The Rag

by Michael Connelly

  More combat patrols were sent out to attack federal positions and seize weapons and supplies; and the Buchanan family had many volunteers assisting them in their armory to make firearms, hand grenades, mortars, and mortar rounds. They were also manufacturing artillery rounds for the few artillery pieces that the militia had. Artillery was something they were desperately short of, and it was needed to mount an effective defense to a federal invasion. A Marine Corps reserve artillery unit based near Houston had managed to escape the feds and get to the militia-controlled counties with four 105mm howitzers and some ammunition. There were also veteran memorials and American Legion or VFW posts in the area that displayed artillery pieces, mostly 75mm artillery, but there were a few 105s. One of the 75mm guns was at the Van Zandt County Veterans Memorial.

  The barrels of these artillery pieces had either been plugged or the firing mechanisms removed; but the Buchanan family, with the help of some local veterans, had been able to unplug them and recreate the missing firing mechanisms. However, while the 75mm and 105 pieces were good for use against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, they were not effective against heavy tanks. The militia needed heavier artillery but did not have the capability to manufacture it themselves.

  However, General Donnelly knew where heavy artillery and more tanks were located not far from his militia border. They were at Fort Hood, Texas, that is just outside of the city of Killen in Bell County. That was only one county away from Limestone County that had recently come under the control of his militia. When the progressives that had taken control of the federal government were preparing to consolidate their power, they had to make sure that they were in control of military equipment and bases that could potentially be used against them. For years, they had been reducing the size of the military and getting rid of the members of the armed forces that they knew believed in the oath they had taken and would refuse to be involved in an effort to destroy the Constitution and refuse to obey any orders to fire on their fellow citizens to enforce the new order.

  The federal government followed the same path that Adolf Hitler and other vicious dictators had followed. The path was to purge the military of anyone who was loyal to their country and its people and not to any individual or political party. The military personnel were purged, so they could be replaced by people loyal not to the United States but to the SRA leaders that were in control. These included illegal aliens, mercenaries, released criminals, and those who were true believers in the idea that there were certain people who were the elite and everyone else were their servants. Over the course of a little over a year, the men and women in the armor and artillery units at Fort Hood were separated from the army or shipped out to other bases and assigned to menial jobs.

  They were replaced by federal troops that were to guard the base and its important equipment until it was needed to attack resistance units. Fort Hood was a very large base, over 158,000 acres; and because so many federal and hired foreign troops were being used to occupy rebellious states, there were only two federal companies assigned to guard the fort. One was a military police company, and the other was an infantry unit with some of its members trained as drivers so they could move the tanks and artillery when necessary. The base command was assigned to a federal major who once again had no prior military experience but was politically connected.

  However, Major Jackson Sommers was not stupid. He knew he had less than five hundred men to guard the large military post, so he had all the tanks and artillery moved into the center of the base and the ammunition stored in a nearby armory. He and his superiors were concerned that militia might try to destroy or damage the tanks and artillery, but it never occurred to them that the militia was strong enough to try to steal the weapons. This assessment had not changed even when the East Texas militia destroyed the invasion force on its western border and captured most of the federal weapons and armor.

  Major Sommers now had an additional concern that since the militia had used attack helicopters in the Kaufman County fight, they might use them to attack the tanks and artillery at Fort Hood. To protect against this possibility, Sommers requested and received the return of several antiaircraft batteries that had previously been part of the Fort Hood garrison. When General Donnelly heard of this new development, it did not deter him because his intention was not to use air power to wipe out the armor and artillery at Fort Hood but to use infantry to capture it. In fact, the possibility of capturing air defense artillery made the target more inviting than ever.

  Fortunately, for the East Texas militia, there had not been extensive federal air strikes against the Canton area or other locations they controlled. The feds had soon learned that using their limited supply of aircraft fuel and munitions for such attacks was counterproductive. They could launch airstrikes against the civilian populations in the militia-controlled counties, but they were not able to do any significant damage to the military capabilities that were widely dispersed and hidden. As a result, the attacks were halted, but General Donnelly knew they would resume in order to support any major assault launched against the militia.

  Antiaircraft units would be critical when that happened, but capturing them and the tanks and artillery in Fort Hood would not be easy. Donnelly knew that he would need to send in at least two full battalions to ensure the success of the assault. One battalion could succeed but would probably suffer heavy casualties while two battalions would be much more effective and reduce militia losses. He did not want to risk his helicopters unless absolutely necessary, and he didn’t want to destroy the heavy equipment on the base. Therefore, this would have to be primarily an infantry operation supported by some Strykers and armored Humvees. Some tanks would also be available but again only be used in an emergency.

  Chapter XXX

  This operation had to be successful because of the risk involved, so it had to be carefully planned and quickly carried out since Donnelly did not know when the feds might be making another move against East Texas, and his militia had to be ready. It was also imperative that this operation be kept secret, so there would be no surprises when the assault on Fort Hood was made.

