Heroes Proved

by Oliver North

  “That came directly from Mack on the SSCI PID, shortly after the CSG flight from Dulles landed in Mexico City.”

  “Have we heard from Dan? Who did he take on such short notice?”

  “Dan and his HRU are on radio silence—listen-only mode until we tell him otherwise. He has Ken Connor, Zane Felton, Dan Smith, Ken Knapp and Steve McNaughton with him. If it turns out they need another medic for their mission, George will give up his deputy, your former Navy corpsman, Doc Fowler.”

  James nodded and said, “Well, I’m living proof Jack Fowler is the best field trauma doc around if he has the right equipment.”

  “We can be pretty sure he has everything he needs,” Peter said. “Before I left to come down here, I told Sergeant Major Doan to give Don Gabbard a list of whatever he wanted. They added a few items to the fly-away kit and were waiting at IAD when George arrived with the Med Team. Mack’s plane flew directly from Myrtle Beach to Dulles so Elizabeth could say good-bye to George before his Med Team left for Mexico. Mack personally briefed Doan and the HRU on what was going on and about our new comms procedures.”

  “Do we have a fix on who knows what about the HRU and the rest of what we’re doing in Mexico outside of medical and humanitarian support? Is there a bigot list for this operation?”

  Before Peter could answer, Sarah asked, “What’s a bigot list?”

  Peter smiled and replied, “It’s an old-fashioned term that goes back to World War II and the OSS. When Wild Bill Donovan, the head of OSS, sent American officers to Gibraltar for training with the British, their orders were stamped ‘TO GIB.’ Those who passed the test and were cleared for covert missions in Nazi-held Europe had their orders stamped with the letters reversed—‘BIG OT.’ Ever since, the term, bigot list has referred to those who are cleared for information about a particular classified operation or activity.”

  Sarah said playfully, “Well, I’m glad it’s not the kind of bigot I was thinking of . . .”

  “So let’s move beyond the history lesson,” James interjected, clearly annoyed at his wife’s interruption. “Who is on the bigot list for this operation—whatever it’s being called?”

  Peter watched with concern as Sarah’s cheerful demeanor disappeared instantly and she turned and walked away, heading back upstairs. He took a deep breath and said to his son, “That wasn’t necessary.”

  “Look, Dad, I have a lot on my mind. Let’s get on with the important things here . . .”

  After a long pause, Peter said, “We’re calling the Marty Cohen rescue effort ‘Operation Coyote.’ It was Doan’s idea, partly because McNaughton, the great coyote hunter, is on the op and because the DEA and Border Patrol routinely catch Mexican drug smugglers who are also human traffickers—called coyotes.”

  “So back to my original question, who’s on the bigot list for Operation Coyote?”

  “Outside our immediate family, only Senator Caperton, Master Gunnery Sergeant Gabbard at the CSG Ops Center, and of course Dan Doan and the rest of the HRU. Mack knows everything you and I know. He is also communicating with some others—in the DEA and elsewhere we don’t know—who feed him information. They probably know some of what we know—but not everything.”

  “If we’re going to do this right and maintain some control over op-sec, we need to know who those others are at some point.”

  “You’re right, James, and I’m sure Mack will inform us who else knows what, when the time is right. He won’t hold anything back if it’s a matter of your safety or Marty Cohen’s.”

  “So what are the communications procedures you mentioned?”

  “Very simple, really. After talking with Mack, Don Gabbard and Dan Doan pulled one of your overseas communications plans out of the files at the Ops Center and modified it for this deployment. They set up the Comm Plan for Mexico based on what you worked out last year for the relief operation after the typhoon hit the southern Philippines. Both George and Dan deployed with a lightweight, broadband CSG sat-comm suite. Don packed out four solar-powered portable cell towers with satellite uplink capability for interface with the Mexican commercial G6 HTM systems for PID service. He also sent enough PRC-5722 waveform-compatible, encrypted radios for short-range comms and sufficient multispectrum IFF transponders for everyone in both teams plus the DEA FAST unit when it arrives.”

