Halsted paused for a moment to let everyone assimilate what he had just told them. Then he tapped some instructions into his projector controller and changed the 3D projection to a map of the North American continent. “The IGC/PSSA armies have gained some ground in our eastern states but we’re beginning to get the upper hand there. We do know that low level nuclear weapons were detonated in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle! Chemical and biological weapons have been detonated in or above several U.S. and PSSA cities! Numerous IGC/PSSA aircraft and missile crash sites have been found to be contaminated with nuclear, biological, and chemical materials and are being isolated for future decontamination. The good news is that they’ve just about used up their stockpiles of such weapons!”
Halsted adjusted the map once more to focus on Arizona. “The U.S. military, ASGuard, and Nevada State Guard have pretty well blocked any incursions into northwestern Arizona. There have been major incursions by IGC/PSSA units along the southwestern and southeastern borders. Their terror operations within our borders have seem to have run their course.” The 3D map showed the incursion locations and how deep into Arizona the enemy had penetrated. Halsted left that map up for a couple of minutes before clearing it.
He paused to look each ASGuard trooper in the eyes then continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s where things sit as of this morning. I have been sent here to inform you that effective immediately, the U.S. military and those of our allies are moving into a new operational phase of this war! This new phase will take place on a global scale!”
General Roman spoke up. “Ken, we heard President McPheron mention allies and now you do! Who the hell are these allies?”
Halsted smiled at his friend before answering. “As the Islamic Global Caliphate grew and overran other nations, many people wondered where much of the military personnel, vehicles, and equipment from those captured nations had vanished to! Where had their nuclear-powered ships and submarines, advanced military aircraft, and, particularly, their nuclear weapons gone? The short answer is…here! Our military worked closely with the military forces of our allies overseas and even some of our old enemies to keep their advanced military capabilities from falling into the hands of the IGC.”
“We and our friends blinded or destroyed the spy satellite systems the IGC might tap into, loaded nuclear weapons and delivery systems onto ships and cargo aircraft, and brought as much of these to the U.S. or aboard U.S. and ally fleets constantly in motion on the oceans. What wasn’t shipped here or to other secure locations was destroyed! Long ago, our senior military personnel anticipated the growth of the IGC and the breakup of the old United States and saw this as a possible means to prevent the subjugation or destruction of our country,” said Halsted firmly. “Following the breakup, Presidents Ford and McPheron were briefed by the Joint Chiefs regarding the plan. They, in turn, worked with their military advisors on how best to use these assets when the time was right. President McPheron and the JCS briefed President Thayer before she announced our shift in strategy.”
Halsted paused to let this information sink in. Then, with a large smile upon his face, he said, “And NOW is the time that the U.S. and her allies attack! Our combined military forces will begin taking the battle to the enemy. Stateside, they are going to cut off the enemy’s supply lines then drop in behind the enemy to push them back to the seas. Your…our job, if General Roman with allow me to join you, will be help our military forces drive the IGC/PSSA inside Arizona back to our state’s borders. Overseas, our combined naval and air forces are going to strike at key IGC command and control, troop, and military industrial targets in countries around the world. Our fleets are even now targeting IGC and PSSA naval assets and will send them to the bottom. Additionally, there are resistance groups in each country that our military has been backing for years. Those groups are now trained, equipped, and ready to join the fight. General Roman, the floor is yours, sir!”
Titus Roman stood, stepped over to his friend’s side, and shook his hand. “Thank you, Ken! Okay, troopers…here’s the scoop from the group! We’re going to pull ASGuard personnel and equipment from the interior of the state and send all of it to reinforce the ASGuard units on the southwestern and southeastern borders. We’ll work with the Army and Marine Corps units already in place to hammer those enemy forces within the state. As we do this, the air forces are going to clobber the areas along the borders to destroy the enemy within those sectors and disrupt their escape routes. If we time this right, the IGC/PSSA units we’re pushing out of Arizona will be in those locations when the bombs and bullets hit the ground!” The ASGuard troopers cheered loudly.
