I moved Rahim and his family to another vacant condo so they could be alone.
I told Rahim,”You and your wife can come and go as you please. I am moving all the women into the unit next door. Maybe you could talk to them and get them some food if they are hungry.”
I doubled the guard advising them that Rahim and his wife can come to visit. Driving back to the bridge I could still hear cannon fire coming from Iron Maiden. I guess Captain Riley is giving them hell.
My radio hissed, “Ten or so boats coming on the east side. This is Tony.’’
Then I heard Chris,”We got about 15 small boats on the west side just coming into view.”
I got on the radio, “Start shooting those damn boats, shoot the boats, and shoot the people in them. No one gets on shore.”
Tommy commented,”We better keep an eye on the road if 100 bad guys get past the Rangers somehow, we got problems. Maybe we should make the Claymores hot.”
“If you see anyone sneaking up the road tell Sergeant Kelly to activate the Claymore mines right away. Use your Cobb 50 and fire a superman bullet at them.”
As mentioned before, the Cobb 50 BMG is a 50 caliber rifle, shooting a Browning machine gun round that can go through steel, even an engine block. It can go through one side of a car, or boat, come out the other side, and kill someone. The BMG has a muzzle velocity of 1,900 miles per hour or 2,800 feet per second. The BMG bullet is ½ inch in diameter and nearly 4 inches long. I call it the Superman Bullet. The Cobb is a semi automatic rifle, built just like an AR 15 but bigger and has a ten round magazine.
It was 10:15am when Rick, Eddie, and I grabbed our rifles and jumped in my truck heading to the west side of the island first to see what was going on. I drove to the center position where Tony was located. He was shooting a 50 caliber Sniper rifle in rapid order. Shooting boats was just like shooting plastic ducks at a shooting gallery. Tony had already sunk about half of them.
Tony said while laughing his ass off,”This is just like a video game.”
Rick replied, “Keep up the good work, Tony. Watch for swimmers, and gun them down also.”
I went up and down the line, talking to each 6 man team. Each team had a SAW or light machine gun. I advised them to watch for swimmers. Let no one get ashore.
It seemed all was under control on the west side of our island so we drove to the east side of the island and found that most of the boats had by passed Chris and his 50 caliber and were coming in the south at shark channel which now only had ten Rangers guarding it and they were under heavy fire. I guessed about 10 boats had made it into shark channel and some were pulling up to the docks and the scumbags were jumping on shore. There were about 50 men coming ashore.
As we ducked behind some sand bags, Sergeant Smith yelled, ”RPG,” which means an incoming rocket propelled grenade and everyone ducked down low. It zoomed over our heads and exploded somewhere behind us. No one was hurt. I radioed for one SAW to be moved to the south bridge right away as we needed more fire power. We lined up next to the Rangers and started shooting as many jerks as we could.
It sounds crazy but we all started to laugh. We were laughing so hard we couldn’t aim straight. I had to put my rifle down several times as I was laughing so hard.
Sergeant Smith laughing said,”Why are we laughing? We could all be killed. I got two more.”
Eddie laughing said,”This is fun and we are getting some payback for 9-11.”
Rick yelled,”I just got two.”
Eddie was right it felt good getting payback after all these years, but I think we were laughing to hide our fear of being killed or shot.
I yelled while laughing,”Shut up assholes and keep shooting.”
Rangers who were guarding the Fort must have heard the gunfire and radioed us that they were in the trees covering the docks. Gunfire started coming from the tree line on the other side of shark channel in what we call NO MANS LAND. We had the enemy in an ”L” shape cross fire and for them, it was the end.
The SAW machine gun arrived and David set it up. He started mowing down bad guys left and right. Some made it off the boats but none of them made it very far. Bodies laid everywhere, on the docks, on the shore, and in the water. The sharks were going to have a feast. We don’t call it shark channel for nothing. We need to feed the fish now.
We call David ’’Dancing Dave”; he is a retired insurance salesman. Of course he got his name because he loves to dance and he is good at it. But Dave has other talents he has a good shooting eye and is always thinking. Looking at him, with his short hair cut you would think he was an Army Captain. Dave never served in the Army. He always seems serious about everything but once you break the ice with him after a few drinks he does have a good sense of humor. The main point about Dave is that you can trust him.
Shark Channel is full of sharks of all kinds: Bull Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks, Black Tip Sharks, Mako Sharks, Tiger Sharks, and Lemon Sharks. Years ago, not far from here, a Great White shark was caught weighing over 500 pounds.
The gun fire slowly subsided, all the boats were sunk, and not one bad guy was moving. When it seemed safe, we walked over the south bridge to NO MANS LAND and meant the ten Rangers who were helping us out. We checked the bodies laying there to make sure they were all dead by shooting them each several times. We were up close to these assholes and Eddie didn’t like this part, he didn’t like shooting people who were already dead, for some reason. He wasn’t laughing any more.
