Announcement

**schnickelfritz** · 12-12-2014, 09:11 PM

Really Let's have it...sounds cool!
-Dave

**Milano** · 12-13-2014, 10:27 AM

That does sound pretty neat. I would love to see it.

**stormlion1** · 12-13-2014, 10:51 AM

Red Dawn has always been a favorite of mine. Enough to read through all 300 pages on Alt-History of the continuation of it. So lets have it!

**Matt Wiser** · 12-13-2014, 05:16 PM

Very well....I'll get some up later tonight.

**Matt Wiser** · 12-13-2014, 05:19 PM

Might as well start with the first one I did, and yes, there's a couple of shout-outs here....

Welcome to the 335th: Kara's First Day

Williams AFB, Arizona. 6 May 1987.

Captain Kara Thrace looked out the window of the C-130E that was bringing her to her new unit: the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, oeThe Chiefs. Normally part of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, the squadron had been at Red Flag on Invasion Day, and ever since, had been OpCon to the Marines' MAG-11. The squadron, along with a couple of others under Marine command in other theaters, was known as oeThe Orphans of the Air Force, and some had felt the unit had oeGone Jarhead. She wondered if she'd fit in with a bunch of Marine-loving Blue-Suiters, but given her record, fitting in might be a problem. First in the class in pilot training and the RTU at Kingsley Field, and that bastard Tigh sends me off to be a ferry pilot, she thought. Though that duty had had its moments, like the time a nurse riding space-available in a KC-135 had flashed the Phantoms being refueled on the Hickam-March leg of a flight, or being at Kadena when North Korean commandos had infiltrated ashore from a submarine, and the call oeSappers in the wire! had gone out. Now that had been a wild night.

As she looked out the window, she saw the metal revetments that Air Force Engineers, or Seabees, had built, similar to those used in Vietnam, when bases had been targets of VC rocket or mortar attack. Telling the 335th's birds apart from the others had been easy: they were still in the SEA camouflage scheme, where the Marine Phantoms were in that drab TPS gray color. Kara noticed not just Phantoms, but Skyhawks, Hornets, A-6 Intruders, and AF Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopters. It was obvious that Williams, a former Air Training Command base, was a busy place.

oeCaptain, you'd better buckle up, the loadmaster said as he came by. oeWe're getting ready to land.

She obeyed, and fastened her seat belt in the seats paratroopers normally used, while the cargo pallets took up the rest of the space. Other than an RAF officer, Flight Lt. Kendra Shaw, who was assigned to a Marine squadron as an exchange officer, she was the only passenger on the Herky-bird, and was eager to get to where she was going.

The C-130 touched down, and to her surprise, there weren't that many bumps. Williams had been hit by Su-24s a couple of times, and though the runway had been cratered, it had been repaired. Then the C-130 taxied over to the transient ramp, and shut down. She picked up her bag and went down the ramp, where she found an AF staff sergeant. oeWhere's the 335th she asked.

oeAre you reporting there, Captain he replied.

oeThat's right.

oeNo problem, Ma'am. He pointed over to a building that had been the squadron office for a T-37 unit prewar. oeThey're in there, and you can't miss' em.

oeThanks, Sergeant. Kara walked over to the building, where it was obvious the building was under new management: the old flying training squadron's signs had been taken down and a new one put up above the main entrance: oe335th TFS: The Air Force's Bastard Orphans. Taking a breath, she opened the door and went inside.

The first thing she noticed was that everyone was either in a flight suit or BDUs, and the second thing was that everyone also had a sidearm. Then an officer in BDUs bumped into her.

oeSorry about that, Captain.

oeNo problem, Lieutenant. Where's the CO I need to report in. Kara said.

oeCO's at a conference. The Exec's running the show while he's gone. Follow me, I'll take you to him.

oeThanks, Lieutenant..

oeO'Donnell, Kevin. I'm one of the maintenance officers.

oeNice to meet you. O'Donnell took her to the Exec's office, and knocked.

oeCome on in, door's open. a voice replied to the knock.

oeHe's in there, Ma'am.

oeThanks. With that, she took another deep breath and walked in. She found another captain like her, in his flight suit this time, and he was pouring over a TPC chart of New Mexico. oeReporting for duty, Captain. I'm Captain Thrace.

oeNice to meet you. I'm Matt Wiser. Call sign Guru. Have a seat.

Kara sat down and looked around the office. Photos of not only F-4s, but classic warbirds, lined the wall. A map showing the current battle lines in the Lower 48, and another showing the Canadian Theater, was also prominent.

oeYou're probably wondering why a Captain is XO of a fighter squadron he asked.

oeThe thought had occurred to me. Kara replied.

oeThe previous CO felt that experience counts more than seniority, and that was that. It's what Robin Olds did in Vietnam when he ran the Wolfpack, and that got results. Same thing here. And so far, it's worked like a charm.

oeHow'd you get the job, though Kara wondered.

oeLong story short: I was squadron ops officer, and the previous Exec got himself killed. His WSO bailed out, and for all we know, he's behind barbed wire, eating kasha and borscht. The CO felt I'd do a better job in the slot than this eager-beaver Major we've got, who is Frank Burns in an AF uniform. He's done nothing but complain, but his complaints get thrown in the garbage, and everyone in the squadron wants to do the same with him. Be warned: watch out for this clown. Guru looked at her, and he went on, oeGot your orders and personnel jacket

oeRight here. She passed her personnel folder over. He opened it and started to read.

oeImpressive. First in your class at Kingsley Field. So why did they send you to be a ferry pilot

oeI rubbed a superior asshole the wrong way, she responded.

oeAnd that asshole pulled some strings, and voila, you're on the TransPac Ferry Run.

oeSomething like that.

oeWell, if it's combat you want, you've come to the right place. For your information, we fly at least 75% of our tasking as air-to-ground, so if you're looking to run up a score, you'll have to take whatever gets past the MiGCAP or TARCAP. We don't go MiG hunting. That's the job of the Marines or the F-15s from Luke. Guru told her.

oeAir-to-mud...As long as it hurts the Commies, I don't mind. Kara responded.

oeGood. But we've got several aces in the squadron. And air-to-air does come from time to time, and if it does, make the most of it.

oeAre you one of the aces Kara asked.

oeYes. Six kills, with two-three probables. And some time camping with the Resistance. Five months in Southern Colorado; running, hiding, fighting, and trying to stay alive. In no particular order, Guru said, trying to forget some very unpleasant memories of his escape-and-evasion.

oeSorry I asked.

oeNo problem. Anyway, you're going to be my wingman. Judd Brewster, or Braniac, is your WSO. The guy you're replacing got killed two weeks ago-by SA-6, and the Jolly Greens got to Braniac before the bad guys. Listen to him, and you have a good chance of getting past ten missions. FYI two-thirds of our losses are people who don't make it to ten missions. Get past that, and your chances of survival increase. And we don't rotate people out of combat like in past wars. We're in for the duration, Kara. However long that is. They rotate the unit, not people. Guru told her.

oeSo I've been told. Kara said.

oeGood. Now, when you're in the squadron, the dress code's pretty relaxed. Flight suits or BDUs, as you probably noticed. There's a time for spit-and-polish, and that's few and very far between. Always have your CW gear handy-we've never been attacked, but the base commander is fond of CW drills at least once a week. And get yourself a sidearm, not to mention a call sign, or do you have one

oeThey called me Starbuck, over at Kingsley Field. For some reason, they think I'm a female version of Dirk Benedict, she told him.

He looked at her. With the cropped blond hair, she did look like the Battlestar: Galactica actor. oeAs for the sidearm, either get a .38 through Supply, or you can do what practically everyone else did. There's a couple of gun shops we've done business with; one in Scottsdale, and the other in Mesa. They can get you whatever you want, within reason, Wiser pointed out.

oeI'll take care of that ASAP, she replied.

He nodded. oeCare to meet your WSO, and mine

oeMight as well.

Guru got up and walked to the office door. He waved Capt. Mark Ellis, who was his replacement as Ops Officer, over. oeFind Lisa and Braniac and get them to my office. And get 512 and 520 up and ready: two Sparrows, four Sidewinders, three tanks, and full 20 mike-mike for both planes.

oeGotcha, boss. What's up Ellis asked.

oeBreaking in a new wingman, Mark. Call MAG-11 and have them notify Tenth Air Force about the flight. He looked at Ellis, who was staring at him. oeNow, Mark.

oeOn the way, Guru. Ellis ran for his desk and picked up the phone. Guru went back into the office.

oeJust out of curiosity, who'd you piss off at Kingsley Field

oeHear the name Colonel Saul Tigh Kara asked.

oeI've heard about him: three tours in Vietnam, almost as much hair as a pool ball, divorced, and alternating on and off the wagon

oeThe same. I'd add stubborn: you either fly his way, or when you graduate, you don't go where you want, she said.

oeThat's him... A knock on the door interrupted his thought. oeIn! He said.

A pair of WSOs, one male and one female, came in. The male WSO had short cropped hair, and looked like he was a linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. The female WSO was a blonde like Kara, only she wore her hair as long as regulations permitted, and even in a flight suit, she looked like a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. oeCaptains Brewster and Eichhorn, meet Captain Kara Thrace, call sign Starbuck, Guru told the pair.

After handshakes were exchanged, he went on. oeBraniac, she's your new pilot. Keep her alive past ten missions, and you'll both get through this. Lisa, you up for a ride today

Capt. Lisa Eichhorn, call sign Goalie, said, oeI thought were were on a stand-down What's up

oeWe're giving Kara, or Starbuck as her call sign goes, her theater indoctrination ride. A nice scenic tour of Western New Mexico, from Las Cruces to Albuquerque. And if somebody out of Holloman or Roswell jumps us, we'll see how good she is at air-to-air. If not, we'll head over to the Plains of San Augustin and do some ACM.

oeSounds good, Guru. When do we go Goalie replied.

