“So how do we adapt?”
“I think I may have a way to adjust our tactics to outfox Douglas again. Remember, he is a by the book guy. We just have to keep him off guard.”
“What do you have in mind?” Baker asked.
“First, I doubt Douglas will be leading any more raids. That was stupid grandstanding and he knows it. He will put someone else in charge. He will still keep his hand in the details, even if from a distance. That takes away the flexibility of the ground commander. It is his meddling that we can take advantage of.”
“Okay, but you still haven’t said how,” Baker replied.
“We have to alter our method of attack every time. We ripped into them as soon as they started unloading. They will be ready for that next time so we switch our plans. We let them unload and start moving out before we attack. Then we change to a different tactic the next time. We have to keep them guessing the entire time. It will wear them down, never knowing where or when we will attack. The other advantage we have is that Douglas will sack commanders that are defeated. That will cause confusion in the ranks. They will not have continuity of leadership. What I am saying is that every attack has to have unique elements. We have to choose when and where the fight will take place. We cannot let them dictate the battle. We fight them when we can overpower them and fade away when we can’t. If they have more firepower, we simply hide. When we see a weakness, we attack. We have to take the lessons of 1776 and Vietnam and apply them to our situation. The revolution succeeded because the British didn’t adapt. The VC beat us because our leaders tried to fight from the White House with a bunch of bureaucrats who didn’t understand a thing about the war they were sending our troops to fight. We have to be smarter than that,” Thomas replied.
“That sounds great but it is not easy to do,” Baker said.
“All I can say is that we do it this way or try to go toe to toe with them and I can tell you for certain, we won’t stand a chance. Look, it won’t be easy. People will get killed. No war is fought without that being part of it. We have to get the citizens on our side as well. We need civil disobedience to tie up troops and give them even more to worry about.”
“You mean like raiding the internment camps and getting the people to spread the word about what really goes on?” Lincoln asked.
“That is exactly what I mean but on an even bigger level. That will help but we need to get to the radio and television networks as well.”
“They aren’t going to allow us to use their facilities,” Baker insisted.
“Then we won’t ask. We will take them over for a short time and then fade away. We have a lot of talent in the militia groups. We just need to get them on the job, finding ways to tap into the network feeds,” Thomas told him.
“Maybe we should consider another option,” Baker said.
“Hey, we’re willing to listen to any option,” Thomas replied.
“What about an attack on the White House? We go in and dispose of Clemons. Take her out and remove her followers from office. Restore democracy.”
Thomas sat and rubbed his chin. While it had some potential he could also see the down side of a military coup d'état. The only way that would work was if they eliminated anyone thinking along those lines. His real worry was Douglas stepping into the role or even Baker deciding the military should be in charge.
“I think we need to give that some serious thought. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility but if we can’t get the military on our side, Douglas could take over.”
“Then we take Douglas out as well,” Baker replied.
“That will be considerably more difficult than getting rid of Clemons,” Thomas replied.
***
What they did not know was that General Douglas had been wounded in the raid on Ellsworth Air Force Base. No one had witnessed him getting hit. He had been taken to the hospital immediately after the attack ended and had been checked in under an assumed name. They did not want the militia to come back and finish the job.
The bullet had shattered his clavicle and scapula, tearing the supraspinatus, deltoid and infriasinatus muscles. The bullet had exited out the back after doing a lot of damage. It would be some time before he ever moved that arm again and even then the doctors warned that he would lose a considerable amount of mobility.
He had been so cantankerous that the doctors decided to keep him highly sedated. The President had called several times demanding to talk to the General but each time he was less than coherent. She went so far as to have General Lamb fly out and bring back a report.
“Can you understand me General?” Lamb had asked when he got to the hospital room.
“Yeah. Everything is fuzzy but I can understand.”
“The President sends her regards and wants to know if you need anything?”
“Out of this damned hospital would be a great start.”
“They tell me you sustained a lot of damage to that arm. You’re lucky they could repair most of it.”
“Doctors. What the hell do they know?” Douglas retorted.
“Do you know what happened at the air base?”
“We were unloading and getting everything ready. I had just gone to the tower to oversee the operation when someone attacked the Warthogs and other hangers. I ran down the stairs and shot one of the son-of-a-bitches and then suddenly I was lying on the ground. It felt like I had been hit with a hammer. That’s all I remember until I came to here in the hospital. I can’t get a damn bit of information out of anyone. They all say they don’t know any of the details,” Douglas told him.
“I can give you some of it. We know they destroyed the A-10’s, three F-16’s, fourteen B-1B bombers, four AH-64 Apache helicopters and three EH-60 Black Hawks. The repair facility was destroyed and almost all of the provisions you brought in were carted away. We lost thirty-seven men and we recovered the bodies of three of theirs.”
“Do we know if they were with the South Dakota Militia?”
“Not for sure but we certainly assume so.”
