Parting Gifts

by gerald hall

  One of the bright spots however is that we will soon be receiving our new standardized camouflage uniforms. They will allow us to identify our people much more readily and differentiate them from any enemy personnel. We will also be receiving additional quantities of fabric in the same camouflage pattern to custom cut for covers to use over our body armor, rucksacks, helmet covers for those people who have helmets and also to use to cover other personal equipment.”

  Everyone applauded over the news of the new uniforms and camouflage fabric. Having a common uniform also would encourage more of a common unit identity for the members of the militia. Finally, Major Knox had to motion for everyone to quiet down for a moment so that he could finish speaking.

  “Please use this material wisely. We only have a limited quantity of it. I don’t know if we will be able to get more. It used up a lot of our available state funds to get this as it is. Everyone is short of funds, including our Ohio National Guard friends down at 3rd Squadron, 107th Cavalry. Obviously, we are going to be working closely with the Cav since they are our official partner unit with the Guard.”

  “Do you have any more good news for us, Jeff?” An older man in the formation wryly called out loud.

  “Well, I do have some more items to talk to you about, Fred. Whether you see them as good news or bad is entirely up to you though.

  Because of our limited manufacturing base here, we are not going to be able to produce any support weapons larger than a few light mortars. These weapons will be supplemented by rifle-fired grenades. We will be able, with our equipment, to produce a limited number of high explosive fragmentation grenades and shaped charge grenades. These grenades can either be hand-thrown or fired from rifles using special cartridges. However, we are also going to take a few pages our of the Mujahedeen playbook that they used against our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan some years ago.

  We are going to build some ambush weapons using something called a self-forging explosive penetrator. This is something that will punch through the sides of most light armored vehicles. It can even punch through the roof or belly of a tank. Now, in order to build these, we are going to have to find some serious explosives and a hell of a lot of copper. All of this will be dependent on our ability to obtain a supply of explosives though.

  So, I need for all of you to do what you can to get us the materials necessary to make these weapons. They can be the great equalizer if we have any enemy armored vehicles show up. If we can get enough explosives, we will also be making anti-personnel mines similar to the Claymore. That will also help level the battlefield in our favor.” All of this echoed what Marilyn had talked about earlier.

  One of the men raised his hand and waited to be recognized by Major Harden.

  “Jeff….I mean Major.” Everyone laughed for a moment before quieting down to let Sam Martin continue to speak.

  “I have a friend of mine who used to work doing some mining in the coal country northeast of here. I think that he still has a bunch of industrial explosives left over from his business. I could perhaps talk to him and see if he could give us some of it for the militia to use. I’m sure that he also has a bunch of blasting caps too.”

  “Sam, it would make a huge difference if you were able to make that happen. We could use those explosives as filler for grenades, mortar rounds and these mines if you were able to obtain those explosives. We would all appreciate it very much too.”

  “I’m do what I can, Sir.”

  “Thank you, Sam.”

  Another man spoke up immediately after Sam finished.

  “Jeff, I know that we have a lot of farms that still have stocks of ammonium nitrate out there. If we gathered some of that up and combined it with some fuel oil or diesel, we can make some nasty improvised mines to use too. My dad served in Iraq and Afghanistan and used to tell me about his friends getting blown up by the insurgents using bombs made of that stuff. I’d kind of like to teach the lesson back to the bad guys in return.”

  “I guarantee you that we will look into that as well. I don’t want any good ideas to go to waste if at all possible. I’m sure that you all know that this is a do or die situation for the defense of all that we hold dear. Mostly, we want the other side to do all of the dying though since this is our land and freedom that we are defending.”

  Immediately, there were lots of loud yells of “Hooah!” and the like that came out of the gathering before everyone quieted down again.

  After a few announcements about the training schedule and the need for everyone to go to Supply to pick up some items and let the clerk there know of any other new acquisitions that might help the militia, the formation was dismissed. For the next half hour, people milled around and gathered into small group discussions on a variety of subjects.

  Major Knox ended up bumping into Sam Martin and several of the younger militiamen and women. The discussion quickly went back to the issue of weapons availability.

  “Sir, it’s a crying shame that we can’t make ourselves some of those Russian rocket-propelled grenade launchers like what my dad used to tell me about after he did his tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines. The insurgents out there would use their RPG’s for just about anything and could even bust a tank with them.”

  “I know, Sam. The RPG-7 was a hell of a good weapon that just kept getting better as newer ammunition types gave it even more capabilities. I knew someone who even wrote the US Army manual for field-expedient use. The weapon is simple as hell to use by even inexperienced troops as long as they take a few basic precautions.

  Making an RPG launcher itself really isn’t all that hard either. The problem is with making the ammunition. Remember, we don’t have a big factory out there making all the things that we want for us. Believe me, I have asked too. All that we have to work with is what we owned beforehand plus what little we can make. However, RPG’s just weren’t exactly the sort of thing that you could purchase at the local sporting goods store.

