~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Captain I hate to disturb you, but General Talbot wants to talk to you. Sir, I didn't even know you were back,” Jason's Lieutenant said.
I looked around and saw Jason's assistant standing there looking at me as though afraid if he came any closer I might reach out and kill him.
“Is he in his office, Lieutenant?” I asked.
“No sir he's waiting on the phone,” he said.
I looked down and saw I hadn't even bothered to take off my boots.
“Lead the way Lieutenant.” I grabbed my service cap placing it on my head and followed him back to the HQ building.
“Captain, I hope you have a good explanation why you're back there when you should be here,” Jason said.
“I'm sorry sir, but I don't even know how I got here. I remember walking out of the situation room there and then I was here,” I said.
“Do you remember what you told Lieutenant Parks when he came to find you and bring you back in so General Strong could ask a few more questions?” he asked.
“Something about if General Strong wanted to ask me some more questions he could shove it up his ass?” I said.
“Those aren't quite the words Lieutenant Parks used, but they are the general idea behind them. Sam it's things like that, that have kept you from getting your own command,” Jason said.
“So tell me General, is he still committed to sending that company of Marines to their death, or is he willing to listen to reason yet?” I asked.
“I want you at one hundred percent as soon as possible Sam. You're the only one I know that might be able to save those Marines from General Strong's decision,” Jason said.
“There's no chance of changing his mind, then?” I asked.
“You threw any chance of that out the window with your little tirade,” Jason said.
“I'll start working on a way of saving their lives, but I'm not sure I can come up with anything. As soon as they start moving they become vulnerable. Sir if you want you can tell General Strong I think he's an ass who cares nothing about the men under him, and this stupidity proves he only cares about his ego not his men,” I said.
“I don't think I need to Sam, he's sitting right here, and the phone is on speaker,” Jason said.
“Captain the only thing that will save you this time is if those Marines get into trouble and you manage to save them,” General Strong said.
“General Strong, if they get into trouble it's because you're an arrogant ass who isn't willing to listen to reason. I'll do my job, but if having to save those Marines because you can't admit your plan is a bad plan becomes necessary, I will expect you to tender your resignation so we can get someone willing to listen to reason to take over your command position. As for me ever making Major, or higher, I don't expect it so if you think putting a blemish on my record is going to bother me much you might want to ask General Long about what I said to him when we first met,” I said.
I didn't wait for a response before hanging up, and as soon as I had done so I looked over at Jason's Lieutenant and without a word walked out. I headed for the class room we had been given to teach the company commanders to talk to Mac.
“Captain?” Mac asked.
“I want everyone here in the situation room in ten minutes. Mac I want our unit there as well,” I said.
I walked back out not giving any details of anything knowing that soon enough everyone on base would be aware I had again told a General to go fuck himself. I studied the maps again looking for anything that might give the Marines a chance of accomplishing the mission General Strong was giving them.
“Captain, is something wrong?” Mac asked.
“I take it word is already out I told another General to go fuck himself?” I asked.
“It won't be long and it will be all over base. I can only guess there is one reason you'd do something like that. So what do they expect from us this time?” Mac asked.
“Do you know who General Strong is Mac?” I asked.
“The General over this bloody war we're fighting?” Mac asked.
“Close enough, he's the asshole that has kept me from getting my own company, and thinks that because of my age I can't possibly know anything about tactics. You see this company of Marines here. He wants to get them all killed and it's our job to make sure they don't get killed for his stupid idea of how to knock out this enemy communications center.” I said pointing to each area as I talked about it.
“Let me guess he's the one that told that Marine company to set up camp in an area like that too,” Mac said.
“He's a General and if you don't know how to think for yourself... he's supposed to have all these people that are supposed to know battle tactics helping him make decisions. I suggested moving this Marine company over here and then having this company and that one move over there as well. While they were moving to set up in a more defensible location let one of our recon units go in and take out that communication center. We could go in via chopper, take down the communications, and be out in five hours tops and by the time the enemy knew anything about it we'd be back on base sucking down a cold one,” I said.
“I take it you have an idea of just how we're supposed to protect that Marine company?” Mac asked.
“Unless there is something they might think more important than that communications center, I have no idea at all, at least none short of offering to surrender myself to the enemy,” I said.
“I don't think I like that idea sir,” Mac said.
“I don't think I do either, but it might be better than having to face that fucking asshole General again, especially if I can't come up with a way of protecting those Marines he wants to get killed,” I said.
I was missing something and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what. There had to be something even more important to the enemy than that communication center, but what?
I heard everyone else arrive, and Mac start going over the details I had shared with him, only doing so making it sound like this was another part of the training we were giving.
“Excuse me Captain, but these look like airstrips don't they?” Lieutenant Smith asked.
I looked at the map again and indeed they did look like possible airstrips. Currently they had to bring their aircraft from their secured strips well behind the line and it was easy for us to spot them before they could really do anything, and either turn them around or take them out of the sky.
If they could get airstrips this close to us... “Yes Lieutenant those do look like airstrips, thank you,” I said.
