by W. R. Benton
"We can't take on that many folks!"
"Relax a bit, son, because they ain't all in Mississippi. They're scattered all over the country and from what we were told their communications system is terrible. The Russians have been supplying the units with helicopter, parachute drops and even LAPES."
"LAPES? Isn't that where a C-130 flies a few feet of the ground, a parachute opens behind the cargo, the load then flies into the slipstream as the chute catches in the wind? The parachute drags the contents of a pallet or two down rollers inside the aircraft and then to the ground."
"That's pretty much how it works, but it raises a hell of a lot of dust."
I shrugged and said, "Hell, if it works, it's worth the risk of dusk. But, how will all of this impact us as a unit?"
"It won't impact us any time soon, because their units are too scattered."
"Anything on the Chinese? I can't imagine them not getting involved, too."
"The POW said they're here, too, which is the main reason the Russians sent advisers. Both are attempting to get a piece of the American pie."
"Top, if the Chinese get serious, we'll be in a world of hurt. Hell, there must be a zillion of them."
"Son, the problem with the Chinese is they can't support or supply too many troops here, and even after all the deaths over the last few years, our population will fight the Chinese hard. If America has a common enemy, it's communism, or it was until our last president came into power."
"He claimed he was a liberal."
"He was and still is, if he's alive. The man changed laws to fit his needs, totally ignored our Constitution, increased mandatory immunizations, raised gas prices, which led to higher food prices, had chips implanted in some folks, tried his luck at gun control, kept all the minorities pissed at each other, and even made it illegal to show support to any Christian faith. He spent more money on his many cars than he did on meals for our troops or helping veterans. After his sexual affair with his male staff member broke open, all of us could understand his pushing so hard for gay rights."
"The gay issue meant nothing to me and I didn't care if they were recognized or not. I still feel that way. My Bible tells me it's a sin to live such a lifestyle, but God will judge them, not me. I'm not gay, so what others do behind closed doors doesn't impact me at all," I said, and honestly meant my words.
"You're right, God will judge, but we've always had gays around us and I know I've served with many without knowing. If I'd known, it wouldn't have made any difference to me because I evaluate people on job performance, not sexual orientation."
"How'd all that racial stuff hit you? I mean, since you're a black man."
Top laughed and then said, "Personally, I've never let the liberal media guide my thinking or my actions. Especially just before the fall, when some of media kept the racial shit stirred up every time there was a killing of a person of any color. See, they rarely reported when a Hispanic person killed a white, or if a black killed a black, or if they did, race never came out. I knew all of the facts were not being told in anything they reported. I may be a member of the black race, but I think for myself."
"And, professionally? Did it bother you?"
"Lawdy no, son. The army never tolerated racists, no matter their color, during the time I served, but they had a problem with it in the years past. By the time I'd entered, we were all seen as 'green' and of no particular race by the army. I learned as a young kid that some black folks can be racists as well, so it ain't just a white man's problem. See, I think racism is taught in families and that family can be of any color."
"What straw on our governments back caused the final collapse, or do you have any idea? I've given it a lot of thought, but can't pinpoint one particular issue or act."
Top stretched his legs out in the dirt in front of him, thought for a minute or two, and then said, "I think when we granted the right for millions of illegal aliens, or undocumented aliens as the politically correct liberals used to say, to stay in the country, we committed economic suicide as a nation. Many of those we allowed to stay had no jobs, few had skills that were needed, some were out and out criminals, and our unemployment rate was already over fifteen percent. We already had more folks on government assistance than we had working, so how could the people working support such a financial burden? That led to the government borrowing all kinds of money, knowing they couldn't pay it back and couldn't even make the first payment on the loan. Hell, we were still sending foreign aid to countries and should have stopped that to pay our loans or help our own people. To this day, I don't understand how we, the American people, could have been so stupid. Our leader led us right down the path, and openly, but very few challenged him."
"Well, it's all water under the bridge now, with survival on everyone's mind."