  “I can’t argue with that. What about fail-safe procedures?”

  “For last-resort backup, Don also shipped twenty-five 9855 Iridium handsets registered to AvecVous SA, one of our unactivated, Swiss-based proprietary companies. Every team member has a call sign, one-time pad, and an emergency comms number through our CSG comm site in Australia. Mack also has the name and contact information for one of his trusted agents already in place.”

  “In Mexico?”

  “That’s what he told me. His code name is ‘Travel Agent.’ He gave the info to Don Gabbard but doesn’t want it passed electronically by anyone. Mack said he will give you the name and contact info when he sees you in person before you deploy with the DEA FAST.”

  James took all this in, nodded, and said, “Yeah, I still have to talk to Sarah about me going to Mexico . . . So what’s our next step?”

  “I’m not entirely certain. We’re really on hold here until we find out when the DEA FAST unit you are accompanying will deploy. Until a half hour ago, Mack was fairly certain they would be heading out this weekend, but that may slip.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, shortly after we got the word our CSG teams were safely on the ground at Juarez International, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the airport, killing at least forty and wounding more than a hundred.”

  “Were any of our CSG people among the casualties?”

  “No.”

  “Any claim of responsibility?”

  “Not yet, but the State Department’s response was to issue a Travel Warning Notice, telling U.S. citizens to get out of Mexico.”

  “That kind of event and response had to go over like a lead balloon in Mexico on their Independence Day. Aren’t warnings like that for business travelers and tourists? This doesn’t apply to official missions like the DEA, does it?”

  “I don’t know what it means for the DEA FAST, but a lot of other U.S. government employees are being ordered out of the country. Come on in and read what the fools at Foggy Bottom have posted on the MESH. I logged on with your SSCI Lehnert alias password.”

  They walked into Peter’s office. James sat down at the desk, touched the clear plastic pane, and read the notice:

  U.S. Department of State Foreign Travel Warning

  The Department of State warns all U.S. citizens of the dangers of travel to Mexico. The security situation in Mexico continues to deteriorate as violence perpetrated by narco-terrorists affects rural and urban areas. The potential for violence by terrorists and other criminal elements exists in all parts of the country. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Advisory for Mexico issued on February 7, 2032, provides new information on recent security incidents, and gives instructions for contacting and registering for evacuation with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

  The Independence Day suicide attack at Mexico City’s Juarez International Airport on September 16 was intended to inflict maximum casualties on humanitarian relief organization personnel. It is apparent from this attack and the lack of cooperation from the Government of Mexico (GOM) in investigating the September 11 Anark-cartel attack in Houston, TX, that the GOM is unable to provide protection for U.S. citizens living and traveling in Mexico.

  The threat of serious criminal violence throughout Mexico remains very high and travel in the countryside can be extremely dangerous due to the presence of narco-terrorists. Common crime remains a significant problem in many urban and rural areas. For additional details about the general criminal threat, please see the Department of State’s Country Specific Information for Mexico.

  A series of cartel-related bombings have occurred recently in Mexico City, Merida, Acapulco, Chihua
hua, Ciudad Juarez, and several smaller cities. On April 27, 2032, an explosion in a commercial building in Mexico City resulted in two fatalities and a dozen injuries. A hand grenade bombing of a restaurant on July 8, 2032, injured twenty students, including seven Americans. On August 12, 2032, a bomb detonated in Monterrey injuring eighteen persons, including one American. Many expatriates live in and frequent the neighborhoods where these explosions occurred.

  The incidence of kidnapping in Mexico has increased significantly since the DOS issued its last Travel Advisory. The Federation Cartel and other criminal organizations continue to kidnap and hold civilians for ransom or as political bargaining chips. No one is immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. Kidnapping in rural areas is of particular concern. On August 19, 2032, fifteen hostages, including three Americans, were killed when the Government of Mexico attempted to rescue them from the narco-terrorists who were holding them for ransom. Although the U.S. government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped Americans, it is U.S. policy not to make concessions to or strike deals with kidnappers. Consequently, the U.S. government’s ability to assist kidnapping victims is limited.