  Donnelly put his entire command staff to work, planning the operation. They had complete plans of the base and recon teams had been able to pinpoint the location of the tanks, artillery, antiaircraft guns, and the infantry units guarding them. The staff now had to come up with a plan to get the militia units into attack positions without being spotted, launch a successful attack, and then get the units and hopefully the captured heavy equipment back to Canton safely.

  The command staff had mostly been handpicked by Donnelly from the volunteers who had joined the militia at the very beginning of its formation. David McKay was the general’s executive officer and in charge of supervising the rest of the staff. He had held the same position as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army’s Second Ranger Battalion. In the army, the S-3 was the training and operations officer for commands all the way from the battalion level to the division level and beyond. During peacetime, the S-3 was responsible for training; but during wartime, the responsibility shifted to planning tactical operations. The militia needed both; so Donnelly had appointed Daniel Miller, a veteran Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, to supervise the training of the militia and Jacob McMillan, a retired US Army infantry major, to handle tactical operations.

  The S-4 position was assigned to handle logistics for the militia. This included providing food, water, ammunition, weapons, and medical supplies for the entire militia. For that important assignment, Donnelly chose a retired navy commander Allison Mitchell, who had held that type of position aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, to handle the logistics for the rapidly expanding militia. The final position was that of S-2, the director of all military intelligence operations for the militia. That task was not initially assigned to a military veteran because the few who had intelligence experience did not appear to have the capability to be an S-4.

/>   Instead, that job was given to Justin Smith, a former CIA agent with extensive experience in gathering intelligence through various methods. He was in charge of sending out recon patrols and assessing the intelligence they gathered so he could advise the general about any potential threats. He also assessed potential targets for offensive operations to be used to destroy enemy units and capture weapons and supplies. Smith’s job was even more critical now that the militia was preparing a major operation against Fort Hood.

  Smith reported that the recon patrols had found that after consolidating the weapons, heavy equipment, and personnel to the interior of the base, the west gate had been left totally unguarded, providing easy access to the base. There were a few guards posted farther down the street past the entrance, but they could easily be taken out by special operations personnel. It appeared to be the perfect place for the infantry to launch their attack on the base.

  Based on this information, Donnelly ordered his staff to start planning the attack and give him a timeline. The senior staff assembled their teams and got to work early in the morning. Twelve hours later, they all met with the general and laid out the proposed plan. As the general had expected, two infantry battalions would be deployed against the base in a coordinated attack but only after two special operations teams had cleared the approach of any guards.

  The attack would be led by four Strykers carrying a full infantry platoon and five armored Humvees with additional infantry squads. They would be the assault troops followed by dismounted infantry. One company of infantry would be held in reserve with four Bradley tanks. Also in reserve would be five Blackhawk helicopters and three Apache gunships in case the attack went badly and there were troops who needed to be extracted or supported by gunships.

  Once the base had been captured, the extraction would begin of the troops and captured armor and artillery with the helicopters standing by to provide cover. Different evacuation routes would be used so that all the units would not be on the same highways or roads at the same time. This was the crux of the plan, but they spent several hours going over every detail, and considering every possible thing that could go wrong and every possible contingency plan to deal with such possibilities. Finally, the staff agreed on a plan and General Donnelly approved it.

  It would take several days for the men and equipment to be gathered, provisioned, and supplied; and then because the movement to the Fort Hood area had to be cautious and meticulous, it would take at least five days to move all the units into position. The first part of the plan went fine with all units equipped within forty-eight hours and they were ready to move. Then, the general unexpectedly called an emergency staff meeting. The staff assembled at their headquarters in the old Canton courthouse located in the town square.

  The meeting was a surprise to the staff members and their teams, but they believed that the general just had some final instructions. However, what they actually heard came as a complete shock to them. Their beloved commander announced that he had second thoughts about the attack on Fort Hood and was cancelling the operation. However, he proposed another operation that he believed was less risky. He told his staff that he had received information from a source in a county near Houston that the federal forces had established a munitions depot about one hundred miles south of Fort Hood. The general ordered his staff to draw up a new plan to attack and seize these munitions.

  His staff complied, but some of them were concerned with this turn of events. It did not make sense, and they wondered if their commanding general had lost his edge and become overly cautious. In fact, General Donnelly knew that there would be concerns over his decision, but he had no choice. He had a source inside of Fort Hood that he had not shared with anyone else on his staff. His contact was Jordan Billings, a young man who had been an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scout troop that the general had been the scoutmaster of years earlier.

  Eagle Scouts had been trained to be patriots, and Jordan had been no exception. He had gone to college at the University of Texas, obtained a degree in criminal justice, and upon graduation had joined the Department of Homeland Security. He had quickly advanced because of his dedication and hard work. Yet he had also become concerned that the agency he served seemed to be becoming less interested in protecting his country and more interested in destroying the Constitutional Republic that he had sworn an oath to protect.