Suddenly, Eddie yelled, “Help!”
I turned my head and saw a terrorist had Eddie on the ground and was going to shoot him. Somehow he knocked Eddie down and was getting ready to fire. He racked his AK 47. I heard the trigger snap but the gun didn’t fire, lucky for Eddie. The terrorist pulled back the breach again and I saw the unfired bullet eject flying thru the air. He was placing the gun to his shoulder, moving his finger to the trigger, I needed to act fast, but it seemed I was in slow motion.
I raised my AR15 carbine to my shoulder, carefully took aim through my scope at his head about 50 feet away and fired . . . BAM . . . BAM . . . two shots in the head, the top of his head blew off, his body went limp and he fell on top of Eddie. I never miss a target that close. I shot him in the head because I was worried he might have on a bulletproof vest.
Eddie pushed the body off and stood up with blood all over him saying,”I just shit my pants.”
I told Eddie,”Next time, wear your Depends, dumb shit. How did that guy knock you down?”
“I thought I saw him move so I walked over closer and then he kicked my feet out from under me.”
“Damn Eddie, don’t stand there and look at them, shoot them right away or you could get killed! Don’t get so close to the bodies. Shoot them in the head just like they are zombies. That guy had on a vest.”
Rick was laughing at Eddie and said,”Eddie, you are a dumb shit, be more careful and use your brain.”
Eddie yelled, “It’s not funny, Rick!”
When we finished shooting all the bodies, two Rangers would each grab a leg and drag them to the water, throw them in to make more fish food. Three boats got away from us and we don’t know where they went. I estimated a total of 12 men got away. I was not happy about that.
Tony was on the radio,”Jack, all clear here. No one is alive that we can see, since they are all in the water.”
“Tony, please have everyone shoot each floating body again to make sure they are all dead; it is good target practice. We can’t take any chances of having these guys getting onto Tocabaga.”
The Radio came on, ”Jack, Chris here, I see 3 boats out in the deep channel out of my rifle range heading north.”
“Okay, Chris, keep watching them. I will call Sergeant Cain who is in charge of the drones.”
I called Sergeant Cain on my Army cell phone, “Sergeant Cain, this is Jack Gunn. I need your help to follow some boats using a drone.”
“Ok Jack, where are the boats at?”
“East of here abo
ut 1.5 miles in the deep water channel that runs due north. These are al-Qaida guys and I want to see where those boats go. Don’t attack them just follow them and tell me where they go.”
“Roger that Jack, I’ll let you know. I have a drone near that area now.”
There are many types of drones; they come in many sizes from small bird types to larger ones the size of a small plane. Some of the drones carry missiles like the Predator Drone, which is used to destroy cars, boats, or people. Usually you can’t see a drone or hear one due to their size and the fact they make hardly any noise flying high in the air. They are a great tool to spy on people since they can take excellent pictures and can stay in the air for many hours. Most of the information about drones is kept classified.
“I think Captain Sessions will want to know where the boats are going also. Thank you, Sergeant Cain.”
Rick, Eddie, and I headed back to the bar for some drinks and food. The last few days have been very stressful making us all tired. I was wondering how Captain Sessions and his Rangers were doing. It was now 3pm and I thought we should hear some news soon.
I decided to phone Captain Sessions on the hot cell phone line, and then I got a call from Sergeant Cain, ”Jack, the boats went to Eckerd College and the guys got out and went into the main auditorium.”
“Thank you, Sergeant Cain.”
This means some al-Qaida are at the old college campus, a big place to hide in and a dangerous place to search for bad guys. This campus is down the road about two miles from where the Rangers are now fighting. I wonder how many al-Qaida fighters are hiding there.
I stopped to see how Rahim was doing. Rahim was doing fine and so were the women and kids. They were satisfied but Rahim wanted to do some kind of work. Since he liked to cook I told him to talk to Steve our head cook. Rahim and Steve know each other so it could be a good job to keep him busy. I had just arrived home and my Army cell phone rang, it was Captain Sessions.
“Jack, we have terminated a lot of al-Qaida. I don’t have a body count. We have not had anyone surrender as they fight to the death. Sergeant Cain called me about the three boats going to Eckerd College and we will go there tomorrow to mop up. The Colonel has recalled our 200 men fighting south of here as we will need them to finish the mop up operations. They should there in a few hours. Tonight I am leaving half my men here with the Tank and Bradley fighting vehicles. We still have five big buildings to clear.”
“Captain, did you have any casualties?”
“Yes, two Rangers killed and two wounded not good but not so bad considering the circumstances, but one man getting killed is one too many.”
“Did you hear about the attack here today?”
“Yes I did, but to be honest I was not concerned as you had that under control.”
“Well what is next, Captain?”
“Tomorrow we will finish the mop up here and at the college. At the same time we will go to the church we think is the HQ for al-Qaida. The plan is to hit them all at the same time.”
“Roger that Captain, what can we do to help?”
