by Steven Linde
Harry shook his head. “Don’t be hard on yourself, from the reports that I’ve read we all stumbled on the shortwave radios. After the inclusion of Fort Huachuca in Arizona a civilian radio operator showed up at the fort’s main gate with three working shortwave sets. They were able to connect with several ham radio operators back east. The old man that brought the radio sets trained several Army Signal Corps technicians on how to build them. Not to say we didn’t have any communications, we did. Apparently the Army’s Special Operations Command had enough foresight to store large amounts of military equipment, food, water, fuel, clothes, you name it. Essentially they built underground faraday cages. Fortunately for all of us, one of these storages facilities was at Camp Parks with 19th Special Forces Group and their Commander Colonel John Clayton. He was the primary mover of getting the military off their asses and moving again.”
Harry went on and told her the rest of the story, Sharon was enthralled by it all. By the time he was done, Sharon was happy to hear that civilization as she used to know it was going to return in some form and had already started. Harry however warned her that they had a long road ahead of them. Lots of militias had formed throughout the country, as well as mega-gangs and we were going to have to take them on.
The subject then changed to the status of the Air Force, Harry told her he didn’t know a lot about the overall chain of command. However, he was familiar with the B-52’s, C-47’s, P-51’s, P-52’s and all sorts of other aircraft they had and were in use. Sharon was astounded to hear that her Air Force was back in action and flying World War II vintage aircraft.
While Harry was busy bringing Sharon up to speed on what had happened to the State of the Union, the shortwave radio had arrived and was being set up by Navy technicians. There were a lot of onlookers and gawkers watching them set it up. Several of the civilian engineers got involved and had a lot of questions, which the Navy techs were trained to answer and offered to train anyone that command wanted them to. Electrical power was somewhat stable on base, so they were able to plug the radio set into it. They were up and running within an hour, and the Navy techs were in contact with the Hornet, Camp Parks, Travis and Irwin. A runner was sent to notify Generals Shelton and Blamey. They arrived fifteen minutes later as the Commander of the United States Air Force, Brigadier General Datak, came on the net.
General Shelton knew a Colonel Datak, and she wondered if this was the same officer. The Colonel she knew was out of Davis-Monthon and not Travis. The Navy techs gave General Shelton a quick rundown on how to operate the radio. She sat down and gave her call sign that she was given, and General Datak was on the net and responded to her call sign. General Shelton’s second response over the net was, “Richard?”
“Hi Sharon, yes it’s me Rich. Welcome home,” said General Datak.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Half of the Marine Expeditionary force had moved north from the Ports through Torrance, Gardena, Compton, all the way to El Segundo where they arrived at the Air Force Base. The Marines had several engagements on their way north, all gangs, and not difficult to dispatch by the Marines. The Marines had overwhelming firepower, and the gangs mostly had pistols, AR-15’s, and hunting rifles. The gangs were not trained and attacked in mass and were eliminated by the Marines machine guns. There were the occasional snipers, but the Marines quickly located the position and called in an Abrams to take out the entire building.
They swung north-east heading toward El Segundo through a couple of other cities, taking on anyone and everyone. Fortunately, most of the civilians had cleared out of the cities that surrounded the city of Los Angeles, and months after the event civilians found that there weren’t able to survive in the cities because of a lack of food and water, not to mention there was no security. Gangs roamed the cities at will raping women, forcing people into slavery, or just outright murdering them for fun. The people that were left were the thugs, gangbangers, murderers, thieves, and all of the other low-life’s that preyed on people.
The Marines had some knowledge of this because of the force recon teams that had gone in earlier, and reported back what they had observed and learned from talking to what civilians they were able to find. The civilians they were able to find were generally escapes from the HLA. The Marines marched on, and they met up with forward Air Force forces that were sent out by General Shelton and the Force Recon team.
Once the Marines had secured the Air Force Base, not that it needed securing, they turned around, except for a single company, which turned around and headed south down the coast. In a couple of days they would meet up with the other half of the Expeditionary Force, covering the western flank and continue south onto Camp Pendleton.
The Marine Company that remained behind would concentrate on helping the Air Force. In addition to the Marine Company, there was one platoon of US Army Civilian Affairs Soldiers. The Civilian Affairs Soldier mission was different from their original mission prior to the event. Many of the ideas that Mel had implemented on the civilian side, such as developing relations between the Military and the civilians, was now part of the Civilian Affairs mission. Another part of their mission was to set up civilian security forces, and they would execute the recruitment and setting up the school to train them. They wouldn’t train them, it would be up to Air Force Security forces to do that, but first General Datak would have to direct General Shelton to do so.
The civilian security forces were essential to restoring law and order, even though there weren’t many civilians in the area. However, people would return if they felt secure and they could find work that could sustain them and their families, as this had been proven time and time again in other areas of the country. General Shelton was aware of her obligations to train the new security forces, and she wasn’t happy about it and wasn’t sure it was a legal order from a Commander that she outranked. She had enough of her own problems and this only exasperated them, for now she would let the Civilian Affairs Soldiers continue with their efforts. What General Shelton didn’t understand was that she had no choice. If she failed to execute her orders, regardless of how she felt of General Datak, General Watkins would step in and relieve her. If she failed to step down then she would be arrested either by her own security forces or the Marines.
