Desert Heat

by T J Reeder

  After so much death we have learned to live for the day and to love the same way.

  The important part of the whole trip had shown that whatever was coming was coming soon, the advance scouts being watched by Charles people wouldn’t be here now if the attack wasn’t coming soon.

  But we had to assume that the leader, if he was in fact a former military officer, would have had some training in the art of war although the ambush in the canyon showed he didn’t have much or just didn’t care if his troops got wiped out.

  After we were all fed we loaded up in the Dodge and followed Charley in his truck to see the area he was thinking of as our battle zone.

  The main advantage of making him come to us lies in the fact that a long road march of military hardware always results in break downs, also the troops get exhausted with the constant movement, even just sitting a truck for hours and hours followed by days and weeks will beat down anybody and that’s how we wanted them, tired, wore down and with their equipment in rough shape. And of course it’s always best to fight on ground you’ve had your boots and eyes on.

  The plan was actually very simple; the troops riding in open trucks were sitting ducks for good long range shooters. They would have armor of some type for sure but so do we. If they bring tanks then we will need to deal with them but we have tracks with anti-tank weapons, we just never used them before. But our crews were trained very well by the people who had used them in combat.

  All I could ask for was a nice place where the road passed thru a low spot where my people on the high ground would have a turkey shoot, the tracks would be once again dug in, hull down as it’s called or was a long time ago when I was young. I wanted all our people shooting from strong cover and nobody exposed more then they had to be to use a weapon.

  There is nothing that says there have to be big charges over open ground right into the face of heavy fire, this wasn’t Iwo Jima or Gettysburg and I damn sure ain’t General Pickett. No ride of the 600 here and no Clusters last stand, nope this was gonna be an ambush leaving the enemy exposed and our side under good cover.

  The canyon ambush worked like a dream but that wasn’t gonna work this time, everybody learns over time and this dude wasn’t gonna roll right into a narrow canyon again, but open empty country? Yes, I think so. I planned some false radio traffic, seemingly not aware of his advance we would be sitting ducks. Not even. Never fight fair! I used to shoot with a guy whose motto was “If you’re not willing to cheat you don’t want to win bad enough.” I always just shook my head when he said that, but this time I would cheat and lie my ass off to lure this guy into the net.

  When we returned to Shiprock Charles scouts had reported the enemy scouts had packed up and moved out of the area to avoid any chance of contact now that they knew the area, they had headed back the way they came. The way was now open for us to start deciding just what to do and where to do it.

  I had given thought to not just where to ambush the man but also how to get him there. I knew where the fight would be or so I hoped. As to the bait, well it was me he wanted so I was going to be the Judas goat, except this goat was gonna be armed and ready for the tiger.

  We had returned to the canyon to find that Harv and his people were having a grand time making big flat thick rocks from a solid rock area of the ridge and the area was right where anybody attacking the house would have to come meaning there would be a deep hole to get across and since it was possible to drive up onto the ridge if one was very careful, they left a narrow area wide enough to drive across but no more then one vehicle, I don’t know or understand the ways and means of working stone but these men had it down for sure.

  But they had worked in mines all their lives and knew it inside and out.

  Bill and Bob Bremmer and families had shown up when we returned, it was good to see them, they had settled a few canyons further down the lake from us and were busy building a home with the help of some of Harv’s clan.

  The brothers had it in mind to gather some of the wild cattle to start a small beef herd since they were happiest on a horse and meat is always welcome. Really it was all about doing what they wanted so if herding cows worked for them fine. Their wives were already planting their gardens and their kids were boating to our place to attend the school such as it was an open air affair with plenty of books that allowed the kids to find something that interested them and several of the people were there to help them in whatever they wanted to study. We really were a diverse group, so many people with different areas of knowledge that ‘school’ as such was more fun for the kids and the adults enjoyed it as well.

  May’s group that she worked with before the event , being mostly higher educated people, were awesome at teaching. They knew things most of us had no idea of but kids are like sponges and soak it up.

  We spent a few days on the ridge trying to help with the house but really just getting in the way, the knowledge and skill of moving huge slabs of rock where you want them is just as intensive as building a rocket to the moon, just different skill sets.

  After damn near getting my toes flattened I said to Harv, “Fine! I’ll stay out of the way!” He laughed and said, “Thanks John, hate to lose you now that the girls got you house broke (laughter…right)

  They had done some leveling for the foundation stones and drilled then thru and deep into the rock floor and used real big rebar to pin them. When they had the entire outer wall laid out they floated the floor inside level using concrete mixed with some coloring stuff the same as the stone and when that was dried it was nice and flat. Then they went with raising the walls, set a stone and drill it thru and into the one below and hammer in the big rebar, they put a layer of the colored mud between each stone just like a brick layer would and dressed it as they went.