"Yep, it's a done deal, but I seriously doubt you and I will ever see this country back as we remember it."
"Let's say we do come together as one people, what kind of government do you think we'll have?"
"It all depends on the political thoughts of the man or woman who is able to unify us as one again. I pray nightly that our Constitution will be re-instated, our rights protected, and states are given more power individually than the Federal government. A big federal government caused our fall, as sure as I sit here talking with you."
I chuckled and then said, "The kind of government you're describing is exactly what the Confederate States of America wanted and the real reason for the Civil War."
"I'll not discuss old Southern politics with you, but I do know the war wasn't fought to free the black man. I think the Yankee's fought to keep the South in the Union and that was the only reason for most of them. Lincoln simply tacked the Emancipation Proclamation on the wall once he saw he'd win the war. Slavery had always been a thorn in the side of our country and I guess he thought it was an excellent time to put the issue to bed, and it was. But, the slave issue was pretty much over by the war, except for the actual freeing the folks."
"How do you figure that? Hell, thousands of black folks were still slaving away every day from dawn to dusk in all kinds of weather. And, no plantation owner wanted to lose his property." I was confused by his statement.
Top smiled and said, "The invention of the cotton gin spelled the end to slavery. See, it could do more work in a day than a whole bunch of slaves could do in a week. Plus, with slaves costing between five-hundred and a thousand dollars or more a head, they would soon be rendered too expensive. Compared to the new cotton gin, or one of the many illegal copies, slaves were no longer cost effective. The owners could cut the costs of running a plantation a great deal using a gin, because slaves required housing, food, clothing, and other items just to live. Other machines were to come that reduced the need for excessive manpower to run any plantation."
"You mean the war was fought for nothing? All those men lost their lives, on both sides, for a lost cause?"
"No, they didn't die for a lost cause, no matter which side they were on. The right of a state to leave the Union had to be established, especially since the only state that had any real legal right to leave the Union was Texas. When accepted into the Union, Texas made it clear they wanted the option of leaving if need be or things didn't work out."
"I'll be damned, I didn't know this." I was amazed by Top's intelligence of history.
Top shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Our school teachers, before the fall, did as well as they could, but they were limited by what they could and couldn't teach. If it wasn't on the lesson plan, they weren't allowed to expand on the lesson. Most of us in America grew up learning incorrect American history, and often our history was written by those who'd never been to the place they were writing about or even alive at the time."
"That's not history, that's opinion!"
"Well, your words ring true, but what I just told you is fact. My wife was a school teacher for thirty years, and she bitched about the lessons all the time. Now, enough bullshitting. I want Willy and his team, which inclu
des you, to do a recon north for a few days. Rumor has a Russian unit up that way and we need to see if they're in our area of operations."
"And, if they are in our A.O.?"
"Look, listen, and then come back here. If you're seen, consider your mission a failure. We want to get in, see what's going on, gather some intelligence, and get out without them being aware we were there. Got that?"
"Uh-huh, it's sounds simple enough, but I doubt it will be."
"You do what Willy orders and all will turn out well, unless someone walks into your night position like the last time. Things like that are rare, but they do happen from time-to-time. Oh, and before I forget, leave your wife behind this trip. Our nurse is tied up right now and won't be coming back anytime soon, so I need her here. Take Vickie with you so you're not short."
CHAPTER 17
Today, a day later, I'm on point and moving slowly through a cypress swamp, keeping an eye out for gators and snakes, and looking intently for the bad guys. I step over a log, but before my raised foot strikes the water, I see movement. Looking at the waters surface, I see a huge cottonmouth swimming away from me. While not really scared of snakes, the image makes me shudder. I keep moving forward as I try to get my heart rate back to normal. Damn, gotta use a little more caution than I have been. But, it shows we're quiet enough if the snake didn't know we were approaching, I thought.
Off and on we change point until darkness, when Willy whispered, "We'll spend the night here."
