Quill used executive action to open the sovereign borders of the United States to any and all who wished to cross. The Southern States were overwhelmed by lawlessness, burdened by people who refused to learn the common language and could not (or would not) find employment. These people soaked up benefits normally reserved for citizens, brought in diseases long since vanquished from North America, and formed a growing army of those who wished to claim those states for themselves and their descendants. Hidden amongst the droves of illegal immigrants were the drug smugglers, violent criminals, and, in no small amount, Middle Eastern terrorists.
When overwhelming proof finally came to light proving Afghanistan was harboring the terrorists who had planned the attacks upon the United States, Quill was forced to send U.S. military forces to hunt them down. More information was discovered proving that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was supplying chemical weapons to the Taliban and other terrorist groups for future attacks around the world. More American forces were committed to stop the proliferation of chemical weapons. These forces were often given conflicting or, even outright dangerous, rules of engagement. These ROEs resulted in the deaths of many young Americans serving in the military overseas.
After years of neglect by uncaring politicians and far too many years holding the barbarians at the gates at bay with limited support, the U.S. military services were in shambles. Most military personnel were still strongly conservative, driven by their love of country to protect it from those who would attack the U.S. from the outside...and from within. One of these brave defenders of the United States of America was Major Marcus Aurelius Roman, U.S. Army Special Forces. For centuries, the Roman Family lived with two simple traditions: their sons were named after Roman emperors and those sons (and, occasionally, daughters) served in their nations' military forces.
***
While serving with a Special Forces unit in Afghanistan, Major Roman's team was set up for an ambush by their Afghan counterparts. Roman and several of his personnel were wounded while others were killed in the attack. When an Afghan general came to visit Roman and his wounded friends in a field hospital, Roman clocked the man with a bedpan...almost creating an international incident.
Roman and Lieutenant Teresa Cortez, a U.S. Army medic who kicked the downed general in the groin, were whisked away by their commanders to a nearby military airbase and evacuated from Afghanistan along with the other seriously wounded soldiers. Frustrated by the manner in which the military and its operations were being run, Roman and Cortez decided to leave the military and return to their home state of Arizona.
The State of Arizona was battling the criminal and economic problems created by decades of illegal immigration. When the United States Government refused to protect the citizens of the state, Arizona Governor Eleanor "Ellie" Alvarez met with the governors of California, New Mexico, and Texas. The governments of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas began to work together to solve the border problem themselves. A massive construction project was started to build the Southern Border Defense System (SBDS), a ditch and a wall along the Southern Border to prevent people from illegally crossing into those states from Mexico. Governor Alvarez invoked a little known article of the Arizona State Constitution and created the Arizona State Guard to protect her state and its citizens. The ASGuard, as they were sometimes called, successfully protected the construction workers and the border communities from a massive attack by the combined forces of Mexican drug cartels, army, and international terrorists.
Months after the completion of the Southern Border Defense System, the ASGuard had almost eradicated the presence of the Mexican drug cartels within the state. Other missions awaited the members of the Arizona State Guard and ASGuard Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Aurelius Roman wanted to ensure his personnel were prepared for whatever the future might through at them.
***
Chapter 1
June 3rd
West of Flagstaff, AZ
The canyon was peaceful except for the sound of a gentle breeze blowing through the pines and scrub brush. Thus far, the summer had been cooler than normal. Now, in the first week of June, the sights, scents, and sounds of nature made LTC Marcus Roman think of the cabin he and his father had built in the mountains near their ranch in southern Arizona. I need to take Teresa and Julian up to the cabin, Marcus thought. He smiled at the thought of his wife and infant son. Teresa had gone on reserve status to care for their son during his first few months. She's missing out on all of the fun...sleeping in the wilderness, eating MREs, and playing wargames. Hopefully, she's enjoying her time with her grandparents in Sedona.