He picked up his office phone and called Ops. He listened for a few minutes, then said, oeThanks, before hanging up and looking at the trio. oeWheels up in thirty mikes. We'll brief on the tarmac. They all nodded. oeGoalie, take our new wingman over to the Life Support shop, get her a helmet, G-Suit, and harness. Meet us at 512's shelter. You'll be in 520, Starbuck. No trolling for MiGs, though. Only if they come across the Rio Grande. Any other questions There were none. oeOK, see you at 512.

45 minutes later, over Southwestern New Mexico.....

Both Phantoms were already in Combat Spread, heading east towards the Rio Grande and the front lines. There was some chatter on the radio, and the squadron used a discrete channel for such talk.

oeBattle lines here have been stagnant since the early days. And we've got the ComBloc's Second String, or maybe Third String, out here. Don't be fooled, though: an SA-6 stamped oe1974 on its data plate can kill you just as easily as a brand-new SA-11. The same goes for MiGs. An old MiG-21 or early -23 can still get you if you're not careful. Guru radioed to Starbuck. oeGot that, Two

oeCopy, Lead. That it dead ahead

oeThat's the Rio Grande, Two. Anything past that is bad-guy land. Turn left, and follow me. He put his F-4 into a turn, and she followed him. Looking down from 12,000 feet, she could see well into enemy-occupied territory. Then threat receivers in both planes began to chirp.

oeAir-Search radar, bearing 090, Lead.

oeGot it, Two. Like I said, let them come to us.

Then the AWACS came on the line. oeSaber One-One, Crystal Palace. Two bandits, 087 for 40, closing.

oeCrystal Palace, Saber One-One. Copy that. Say Bogey Dope Guru responded.

oeSaber One-One, Crystal Palace. Bandits are Floggers. That meant MiG-23s.

oeGoalie, watch our three. That's where they'll be at, Guru called on the intercom.

oeRoger that. Crystal Palace, Saber One-One. Bandits across the river Goalie called.

oeNegative, Saber One-One. Wait one, The AWACS controller called. oeSaber One-One, Crystal Palace. They've crossed the river. Bandits now 040 for 25.

That's it, Guru said to himself. Fight's on. oeTwo, this is Lead. Looks like we get to play for real after all. Drop tanks and fight's on!

oeCopy, Lead. Fight's on, Kara replied.

In both back seats, the WSOs had their radars up, trying to pick up the bandits. Quickly, both backseaters had the MiGs on their radars. Then AWACS called again.

oeSaber Flight, Crystal Palace. Bandits now on your nose, fifteen miles.

oeRoger that, Crystal Palace, Guru called back. oeJudy.

With the Judy call, both Phantoms were now in control of the fight. Guru called Goalie and told her to go Boresight, which linked the radar to the gunsight. All he had to do was put the pipper on the target, and the system would lock. Or so he hoped. The AIM-7 was still notorious for unreliability, though the Eagle drivers were now swearing by them. Then he heard a tone in his headset. Missile lock. He pressed the button on the stick. oeFox One! He waited a moment, then pressed the button again. oeFox One again!

Two AIM-7s were now streaking toward their target. In the lead MiG-23, the Soviet flight leader was trying to pick up both F-4s on his radar, so he could send the pair of R-24 missiles he had under his wings to one of them. Then his threat receiver lit up, and he called the break.

oeMissed, damn it! Time for a knife fight, Guru. Goalie called over the intercom.

oeGot it. Going Heat. He turned the weapons select switch to HEAT, and his four AIM-9 Sidewinders. Then he called Kara. oeTwo, Lead, how's it going

oeGoose-egg, boss. Time to go heat, she called back. oeThey're breaking right.

oeGot it, two. I'll take the one on the left.

The two F-4s then broke for their targets. The MiG-23 was at a disadvantage in a turning fight, and had horrible rear visibility, not to mention that its wing sweep had to be set manually by the pilot. Both F-4s took advantage of that, and ate up the distance. Inside of a mile, Guru put his pipper on the MiG-23, and got the growl of a Sidewinder looking for a heat source. Then the growl got shrill as the missile locked on target. oeFox Two! He called, as he sent the first AIM-9 on its way.

The Sidewinder left its rail and tracked towards the MiG. In the cockpit, the MiG leader was turning his head, trying to see the Phantom that he knew was out there. Then he heard a bang, and as he grabbed for his ejection seat handle, heard another explosion. The last thing he heard as he was engulfed in the fireball was his screaming.

In 512, Guru and Goalie looked out as their missile flew up the MiG's tailpipe. There was a small explosion at first as the missile warhead detonated, then a larger one as the MiG's fuel tanks exploded. oeSplash One! they yelled over the radio.

Kara was in her own fight. As she heard Lead call Fox Two, she was trying to get lock on the second MiG. Her bandit was turning and twisting in the sky, trying to get the Phantom off his tail. And as he did so, he did two things: first, he was getting deeper into U.S. territory; and second, he was letting Kara close in.

Starbuck put the pipper on the MiG's tail, and as the growl came over the headset, said, oeCome on. Come on, you. Then she got the shrill growl in the headset that signaled lock. oeFox Two!

Her AIM-9 streaked off the rail and tore the path of a rattlesnake across the sky as it sought out the MiG. In the MiG's cockpit, the Soviet pilot had heard his leader's death cry, and he was swinging his head left and right, looking for his attacker. He caught a glimpse of an F-4 to his left, and banked toward it. That was the last thing he did and saw, as Kara's missile flew up his tailpipe and detonated, turning the MiG-23 into a fireball.

Seeing the MiG explode, Kara yelled, oeTwo's a Splash!

oeCopy, Two. Any chutes Guru called.

oeNegative chutes, Lead.

oeRoger that. Crystal Palace, Saber One-One, Guru radioed.

oeSaber One-One, Crystal Palace, go.

oeSplash two Floggers. No chutes.

oeRoger. Do you need a vector home The AWACS controller asked.

oeNegative, thanks. We can find it, Guru said.

oeCopy. With that, the fight was over. Both F-4s joined up in combat spread and headed west. In her Phantom, Kara thought about the fight just concluded. She had made her first kill, and in so doing, had been blooded. The fact that she-and her Lead-had each killed a man meant nothing. As far as she was concerned, the MiGs had come looking for a fight. And they had paid the price. She looked over at her lead's plane.

In 512, both WSO and pilot were talking. oeWell, Guru. What do you think about our new squadron mate Goalie asked.

oeI'm thinking, I'm thinking. he replied. oeI thought. Two, this is Lead.

oeGo, Lead. This is two. Kara responded.

oeWelcome to the 335th. You just found a home. Guru said.

oeThanks, Lead. Now I've got a question for your backseater, Kara said, her voice showing her pride.

oeGo, Two, What's on your mind Goalie said.

oeWhat the hell kind of call sign is Goalie Kara wanted to know.

Beneath her oxygen mask, Lisa broke out in laughter. And so did Guru and Braniac beneath theirs.

oeWhat's so god-damned funny Kara asked.

oeThe RTU, Goalie said. oeEvery instructor WSO there tried to score with me. And they all failed. When I graduated, they gave me the call sign, Lisa said, still laughing. And after a moment, Kara joined the laughter. Like her Exec had said, she'd found a home.

White Sands, NM: in Occupied Territory:

Unknown to any of the Phantom crews, a joint Soviet/Cuban SIGINT station was listening in on the tail end of the conversation. The Soviet operator, a young man drafted out of Moscow State University and chosen for his English-Language skills, was furiously writing down everything he heard. From their conversation, he knew that these Imperialists had just destroyed two Soviet fighters, and they were now laughing about it. Just as the Political Officer said, they have no regard for life, he thought. Suddenly, he lost the conversation. He took off his earphones and got up to take his notes to the duty officer to turn them in.

oeSo, what do you have, Comrade

oeSome American fighter pilots laughing about their recent kills, Comrade Major, the Sergeant replied, handing over the notes.

The GRU Major scanned them. Perplexed, he looked at the operator. oeWhat did this one mean, by 'score with me'

oeComrade Major, I have no idea. These Americans and their slang. It gets confusing at times, the Sergeant said.

**Matt Wiser** · 12-13-2014, 11:40 PM

The Prequel....

Ace Mission

Williams AFB, AZ: 21 April 1987 1425 Hours Mountain War Time

For Captain Matt Wiser, Executive Officer of the 335th TFS and his WSO, Captain Lisa Eichhorn, it had already been a busy day. They had flown two combat missions already, the first one being a strike into the Denver area to hit some artillery positions that had been making the lives of those in the besieged city a nightmare, and taking out a battery of 180-mm guns certainly eased the pressure on the city's defenders. Then their second mission had been a close-air support run near Soccoro, New Mexico, giving a hand to the Taiwanese Division when they'd had some Cuban artillery firing across the Rio Grande. Now, they were getting ready for their third, and hopefully, final mission, of the day.

