by Unknown
“Bob.” said General Watkins. “Let’s give you and Colonel Harkins the nickel tour of Camp Parks and the surrounding civilian camps outside the gate.”
With that the meeting broke up there was a lot do and prepare for Colonel Clayton and March needed to meet with their staff and get operation orders cut and units notified. Although now one of their larger operations but definitely the distance wise it was. They had the confidence they could pull it all off.
Chapter Eleven
It was starting to become a routine, find a Military Post then send in an A-Team to learn what’s going on there. At least with Fort Huachuca they had previous communications with prior to sending in an A-Team. However, with Fort Irwin and Travis they went in blind like they were here. Those had all worked out well but at some point you had to figure it would go bad one way or another.
At 0100 chutes were in the air over Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson Arizona. There were no lights that they could see on post as they headed in, in fact they couldn’t ascertain any movement at all. They landed close to the tower at the main runway on post they landed there because it was open and if like the rest of the airfields they have been landing at there would be no one there waiting for them and in this case it was no different. They gathered up their chutes and stashed them away inside the tower once they had cleared it.
They put on the night vision equipment and started to move slowly and methodically through flight operations, the hangers, miscellaneous buildings and they found no one. It looked like everything was left as it was nothing had been moved or opened, it was fairly eerie to be honest. They removed the night vision googles and spoke to each other in low whispers. They decided that half the team would move to main post and the other would remain here in the tower where they have a clear view of anything coming. They had forty-eight hours on the ground before there ride home returned and that time was going to go quick. The teams had radios that would allow them to remain in contact with each other up to five miles and the batteries were good for several days, every thirty minute intervals the team moving toward main post was required to make a report.
If the team didn’t report in the team in the tower would then move to the last know good point and try to determine what happened. The team heading towards main post took off at a slow jog keeping to the road. There was no place for cover so why try to hide, it was the desert on an Air Force Base. They stopped every few hundred yards, took a knee and observed, watching and listening, there was nothing but a cool desert breeze. They would get up again and repeat the exercise in another two to three hundred yards.
As they got closer the team XO who was leading them took out a pair of binoculars to scan the area into main post. It was odd that it was nearly 0530 and not a soul was around it was the military after all and they were a twenty-four seven operation. They spent thirty minutes in position scanning looking for any sign of life at 0600 they moved out heading directly into main post. Still, no one around and no cars moving not that they expected it, but many military vehicles still ran after the event. They moved from building to building, they would move around it then breach once inside the proceeded to clear the building. After clearing five buildings they decided it wouldn’t do them any good to clear the rest, they then decided to head to the Garrison Headquarters.
They approached the building as carefully as they could because the other buildings were empty didn’t mean this was. They took cover nearby and observed the entrance for fifteen minutes, two men circled around it to see if there was any movement. The sun was up now and it was easy to see most anything sun up and not a cloud in the sky. Once the two men returned they decided to move on the building, they breached and like the rest of the other buildings they cleared it but found no one in it. It was at that time they decided to call the rest of the team in from the tower.
It took forty minutes for the team from the tower to reach the Garrison HQ once there they met inside the CO’s office which was lavishly furnished; it was after all the Air Force. They all agreed their first priority was to find something to eat so they headed to the chow hall to look for breakfast. They found it less than a quarter mile away, they entered cautiously, they went in stacked with weapons up and ready. Again not a soul insight, they made their way into the kitchen, as they searched they found a tremendous amount of food in cans, boxes and sealed packets which gave the food longevity. They also searched the walk-in freezer and found that it was still a bit chilly inside, they reasoned that it was somewhat airtight and even with no electricity as long as it wasn’t opened much it would retain a lot of its coldness as things thawed out. They had now opened it and food would start to go bad quickly well the things that hadn’t gone bad yet.
One of the team found that the stoves were still working the burners lit up odds are because of residual gas in the lines, it reasoned that if they left everything else here they certainly didn’t cook anything. They found some scrambled egg with bacon TRAT’s and cooked them up all they could eat with some juice they found in single serving boxes. After breakfast they knew they needed to start checking out the units in and around the base as well as on base housing. If there were going to be people around odds are they were going to be there.
They spent the rest of the day clearing the units on post, there was millions if not billions of dollars of military equipment all over post sitting there some of it was usable. In fact, they were able to salvage two Humvees which they loaded the team up into and searched using them. They siphoned fuel from other vehicles to top them off. As evening approached they moved away from post to find a place in the desert to stay, as inviting as it was to stay in the barracks or in the post hotel they knew getting too comfortable could be setting themselves up for a trap. It was best to find a place in the desert where they could see all comers and a place that they could actually defend if need be.
They hid the Humvees in a ravine out of sight but easy to beat a hasty retreat to and get the hell out of dodge. However, the night passed without incident that morning they returned to the chow hall and whipped themselves up some more breakfast with coffee this time. After breakfast they would be moving to the housing areas on post this is where they believed that most people would have retreated too, here they would defend their families and homes. What still didn’t make sense was that there was a lot of food and potable water around you would think they would have taken all of it. The last thing on their agenda for the day would be to check out the Post Exchange to see what was in there.
