One member of the other team was also wounded by gunfire, which left only three of us in good condition. While it was hard for the other men to hear as a result of being so close to the explosion, they were able to function. One of them entered the site along with me to check the hostiles and see if they had been able to do anything to the missile site itself. The second man I shot was dead as the round went through his head, taking most of it off his shoulders. The other man was bleeding profusely and I did not expect him to live. We kicked all the weapons away from the men on the ground and I hand-searched the wounded man for other weapons. He began to plead with me in Russian, though of course I had no idea what he was saying. While the second airman stayed with the prisoner, I ran over to the various components of the site looking for problems. I found one. Placed directly on top of the protective cover to the missile was what appeared to me to be a bomb of some kind. The obvious intent was to blow open the missile silo, giving the commandos access to the ICBM.
When I ran back to the prisoner and airman guarding him, the prisoner was dead. I had killed both commandos. The sergeant in charge of the security team entered the site and I informed him of what I had found. He ordered us to vacate the site until instructions were received from base. He radioed up to the chopper what we had found and requested orders.
It was then that I noticed that Todd was absent. I asked the sergeant where he was, afraid of the answer.
“He’s lying over there. He’s been hit in the left shoulder. Haney is trying to administer first aid to him and the others. We may lose Albertson.”
I panicked and ran over to where Todd and Haney were. I knelt down and was relieved to find Todd’s eyes open at least. “How bad is it? Are you in a lot of pain?”
“Hell yeah, I’m in pain! I’ve been shot. What did you expect?” he responded with a slight smile, which told me he was trying not to worry me.
“Okay. We’ve got to move way back beyond the large boulders over there. There’s a bomb on site and if it goes off, I don’t want any more men injured or killed. Let’s move!” the sergeant shouted.
After a few minutes, everyone was resettled safely behind the boulders. All of the wounded needed immediate medical attention, which was relayed to the chopper. The pilot was doing an aerial check of the immediate vicinity to ensure that there were no other commandos to deal with. With the death of our only prisoner, we had no surviving enemy to guard. It had been an expensive raid, however, with three men wounded, and two almost deaf. Somehow, I was the only one who came out unscathed.
The pilot radioed down to us that he was landing as the area was clear of any other hostiles. The state police had also been notified and were en route, but it would take some time for them to arrive due to our location.
The pilot got out of the chopper and ran over to us. “Two things: The base had another attack tonight while this was going on. They tried to take out General Star at his residence. What they didn’t count on was the general carrying around a forty-five caliber automatic. He killed both assailants. Second, a chopper has been dispatched with medical personnel and more security troops. Once they arrive, they will take charge of our wounded and you other three will be flown back to base—not the LCF for medical care and debriefings. ETA for the choppers is about another twenty minutes. Keep pressure on the wounds and watch for signs of shock. Here are two blankets from on board the chopper. Cover them up the best you can.”
“What about the bomb? We can’t just let it sit where it is!” I asked.
“Well, that was the other thing. They want to know if you feel you can move the bomb off site and into the field?”
“Who, me? Are you shitting me, Lieutenant? They want me to move a fucking bomb when I have zero training dealing with bombs other than evacuating the area? Are they crazy?”
“Callahan, they are worried that if it goes off, it will crack the warheads underneath and release radioactive material into the air. There is a major freshwater source, just over those hills, that feeds into the drinking water for this part of the entire state. We can’t let it be contaminated.”
“Well, they should have thought of that before they put the damn missile here!”
“I’m just passing along the request. They are not ordering you to do this; they are asking you to do it.”
“Oh, that makes all the difference in the world then! As long as it’s not an order, I’d be happy to try and blow myself up!”
“Callahan, it will take the army at least an hour and a half to get a disposal team out here from the nearest Army post that has a unit. It’s up to you.”
I got up off the ground, gave the lieutenant a “go fuck yourself,” look, and headed back to the launch site. I threw a curse at the dead commandos on the ground that questioned the moral characters of their mothers, and gingerly approached the bomb. I was startled slightly when a shaft of bright light hit me and the bomb and it took me a moment to realize that the pilot had turned on one of his small spotlights and aimed it at me.
From what I could tell, which wasn’t much, it appeared to be an electronic bomb, and not one of the old “light the fuse and run like hell” kind. As I knelt down to take a closer look, I saw what appeared to be a cover made of metal with a thumb indentation where you would place a finger to open the cover. I slowly put my hand on the cover and lifted it up, revealing a sight that sent a chill though my entire body and almost made me release the contents of my kidneys all over myself.
Inside the outer case was a timing device that had analog numbers, which were in fact ticking away. The numbers that were clearly visible read 4:21, and were counting down. I yelled that it was going off in about four minutes and to get way back. I had no idea what material was in the bomb and hoped that it did not have movement sensors that would trip the explosive circuit if moved. I really didn’t have any time to over-think it.
