| Subject: ...For Meritorious Service, Epilogue - part one |
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TxJAG_b
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Date Posted: 12:51:49 08/09/10 Mon
In reply to:
TxJAG_b
's message, "...For Meritorious Service, Chapter 27 - continued" on 10:56:42 07/07/10 Wed
…For Meritorious Service - Epilogue - part one
A/N 1: Thanks to my trio of editors [Mary Ann, Janlaw and Karen] for their usual fine job. Kudos also to AeroGirl, Mkim, Soleil, TZ, Janlaw for providing their help and technical expertise. Also thanks to Lisa Griffon [Yahoo Shipper Group] for her continuing support.
A/N2: Seems I can't even get an Epilogue in one posting - oh well, see what you think.... I'll get the rest of
it up here as soon as I can.....
From Chapter 27:
******************
“Take it slow Flyboy, you really did a number on yourself,” she softly admonished. Her deep brown eyes held him fast. “Do you remember what happened?”
“For a moment there I thought we were in trouble,” he managed to quip, Then he became serious again. “Gaskin put one up our six…blown out of the cockpit,” he sighed. “Is that what you call giving me cover, Marine?”
“Haarm…” she began with a momentary look of irritation crossing her face.
He suddenly remembered Mac’s visions. “Pete,” He struggled like a drunk to sit upright and failed miserably, as Mac and his injuries conspired to keep him on the ground.
“Pete is just fine, thanks to you.” Harm could tell her voice was full of…admiration? He looked into her dark brown eyes again. She was smiling radiantly at him. She continued to stroke his cheek and her grip on his good hand strengthened.
*********************
“Take it easy, Harm; the Corpsman says you’ve got a broken left arm and a badly injured leg,” Mac said as she tried to keep him from moving.
The aviator/lawyer, still groggy, tried to sit up again. This caused the Marine JAG Corps officer to gently restrain him.
“I told you to take it easy…Pete is just fine, Flyboy, you saved his life…and yours.”
Harm shook his head. “No, Mac; you saved ours – thanks to you, we knew what to expect….”
Mac sat back on her heels. “Are you saying you heeded the warning from my vision?” This was a first.
Harm gave her a wry grin. “Let’s just say I was hedging my bets, Marine….”
Objective India
The ineffectual stuttering of heavy machine guns was quickly drowned out by the roar of the incoming Tomcats of VF-218. If Sahood’s men thought that shooting down one of the attacking aircraft was going to scare off ‘The Raptors’, they were grossly misinformed.
Rhino’s Eagle 31 made the first strike. The ‘Cat pilot didn’t have at his disposal the laser guided bombs that he had used on his last run of over this target, but he did have the ‘dumb iron bomb’ versions and they were just as deadly for this assignment.
Rhino toggled his pickle switch and four 1,000 pound dumb bombs ripped the tracks from a T-62/KMT-6 mine clearing tank that had been leading Sahood’s little procession and gutted a OT-64 personnel carrier that had been following right behind it.
An Assad Babil, Saddam’s modification of the T-72M1, swerved around the burning wreckage while being bracketed by a pair of 2,000 pound explosions.
The following group of three OT-64 carriers weren’t as lucky as they disappeared in a paroxysm of flames ignited by two napalm casings dropped on them. At first they continued to trundle forward, wheels alight, wrapped in flames until they began to detonate, flinging away their conical machine gun turrets like dogs shaking off water.
Behind Eagles 31, 32, and 33, Eagle 34, flown by Lieutenant [junior grade] Ben ‘Wolfie’ Walsh, dropped two 1,000 pound bombs on the engine deck of a Romanian built TR-77 main battle tank, destroying its ability to move.
With the main passage out of the Battalion Defensive Position now completely blocked, The Raptors’ pounced with savage fury on the bottled up remains of Sahood’s battle force.
Eagle 41 immolated a string of missile armed OT-64’s and their guardian BTU-55 bulldozer tank. Eagle 42 walked a line of 20 millimeter shells into a hapless Gaskin missile truck as it vainly tried to engage the aerial attackers.
The rest of Eagle squadron went after the FROG and SCUD missile launchers that were trapped by the burning wreckage of the assault force.