  If we are lucky, one of our neighboring units will find some more weapons from one of the National Guard units or that we can convince someone to release some from the bunkers out at Ravenna Arsenal. Otherwise, we are going to have acquire additional weapons the old-fashioned way.”

  “What is that, Sir?”

  “We take them from our enemy, either by stealing them or by taking from our enemy’s dead bodies. Then you can have your RPG launcher and a few rounds to go with it. It’s just not a particularly easy way to obtain an RPG.”

  A couple of the younger militiamen were listening in on the conversation. One of them was excited by the opportunity of having his own personal tank-killer.

  “Hell yea, Sir. I want to go out there and raid the shit out of those bastards so that we have all kinds of goodies to use against them.”

  Any of the older veterans who had heard this simply shrugged their shoulders. With good intelligence, aggressive tactics, skilled leadership and a goodly portion of luck, smaller forces throughout history had managed to supply themselves using captured enemy weapons and stores. But more often than not, the raiders would eventually run into a superior force or blunder into a prepared defensive position. Then the raiders would quickly cease to exist. The veterans had seen this happen all too often themselves with the inevitable cost paid in blood.

  Chapter Twenty Seven:

  Barnes Manufacturing Center

  Ashley, Ohio

  March 1, 2048

  Franklin Taylor came in to see Benjamin and Lysette at the large metal building at the edge of town. He was actually surprised to see their mother, Marilyn Barnes, at the front desk.

  “Hello, Sir. How can I help you?” Marilyn asked.

  “I wanted to see what you and your children here were doing at this little factory of theirs. I understand that they are building weapons for the Ashley Militia. I know that a lot of us have rifles and shotguns that we are very good with. But we are going to be facing a real army out there. I wanted to see if anything was in the
works to give the militia a lot more firepower.”

  “Actually, my children are working on quite a few ideas right now. My son recently came up with a design for a mortar that doesn’t require a traditional propellant charge. Instead, you connect the breech of the weapon to a gas cylinder for propane or some other natural gas. You meter out a specific amount of gas for the distance that you want to fire the projective, then ignite it. The mortar then fires just like a traditional design. My son says that while this mortar design is still relatively short-ranged, the system is a lot less stressful on the gun tube. He can then make the tube a lot lighter or out of less expensive material.

  It also allows for the projectile to be a lot simpler as well. That also cuts the price and makes it easier to manufacture a lot more of them. We are basing ours on a commercial three-inch diameter metal tube that will serve as the barrel for the weapon. We still have plenty of natural gas wells around here, so propellant for the mortars will be pretty easy to come by.

  My kids are also working with some other people to see if they can come up with some sort of helmet design that we can produce locally to outfit the rest of the company. It might have to be steel or some other metal alloy instead of Kevlar or one of the other high-density plastics that the Alliance military uses for its lightweight combat helmets. That will mean some of us will be using a heavier helmet that doesn’t offer as much protection, unfortunately.” Marilyn said.

  “I don’t know if I even want something heavy like a steel helmet stuck on my head. I never liked wearing a helmet even when I rode my motorcycle around.”

  “You might want to consider wearing a helmet if and when the fighting reaches here. It could save your life.

  Getting back to what the kids are brewing up in this little factory of theirs, they finally got permission from the Alliance government to produce new drop-in trigger assemblies and associated components to make semi-automatic AR-10, AR-15 and Kalashnikov-pattern firearms into selective-fire weapons. The AR’s will have a four-position selector so that they can fire in three-round burst and fully automatic in addition to standard single-shot semi-automatic fire. The Kalashnikov’s will only have the ability to fire in semi-automatic and fully automatic. All of this will go a long ways towards increasing the effectiveness of our militiamen.

  So, you might say that the National Firearms Act of 1934 is no longer in effect here in Ashley, Ohio. That really has been something that has been long overdue too.” Marilyn said with a chuckle.

  Anyway, it sounds like your kids are pretty smart, Marilyn. They are always coming up with new stuff to make.” Franklin remarked.

  “Yes, they are. I am very proud of them. I just wish that they would get on one of those Martian spacecraft and get the hell out of here before it is too late though. Even with all of the work that we are doing here to prepare, the odds are still heavily against us. There are just too many enemy troops out there, even if we have the motivation of defending our homes and families to bolster our morale.”

  “Some of the people here are looking at this as some sort of adventure. Most of them have never been in combat or faced an armed adversary before.”

  “That includes Melanie Knox, you know.”

  “Yes, I am aware of what she has been doing. You also know that Melanie would have kittens if Jeff didn’t let her fly her little ultralight airplane to scout around to look for the bad guys. She is downright excited about it. I know that we need aerial scouts up there. But I wish that she would let us use some little drones instead. That would be a whole lot less risky than what she wants to do.”

  “I’m sure that Melanie wants to feel that she is contributing. But I worry if she runs into an enemy helicopter. Even her hair-raising flying will be no match for some guy with a machine gun sitting in the side of a helicopter that can both outrun her and outmaneuver her. Besides, she’s still one of our better shots. We need her on the ground, shooting at the bad guys instead.”

