| Subject: ...For Meritorious Service, Chapter 26e, part two - conclusion |
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TxJAG_b
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Date Posted: 10:57:09 11/04/09 Wed
In reply to:
TxJAG_b
's message, "...For Meritorious Service, Chapter 25d, part two - continued" on 16:25:09 01/08/09 Thu
And now the conclusion of Part 26e:
Shark Two
Somewhere North of Mirbullah
“He’s shot up pretty bad, Colonel.” Szymas reported as he continued working on the badly wounded Force Recon soldier, “I don’t know how he got as far as he did.”
“Cole Flemminger’s got an iron constitution, ma’am.” Staff Sergeant Dallas replied “I’m not surprised he made it this far.”
“What I want to know, Staff Sergeant,” Mac said as she watched Sergeant Szymas continue to work “is why someone shot him.”
“Either he got in the line of fire, or saw something he shouldn’t have, Colonel” replied Kayce.
“That’s what I figured, Corporal” Mac said grimly. She looked over at the Staff Sergeant. “What are the odds of this being a test?”
“About 70/30, ma’am.”
The Light Colonel heaved a labored sigh. “That’s what I figured.”
She squatted next to Casmir. “Just how bad is it?”
“He’s lost a lot of blood, I’ve stopped the bleeding, but he also needs more cleaning up,” The Sergeant disgustedly tossed an empty package into the sand. “And I’m out of alcohol and disinfectant.”
Mac looked over at Kayce. “Corporal; go back to our truck and get my rucksack.”
“Aye Colonel,” Kayce Danvers began sprinting back towards the unit’s pickup trucks.
In a few minutes the Corporal returned with the rucksack and handed it to Mac. “Here you go ma’am.”
Mac opened the sack as she squatted again next to Szymas and Flemminger. Without a word, she pulled out the vodka bottle Colonel Livingston had given her and handed it to the stunned Sergeant.
The Light Colonel fought the urge to take the bottle away from the Sergeant as he quickly opened it up and began pouring it on the Corporal’s dirt and wounds.
The thirst for a drink was still there even though she hadn’t had one since 1997. Mac knew as a recovering alcoholic that the hunger would always be there. She was glad Szymas was pouring most of it onto Flemminger.
Crockett watching what was happening leaned over to Kayce. “Aw Kayce, that’s some good hooch. She shouldn’t waste it like that….”
Kayce gave him a dirty look. “So we just let Cole die of an infection, Lance Criminal?”
“Crap!” muttered Szymas as he began to hurriedly check a bandage already in place.
“You’re losing him,” Mac intoned flatly.
Szymas looked up at the Light Colonel and saw the look in her eyes. He nodded.
“Stand back,” Mac ordered to the Sergeant.
Dallas and the others stood back from Flemminger.
Mac unholstered her sidearm and flipped off the safety. After cocking it, she fired once at the body.
Mac called back to Mark Dallas. “How did that look, Staff Sergeant?”
Mark Dallas had to fight the urge to smile. “Like you blew his head off, ma’am.”
Concealed on a nearby rise, Captain Lewis lowered his binoculars. “Looks like Darcy picked a good one this time….” He said to himself.
*~*
Gibbs motioned to Tony. “Sound check, testing one, two….”
Tony nodded that his earpiece was working properly. In reality, he was surprised he could hear Gibbs at all inside this rolling noisemaker.
The silver haired NCIS Agent flipped a switch on his master radio set. “Juliet 4; do you copy?”
The burst of static emanating from Gibbs’ headset was only momentary. “Loud and clear, November 1.” Came back Faith’s voice.
One of the younger MP’s gave Tony a perplexed look. “Don’t you trust our radio equipment, sir?”
Tony turned and gave the young Corporal one of his winning smiles. “We’re not going to be with you the whole time, Corporal; we have to split up to find these bad guys, so we need an independent radio net to keep in touch with each other.”
He didn’t mention the more important fact that Darcy and her henchmen had probably already compromised the Battalion radio network.
The young MP nodded his understanding, but his face betrayed his doubts about Tony’s explanation.
Gibbs meanwhile was still checking his equipment. “Sergeant Canella, do you copy?”
The MP Detachment Sergeant acknowledged his request. “I copy Gibbs.”
The silver haired Head of the Washington, DC Major Case Response Team turned off the radio set for the moment, but he didn’t settle back and relax. No, there was too much at stake to start getting comfortable now.