Marcus raised his binoculars and slowly scanned the valley. Another grin spread across his handsome face. Ah...there they are! he thought. Through the binoculars, Roman could catch glimpses of movement to the southwest end of the canyon. The men and women of Captain Alexander Hebert's unit, the Headhunters, were stealthy, but not stealthy enough to hide from Marcus' Special Forces trained eyes. Every so often, Marcus could make out the outline of a helmet or a rifle.
The core of Marcus' unit was composed of numerous members of his old Army Special Forces Team, Roman's Legion. Following the Battle of Sasabe along Arizona's southern border and the rescue of Teresa Roman from drug cartel members, Marcus' unit had been expanded to include Captain Hebert's Headunters and Major Matthew Dillon's Marshals to form a special strike team. Following the addition of these two units and a number of replacement personnel, Marcus took his new 1st Tactical Battalion out into the field for training intended to bring everyone up to the same level of proficiency and teamwork.
Captain Alex Hebert had a propensity for aggressive movement and action, sometimes ignoring the fact that he could outran his supply lines and protective flanks. Major Dillon was more conservative in combat, willing to let the enemy make mistakes and over extend themselves. Marcus could see the Headhunters walking into a well-laid Marshal trap. Maybe this will get Alex to thinking things through a bit more, Marcus thought. The intent of this exercise and earlier training sessions was to help each unit to overcome their weaknesses and develop new strengths. Sergeant Major Aaron Templeton and the other members of Roman's Headquarters Company were down in the canyon serving as referees.
Both field units were equipped with U.S. Army Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) gear. When a soldier fired his or her weapon, the discharge of the blank within the chamber activated a laser mounted to the weapon. If the laser beam struck one or more harness-mounted sensors worn by every soldier, the sensor would record the type of injury sustained by the "wounded" soldier. Soldiers designated as "killed" could silence the system's alert tone by lying down or deactivating their weapon and their sensors.
Marcus continued to scan the canyon walls with his binoculars, searching for Dillon's troops. Another smile crossed his face as he could just barely make out several camouflaged and defiladed fighting positions. Movement further to the southwest showed a few of Dillon's personnel moving stealthily to either side of Hebert's troops, flanking them, and closing the kill-box.
Captain Hebert suddenly realized his mistake and tried to reverse course. Too late, Alex! Marcus thought. Matthew has you in the kill box and is just about to nail down the lid! The sounds of blanks being fired were quickly followed by the sounds of MILES gear registering wounds and kills. Within a matter of minutes, the firing stopped.
Marcus' radio crackled to life. "Centurion, this is Aquilifer!" Sergeant Major Templeton was calling Marcus using their old radio call signs.
"This is Centurion," Marcus responded into his microphone, "go ahead, Aquilifer."
"Headhunters have been neutralized. Permission to turn off this damned noisy MILES gear, sir?" Templeton reported.
"Copy your transmission. Go quiet and recall all personnel to your location. I'll join you shortly," said Marcus. He put his binoculars in their pouch on his combat harness, then stepped over to his ATV and mounted the vehicle. Marcus fired up the ATV's motor and headed down the trail i
nto the canyon.
Templeton acknowledged receipt of the message and drew an old whistle from his tunic pocket. He blew three loud bursts with the whistle then keyed his communications unit. "Recall, recall, recall...all personnel converge on my location." Personnel began to come out of the woods. The referees ordered Hebert's personnel to assemble on the east side of the clearing and Dillon's on the west side. Then they began to sort out the "wounded" and "dead" in both teams. Soon it became obvious that the casualties were rather one sided, with Hebert's personnel on the losing end.
By the time Lieutenant Colonel Roman rode into the clearing, Templeton and the other referees had sorted out the personnel and silenced the MILES gear. Marcus brought his ATV to a halt and shut off its motor. Removing his combat helmet, he stood on the seat of the vehicle to be able to see (and be seen by) everyone in the clearing. A quick scan showed that 9 of Hebert's Headhunters were "killed in action" and 7 more were "wounded". Only was 1 of Dillon's Marshals was "KIA" and only 2 were "wounded".