Lt. Col. Dean Rivers, the Squadron CO, gave Capt. Wiser, call sign Guru, the mission. A pair of supply dumps, one for fuel, the other for ammunition, had been identified near Vaughn, New Mexico, and someone wanted it taken out. Though this kind of deep strike mission was normally a job for F-111s, or Marine A-6s of MAG-11, those deep strike assets were busy. And so the 335th got the call. But with so many missions, and not enough assets, the strike didn't make Guru happy. First, their electronic warfare support would only be a Marine EA-6B Prowler, but doing standoff jamming, instead of going in to directly support the strike planes. And then, they wouldn't have any F-4G Wild Weasels going with them to kill any SAM or AAA radars, as on this day they would be going in with the F-111s and A-6s. Next, the Marine F/A-18s that often accompanied strike birds to fight off MiGs would hold at the Rio Grande: at least two other strikes were going in at the same time, so the Hornets would be on call to support whoever called for help. Finally, this would be a two-ship mission. Shaking his head, Captain Wiser went to the old classroom at what prewar had been a T-37 flying training squadron's HQ to brief his flight.

He came into the room and found his WSO talking with 2nd Lt. Bryan Simmonds, whose pilot was Wiser's wingmate, 1st Lt. Valerie Blanchard, call sign Sweaty. Blanchard saw her flight lead come in, and asked the Exec, oeWhat's up now

oeWe've got another deep-strike run. It's a two-ship, and no, I don't like this one at all, Wiser told his flight.

Captain Eichhorn, call sign Goalie, looked at her pilot. oeWhat do you mean

oeI'll tell you. And Guru proceeded to tell his flight what the CO had told him.

oeAh, for Pete's sake, Guru, Sweaty said, oeThis is asking for somebody to get themselves killed.

oeTell me about it, Sweaty, the Exec replied. oeNo Weasels, no strike escort jamming, and no TARCAP.

Simmonds, whose call sign was Preacher, asked, oeSo how do we do it

oeSimple, guys. I'll tell you, Guru said as he pulled out a TPC Chart of Central New Mexico. oeHere's the river. After topping off from the tankers, we go in low. There's a mountain pass here, east of the Rio Grande and south of U.S. 60, which is a main east-west MSR for Ivan and Fidel in this part of New Mexico. With me so far

Heads nodded in the affirmative. oeWe stay low about 600 feet AGL. Go in north of Gallinas Peak, which is 8600 feet or so, then find U.S. 54 north of Corona. Then we go east and pick up U.S. 285. Then we turn north and pick up U.S. 60. We stay low at all times, until we're one minute from the target. Standard pop-up, ID our targets, and one pass only, low and fast.

oeTargets Sweaty asked.

oeYep. Targets. I'm taking the ammo dump on the north side of U.S. 60, just west of town. You've got the fuel dump at the U.S. 54/60/285 junction. We each get a dozen Mark-82 Snakeyes to set 'em both off. Got that

Sweaty and Preacher nodded.

oeAfter that, it's a straight run to the southwest and the river. Make sure your IFF is on before you cross the river. Get into the safe transit lane, verify IFF is on, and we should be OK, though nothing's certain with those Army pukes who handle air defense, Guru reminded his flight. oeOnce we're clear of the river, climb up, hit the tanker track for post-strike refueling, and come on home.

Goalie asked her pilot, oeOrdnance load

oeBesides the Mark-82s, you mean When Goalie nodded yes, he went on, oeTwo AIM-7Es in the rear wells, four AIM-9Js, an ALQ-101 pod in the left front Sparrow well, and a full load of 20-millimeter. And two wing tanks, as usual.

oeNow, defenses, Guru went on, and he saw that he had everyone's rapt attention. oeTwo batteries of 57-mm, one on the north side of town, the other just to the east. There's overlapping coverage,and yeah, I do wish we had a couple of Hornets for Flak Suppression, but nothing we can do about it. There's also some ZU-23s, and you can bet everyone down there has access to SA-7s or -14s. Not to mention this: somebody there thinks it's worth protecting, because there's an SA-2 site as well.

oeSA-2! Both Goalie and Sweaty said at the same time.

oeThat's right. Just as long as you stay 2000 feet AGL or below, you're below the SA-2's minimum altitude, and five miles is their minimum range, so we should be okay on that score.

oeBailout areas Sweaty wanted to know.

oeBest bailout areas are away from the roads, and the Cibola National Forest west of Corona. The Jolly Greens have done good in those areas, so that's your best bet, Guru said.

oeAny chance of MiGs Preacher asked.

oeNearest MiG fields are Holloman, Alamogordo Regional, White Sands Space Harbor-yeah, they're using the Shuttle strip there for MiG-23s, Roswell, Cannon, and Cannon City near Carlsbad. Not Kirtland: it's too exposed to friendly artillery fire. If we get company, it'll either be from Cannon or Roswell. Hopefully, we won't have to worry: we'll be too low and too fast. Even the MiG-29s have had trouble picking us up in the ground clutter, but don't take it for granted, Guru reminded everyone.

oeSounds familiar, Goalie said.

oeI know, Goalie, Guru said. oeIf we need 'em, the Hornets will be there, and even if they're busy, there's F-15 MIGCAPs west of the river. They've bailed us out before more than once, remember

Heads nodded again. The Exec looked at his flight. oeAny other questions He asked. There were none. oeOkay. Wheels up in fifteen mikes. Get your gear, and see you on the ramp.

Forty-five minutes later: Over Central New Mexico:

Firebird flight was headed east, having penetrated into enemy territory without any problems. As they flew over the New Mexico prairie, the crews saw the numerous ranches that were seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. Several AF and Marine crews had bailed out over those ranches, and the ranchers and their families put themselves at considerable risk to hide the downed aircrew until arrangements could be made for the Jolly Greens to come in and pick them up. With luck, the war would continue to pass these people by, until the day when those ComBloc bastards got kicked back across the Rio Grande. The flight kept on going, 600 feet above ground level at nearly 500 knots, too low for any ground radar to pick them up, and with luck, any airborne radar would have trouble picking them up out of the ground clutter.

oePassing Highway 54, Guru, Goalie called. She was handling the navigation, as usual.

oeRoger that. Three minutes to 285, Guru called back. He was keeping his head on a swivel, watching for any terrain, power lines, or enemy aircraft. One never got complacent in a fighter cockpit, something he'd had drummed into his head in the F-4 RTU before the war.

oeLead, Two, Sweaty called. oeAll clear so far.

oeCopy.

The two Phantoms headed east, and then they picked up U.S. 285. The two-lane main highway was also a key supply route, and it was a favorite target for the A-6s and F-111s when they did interdiction work or armed reconnaissance, among other roads. As they passed over the highway, Goalie called oeOne minute to turn.

oeOne minute, Guru repeated.

oeAnd turn, Goalie called again.

Both F-4s made their turn northeast, and at that speed, it was only a minute until they found U.S. 60. Then they turned west, flying parallel to the road. Fortunately, there was no supply or other traffic on the road, but another problem came up. With the sun setting in their faces, helmet visors came down. Then it was time. oeThirty seconds, Guru.

oeRoger, thirty seconds, Guru responded. Then he called Sweaty, oeTwo, Lead. Switches on, and let's go in.

oeCopy, Lead. Right behind you, Sweaty called back.

The two Phantoms pulled up to about 1500 feet AGL. Vaughn was straight ahead. oeTarget in sight. Lead is in hot. Guru said as he made his call.

Guru rolled in on the bomb run. He flew over the little town and picked up the camouflaged ammo dump north of the highway. He put his pipper on the middle of the dump and pickled off his twelve Mark-82s. oeLead off target.

As it had happened so many times before, the first hint to the Soviet and Cuban defenders below was Guru's first bomb exploding. He expertly walked his twelve bombs across the ammo dump, and was rewarded with several huge secondary explosions as stored tank and artillery shells, along with other munitions, exploded, with each explosion setting off more.

Just after that, Sweaty rolled in. oeTwo in hot! And just as her lead had done, she walked her bombs across her target, the fuel dump. The Soviets had placed fuel drums, rubber fuel bladders, and had even parked some tank trucks, inside the dump, and covered it with camo netting. But that didn't help, as Sweaty and Preacher's bombs went off in several orange and black fireballs, and again, sympathetic detonations followed as fires reached stored fuel and those drums or tanks went off. And not a single shot had been fired by the defenders. Just as Guru had hoped, they were too low, and were in and out fast, before the defenders could react.

oeTwo's off target, Sweaty called.

oeRoger, Two. Form on me, and Music on. That meant their ALQ-101 ECM Pods were now on.

Both Phantoms formed up and headed to the southwest. As they approached the Gallinas Peak and passed it, heading over the Chupadera Mesa, AWACS called.

oeFirebird One-One, Warlock. Bandits, Bandits. One-eight-zero for thirty-five.

oeWarlock, Firebird One-One. Copy. Can you get the Hornets on the bandits Guru called.

oeNegative, Firebird. Hornets are engaged. Now One-seven-zero for twenty-five. Warlock radioed back.

Fight's on, then. Guru thought. He called Sweaty, not by mission code, but call sign. oeSweaty, Guru. Drop tanks and fight's on!

oeCopy, Guru. Tanks gone and fight's on. She replied.

Both Phantoms turned to face their attackers. The WSOs had their radars on, looking for their targets. Then AWACS called again.

oeFirebird One-One, Warlock. Bandits on your nose, fourteen miles.

oeRoger that, Warlock, Said Guru. oeJudy. And with the Judy-call, that meant the F-4s were taking over the intercept. Guru looked at his radar repeater. Two bandits were closing in. Then he picked up a hit on his EW warning gear. Someone was trying to lock them up.

oeCan you get a lock Guru asked Goalie.

oeNo joy on that, Goalie replied. oeLooks like we'll merge.

oeSweaty, you guys have a lock Guru asked his wingmate.

oeWe've got lock! Sweaty called back.

oeTake him.