The battle with members of al-Sahood’s unit had already started in the farm fields they were headed for; word had just filtered down via the Battalion radio net about this. Gibbs knew that if they didn’t find Darcy’s moles soon there would be a lot more Marines coming home in body bags.
USS Patrick Henry
Harm’s Tomcat banged down for a landing on the asphalt and steel deck of the Patrick Henry followed by Supergirl’s plane.
“Bravo Zulu Echo Two One….” Came the laconic reply from the tower.
“Thank you Liberty Control,” The Commander replied smiling wryly as he powered down the throbbing engines of the massive fighter-bomber. Multicolored, jersey-shirted crews swarmed over the plane as the two men unbuckled themselves from their seats.
“Great job Hammer,” replied the crew chief , helping the pilot out of the cockpit.
Harm was enjoying this. He had really missed it. It was probably why he took every opportunity he could get to fly. There was just nothing like it. He was aglow in the jokes and accolades the crew shared with him and Gibbons. Then he saw the Air Boss standing across the way. His stance and the look on his face told Harm something had happened.
“Boss?”
The response was terse. “Meet the CAG and the Captain in the Ready Room on the double, Commander.”
Harm snapped off a salute in response. “Aye, aye, Sir.”
The Chief Petty Officer in charge of the Ordnance crew swiftly moved past the lawyer-pilot.
“Get this bird gassed up and armed with LGBs and CBUs! ASAP!! Let’s move!!”
*a/n - LBG - laser guided bombs; CBU - cluster bombs
Harm and Pete exchanged questioning glances with Nicole and Jeff as they made their way to the Ready Room.
The CAG looked up as Harm made his way into the room. He had been conferring with Captain Ingles who had a stony look on his face. Behind them, Commander Aldridge and Captain Seranovich were looking at a set of stapled papers. Arnie was making quick notes on a notepad. Their faces, if Harm wasn’t mistaken, looked ashen.
“Take a seat Commanders,” requested the CAG. Nicole and Harm quickly took their seats. Harm shot a quick questioning glance at Nicole who gave a quick shake of her head indicating she didn’t know what was up either.
Captain Ingles talked a few more minutes with the CAG and the JAG officers. He then walked up and picked up the wireless keyboard that was sitting on the table at the front of the room.
He cleared his throat and nodded to the assembled group of pilots. “Okay ladies and gentlemen, this is what we have been waiting for. As of 0320 local, Marine Force Recon elements of the 36th Marine Expeditionary Unit confirmed what had long been suspected; the Fedayeen and Al-Qaeda have been preparing a little surprise for US and Coalition forces near the Sunni Triangle.
At a nod, the lights dimmed revealing several satellite images, each one a little more distinct than the previous. Over to the side of these pictures was an image of Central Iraq showing the same map Harm had seen in the Pentagon briefing the other day on ZNN. Only this one showed the exact locations of the enemy forces. To the right side of the image was a presentation done with one of those presentation programs. The graphics were flashy, but it still told the same story.
‘Operation King Cobra
July 11, 2003 - July 17, 2003
Operation King Cobra is an adjunct operation of Operation Desert Scorpion. It will be conducted in central Iraq from 11 July to 17 July 2003.
During the operation, Task Force Makin and the 4th Infantry Division (4th ID[M]) are tasked to secure Highways 8 and 2 north of Al Nasiriyah from Ba'ath attacks against coalition and other civilian traffic.
Coalition and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps troops have located a large ammunition and weapons cache north of the town of Mirbullah.
USS Patrick Henry, USS Reprisal and USS SeaHawk will provide air cover for the 36th MEU’s assault on the weapons and ammunition cache. USS Oriskany will provide supplementary cover for the operation and act as an air reserve.’
Harm tried to follow the rest but his mind was swimming. He heard the murmurs of the other pilots and RIOs in the room. Captain Ingles held up his hands to quiet the room.
“Marine Force Recon has confirmed that our buddies of Saddam have pulled together an impressive set of armor, north of Mirbullah… yes Lieutenant?”
Harm could tell the voice was at the back of the room. It sounded like one of the new RIOs. “Sir, I thought all the Fedayeen and Al-Qaeda had were AT weapons, some small arms, IEDs, and technicals….”
Ingles gave a wry smile for the first time since the briefing began. “Well Lieutenant, they’ve been busy beavers….” nervous chuckles rippled through the room.
Now the CAG took over. “The bad guys have pulled together a few tanks and apcs…” he paused for effect and scanned the room “Along with a few SCUD and FROG missiles.”