“There is nothing you can do. Just keep up your guard and give my Rangers anything they may need in the way of food or drinks. I will be out here with my men and Colonel Harper will be going back to the Fort tonight.”
“Okay Captain, sorry to hear about the Rangers killed. If you need anything let me know.”
“Thanks, Jack. See you tomorrow.”
Tommy and Ron walked in my home and I told them what Sessions had relayed to me. I informed them about the battle at the south bridge, and how Eddie shit his pants.
It is dark now and I hope Captain Sessions and his men will be safe for the night. I also think there may be a lot of al-Qaida fighters at the college; that is one big area with a lot of buildings to clear. It will not be an easy job even for the Rangers.
Then I remembered the possible gold or money that maybe hidden at the church by al-Qaida. Their stash of money used to fund their operations. Once the Rangers clear the church my plan is to go there and search for those funds to help Tocabaga. Who can I take with me?
MAY 14, 2025
I slept about four hours last night because my back killing me. If I move a certain way it means instant pain, to relieve it I took four 500mg aspirins and two shots of Jack Daniels with a glass of water.
Jim Bo came home late last night after guard duty. Thank God there were no more attacks over night. We all woke up at 6am and could hear Iron Maiden firing the big 120mm cannon. The Ranger choppers flew overhead on the way to the battle and mop up operations. I wanted to be there with my friends to help the Rangers, but we would just get in their way.
We ate some smoked fish and fruit washing it down with Eddie’s beer and went outside. A thunderstorm blew in overnight and the grass was flooding. This meant the snakes and bugs would come crawling out onto the roads to get on high ground. I hoped it would not last long but sometimes the storms come on and off all day. We headed to the main bridge to see what was going on. Trucks loaded with the 200 Rangers that came back yesterday were rolling across the bridge going to the fight.
We all yelled,”Good luck!”
The cold hard rain turned to a drizzle as we stood there watching the trucks roll passed us.
All we could do was wait, which is harder than actually being there for the fight. Rick, Tony, Eddie, and Chris came up to see what was going on. I told them what Sessions told me yesterday, then I informed them of my plan to search al-Qaida HQ for possible funds to use for Tocabaga.
I explained to all, “If the church is their headquarters then maybe they have hidden some gold, silver, or money there. They need funds, some kind of cash to pay for their travel, food, clothes, guns, or whatever they need. Of course most of what they need they steal and kill to obtain it. These people have been stealing, robbing banks, robbing people, and stores for a couple of years. But maybe, just maybe, there is a gold treasure to be found.
“We need to make a team to go search the church, eight men with two SAW machine guns. Also we need two metal detectors to search the grounds. Four men will stand guard while four of us search.”
Rick asked,”What are we looking for gold, silver, or what?”
“We are looking for anything that seems unusual and then the metal detectors will be used to scan the area in question. We are looking for anything to give us a sign such as fresh dirt, a crack in the floor or ceiling, a wall that looks new, or a broken tile in the floor, anything that don’t look normal. If the funds are there they must be well hidden but easy to get at for a quick removal.”
“So the team will be Tommy, Eddie, Tony, Chris, Rick, Ron, Jim Bo, Rahim, and me.”
Eddie said,”Rahim isn’t one of us. He didn’t fight with us. Why do you want to bring him? He won’t even carry a gun.”
“Look Rahim is one of us now. I believe he may think more like Aamir than any of us, since he knew him, giving us a better idea where to search. Anyway this isn’t our money it’s for everyone on Tocabaga.”
“If you agree raise your hand.”
Everyone quickly raised his hand, but Eddie. That surprised me, as Eddie is usually a very kind and fair person.
“Okay we need to get ready to roll as soon as the Rangers clear the Church, so get your guns and equipment ready now and loaded into two trucks.”
We had just finished our meeting and Colonel Turner drove up to the bridge, stopping right next to me.
“Good morning, Jack and Rick.”
I replied, “Hello Colonel, I hope this rain stops soon.”
Rick asked the Colonel,”How is it going over there?”
“We will finish up by 1500 hours today if all goes well.”
I asked,”Colonel you know the church that we think is the HQ for al-Qaida, well we think there maybe some type of funds hidden there. Al-Qaida money used to fund their operations and we would like your permission to go search for it after the Rangers clear it. Anything we find will go to help Tocabaga.”
“Jack, that is a good idea and that sounds like something al-Qaida would do, use a church to hide their funds. I approve and will have Captain Sessions call you after our men have cleared the church.”
“Ok thank you, Colonel.”
“No problem, Jack. I have to go now, good luck.”
The colonel drove away with his four security guards toward the battlegrounds. We all knew what to do and everyone started to make ready for the big search.
We all sat down at the bar and I drew a map of the Church and the surrounding grounds. We made a plan, a search and security plan so everyone knew where to go and what to do. We were all set.
THE TOCABAGA CHRONICLES: (BOX SET - PART I - BOOKS #1-5) Page 14