Like everything else they approached the housing area cautiously they were hundreds of yards off near another ravine with the vehicles at the bottom. Gazing through the binoculars they could see movement in the housing areas, streets barricaded and there were armed men and women standing at the barricades. To be frank after not finding anyone on post this is what they expected to find people had retreated back to the safety of their neighborhoods. They for some reason felt there were unable to secure the post so this was there next option.
The Special Forces team scurried around the circumference of the neighborhoods to try to figure out what was going on. They had all of the avenues of approach blocked off with vehicles and they had sentries at each site. It was hard to see what was going on inside of the area not without going to higher ground and going to higher ground would get them seen.
It was a dangerous situation they found themselves in, it was a question of whether or not to make contact with them or move to the extraction point and let the Marines come in and deal with it. Unfortunately for the people inside the barricades dealing with the Marines might not be the outcome they hoped for. The team talked about options and the only one that kept coming back was for the team OIC and team Sergeant to approach one of the barricades unarmed and ask to meet with someone in charge. The obvious problem with that is they could be outright killed which might prompt a firefight between the team the occupants and odds are there were a lot more of them or they could be taken captive and held
indefinitely. The final decision was the team’s OIC and he decided that they would approach one of the barricades and hope for the best.
The teams Captain and Sergeant ordered the team to move to a new location once they stood up and moved to the barricade if further action were taken by the people inside it’s the first place they are going to look or hit. Get to a place where you can still see but not so far that if the shit hits the fan that you can’t do anything to help. They agreed and the Captain and team Sergeant handed over all of their weapons, took a deep breath and stood up, hands in the air and began walking towards the barricade. With that the team loaded into the two Humvees they left heading north a half mile to a place they had scouted out earlier.
Captain Kahn and Sergeant Carmichael, Team OIC and Team Sergeant respectively, walked towards the barricade with hands in the air. It took a few moments for the guards at the barricade to see them coming they were a bit slow on the uptake. The man and woman were dressed in civilian clothes and were very suspicious of the two men in uniform heading towards them. They couldn’t see that they were carrying any weapons but the alarm went out that there were two strangers approaching the main barricade.
When they were about a hundred feet, the two guards with weapons raised and pointing at the SF Soldiers, ordered the two Soldiers to stop. The Captain and Sergeant came to a halt with hands still in the air.
“What do you want?” yelled the woman.
“We want to speak to whoever is in charge here.” answered Captain Kahn.
“Who wants to talk to him?” she yelled.
“Captain Kahn and Sergeant Carmichael, United States Army, 19th Special Forces Group.” The Captain yelled back.
The man responded, “There is no more US military!”
Captain Kahn and Sergeant Carmichael looked at each other, “Yes there is.” said the Captain. “We’re out of Camp Parks in California the US Military is still there as well as Fort Huachuca.”
The two guards looked at somewhat confused, they spoke to each other and one of them left, “Put your arms down he’ll be right back.” The woman said.
Within a couple minutes an older man appeared, he looked at the two Soldiers, “Who’s the ranking Officer at Fort Huachuca?”
Captain Kahn said, “Major General Utero the Commander of the Intelligence Center and Colonel Harkins is the Garrison Commander.”
“Who is the Commander at Fort Irwin?” He asked next.
Captain Kahn looking at the man, “Major General Ted Watkins, my boss.”
This information took the man back for a second, “General Watkins doesn’t have any SF under his Command.”
“He does now!” stated Sergeant Carmichael.
The older man turned to the woman, “Let them in and then escort them to my office.”
The woman guard signaled for the two SF Soldiers to come in, Sergeant Carmichael said under his breath, “bought time.”
The two SF Soldiers watched as part of the barricade was moved to allow them in, there were half a dozen guns trained on them as they entered. The woman guard said, “Follow me.”
She walked off into the neighborhood and they followed, several houses down the block they entered a nice two story colonial. In what would have been the living room was converted into what looked like some sort of operation center. In there the older man who had been asking them questions was there, he looked over the two Soldiers, “What do you want?”
“Who are you?” asked Captain Kahn.
The man looked them over again, “I’m Colonel Richard Datak, Post Commander.”
Captain Kahn looked him over, “Can you prove it?”
“Listen to me Captain I don’t have to prove a damn thing to you! How do I know you’re for real?” said the Colonel.
Both Captain Kahn and Sergeant Carmichael pulled out credentials identifying them as members of the United States Army, 19th Special Forces Group. Colonel Clayton was familiar with the drill and knew some day that they would be asked to prove who they were. The Colonel looked over the credentials and then back at the men. He then pulled out his wallet and showed them his military ID which showed his name and rank as well as branch of Service.
“Now that we have established identities,” said the Colonel. “Why are the two of you here?”
