by Steven Bird
Another man shouted, “Why don’t we block the road with a big Caterpillar dozer or something? They couldn’t shove past that.”
“First to answer that question, we considered pre-positioned physical roadblocks, but we have to assume there will be some sort of aerial reconnaissance available to them that would see such a thing and recognize it as a trap. The last thing we want them to do is to divert down Fugate Road and avoid Highway 9. We will have several M136s just west of the bridge along Highway 9, as well as the IEDs we plan to place on the south edge of the road. Since the terrain immediately falls away to the river from the edge of the road, we should be able to conceal our explosives quite well.”
Daryl asked, “Pardon my ignorance. I know I’m new to many of you here, but how did you get your hands on anti-tank weapons?”
“Like I said before, this is a region-wide event. Our role may be small, but the overall operation on the grand scheme of things is not. We’ve got assets outside of our own militia available to us from both under-the-table weapons deals from friendly foreign interests, to state guard units and defecting military personnel. Your average citizen may not see the size and scope of the resistance that is about to rise up against those who have perpetrated this on our nation, but trust me, it’s much larger than us.”
Daryl nodded in agreement, satisfied with Quentin’s answer.
“Lastly, once the UN convoy is beyond Hot Springs and the families there are safe, half of the militiamen from that operations area will pursue the prisoner transport vehicles that generally do not remain with the assault force. From what we have seen so far, once they take a town, a small convoy is dispatched from the main unit to transport captured prisoners, weapons, and ammunition back to their main body, generally backtracking their route, as it is their most secure area. The other half will form up and pursue the group moving toward us, hopefully undetected, as they advance toward Del Rio.”
Pausing to give the men an opportunity to ask any questions they might have, Quentin continued. “In the event we are unable to prevent their retreat, the militiamen from Hot Springs will engage them via a hasty ambush. The effectiveness of that ambush will, of course, be determined by how successfully we can degrade their capabilities during the initial stages of our attack, as well as during their retreat. The best-case scenario, of course, will be that we completely knock them out. If the militiamen do not encounter them during a retreat, they will continue toward our position and join us in our efforts to finish them off.”
“Now, before we continue with specifics,” Quentin said, pausing, and then taking a more serious tone, “I need a show of hands of who I can count on to be a part of this operation.”
Nearly every hand in the room went up in unison. The men who were hesitant quickly raised their hands once they realized the overwhelming support for the operation by the others. With a large smile on his face, Quentin simply said, “Outstanding!”
Chapter Thirty-Three: Preparing for War
After the group presentation at the meeting, individual roles, duties, and responsibilities were assigned based on individual skills and experience. Militiamen were assigned to various duties ranging from IED positioning and detonation, M136 AT-4 operator, battlefield observer and communications, ridgeline machine-gun operators, and sharpshooters. Evan, Jason, and Daryl were all asked to man the .50 caliber Barrett M107s and .50 caliber M2A1 machine guns that would be located with Quentin at the top of the ridge overlooking Highway 9 from the higher terrain above.
In addition, Quentin asked Tyrone and several other men to remain at the church with Pastor Wallace to protect the women and children being sheltered there, in the event things didn’t go as planned and the UN forces made it into Del Rio. Tyrone was disappointed that he was not able to join the others in the ambush, but he understood the importance of what Quentin was asking him to do.
The next morning, as the remaining residents all around the town of Del Rio prepared for what seemed to be the inevitable conflict, they cleared their homes of any weapons, ammunition, and food that they feared they would lose to either the destruction of their homes or the door-to-door searches if their attempt to stop the occupiers failed. Many of the residents, including the families of the militia personnel taking part in the ambush, took to the surrounding hills and mountains for safe haven until the threat had passed.
The residents of the confederacy of homesteads were doing the same. Evan, Jason, and Daryl had spread the word throughout each of the properties, to gather in the old mine that they had so diligently been preparing in anticipation of such an event.
