December's Soldiers

by Marvin Tyson

  As J.P. reached down to helped Raymond up, he said “We’ve got a lot of food here and, if Marty will be so kind as to ask our Lord’s blessing, we can eat it all up.”

  “I took the liberty of asking Captain Travis on the ride over here if he would ask the Lord’s blessing on our meal today, if that’s okay with our hosts?” Marty asked.

  “We would be honored,” said Raymond.

  Needing no further prompting, Jeremy said, his voice reverent, “Dear Lord, we thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon each of us. We thank you for your guidance in our lives, and we thank you for allowing all of our paths to cross. We know it was your gentle hand that nudged us along life’s road and allowed us to know each other as friends and as family.

  “Now we ask you, Lord, to bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and your Word to the nourishment of our souls. Bless our comings and our goings, our memories and our hearts, and continue to bless our beloved Texas.”

  With a loud chorus of “Amen!” they all began to load up plates and make small talk. Everyone was patient, but they all clearly wanted to know more about this young man who most of them had just met. He could barely eat for the questions being fired at him, along with glowing words for his grandmother.

  By the time they all had their fill, the sun was going down and everyone was exhausted. Goodbyes were said and cars began to drive slowly away from the ranch. Raymond and Sheila felt, for the first time, like it was really their home.

  Chapter 62

  The next day, when Marty arrived at work, Bill O’Hare was waiting for him. He looked rough, as if he hadn’t slept well the night before. His suit was rumpled, his hair looked like it hadn’t been combed, and he hadn’t shaved.

  “Good morning, Bill. Come on in,” Marty said, walking into his office and fixing himself a cup of black coffee. “Tough night?”

  “Yes, sir, very tough,” Bill replied. “I spent the night soul searching, and it’s a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.”

  Marty had a suspicion that he knew the source of Bill’s problems, but he didn’t say anything about that. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  Bill sat down at the table in the corner of Marty’s office, burying his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, sir,” he murmured, just loud enough for Marty to hear him.

  Marty fixed a cup of tea for his chief of staff and brought it over to him. Bill burst into tears.

  “Okay, Bill, let’s hear it,” Marty told him. “You’ve got something big on your mind. You’ll feel better if you just get it out there.”

  He pulled up a chair close to Bill’s, and put a hand on the man’s arm.

  Bill’s shoulders shook as he wept, deep sobs coming from him. He couldn’t talk for a few minutes. Marty waited.

  “You have been so good to me, Marty, ever since we’ve known each other.” Bill looked up, and tears still welled up and overflowed down his unshaven cheeks. “I have betrayed you, and…”

  Again, he rested his face in his hands, shaking his head as if he were being harassed by demons.

  Marty knew Bill would eventually get his story out, but he already knew what it was. It had taken some time, but he’d uncovered Bill’s indiscretion with Amy Burton, and he was pretty sure that had led to the betrayal Bill referred to.

  Finally, Bill was able to continue, and everything poured out in a long stream. “Some time ago,” he said, “I got into a situation with a young woman. It was spontaneous and God knows it was unintentional. I couldn’t tell my wife; she would have left me. Somehow, Senator Mitchell found out about it, whether by accident or whether the whole thing with Ms. Burton was a set-up. He had someone I didn’t know call me. The guy threatened me, told me he would release the information to the press. He said it would embarrass you and your administration and, if I didn’t comply with their orders, they might even kill me.

  “I didn’t know what to do, sir,” Bill cried. “The guy demanded an immediate answer, wouldn’t even let me think it over. I tried to think of anything I could to avoid saying yes, but the man was unyielding. All I could think of was, if they could kill me, they could also kill my wife and kids! I couldn’t have that, sir! I love my family so much…”

  He broke down again, obviously disconsolate at the thought of the havoc he’d been a part of. Marty’s heart went out to him, and he stood and put his arm around Bill’s shoulder.

  “It’s okay, Bill,” he said softly. “It’s okay. We got the bad guys, and everything will be just fine in Texas.”

  He walked over to his desk and picked up the phone. “Norma,” he said, “send Evan and Greg in.”

  Bill looked up as the door to Marty’s office opened, then he hung his head again as two Texas Rangers walked in.

  “Bill,” Marty said gently, “you need to go with these fellows. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll stand beside you and will help your wife get through this.”

  Bill stood, looking small against the two Rangers. One cuffed him, and they led him out.

