John Simpson

by Def Con One (lit)

  The phone rang and I answered it. It was the Security Police barracks notifying me that rooms had been made up for men who were called in from off base. It was the same guy who had checked me in on my first day. I asked him to save a room for me and Todd, and he assigned room 343 to us.

  I radioed Police Three and relayed the barracks information. I would tell Todd later that I had secured us a room. I pulled down the SOP book and looked up “Def Con Two,” reading through the list of things to do and checking them off against the previous desk sergeant’s report to see if anything had not been completed. To my surprise, every requirement had been met and the only thing I had to do was relay any important updates that came in from Wing Command Post, where the operational center for the base was contained. A security policeman was now also standing guard at that location.

  We quickly fell into the routine of a heightened alert and everyone did their jobs by the book. I looked up from my reading to find the CO standing in front of the desk.

  “Good evening, sir. May I help you?”

  “Callahan, can you handle this post under the circumstances?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m sure Sergeant Gray would have kept the last desk sergeant on this post if he thought I couldn’t.”

  “Very well, Callahan. I’m putting my trust and faith in your flight commander and you. I’ll be doing a post inspection around base to make sure everyone is on their toes. Our luck, the general will be out running around. I’ll be on radio if you need me.”

  With that he took the keys to his personal patrol car and left the building. Having the CO on the air made it all the more imperative that I didn’t fuck up. I waited for about five minutes and requested Police Three to call me from the main gate. He needed to know the major was out on the road.

  One hour later, Sergeant Gray came to the desk and informed me that he had met with the major. We were now on a twelve-on, twelve-off shift rotation until we went back to Def Con Three. This news would not sit well with the men but there was nothing anyone could do about it. At midnight, Todd was sent in to relieve me for thirty minutes so I could go to the chow hall and get a normal dinner. Gray figured with these kinds of work hours, I needed regular food like everyone else.

  The rest of the shift went without incident and we were relieved of duty a little after 0600 hours. We were due back at 1800 hours to begin our first twelve-hour shift. It was like being back in the field.

  Todd and I went directly to the Security Police barracks and checked into our room officially. There were towels on our beds along with sheets and pillowcases.

  “Make sure the door’s locked so we can share a bed, unless you would rather not,” he said with a serious look on his face.

  “No, I’m more than fine with that. It will be a little cramped, but I can deal with it to have you next to me,” I replied as I locked the door and tried to open it to test the lock.

  “We need to be up by 1530 hours so that we can go back to the house and get more uniforms and our personal stuff. I’m not sure how long we’re going to be here.”

  “Okay, let’s hit the bed then.”

  We slid into the narrow bed together and turned into each other’s arms. Todd stared into my eyes, smiled and kissed me. “Ya know, I’m getting pretty attached to you. I could get used to this real easy.”

  “Well, we have to remember that eventually we’ll both be transferred and then what do we do?”

  “There’s a gay guy who works in the section that processes overseas orders, and I’m gonna have a talk with him. I knew him at my last base and he ended up here about a month after I got here. I’ll see if I can arrange for us to be sent to the same base. How’s that?”

  My response was nonverbal. I smiled and kissed him. Before long, we were both sound asleep, with me feeling very secure in Todd’s arms.

  Later that day, we woke up from a knock on the door. Todd sprung out of bed and messed up the empty cot before he answered the door. It was the guy in charge of quarters that day, telling us it was time to wake up. Todd thanked the sergeant and closed the door.

  “Do you want to shower here or at home?” I asked him.

  “We might as well shower here and save time instead of squeezing into the shower at home.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. That has its advantages too,” I said with a smile.

  We stripped, wrapped the towels around us, and hit the showers. There were another six guys already in them as everyone was beginning the routine to go on duty on the new schedule. I couldn’t help but look around at the young guys in all their naked glory. Todd caught my wandering eye, punched me lightly on the shoulder, and shot me a glare that said “Knock it off.”

  We got back into our uniforms and drove off base. At home we packed a duffel bag with extra uniforms, underwear, and civilian clothes in case we wanted to take a quick walk around without being in uniform. We threw the stuff, which included an alarm clock, into the car and, wasting no time, drove back onto base. When we got back to the barracks, we noticed many of the guys were back in the dayroom watching the television. We figured the news couldn’t be good.

  We pushed our way into the room and listened. We were right; it wasn’t good. The Soviets had just signed an agreement to sell Hugo Chávez of Venezuela two nuclear bombs so that they could protect themselves from “Yankee imperialists.”

  Chávez was talking to reporters in Caracas, stating that he had the right to buy any weapons system that he wanted to protect the people of his great nation. With the petrodollars Venezuela had, they could buy anything that was for sale.

  As expected, the reaction by the United States as well as Venezuela’s neighbors was swift and negative. Colombia lodged protests of the sale with anyone who would listen and hinted that this could lead to a war in South America. No one trusted Chávez with a nuke, let alone two of them. The president was to address the nation in one hour.