I closed the cover and picked up the entire device, which was about two feet long and two-and-a-half-feet wide. It weighed about forty pounds and I was able to easily lift it. As I took my first steps toward the gate, my heart raced and my palms began to perspire. Since I was sure now that it wasn’t going to be triggered by my carrying it, I moved as quickly as I could without running. I turned once outside the gate and headed away from the missile silo and my friends.
I tried to keep a count in my head of the number of seconds that were ticking away, remembering that I had to give myself enough time to get away from the bomb before it detonated. I walked until I thought I had about ninety seconds left, set the bomb down and ran like hell toward my friends. I never slowed down until I reached them. In my head, I had counted to zero about two seconds before a great explosion rocked the earth. It literally knocked me to the ground. Once again, the sound was deafening and the entire area was lit up by the fire produced by the explosion. Little bits of rock, dirt, and pieces of plant life rained down upon us as we covered our heads. After about thirty seconds, everything grew quiet once more and the area was in darkness except for the spotlight still facing toward where the bomb used to be.
“Well, I guess they meant to blow up the place,” observed the pilot dryly. “Good job, Callahan. That took a lot of balls to do and you pulled it off. Little doubt in my mind that had the explosion occurred where the bomb originally was, we would have a badly damaged ICBM leaking radiation all over the place. You’ll get a medal for this.”
“Right now, I would settle for my bed back on base and a very large scotch.”
Two choppers landed by our chopper and discharged medical personnel and additional security teams. They quickly began to work on the wounded and confirmed that the commandos were dead. The new security team was ordered to remain on site with one chopper standing by for them. The rest of us took off in the remaining choppers and headed back to Warren Air Force Base. We had all earned our pay that night.
Chapter 8
After landing at the base hospital landing pad, our wounded were quickly taken into surgery and the rest
of us were placed in an exam room where more doctors waited to go over us with tremendous attention to detail. The men who had suffered hearing loss were told it would be only temporary and that by morning, most of their normal hearing would return. I was given a clean bill of health and told to report to the commanding officer immediately. The only thing I wanted to do was to stand by until Todd was out of surgery and I was sure he was going to be okay. The new love of my life had been shot by a Russian commando and I was not amused. There had to be some serious payback for this kind of crap on American soil. One of the doctors said he would call over to base police as soon as Todd and the others came out of surgery with an update on their conditions. That would have to do for me, as orders were orders. Just as I left the hospital, the national colors were being raised on the base flagpole. As required, all movement ceased and all eyes focused on the stars and stripes being raised. Those of us in uniform saluted until the color detail made up of base police dropped their salutes. When the guys saw me, they wanted to know all the details about what had happened and gave me a ride back to the desk so I could report as ordered.
The sun was now up and the base was already alive with activity. Between the attempted assassination of the general and the assault on the missile silo, no one had gotten a full night’s sleep. I entered the building that housed the rebuilt base police desk as well as the security police squadron offices. This time when the CO’s clerk began to make a wisecrack about the mess my uniform was in, I told him to shut up and tell the major that I was reporting.
“Callahan, is that you out there?” yelled the major.
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, get in here.”
I walked in and stopped four paces before the major’s desk and saluted, saying, “Airman Callahan reporting as ordered, sir.”
“Sit down, Callahan. Make yourself comfortable. You’ve had a rough night from what I understand so far. Tell me in detail what happened at Bravo-David Four.”
After I gave a full description of the events in the field, the major leaned back in his chair. As he stared at the ceiling he said, “Last time you were in here, you were here for shooting a snake. I wasn’t all that happy. This time, Callahan, you’re in my office for shooting snakes again. Only this time, they were Russian snakes!” he said as he looked at me again with a gigantic smile on his face.
“Callahan, I couldn’t be more proud of you and the other members of your team. You fulfilled your mission and the fact that you removed a bomb from over an ICBM at great personal risk is the single greatest act of bravery ever engaged in by a member of this command since we were established. By the way, it wasn’t my suggestion that you remove the bomb; it was the general’s. He’ll be wanting to talk to you before you hit the sack. By the way, I’m putting you in for medals for last night’s action. In fact, I’m recommending your entire team for a Presidential Unit Citation.”
The phone interrupted the major and he took the call. It was the base hospital.
“I see. Very well. Keep me informed,” the major said and hung up the phone.
“Well, all of your teammates came out of surgery alive and are predicted to make a full recovery. You’re one lucky man to have been the only one not injured or killed in that firefight. Five dead Russians. Amazing. Well, that’s all I have for you, Callahan. Change uniforms and report to the general at his office.”
“Yes, sir. What uniform should I wear, sir? Combat fatigues or dress blues?” I asked.
“The order for all security policemen to be in fatigues has not been lifted, so report in a fresh set of greens.”
“Yes, sir.”
I saluted once again and left the office, not even bothering to give the wiseass at the clerk’s desk a look. As I was walking down the hall, the chief master sergeant for the squadron stopped me and wanted a full briefing. I didn’t like this man at all and I tried to keep from showing it. “Sorry, Sergeant. I’ve been told to report immediately to the general and then hit the sack.”