“Gentlemen while it may not have seemed I was paying attention when you came in I did hear what Sargent Denvers told you. We need a way of making the movements of this Marine company go unnoticed by the enemy so they can carry out their mission of taking out this communications center. Lieutenant Smith here has given me an idea of what we could use to draw the enemies attention away from the Marines, but right now I want to hear from each of you and what you think would work to draw the enemies attention away from them,” I said.
Each of the men from the class started going over the maps and intelligence looking for anything that might draw the attention of the enemy away from the Marines and their march to knock out the communications center they were trying to get setup. I continued working on a plan based on what looked to be airstrips. If we started knocking out the airstrips they were working on that would make a bigger blow to their ability of striking us while still on our bases. The early warning we had now would be gone if they were able to launch aircraft from so close.
“Captain it seems several of them are interested in just when we did this mission since no one seems to remember hearing any stories about it,” Mac said.
“Haven't any of them looked at the dates on the intelligence reports or the maps? Mac if they aren't smart enough to figure out this is a mission we're planning, I'm not sure any of them will ever be able to grasp what we're trying to teach them,” I said.
&
nbsp; “Excuse me Captain Waters, are the dates on all this stuff right?” Lieutenant Smith asked.
“Why do you ask Lieutenant Smith?” I asked.
“Because if these dates are right it indicates current events,” he said.
“Is that a problem Lieutenant?” I asked.
“You're asking us to help plan a real mission?” he asked.
“Lieutenant you've already been a real help in identifying what appears to be airstrips. I'm working on details of how to disrupt those airstrips and possibly even make it so they have no chance of ever using them,” I said.
“Sir it would be best if we could hit all of them at the same time. And if we had bombers hit them it would be safer for everyone,” Lieutenant Smith suggested.
“And if they have anti-aircraft batteries in place Lieutenant? If these airstrips are that important it's possible they would do everything they can to insure bomber strikes would be difficult if not impossible. No this is something that needs to be done from the ground and not all at once. We want to draw them away from those Marines, that Lieutenant is the first objective,” I said.
We needed to draw the enemy away from the Marines which meant hitting the airstrips in a certain order so to protect them the enemy would be moving away from the Marines and where they were headed. Lieutenant Smith was right these airstrips were important to knock out, but protecting those Marines needed to be the primary concern.
After several hours the group approached as a collective to give me the plan they had devised to protect the Marines.
“Captain Waters, I'm not sure how sound this plan is, and it will require several recon units like yours to pull it off, but it might be possible to knock out everyone of these apparent airstrips while at the same time draw the enemies attention away from that company of Marines, allowing them to do their job. The last of the airfields will likely be the toughest and it should be handled by those with the most experience at dealing with this kind of work,” Captain Larson said.
Captain Larson laid out the whole plan and I checked it against what I already had and smiled. Maybe they were learning, their plan was very close to what I already had with only a few minor details all of which could end up being changed at the last minute.
“Captain Larson, Lieutenant Smith, I need to make a phone call, but I would like both of you to pick out a recon unit. Since I'm not really sure we'll have the go ahead just yet, I don't want either of you talking to the men you choose, at least not yet. Mac can you and the others help them so they end up with units capable of the job at hand?”I asked.
I headed back over to HQ and told Jason's Lieutenant I needed him to get Jason on the phone for me and ten minutes ago wasn't soon enough.
“He just called sir and didn't sound very happy, but did want to talk to you,” he said.
“I'll take it in his office, and Lieutenant, if I even think you might be listening in you'll be using your nose to type those reports of yours,” I said.
I went in Jason's office closing the door behind me and while I thought of going behind his desk I stopped picking up the phone sitting in the chair it seemed I always found myself sitting in whenever he chewed me out for something.
“General I was just getting ready to call you. I really hope this is just between you and me,” I said.
“It's just us Sam. I hope you've been working on a way of keeping those Marines from getting killed,” Jason said.
“That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Jason I think I've come up with a way, but I need two more recon units to pull it off. I think Captain Larson, and Lieutenant Smith would be the perfect commanders for those units,” I said.
“Let me guess, you already have them picking out men to fill their units,” he said.
“I told them not to talk to anyone about this until I've talked to you sir,” I said.
“I'll be back in the morning and you can fill me in on the details then. I was at least able to talk General Strong into waiting until tomorrow afternoon to inform the Marines,” he said.
“No you didn't sir, he wants to know what I have planed to protect them before he sends them their orders. This would still be so much easier if he would listen to reason and let Colonel Andrews take in a recon unit to take out that communications center,” I said.
“You really think he cares one way or another what you have planned Sam?” Jason asked.
“He rejected the plan we came up with because it sounds just a little crazy, like I'm protecting the enemy more than I am our men. He doesn't know how to see beyond the book sir. I'll bet he almost popped when I basically told him to go fuck himself. I'll even bet General Long started laughing the same time General Strong looked ready to start blowing steam out of his ears,” I said.
“You do read people fast, and you're right General Long did start laughing and that only made matters worse. Sam you have people pulling for you, but if you keep stepping on toes you'll never get anywhere, but where you are. You're cunning, and your track record is what keeps you from getting busted or even court-martialed,” Jason said.
The Hidden Rose Page 62
