State of Defense (State of Arizona Book 1)

by Doug Ball

  31

  5:45 AM

  “Major, I want every man we have in this area on that group just south of us. The eye-in-the-sky boys have estimated their strength at 8 to 12 thousand. But, they are spread out considerably. Let’s get a blocking force in place and then hit them on their left and front at the same time. Your board shows 8,000 actives of ours in this area, let’s put them to work.”

  “General, those men are scattered all over hell and creation down there, our men and theirs. The best I can do is tell the company commanders to hit hard and keep us posted.”

  “Sounds like just the thing, organized chaos. Do it.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The Major turned to the table and said, “All units will attack in five minutes, after reporting their position to command. Standby for further instructions.”

  Four minutes later, “Major, all units have reported.”

  The Major looked out the door at the General standing in the growing light. “General, we’re starting.”

  “Very well.”

  The Major turned back to the command group, “All units attack targets of opportunity. Insure target identification, friend or foe.”

  The word went out over the radio net and the General heard, the Major heard, everybody heard the blast of 7,000 plus weapons going off almost simultaneously.

  As the transport arrived, backup units were created, non-coms put in charge when the officer staff ran out, and sent to the battle.

  6:05 AM

  Within twenty minutes the eye-in-the-sky reported, “Enemy units are stopped in place. Many are surrendering. I think they’re done.” There was joy in the voice, until, “Wait a minute. We have about 500 men still moving to the east 1000 meters from the fighting. They are double timing toward I-19.”

  Governor’s Office

  “Governor, the General is on the phone and the donuts are here courtesy of the Phoenix PD.” Josie loved her job even at 6 AM. She liked the overtime, but hated the war that caused it. Right after the shindig with the tribes, her boyfriend hurried home to get his daddy’s Garand M-1 and his own Smith and Wesson .45 before changing into his hunting camos, firing up his truck, and heading south. He called her on the road, “I’ll be back in time for the wedding.”

  The Governor took the phone and grabbed her tea cup, “Thanks, Josie. I’ll take two, jelly filled please. I need the sugar energy. Now I know why the cops call them power pills.”

  “Hello, General. I pray you have good news.” She sounded much cheerier than she felt, but he was on the front lines and probably getting less sleep than she.

  “Oh, yeah, dear lady. This stinking war is coming to an end or you may have my head.”

  “Oh, no. I do not want your head. Where would I put it?”

  “I know we are both trying to keep things light, but I can’t do it, this is just too serious. There is a tent full of wounded and some dying not a hundred yards from me and ambulances are running as fast as they can to hospitals all over the state with troops who are suffering for the cause of Arizona and the United States. My second cousin is leading the enemy forces and they have taken horrendous casualties. We have over 5,000 POWs, most of which want political asylum, many of them surrendered without firing a shot.”

  “Wow. Are our troops that scary? And, I’m serious with that question.” She sipped her tea and took a bite of the donut Josie delivered.

  Taking another slug of coffee he had come to seriously dislike, but needed, the General responded, “Their heart wasn’t in it. I say we don’t want men and women who are ready to quit after volunteering to serve. We will march them back to the border and wave goodbye to them.”

  “Oooooo. Is that a good idea? I would think we would have a lot of trouble with that choice.”

  “It’s your call, but I don’t want them in my neighborhood. Would they ever truly serve the U.S. or Arizona? I don’t think so. I’m thinking they were just looking for the easy paycheck and not the work or danger.”

  The Governor thought for a few minutes as she chewed on the rest of the donut and sipped her tea. “Tell you what, General, old buddy, you decide, and then if it blows up I can blame you for the snafu just like I always do.”

  “Oh, great, waffling on me again. They warned me when I took the job.”

  “I wish they had warned me when I was elected Secretary of State. The old Governor dumped a deep pile of manure on my plate when she resigned to go play in Washington.”

  “Glad she’s gone. Woops, did I say that out loud? Are you recording this? Nah, not with the statements you just made.”

  “Editing is a wonderful thing.” The Governor paused and sipped her tea. “It’s your decision, Mike, you know your people best.”

  “My people are the people of Arizona, my lady, but I understand what you meant. I will be shipping them back as soon as any exchanges are complete. As of right now, we aren’t missing anyone that I know of.”

  “I will support you with all the power of this office. Of course, we may both have to resign.”

  “Not a problem. I will be honored to stand beside you when the time comes.”

  “Go back to work before this gets too mushy, General. Besides, I have to meet with the tribes of Arizona again at 9 AM on the Capitol steps.” She signaled Josie for a new cup of tea and the other donut.

  “That doesn’t sound like fun. Aren’t they supposed to stage an uprising this morning? Until next time, when I report complete victory in this stupid power play.” He hung up.

  Josie said, “I already ate the other donut, but I have more tea.”

  “Maybe I’ll give you to the Indians.”

