt that the two best bets were a sub basement or earth covered spider holes, and if a WASP flew directly over a spider hole, the FLIR would likely discover it. No one knew if the sub basement idea would provide the same invisibility, but if they were in such a position, they would be unable to know when to detonate the IED. If they were using thermal blankets, they would soon show up because their body heat would require removal of the thermal blanket. This argument convinced everyone that they were looking for individual spider holes.
Drones were sent to fly in a search pattern over the area where the men had disappeared. Within minutes the drones had identified the hidey holes of three enemy combatants.
Levi wanted prisoners, so a squad was dispatched to order the surrender of the hidden enemy.
Corporal Eric Penn was tasked to take his four-man Fire Team to try to get the Caliphate soldiers to surrender. Ali Sayed accompanied them in the event a translator was needed.
When the team arrived at the hidden spider holes, they discovered three WASPs hovering above the ground directly over the concealed holes. Ali was given a bull horn, and he ordered the hostiles to surrender.
The next thing they heard was the loud boom of a bomb detonating back toward the road. This was followed by three smaller explosions as the enemy detonated explosives in their holes. There would be no surrender on this day, and as the drones were directly over the holes, there were now three fewer drones.
Upon reachin
g the road, the team found a gaping hole in the road making it unusable for motorized traffic; it appeared the convoy would have to go around.
Neither Levi nor Gus liked the idea of moving off the road and onto the soft ground on either side. Gus reminded him of the road cratering done by the Defiance Militia and the mine fields flanking the crater.
Levi said, “Yeah, I remember…”
Levi was interrupted by the sharp staccato sound of BOOM… BOOM… BOOM… “What the hell?” shouted Levi.
Gus looked down at the ground and said, “Levi, old friend, I think we just heard the creation of three more craters being formed by our Caliphate friends.”
“Okay, let ‘em use their explosives, we can fix that.” Levi went to the Commo Truck and using the HAM Radio contacted Major Mike Guyardo, saying, “Mike, I need for you to fly some perforated steel planking up here to allow us to drive over a crater. Can your Hueys do it?”
“Yes, sir, the Hueys lift capacity is roughly two tons. The distance, however, is just a bit over seven hundred miles. We’ll have to send two birds; one to provide the lift and the other to carry a security team and the ground crew needed for refueling.
So, keeping these opportunities to excel in mind, it should take no more than ten hours from the time we locate the PSP and get a sling under the bird.
I’ll send a detail over to the Airfield’s Engineer storage hanger to find the PSP.
Let’s see, it’s 1025 now, here at Lejeune, and 0925 your time. My guess is that we can have the PSP onsite by, say 0100 if it’s a real emergency, but I don’t like the idea of flying with nearly two tons of PSP slung under a Huey at night. Would 1300 tomorrow be acceptable?”
Levi keyed the mic and said, “Yeah, Mike, that’ll work,” and he handed the mic to 1st Sgt Torre to manage the details.
Turning to the Sgt. Major, Levi said, “Okay Bradley, let’s get a perimeter established, and check the flanks for mines.
Gus, who also served as the Brigade Maintenance Officer (BMO) was already organizing maintenance activities for individual equipment as well as vehicles and crew served weapons systems.
The Cooks were off-loading their Field Kitchens to begin preparing an evening meal. The troops would have MREs for lunch. The Brigade personnel were well trained and needed only, when and where from the Command Staff to get started.
Levi looked around at the preparations for bivouac and was proud of this fighting force. As he stood there taking it all in, a stray memory of an old Mel Brooks movie, History of the world flashed across his brain, causing him to chuckle as he whispered to himself, “It’s good ta be da King.”
Major Turner asked for, and received, permission to begin scouting ops out to twenty-five miles. Two Cobras were kept ready to act as the Reaction Force.
One of the two Dearborn Insertion Teams arrived in camp just after dawn on the morning of 1 August and were able to confirm that the command structure, along with combat control elements were right where Ali had said they would be found.
They also reported that Ali’s family had been executed for speaking out against the Caliphate military’s dictatorial rule. He had compared the Caliphate to the Taliban, and for this, he and his family were murdered. The entire family had been buried up to their necks and then stoned until they were dead.
Plans were drawn up for a 0330 attack by the Super Snakes against the leadership and command and control structure to commence on 3 August.
Since Gus had a more personal relationship with Ali Sayed, he asked to relieve Levi of the duty of informing Ali of his parent's deaths.
Perforated Steel Planking (PSP)
29 July 1500 hours
FTOC
Highway 47A
The PSP arrived at 1500 on 29 July and along with the two Hueys were five additional Cobras piloted by the recent graduates of class two. The Instructor Pilots flew the two Hueys, as transporting nearly two tons of PSP slung under the bird called for a bit more experience and expertise.
Ben had also asked Mike to send two transmissions for the LAV IIIs.
The new pilot and gunner additions were most welcome and increased the odds of success in the coming attacks.