  I was amazed at how fast these guys worked and it was easy to see they had really missed working in the sun with good stone, how they had stood working underground was beyond me.

  They had it in hand and knew just what the girls wanted and with Beth now a member of the family they had three people adding their personalities to the mesh and it was working like a well-tuned motor.

  I wasn’t needed so I went about my business. I had people working on getting our battle gear in order, weapons checked and everybody at the range working on improving their skills at long range shooting. The machine gunners spent some time getting laid out to support the riflemen in the unlikely event the enemy attempted to make a full out frontal attack to break our lines. And even the MG gunners would be using long range rifles until needed on the guns.

  All the armor was ready and loaded, as were the gun trucks, I started sending the ready units to Charley to take to the ambush area where he was getting them set into place.

  We still hadn’t had any word that the enemy was on the move but it was expected most any day. I knew all about road marching and knew they could only make so many miles a day and doubted they would just switch drivers and keep rolling.

  So it was going to take a good while for them to get where we wanted them. I was worried that this guy was thinking ahead of me so Charley had scouts out all over the country in all directions looking for any signs of large scale movement.

  I was pretty convinced that if this guy was in the Barstow area he knew about desert country and would want to get this out of the way while it was still cool, well cooler then it was gonna be down the road, I know I would.

  It was another week before the far western scouts reported movement and as they watched over the next few days people were pouring into the area in all forms of dress and then showing up in BDU’s the style called Marpat, (Marine Pattern) which had me wondering if he had access to the supply center in Barstow.

  I expect he had something going even if it was just side deals with supply personnel which would not be good from my point of view.

  A week after the people started showing up and getting geared up the transport units showed up. When the word came I was really blown away, t
hey were coming without armor, no tracks! HV’s with MG’s, lot of them, but it looked like it was going to be an infantry war which was fine with me. I was not understanding this guys strategy at all, unless we had killed or captured all his tracks, now that was an interesting thought. The scouts’ reports kept coming in as the days moved along.

  One surprise was when a report came in that the scouts had finally noticed some odd vehicles in the convoy and after hearing the description there was no doubt they were Marine LAV’s aka, light armored vehicles, these were bad boys! Eight wheeled vehicles that can ford rivers or lakes, armed with the usual M242, 25 mm chain gun plus two M240 machineguns, they carried an operating crew of four and four scouts who also acted as security infantry. This was not real good news but we have our tracks and plenty of armor killing goodies, but and a big BUT, I wanted these units! I really wanted them big time. Meaning I didn’t want to kill them if I didn’t have to so this was something to be worked on.

  It was starting to look like this guy really had access to the supply base in Barstow and something needed to be done about that….someday.

  On another front I was kinda bothered by the girls push for the “Big” house on the hill. Above everybody else and I really thought it might seem a bit much. Like I was having delusions of grandeur and that was the last thing I wanted.

  So I had a talk with Willy and Joe and several of the other folks and learned that generally speaking most folks were happier in their hobbit holes simply because after all they had been thru it made them feel secure. I guess the girls and I had been out and about more then most everybody else and didn’t have the desire to “hide” so to speak.

  They thought we were doing what we wanted to do and everybody knew they could do the same, no rules, and no laws against.

  Everybody would help anybody who wanted to do something from tilling a new garden plot to building a high dive off the cliffs, well maybe not that because our kids had no fear of anything and would be doing crazy shit, or more crazy shit then they already do.

  We had to really watch them. One of them found an old bicycle someplace and they were riding it down a slope and off the edge and out into space for about a 40 foot drop into the canyon waters. Then they would dive down retrieve the bike and use a rope to drag it back up the rock face.

  That lasted until one kid didn’t get loose from the bike and got a nice deep cut on the head. “She” was back at it still bleeding when a

  “mom for a day ”started throwing a fit telling her to get down off that cliff. It was actually funny because here’s this cute little button of a girl, maybe seven years old, wearing cutoff jeans and no top (just one of the boys) bleeding from the head who smiles real big, waves and dives off the edge. And like a cork bobber shot up and flew thru the water to shore.

  We were all watching while she got chewed out with not a sign of remorse and got doctored up and started to climb back up the rock wall.

  I never knew that lady knew those kinds of words! It was really funny, well us guys were laughing for a moment but that changed fast.

  Women have no sense of humor or don’t drink enough, whatever. It stopped that activity for about a week then they took the bike further down the canyon and got back at it. I guess when you’ve seen the shit these kids have you don’t fear much.

  Our enemy was moving slow and raiding as they went, but they were finding mostly empty places since our scouts were spreading the word about them. People just loaded up and taking everything they could and moved out of the way, not that there was that many people out on that route. In the meantime the girls and I headed out to the site of the forth coming battle to look it over from the highway.