  “I hope that Jeff can talk some sense into her before it is too late. I know she is personally responsible for at least half of that gray hair on his head.” He laughed.

  “Well, the idea of using drones is not a bad idea at all. I bet that the kids in town have at least a couple dozen drones sitting in their attics alone. Then, there are the drones that the bigger ‘kids’ own around here that have a much bigger range. I know of a couple of guys who would use a drone to scout for deer during hunting season.”

  “They weren’t supposed to do that, were they?”

  “There are some states that have laws against that. I don’t remember if Ohio did anything like that however. In any event, they could save the lives of our people with the information that they could provide.”

  “I will have to talk to Jeff about it. I’m sure that he will agree with you though, if only to convince Melanie to keep her feet firmly on the ground. You’d think that now she is a grandmother, she would settle down some anyway.”

  Just as Marilyn and Franklin were about to leave, they saw Melanie and Jeff Knox’s old converted Pinzgauer 4X4 truck. They easily recognized it because of the custom fiberglass camper top and the woodlands camouflage paint job that was now faded in spite of Melanie’s best efforts to touch it up every couple of years.

  Melanie and Jeff quickly hopped out of their old truck and walked to see Marilyn.

  “Hello, Marilyn. I heard that your kids are going to give my militiamen and women some equipment to help level out the playing field for them.”

  “They are certainly trying hard to do so. Where have you two been in that ancient Pinzgauer of yours?”

  “We drove down to Delaware to see the commander of the National Guard unit there. You remember that Nathan Marcum used to do his Guard duty there, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. They still have that cavalry unit there? I think that Nathan called it a ‘troop’. I know that he enjoyed serving there before his job took him down to North Carolina.”

  “The Cavalry is still alive and well there. They all seem raring to go at the Caliphate too. The cavalry troops were even all wearing their Stetson hats like they were about to go into an old John Wayne cowboy movie.

  But seriously, they have been preparing all of their vehicles for battle. The troop doesn’t have any of those big M-5 Main Battle Tanks like some of the other Ohio National Guard units do. But

  They a couple of dozen of those M-6 light tracked recon vehicle. They are the ones with the 6cm automatic cannon and a couple of big anti-tank missiles. The troop also has wheeled Strykers armed with the 3cm Bushmaster and wheeled self-propelled artillery pieces armed with long-barreled 155mm howitzers.

  For such a small unit, these cavalrymen have a hell of a lot of punch.” Jeff concluded.

  “I hope that it will be enough. With all of the aircraft that I have seen flying overhead that did not belong to the Eastern Alliance’s air force, conventional units are going to have a lot of problems surviving out there.” Marilyn grimly replied.

  “Too bad that your kids can’t come up with some sort of anti-aircraft missile that our people could use. That would help a lot, I’m sure.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight:

  Ohio 14th Militia Company Headquarters

  Ashley, Ohio

  April 2, 2048

  “We are going to need some more support from the air if we are going to be able to stop the jihadists that have crossed the Mississippi. I know that the Air Force has been operating their fighters from makeshift airbases and using sections of the interstate as runways since those ballistic missiles trashed the regular runways. But there just aren’t enough fighter-bombers left to provide the Guard and the militias with adequate air support.” Wayne Talbot asked. Wayne had been an architect working in Columbus but living near Ashley prior to the nuclear autumn. Now, Wayne was one of the platoon leaders of the Ashley militia because he had been involved in ROTC while attending Ohio State University.

  “I understand your frustration. However, we may have some relie
f on that front in the near future. Do you remember all of the rumors of hidden weapons depots that were created during the First Event?” Jeff asked.

  “Sure. But I thought that the Federal Government had taken control of all of the military equipment that appeared then and sent the materiel into storage elsewhere.”

  “Well, they did with most of it. But the governor of Ohio claimed some of it for the National Guard and kept it. It appears that there were a few hidden sites that the state either didn’t know about or kept their discovery quiet. A lot of the Army stuff was discovered either at Ravenna Arsenal or inside of old mining tunnels scattered throughout the state of Ohio.”

  “Someone found another one of those depots?”

  “It seems so. What they found inside was perhaps even more interesting, I was told by someone from the Ohio National Guard recently.”

  “What did they find and how will it help us?”

  “Someone at the state house ran across some documents from former governor Blackmon’s administration. He had asked the State Bureau of Investigation and the State Highway Patrol to quietly look for any additional caches of equipment after the First Event. Most of them were found pretty quickly and made public because the governor wanted to make the equipment available for use with the National Guard here in Ohio. That equipment was pretty much standard to what the Guard was using or at least was close enough that it could be integrated without much of a problem.

  But there were a couple of sites that the State boys found that were a bit more ‘exotic’. I guess that whoever was responsible for the First Event had quite the imagination. He had created some weapons or vehicles that were quite unique. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be added to the existing equipment of the Ohio Guard without causing a lot of headaches for the logistics people here.”

  Jeff didn’t mention that he actually knew the person who was responsible for the First Event. It might have led to awkward questions that could have led to Stewart William’s daughter Deborah being identified. But Jeff continued to talk about what was found at the site.