“Very well, airman. Carry out your orders.”
I smiled all the way out of the building and hurried to the barracks. Todd was on my mind the whole time I was changing into a fresh uniform. I was relieved that he had no problems in surgery, but still wanted to know how much damage was done to his shoulder. Was he in pain? Was there anything I could do for him? I decided to visit him before I went to bed for the day.
After reporting to the general, I was told once again to sit down, which was unusual. Normally, you always stood up for a conversation in the general’s office, with him being the only one seated. General Star had of course talked with me before when I was on the desk, so we had some background.
He wanted all the details just as the major had wanted. When I finished, he had questions.
“Callahan, you know it was me that requested that you move that bomb and that I had no choice but to ask it, right?”
“Yes, sir; although my immediate reaction surprised the pilot who relayed the request.”
“Oh? What was your reaction?”
“Well, sir, begging the general’s pardon, but I don’t wish to insult you, nor would it be wise for me to insult you.”
He laughed out loud. “Hell, Callahan, the bastards tried to shoot me last night in my own damn home! In front of my wife! Whatever you said in response to my request has to pale in comparison to that!”
“Yes, sir, and I’m glad you made it out of that situation all right. Well, sir, I wondered about the sanity of whoever gave me that request, and took a special note that it was a request and not an order. I might have said a couple of other things.”
He laughed once again. “Callahan, I’ve already had a report from the pilot who was there and I got to tell you, son, you are one brave son of a bitch. You’re going to get a medal, no doubt, for your actions that went above and beyond the call of duty. You do realize, don’t you, how important it was to remove that device from directly on top of the missile, right?”
“Yes, sir, I understand that the explosion could have cracked the warheads and released radioactivity into the atmosphere.”
“You’re damn right, son, and that would have been the least of it. I had no option but to ask you. What are you doing the rest of the day?”
“Well, sir, my roommate and best friend was wounded in the firefight and is in the base hospital. I’m going to go visit him before I go to bed.”
“Tell you what; I’ll have my car take you over there so that you don’t have to walk. When you’re through, call the desk and have a patrol car pick you up and take you to the barracks. I’m giving you tonight off from duty and will notify your commander. I’ll be talking to you again, son, and good job once more.”
The general stood up, which made me stand up. He shook my hand, and I saluted and left his office. The general shouted to his driver, who was in the outer office, to take me to the hospital.
I had no idea what medal I would be put in for, but it really didn’t matter to me all that much. What mattered most was Todd and our future together and whether or not his wound would impact that somehow.
After the driver dropped me off at the hospital, I went in and tried to find Todd’s room number. The nurse wouldn’t give it to me, saying he should not have any visitors. I was going to argue with her, but it would have done no good and she was a second lieutenant and they just don’t like to be challenged. After going down the hallway, I ran into the doctor who had examined me earlier.
“Excuse me, doctor, but the general sent me over here to look in on Sergeant Todd Claymore and make sure he was doing okay. The nurse refused to give me his room number. Should I let the general know that I couldn’t see him, or can you tell me where he’s at?”
“Normally, the nurse is correct. When someone comes out of surgery for this type of wound, visitors are restricted. But since you’re here with the general’s interest in hand, I’ll show you to his room and let the nurse know you are the exception whenever you want to visit him. No
need to bother General Star with this.”
I smiled as I followed the doctor. I’d played the situation perfectly without lying about the general’s involvement. When the doctor opened the door, I was pleased to see that Todd had a private room rather than a ward bed. Because Todd was a sergeant, he got his own room while airmen had to share a large room with as many as five other men.
“Okay, he is still sleeping from the anesthesia, so try not to wake him. If he does wake up, he will be very groggy. Please don’t stay longer than fifteen minutes. Deal?”
“Yes, sir, that’s fine. I appreciate your making the exception for my roommate.”
When the door closed, I walked up to the bed and looked down on my man. He was heavily bandaged up around his shoulder and with tubes coming out of his arms that were hooked up to IV solutions. I quickly bent over the bed and gave Todd a kiss on his forehead and whispered, “I’m here, baby. You’re gonna be all right.”
Before I could sit down in the chair next to the bed, a scene from Snow White played out before my eyes. His eyelids flickered and one eye popped open and then the other. My kiss had brought him back to life! I giggled to myself and shoved the cartoon scene out of my head.
“Hi, honey. I’m here. How do you feel?”
Todd turned his head and looked at me, trying to focus. “That’s the second time you’ve asked me that dumb-ass question! I feel like I’ve been shot!” He started to snort with laughter and then began to cough. His coughing continued for a few seconds and a nurse popped in.
“Sergeant, how do you feel?” asked the innocent nurse.
I began to laugh, which elicited a rude look from the nurse, and I shut up. “Don’t know what’s so funny about that question, airman!” she admonished.
“Nurse, I feel like I’ve been shot. That’s how I feel!”
I couldn’t help myself; I laughed out loud. “Well, obviously there is something I’ve missed going on here between you two,” she said.
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