In addition, she didn’t realized that the Soldiers and Marines didn’t come under her command, and she had no authorization to direct any of their efforts at all, as this would become evident when she ordered the entire Marine Company onto the base and ordered them to train her Air Force personnel on ground combat operations. The Marine Company Commander politely refused her order which set up a stand-off between the Marines and Air Force. The Marine Company Commander quickly notified his chain-of-command, they notified General Datak and he notified General Watkins, and as a courtesy he notified Admiral Meyer. Admiral Meyer was a four star and was Senior Officer, and this set off a discussion between General Watkins and Admiral Meyer. General Watkins rightfully assumed that Admiral Meyer would be taking over his command, which he was fine with. At this point this isn’t something Admiral Meyer wanted; he had enough issues with the fight in San Diego and getting things up and running in his own AO. Essentially he told General Watkins that he appreciated him keeping him in the loop and wanted him to continue to do so. He also told him that he was the man in charge, at least for now, and he would back any effort he needed to execute to ensure military order.
There was an airfield at the Air Force base and it was fully operational, and this meant that the runway was intact and that’s about it. General Watkins and General Datak arrived on a Cessna two days after the Marine Company Commander made his report. General Shelton wasn’t aware of the passengers that arrived on the airplane, but she had been notified that there was a plane on the way with two VIP’s aboard. She had no clue what this was about.
The plane landed and General Shelton met it. She was a bit dumbfounded when she saw the two generals get off the plane, but she was all of a sudden aware that this w
asn’t good. She wasn’t sure what prompted her two new bosses to fly down and see her, but she was sure she was about to find out. She approached the men getting off the plane, saluted and welcomed them to her Air Base, which in retrospect she realized was a poor choice of words. Both General Watkins and Datak smiled and thanked her for her welcome. General Watkins told her he had an urgent matter to speak to her about, however he felt he needed to do it in person. She responded that they could speak in her office, and she asked them into her Humvee. They could ride and be there in few minutes.
As they rode to the HQ buildings, the General got a good look at the base and saw a lot of positive activity, and there was no doubt in their minds that this was due to General Shelton. Once at the building they made their way to her office. Once there, General Shelton thought it better to have all of them sit in the office’s sitting area, instead of her at her desk addressing the two officers. Once seated, her assistant brought in some fresh coffee, and she asked if there was anything else they needed and the Officers kindly thanked the assistant and declined the offer. The assistant left the office, shutting the door behind her.
General Shelton looking back and forth at the two Generals. “So, how can I help you two gentlemen?” She was straight to the point.
General Watkins liked that. “We’re here because of reports we have received from the Marines and the Army that are here with you.”
“Oh? Is that so?” She knew what they were here about, and they were here to set her straight. In her mind this was her base and she wasn’t going to do anything she didn’t want to.
At that time Marine Corps Captain Douglas Rorter knocked on the door and stuck his head in. Looking directly at General Watkins, “Sir, my men and I are here and ready. We have control of the situation.”
“Roger that Captain. Thank you, I’ll call you if needed.”
“Yes sir,” said the Captain and shut the door.
General Shelton wondered what the hell that was all about. “I’m sorry General,” said General Shelton. “Can you tell me what that was all about?”
“Certainly,” said General Watkins. “They’re here to arrest you if you fail to follow my orders and those of Genera Datak. They will cuff you and then escort you to our aircraft, where you will be transported to Travis Air Force Base to stand trial.”
“What orders are you referring to, General?”
“Let’s understand each other first, Brigadier General Shelton,” General Watkins intentionally using her entire rank. “Since the event the military has changed to cope with the situation we find ourselves in. We have currently have a chain-of-command that works for now. Admiral Meyer, a Four Star, currently at North Island in San Diego, I expect will be taking over the entire US Military Command as soon as he can get a grasp on what’s going on in San Diego. He has also been briefed on the situation here, and I remain in charge of the entire US Military. That includes the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. I designate those officers in the respective service based on rank, time in rank, and their ability to carry out the mission.”
General Shelton was wondering where he was going with this. “Yes sir, I understand.”
“General Shelton, you certainly have more time in rank then General Datak. Both of us think you would be the ideal candidate to take over the command of the Air Force.” Needless to say General Shelton was startled by this admission; it wasn’t what she was expecting. “However,” said General Watkins, “The reports we’re getting from the Marines and Army that is situated with you here is very disturbing. They are not under your command and have orders and a mission that the senior officers of all of the services have outlined for them to execute. You do not have the authority to change or challenge those orders. You are required to obey mine and General Datak’s orders. You don’t have a choice. I want to be absolutely clear, I will relieve you and have you escorted off this base and back to Travis.”