“Before you leave, each of you will meet with my staff for your specific assignment. Your units are already being resupplied and reinforced and will be ready to move out upon your arrival at their location. Good hunting and good luck to each of you!” The general bounded from the room before anyone had time to call the room to attention and dismiss the troops.
Marcus followed the general from the room and caught up with him in the hallway. “General, I request permission to return to full duty and resume command of the Legion, sir!” he asked his father.
Without slowing down, Titus answered, “Granted! Your briefing is scheduled last so that will give you and Teresa time to get your jump kits ready to go. See you shortly!”
Marcus slowed to a halt, shocked at his father’s quick response. The shock didn’t last long though. The young colonel pull his comm unit from a pocket and called his wife. “Lieutenant Colonel Roman, we’re heading back to the Legion. Meet me in our on-base quarters ASAP to gear up!” He signed off before Teresa could respond, but he knew she was already racing towards their quarters!
The couple exchanged a quick kiss as they entered the rooms assigned to them. They quickly changed into their combat uniforms, tossed necessary items into their duffel bags, and grabbed their combat harnesses, helmets, and weapons. They left the rooms within 10 minutes heading for the Command Section. En route, Marcus contacted Major Alex Hebert who was temporarily in command of the 1st Tactical Battalion to let him know he’d be taking command of the unit shortly.
The briefing Colonel Roman received was short, sweet, and to the point. Roman’s Legion was to clear the insurgents from the area northeast of Lake Havasu City. A series of special strike packages from Nellis Aerospace Force Base was being prepared to handle the insurgents in that sector and to the south. As soon as his briefing was completed, Marcus and Teresa picked up their jump bags and headed for the vehicle waiting for them at the front of the Headquarters Building.
General Roman met them as they reached the foyer. “Marcus, Teresa…be careful out there! And good luck!” He shook his son’s hand and gave his daughter-in-law a quick kiss on the cheek then watched as they left the building. The driver of their HUMVEE made the trip from Headquarters to the heli-pads in record time!
Minutes later, they were airborne, riding in another of the ASGuard’s CH-47 Chinooks. The Romans were saddened when they thought of their friends Majors Fred Hills and Luella Mingus, their former pilots who had died recently. The flight passed quickly with Marcus spending much of the time reviewing maps and satellite images of enemy positions, troop strength reports, equipment status reports, and so on. After finishing his review of the data, Marcus pulled his tablet PC from his backpack and began typing up a rough outline of an operational plan.
Marcus’ concentration was broken by the voice of Major Deanell Gilbert, the pilot, coming through Marcus’ intercom headset. “Colonel Roman, Major Hebert reports his location is too hot at the moment for a landing. He’s designated an alternate landing zone and dispatched a vehicle to pick up you and LTCOL Roman and take you to his location.”
“Excellent, major! How soon do we land?” Marcus asked.
“Estimated time of arrival is 15 mikes, sir!” Gilbert answered.
“Roger that, ETA 15 minutes! Thanks, major!” Marcus replied and returned
to the ops plan he was developing.
When they were about 5 minutes out, Teresa Roman got her husband’s attention. “Marcus, you be careful out there! You’re not back to 100 percent!”
Marcus grinned and reached over to take Teresa’s hand. “I will! And you be careful, too, Sweetheart! Try not to add another scar to that beautiful derriere of yours!” Teresa blushed. They had been targets of an attack during their wedding years before and in the midst of the fire fight, a bullet had grazed one cheek of Teresa’s behind.
“Not this time, Honey,” Teresa said with a grin. “Ballbuster is out for blood! Try to kill my husband, my family, and the fine people of Arizona? Uh uh…not on my watch!” Marcus laughed out loud and squeezed his wife’s hand and winked at her.
Before anything further could be said, Major Gilbert’s voice came to them over their headphones. “Prepare for landing! I repeat, prepare for landing!” Marcus and Teresa confirmed that the helo was coming in for a landing and double checked their restraints and their weapons. A moment later, they felt the tires of the helicopter hit the ground.