As the families had retreated to the safety of the mine, they all gathered out front on a beautiful, sunny day to wish Evan, Jason, and Daryl good luck and to see them off, as well as to go over any final details the group wished to discuss before sequestering themselves inside.
As Evan and Jason were saying goodbye to their families, hugging and kissing each one of their children, Molly and Sarah stood together in tears, wishing this nightmare that kept taking their husbands into harm’s way would someday end. Evan looked over and saw Daryl giving Linda Cox a hug, followed by a long, passionate kiss. Evan nudged Jason to get his attention and pointed discreetly.
Jason grinned in reply as several of the others also noticed and were quite surprised to see the extent of the relationship that had been kept so tightly under wraps.
Just as Evan stood up to hug and kiss Molly, Lloyd and Charlie came out of the mine and said, “Okay, the lanterns are lit. Everything looks all set. Lloyd and I will take the first watch at the entrance, then we will rotate through every four hours with Luke, Greg, Jake, Will, and Griff, while the women take care of and entertain the children. Doc Rachel’s stuff is all set up in the cleanest area possible, with a cot and a small folding table in the event her services are needed.”
“To heck with that,” Molly shouted. “I’m taking a rotation in the watch, too!”
“Me, too!” added Sarah.
“Count me in on that!” added Peggy.
“Well...” Charlie said with an embarrassed look on his face. “Then I guess you had better work me into the childcare roster. Looks like we’ve got plenty people here to get things taken care of. We’ve got food, ammo, and plenty of medical supplies, so you guys don’t worry at all about things here. You just keep your heads on straight and come back to us in one piece.” Charlie reached out his hand to Evan.
“Thanks,” Evan replied, shaking his hand in return. “Take good care of everyone here. It may have never produced a thing, but you’ve got the world’s greatest riches in this old mine.”
Jason and Daryl both shook Charlie’s hand as the rest of the homesteaders joined in the final goodbye. Evan, Jason, and Daryl mounted their horses, and with a wave, were off to meet up with the Blue Ridge Militia and the brave residents of Del Rio.
~~~~
Down in Del Rio, at the Baptist Church, Pastor Wallace was busy organizing the group to prepare the best they could. His plan was to ride things out at the church if at all possible, as he did not want to face a night in the mountains with a flock of women with small children if he could help it, but he prepared for such an eventuality just in case.
“Once you’ve got the extra blankets and tarps gathered together, start putting them into those large laundry bags,” he said as he directed the efforts of his volunteers. “Tyrone,” he shouted.
“Yes, Pastor,” Tyrone replied, coming into the main sanctuary from one of the side rooms.
“Are the weapons and ammo hidden like I asked?”
“Yes, they are. The extra ammo is hidden in the walls. I intentionally stripped out the wood that held the vent screws in place for the large air intake vent for the HVAC system that is in the classroom. All but one, that is. It’s a straight slot so a few good turns with a dime, and it will pop right out. The rest are there just for show to make it look as if it hasn’t been tampered with at a glance. If you reach into the opening after removing the i
ntake grate, you’ll find that the sheet metal on the left, making up the ductwork, is loose. You can just pull that back to access inside of the sheetrock wall where you’ll find the ammo boxes. We used masking tape and a marker to clearly label what was in each.”
“What about the guns?”
“They are in the false-drop ceiling. See that small stick pin in that one?” he said as he pointed above.
“Yes,” the pastor replied.
“A shotgun is lying on top of that panel. You can knock any of the others around it out of place to get to it in a hurry without knocking it down itself. Anywhere in the ceiling you see a small pushpin like that is where you can find a gun in a hurry. All loaded, of course.”
“Great work, Tyrone,” Pastor Wallace said as he patted him on the back. “Once everyone is done, help me gather everyone together for an afternoon service. I think this is definitely a time where we could all use the soothing feeling that a good worship and prayer service can give you.”