  All nonessential U.S. government officials in Mexico are hereby ordered to depart the country immediately for assigned safe-haven locations. All U.S. government employees are instructed to repatriate family members to the United States and are urged to do so only via USG-certified air carriers. U.S. government employees and family members may not use inter- or intra-city public transportation, or travel by road outside urban areas at night. All nonofficial American citizens in Mexico are urged to follow these precautions.

  Effective immediately, all U.S.-Mexico land Ports of Entry [POE] are closed to nonofficial and noncommercial transportation except to U.S. citizens with valid passports/PERTs returning to the United States from Mexico. Restrictions on air travel from Mexico are contained in DHS Circular No. 2032-09-16B.

  Private American citizens currently living or traveling in Mexico should immediately register with the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website (MESH://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/home.asp) to obtain updated information on travel and security within Mexico.

  The U.S. Embassy is located at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Col. Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, D.F. In case of a serious emergency that jeopardizes the health or safety of an American citizen in Mexico, call the U.S. Embassy at [52] (744) 484-0300 or contact Consular Service at [52] (744) 484-1566. The Embassy’s American Citizens Services office provides routine information at MESH://mexico.usembassy.gov. For questions not answered there, inquiries may be sent by MESH-mail to ACSMexico@state.gov.

  U.S. Consulates and Consular Agency offices in Acapulco, Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, and Nuevo Laredo will remain open with limited staffing until close of business on Friday, September 24, to process passport applications, provide PERT validation, and perform notarial services for U.S. citizens. Thereafter, these offices will be closed until further notice. Consulates and Consular Agency offices are not staffed to respond to after-hours emergencies. U.S. citizens requiring emergency services should contact the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City at [52] (744) 484-0300.

  As the Department develops information on potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threats through its Consular Information Program documents, available at MESH://travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens should consult warden messages for Mexico at MESH://mexico.usembassy.gov/acswardenmsg, as well as the Department of State’s Country Specific Information for Mexico and the latest Worldwide Caution at MESH://travelwarn.state.gov.

  U.S. citizens may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-999-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, for overseas callers, on a regular toll line at 1-202-500-4444. U.S. citizens calling via landline service must provide their PERT ID number to be connected. Persons placing PID voice calls may be required to provide a PERT code for verification purposes.

  Office of State Department Public Communication Division,

  202-647-6575

  James scrolled quickly through the message twice, leaned back in the chair, and said to his father, “This is stunning! They buried the info about shutting down the U.S.-Mexican border in the middle of the notice! What are they thinking? Has this kind of thing ever happened before?”

  “Sure, but it was reserved for places like Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen back in the years before the Caliphate. It has certainly never happened with Mexico.”

  “I don’t get it. Who came up with this less than two months before a presidential election? The political left in this country will go nuts. It could cost her the election.”

  “That’s what I said to Mack when I first read it. But he thinks this is part of a very shrewd political plan on her part to take advantage of events that might otherwise finish her.”

  “So how does closing the U.S.-Mexican border help her get reelected—when she and her Progressive Party have done nothing but encourage illegal immigration for decades?”

  “Here’s what Mack says: Most American voters are now independents and don’t belong to any political party. They vote on issues. In the aftermath of the Houston attack, security is certainly the hottest political issue. The president knows no Anark is going to vote for her—so she blames the attack on a previously unknown cabal of Anarks and Mexican drug cartels. Shutting down the U.S.-Mexican border makes her look tough on terror. It also defangs conservatives who claim she is soft on illegal immigration and distracts everyone from focusing on radical Islamist oil producers who are probably financing her reelection.”

  “Man, that’s pretty cynical,” said James, shaking his head.

  “Well, if Mack is right, it’s even worse than anyone might think. Look at the ‘kidnap-hostage language’ and the succeeding passage about ordering U.S. government personnel to leave the country.”