  Chapter 63

  President Barker boarded Air Force One in the early hours of the morning, bound for Austin, Texas. He had not told anyone but his security staff about the trip prior to departure, but a hurriedly called news conference had been set up for him at the Texas Capitol. All media organizations were notified and Texas President Kert had invited certain key Texans to attend.

  Security details for both presidents worked to clear the room and adjacent hallways of people who had not been cleared by Marty to remain before President Barker entered.

  The president’s first words were addressed to Marty as a fellow head of state. Then he said, “I’d also like to ask how Raymond Ramos is doing. That brave man put his life on the line for the U.S. and Texas, and I, for one, am very proud of him.”

  Raymond stepped forward. “Thank you for asking, Mr. President, and for your kind words,” he said. “I’m doing well, and am glad I had the opportunity to be of service.”

  “Good to know, Raymond,” the president said, then he continued. “I have some important news I think you will all be interested in. Senator Mitchell, who is recovering from his injuries, decided—whether through conscience or in hopes of leniency—to tell everything he knew about the disastrous plan to control the world’s crude oil supply, as well as the attempt to silence witnesses against him.”

  The crowd cheered at this news. President Barker wanted to get this information to the public as soon as possible to squelch any talk of retribution based on people’s suspicion that “wayward” Texans had murdered a former U.S. president and attorney general, since AG Smart had succumbed to his injuries.

  “Senator Mitchell told us the details of President Jackson’s personal financial setbacks and my own son-in-law’s clandestine affair that resulted in him being blackmailed into the plot,” President Barker said. “He also filled us in on another situation. Three men, just out of the military, were hired to tail the three men and two women Mitchell’s group saw as potential witnesses against them. Those men were to keep President Jackson and the others informed by radio of their location. As soon as it was certain that they were at their final destination, the three primary players―Jackson, Mitchell and Smart―would be flown in by helicopter with more gunmen, and everyone would leave as soon as these five Texans disposed of.

  “That would have left these young men, the pilot, and the co-pilot of the helicopter as witnesses, too, so they would have to be taken care of as well. Mitchell’s plan was to place everyone on the helicopter for the trip out, with the exception of himself, the AG, and the ex-president, telling the others this would be less suspicious if they were stopped, since the van was rented in his name.” President Barker looked out over the crowd, which had fallen silent as he outlined the details of the sinister plot. “And that part was true. He left a briefcase containing twenty-five pounds of high explosives, with a cellphone as a detonator, on board the aircraft. He intended to set it off as soon as the helic
opter gained sufficient altitude. But everything apparently went wrong from that point onward and several well-intentioned, gullible young men were killed along with two of the guilty.

  “All the details beyond that are contained in a briefing paper you can pick up on your way out,” he concluded.

  “Now on to some better news,” he said. “I know some of you sitting here today were involved in some way with the meeting at the UN a few weeks ago at which Senator Mitchell led the U.S. delegation. I want you to know that meeting was not a waste of time. In fact, it was the catalyst for some international actions that will help us all a great deal going forward.”

  Then he turned toward Marty and said, “President Kert, all this information was sent to your office first thing this morning, just as it was to me on Air Force One, but you were on your way here, so you may not have been informed.”

  By the quizzical look on Marty’s face, President Barker could tell he was correct in that assumption, but Marty assured him it would be okay to say it in front of those in the room.

  “Since that UN meeting, more than two dozen states around the world have recognized Texas as a free and independent state. That included all but one member of the Security Council, and we will recognize Texas later today, I’m sure. The Senate will take that up right before the start of the impeachment trial for Senator Mitchell.”

  He smiled as he said that, and then added, “The count of states to recognize Texas is more than one hundred twenty-five as of this morning.” He stepped back from the podium. “That concludes what I have to say, but I understand President Kert has something to add, and I hope he will grant me permission to stay for that as well.”

  “Thank you, President Barker. I, as well as Texas, would be honored by your presence. Neither Texas nor I could ever hope for a better friend or a more loyal ally than you.”

  He paused, acknowledging President Barker’s presence, then continued. “There are several people in this room today without whom I certainly wouldn’t be here and probably wouldn’t be alive, and Texas would likely not be a free and independent republic. Most of you in the media know some of these people and some of what they have done, but probably no one alive knows all the good things they have done, so I have had another detailed report printed for all of you. It is the same report I presented to the Delegates of the People, who are doing all the things that will later be done by our congress after a constitution is ratified. They have authorized me to make the following presentations: To Sheila Littlefeather Ramos, Citizenship in our Republic, and the first citizen to be recognized by our Republic as a distinguished Servant of the People. Mrs. Ramos went far beyond anything that could have been called ‘duty,’ risking far more than any of us had a right to expect.” He presented a certificate of citizenship to Sheila, who accepted it graciously and humbly.