As if on rails, Eagle squadron swooped down again and again on the fortress unleashing all their remaining ordnance. Tanks, personnel carriers, engineering vehicles which just minutes before been moving toward what they thought was certain victory, clanked to halt, spewing heavy black smoke or bursting into spasms of flame, their turrets ripped off and flung away from their chassis.
By the time Eagle squadron’s Tomcats had expended all their ordnance, only a handful of dazed Fedayeen and the last remnants of the 11th Infantry Division and 2nd Al-Medinah Armored Division were stumbling around blindly in the acrid smoke.
“Adios, Mike Foxtrots” said Rhino sarcastically as he passed one last time over the burning wreckage, making sure there was nothing left intact.
*~*
As he pulled up, Eagle 31 saw giant multi-engined planes lumbering their way toward the Battalion Defensive Position. The B-52 cell from Diego Garcia had arrived.
Air Force Captain Brandon ‘Rockwell’ Carter steered his BUFF, affectionately known to the crew as ‘Gran’dad’s Devastator’ – a sort of play on words in that his plane was almost old enough to be flown by his granddad – toward their designated target.
His pilot, or in layman’s terms, the co-pilot 1st Lieutenant Corey Willis, looked at the smoking ruin of their target.
“That’s what they want us to hit? It looks to me as if it’s already done for. ‘Rockwell….’” Carter had been nicknamed ‘Rockwell’ by his crew because when he smoked a pipe he looked like the spitting image of Norman Rockwell.
Aircraft Commander Brandon Carter knew this young hot-shot would mature, but at times Corey was like an overeager puppy. “It may look plastered, Lieutenant, but don’t forget that Eagle squadron just lost one of their planes to SAM over this place.”
Corey considered Carter’s comment for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right ‘Rockwell’, we can’t be too careful with Saddam’s boys.”
‘Rockwell’ Carter switched his radio to VF-218’s frequency so he could communicate with the closest F-14.
“Eagle 21 this is Thunder Seven; are you our escort to the target? Over.”
“This is Eagle 31, Thunder Seven. Eagle 21 took a SAM up the tailpipe and they’re riding the nylon elevator. Eagle 22 is keeping an eye on them until friendlies reach them. I’m your escort to the target, Thunder Seven.”
Carter and Willis looked out their cockpit windows and could see the remains of the Tomcat fighter bomber wrapped around the junked Gaskin SAM launcher.
“Man, that took guts,” Willis said aloud. Carter nodded. Central Command was right; the insurgents couldn’t be allowed to keep these weapons or that fortress they had built. He sure hoped that ‘Cat pilot and his RIO had made it out okay.
‘Rockwell’ spoke tersely into his radio mike. “Roger Eagle 31, lead us in, we’ll do the rest…”
*~*
Mac, Harm and the others looked up when they heard the roar of the big bombers’ Pratt and Whitney engines. The giant grey bombers were led by a single Tomcat.
“Those are some big b one rd’s headed this way, ma’am,” Kayce said as the three massive B-52 Stratofortresses ever drew closer.
“That would be the B-52 cell from Diego Garcia, Corporal.” Mac replied as she continued watching them as well. They were going to have a front row seat for the bombing run.
As they all looked on, the agile Tomcat peeled up and away from the three massive jet bombers and began flying protective cover over the cell.
The Stratofortresses continued thundering toward the battalion defensive position and when they were over it, all three opened their bomb bay doors and unleashed hell on earth in the form of a rain of 1,000 and 2,000 pound iron bombs.
The ground in and around the Iraqi Battalion Defensive Position erupted like a shuddering volcano. All remaining enemy troops within the upper level of the fortress never knew what had happened. The lower level garage, pummeled by the assault of bombs, collapsed, tons of sand pouring into the cracks that opened up in the ground.
“Great hit Thunder, right on target!” reported Rhino as he wheeled over the target.
“You’re welcome, Navy; let us know the next time you need carpet laid…”
Their run completed, the cell slowly turned back toward the Persian Gulf. Eagle 31 waggled his wings to the massive bombers as they made their way back to their base. As soon as they were clear of the area, a pair of black supersonic bombers made their appearance.
Major Rod Collins, Lightning 05 and Captain Rick Oswald, Lightning 06 had launched at the same time from Diego Garcia as the BUFFs, but the squalls in the area around the island had conspired to put them four minutes behind Rockwell’s B-52s.