  “Let’s get ready for duty and then catch the address before reporting. We should have just enough time to grab some breakfast at the chow hall beforehand.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I replied.

  It was starting to dawn on everyone that war was now a real possibility since it was obvious that was what the Soviets appeared to want. They were looking for an excuse to start hostilities that could only end badly for the entire world. There were many members of Congress who wanted a “hands-off” approach to the Soviets as long as they did nothing directly against the United States. They even echoed Chávez, saying that he had a right to buy weapons. The fact that the Soviets had trashed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty didn’t appear to matter to them. The other side of the political coin began to call them the “Chamberlains” of the twenty-first century. Appeasement was becoming a dirty word once again in the language of politicians.

  Right in the middle of all this were the American people and its military. I had a feeling that our stay in the barracks was not going to be brief. The room grew quiet when the seal of the President of the United States appeared on screen. After a few seconds, the face of President Windsor appeared from the Oval Office.

  “My fellow Americans, I come to you this afternoon with the troubling details of what has transpired in recent days between the Soviets and the rest of the world. With the news today that the Soviets have agreed to sell two nuclear weapons to Venezuela, thus introducing these weapons for the first time in the Western Hemisphere outside the United States, a dangerous and volatile situation is now upon us. I have contacted the leadership of the Soviet Union as well as President Chávez, and have requested that this sale be canceled in the interests of peace. Unfortunately, Chávez has maintained his position that he has the right to buy whatever he feels he needs to protect his country. It must be noted that under no circumstances does Venezuela need nuclear weapons to accomplish that task.

  “The Soviets, on their part, maintain that they have the right to sell weapons to their allies just as the United States sells weapons to its allies. When I pointed ou
t that we do not sell nuclear weapons to anyone, they responded that it was us who armed the Israelis with nuclear weapons. I categorically deny that the United States has ever played a role in selling nuclear weapons to Israel. In fact, we don’t know for sure that they possess nuclear weapons.

  “The response of the parties involved in this dangerous situation indicates that they will not heed the request of this government to call off the sale. Therefore, I am calling for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council and will present a case for revoking the membership of the Soviets in that world body. They have chosen to live outside the rules of common sense when it comes to the most destructive force known to mankind. If the resolution passes, we will then request immediate sanctions be initiated again the Soviets in order to encourage them to cease sales of this kind in the future in addition to canceling this sale to Venezuela. Under no circumstances can the United States allow the introduction of nuclear weapons into South America. It should be noted that we have the full support of every nation in South America for our position. The neighbors of Venezuela are unanimous in their position that they do not want nuclear weapons in their backyard under any circumstances.

  “I also took the opportunity to lodge a protest with the Soviets regarding their submarines traveling along the east coast of the United States. This protest was met with a declaration of maritime rights to sail anywhere they wish in international waters.

  “In closing, I wish to assure the American people that everything that can be done is being done to protect the security of our great nation. I have even offered to meet with the Soviet leadership to work out the problems that now exist between our two governments. They have taken my offer under advisement.”

  The president ended his brief statement to the nation and the scene switched from the Oval Office to the CNN desk, where analysis of the president’s statement began. Todd nudged me and we left the barracks to eat a decent breakfast before reporting for duty.

  When we arrived for guard mount, we were informed by Sergeant Gray that all domestic military bases had been notified that unknown individuals had been seen on video surveillance cameras crossing both the Canadian and Mexican borders into the United States. These individuals chose places along the 3,000-mile-long borders that had no official border-patrol presence. From the videos, it appeared that more than 120 men had entered the United States illegally. This constituted a new threat to the security of all military and non-military government sites. We were ordered to increase ground surveillance of all missile sites.

  The flight was dismissed to begin the twelve-hour shift and I relieved the day-shift desk sergeant. Other than the almost constant presence of high-ranking officers, nothing new was passed on to me beyond the new orders disclosed at guard mount.

  I made fresh coffee before the day sergeant left, and settled in for a long night. After preparing the initial entries for my report, I sat back and began to once again review the procedures I’d have to implement in case of various scenarios.

  Several reports of domestic disturbances began to come in around 2300 hours and I dispatched patrols to handle the calls. I had been told in my initial training that these types of calls were rare on base, and here I had received three in the space of an hour. The increased tensions in the world created a harder work environment for the military families on base, and it was beginning to show. Fortunately, no actual violence had occurred in any of the homes that we were called out to. If violence had taken place, the offending party would have been arrested and incarcerated for the night until the base commander could deal with it the next day.

  The line from the Wing Command Post lit up and I quickly answered it. I was informed by the duty officer that the commanding general was not at his house, and that he had decided to pull a surprise inspection of our security arrangements around base. I notified Sergeant Gray via radio and took a quick look around the desk area to make sure everything was in order. One place he was bound to inspect was my duty station.