  He was preparing to resign from the agency when he heard about the building resistance to the new federal order. At that point, it occurred to him that he might be more effective as an inside source to support the resistance. He stayed with the agency as its members were converted into the federal police force and then a full-blown military operation to subdue the American people after the EMP attack. Eventually, Jordan found himself as a captain in the federal force guarding Fort Hood. He was, in fact, second in command of the two companies in the fort and was completely trusted by Major Sommers.

  However, the major was not aware that Jordan had made contact with the local militia commander in Waco, Texas. It had happened by accident, when Jordan had been at a local bar in Killeen, Texas, that was the town right outside of the post. He had entered the bar in civilian clothes while off duty because he knew that anyone wearing the uniform of the federal troops would be viewed with suspicion. He knew that he was possibly putting himself in a dangerous situation, but he was desperate to try to make contact with the militia since he had just learned in a briefing on the base that his former scoutmaster was the commander of the East Texas militia.

  As Jordan sat at the bar drinking a beer, he glanced around and saw a familiar face sitting at a table with three other men in a corner of the barroom. The man he saw was Corey Davidson, his former college roommate at the University of Texas. It didn’t take long for Corey to glance in Jordan’s direction and immediately recognize him. However, Corey also knew that his friend and roommate had gone to work for the Department of Homeland Security after graduation, so he became concerned for his own safety and that of the three men with him who were all members of the Killeen militia that was operating in a county that was still controlled by the feds.

  Corey told his comrades to leave, and as they walked out of the door, the handsome young redhead approached Jordan with a big smile on his face. “How are you, old buddy?” he asked. “What are you doing here in this neck of the woods?”

  “Just here on business,” said Jordan as he ordered drinks for him and his friend and then suggested that they move to a table away from the bar. Jordan had made a quick decision that could cost him his life. He knew that Corey was a fellow Eagle Scout and as such a patriot, so he decided to confide in him. He told Corey why he was in the area and that he was still loyal to the United States and its Constitution and wanted to contact the local militia and eventually his former scoutmaster, General Donnelly. He told Corey, “I know you and I believe you are probably a militia member or at least know the leaders, so I’m asking for your help.”

  Jordan could tell that Corey was hesitant, and he did not blame him. He would probably feel the same way if their positions were reversed, so he decided to try something. In addition to being fellow Eagle Scouts, both men had also been Vigil members of the Boy Scout Order of the Arrow honor society. This was a group reserved for the best of the scouts; and there were three levels: Ordeal members, Brotherhood members, and Vigil members. Vigil membership was the highest level a scout could receive, and it was not given to many members.

  The Order of the Arrow was a secret society with rituals going back to those of the Delaware Indian tribe. Each level had a secret handshake done with the left hand, and in the case of Vigil members, it was the ultimate expression of trust. Jordan offered his left hand to Corey, and they exchanged the secret handshake. The bond of trust was established, and Corey told his old friend that he would let General Donnelly know that Jordan would be providing information about what occurred at Fort Hood.

  Chapter XXXI


  Corey sent word to General Donnelly that he had a source inside the fort and wanted instructions on how to handle this asset. The general told Corey to come to Canton so they could talk in person. This was easily done since one of the advantages that the East Texas militia had over many of the federal units was the fact that there was almost an unlimited supply of natural gas in the counties controlled by the militia. Engineers had converted the militia vehicles to run on natural gas instead of standard gasoline that was still scarce, and Corey had one of these converted vehicles.

  As a result, Corey Davidson was able to drive his pickup to Canton and meet personally with the general. When he found out that the source in Fort Hood was Jordan Billings, he was delighted. He remembered Jordan well and instinctively knew he could be trusted. He instructed Corey that it was important that he personally report all information from Jordan directly to him. It was not to go through the normal intelligence channels. This would be a private source for the general.

  This was unusual for Donnelly because all intelligence was usually sent through his S-2, Justin Smith, and his intelligence staff. Unfortunately, the general had become concerned that there might be a traitor or mole in his staff. His concerns had started not long after the militia had successfully repulsed the potential invasion by federal forces coming through from Louisiana and Dallas County. Much of the intelligence that had supported that successful operation had come from the Donaldsonville militia with the assistance of the East Texas militia special operations and recon units working with them.

  Since then, things had changed. Several East Texas militia recon patrols and one combat patrol had failed to report in or return from their assigned missions. It was not unheard of for patrols to run into problems. The vast majority of them were successful in their missions, and sometimes they would be involved in firefights that resulted in casualties, but the survivors of the patrols always returned. The general needed someone he could completely trust to find out if these losses had just been coincidences or deliberate actions by some member of the militia. He chose Ray Thibodeaux for the job.