Rick Oswald gaped as he saw the dark plumes of smoke in place of their target
“Geez Rod, do you think there is anything left of the damned target?” Captain Oswald asked as he and his co-pilot observed the smoke shrouded target.
The Major was quick to respond. “They haven’t called an abort, Rick. So I would say we continue unless they tell us otherwise, Over.”
“Roger that,”
Rod switched his radio over to Eagle squadron’s radio frequency. “Eagle this is Lightning oh five; storms at Diego stalled us, sorry for being late to the show. Should we abort? Over.”
Rhino’s answer to his query was immediate. “Eagle 31 to Lightning oh five; better late than never, negative on abort. Enemy has mobile SAM missiles. Commence bombing run.”
“Roger Eagle 31, commencing bombing run now…”
Mac, Harm and the others continued to watch this aerial show as the two sleek jet-black B-1B Lancers turned and headed toward the smoking remains of Objective India.
Looking like two giant black paper airplanes, the B-1B Lancer strategic bombers nicknamed ‘Bones’ zeroed in on what was left of the defensive position and dropped their ordnance load of laser guided 2,000 pound bombs.
The bombs targeted any damaged vehicles or any intact buildings in the fortress. Two previously undamaged ammunition bunkers detonated, sending flaming ammunition spewing in every direction along with several evil looking fireballs.
“Bravo Zulu, Lightning! I think we can call Objective India neutralized…” Rhino reported.
“Copy that, Eagle three one. Always glad to give the Navy a helping hand. Give your commander our regards, Lightning out.”
The two supersonic bombers waggled their wings and then swung back in the direction of Diego Garcia.
Passing over the smoking holes in the ground that had once marked the position of the Iraqi Battalion Defensive Position, Joseph ‘Rhino’ Wayne grimly nodded his satisfaction and spoke into his radio mike.
“Pie Tin this is Eagle 31, Misno one one; MISREP to follow: Objective India, four runs Eagle, one run Thunder, one run Lightning - twelve tangoes, fourteen alpha papa charlie; eight tango echo lima four SCUD and four FROG destroyed; losses one foxtrot fourteen delta to SAM.”
*~*
Sergeant Marcus had been running their P7 at top speed since hearing over the battalion net that the insurgents had shot down one of the Tomcats that had helped out the 36th MEU at al-Khalim Farm.
They were the closest to the crash site. Sergeant Damato’s AMTRAC crew along with Sergeant Canella and his men were still rounding up what was left of Darcy’s team.
Donald Bice looked out his vision slits and saw a trail of smoke being pulled apart by an early afternoon breeze. It had to be the smoke trail of the downed F-14 fighter bomber. “Got it Major! Two o’clock on the horizon!”
Marcus turned his head to look back at the Marine Judge Advocates. “Battalion reports Angel Two from Battalion Aid Support is on site!”
“Confirmed! I’ve got a Seahawk on the ground near the smoke…”
“Who called them?” Floyd Johnson asked before Vince could say anything.
“Shark Two , Captain.” Sergeant Marcus replied “Colonel MacKenzie’s team was the first to reach them….”
Vince and Floyd exchanged knowing glances. If Shark Two was there, that meant the plane that had been shot down was most likely Commander Rabb’s.
“Maintain top speed, Sergeant!”
Marcus knew they might throw a track at any moment running at this speed, but he didn’t dare question the lawyer. “Aye Captain!”
“Lieutenant, get your men ready to assist Shark Two in recovery efforts!”
“Aye, aye, Major!”
*~*
Although she moved enough to let them do triage and get a body board underneath him, she would not leave his side. CPO Brie nodded her head, satisfied that her two patients were as ready for transport as possible. “Let’s get them over to the helo!”
“Colonel! There’s an AMTRAC headed our way at top speed!”
Mac maintained her position beside Harm as Kayce and the others stood up to address this possible threat. Don Burges who had climbed into the bed of the pickup, manned the .50 caliber M-2HB machine gun. Darcy and Captain Lewis had been captured, but that didn’t mean that some of her other accomplices weren’t still out there ready to unleash more mayhem.
“What’s going on Chief?” The black haired Corpsman asked, noting the rise in tension as the AMTRAC approached.