"Okay, folks," Marcus began, "this could have gone better...for both sides. Captain Hebert, your thoughts, sir?"
Captain Alex Hebert stepped forward and spoke slowly. "I implemented a reconnaissance in force, sir! We moved forward without considering the environment in the expectation of catching the enemy force by surprise. With limited intel from my scouts, I committed the bulk of my force into the kill box. And Major Dillon and his folks were kind enough to drop the hammer and nail the lid down on us...sir!"
Roman nodded then responded, "A pretty accurate assessment, Captain! You let your natural aggressiveness override what you've been taught the last couple of weeks."
Marcus turned to Major Matthew Dillon and asked, "Your thoughts, Major?"
Dillon stepped forward. "Sir, I initially planned to set a more elaborate and static trap further north. Then I remembered the lectures on the use of vertical and horizontal envelopment. My squad leaders and I moved personnel up into the walls of the canyon. Once Captain Hebert's personnel moved past our southern-most personnel, I moved those personnel into position behind the Headhunters to block off their escape. When the Captain realized he was entrapped and tried to turn his force around, we used their confusion to launch our attack."
Again Roman nodded before responding, "And you pulled it off successfully. But neither unit thought of the vertical dangers of the environment. Instead of chasing directly along the floor of the canyon, Alex, you should have sent some personnel up the canyon walls to both sides to come in behind the Marshals. Matthew, you didn't set any scouts or sentries along the canyon rim to warn you of an approach from above."
LTC Roman paused to let that sink in with both leaders and their personnel. Then he spoke to the noncommissioned officers in each unit. "Most of you noncoms have battlefield experience. Did you provide your observations to your officers and advise them of potential pitfalls to their strategies and tactics?" He looked around to see the noncoms shaking their heads.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said Marcus, "our training and exercises are designed to identify strengths and weaknesses. We obviously have our work cut out for us. The people of Arizona are relying on us to protect them. Lord knows the old federal government sure wasn't doing it! We've had a series of successes in the field, but conditions can get worse and we have to be ready to face those conditions. Let's take a break, grab some chow and water, then fall in back here in 30 minutes to brainstorm and critique this exercise."
As the troops broke up into small groups and moved into shade, Templeton stepped over to Roman. The commander and his top noncommissioned officer then moved to a quiet spot away from the others. Roman ran a hand through his dark hair then, balling that hand into a fist, struck the ground with that fist.
"Dammit, Temp," Marcus began. "They've shown improvement...but they're still making mistakes that will get people killed if we go into combat. Lord knows we have more combat in our future. We've got to get these people ready to fight!"
"Yessir, we've got ourselves a real problem here." Templeton responded.
Marcus nodded at his top NCO's comment. "I remember what Dad and Granddad told me on many occasions: 'Boy, when you get to your first unit, find yourself a sharp sergeant and glue yourself to his or her hip. Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. Look, listen, and learn what that sergeant can, and will, teach you!' They'd been through it themselves." Marcus reached out and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "Damned glad it is was you I found, Temp!"
Templeton smiled at his commander and friend, thinking of a young, fresh-faced Second Lieutenant Marcus A. Roman walking up to him years before and introducing himself. Their friendship and a highly successful partnership had begun that day. "Colonel, how about you work with the officers this afternoon and I'll work with the noncoms. We can put the rest of the enlisted to working on their equipment and camp clean up. I think if we put it to the officers and NCOs the way your father and grandfather did to you, we might be able to get through to them. We just need to put some tiger juice into 'em!"
Marcus grinned back at Templeton. "Sounds like a plan, Temp! Come on, let's go light some fires." Roman jumped to his feet and held out a hand to his friend. Templeton gave him a sideways glance before accepting the help up. Laughing, the two men walked together back to the center of the clearing.
