by James Rosone
Thorne wasn’t sure why, but he felt a strange sense of peace seeing these guys working a regular paper map and then comparing it to what their computer was telling them. These guys weren’t relying on the machine to tell them everything—some things they were still doing the old-fashioned way.
Then the Valor’s engines changed pitch. Not that he could hear the roar of these engines like he could on a Blackhawk or an Osprey, but he certainly noticed the difference in pitch. The nose of the helicopter pulled up as it bled speed off rapidly. In moments, the Valor had gone from airplane mode to helicopter mode.
The pilots found the clearing near the hilltop that had been identified as a good place to insert and start their stalk. At this point, the rest of the team was strapping their rucksacks on and readying their rifles.
Thorne caught a glance of an M4 strapped in behind the pilot—a reminder of how not everyone in the Army had the new rifles just yet. A few more years, though, and they’d all have them.
When the tiltrotor touched down, the operators leapt off and immediately went into a 360-degree defensive position. The team’s lone special reconnaissance airmen had their coms up and running, letting headquarters know they’d arrived. “We’ll spend the next twenty minutes listening and watching to make sure we weren’t spotted on our way in,” he concluded.
Once Thorne felt they’d inserted undetected, then the team would move out. They’d enter the Montecristo Trifinio National Park and begin their reconnaissance work, along with four other ODAs being inserted at different points to cover more ground.
The park itself was situated largely in El Salvador, with parts of it crossing into Honduras and Guatemala. It had several major ridges and a few low-lying mountains, all covered in a dense double-layer jungle canopy. It was incredibly difficult for satellites, drones, or even aerial images to get any kind of a read on what sort of PLA activity might or might not be going on under the thick tree cover.
What little intelligence they had of the area indicated this would likely be just like the large PLA military buildups they had seen in Cuba. Rather than try and defend the entire country or even a few key or critical cities, the Chinese had learned it was more effective to build some incredibly tough fortress redoubts into the landscape and force the Americans and their allies to root them out on foot.
Thorne looked at Chief Miller and Master Sergeant Altenburg and gave them the nod. “Gentlemen, it’s time to go hunting.”
From the Authors
Miranda and I hope you’ve enjoyed this book. If you’d like to continue the action of The Monroe Doctrine, you can preorder your copy of Volume III by clicking on the following link. In addition to the military thriller series you’ve been reading, we are also producing new books in our military sci-fi series, The Rise of the Republic. You can join that series by clicking on the following link to purchase Into the Stars.
If you like to listen to audiobooks, we have several that have recently been produced. All five books of the Falling Empire Series are now available in audio format, along with the six books of the Red Storm Series, and our entire World War III series. Interview with a Terrorist and Traitors Within, which are currently standalone books, are also available for your listening pleasure.
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As a bonus, if you sign up for our mailing list, you will receive a dossier for the Rise of the Republic Series. It contains artwork of the ships we’ve written about, as well as their pertinent stats. It will really help make the series come to life for you as you continue reading.
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You may also enjoy some of our other works. A full list can be found below:
Nonfiction:
Iraq Memoir 2006–2007 Troop Surge
Interview with a Terrorist (link to audiobook here)
Fiction:
The Monroe Doctrine Series
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three (available for preorder, estimated release date September 21, 2021. This book may be released earlier)
Rise of the Republic Series
Into the Stars (link to audiobook here)
Into the Battle (link to audiobook here)
Into the War (audiobook currently in production)
Falling Empires Series
Rigged (link to audiobook here)
Peacekeepers (link to audiobook here)
Invasion (link to audiobook here)
Vengeance (link to audiobook here)
Retribution (link to audiobook here)
Red Storm Series
Battlefield Ukraine (link to audiobook here)
Battlefield Korea (link to audiobook here)
Battlefield Taiwan (link to audiobook here)
Battlefield Pacific (link to audiobook here)
Battlefield Russia (link to audiobook here)
Battlefield China (link to audiobook here)
Michael Stone Series
Traitors Within (link to audiobook here)
World War III Series
Prelude to World War III: The Rise of the Islamic Republic and the Rebirth of America (link to audiobook here)
Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable (link to audiobook here)
Operation Red Dawn and the Siege of Europe (link to audiobook here)
Cyber Warfare and the New World Order (link to audiobook here)
Children’s Books:
My Daddy has PTSD
My Mommy has PTSD
The End.