Vickie's eyes grew large, because we were still in the swamp and no dry land was visible in any direction from where I stood.
"How can we sleep here?" She asked.
"Sit in the water or climb a tree," I replied.
Willy grinned, and whispered once more, "I'm using a tree, but only because gators can't climb trees."
Vickie smiled and didn't say much, but I felt she thought she'd be safe in a tree, so I added, "Snakes can climb trees and are often found in trees. Also, if you use a tree to sleep in, secure yourself or you'll fall out once asleep."
Her smile quickly disappeared as the rest of us selected trees to spend the night in. I wasn't worried about snakes in the water, but being attacked by hungry gators and some were very aggressive. What most folks don't realize about a swamp is it comes alive with movement and noise once the sun goes down. I noticed we all selected trees that covered the four main compass points of north, south, east and west.
Once in my tree, I tied myself to the trunk and cleared the limbs and moss from the area directly overhead. I removed an extra large hook that easily screwed into the tree trunk. In the days before the fall, I'd used the same hook to support my bicycle many times. I hung my shotgun from the hook and placed another hook on the other side to hold my backpack. I removed a small bottle of insect repellent and applied it liberally to my exposed skin. The last thing I needed was come down with a West Nile Virus or malaria.
From near Vickie's tree I heard a faint, "Shit!" and then a splash in the water. The original splash was followed by a number of louder splashes that sound like a fight going on. Gators fighting over what Vickie dropped, I thought, and grinned. She'll learn, if she lives long enough.
I have no idea what she'd dropped, but it'd stay there until morning or gators ate it. I heard gators stirring in the water below and the sounds of thousands of insects, frogs and maybe even the boogieman. Strange noises come from swamps at night, and we heard them all this night.
Once the moon came out, I could see swirls in the water when snakes and gators moved, and moonlight reflect off the small waves. Suddenly I heard a loud scream that equaled any woman I'd ever heard in a horror movie, but I quickly identified it as a panther or other large cat. While most in Mississippi thought no such animal existed, some of the good ole boys have been saying for years they did, and I believe them right now. While not overly concerned, I felt for my shotgun in the inky darkness under the canopy of my tree. Feeling the warm metal, I relaxed a little.
The night was long, but I dozed off and on most of the time. When morning came, a thick white mist cover the swamp like a veil. I climbed down my tree and waited in the knee deep water for the others. Soon, Ralph, Tom and Willy were at my side and a very tired Vickie walked to us a few minutes later.
Whispering, Willy asked, "Get any sleep?"
Vickie shook her head.
Willy gave a crooked grin and said, "Okay, Tom, you take point and stay out about 30 yards. Vickie, you pull slack and cover the rear. Let's move."
Well, I thought as we started moving, at least the water is warm and the sun is shining.
Shortly after noon, we exited the swamp and moved into some oaks. Three Claymores were placed, a guard designated and the rest of us got some much needed sleep. I must have fallen asleep instantly, because when I opened my eyes next, Tom was squatted beside me. He whispered, "Your turn."
It felt good to be out of the swamp, so I moved under a large pine and placed my shotgun in my lap. I placed one of the Claymore clackers near my left leg and did a lot of thinking about nothing. It bothers me that our country is in pieces, and I pray one day I'd see it unified again, but Top didn't think it'd happen again in our lifetimes. A man has to have hope, or there is no reason to live, I thought.
It was then I heard a noise of some kind of machine, and it was in the air. In just a split second I recognized the familiar sound helicopter! I moved to the others and touched each one on the foot. They came awake instantly.
Willy listened for a few seconds and then pointed at himself and Tom. He then pointed to a nearby clearing and finally, using his index finger and his middle finger pointed at his eyes. They'd go see what was flying around overhead. They moved to the edge of the clearing.
From what I could hear, the "whop-whop" sound of the bird was continuous and didn't vary, so that meant it was moving in a straight direction. However, it was getting closer and louder. If we were lucky it'd fly right overhead and Willy could identify it.