  James scrolled to the fifth and sixth paragraphs of the notice. When his son nodded, Peter continued, “If Mack is correct—and he knows Washington politics better than you or I—those two paragraphs give them a perfect excuse for not trying to rescue Marty Cohen anytime soon.”

  “Mack may be right. This notice is certainly a rationale for doing nothing. It definitely reinforces what the world is being told about Houston being an Anark-cartel operation. Maybe I’m just paranoid, Dad, but this notice reads like it was put together well before the attack at the Mexico City airport.”

  “That’s exactly what I thought when I read it,” Peter replied. “It’s all very strange. According to our Ops Center, there were no leaks to the media about this until the warning notice was posted just before this afternoon’s State Department press briefing. As you might expect, Centurion Aviation is overwhelmed with calls and MESH messages from American citizens looking for a safe way home.”

  “Okay, I understand all that, Dad. But none of this explains why the administration wouldn’t do everything in their power to get Dr. Cohen back safely, as soon as possible.”

  “Consider for a moment that Mack has it figured out: they really did fabricate the whole thing about Houston being perpetrated by some Anark-cartel conspiracy—and the president’s reelection campaign really is being financed by the Caliph. If that’s correct, the last thing the White House wants is Marty Cohen suddenly appearing before the election with the truth about his kidnappers—and a workable fuel cell design.”

  “That’s just plain evil.”

  “You’re right,” Peter said, nodding to his son. “It also complicates our planning for Operation Coyote. I just hope Mack’s trusted agent isn’t one of the Americans being told to get out of Mexico.”

  U.S. CONSULATE

  CALLE 60 NO. 338, COL. ALCALÁ MARTIN

  MERIDA, YUCATAN STATE, MEXICO

  THURSDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2032

  2145 HOURS, LOCAL

  Arthur James Jones Jr. really in
tended to retire from intelligence work. In fact, he officially retired twice—the first time from the National Security Agency and a second time after ten years as a consultant with a Washington, D.C., defense contractor. When Jones turned in his credentials, access badge, and cipher codes in May 2029, he told everyone he was going to do charity work with his church in Gainesville, Virginia. And he meant it.

  But then, in July 2030, the DEA called asking him for advice on its wires operation in Mexico. His first response was “I’m too old for the cloak-and-dagger stuff.” But Frankie Moyer, DEA’s Director of Overseas Intelligence Operations, did his homework and knew the right buttons to push.

  “A.J.,” Moyer said, “we came to you first because you are a patriot. You know this business inside and out. You know how to keep your mouth shut. And your country needs your help. You will be home in Virginia in two months. Ninety days max.”

  That was more than two years ago. As in his previous employment, A. J. Jones quickly became an MVP in DEA’s Mexican counternarcotics intelligence operations. They gave him a black diplomatic passport wrapped in foil and hidden in the sole of his right shoe, a new PERT, a “non-official cover,” and a little office next door to the U.S. Consulate in Merida, capital of Yucatan state. Above his door was a sign: GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES. To enhance his cover as he traveled around the Yucatan, his new employers created a legend that A. J. Jones was also an amateur archeologist fascinated by ancient Mayan culture. To answer calls and distract visitors, the DEA Special Operations Division gave him a gorgeous “receptionist” named Marcia Quintero.

  Señora Quintero was one of the very few people in Mexico who knew A. J. Jones’s real job. Marcia was the person who ran next door to the U.S. Consulate to pick up and drop off “items” being shipped via diplomatic pouch. She was actually a DEA special agent from San Diego, a former member of DEA FAST-CHARLIE, and the wife of a Marine major.

  Before joining DEA, Quintero was a San Diego narcotics officer. As a martial-arts instructor at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia, she used to tell her students, “Killing an armed assailant with your bare hands is better than having him kill you, but if you maintain situational awareness you shouldn’t have to. I am your hand-to-hand combat trainer and an expert pistol shot. I carry a forty-five—because they don’t make a forty-six.”