Abbreviation Key
AAAnti-Aircraft (guns with range of roughly 0–10,000 feet)
AAAAnti-Aircraft Artillery (strikes aircraft above 10,000 feet in altitude)
AGSAdvanced Gun System
AIArtificial Intelligence
AORArea of Responsibility
APArmor-Piercing
APCArmored Personnel Carrier
ASROCAnti-Submarine Rocket
ASWAnti-Submarine Warfare
ATACMSArmy Tactical Missile System
BCTBrigade Combat Team
CAGCommander Air Group
CASClose-Air Support
CBUCluster Bomb Unit
CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
CGIComputer-Generated Image
CIACentral Intelligence Agency
CICCombat Information Center
CMC(Chinese) Central Military Commission
CNOChief of Naval Operations
COCommanding Officer
COBChief of the Boat
COMSUBPACCommander, Submarine Force, US Pacific Fleet
CPCommand Post
CSARCombat Search and Rescue
CSMCommand Sergeant Major
CTComputerized Tomography
CTECommando Tropas Especiales
DDoSDistributed Denial of Service
DHSDepartment of Homeland Security
EMTEmergency Medical Technician
EngEngineering Officer
EUEuropean Union
FAAFederal Aviation Administration
<
br /> FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
FDCFire Directional Control
FLIRForward-Looking Infrared
FOBForward Operating Base
GDPGross Domestic Product
GIGovernment Issue (member of the United States Armed Forces)
GitmoGuantanamo Bay
GLUASGrenade-Launched Unmanned Aerial System
GPSGlobal Positioning System
HARMHigh-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile
HEHigh-Explosive
HEAAHigh-Explosive Anti-Armor
HEATHigh-Explosive Anti-Tank
HIMARSHigh Mobility Artillery Rocket System
HQHeadquarters
HRTHostage Rescue Team
HUMINTHuman Intelligence
HVACHeating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
IRInfrared
J2Joint Intelligence Officer
J3Joint Operations Officer
JBCCJoint Battle Command Center
JDJade Dragon
JDAMJoint Direct Attack Munition
JLTVJoint Light Tactical Vehicle
JSDFJapanese Self-Defense Force
JSMJoint Strike Missile
JSOCJoint Special Operations Command
KCTKorps Commandotroepen
KIAKilled in Action
KSMGerman Combat Swimmers
LMGLight Machine Gun
LNGLiquid Natural Gas
LPNLicensed Practical Nurse
LTLieutenant
LWMMGLightweight Medium Machine Gun
LZLanding Zone
MAAWMultirole Antiarmor Antipersonnel Weapon System
MANPADSMan-Portable Air-Defense System
MARDIVMarine Division
MEFMarine Expeditionary Force
MOHMedal of Honor
MREMeals Ready-to-Eat
MRIMagnetic Resonance Imaging
MSOTMarine Special Operations Teams
NASNaval Air Station
NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization
NCONoncommissioned Officer
NORADNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
NSANational Security Advisor
NSWNaval Special Warfare
ODAOperational Detachment Alpha (Special Forces)
OPObservational Post
PIDPositive Identification
PJPararescuemen
PLAPeople’s Liberation Army (Chinese Army)
PLANPeople’s Liberation Army Navy (Chinese Navy)
PosPosition
PRCPeople’s Republic of China
PTSDPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder
R&RRest and Recreation
RAPRocket-Assisted Projectiles
RHAWRadar, Homing and Warning
Ro-RoRoll-On, Roll-Off
RPRally Point
RPGRocket-Propelled Grenade
RTORadiotelephone Operator
RWRRadar Warning Receiver
S1Personnel Officer
S2Intelligence Officer
SAMSurface-to-Air Missile
SBUSpecial Boarding Unit
SCIFSensitive Compartmented Information Facility
SEADSuppressing Enemy Air Defenses
SEALSea, Air and Land Crew (Navy’s all-terrain fighters)
SFCSergeant First Class
SIGINTSignals Intelligence
SINCGARSSingle-Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System
SMAWShoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon
SOARSpecial Operations Aviation Regiment
SOCOMSpecial Operations Command
SOSUSSound Surveillance System
SPSelf-Propelled
SpecOpsSpecial Operations
TAOTactical Action Officer
TELTransporter Erector Launcher
TICTroops in Contact
TOCTactical Operation Center
TOWTube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided Missile
UAVUnmanned Aerial Vehicle
UCAVUnmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle
UFCUltimate Fighting Championship
UKUnited Kingdom
USFUniversity of Southern Florida
USMCAUnited States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
VAVeterans Affairs
VRVirtual Reality
WPWhite Phosphorus
XOExecutive Officer
ZBDType of Chinese infantry fighting vehicle
ZBLType of Chinese armored personnel carrier