“I don’t understand. How did they know? How the hell did they carry off such an attack?” Douglas asked, laying his head back on the pillow.
“They had inside information. Someone tipped them off that you were coming and using Ellsworth as a base of operation,” Lamb said.
“We have to find that leak and plug it.”
“I know. I’m almost ready to initiate the IIB. The Internal Investigative Branch has the authority to arrest, detain, and interrogate any ISS agent that they suspect of passing information to the militias. I have informed them of the urgency to stop this leak. I want them to be aggressive in wiping this threat out,” Lamb told him.
“Excellent. I knew you were the right person for the job.”
“Thank you. Now let’s talk about you,” Lamb said.
“About me? Meaning?”
“No more raids led by you. You are the top military officer and simply cannot lead the raids. You were lucky this time but they will be targeting you. You have to appoint someone to be in charge and delegate to lesser officers the actual raids.”
“Shit Randal,” Douglas said, using Lamb’s first name for the first time since he met him, “I’m a take charge guy. I can’t just sit on my butt and watch.”
“Maybe not, but you can’t be on the front lines anymore. You have to put someone like General Fenton in charge. Let him pick the people to do the actual operations. I know you replaced Fenton when you became the Chief of Combined Military Operations but he is a good man and you can relinquish some of the control to him,” Lamb insisted.
Douglas closed his eyes and just sighed. Letting someone else get the glory was not his style.
“You are right. I know that,” he said finally, “This is disruptive enough, I guess my getting killed would slow us down immensely.”
Lamb had to work at not smiling. It was so like Douglas to think the world revolved around him. He was nothing more than a male version of President Clemons
. They both thought they had the right answers to everything.
“You will be transferred to Walter Reed just as soon as the doctors are sure you are out of the woods. Do you want me to talk to Fenton?”
“I’ll take care of that. What was the President like?” Douglas asked.
“The usual. How could this happen? You know how she gets. I explained that someone had to have tipped the militia off and she went into a rage about that. She wanted to know what I planned to do about it.”
“That damned woman. She thinks everything can be done on her schedule. Don’t worry, I’ll set her straight when I get back.”
“I’m not too worried. I got her calmed down by the time the meeting was over.”
“Good. You’re a good man General Lamb,” Douglas replied.
CHAPTER THREE
“How is the General?” President Clemons asked.
“He is still in pretty bad shape. I talked to the doctor and he said he was going to need a lot of time in physical therapy,” General Lamb told her.
“What are his plans?”
“As I understand it, he will turn over the daily operations to General Fenton of the Army. Both the Air Force and Navy will report to him. He will appoint the appropriate people to take charge of the actual conflicts. The General will maintain control but no more front line action.”
“It was foolish of him. I thought he had more sense than to run out and try to actually stop the attack. He isn’t a young chicken any longer.”
“It’s pretty hard to tell him that,” Lamb replied.
“Hard headed fool. I was going to insist that he control things from the Pentagon anyway. At least that is one battle I won’t have to fight. I assume I have you to thank for putting that idea into his head?”
“I just mentioned it and let him think he thought of it.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
“You know General Lamb. I asked Douglas if you were the right person to head the ISS and now IIB but I sense a strong reserve about you. I am very pleased with the way you are going about handling your duties. How much longer before IIB can be activated?”
“It will take a few weeks. The last thing I can afford to do is recruit someone into the IIB that has any doubt about what is expected of them. After all, they are somewhat like the IAD or internal affairs division of the police. They won’t be liked and they will be feared. It takes a special person to be able to handle that.”
“Alright, but I want you to find this leak and get it plugged.”
“Don’t be surprised if we have more than one. In fact, I expect we may find that we have several.”
“Really? I guess I didn’t expect that possibility.”
“I hope I’m wrong but…”
“But?”
“Well, I don’t want to upset you.”
“Upset? About what? Wait. Are you suggesting there may be a leak from the administration?”
Lamb knew he had to play this just right. If he seemed too enthusiastic on having the ability to snoop around the White House it might make her suspicious.
“All I know is that we have a tendency to look for trouble in areas that we suspect but overlook our own back yard. I am suggesting nothing. I just want to make sure we don’t overlook anything. I certainly have no reason to suspect anyone in the administration at this point. I’m sure you know everyone much better than I do and can vouch for them. After all they were vetted.”
“Interesting. Actually the vetting was done by dear President Amber. I just assumed they were all loyal to the current administration.”
“I’m sure they are. I doubt you have anything to worry about,” Lamb replied.
“Still.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sure a good many people have access to information that could impede our overall goals.”
“Well you can think it over and let me know if you want us to investigate anyone you suspect.”
“Yes. Let me think on that some. I could certainly see how someone could hide in plain sight right here in the White House.”
“In the meantime, I will be working on getting IIB set up and ready to initiate.”
“I guess I’ll wait for General Douglas to get back before I make contact with General Fenton. I know how uptight he can get over protocol.”