  6:00 AM

  The Mexican Colonel, much the worse for wear after his all night hike, had lost about fifteen pounds, had blisters on both feet, was suffering from severe cramps in both legs and his back, and could not keep any food down due to exhaustion. He also had Arizona’s Revenge from drinking the water. He told his troop leaders that they were staying at this location for a few hours, “Rest the troops. They must be very tired after a day of battle and an all-night hike.”

  The Colonel looked at the 600 men remaining in his small group and marveled at their ability to keep going.

  A Major said, “Our troops are ready to join the central force up I-19, Colonel. It is you who holds us back. May we leave a few men with you and continue the advance?”

  “No, we will stay together. I have spoken.”

  The Colonel’s communication trooper called out, “Colonel, the General wants to speak with you,” and handed the Colonel the handset.

  “Colonel Alvarez, mi General.”

  He listened for all of thirty seconds, his face showing signs of pain. He handed the handset back after saying, “Si, mi General.”

  He turned to his troops, “The General has ordered our advance to continue as rapidly as possible and is sending a helicopter to get me to the front at Rio Rico immediately. You will take command of this force, Major Mora, and proceed to a point two kilometers north of exit 25 on I-19 to meet with the main force by 1300. You will report your position and progress to the General every thirty minutes. Leave stragglers behind. Move very rapidly.”

  “Si, Colonel. This will be done.” The Major turned to his junior officers and Sergeants, “We leave this position immediately and move east as fast as possible. Carry only water, weapons, and ammunition. We move as soon as the Colonel’s ride is sighted.”

  The two squads of Arizona troops them could see something was happening and got set to move, half of them moving north to stay between them and Arivaca, and the other moving east to harass the Mexicans on their way to Tumacacori.

  Within minutes there was the sound of a chopper coming from the southeast. Just as it flared to land, two stingers reached out and touched it with a high explosive welcome, ending the Colonel’s ride.

  The Colonel looked to the Major, “Proceed east with all speed. I will remain here.”

  “You could try, mi colonel.”

&nbs
p; “I am done, Major. Good luck and good hunting.”

  The Major saluted before ordering the advance to the east. Six hundred troops out of the fifteen thousand that had crossed the border, stomped steadily just north of east as the two squads of Arizona’s finest faded into the countryside moving as fast as possible to keep up and harass.

  The Colonel was left standing in the middle of nowhere watching his ride burn. He grabbed his gear and started walking after his men. “I will show los bastardos what a Colonel of the Army of Mexico can do.” Within ten minutes he caught up and began passing the troops toward the front of the march as his troops cheered and called out to him.

  The Arizona troops were so startled by his movements that none of them thought to capture him before he joined his troops. The harassing began with a shot here and a shot there, always from far enough away that the shooter could reposition before retaliation began. The Mexicans marched on putting squad sized units on the flanks as far as 200 meters out where possible. The Mexican troops soon learned this was not the place to be after three of their flankers disappeared without a trace.

  32

  Tumacacori

  6:30 AM

  As troops began to pile up on the grounds of Tumacacori the old priest came calmly out of his residence, his eyes wide. “What is going on here?” he asked with a slight tone of anger.

  The first man he saw was in civilian clothes carrying a military style rifle and a semi-auto pistol at his hip looked at the priest, who took off his hat, and dipped his head. “Excuse me, Father, I’m only a grunt. The man over there,” he pointed with his hand full of rifle, “is the Captain in charge. Please talk with him.”

  “Bless you, my son, and be safe.”

  He watched everything going on in this open area before the church as he walked to the Captain. “Captain, I am told you are in charge of this gathering of armed individuals.”

  He took off his helmet, “Why yes, Father, I am in charge for the moment, until the Major gets here. Is there a problem? You do know that the Mexican Army is headed this way in an attempt to conquer at least southern Arizona, don’t you?”

  “Yes, my son, I know that, but why are you here/ This is consecrated ground and also a National Historic Park. We can have no weapons of war here. Can you move your people to the other side of the highway? Or, better yet, south a mile is a very good empty field with a dip to the south of it. It would make a great place to muster your men and to dig in.”

  “Are you military, Father?”

  “Before I took my calling, I was Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. I retired from there to answer this calling. I have never looked back.”

  “I’ll check out the ground you speak of and move my men elsewhere no matter what.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Please inform me of where you end up. I’ll come pray over the men and women you are gathering for victory. Please don’t fall back and allow the war to devastate this sacred place.”

  “Father, if I have any choice in the matter we will hit them hard and shove them clear back to Mexico City.”

  “That’s a long walk, Captain, but if that walk starts I’ll walk beside you.”

  “Works for me, Sir. Thanks for the tip.”

  The Captain looked around for his communications trooper, a cute young college girl who just wanted to do something without having to shoot one of those noisy guns. “Hey, Julie, I told you to stay close. Yes, he is cute. No, you cannot quit. Get the General for me.”

  “Okay, Boss.” She fumbled with the handset a bit, “Big T calling Spike.” She listened.

  The scrambled unit squealed, Julie held it away from her ear, “Turkey,” came a voice that sounded like C3PO. Julie replied, “Bacon.”

  “Whatcha got for us, Big T?”