“Sir our team was inserted onto the post down by the main tower yesterday at 0100 we are actually at the end of a forty-eight hour mission to determine the status of the base.”
“What do you mean by status?” asked the Colonel.
Captain Kahn went on, “Status meaning Sir is it still in the hands of the United States Military.”
“There is no more United States Military.” Colonel Datak was looking at them.
“That would not be true Sir. The United States Military is alive and well to include branches, the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.” replied Captain Khan.
The Captain went onto explain what had happened at Camp Parks after the event, the rebuilding, establishing contact with Fort Irwin and Travis. It took him over an hour to cover the basics. After he was finished Colonel Datak had to take a seat, “I had no idea, I had no idea.” He repeated to himself. “What does General Watkins want with us?” asked the Colonel.
“He wants the Air Force Base back in US control he wants it to be an Air Force Base.” Replied Captain Kahn.
“Why we have no functional aircraft.” Colonel Datak was looking at them.
“Sir the current Air Force is composed of a B-29, C-47 and dozens of smaller Cessna’s and Pipers. We use them all of the time.”
Colonel Datak was stunned, “Where did they get the B-29 and C-47?”
“They were in museums Sir perfectly restored. We have a group of men who fix and restore them. They have been very effective. I have to believe in your museum there are B-29’s and C-47’s?” said the Captain.
“Well yes,” said the Colonel. “And more at the Depot as well.” It hadn’t occurred to the Colonel or anyone else to get them in the air.
“Well Sir it looks like you have your work cut out for you then don’t you?”
Colonel Datak smiled, “Yes son we certainly do, thank you.”
“Sir are you with us or against us?” asked the Sergeant.
Colonel Datak looked at both men squarely, “I’m an Officer in the United States Air Force sworn to defend this country and its constitution.”
“That’s good news Sir because right about now a Company of heavily armed United States Marines is touching down at the airfield about now and you wouldn’t want to piss them off.” stated the Captain.
With that news the Colonel raised his eyebrows, “Well by all means let’s not keep them waiting let me get into uniform and let’s go meet them.”
“Sir that’s not all. General Watkins has extended an invitation to senior Commanders to meet with him and his staff back at Camp Parks for forty-eight hours.”
“When does he want us there?”
“Today Sir if at all possible. Our orders are to fly within the next twenty-four hours. You and the other Commanders would be returned right back here.”
The Colonel was lost in thought, “Ok let me send a couple of runners to gather them up as soon as everyone is there we can leave. I’m excited to see Camp Parks would we also be able to see Fort Irwin and Fort Huachuca?”
“Sir I don’t know you can certainly ask the General and if he has the time I don’t see why not there’s also the new Air Force base at Oakland and then there’s Travis Air Force Base too. They’re going to want to know any information on Tucson and the rail line through the area.”
“Why rail lines?”
“Sir we have several trains that we use to move equipment and personnel.”
“Wait, what? Trains, you have trains?” The Colonel was dumbstruck his head swirling with all of this information. Within a thirty minute time frame he had went from keeping his people alive in this little alcove of the world and thinking the United States Mili
tary was gone, to a whole new world where the military was alive and well and kicking ass.
“Yes Sir huge steam locomotives big monsters.” said Sergeant Carmichael. “One of the goals is to clear the rails between here and Fort Irwin.”
“Wow,” was the Colonels response. “Ok, ok let me get changed and head over to the airfield.” With that the Colonel left the living room and headed up stairs. The runners had already left and to gather the other men. Captain Kahn radioed the rest of the team to bring everyone and the rides to the back of the main barricade but to keep out of sight for the next few minutes.
Ten minutes later the Colonel returned in uniform and an overnight bag. “Sir.” said Captain Kahn. “We didn’t come alone our team is near in Humvee’s can we bring them up to the barricade?”
“Where did you get the Humvees?” asked the Colonel.
“There yours Sir.” replied the Captain.
“What? We tried to start a few but they were dead how did you get them to run?”
“Sir we ran into the same problem at first when the event hit, but with a bit of trial and error we found out that about fifty percent of the vehicles failed to start and the rest were fine. The ones that didn’t start were due to faulty EMP shielding by the manufacturer.”
“I don’t know what it was but the all of the ones we tried to start failed. Looks like though you got to right off the bat.” said the Colonel.
“Well Sir that’s not exactly true it took us a couple of hours to find these and then syphon fuel out of the other ones that weren’t working. If it’s any consolation Sir the two I have now will be staying behind so send a couple of your people along to take them. Also, look for any POV’s that are 1990 or earlier that doesn’t have any microchips or solid state and those vehicles should start too.”
“Thanks that’s good to know.” He called the women guard back in who was now in an Air Force uniform sporting the rank of Captain, “Captain Éclair please send a team back onto post I want all of the Humvees and other vehicles that you can find tested to see if they start. Look for the older POV’s on post to see if they start. If they do bring them over to the headquarters building. The game has just changed for the better. Also, have Sergeant Berman and Airmen Garcia meet me at the main barricade.”