“Be careful out there, colonels!” Major Gilbert said to them before they removed their headsets and restraints. Marcus gave the pilot and co-pilot a quick thumbs-up; then he and Teresa picked up their jump bags and, with weapons ready, moved rapidly toward the ramp at the rear of the Chinook.
An up-armored HUMVEE was waiting for them a short distance from the helicopter. The Romans tossed their bags into the back of the vehicle and climbed inside. “Welcome back, sir and ma’am!” said the driver with a massive grin on his face.
“Sergeant Major Cowen!” Teresa exclaimed then reached forward to pat the man on the shoulder. “It’s great to see you, Tobias!”
“Tobias, I should have known it would be you picking us up!” said Marcus as he extended his right hand and shook hands with his friend and top soldier.
“You bet, sir! Everyone is glad to have you both back with the unit,” SGM Cowen said. “Major Hebert’s a great guy and a good leader, but he’s not you, sir! If I may say, sir; you and SGM Templeton built this unit, trained this unit, and sharpened us into the tip of the sword. The unit just hasn’t been the same in your absence! And Major Hebert has even said so himself!”
“Thanks, Tobias! It’s great to be back!” responded Marcus. “So what’s our unit status?”
Sergeant Major Cowen quickly briefed his commander on the latest status of the 1st Tactical Battalion, where its units were positioned, and the position of the enemy units. Marcus quickly realized that some of the intel he had reviewed on the helicopter flight had changed so he asked several questions and Cowen, as always, answered those questions clearly and succinctly. Marcus grew quiet as he integrated the new information with what he had read on the flight out into the desert. Teresa Roman and Tobias Cowen knew that Marcus’ silence was a sign that he was working out a new strategy and series of tactics to deal with the enemy. With such a large and determined force of enemy soldiers, the ASGuard needed Marcus Roman and Roman’s Legion to pull off a decisive victory in western Arizona!
Chapter 17
January 23rd, 1429 hours (MST)
18.7 Miles Northeast of Castle Rock Bay, AZ
The HUMVEE carried the Romans and Cowen to the field command post of the 1st Tactical Battalion. His adrenaline pumping at the thought of action, Marcus hopped out of the vehicle as it pulled up to the CP and strode quickly over to his Armored Command Vehicle; LTCOL Roman and SGM Cowen had to move fast to keep up with him.
“Colonel, welcome back!” said Major Alexander Hebert, the battalion’s acting commander, holding his hand out to shake Marcus’ hand. The two warriors shook hands then quickly embraced one another. “Damn glad your back, Marcus,” Hebert said less formally but with far more emotional.
“Thanks, Alex, it’s great to be back! I’ve read your reports and you’ve done a fantastic job running the battalion…just as I knew you would,” said Marcus with a grin on his face. He could feel his pulse quickening and his senses expanding as they always did as combat neared. He felt great! It was time to get back into the fight!
“Let’s get our senior officers and noncoms together for a quick skull session,” Marcus ordered. “Looking at your reports, the satellite intel, and some new info from Ken Halsted and the Feds; I’ve put together a rough operational plan. I want us to massage it…work the kinks out of it.”
Major Hebert smiled and responded, “Yes sir!” He pulled out his comm unit and sent out an all call on the senior staff frequency. Within a couple of minutes, personnel began arriving at the ACV. Each walked up to their commander with a large smile upon his or her face and welcomed Marcus and Teresa back to the Legion! The Romans thanked each person, shook hands, accepted embraces when offered, and thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of coming home.
While his senior personnel were assembling, Colonel Roman asked Major Tommi Thompson, the 1st Battalion's executive officer, to once again affix a collapsible computer monitor to the side of the ACV. When it was ready, Marcus pulled out his tablet PC, synched it with the ACV’s onboard computer, and pulled up the outline of his ops plan. It appeared on the monitor on the ACV’s side for Marcus and his staff to see.