  Hell I knew where they were dug in but I couldn’t see shit, nada, nothing. We headed on down the road until we were flagged over by a scout who guided us back into the area where the troops were working and gathering, there was only about fifty people there doing the work at the moment just to hold down on the traffic in the area.

  We weren’t using deep bunkers just shallow shooting trenches with poncho covers with bits of natural cover just in case the bad guys had some kind of air recon but nothing had been seen of any.

  At their rate of travel we figured a week before any advance scouts might come into the area. In the meantime we started some chatter on the radio, talking about an unmentioned “find” up in the area we wanted them to go.

  Finally a call was sent out to me telling me I needed to come see this because it was big, real big! The hint was some kind of hidden Government facility that had very interesting goodies. I told them I’d be there on a time frame that might make the enemy speed up to catch me away from my base.

  Meantime more of our people were filtering into the area from back roads and improving their firing places, no fires and MRE’s, sucks to be them (I laugh). But I was going to be there soon enough and try as I did I couldn’t get “them” to stay home and pester the builders.

  Harv and his guys were ready to come join the fight but our people had been working together for a good while, plus the home area had to be guarded so they became part of the home guard.

  When the bad guys were a day out we headed in to our spots which we improved.

  The girls will fight and squat in the mud to pee but they will have the best shelter they can possibly build and they will do it themselves, no wimps in my family.

  We were here, loaded for bear, every shooter had their favorite rifle and all were checked out on the ranges involved. We had some heavy weapons on the other side of the road on some higher ground where they could be brought under fire when they tried to take cover behind their vehicles when we started shooting. We had our tracks hull down and well covered and protected.

  I had given them their orders to do their best to not kill the LAV’s.

  I really want those baby’s, shoot out the tires and leave them stranded if possible, unless they had run-flat tires, whatever just try.

  The only track fire would be to take out the first and last vehicles if my first plan didn’t work.

  But also to stop any that try to get away across country. I wanted to salvage every bit of their gear we could because I had a feeling we were going to be going west.

  The mortars were zeroed for blocking fire. We were set as good as could be. We ended up with 300 snipers with troops held in reserve to back up any part of our line that might get breached.

  Now we wait. It looked good but the best plan seldom survives the first contact with the enemy.

  We had warned the people of all the settlements in the area to get out and most did, some refused and were rolled over with little effort. Our scouts were reporting the usual, kill the men and older women and keep the young girls and boys, 8 to 30 it looked like.

  I hated it because we were going to be in an all-out war and some of the prisoners would likely get killed or wounded. All we could do was hope they didn’t.

  Morning came with word they were heading right at us and there was a lot of them, no true count unless “A shit load” is a true measure of numbers.

  We heard them long before we saw them and according to the scouts they were strung out pretty good having learned from the canyon ambush.

  But we were prepared for that with two tracks set to slam the back door closed hopefully before the front got past and to insure that I had a really good shooter using a suppressed rifle in place to shoot out the front tire of the lead truck. With all the noises they wouldn’t hear the shot even though it was not a sub sonic round. And that’s what happened, tire blew out and truck stopped, simple. We didn’t move or even breathe hard and like a slinky the vehicles contracted before word passed back to the tail.

  Leaders had troops bailing out and taking cover but when nothing happened they soon relaxed and were smoking and some were heating rations.

  All in all it was a big picnic. A HV rolled to the front and a large black man jumped out and began yelling to get the tire fixed.

  I thought we
had hit the Jackpot but it wasn’t to be as he went to a radio and was obviously nodding and saying yes sir, a lot. I contacted the tail gunners and they said they could see nobody on the radio in the commo unit.

  The way back scouts said they couldn’t see any sign of anybody shadowing the convoy. Our people finally found the frequency they were using and just caught the end of somebody with a deep voice screaming to get moving. But where was he?

  I was getting the feeling we weren’t gonna get him today, like in Vegas, he stayed back and let his men fight for him. He was no leader but he was smart when it came to covering his ass.

  One thing that played right into our hands and gave me a thrill (woody? giggling) the LAV troops unassed like everybody else. I ordered the people on my team to take out the drivers and don’t let anybody lock them down.

  I ordered the battle to start by count down, 3-2 1-FIRE, and with one long crash they started dropping in the dozens. The ones around the LAV’s were all down in the first blast, I never took my eyes off of the LAV’s and when somebody headed for one I took him down, well I was one of several who shot at him.

  It was going as planned, they were lost and leaderless and most died running in circles, no matter which side of their vehicles they moved to they were in the cross hairs. It was even worse then the canyon ambush.