The Arizona State Guard Trilogy

by Jeffrey M. Fortney

  The majority of the NSF personnel along the outer walls suddenly shifted their weapons, reached over, and removed the NSF patches from their shoulders. Shining brightly underneath were United States flag patches. They threw their blue helmets to the floor to reveal U.S. Special Forces berets. In a matter of minutes, they disarmed the smaller group of NSF personnel. As General Kelso stepped toward the podium, two Secret Service agents stepped forward to stop him. They were quickly halted by four Special Forces troops who lifted them bodily into the air, dropped them onto the floor, and proceeded to disarm them. Kelso reached the podium and pushed Carrington none too gently to one side.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated," Kelso said. The room continued to buzz with shouts and arguments. "Quiet down, people!" he shouted. Still the people ignored him. One of the Special Forces troops got the general's attention. The troop pointed to the podium microphone and turned his hand like turning a volume dial up. Kelso twisted the volume control to full power, leaned toward the mike, and yelled, "Sit down and SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The room instantly quieted.

  "Folks, I'm gonna make this brief. Carrington and her Progressive Party have taken control of the government. By their own admission here tonight, they intend to violate their oaths to protect and defend the United States Constitution. But they do not control the United States military or the majority of the states," said General Kelso. "I call Senator Alexander Ford of Texas to the podium."

  Senator Alexander Ford stood and walked down the aisle. Ford was tall, handsome, and brutally honest. He was well respected by his peers and feared by his enemies. He stepped to the microphone and cleared his throat. "As the senior Conservative in Congress, I have been asked by the Conservative states to address you should events transpire as they have. Today has indeed been a long time coming. Over decades, the government of the United States of America has grown ever larger, taking more and more from the people, and giving far, far less in return. With each growth spurt came an incremental loss in citizens' rights. Members of Congress, of the Supreme Court, and of the Executive Branch have increasingly turned their backs on our Constitution and our people. We are elected to serve the people, not to have the people serve us. We were to be servants of the people, not of political parties or ideologies.

  "Many of our state governments continue to serve their people. At the request of their citizens, those states have held back the tide of Progressivism from claiming this entire nation. The people have sent many of us here today to represent them and represent them we shall. While you Progressives have focused on taking seats of power here in D.C., we Conservatives have focused on protecting our Constitution and those documents and beliefs that are the core of America.

  "The citizens of the Conservative states have directed us to deliver the following message to Washington D.C. One: by violation of their oaths of office, the current federal government has effectively dissolved the contract between the citizens of the United States and the current government. Two: effective immediately, the states that appear on the screen above will no longer recognize or accept the authority of the government in Washington, D.C. Three: those states listed on the screen above assume the role of the United States of America and will bear true faith and allegiance to the goals and principals of that nation. Four: over the past few years, all national historic documents have been secretly removed from Washington D.C. and taken to a secret location to protect them from physical destruction at the hands of a Progressive government. Five: as we speak, those Progressive elements within the U.S. military are being neutralized, without harm, if possible.

  "Six: effective immediately, all remaining, loyal United States military forces will be under the command of the new, temporary United States government. Seven: these military forces will remain on alert to prevent foreign adversaries from attacking the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii during this time of internal chaos. Eight: the external borders of the new United States will be secured to prevent foreign nationals from further invasion of our lands. Nine: those Conservatives living in East and West Coast states that wish to move to the Heartland of America are welcome...even encouraged, to do so. Ten: those Progressives living in Conservative states may stay or move as they wish. However, they need to fully understand that their liberal/progressive aspirations within the Conservative states are no longer welcome."

  General Kelso leaned in and whispered something to Senator Ford. The senator nodded and resumed speaking. "National Security Forces are moving into position to surround this building. We will leave you with these words. You, our former colleagues, have moved this country to the far left, towards a form of governance that has failed everywhere it has been tried and has left those countries in ruins. You have turned your back on the Constitution of the United States of America and the form of government the Founding Fathers and the Framers of the Constitution established for this nation. YOU and YOUR policies have caused this schism between the peoples of this nation, not us. While we hope that one day this nation is once again united, we will not hold our breath. Do not take any hostile action towards the states named above. You will NOT like our response! Do not test our resolve. Goodbye!"

  Marcus leaped from his seat and hurried from the rec room. Moments later, he entered his office to find his aide passing the phone receiver to him. "Major Roman!" he said.

  "Were you watching, son?" Major General Titus Roman asked his son.

  "Yes sir!" Marcus replied. "Just as Colonel Halsted predicted, Carrington's going to move the country even closer to Socialism."

  "She's going to try, Marcus, but not every state will allow it. I've got a meeting in twenty minutes with the Governor. I'll be calling you and the other unit commanders back as soon as I've spoken with her. Put your forces on full alert and stay on your toes," General Roman ordered the major. Then softly he said, "Stay safe, son!" The line went dead before Marcus could reply.