  “Thank you, Mr. President,” she said, and walked back to her place next to Raymond with a huge smile on her face.

  “To the following, I present the Texas Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian medal that our nation can bestow, along with my personal debt of gratitude: Pat Thomas, Samuel Wood, and Demetrius Chambers, without whom I would not be here today. Each of them saved my life on more than one occasion and risked theirs many times for Texas and your right to determine your own pathway into the future as a people. Neither these words nor these medals, which are mere tokens of our gratitude, can ever be enough to repay what they have done.” He took a moment to pin a medal on each of the recipients, shaking their hands.

  Then he continued. “Now I would like to present the Texas Medal of Freedom to three others, but I want to tell a brief story about these men first.

  “Many years ago, they left their homes and families and traveled half-way around the world to fight in a war they truly believed was necessary to assure the freedom of a people they had probably never heard of before getting their orders. They did it without hesitation and they did it well. Highly decorated for their service, but largely unrecognized by their countrymen, they didn’t complain. No military person has ever better acquitted him or herself in service to country. Then they came home and worked hard to build a life for themselves and their loved ones. But they never stopped believing that freedom required constant vigilance and sacrifice here, too.

  “So they worked hard and were always willing to risk everything they had, including their lives, for the sake of Texas and freedom for her people. Every time they were asked, every time they saw a need, they did not hesitate to take it on. I would not have become your governor or your president without them. I would not even be standing here today, nor would Texas be a free and independent republic without the sacrifices of these men. These same men risked their lives again for Texas just recently, and one came perilously close to losing his.

  “I present these medals to Raymond Ramos, Sam Waters, and J.P. Thompson, with the perpetual thanks of the grateful nation of Texas.”

  After pinning the medals on the chests of his old friends, he asked everyone to step outside with him.

  Inside a barricaded area on the south side of the capitol, a large shroud hung over a new monument.

  “There will be a public unveiling of this monument tomorrow,” Marty told the crowd, “but I want these Texas heroes to see it first.”

  He asked Sammy and De to remove the shroud to reveal a statue of Sylvia Travis, perpetually honored in the new republic she had been so instrumental in establishing.

  The inscription read:

  SYLVIA TRAVIS

  CHRISTIAN MOTHER AND

  FOUNDER

  OF THE

  SECOND REPUBLIC OF TEXAS

  HOME

  No matter where life leads us, no matter where we roam,

  We can dwell in any place, but a heart must have a home.

  The leatherback and loggerhead, behemoths of the Main

  Swim the Seven Seas around, but always back again.

  They come to cast their genes upon the endless reach of time,

  To the beach of their own birth, and their mothers’, out of time.

  Salmon, drawn of all the laughing waters of the earth,

  Cannot but return again to self-same river of their birth

  To spawn the generations yet to come, and all that yet will be.

  So it is with nature’s beasts, it must be with you and me.

  Our heart must always be our guide, our true home to find;

  We won’t find it with a compass, a map, or words of any kind.

  Your heart must lead you homeward, if homeward you would go,

  When your footsteps fall on “home,” your heart will let you know.

  For me that home is Texas and, until I see my Savior’s face,

  My soul will take its ease here; there is no other place.

  And even when my body falls, and crumbles into dust,

  I will cling to the words of Jesus, and place in Him my trust.

  He said He would go on ahead, to make a place for you and me

  My “place” will have bluebonnets, longhorns, and horses roaming free!

  About the Author

  Marvin Tyson is a lifelong Texan of many generations (his first confirmed ancestors arrived in Texas about 1820-24), Marvin was born in Brown County in 1949.

  His family was poor while he was growing up. He got his first real job when he was eleven years old working at a Corpus Christi marina for a dollar a day! That was seven days a week when school was out, and it seemed like a ton of money to him. He also got tips from customers that could more than double his salary at times. That let him buy school clothes for the next year and take in a weekly movie (twenty-five cents with a coke and popcorn or candy!).

  He served a tour in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions. When he came home, he worked anywhere he could find a job until he taught himself how to weld and went into the construction industry as a pipe welder. He went to work at the Amoco Refinery in Texas City where he worke
d thirty-four years as a welder, supervisor, and apprentice coordinator before retiring in 2009.

  He was asked to come out of retirement last year to develop a pipefitter and welder program for Alvin Community College where he remained until October 2015.

  God Bless Texas