A few minutes later the sound was was gone and silence returned to the woods.
Returning from the edge of the clearing, Tom whispered, "I made it out to be a Chinese Habin Z-9. Mainly by overall design, the horizontal tail fins near the tail, and enclosed tail rotor. What do you think, Tom?"
"All I can say for certain is it had a red star on the tail boom. I don't know much about aircraft of foreign countries."
"Were they looking for us?" Vickie asked, and I could see the sleep had done her little good.
"No, the aircraft wasn't flying a search pattern and I think it was simply moving from one spot to another." Willy replied and then ordered, "Saddle up, we'll keep moving until dusk."
Damn, I thought, I should have had a bit to eat before I went to sleep.
The rest of the day was perfect, meaning we'd seen no one, and when we stopped near dusk, Willy pulled out a map. Under cover of a poncho and using his flashlight, he got our location, plotted a course and then said, "We'll move on in five hours."
As he folded the map, Ralph asked, "We're close, aren't we?"
"Less than five miles from where Top suspects a base camp may be located. Tom, you're on guard as the rest of us eat, so move up under a tree. Before we eat, get the Claymores out and then we'll all eat back to back."
I was tired, sleepy, hungry and not in a real good mood as I pulled out an MRE and read the label in the dying light, 'Chili with Beans.' I groaned, knowing they'd be fighting in my gut in an hour or so. However, I had to eat, so I opened the pouch and started eating. I must have been pretty damned hungry, because the meal was excellent, and a few minutes later I was asleep.
I had the last shift of guard and woke the group almost to the minute five hours had passed. All moved into the bushes to take a leak, and I smiled when I realized there was no sound. Most soldiers in the old days coughed, cleared their throats or spoke as they did their morning toilet, but we were as silent as death. Only the quiet and cautious were still alive now, the others long dead.
> Once saddled up and ready to move, Willy pulled out his lensatic compass, looked at the glowing dial and said, "I'll lead and John, you pull drag. We'll move slowly due to poor light, but keep the noise to a minimum." He then slung his shotgun over his shoulder and pulled his pistol. He knew he'd not be able to keep us on course and carry a long gun.
It was slow going even with the moon out, and I fell so many times I felt like a complete fool. Then, less than two hours later, Willy stopped. He signaled for all of us to stay, but must have changed his mind, because he then pointed to me and motioned for me to come with him. As I moved forward, the others spread out on the ground and if seen from above, they'd have resembled a star. I noticed the Claymores were not placed, so Ralph must have expected us to leave in a hurry.
Willy and I moved forward very slowly and often he'd stop to listen. I heard nothing and saw even less due to the trees blocking the moonlight. After close to ten minutes we spotted a small clearing in front of us. I saw right off it wasn't natural, because I could see stumps and the trees had been removed close to the ground. Shit, I thought, a mine field. I hope he doesn't want to cross the damned thing; there is an excellent chance it surrounds the whole complex.
Pulling his knife and then reaching behind him, Will cut a small switch. Whispering to me he said, "Not likely they have any pressure detonated mines, but there could be some trip flares or Claymores with trip wires. Stay in my footprints."
I nodded, and then he slowly moved forward crouched over. As he advanced, he was constantly moving the switch he'd cut from the tree in a figure eight in the air, about six inches above the ground. Suddenly he stopped, turned ninety degrees and moved his switch once more. I knew he'd just discovered a trip wire. He moved forward once more, now on a new path.
I don't scare easily, but moving over a minefield knowing if I made a mistake I could very easily die, frightened the living hell right out of me. My rear was puckered so tightly I could actually feel the pressure, as I could feel the sweat running freely down my forehead. The temperature was cool, but my sweat was from fear and not heat, and more than once I wanted to go back. Except, I couldn't, because the only safe place was right behind Willy. I wouldn't make it ten feet until something would explode or go off.