~~~~
The militia camp was nestled between two hills, deep in the woods of Teno Hollow and located one mile west of their intended ambush site of the Wolf Creek Bridge. As Evan, Jason, and Daryl approached, they were greeted by fellow militia members, who were all hard at work studying and training on the weapons that were supplied to them for the attack, most of which the members were not familiar with.
“Glad to see you guys could make it,” shouted Carl as he jogged down out of the woods. “Tie your horses up right over there and let’s get to work. Q is down at the site, selecting the firing positions. In the meantime, I can get you guys equipped and prepped up.”
“Roger that,” Evan replied.
Once the men were dismounted, they joined Carl and hiked up a steep hillside and into the thick brush. They reached a small clearing where he had several equipment cases laid out, as well as numerous metal ammo cans, packs, MREs, and other supplies ready for issue. Once he fitted them each out with their rations and trauma kits, he said, “Okay, I’ve got three weapons yet unassigned. One of you gets the ‘Ma Deuce’ and the other two get Barrett M107s. Who has dibs on the Deuce?”
The three looked at each other, and then Daryl spoke up. “I’ll take a 107. I think that’ll suit my speed a little better.”
“I guess I’ll take the M2,” said Evan. “Jason’s quite the marksman; he should have the other Barrett.”
“Alrighty, then,” said Carl, as he got right down to the business of weapons familiarization with Evan on the M2 .50 caliber machine gun. Once the three had everything they needed, they retrieved their horses and used them as pack animals to carry their heavy weapons and ammunition for the journey through the rugged terrain to meet up with Q a mile east, on the ridge above the Wolf Creek Bridge. All travel via roads was strictly prohibited for the militiamen from that point on, as keeping a low profile from any potential observation was critical to their success, which lay in their ability to maintain the element of surprise.
~~~~
After the rugged and difficult journey through the steep terrain and thickly wooded, vegetated hillside, Evan, Jason, and Daryl met up with Quentin at their assigned rally point on the backside of the ridge, just over the hill from their intended fighting positions.
Quentin greeted them with a smile and a handshake, saying, “Gentlemen, so glad to see you. I see Carl got you all fitted out.”
“Yes, sir. He gave us everything we need,” replied Jason.
“I’d like you to all meet Terry Johnson. He’s gonna be your team leader for the duration of the operation. He’s got a radio to communicate with the strike leader and me. Terry is in charge of all of the guns at the top of the ridge. We’ve got additional team leaders in charge of IED detonations, AT-4s, and a mobile team to move rapidly and fill in the gaps as need be. That’s four teams total. Keith Harbold, who I believe you may have met last night, will be the strike leader. He will coordinate with each of the team leaders from now through the entire duration of the operation, and direct them regarding their team’s employment.
“We also have two trained EMTs who will be with me and the comms folks on the other side of the ridge in the event that someone needs medical attention. As the field commander, I’ll be coordinating with the strike leader, as well as our other outside assets, such as the Hot Springs team that is supposed to link up with us behind the convoy, as well as other militia assets in the region.
“I’ll leave you gentlemen in Terry’s care for now. He’ll show you your fighting positions and give you any other pertinent information.”
Reaching out to shake each of their hands, he said, “Good luck out there, and thanks again. We really needed you guys.”
“The pleasure is all ours, sir,” Evan replied, shaking his hand.
As Quentin turned and got back to the business at hand, Terry said, “Well, gentlemen, follow me.” He led them to the top of the ridge, where they could get a good view of the scene below. “Do you see that big tree right there, off to the left?” he said while pointing.
“Yep,” Jason replied.
“Okay, if you follow that directly across from left to right, you are basically looking at the level your shooting positions are based on. We’ve ensured that each position has a clear line of sight and an unobstructed firing lane to the target area below. We’ve also got sandbags in place for the best ballistic protection we could come up with, given the limited time we had to work with, as well as the visual signature we are trying to avoid.”