  In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Special Forces inside and outside of the Capitol Building quickly organized the evacuation of the 237 Conservative members of Congress and a number of others from the chamber. Some were taken to the roof and evacuated by several large helicopters that swooped in to gather the evacuees then flew off to the west. Others were taken to the subway station beneath the Capitol Building to a train that was waiting for them. Still others left via several buses from an underground parking garage. Of the 362, men, women, and soldiers evacuated that night, only 295 made it to the new United States in the center of the continent. The others were captured and/or killed in route...most were killed.

  By the next morning, the nation reeled as they discovered the so called "Fly-over States" and the State of Alaska no longer accepted orders from the government in Washington, D.C. Shortly thereafter, the state governments of Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia, and Florida, nominally Liberal, were informed by their citizens that they would not obey any of Carrington's orders from D.C. and those states joined the new United States of America in breaking away from their former capitol.

  The Department of Defense and military bases worldwide had gone on full alert worldwide the night before. But not before trouble boiled over in places like the Korean Peninsula and Afghanistan. Emboldened by the disarray within the formerly United States, the North Korean military surged south and overran U.S. and South Korean forces along the Demilitarized Zone along the 38th Parallel. Thousands of U.S. soldiers along the DMZ were killed outright or captured, tortured, and then killed. Others managed to escape and evade as they retreated to bases further south.

  In Afghanistan, thousands of American and coalition troops perished as many of their Afghan counterparts turned on them. Only a few hundred of the Western personnel survived. Those personnel closest to, or actually on, coalition air bases were able to escape by transport and fighter aircraft.

  With the United States effectively removed from world affairs, Russia, already controlled by a shadow government of former hardline Communists for decades, reverted to open Communism. T
heir president, a former-KGB member openly courted by the Progressives, had been slowly expanding the number of countries brought into his new Soviet Union...by guile or by force. Unchallenged, the Iron Curtain fell across Eastern Europe once more.

  The hardline Islamic Fundamentalists in the Middle East unleashed the combined forces of Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, ISIS, and other terrorist groups upon the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Western-leaning Middle Eastern and African nations soon became part of the growing Islamic Global Caliphate. And then they began turning their sights on European nations where they had large populations. War and chaos began to engulf the world once more.

  Chapter 9

  Major General Titus Roman did not get back to his unit commanders until late the following morning. He spoke with them via a video conference. "Ladies and gentlemen, I just got out of the meeting with Governor Alvarez and several state leaders. The governor has sent 'President' Carrington' a message. Basically, she told Carrington to go pound sand! Apparently, she and the governors of the other Conservative states have been in communication with one another for some time.

  "As of this morning, the Conservative states have cut ties with Washington, D.C. and declared the government there to have violated the Constitution and created a Constitutional Crisis. Carrington pitched a major hissy fit then promptly renamed the states on the East and West Coasts, the People's Socialist States of America. Those states include California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan in the Midwest, and Maine south to Virginia along the East Coast. As of this moment, there has been no hostile action between the two entities. The governor has authorized an increase in the TO&E of the ASGuard to permit us to patrol the border with California

  "For now, maintain your alert status. We have three gaps in the Wall and Ditch to complete and intel is that the incursions will increase in the days ahead. Be ready for just about anything! Unit Four, your sector is scheduled to be completed last. The helos are cocked and locked. If you need their support...call!

  "Now for a bit of good news! The U.S. Armed Forces bases in Carrington's sphere of influence are being stripped and their personnel and equipment are being sent to the border states...those that border the PSSA, that is. They'll remain focused on foreign threats but any equipment, weapons, or whatever they don't need, we get first dibs on!

  "Lastly, speak with your troops. If they are not one hundred percent committed to our mission, send them to Phoenix. We'll process them for discharge. We don't need any potential turncoats in our midst when the balloon goes up. Any questions?" the general asked.

  After a brief question and answer session, the general released his unit commanders. They, in turn, spoke with their personnel. Of the thousands of personnel in the ten units along the border, only three personnel asked to be released from their positions. Two more came forward at Headquarters. By the following morning, all five were administratively discharged from the ASGuard.

  Over the next week, Major Marcus Roman and Sergeant First Class Aaron Templeton traveled back and forth along their stretch of the border, visiting check points, guard posts, and monitoring stations. Soon the other gaps in the Wall and Ditch were closed and the border south of Sasabe was all that remained open. True to the general's prediction, the number of attempted border crossings increased. True to their orders, Unit Four (Roman's Legion) turned them back with the help of Border Patrol and National Guard personnel.

  Whenever possible, they were polite, courteous, and even helpful to those attempting to enter the State of Arizona illegally. The illegals were photographed and their information entered into a database, then they were given water, food, and directions to safer locations within Mexico. They were then told to move south, away from the border, and not to return unless they were trying to enter Arizona legally.