With that, Sweaty squeezed the trigger on her stick, not even bothering to give a Fox One call. First one, then two, AIM-7Es went off the Phantom and headed to their target. The first missile burned out and fell away, but the second flew straight and true. It looked like the bandit had turned at the last minute when he realized that he was under attack, but that didn't help him. The Sparrow flew straight through the cockpit and the enemy plane fireballed. And it was Sweaty who ID'd the bandit. oeSplash one Fulcrum!

MiG-29s, Guru thought. Our lucky day. oeOther guy's turning, I've got him. He called.

This MiG-29 was flown by the Soviet flight leader. He and his wingman had been trying to lock the Americans up for their R-27R radar-guided missiles, but the jamming and the fact that the radar on the MiG-29 still had problems in look-down/shoot-down mode meant he'd have to go into a turning fight. And that was spoiled as he saw his wingman, a young Lieutenant who was only a Pilot 3rd Class, explode as the Sparrow missile buried itself in the cockpit of the MiG and exploded. There was no parachute. As he banked away, he saw the second Phantom pull up.

Guru put the F-4 into a climb, then stomped his left rudder and pitched downwards, gaining energy as he dove. He saw the MiG-29 pull to the right, and he easily applied right rudder and maneuvered onto the MiG's Six. Too close for Sparrows, he switched the weapons-control panel to HEAT. His AIM-9Js were armed, and the seeker of one missile growled in his headset. The missile was tracking the MiG. Then it growled really loud. Missile lock. oeFox Two!

His first AIM-9 left the rail and tracked the MiG. The Soviet pilot put out flares and chaff to decoy the missile, and the missile tracked a flare as Guru watched. He fired again. oeFox Two again!

This time, the MiG turned to the left, but the AIM-9J kept tracking the MiG. The pilot put out more flares, but this time, it didn't help. The Sidewinder flew up the tailpipe of one of the MiG's two engines and detonated. And the explosion blew the port vertical stabilizer right off the aircraft.

The Soviet flight leader saw the second missile coming at almost the last moment, and as he put out more flares, he was reaching for his ejection seat handle, almost by instinct. He heard and felt the explosion, and lost control of his plane. And so he fired his K-36D ejection seat.

oeSplash Two! Goalie called as the MiG exploded. As Guru closed in, both pilot and WSO watched as the ejection seat fired, and the pilot was soon in his chute. His plane trailing fire, it plunged into the desert floor below and exploded on impact.

oeGood kill, Lead! Sweaty called as the MiG crashed.

oeCopy that. Form on me and let's get the hell out of here, Guru said. And both Phantoms formed up and headed back across the Rio Grande and friendly territory. And Guru called the AWACS.

oeWarlock, Firebird One-One.

oeFirebird One-One, Warlock. Go.

oeSplash two Fulcrums. One chute.

oeRoger, Firebird. We copy. Do you need a vector to the tankers

oeAffirmative, Warlock, replied Guru.

Warlock vectored the F-4s to the tanker track near the Continental Divide. After getting enough fuel to head home, both Phantoms headed back to Williams. Before they landed, both F-4 drivers did Victory Rolls, signaling to those below that kills had been made by the pair. Then the two Phantoms formed up again, entered the traffic pattern, and landed.

As Guru taxied 512 to his revetment, he noticed a crowd gathering. He was curious as to what was so important about this time. It wasn't the first MiG he'd killed, he knew. Maybe because this one's a MiG-29, perhaps After he taxied in, and parked, he shut down the engines. The ground crew brought the crew ladders up as the crew raised their canopies. Guru stood up in the cockpit, holding up one finger to signal a kill to those waiting for him. He noticed Colonel Rivers among those in the crowd. But Guru didn't notice several others waiting with buckets of ice water. But Goalie did. She kept her mouth shut as Guru went to speak to the CO. And then it happened.

Several of the other pilots in the squadron dumped the buckets of ice-cold water all over Guru! oeWhat the hell he asked.

Colonel Rivers said, oeLooks like our new ace lost track of how many kills he had before today. Nice of you folks to remind him.

Guru said, oeThanks a bunch, guys. Guess I did lose track,

Colonel Rivers then was all business. oeWhat was it, Captain he wanted to know.

oeFulcrums, Boss. Sweaty got one with Sparrow, and I got the leader with Sidewinder. Her guy didn't get out, but the leader did, Guru responded.

Sweaty and Preacher came over. They had missed the fun, but laughed when they saw Guru soaking wet! They knew, as did Goalie. Rivers then turned to Sweaty and Preacher. oeTwo squadron MiG-29 killers in one day. Good work, all of you, he said, shaking hands of all four crewers.

Then Marine Colonel Allan Brady came over. He commanded MAG-11, which the 335th was serving under. oeA pilot ace, and a pair of MiG-29 killers, all on the same hop. Well done, people.

oeThank you, Sir, Guru said.

oeThat's not all, Captain. Making ace is something to be recognized. First Phantom MiG-29 kills in MAG-11, and they happen to be from the Air Force. There's a DFC with your name on it coming as fast as the paperwork can be processed, and all of your flight members get Silver Stars.

Goalie smiled, while Sweaty and Preacher were beaming. Guru just stood there, shaking hands with the other pilots, then he walked over to his crew chief and the ground crew to thank them. Then Colonel Rivers spoke. oeAll right, people. Get debriefed, and then head over to the O Club. Guru's an ace, while Sweaty and Preacher have their first MiG-29. Two reasons to celebrate.

oeAnd the first round's on me! Colonel Brady joined in, to rousing cheers. oeBut remember, knock it off at 2200. Another full day coming up.

After the debrief, the party did get going. And the flight surgeons, both Air Force and Navy (who handed medical needs for the Marines), enforced the twelve-hour rule. So that next morning, those flying would be ready to go out and do it again. And they did.

**Matt Wiser** · 12-13-2014, 11:42 PM

And the next....can't believe I was churning them out this fast when I got started.

Phantom v. Foxbat

4 May 1987, 1030 Hours Mountain War Time, Williams AFB, AZ

Captain Matt Wiser of the Air Force's 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron came into the Squadron Operations Room. He was the Squadron's Executive Officer, though that was nominally a Major's billet. However, the CO, Lt. Col. Dean Rivers, had adopted a philosophy that oeExperience counts more than rank, and had been supported in that by the CO of MAG-11, to which the 335th had been oechopped since the early days of the war, and by General Tanner, who commanded Tenth Air Force in the Desert Southwest. And there had been plenty of good results to verify success, despite the naysayers, who even included a very disgusted major in the 335th, who gave everyone in the squadron fits. To everyone, the man was a jerk who'd never made the transition from peace to war, and thought his Academy ring made him an expert on everything. And finding out the CO-and the few other Academy grads in the 335th-didn't see the same way as he did appalled the eager major. Even Capt. Wiser and his WSO had crossed paths with the man, who'd tried to have them written up for violating a fraternization regulation that had been discarded for about a year. Shaking his head at the thought, the young Captain went in to see Capt. Mark Ellis, who was Squadron Ops Officer. oeMark, what have you got for me now he asked.

oeI see you got back from that run to Pueblo okay, Guru, Ellis said. Guru was Wiser's call sign.

oeYeah, that place still has some memories: I got shot down not too far south of there, and there's quite a few things I'd rather not talk about. Guru said, remembering his time with the Resistance. oeAnd it's still hairy: flak and SA-6s still.

oeI know. Anyway, here's a change of pace: escort. The 152nd is sending an RF-4C to Clovis in New Mexico on a photo run, and they need two Es for escort. You and Sweaty are available, so you're it. Ellis said.

oeWhere's the photo driver Guru asked.

oeRight here, Captain, a voice came from the hall. Capt. Sharon Valerri-Park came over and put out her hand.

oeNice to meet you, Captain. How long with the High Rollers Guru asked.

oeAbout six months. I used to be a T-38 IP at Columbus AFB in Mississippi, and when combat was opened to females, I asked for RF-4s. My dad flew Photo Phantoms in Southeast Asia, so I'm carrying on the legacy. Park said.

oeGood enough. My call sign's Guru. What's yours

oeAthena, Park said. oeYeah, I know, I don't look like the Battlestar: Galactica actress, but somebody thought I did, so it stuck.

Guru nodded. oeWhen do we go he asked Ellis.

oeForty minutes, Guru, Ellis replied. oeYou'd best get Goalie, Sweaty, and Preacher in the briefing room.

oeWill do, Mark. the XO replied. oeWe'll see you there, Athena.

A few minutes later, they met in the briefing room. Guru brought in his WSO, Capt. Lisa Eichhorn, call sign Goalie, and his wingmate, 1st Lt. Valerie oeSweaty Blanchard, and her WSO, 2nd Lt. Bryan oePreacher Simmonds. Athena was there, along with her navigator, 1st Lt. Karl oeHelo Agathon, and the SIO (Squadron Intelligence Officer), 1st Lt. Darren Licon. After introductions, they got down to business.

oeOK, here's the deal, Licon said, starting the brief, oeThey want detailed shots of Clovis Municipal, Clovis proper, and Cannon. That means a low-level run, and you know what that means.

oeYeah, Guru said. oeLow and fast, pop up to do the photo shoot, and then drop back low again. And we're low enough to attract the attention of anybody and everybody with a gun.

oeThat's about it, Licon said. oeCaptain Park, show your planned route, please.