“Here’s the straight poop, everyone!” he said to get their attention. “The combined IGC/PSSA forces that are our responsibility have crossed the Colorado River here and will be moving northeast toward Kingman. To get there, they have to pass through this valley here…and this is where we’ll be waiting for them. Since they stop each evening at dark, they’ll be stopping soon. Alex, you and your Headhunters will be insert here at the northeast end of this mountain ridge on their eastern flank where you will deploy along the eastern ridge. Matt, you and the Marshals will be along the western ridge. The Colorado is on the opposite side of that ridge and will have your back. Tommi, you and the Headquarters Company will be the bait, up here at the north end of the valley.” Marcus pointed to the various positions on a map displayed on the monitor.
“When the enemy force enters the valley, the Headhunters and Marshals will be under cover and well camouflaged and will remain so until it’s time to slam the lid on the trap. Tommi, you and a small HQ Company force will enter the valley when the enemy reaches this point here,” said Marcus pointing at the map again. “You will initiate one volley against the enemy then begin a slow retrograde maneuver. Do not…I repeat…do not maintain contact with the enemy! Your role is to draw them further into the valley while avoiding unnecessary casualties. The rest of HQ Company will be located here, north of the valley, with our Army counterparts.” Major Tommi Thompson nodded, acknowledging her orders.
“Now for the good news, folks!” said Marcus with a grin. “We’ll have some support on this mission. And we’ll have Abrams tanks from the 3rd Armored Division with us and aircraft from the Aerospace Force have key roles in this battle. The Army tanks will be joining us in the initial attack and pursuit of the enemy forces on the ground. The zoomies are prepping a number of special weapons packages at Nellis right now. A squadron of F-22 Raptors will roll in from north-to-south and do a quick strike on enemy units on the river and in the valley! Two squadrons of A-20 Thunderbolts will be on their tails and will hit the enemy armor from the north! Both flights will continue down river until their ordnance runs out. Nellis will have additional aircraft on standby if we need them!” Marcus paused to take a drink of water. Gotta get back in the habit of staying hydrated, he thought.
“Now, our attack and cargo copters will be under my command. Once the Chinooks and Black Hawks airlift the Headhunters and Marshalls into position, they’ll land here and take on some special ordnance of their own…rollout gravity bombs filled with high explosives and napalm. It’s gonna be dangerous as hell…but it’s gotta be done. Once the Aerospace Force softens the targets, your first pass will be along this east-west line across the rear of their column. Inflict as many casualties as you can then wheel south and east and get the hell out of the line of fire.
Second wave will come in north to south, split the enemy forces then shag out to the east!” The Chinook and Black Hawk pilots spoke amongst themselves for a moment then nodded their acknowledgments to their commander.
“Apaches, we’re gonna hit ‘em head-on. As HQ falls back to the north, we’ll come in over the top,” Marcus said, pointing to the map on the monitor to illustrate the direction the attack helos would use. “We’re going to be heavily loaded with air-to-ground missiles, rockets, and anti-tank 30mm rounds. The enemy has trucks, armored personnel carriers, light tanks, and I’d be willing to bet some anti-aircraft weapons, probably some baby SAMs, small surface-to-air missiles.” The attack copter pilots grinned. They knew how to use their countermeasures effectively to confuse and defeat such weapons. Still, they also knew how dangerous their part of the battle would be.
“Headhunters and Marshals, when I give you the word, you hit their flanks…and you hit ‘em hard! They do NOT get through this northern pass! We inflict maximum damage on the enemy, we rout their so called ‘warriors’, and we turn ‘em back! Once they starting running, we stay on their asses! We take back our territory and drive them out once and for all! Our Army buddies will be right there alongside of us as we go. When we reach the Colorado here at this point, we hold this line! The Army and Aerospace Force will link up with Marine Corps units from Yuma, cross the Colorado, and press the advantage into Southern California,” Marcus concluded. “Any questions? Thoughts? Ideas? Let’s hear ‘em! Time is short!”
Major Tommi Thompson stepped forward and asked, “Colonel, what about prisoners?”
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 56