Templeton called the troops together and handed out assignments to the lower ranking enlisted personnel. Once they moved off, Templeton waved the NCOs over to one of the large tents set up as a classroom. Roman had the officers follow him to another tent and take seats around a table. The six men and five women looked to their leader with great expectation.
"Folks, you've made some progress...but not as much as you should have by now," said Marcus. "Instead of expanding your strategic and tactical approaches, you keep falling back on your favorite modes of operation. Yes! They've worked for you thus far, but sooner or later, they'll get you in trouble."
The young lieutenant colonel turned to look at each of the officers. He repeated the advice given to him by his father and grandfather, handed down from their fathers from centuries of military experience. The Romans could trace their family history back to the Roman Empire. They were, after all, a family of warrior men and women.
"You should know your personnel as well as you know yourself. Know their strengths, their weaknesses, what motivates them and what doesn't. You have to learn to trust what they see and hear. Learn to trust their inputs to you just as they have to learn to trust yours. Those bars and leaves on your shoulders grant you a certain level of respect for your ranks, but you must go beyond that. You must earn their respect as individuals, as their leaders; and they must earn your respect as your troops!" Marcus looked around to see if it was sinking in before continuing.
"When your troops see that you don't trust their inputs and that your strategies and tactics don't change to match the situation, they will lose respect for you and your unit's efficiency will fall. My Dad used to tell me, 'A contract should exist between the leader and the follower. The leader should listen to the follower; consider what the follower tells him or her. Use that information as part of your decision making process. Even if you decide to do something else, your personnel should see that the information they gave you was part of that decision making process. Sometimes, they may tell you something you don't like, or don't want, to hear. But they may have vital information you need to make an informed decision!'" As he looked around, Marcus saw several heads nodding in understanding.
"Your older NCOs have a vast pool of knowledge and experiences you can draw upon, if you seek it out. Don't tell them how to do a job! Give them a job to do and let them figure it out for themselves. They'll surprise you with their solutions. That's Patton, by the way, not Grandpa Roman," said Marcus with a chuckle, lightening the mood. "Captain Hebert, you're a lot like Patton. He used to say, 'Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more!' Patton would use fire
power and maneuver to hold an enemy in place while flanking them to attack from the sides...or back! Alex, your approach is more linear, charge straight into battle and let the Big Guy upstairs sort 'em out. You need to add maneuver to your tool box." The young captain nodded. He was honest enough with himself to realize he needed to change.
Marcus turned to Major Dillon. "Matthew, you are like the first part of that Patton quote. You like to fight from a highly defended position; rarely using maneuver to take the fight to enemy and envelope them. You did better today but still had the largest part of your force anchored. You both need to get out of your comfort zones."
"Yes sir," Dillon said simply. A man of few words, Matthew Dillon wasn't really happy about the friendly ribbing he received over the combination of his first and last names. This made him appear standoffish, unfriendly, and unapproachable. But, like Hebert, Dillon could be honest with himself and learn from his mistakes.
For the next hour, Marcus spoke with his officers, critiquing their performance. They took a short break then resumed their work. Finally, Marcus laid out a map of the canyon and surrounding area on the large table. Using some small tokens representing soldiers, mobile units, and other military assets, Marcus laid out a scenario on the map and let the officers work through the problem. About an hour later, LTC Roman invited Sergeant Major Templeton and the NCOs to the wargame.
Hebert and Dillon immediately called their NCOs over to the table. They showed them the problem laid out before them and asked for their input. The discussion quickly grew to encompass all of the officers and their noncoms. One senior NCO stepped closer to the table top exercise, then turned and whispered a few words to the captain and the major. Marcus and Templeton had to laugh at the double takes made by Hebert and Dillon. Smiles spread across the faces of those two men as they realized the true nature of the problem. They pulled their troops in close and in whispers laid out their battle plan.
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 18