Looking confused, Daryl said, “Maybe I’m just blind, but I don’t see anything from here.”
“Me, either,” added Jason.
“That’s the idea,” explained Terry. “We have to assume that some sort of aerial reconnaissance will precede the convoy; whether it’s manned aircraft or drones, we want to make sure our visual signature is as small as possible. The trees and brush all along the hillside are very thick and we covered the sandbags with natural debris and dirt as best we could. We had guys out here first thing this morning getting it all together.”
“Outstanding,” replied Evan.
“Anyway,” Terry said as he continued, “Evan, I want you in the position just to the right of center. Daryl, you set up to the left of him, and Jason, you take the position on his right. There are three other machine guns and six M107s total along the upper portion of the ridge.
“Once the IEDs and AT-4s stop the convoy, if all goes as planned, the machine guns should keep the enemy’s ability to move freely suppressed, while the M107s pick them off one at a time.
“I won’t be talking to each of you individually due to our logistical constraints, but you’ll know when the operation commences, as it will be upon detonation of the IEDs. I’ll try to be as mobile as possible once it all starts going down, directing fire as necessary, but I have faith that you guys will pick good targets.”
“We will do our best,” Evan said while looking intently over the hill, trying to pick out his shooting position.
“Follow that game trail there and head on down. I’ve got to coordinate a little more with Q and then I’ll be down. Once you get in position and get your gun set up, make yourselves as comfortable as possible. Who knows how long of a wait we will have before the party gets started. Get some rest. You’re liable to need it.”
With that, Terry turned and began to walk back down the backside of the hill to join up with Q. After a few steps, he stopped, turned back to face them, and said, “Oh, and for the record. I’m honored to have you guys on board. Q told me all about your struggles with him back at the farm and how you guys kept it together. He said he wouldn’t have made it out of there without you. That makes me feel good to know that you’re on our team.”
“We’re the ones who are honored,” Evan replied. “If not for Q and the Blue Ridge Militia, we would have never made it out of there. More than likely, we’d have ended up swinging from a tree or shot by a firing squad. The honor is truly ours.”
Terry smiled and
turned to continue his walk down the hill.
Daryl looked at Evan and Jason. “Dang, guys, it sounds like I missed out on a good story. You’re gonna have to fill me in on this farm thing.”
“I guess you haven’t gotten the whole story on that, have you? Well, if we make it out of this, we’ll give you all of the details on our way back home,” Jason replied with a grin.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Well, guys,” interrupted Evan. “You heard the man, let’s see if we can carry this stuff down this scary steep hillside without killing ourselves before the commies even get here.”
He threw the heavy M2 machine gun over his shoulder while holding onto the barrel. With the M2’s tripod lashed to his pack and his VZ58 with its stock folded and hanging by its sling from his shoulder, Evan struggled down the steep hillside with Jason and Daryl following along behind.
Nearing their positions, Evan stopped and turned to Jason and Daryl, gave them both a hug, and said, “I can’t wait to tell you the story, Daryl, so stay alive. You, too, Jason. I’m sure you’ll have your two cents to add. But seriously, we’ve been through a lot together. Stay safe and don’t make this the last time we see each other. Every single person back home needs us.”
“You, too, brother,” Jason said, returning the hug.
With that being said, each of the men slipped into their assigned shooting position and began to get themselves set up for both the battle and the wait that precedes it.
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Waiting Game
As the last rays of light from the day’s sun peeked over the hills to the west, Evan could not help but sit and think about his family back at the mine, and the struggles they might face until his return. He hoped and prayed that someday, they would no longer have to live in fear of what lay around every corner. He then remembered that’s exactly why he was perched high on that wooded hillside. He knew that the actions of individuals such as him, Jason, and Daryl, standing up against tyranny with groups like the Blue Ridge Militia, was the first step in achieving that peace, stability, and freedom they longed for.