Rachel noticed it too. These Force Recon soldiers looked as if they were getting ready to repel an enemy attack.
“I’m not sure, Petty Officer, but you and Cindy stay close to your patient…”
“Aye Chief…”
The big carrier rolled to a shuddering stop a short distance away from the protective ring of Force Recon soldiers.
“Major, you’d better see this…” Lieutenant Bice called down to Vince Barnett
Vince climbed up to Lieutenant Bice’s seat and when he looked out through the vision slits he saw a defensive ring of soldiers around what looked like two men lying on the ground. The MEF legal officer noted that all the Recon soldiers had their weapons pointed at the AMTRAC.
“Sir? What the hell is going on? Those Recon Marines look like they are getting ready to open fire on us!”
“Let me handle this, Lieutenant,” Vince said quickly as he moved to open the hatch of the vehicle’s cupola.
Lieutenant Bice didn’t like the Major opening the hatch in a possibly hostile situation, but the Major had the rank. “As you wish, sir.” The Lieutenant said reluctantly.
“Colonel MacKenzie!” He yelled out. “This is Major Barnett! Are you all right?!”
Mac looked up to see Vince Barnett standing in the commanders’ hatch of the AMTRAC.
“It could be a trick Colonel,” Mark Dallas said warily as he kept his rifle aimed at the MEF legal officer.
Mac shook her head. She hoped her gamble was right. “They’re all right, Staff Sergeant, have the team stand down.”
“Stand down,” Mark called out to the other members of Mac’s team, “They’re friendlies.”
As soon as they lowered their weapons, Lieutenant Bice’s military police squad joined by MEU legal officer Captain Johnson debussed from the AMTRAC and joined the Force Recon soldiers.
“What the hell was that all about?” Pete Gibbons asked the blond petty officer as she finished bandaging the last of his wounds.
“Damned if I know, sir” she replied then smiled down at him. “Let’s get you ready to move….”
“Ma’am? What was that? Why did your team respond that way to their arrival?” Rachel Brie asked Mac as she decided to bandage a few more of Harm’s less serious wounds.
Mac exchanged a knowing glance with Harm. “Long story Chief…” She replied obliquely.
Rachel nodded and decided the less she knew, the better.
Floyd Johnson had the military policemen join the defensive ring around the two injured airmen.
“Lieutenant; follow the lead of these Recon soldiers…there may be enemy combatants out here in Marine uniforms.”
Lieutenant Bice gave him a puzzled look, but nodded his acceptance. “Aye sir.”
“Okay, Commander, you’re ready for transport.” Rachel said to Harm
Harm squeezed Mac’s hand. “I’ll be all right, Marine.”
But the Light Colonel didn’t let go of his hand. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, Flyboy.”
Harm sighed theatrically. “Maac; I’m perfectly capable of--”
“Harmon Rabb, I don’t want to debate this…”
Harm arched an eyebrow at her. “Oh yeah? So just how are you going to shut me up, Marine?”
Mac moved closer to the aviator/lawyer.
Vince Barnett had climbed down from the idling AMTRAC and was making his way over to the JAG Corps officers. He could see the Commander and Colonel were about one minute from liplock. He looked at Captain Johnson and other Marines standing perimeter watch around the two.
“Captain?” He noticed that the Colonel was ‘dangerously’ close to the Commander.
One of the younger military policemen spoke up first. “Sir, we don’t see anything but the Colonel attempting to give mouth-to-mouth to the Commander.” He looked back at the two JAG Corps officers behind him and then back at the Major. “He’s been injured Sir.” The Corporal added as he worked hard to keep his face straight. The Corporal then looked over at Lieutenant Bice who nodded.
“I agree with the Corporal, sir. Do you Captain?”
Johnson smiled, “Yes Lieutenant,” He turned Vince. “The Colonel is just administering first aid to the Commander.”
Vince Barnett shook his head as he returned the smile, “Just keep an eye out for any nosey reporters.”
“Aye Sir,” came the response. But Harm and Mac could not hear them. In fact, they couldn’t hear anyone. Mac was deepening the kiss she was giving the Commander and despite his condition, he was trying his best to return it.
For once, there weren’t any interruptions. Mac brushed her tongue against the inside of Harm’s mouth, touching the inside of his teeth and pushing against his tongue until he responded in kind. They continued until Mac had to come up for air or suffocate them both.