Athena went to the wall, where a TPC chart of New Mexico had been posted, and she traced the route with a pointer. After refueling from the KC-135s over Western New Mexico, it was a low-level run at 600 feet AGL through Central New Mexico, and the crews of the 335th, having flown numerous missions into enemy territory there, knew the area like the backs of their hands. Only this time, the flight path took them just over the Texas state line, before turning back west for the photo run. They would pop up to 1200 feet AGL for the photo run, and at that speed and altitude, it would take only two minutes to cover the planned targets. Once clear of Cannon AFB's defenses, the Phantoms would drop back low, and stay low all the way back to the Rio Grande. Then they would climb up once in friendly territory, hook up with the tanker track at the Continental Divide, before returning to Williams.

oeSounds good to me, Guru said. He turned to the members of his flight. oeQuestions

oeMiG threat same as before Sweaty asked, remembering a strike two weeks earlier when they had encountered two MiG-29s, and killed both. That had been her first kill, and had also made Guru an ace.

oeThat's right. MiGs are at Cannon-and they're believed to be a mix of Foxbats and Floggers, Licon said. White Sands Space Harbor also has -29s, while Holloman has -23s, along with Alamogordo Regional, which also has some Sukhois-either -17s or -22s. Roswell and Cannon City have -23s and -21s.

Nice, Guru thought out loud. oeAnd ground defenses

oeThere's the usual flak threat: 23-mm, 57-mm, and 85-mm, Licon reported. There's also at least one SA-2 site in the area, and an SA-3 as well near Cannon. An SA-4 has also been reported, but not confirmed. In addition, the city garrison is Cuban, and they're a full-strength MRD. Expect SA-8s as well.

oeYou're full of good news today, Darren, Sweaty quipped. oeWeather

oeGood enough. Partly cloudy, no chance of rain until late afternoon, and winds calm here. Licon said.

oeThat's good, Helo said. oeBailout areas

oeI'll handle that, Guru said. oeAnyplace away from the roads. Both Ivan and Fidel are too road-bound in this part of the country, and there's plenty of room to hole up until nightfall, and Jolly comes in after you. The ranchers in this part of New Mexico have been pretty much left alone, and they have helped out in the past. Just be as polite as possible, and the SF guys and Jolly Greens have done the rest. They want to ride this thing out without getting burned-and in Colorado, I can say that literally happened-so don't blame them for being cautious in who they help.

Both the RF-4 crew and Guru's wingmates nodded understanding.

oeAll right, Ordnance loads: For the photo bird, two wing tanks and one centerline, plus an ALQ-119 ECM pod, Licon said. oeAnd for escort, two wing and one centerline tanks, two AIM-7Es, four AIM-9Js, and in the left front Sparrow well, an ALQ-101 pod.

oeThat it, Darren Guru said.

oeThat's it, XO. You guys can plan how you're going to do it, the SIO said. oeAnd good luck, he added on his way out.

oeSo, the photo bird in the lead, with the two escort birds a mile to a mile and a half back Guru asked. oeIt's your call, Captain.

Park looked at the map again. oeI like it. And you're right behind us, just in case of a MiG scramble.

Guru nodded. oeSweaty

oeI'll go along with that, she said. oeToo bad we don't have a Weasel or two coming along. Those SAMs could give us trouble.

oeWe'll be too low for most of them, and too fast for the others to react, Park said, looking at Guru, who nodded. oeBy the time they get any SA-3, -4, or -8 warmed up and ready to shoot, we're already gone.

oeThere's still Shilkas, Preacher added. oeThose things are bad news.

oeAgain, we're low and fast, and we've got the ECM pods, for them and the SAMs. Also, by the time anyone pulls out an SA-7 or -14, we're already gone. Guru pointed out.

oeYou've done this a lot Helo asked.

oeLow-level strikes, yeah. Guru said. oeNot just here, but up in Colorado as well. Even a trip into West Texas a time or two. Not that many escorts, but we've brought everybody back.

Both RF-4 crewers nodded. oeThat's it, then. Looks like we're in good hands, Park said. oeGuess it's time to go.

With that, all three crews went to get suited up with G-Suits, helmets, and harnesses. While the RF-4 Crew went to their bird, the two escort crews met at the XO's plane, 512. oeAny questions the XO asked.

oeCombat spread the whole way Sweaty asked.

oeYep. And keep your radar off until we get to the pop-up point. That's Farwell, right on the Texas-New Mexico state line. Once we hit that, radar on, switches on, and we're set. And we go by call sign on the radio, not mission code. Guru said, seeing everyone nod. oeAnything else

oeOne thing: why this type of run Isn't this deep an SR-71 thing Preacher asked.

oeNo way to know, Guru replied. oeBesides, what we don't know, we can't be forced to tell.

Everyone understood that, knowing that the Soviets and their lackeys would-and often did-force information out of prisoners. And in a way that the prisoner often wished he or she was dead afterwards.

oeThat it asked the XO. Goalie, Sweaty, and Preacher shook their heads. oeGood. Let's hit it, he said, grabbing his helmet.

1145 Hours Mountain War Time: Over Central New Mexico:

The trio of Phantoms sped across New Mexico, at only 600 feet above ground level, and 650 knots. So far, so good, the crews felt. But everyone knew that could change in a heartbeat. And familiar landmarks such as Gallinas Peak went by in a blur as the three-ship streaked into enemy territory at low level. Inside the Phantoms, heads swiveled as pilots and WSOs scanned visually for threats, whether aircraft, flak or SAMs, or natural obstacles.

oeJust like Vaughn, Guru, Goalie said as she scanned the sky.

oeYeah, but this one's a lot farther. Time to pop-up Guru replied.

oeSix minutes.

oeCopy. Next checkpoint is Highway 20, Goalie said, referring to State Highway 20. They were south of Fort Sumner by this time.

oeGot it, Guru said as the formation flew past the highway. It, too, served as a supply route for the Soviets and Cubans in the area, and was often visited by A-6s or F-111s doing road recon at night.

The desert and prairie landscape blew by as the Phantoms approached their next checkpoint, U.S. Highway 70 south of Clovis. Off to their left, the crews could just see the town, while off to their right, Portales. One minute to the state line, as the Phantoms turned northeast to the pop-up point, Farwell, right on the State line. There, Athena and Helo would accelerate ahead for the photo run, while Guru's escort element dropped back to cover the Phantom. Goalie made the call, oePop-up!

In Athena's RF-4C, Helo made the same call. She pulled up to 1200 feet AGL, and made a hard left turn to get lined up for the photo run. oeMusic on, she called.

Helo turned on the ECM pod. oeIt's going.

Two miles in trail. Guru made his calls. oeSweaty, Guru. Radar on, Switches on. Drop tanks and let's go.

oeRoger that, Sweaty called back as the two F-4Es assumed their trail position.

At that altitude and speed, it would take less than two minutes to get the photo coverage that was desired. As the RF-4 flew over Clovis, Helo noted several An-26 type transports, and several helicopters on the ramp at the Municipal Airport, and as they flew over Cannon AFB, numerous MiGs as well. Then, their photo run complete, Athena dropped in low, back to 600 feet.

Guru's escort element, as it made its run, saw some flak begin to come up. Athena's run had caught the defenders by surprise, and the trailing escorts now had some antiaircraft fire to deal with. Their threat receivers, however, were clear, though, so no SAMs-at least the radar-guided variety, were coming up. The ECM pods were working their magic, as usual. Then, as they approached Cannon, Goalie saw it first. oeMiG-25 on the roll!

A MiG-25 Foxbat-E interceptor was on its takeoff roll. The pilot had been scheduled for a patrol, but with the base having just been buzzed by an American reconnaissance aircraft, the pilot was directed to intercept and destroy the intruder. And with a top speed of Mach 2.5, the Foxbat pilot expected to do just that, as he released his brakes and rolled quickly down the runway and into the air.

oeGot him, Guru called. oeSweaty, cover me. I've got him.

oeGo get 'em, was the reply.

As the two F-4s were coming in, the Soviet tower operators saw the two Phantoms coming in. Not only did they hit the air raid alarm, but they radioed a warning to the MiG-25 pilot. When the two Phantoms blew past the base, those in the tower involuntarily ducked as the two American fighters overflew the base.

As they did so, Guru saw that if he closed the distance with the MiG as he flew out, either he'd overshoot, or would have to take a gun shot. And with the MiG's tough steel hide, he didn't know if he had enough 20-mm to do the job. So he did the next best thing, and Guru put the F-4 into a right barrel roll. That enabled the MiG to continue straight ahead, while allowing Guru to open the distance for a Sidewinder shot.

As he rolled back in level, Guru selected HEAT on his control panel. The Sidewinder's infrared seeker growled in his headset, seeking out the MiG-25's two huge Tumansky engines in afterburner. Then he got a very loud growl. Missile lock. oeFox two! was Guru's call.

Two AIM-9J missiles streaked off the missile rails. Both flew up the MiG's tailpipes and exploded. Both tails and horizontal stabilizers flew off the Foxbat, and trailing fire, the MiG-25 simply cartwheeled into the desert floor and exploded in a rolling, twisting ball of fire. oeSplash one Foxbat! Goalie yelled.

oeGood kill, Guru! Sweaty was hollering on the radio.

oeRoger that. Pinball One-One, Firebird Two-One, you guys are clear. Guru called.

oeCopy that, Firebird. Athena radioed back.

All three Phantoms then made for the Rio Grande and friendly lines. Again, they were too low and too fast, and gave the main road in the area, U.S. 60, a wide enough berth. Little did they know that three more MiG-25s had scrambled and were looking for them. But with no radar contact from the ground, the three MiG-25 drivers simply flew around randomly, hoping the Americans were still in range of their own radars. Only when their fuel ran low did the three MiGs return to Cannon.

After they cleared the Rio Grande and closed up, Guru called the AWACS. oeWarlock, Firebird Two-One.

oeFirebird Two-One, Warlock, Go.

oePinball One-One is with us, we are RTB at this time, and splash one Foxbat. No chute.

oeRoger that, Firebird. Do you need a vector to the tankers

oeAffirmative, Warlock. Guru replied.