General Shelton was equally startled by this admission as well. She had an Army General dictating to her, an Air Force Officer, what she was and wasn’t going to do. With that said though, it looked like he had the backing of Senior Officers in the Air Force, Navy and Marines. She could challenge them, but she wasn’t certain that the Air Force personnel would support her if she decided not to go along with this. She certainly saw several thousand Marines passing through the area, and there was no way she and her forces, if they even followed her, could take them on.
“I know what you’re thinking General Shelton,” said General Watkins. “If you want a fight, I won’t bother with the Marines. I’ll order a B-52 strike and level the base, so test me,” said General Watkins, staring her down.
“Sharon,” General Datak finally spoke up, “General Watkins has the support of the Air Force at Travis and Davis-Monthon, as well as the new Air Force Base at Oakland. If it wasn’t for him there would be no Air Force. You have no idea what it’s taken to get as far as we have. You’ve only seen your own little world here, so you have no idea what’s going on out in the rest of the world.”
General Shelton leaned back and thought about it. What the hell was she really doing, she thought. This was still a three-star general in the United States Military, and of course they are pissed off. What the hell was she thinking, maybe a bit jealous? “First off, General Watkins and Datak would like to sincerely apologize to the both of you. I had no right or good reason for redirecting the efforts of the Marines and Army units. I would also like to add in my own defense that I had every intention of carrying out your orders. My priorities were different, and I admit I should have checked with my chain-of-command to better understand why these were its priorities.”
Both Generals Watkins and Datak nodded while she spoke. She did seem contrite; however both men knew that some of it was meant for them. “Listen to me, General Shelton,” said General Watkins. “The Marines cannot stay here, even that company which may not seem like a lot to you. We don’t have infinite trained combat resources. The Army Civil Affairs folks have to get civilian security up and running with the help of your folks. We have to re-establish law and order before they can leave. Also, we have all sorts of other issues in and around Southern California, as well as the rest of the nation. These are not your personal servants to do your bidding when you want them too. They are United States Military resources which belong to the United States Government. I need for you to understand the gravity of the situation so we can all move forward and be assured you’re a team player here.”
“I assure you, sir, I grasp the gravity of the situation; I won’t make this mistake again. On my oath as an Officer in the United States Air Force, I will follow the orders of those appointed over, me come hell or high water.”
“Alright General sounds good,” replied General Watkins. “On to new business. I will not at this time be changing the Air Force chain-of-command. General Datak will remain in charge. I want you to understand General Shelton, although we have had a difference of opinion I consider it resolved. We are in the middle of two fights, here and battling ISA in the Midwest. Once we have these two operations wrapped up, and I have had a chance to speak to Admiral Meyer about this, it’ll happen. I imagine that there will also be a promotion in it and you’ll get another star. Regardless of this incident, general you are to be commended in keeping your command together.”
“Thank you, General Watkins,” she was looking back and forth between General Watkins and Datak. “I appreciate your confidence in me, prior to our entering this meeting. Please keep in mind that I didn’t know you were coming. I ordered Air Force Security Forces to work with the Civil Affairs Soldiers to get the Civilian Security School up and running ASAP. They were meeting this morning to start hammering out the details. The Marines are allowing selected Air Force personnel to accompany them in patrols, mostly PJ’s for now. Once the PJ’s are brought back up to speed they will act as train-the-trainer personnel, which should be able to help out the Marines and eventually return to their units.”
/> “That’s great!” said General Datak. “I’m glad to see you found some common ground. There will be Air Force administrative personnel arriving over the next several days to get an active list of all personnel and rebuild their 201 files. You will see rotation of people in and out of the base as things move forward. We have a need for people in other locations. We will take into account whether or not they are single or have a family; we will also look for volunteers too. We are doing this at all Air Force sites. You will also see new people coming in we have basic training and advance in training programs. The admin personnel will work with you to determine your personnel needs as well.”
General Shelton’s head was spinning at all of this information. She wasn’t aware that the Air Force had come so far that they were training new people and that people were going TDY and were PCS’ing out. She concurred with the General Datak that this was a normal Air Force process and looked forward to integrating the base back into the Air Force fold.
“Sharon when you take command of the Air Force you will have to relocate to Travis.” said General Datak. “That’s a deal breaker I’m afraid.”
“I understand that, and I would have no problem relocating to Travis. Is it possible for me to see Travis any time soon?”
“Can your XO handle things here right now for a few days?” asked General Watkins.
“Yes he’s very capable.”
“Pack your bags then, we’ll take you with us and you can return in a couple of days,” replied General Datak.
General Shelton reacted quickly; she didn’t want to turn her back on this opportunity. She called her assistant in and asked her to find Colonel Wagen and have him report to her ASAP. She also didn’t want to give General Datak the opportunity to re-think his invitation. Colonel Wagen arrived promptly and when he did she introduced him to Generals Watkins and Datak. Colonel Wagen knew everything that was going on in and around the post, perhaps better than General Shelton. She quickly briefed him and brought him up to speed on this new development. General Shelton had several uniforms and the other items she needed in her office, she almost lived out of it. “Alright gentlemen, I’m ready to go.”