***
General Fenton was certainly surprised when he was called to the Walter Reed Hospital. He knew that Douglas had been wounded but he didn’t see the connection to himself.
“General Douglas. I hope you are feeling better,” Fenton said.
“I’d be fine if the damn nurses would just leave me alone for an hour. All they do is poke and prod. I can’t wait to get out of here.”
Fenton just laughed saying he understood the feeling.
“While we are in here, do you mind if we dispense with the formality? You’re a general, I’m a general. Hell half the military is comprised of either generals or Admirals. In private, Chester and Harold will do.”
“Excellent. The general this and general that does get to be a mouthful at times.”
“Good. Good. Now I’m sure you are wondering why you are here. I have decided that I need a good second-in-command. Someone who is good with people and is a good strategist. Someone I can turn the actual battle operations over to once the plan has been laid out. I think you are that person.”
“I…well, I have to say, that is not what I expected. I mean I wasn’t sure what to expect but this wasn’t it.”
“Look, I know we have had differences in the past. A few heated exchanges but that doesn’t take away from my faith in your ability to get the job done. I respect the fact that you will go to the mat for what you believe is right. I can’t say that about many of our comrades in arms. I’m sure we will disagree again on certain points but as hard headed as I am made out to be, I am not stupid. It may take me a while to be convinced or to recognize another way is better but in the end, the plan is the most important thing. I want someone who will, once decisions are made, support the plan and do their best to get the job done.”
“I just want to make sure I am with you on this and am not hearing something I want to hear rather than what you are really saying. We would discuss the various aspects of the overall plan, whatever it may be, and then it would be my place to pick the individuals to carry it out. I would have overall control of what went on in the field?”
“Ike and Bradley, if that makes sense to you,” Douglas said.
“Absolutely. Eisenhower controlled the entire theater of operation and Bradley made sure the job got done once the decisions were made.”
“Exactly. You just need to find a couple Patton’s and please, no Montgomery’s,” he said laughing.
“I will need a little time looking for my Patton as you put it. A good Air Force man that we can count on and a good Navy man,” Fenton told him.
“I agree. The Marines are under the Navy, including all the special force units. If you get the right person, you will have a huge support mechanism in place,” Douglas said.
“When does this become official?”
“Immediately.”
“Outstanding. I will start to work immediately. I know you went after the South Dakota Militia. Is that still our first objective?” Fenton asked.
“Honestly, I’m not sure yet. I will be out of here in a few days. You get to work on your end and then we can sit down with the President and discuss our best course of action.”
“The President?” Fenton said surprised.
“Yes. She is going to want to meet you. She likes to know everyone in her inner circle and you are about to become one of those people.”
“Then I had better get to work so I don’t come in empty handed.”
“I’ll be in touch just as soon as they release me. Welcome aboard,” Douglas said as Fenton left.
***
The original Idaho Militia, the Idaho Citizens Constitutional Militia and
the North Light Idaho Foot Militia were now operating as one under AJ Watson and were now just called the Idaho State Militia. Other states had followed and collectively they had sixteen individual state militias. While the numbers continued to grow, there was still a problem of coordinating intelligence and there was still no real chain of command that could bring about action when necessary. They were still operating independently. That was made abundantly clear in Arizona.
The four militias operating in the state had banded together but no one was a clear leader over all of them. When it was learned that General Fenton was sending troops and aircraft to attack the militia headquarters in Flagstaff, Arizona, they immediately came up with a plan to attack them. They knew how successful the South Dakota raid had gone so they decided to use the same tactics.
They had watched as the planes parked and men started to unload and stack the provisions. James Bishop, the leader of the group of almost six hundred men gave the signal and they immediately attacked. As soon as they started to penetrate the base two C-5A’s opened their back hatches and front cargo bay and troops rushed out with automatic weapons. Most of the militia froze, not knowing what was happening. The Army immediately began firing, killing large numbers as they tried to scramble back off the base but two Apache helicopters were waiting and immediately began cutting them down. It was a total disaster. More than two hundred were killed and another one hundred and fifty captured, many with serious wounds.
It was a lesson to all of them that if they wanted to act as a cohesive fighting unit, they could no longer be unorganized and act alone. They needed Intel and they needed a coordinated plan. Anything less would end in more deaths and eventually their demise.
“Men, I told you this would happen. Someone has got to come forward as the commanding officer over the entire militia. Egos will only see this kind of thing happen over and over. We must act as one military unit. Anything else is foolish. We had one success but I said at the time, we couldn’t do the same thing over again. Anyone that underestimates General Douglas is a fool. He may not be a very nice person but he is a force to be reckoned with and we need to recognize that. We are in a real shooting war and only one side is going to win. We need to decide if we are going to stay in the game or give up,” Thomas told the men sitting around him.
PROJECT BlueBolt - AMERICAN UPRISING: BOOK III - AMERICAN UPRISING Page 2