The AWACS controller vectored the Phantoms onto the tanker track, and picked up the fuel they needed from a KC-135. And the trip back to Williams was uneventful. As they entered the traffic pattern, they noticed a C-130 ahead of them making its approach to the base. Only after that C-130 was clear did Athena's bird come in, followed by the two escorts, but before he landed, Guru did a victory roll.. After touchdown, and while Guru taxied into his revetment, he held up a single finger, signaling a kill. And his crew chief and mechanics erupted after he shut down and popped his canopy. oeWhat was it this time, Captain his crew chief asked.

oeFoxbat. Got him on takeoff, Guru replied as he looked over at the C-130. oeWhat's the Herky-bird

oeGeneral Tanner's here. No-notice, they said. the crew chief replied.

oeOh, boy, Guru said as he got out. Goalie did at the same time, and they did the usual post-flight check. Sweaty and Preacher came over, and Sweaty was beaming. oeGood kill on that MiG-25, Guru.

oeThanks. I doubt he even saw us. Crappy rear view, and it handles like a pig, he replied. oeThat's six now for me, and three for Goalie.

When she heard that, Goalie was smiling. Three kills now. Two more and she'd be a backseat ace. Too bad it was just after noon, because splashing a Foxbat was worth a couple in the O-Club at least.

Athena and Helo came over, and both of them shook hands with the escort crews. Neither one had seen the MiG-25 coming up, and without Guru behind them, they would most likely be dead now. They were making some small talk as the ground crew unloaded the strike camera film-which when developed later, showed the MiG kill from start to finish. Not that they needed it for verification, with four witnesses, but it was icing on the cake. The crews were just about to go in for the debriefing when Guru's crew chief said, oeCaptain, brass coming.

The crews watched as General Tanner, with both Colonel Brady, the MAG-11 commander, and Colonel Rivers came over. Everyone came to attention as the General came in, but he motioned them not to, saying, oeThis is a base at war, and we can do without this jumping up and down nonsense.

oeThank you, Sir, Athena said. It had been her flight, and she was technically the flight lead.

oeGood run, Captain Tanner asked.

oeGood run, sir, she replied. oeNow to see if the photo boys got what they wanted.

oeI was listening to things on the radio, Captains, Tanner said, looking at Guru. oeDid I hear someone say 'Splash one Foxbat'

oeYes, sir, Guru responded. oeMy WSO made that call.

oeGood work, all of you, Tanner said. oeGet that debrief out of the way, get something to eat, and for you fighter guys, you'll be back in the saddle later today.

The fighter crews all nodded. oeYes, Sir,

oeThere's a good reason I'm here, besides checking up on my 'kids', Tanner said. oeMAG-11 and all component units are on a one-week stand-down, effective tomorrow. All Wing, Squadron, and group commanders are to be at Nellis for a conference, so I'll be seeing both Colonel Brady and your own Colonel Rivers tomorrow. Along with every other Wing and Squadron CO in Tenth Air Force.

Guru gulped. That meant he'd be in charge of the squadron while Rivers was gone. Acting CO Great. Especially with that punk Major Carson around.

Tanner noticed the gulp. oeDon't worry, Captain. I know about that Major Carson, and be assured that anything he sends me over Rivers' head gets tossed into the trash. Rivers feels you're the best one for the job of Exec, and from what I've seen, there's no reason to doubt that. If he trusts you to run the 335th in his absence, then I do as well. And he's told me that if anything happens to him, the 3-3-5 is in good hands with you, Captain.

oeGeneral, if you don't mind me saying this, but that's good to hear. Guru said.

oeYou're welcome, Captain, Tanner said. oeNow, get yourselves debriefed, some food in you, and get ready to go back out. The day's not over. But, when flight ops do end, I'm buying the first round at the O-Club. And the first one goes to a Foxbat killer!

1900 Hours Mountain War Time, Williams AFB Officer's Club:

It was a party atmosphere in the Officer's Club as General Tanner made good on his promise to buy the first round. And as he had also promised, the first beers went to Guru and Goalie in recognition of their MiG-25 kill. After the toast, things settled down, and both crewmates found a booth. oeNot that often we get to be pure fighter pilots, Guru observed.

oeWhat was it you told me when I became your WSO last year Goalie said. oe'We take 'em however we get 'em'

oeI seem to recall that, Guru said, pulling on his Foster's. oeThank God for the Aussies. Who would've guessed that beer is considered 'essential wartime aid'

oeThat's them, I suppose. It beats the home-brew some folks were trying, Goalie said. oeColonel Rivers coming,

oeMind if I join you two Rivers asked.

oeNot a problem, Colonel, Guru said. oeHave a seat.

Rivers sat down next to Guru. oeYou do know we're short an element lead now, with Steve Turner being KIA

oeYeah, Colonel. Kinda puts a damper on today, though. Guru observed. oeThat's another original pilot from Day One gone. Captain Steve Turner had been in the 335th for a month longer than Guru had been when the war began. He'd been an element lead, and had been shot down once already. After recovering from a broken leg, he'd come back to the squadron, and had requalified as an element leader, with Guru and Mark Ellis ready to recommend to Rivers that he be bumped up to flight lead as soon as possible. Just after Guru had landed his flight, Turner had gone out on a CAS run across from Soccoro, only to fall victim to an SA-6. Neither he nor Tim Cain, his backseater, had gotten out.

oeOne thing about the 'happy few' is that you always seem to get fewer, Rivers noted. oeWho do you want to replace him as element lead

Guru had already made up his mind on that question. oeSweaty. She's got the total stick time, combat time, and she's ready. Not to mention having a MiG-29 scalp on her belt.

oeDone. When do you want to tell her

Guru thought about it for a minute. oeTomorrow. No flying, so...but that leaves me without a wingman.

oeI'll make a couple calls before I hit the sack, Rivers said. oeThis time, I'll see about getting you an experienced hand in that slot. And whoever we get is Braniac's new pilot.

oeSweaty turned out OK, Goalie said, looking at her pilot and CO. oeFresh from the RTU, and now.....

oeOh yeah, but I want somebody with extra stick time. Even if he or she's just been cleared from the hospital. Guru said.

oeI'll see what I can do, Rivers said. oeNo promises, though. You may have to take what you get.

oeFair enough, Colonel, Guru said, raising his bottle of Fosters.

2200 Hours Pacific War Time, Transient Officers' Quarters, Travis AFB, California

Captain Kara Thrace was dead tired. She'd landed two hours earlier, leading an eight-ship of newly built F-4Es and RF-4Cs fresh from the Mitsubishi production line in Japan, and after signing over the aircraft, had a quick bite to eat in the Officer's Mess before closing, and was too tired to hit the Travis O-Club. Not to mention she had a pretty steep tab there to begin with, and wasn't in the mood to run it up any further. So she'd simply staggered into her room, took off her clothes, threw on a T-Shirt, and climbed into bed.

She'd hardly closed her eyes when the phone next to her bed rang. oeThrace,

oeCaptain Thrace the voice on the other end asked.

oeYou found her, she said. oeWho is this

oeCaptain, I'm Major Anders with Tenth Air Force. You'll be getting formal notification tomorrow from Travis Personnel, but I'm giving you a heads-up. You're going to the 335th TFS. Report there the day after tomorrow.

Kara took a big sigh of relief. About damned time they send me to a combat unit. No thanks to that bastard Tigh. oeThe 335th Where are they

oeWilliams AFB, near Phoenix. They are OpCon to a Marine Air Group, but wear AF blue. Your orders are being cut, and you'll have movement authorization tomorrow. Anders said.

Fair enough, Kara thought. At least it's a combat slot. oeAll right. Is that all she asked.

oeThat's it. Have a good night, Captain, Anders said as he hung up.

Kara hung up and lay in bed awake for a few minutes. Then she said oeYES! Finally, I get to do what I signed up to do. And it beats the Trans-Pacific Ferry run any day of the week. An AF squadron under Marine OpCon First she'd heard of that, but then again, the war had changed a lot of things-like letting women fly combat. She closed her eyes, smiled, then went to sleep.

**Matt Wiser** · 12-15-2014, 05:42 PM

Comments so far, please, gents. The next one's coming shortly.

**dragoon500ly** · 12-16-2014, 04:48 AM

Loving the stories! Keep'em coming!!

**lombardoslegion** · 12-16-2014, 02:09 PM

Great stuff!

**Matt Wiser** · 12-16-2014, 05:46 PM

Thanks, gents. How many caught the shout-outs

**Matt Wiser** · 12-16-2014, 05:58 PM

And the next one, in two parts. It's more T2K-ish:

Out of the Mountains

1420 Hours Mountain Time: 8 May 1986; The San Isabel National Forest, Northwest of Walsenberg, Colorado:

It wasn't much to look at, but to the camp's occupants, it was home. Sort of, anyway. Several parachutes had been converted into tents, and others had made shelters out of pine boughs and branches, just like what the survival school instructors had taught. For the camp's military and guerrilla occupants, it had been enough, though higher up in altitude was a camp that was more secure. At that camp were wounded guerillas, families who had fled the Soviet-bloc invasion, and even some hikers who'd been up in the high country, and had been shocked to find that the worst had happened, and the Russians had come.

To the military personnel there, though they had helped the guerillas the best they could, all were anxious to get to the other side of the Rockies as soon as the weather and melting snow permitted. Of the camp's fourteen military personnel, a dozen were downed aircrew members from all four services, and the other two were escaped POWs. The rumor mill had said that there were Army troops somewhere to the northwest, along U.S. Highway 50, and all were hoping to get there, find friendly troops, and somehow, get back to their squadrons and back in the air.