“Uh Colonel?” Mac pulled away slowly and looked up. CPO Brie was looking shyly at her. “Ma’am, did the mouth-to-mouth work? ‘Cause we’re ready to evac now…”
“Yeah, I believe it did, Chief,” Mac said smiling as she stood up.
“Glad to hear it, ma’am.” Rachel murmered as stoically as she could given the circumstances. “Okay Commander; let’s get you and your RIO outta here…Corporal, could you give me a hand with his stretcher?”
“Aye ma’am” The Corporal grabbed the other end of the stretcher and he and CPO Brie lifted it off the ground.
“We’ll follow, Colonel” Kayce said to Mac as she stayed by Harm’s side. “Where’s the Battalion Aid station now Chief?”
“Just a few clicks from here, Lance Corporal. On that hill…” Rachel answered pointing to a distant hill. “It’s got a good defensible area, and will be close enough to the MEU as it mops up around Objective India.”
“Lost another….” Harm sighed as their little procession trooped toward the Seahawk.
“What are you talking about?” Mac said quizzically as they got closer to the medevac helo, whose rotors had slowly started turning as the pilot restarted his engine.
Harm began reeling off his aerial mishap history. “My ramp strike, that time we ran into those poachers, the Tomcat I dumped in the drink the night of your engagement party, that crop duster’s controlled flight into terrain in the Chaco Boreal and now this…”
“Don’t forget the MiG in Russia,” Mac quipped with a sly grin.
“What are you… keeping count?” Harm groused.
She gave him an even bigger smile. “Have to keep you on your toes, Flyboy.”
“Thanks Mac…I really didn’t need to hear that…” The aviator/lawyer said morosely.
Mac wasn’t in the mood for his pity session. “Oh, come off it Harm, you’re alive. Pete’s alive….”
“Yeah, but all it seems that all I do lately when I get in the cockpit of a plane is crash….”
“That’s not true.” She stopped their little procession so she could better focus on him. “You didn’t crash this time, Flyboy, you were shot down.”
The Commander looked away from her. “It doesn’t matter Mac, I’m not sure I want to fly again….”
She looked intently at him. “We’ll talk about this later, Navy.” She motioned for the Corporal and CPO to start moving again.
The CPO supervised the placement of Harm and Pete into the SH-60 Seahawk air ambulance with Mac staying right by his side. Mac’s recon soldiers, joined by Johnson and Barnett, got into the Dodge pickup. Sergeant Marcus’ AMTRAC joined the pickup and they followed the helo as it lifted off the ground and headed for the battalion aid station.
*~*
Sully had gotten some great footage of that squadron of Tomcats that had kicked open the door for the Marines’ attack at al-Khalim Farm. He also caught the arrival of the MEU’s helos as the 36th attacked the second insurgent stronghold.
But he could only shoot aerial footage of the B-52s and B-1s as they made their way toward Objective India. They wouldn’t get there in time to film any of that. Stuart sure hoped FOX didn’t beat them to the punch on this.
“We got some good stuff about the Marine assaults, but what do you think those bombers were doing, Stuart?” Brad asked.
“Dunno Brad, but don’t worry, the Commander promised us full access…”
Brad though, wasn’t satisfied. He tried ‘his asking the man on the street persona’. “What about you, Marine, where do you think those bombers were headed? What were they called in for?” He said giving the man a broad smile.
“I’m just ground pounder sir.” The PFC answered back to Brad. “I just go where they tell me and do what they tell me to do…”
That was not the answer Brad Holliman was looking for. “We’re missing out on half the show, Stuart.” griped Brad, “We should have rented our own SUV--”
“I wouldn’t advise that sir,” the Corporal replied. “The insurgents had some pretty nasty surprises for anyone snooping around up here.”
“Tomcat crashed near Objective India!” The driver called out -- he had been monitoring the battalion net.
Stuart quickly climbed up to the Corporal’s station. “Can you get us there?”
Despite his dislike for these three newsmen, the Corporal was under orders to give them what access he could without endangering the mission.
“Yes sir, Mr. Dunston,” he replied. “Lance Corporal; take us to the Battalion Aid Station!”
“Aye, aye, Corporal!”
---To Be Continued...
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