  One of the patrol units stopped in to use the restroom and as he was leaving, I heard him yell, “Atten-hut!”

  I quickly came to attention as the general strode on in.

  “Good evening, airmen. Everything in order?”

  “Yes, sir. Everything is good.”

  When he approached the secured door to my space, I hit the button that let him in.

  “Is there anything that I can do for you, sir, or anything that you require?”

  “No, but I will have a cup of that coffee if I may?”

  “Of course, sir. Let me get it for you.”

  “As you were; I can get my own coffee, but thank you. Don’t let me interrupt your duties, airman.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As the general poured his coffee, I made a quick entry in my report that the wing commander was present. He came up and sat down next to me with his coffee, which was unexpected.

  “How many men are on duty tonight with base police, not counting the security teams?”

  “General, we have seven men on patrol at the moment, with another three on the main gate. The other gates are closed, of course.”

  “How often are the closed gates checked during the night?”

  “Sir, they are on an hourly check routine.”

  “Hmm, I wonder if we shouldn’t have someone posted on those gates?”

  “Well, sir, if we were to have a man at each of the other gates, they would be sitting targets for anyone attacking the base. They would be almost surely killed first and we would never know it.”

  “Why is that, airman?”

  “Sir, they would be sitting in a lit glass booth, surrounded for the most part by total darkness. They would not only be easy to kill, but we might not know it until the next patrol swung by to check on them. If the killers timed the patrol rounds, they would know they had about an hour to do whatever it is they’re here to do before the dead security policemen would be found.”

  “You are correct, of course. Put a note in your shift report for the major to get with the base commander and discuss quickly putting up intense lighting at all entrance points to the base. We may still not put a man on those closed gates, but the extra lighting is cheap additional security.”

  “Yes, sir. Will do.”

  “Airman, you don’t seem to be nervous at all that I’m here. It’s not like the wing commander drops in here very often; in fact, I can’t remember ever stopping in here at night.”

  “No, sir. I’m not nervous. I know you are the commanding general for the wing, but we each have our jobs to do and I am well-trained to do my job.”

  “Outstanding, airman. Carry on. I’m going to make a couple more checks, and then I’ll be in my quarters.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As the general left the secure area, I came to attention as he walked past the front of the raised desk area. I noted what time he left in my report and notified Sergeant Gray that he was here and gone. Later, when the sergeant came back to the desk, I informed him about the general’s order to put a note in the report about gate lighting.

  The rest of the night passed quietly with no more calls for police service coming in.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning, we found a note on the door telling us to report to the base theater at 1600 hours for a security briefing. Command used the theater for these kinds of meetings as it was the only place big enough for the squadron to assemble indoors in one location.

  Todd and I quickly dressed and headed over to find out what was going on. As we arrived, we found most of the squadron already there with the exception of our mid-night shift guys who were just getting up. I noticed the squadron commander present, along with the base commander and the wing commander. Whatever was going on, it had all the top brass in attendance.

  Finally, the base commander called for order and introduced the wing commander to those assembled. He strode up to the microphone in combat fatigues, something that none of us had ever seen before. Usu
ally the general was in dress blues or a flight suit.

  “Good afternoon, men. Consider this briefing classified and therefore you are prohibited from discussing anything learned here with anyone outside this auditorium. Approximately four-and-a-half hours ago, the Colorado Highway Patrol made a routine traffic stop on Interstate Twenty-five. The trooper who made that stop was shot dead on the side of the road by the occupants of a dark brown van. Since the trooper had radioed in a vehicle description prior to leaving his patrol car, we have limited information on the suspects. When the trooper did not respond to a radio call checking on his welfare, an alert was put out and units were sent to his location. When they arrived, they found the trooper dead. He had been shot eleven times in a pattern that indicated an automatic weapon.

  “An intensive manhunt was launched by ground and air for the van and its occupants. Search helicopters spotted the van north of Denver heading in the direction of Cheyenne. Roadblocks were set up and pursuit was made by ground units with air support providing information on the direction of the van.

  “When the vehicle blew a tire, the driver lost control and flipped the van. As police officers approached, the occupants opened fire on the police, killing four more officers. The officers returned fire and killed all but one occupant, who was wounded. What makes this a matter of concern for us here at Warren Air Force Base is that the van was loaded with automatic weapons, explosives, and over twenty thousand dollars in cash. There were no markings on the men’s clothes, no identification on any of the occupants, and the prisoner refuses to talk.

  “The police believe that these six men could well be some of those who crossed the Mexican border illegally and entered the United States. In light of the weapons and explosives in their possession, we can safely assume that they are not here to create good will with the American people.”

  An aide walked up to the general and whispered something in his ear. “Excuse me, gentlemen. I have a call regarding this incident.” The general walked off the stage and all the men began to talk to their neighbors.