For Air Force Lieutenants Matt Wiser and Tony Carpenter, five months with the Resistance was more than enough. They had been shot down in their F-4 near Walsenberg, to the southeast, back in January, and had been lucky enough to find a rural church, where the preacher was willing to hide them in a tornado shelter. Then they'd been passed along to the Sheppard Ranch, west of Walsenberg proper, where the family had sheltered them for a few days, until their eldest daughter Lori could take them into the mountains. They had been in the mountains all of two days when Lori came back, tears running down her face. After they'd left, the Soviets had come to the ranch. Someone, somewhere, had either been caught and broken, or the escape line had been betrayed. Lori had ridden down from the Mountains to find the ranch house and barn burned to the ground, the animals taken away, and in the driveway, the bodies of her parents, younger brother, and younger sister. All had been shot in the back of the head, and both her mother and sister had been.....used, so to speak, by the Russians before they had been killed. She had buried her family, and ridden back into the hills, and bringing with her a desire for revenge.

Over the past few months, the guerillas had made themselves known to the Russians and their Cuban and Nicaraguan lackeys, ambushing convoys, raiding outposts, cutting phone lines, and so on. Not only had they lived off the land, but also off of the enemy, taking whatever they could find, whether it was food, weapons, ammo, medical supplies, or whatever. But now, with the spring melt, Lori knew that she needed to do two things: first, get the downed pilots over the Rockies to friendly lines, and second, see if the rumors were true, and that there were Special Forces teams helping guerrilla bands with supplies, advisors, and so much else. For up in the high country there was a family camp, with refugees who'd fled into the hills, some family members of guerrillas, some escapees from labor or oere-education camps, people who really needed to be on the other side.

Lori gathered the downed pilots around a campfire. All were dirty, grubby, and showed the effects of living in the wilderness. But all had taken part in raids against the invaders, even if the two Marines and the single Army aviator had any kind of infantry training. They had gotten to be good at it, the hard way. oeOK, good news. Mike Jensen just rode down from the Family Camp. They say the snow melt's made a trip over the pass a lot easier. So we're leaving today.

oeAbout time, Lori, Major Mark Adams said. He was one of the two Marines there: an A-6 driver who'd gone down the same time as the two F-4 crewers. He'd been in unofficial command, though he deferred to Lori, as she was the leader of the band. But he was the senior ranking military officer there.
He, like the other military evadees, had his flight suit, but worn over that was a Soviet airborne camo outfit, and then on top of that was a Soviet winter camo suit. And given how cold it got at night this high up, everyone was glad to have the multiple layers of clothing.

oeI'll second that, Capt. Bill Andrews quipped. A former member of the Thunderbirds, he had been shot down the previous December, and had escaped from the Cubans after a week in their custody. Given what he saw during his brief captivity, he had no qualms about killing Russians or Cubans, period.

oeHow far to friendlies Lieutenant Wiser asked.

oeGood question, Adams said. oeBest guess it that it'll take a week or so. On foot the whole way.

oeLovely, Tony Carpenter said. oeAt least we'll get out of here and back to our units. If I wanted to be SF, I would've joined the Army.

Adams nodded. He knew the feeling. Even though he'd been trained as an infantry officer before going to flight school, being a grunt was the last thing he expected. oeAny other questions There weren't any. oeThat's it, then. Grab your weapons, get your gear, and we're gone.

The two AF Lieutenants went to their tent. Though they had buried their chutes after bailout, they had found chutes belonging to downed pilots who hadn't survived: a parachute landing in the forest was a dicey proposition, and several airmen had died in their landings. The two gathered up their tent, and picked up their rifles. Both had AKMs, but Wiser also had an AK-74 that he'd picked up off a dead Soviet recon trooper, and wanted to keep it as a souvenir. Tony Carpenter also had a war trophy he wanted to keep: an SVD sniper rifle that he'd killed a Cuban to get. Like the others, they had made homemade packs from parachute harnesses, just like they'd been taught in SERE.

The party made their last-minute checks. For food, they had home-made deer or elk jerky, and some civilian canned goods that they had found when cleaning up a supply convoy they had ambushed. However much they had, it would have to last a week.

It wouldn't just be the evadees going out: Lori was coming with them. Not only as a guide, but she wanted to find out for herself if the rumors were true, and there were SF operating in the area. Not only did she want an SF Team to come into the area, with weapons, ammo, food, and above all, medical supplies, but to evacuate the family camp. That place had been an old logging camp in the 1920s, and though the civilians and others hiding there had food and shelter, they really needed to be evacuated. Not to mention that their doctor, who prewar had been a dermatologist from Denver, was really in over his head for the most part. He'd been on a hiking trip when the invasion happened, and the only medical supplies he had were what had been oeacquired after an ambush. If a helicopter pickup to get the civilians out could be arranged, she was all for it, and was eager to get going. She not only had an AKMS rifle, but she also had a Winchester Model 70, and that .270 slug could take down just about anything: and they had seen just how good a shot Lori was. Not only had she shot some deer or elk, but in raids, she used that rifle as a sniper rifle, and Lori had killed her fair share of Russians and Cubans with the weapon.

The evadees and a few guerrillas who'd be coming along were all set to go, and a few minutes later, Lori and Major Adams came up. oeEverybody set Lori asked. Though Adams was the senior military officer, she ran the guerrillas, and was in charge. oeOK, let's go.

Somewhere in the Rockies: 10 May 1986: 0730 Mountain Time

The first day and night had passed quietly for the most part, though most of the evadees were too keyed up to sleep. The prospect of freedom, and being able to climb back into a cockpit, meant that hardly anyone got more than four hours' sleep. As for breakfast, some Elk jerky and a raw pop tart, along with a canteen of water, had to do.

oeAnother week of this, Tony Carpenter grumbled. oeAnd I'm an outdoors type.

Lieutenant Wiser looked at his WSO. oeWhere

oeOregon. Some little town between Salem and the Cascades. Got an appointment to the Academy, which kept me from being a logger, and look where I am now.

oeLet me guess: a lot of hunting and fishing Wiser asked.

oeYep. Never thought all of that would come back. Carpenter said.

oeYou must've breezed through the field portion of SERE.

oeI did. And the instructors didn't like that at all.

Major Adams came up. oeAll right, people, fill your canteens from the spring, and let's get going. If anyone gets winded, call out. We're getting into higher elevation today.

There was the usual grumbling, but everyone got ready, and moved out. Lori wanted to bypass the family camp, and Adams had agreed wholeheartedly. If anyone was following them, best to stay away.

Five hours later, there was a break. As they got higher up, there was still snow on the ground, though it was patchy. Some places still had several inches of snow on the ground, while others, more exposed to the sun, had spring plants in full bloom. But there was one thing everyone was noticing: the lack of forest sounds. It was quiet. Lori, for all her time in the woods prewar, had never experienced anything like this, and neither had Tony Carpenter, or the other guerrillas. oeI don't like this, Major, she said.

oeNeither do I. Adams agreed. He motioned to Army WO Kyle Lewis. oeDrop back about a hundred yards, and bring up the rear. See if anyone's following us. Take one of the guerrillas with you.

oeGotcha, Major, the UH-1 pilot said. He'd been an enlisted solider for five years before going to Fort Rucker and getting his wings as a Warrant Officer. Not to mention that he was Ranger qualified, and that experience had come in very handy, not just in teaching ground tactics to the guerrillas and most of the airmen, but in combat.
Adams then turned to his B/N, First Lieutenant Neal Brandon. oeNeil, take point.

He nodded, and headed on out. After he'd gone about fifty yards, the rest of the group followed.

A couple hours later, Lori called a halt. Neal had found nothing up ahead, but he couldn't shake a feeling that they were being watched. Major Adams felt the same way, along with Lori, and for that matter, everyone else. Someone was watching them, but who If it was Spetsnatz, they might be following them until they made camp, then attack. oeTwo hours of daylight left. Adams said. oeWe'd better find a spot to make camp.

After a half-hour of searching, the party found a nice campsite, only a hundred yards or so from a small lake. After getting a fire going, and boiling some drinking water, everyone sat down to eat. The canned goods that the ComBloc had looted came in handy, for canned beef stew, pork and beans, or raviolis had to make do. But as the party ate, everyone still had the sinking feeling that someone was watching them.

oeMajor, I think we'd better have a patrol-just to look around, Lori said to Major Adams.

oeI think you're right, Adams agreed. oeGuru, Neal, Tony.

Wiser's head shot up. Guru was his call sign. oeMajor

oeYou three, have a look around. No further than a thousand yards. Check around the lake, and down the trail. If you find anyone, fire a few shots into the air, and try and hold 'em. We'll be there ASAP.

oeWill do, Major, Guru said. Brandon was the Marine, so he led the little patrol. They checked out the lake, and went back down the trail. They found nothing, but still.....the hair stood up on the backs of all three. Something was in the forest, off the trail somewhere, and watching them. They saw nothing, and returned to camp just as twilight was coming.

oeWhat'd you find Lori asked. Major Adams was with her.

oeNothing, Neal Brandon said. oeWe checked around the lake, no tracks, other than animals. They were old, by the way. He went on, oeAnd we went down the trail a ways. Didn't see anything, but....

oeBut what, Lieutenant Adams asked.

oeBut, Major, Guru said. oeSomething's there, because we all felt like we were being watched. And my hair stood up on the back of my neck. And the other two nodded affirmatively.

oeMountain Lion, maybe Adams wondered aloud.

oeCould be, and the other animals know there's a predator around, so that's why they're quiet, Lori commented. oeMajor,if there is a big cat nearby, we'd better have two or three on watch, instead of one.

oeAgreed. Two on watch at all times. I'll take the first, with Neal.