Major Turner took charge of the new Snake crews and began instruction and training to better prepare them for the raids scheduled for the early morning of 3 August.
Levi decided to keep the Brigade in position until after the raid for two important reasons; the new pilots needed the training, and the mechanics needed to replace the ailing transmission in the LAV.
***
Chapter 11
Always Cut off the Head of a Deadly Snake
1 August 0900
Highway 47A
Moving to Dearborn
The perforated steel planking worked perfectly and allowed the convoy vehicles to easily cross the IED craters.
As the 1st Brigade closed in on Dearborn, the drones were busy spotting wires attached to car bombs and were successful four out of five times. At around 1000 hours a car bomb exploded, killing two Scouts and mortally wounding their mounts. 1st Sgt. Torre steeled himself to put the poor bleeding horses out of their pain with a 9 mm bullet to their brains. The burials took place where they fell, with Trooper and his mount in the same oversized grave. The Troopers personal effects were saved for placement in the ROA’s new National Military Cemetery.
The mood was somber among all the Troopers of the 1st Brigade, but the discovery of the crucified and decapitated bodies of the Insertion Team changed that mood from somber to a white rage. The Supreme Leader had terribly misjudged the force coming at them. This act of barbarity did not strike fear into troopers of the 1st Brigade; it served only to instill a seething rage against the Caliphate Forces. The Brigade was now of one mind; kill them all; No Quarter!
When the plan of attack was announced, the Troopers who had expected to be the boots on the ground were both disappointed and furious at being denied the vengeance they now craved. Though they were angry, they were professional soldiers and went about their duties. Like all soldiers throughout history, they bitched and complained among themselves and in small groups; they swore that there would be no prisoners. There could never again be anything but no quarter.
Ali Sayed was devastated to learn of the murder of his family. Now, possibly for the first time, he fully understood the bond between soldiers, and he made it known that he wanted to become a trooper in the Army of the ROA, even though he must remain in his current job until the Brigade returned to Lejeune when he would begin formal basic training.
Levi, Gus, and Bradley were discussing the morale of the Brigade, and they knew that, to a man, even the Brigade’s foremost comedian, Sgt. Wong wanted to be in this fight.
Levi said, “Gus, I know how badly the troopers feel about siege duty, but I am not sure we could defeat nearly two-hundred thousand Jihadists by going building to building.”
Bradley said, “Excuse me, sirs; I have to agree with the General. We just don’t have the manpower to do it or the resources to level Detroit.
We must stick to the plan. They won’t survive the coming winter, hell, it’s already getting cooler, and it’s early August. Winter will come early, and that will lock them in where they will die a miserable death.”
Gus added, “I agree with Bradley, so let’s just cut the head off this snake then make like the shepherd and get the flock out of here. The troopers will get over it when they realize the fate that awaits the survivors in this giant rat trap called Detroit.”
“Yes, I know,” said Levi, “but I’m glad we have developed this plan because I don’t believe we have the where with all to destroy the entire Caliphate Army.
In the spring we’ll do some flyovers to see if we were right, but I don’t expect to see a living soul this far north.”
*
2 August 1300
Twenty miles from Dearborn
While the Snipers and the Flight Crews, scheduled for the 0330 head hunting expedition, against the leader
s of the Caliphate slept; the camp was a hive of activity as tents went up and perimeter security was established. The 1st Brigade Command Staff was busy planning for troop emplacements for the siege of Dearborn and Detroit.
Those engaging the enemy would be awakened for chow at 1630, and would then begin last minute rehearsal for the early morning attack. The Sniper and Spotter Teams would depart for their nests at 2100 aboard two of the Dust Offs. They would be dropped off one mile from their anticipated firing positions.
Lieutenants Carter and Simms had soloed on 25 July and were graduated along with Class two of the Army’s Flight School, Lejeune. They would both again serve as Gunners but were perfectly capable of bringing their birds home if their Pilot became incapacitated.
Blood
3 August 0315
ROA Camp Helipad
“Sir,” said the Sgt. Major to General Levins, “the Sniper Teams have all reported in and have verified that they are in position and operational.”
“Thank you Bradley, and you know that when we’re alone, you can call me Levi.”
“Oh, yes sir, I will sir.”
Levi just smiled and reported that the Snakes were beginning their staggered lift offs beginning at 0325 hours. Over the PRC 77, Radio Net Levi said, “Let’s get this done in one attack; good hunting my friends, and come back safely.”
Each Snake acknowledged their General’s transmission as they began to lift off the Helipad en route to their assigned targets. They would fly nap of the Earth with the Gunners acting as navigators, following the streets that Major Turner had pounded into their brains again and again over the last five days.
The birds all reached the targets at nearly the same time and began firing rockets and 20 mm cannon fire into the buildings housing the leadership, and barracks of the American Caliphate. The few who were able to scramble out of the rocketed buildings were quickly taken down by the Sniper Teams.