  Those illegals who tried repeatedly to cross border received harsher and harsher treatment. Those who attacked the contractors building the Wall and Ditch or the border defenders were answered with force. Illegals resorted to trying to fly over the wall in a variety of aircraft. Many of these were forced to turn back or set down, whereupon the illegals were arrested and deported immediately.

  The contractors working on the Wall and Ditch came under more and more frequent attack. Patrols to protect the contractors were doubled. Their attackers were composed of a variety of gang members, cartel members, men in military uniforms, and others; all were well armed and trained to use those weapons. Occasionally, military vehicles and aircraft were involved in the attacks lending credence to the theory that at least some Mexican military personnel had thrown in with the gangs and cartels.

  Marcus and Templeton visited the authorized crossing site as the specialized bridges, gates, and security systems were being finished. The system consisted of four corridors surrounded by high walls...two corridors for entering Arizona and two for leaving. At each end of each corridor were large, heavy steel gates. Across the middle of each corridor, another gate split the corridor in half creating a lock system to restrict direct entrance to or exit from Arizona.

  At each crossing location, draw bridges were installed to cross the ditch and allow traffic to reach or leave the gated corridors. A draw bridge would be lowered to allow one large tractor trailer vehicle or two smaller vehicles to approach the gates. The bridge would be raised and then a vehicle would approach the first gate. The draw bridge would be raised behind the vehicle and the first gate would open, allowing the vehicle and its occupants to enter the first lock. Once they were inside, the first gate would close and the vehicle and its occupants would undergo further examination. Upon receiving clearance, the middle gate would open allow them to enter the second lock; after which the middle gate would be closed. After the middle gate closed, the final gate would be opened to allow the vehicle and occupants to proceed.

  Guard stations were located at both ends of the corridors and on the walls above the locks. The personnel on duty were prepared to use a number of non-lethal anti-personal weapons on anyone attempting to break through the locks were available to the border defenders. Sonic- and light-based anti-personnel devices lined the walls of each lock. The walls were piped to disperse either a non-flammable anesthetic gas into each lock to render people unconscious or carbon dioxide to shutdown most vehicle engines. Anyone trying to move around on foot in the vehicle locks could be hit with non-lethal bean bag rounds or sticky foam. Lethal force would be used only as a last resort.

  Concrete and steel reinforced personnel bridges allowed people to cross the ditch on foot but were too small to allow vehicles to pass. Similar gate and lock systems were provided for foot travelers. Security was always the first priority.

  Marcus and Templeton sought out the project manager, James Crittenger. They found him in his mobile office talking with one of the foremen, Deke Sammons. Crittenger told the ASGuard officer and noncom that the Ditch and drawbridges would be completed within a week and the final sections of the Wall would be completed and joined to the crossing security facility the week after. Welcome news to all!

  SFC Templeton looked at the blueprints hanging on the office wall then looked out the window at a Wall section being lifted into position. He crossed his arms then raised his right hand to his chin. He stood silently for a couple of minutes. Marcus stepped over and asked, "What are you thinking Temp?"

  Templeton turned to look at this commanding officer and friend. "It's a damn good bet that the folks south of the border are as aware of the timetable as we are. We should be prepared for a major, all-out assault within the next 24-to-72 hours!"

  "What do you expect them to do, Temp?" Marcus asked.

  "I expect them to unleash hell-on-earth, Major!" was Templeton's answer.

  **********

  After thanking the project manager and foreman for their time and information, Major Roman and SFC Templeton returned to the ASGuard compound on the northeastern edge of Sasabe. Once there, they went to the communi
cations center and contacted Major General Roman at ASGuard Headquarters by video link. Marcus quickly briefed the general on what they suspected. At one point, Templeton asked for an aerial image of the sector to be displayed on a table display that could be patched into the video feed. He studied the image for a moment, then used a digital stylus to circle several areas south of the border, in and around the village of Aduana del Sásabe.

  Templeton turned to the video pickup and said, "General, is there any way we can get satellite or UAV overflight and intel ASAP on the locations I've marked? I'd recommend satellite over UAV for element of surprise but full spectrum data from a UAV might be more helpful."

  General Roman smiled at SFC Templeton and Major Roman. One of the early lessons, Titus had taught his son long before the younger man joined the military was to find top notch people to work with and then let them do their jobs. It worked very well on the ranch and it worked equally well in the military. Marcus' senior noncom was a definite asset to everyone he served with.

  "We'll get right on it, Sergeant Major," General Roman said smiling at Templeton before nodding to Marcus. "We'll be getting back to you! ASGuard HQ out!"

  Templeton turned to look at Marcus. "Did he just say Sergeant Major?" he asked.

  Smiling, Marcus pulled a rectangular box from his pocket and passed it to Templeton. "He surely did, Sergeant Major!"

  Templeton opened the box to find it contained sergeant major chevrons and his promotion orders. "Hot damn!" Templeton said softly.

  Marcus stuck his hand out and shook his friend's hand. "Congratulations, Temp! You've earned these!" One of the communications technicians began to clap and cheer; the others soon joined in.