Nicole looked over at Harm who had the same look of shock on his face. Webb’s intel was right on the money. He’d have to talk to that spook later to find out how he knew….
*~*
Work in the underground garage in the Iraqi battalion defensive position was at fever pitch. Engines coughed and turned over raising clouds of blue smoke. Soldiers dug into the guts of engines trying to figure why some of these rickety vehicles wouldn’t start. The noise and confusion died down as a large group of men moved to the front of the room. As one they knelt and began praying. Out of respect for these warriors about to face certain death, the engineers and mechanics kept quiet.
After a few minutes of prayer, Samir al-Sahood, Hamid al-Harib and his assembled men stood. Samir turned to address the crowd.
“Death, shame and disgrace to the enemies of Islam. Our mission in Falls Church has disrupted the efforts of the American Navy’s Judge Advocate General against our cell here in Iraq. Now we have a greater opportunity…to strike terror into the heart of the American forces occupying Mirbullah….”
*~*
The CAG’s voice brought Harm out of his ruminations. “…now whether they bought them outright on the black market, or stole them from impound lots, or they just had them hidden until the time was right is not our concern.”
“Our concern, is to make sure they don’t get the chance to use them. We’re not sure of the particulars yet, but we know they have at least four or five tanks and at least that many personnel carriers.”
“So ladies and gents; our job is to move the mud and sand around to help out the Grunts….”
*~*
“The American 36th Marine Expeditionary Unit is vulnerable to a lightning assault and rocket attack…. You will assemble your suicide squads and have them pose as Iraqi Army soldiers mounted in specially fitted personnel carriers….”
GATORFORCE Assembly Area
The M-1A1s’ gas turbine engines whined piercingly, belching out a huge clouds of blue/grey exhaust into the humid early morning air almost in unison with the other tanks in Slugger platoon. 2nd Lieutenant Hank Borden, CO of Slugger platoon, held himself steady as Slugger 4 lurched forward.
Behind Borden, gears rattled, slack links in the tracks snatched taught as the armored column stirred into life and headed towards Staff Sergeant Fuller’s embattled recon unit.
*~*
“What about air defenses, CAG?” asked another voice. Harm was pretty sure that was Dan Phelps, a former Forward Air Control officer from the Sunni Triangle area.
The CAG shook his iron grey head. “None that intel can detect, but you know what I think of that kind of intel.” Nervous chuckles again rippled through the room. “They’ve got anti-air of some type and I want you guys going in under the assumption they are armed to the teeth.”
*~*
“After the suicide attacks we will finish the unit off with a rocket attack….”
*~*
“You’ll leave the Henry and form up at rendezvous point Texas. From Texas you’ll head over Basra en route to point Colorado. From Colorado, you go to contact point Wyoming and into holding area Montana. When the Forward Air Controller from the 36th gives you the signal, you are to take out your assigned targets….”
*~*
“The rockets we are using were acquired from our traitorous Iraqi brethren who fled the initial American assault in March….”
*~*
“Commander Rabb; Your call sign will remain Eagle. Harm, you’ll be Eagle 21; Nicole, Eagle 22; and so on.”
“And Commander; your abort code is Delta Bravo. The response from the terminal controller will be Romeo. If you receive ‘Romeo’ from the controller, head back to Montana and stay on station until you are relieved. There will be a refueling tanker waiting at Montana.”
“Your squadron is the vanguard for an Alpha Strike. Once your squadron eliminates the enemy armor and the TELs, strike forces from Seahawk and Patrick Henry and Reprisal will concentrate on eliminating the remaining enemy ground troops and there will be a cell of BUFFs and Lancers from Diego Garcia on standby…”
a/n - BUFF aka B-52; Lancer - B-1B
“Man, an alpha strike….” Another one of the pilots hissed. Harm couldn’t tell whose voice it was. At the moment, it was hard to distinguish anything. Harm’s mind had reeled back to his first JAG assignment when he was on board the SeaHawk and an Alpha Strike was ordered.
His reverie was pierced by the next voice and the CAG’s response.
“Why are the BUFFs and Lancers needed, CAG?”
“They are to eliminate Objective India as a viable enemy strongpoint.”
*~*
Samir stood looking at the men. They were young, eager and determined. He was pleased so many were willing to die for the cause. The local Mullah, who Samir had not yet learned the name of, raised his hands as he looked at the soldiers.
“God has granted us the opportunity to avenge the Iraqi faithful by using the weapons developed in our labs in Afghanistan to destroy this unit, and force the Infidels to flee our lands in terror….”
---TBC...
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