  “Captain wants to talk with the General.”

  “Wait one.”

  Julie called to the Captain, “He’s comin’ on, Boss.”

  Captain William P. Cartwright was a bit worried. Newly promoted and in his first combat leadership role, had him trying to remember everything he ever knew about defensive setups and troop deployment. The biggest issue, he had never called a General before to recommend anything.

  “General Rios.”

  The Captain jumped to attention and almost tried to salute, but caught himself. “General, this is Captain Cartwright at Tumacacori. I talked with the priest here, a retired Army officer by the way, and he recommended a spot about a mile south of the mission for two reasons. We don’t want the National Historic Site destroyed in a battle and there is rising ground in our favor. Request permission to make the movement to the rising ground and dig in troops along that higher ground.”

  “What’s your recommendation, Captain?”

  “I recommend that we move this war closer to the enemy, General, and when the Mexicans show up we shove them back to Mexico City.”

  “Make it so, Captain. Except I want you to stop at the border unless they continue to fire across the border, then you may chase them until they surrender. I will be there in about one hour from the way things are shaping up here. Do it, Captain.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  The Captain turned the handset back to Julie and called for the Sergeants. After explaining to them what was to be done and the rules of engagement for combat, he jumped in an armored Hummer with his First Sergeant and Julie, and headed south. The Sergeant didn’t mind sitting in the back seat with Julie at all.

  Arivaca

  The General informed his staff of his change in deployment to Tumacacori. As he cleared the back door of the old gas station turned headquarters he saw wounded being loaded in a string of ambulances. That was a good sign. He trotted over to them and asked, “How many more to transport, Lieutenant?”

  Snapping to attention and saluting, he said, “About twenty, General. Got a bus coming in about five minutes out that will handle most of them and two more school buses about fifteen minutes out for the rest.

  “Could we get a pickup for this gear, General?”

  The General looked around. Seeing a nice, shiny new Dodge dually, he said, “Grab that one, Lieutenant.”

  “Sir, that truck belongs to Doctor Singh from Tucson.”

  “In that case the good doctor will want it following him to our new set up just north of Tumacacori. He may even wish to drive it himself.”

  “The Doctor was on the last ambulance to Tucson with a very serious patient. His keys are in it. I’ll make it happen, General.”

  “I’m betting you will, Lieutenant. I want all this equipment to join the new set up on I-19 when these new casualties are stabilized. There will be many from the sounds of the gunfire. Leave enough men here to assist with casualties coming in. You stay here and make this all happen. How many doctors do you have staying?”

  “Yes, Sir. Three doctors and ten nurses. Medics will be coming in from the companies as their wounded are brought in.”

  “Sounds good. Keep up the good work.”

  The Lieutenant snapped to attention and saluted before doing a sharp about face and moving off in a hurry.

  The General chuckled at the young man’s back knowing he would do just exactly what was outlined and do it well.

  7:15 AM

  Captain Cartwright took one look at the position the priest had suggested and told the First Sergeant to get busy setting up the defensive line along the southern military crest of the rising ground. Over two hundred meters of open ground dropped away into a low wash area that had four inch high banks, not much use for cover, and the ground then rose again for over three hundred meters to the south, giving them a five hundred meter open firing area.

  Latest reports indicated that the Mexican force was moving up I-19 using their trucks to transport supplies while the troops walked in front meeting mild resistance. “I intend to stiffen the resistance to the point it will be like a wall. You Mexicans are not getting past me,” the Captain said to the winds.

  As more and more personnel arrived on the
scene, a second and then a third line of defense was established. The Sergeants and Corporals were hard pressed to find spots for the incoming troops and civilians so they expanded the flanks far out each side of the highway, curving the east side slightly toward the south.

  The toughest problem was matching experienced troops with inexperienced and positioning based on the weapons carried. They finally decided that all those with only shotguns were to be put on the third line and that once the second line had fallen back behind them they would open up at close range and support the withdrawal. In reality, no one in the Guard, absolutely nobody, planned on doing any falling back. The troops, civilian and military, were mad, well-armed, fed, and hot for battle after the word spread among them of the bloody massacre of civilians in Nogales.

  Arizona Capitol

  Phoenix

  9:00 AM

  The Governor and her companions, somewhat wrinkled all, stood on the steps of the Capitol yawning and drinking coffee, tea, or water trying to stay awake. The donuts were all gone and an intern from the Senate had been sent for more. A school bus came around the corner, Window Rock Public Schools was painted on its sides. Then there was a large van, followed by more buses and vans until the street as far as could be seen was full, all traffic stopped dead.

  A horn honked.

  Doors opened.

  The men and women of the Legislature calmly ditched their cups of whatever as hundreds of Native Americans in full native dress exited the vehicles and began chanting and moving in the direction of the crowd on the steps. Many of the politicians immediately remembered the uprising was to come at sunrise today and suddenly remembered they had things to do elsewhere.

  The Governor and her husband stepped forward. Her three body guards moved in front of her, one watching her and the folks behind her and the other two making sure they were between her and the Indians.