That night, everyone went to sleep-or tried to, anyway. The possibility of a mountain lion or a bobcat coming into camp had everyone nervous. Spetsnatz or other Soviets, they could deal with. But a big cat coming in and trying to drag one of them off That was something else entirely. Even if one was sleeping in a parachute tent or just spread the chute on the ground, no one went to sleep without weapons close at hand. There being a full moon didn't help one's nerves any, for a shadow in the moonlight could be an enemy-or a big cat looking for a meal.

Guru had taken the 10-to-12 watch, along with Tony, and they had turned things over to Capt. Mark Bailey, an AF F-16 pilot from the 388th at Hill, and Joel Wambach, one of the guerrillas. The two F-4 crewmen then went into their tent, and after checking for snakes, went to sleep.

It was just after 0300 when it happened. The two on watch, one of the ex-POWs and a guerrilla, were sitting by the fire, trying to stay warm in the cold night air, when one of them heard something. They were footsteps-big ones. The two decided not to wake anyone, and simply waited by the fire for the intruder-whoever or whatever it was, to go away.

In their tent, Guru and Tony were sleeping when Tony suddenly woke up. He shook his pilot awake. oeGuru, wake up! Carpenter hissed.

oeHuh, What Guru said, oeTony, what the...

oeSomething's out there, he said. oeSmell that

oeI don't...wait. Now I do. Rotten-egg smell

oeYeah.

Then the two felt footsteps on the ground. Big ones. oeWhat the hell... Guru said. He poked his head out the tent, and saw the two on watch huddled around the fire, looking very afraid. Then they got up and slipped behind the tent Major Andrews and Neal Brandon shared. Then he-and Tony-saw it.

In the moonlight, and the firelight, a large shape came walking into the camp. In the moonlight, they couldn't see much, but the creature, whatever it was, was at least eight feet tall. It strode into camp, and started looking around. It found Lori's tent-a prewar dome-style camping tent, and seemed to be looking inside. Then a tent flap opened, and two of their fellow airmen looked out. And Guru heard safeties being clicked off. oeOh, shit!' He whispered to Tony, reaching for his own AKM.

Before anyone could shoot, Lori woke up and saw the huge shadow looming over her tent. She didn't make a sound, but reached for the first weapon she could-her Winchester rifle, and took the safety off. Then all hell broke loose as Neal Brandon came out of his tent and saw the creature looming over Lori's tent. oeThe hell is that Then the shooting started.

Nobody remembered who started firing, but once someone started to fire, everyone did. The creature turned and ran off towards the lake, waving its arms as if to repel a swarm of bees, as shots flew all around it. Even after the creature was out of sight, there was still shooting. oeCEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE! Adams yelled.

oeWhat the hell was that Several people asked at once.

Tony Carpenter knew, or thought he did. oeIf we were in the Pacific Northwest, I'd say that was a Bigfoot.

oeWell, we aren't in the Pacific Northwest, Lori Sheppard quipped. oeAnd that sure as hell looked like a Bigfoot.

Mike Jensen, one of the guerrillas, nodded. oeThey call it the Snowbeast. At least that's what I heard before the war. He's our Bigfoot. And he's a lot bigger and meaner than the one in the Northwest.

oeSnowbeast or Bigfoot, or whatever that...thing was, Adams said, oeSoon as we can after first light, we're getting the hell out of here. No telling who heard all that shooting.

The party had passed a sleepless rest of the night. As dawn broke, two of them went to the lake with a couple of buckets to get water to boil to fill their canteens with, while everyone else was busy breaking camp. The two returned with the water, but were shaken. They had found tracks by the shoreline-big ones. Eighteen inches long, they thought, and very deep. oeI'll take your word for it, Andrews said. oeLet's get that water boiled, and eat. Then we're getting out of here.

14 May 1986: 1400 Mountain Time:

Three days had passed since the encounter with, whatever that beast had been, and everyone had settled down. They had to stop more often, as the party was getting higher and higher, then they had passed the treeline into open ground, which didn't make anyone comfortable. Anyone on high ground could be watching them, and there wasn't a thing they could do about it. But the pass was just ahead.

oeFinally! Guru said. He'd been on point with Neal Brandon.

oeOh, yeah, Brandon agreed. oeCross that, and it's all downhill.

oeI'll stay here, Neal. Guru said. oeGo get the Major and Lori.

Brandon nodded, and went back. A few minutes later, the party was with him. Adams was checking his map-an old U.S. Forest Service map that Lori had loaned him. oeThat the pass

oeThat's it, Major, Lori said. oeAnother three or four days, then maybe we can find some civilization.

oeNot today: we've only three hours or so of daylight. Let's get back to the treeline, and make camp. We'll cross in the morning.

The next morning, the party was fed, rested, and ready to go. As they approached the pass, everyone was keyed up. If there was going to be an ambush, this would be a good spot to spring one: the group out in the open, and whatever attackers would have high ground and concealment among the rocks.

The party approached the pass, and Navy Lt. Lyle Branson, an A-7 pilot, glanced to the right. oeI'd swear there was something up there.

oeStill jumpy after that...thing, Lyle Neal Brandon kidded.

He shook his head. oeNo, but I thought I saw sunlight reflecting off of something.

oeIf somebody was up there, they would've opened fire by now. Lori said. oeI would, if I were up there.

oeDon't worry about it, Lyle, Adams said. oeLet's get to the other side of the pass, then we're in the homestretch.

As the party approached the pass, and crossed it, they were being watched. Unknown to them, a Spetsnatz team was watching the pass. They were under orders to observe and report, and one of the Soviets, the team's second-in-command, had a 35-mm camera with a telephoto lens. He was snapping pictures of the party as they moved to the pass. He was certain that he got faces, but would have to wait until the photos were developed to make sure. The team commander knew he could have set an ambush here, and wiped out the guerrillas, but those were not his orders. The Front intelligence directorate wanted to know who was using the mountain passes and how often, to determine guerrilla supply lines, as well as to identify particular individuals. He'd been told to stay hidden, observe, take photographs, and report. And to give a detailed report to the local commander upon extraction.

On the other side, it was level for a bit, then it was downhill, just as had been hoped. They camped for the night about three miles from the pass, and for the first time since setting out, everyone was relieved.

17 May 1986: 0930 Mountain Time:

It had been a relatively easy two days since crossing the pass, and Lori's map showed several hiking trails that led down the west side of the mountains. Though the trails were obvious, and if one wanted to set ambushes, there would be no better place to set some, it beat using game trails or just plain going through the woods. Not to mention the fact that after nearly a week on the trail, people were getting tired. Breaks were more frequent, much to Major Andrews' displeasure-and Lori's for that matter, but there was no getting around it.

The party had stopped for a break, having been on the trail for two hours, when the point element, Neal Brandon and Mike Jensen, went on ahead. They thought they'd seen something, and went to investigate. They came running back, breathless. oeMajor, Lori, you'd never guess what we just found.

oeWhat Lori asked.

oeThere's a Forest Service station. Nobody's there, but there's a garage, and what looks like an office.

Lori checked her map, and Andrews did too. There was a dirt road nearby, and they had been hoping to get to that road and follow it. It would be a lot easier to just follow the road, even if it exposed them to ambush. But there had been no sign of enemy-or friendlies for that matter. oeMajor, if there's a garage, there might be a truck or two there. If it hasn't been looted, there's probably gas there, too.

oeAnd just drive on out of here Adams asked. oeWe'd be easy targets.

oeGot a better idea Lori shot back. oeAt this rate, we'll be out of food before we can walk out.

The Major knew she was right, and simply nodded. The group headed on to the station. And both were surprised: the station wasn't on their map. Lori checked the date of issue on the map: 1974. oeGreat. How many other surprises are there

oeLet's check this out first, Adams said. oeGuru, Neal, Tony: Check this place out. Give a wave if it's clear.

oeRight, Guru said. He collected the other two, and the trio headed to the station. The station looked deserted, but the doors were locked, and the windows shut. oeGuru, I don't like this. Neal Brandon said.

oeThink it's a trap

oeYeah, I do. But whose The Marine asked.

oeLet's check it out. Go on ahead, Neal. Tony, cover the both of us. I'll be right behind Neal.

Both nodded, then the Marine went in, and Guru, his AKM at the ready, was right behind him. Neal went around the building, checking for any booby traps or mines, and finding nothing obvious. Still suspicious, he decided the best way to get in was to break a window. oeGuru, I think we can get in by a window.

oeBreak a window Guru asked. oeStill think there's a reception committee around

oeDon't think so now, but if there's something rigged on the doors.....

oeSay no more. Guru nodded. oeDo it.

Neal took his AKM and broke one of the rear windows, and Guru helped him in. Neal looked around, and found the place musty, damp, and abandoned. He tried flipping a light switch, but nothing came one. oeNo power.

oeThis far back Guru asked. oeThey probably have a generator. Anything on the doors

Neal went to the back door, and checked it. Nothing. He opened it, and waved to Guru. oeClear back.

Guru went on in, and headed straight for the front door. Nothing. He opened it, and waved to Tony. Then he went into the garage, while Neal checked the office. Inside the garage, he found two Ford King Cab pickups, and then went into one of the trucks. There was a two-way radio, and he looked around for the keys. Sure enough, tucked in the driver's side sun visor, the keys came out. Then he went to the other truck, and found the other set of keys. He went back into the office, and found Neal waiting for him. oeWhat'd you find

oeThere's a break room, but the refrigerator's empty, and the vending machines look OK. Brandon said.

oeAll right. This place is clear, Guru said. He went and waved Tony over. oeTony, wave the others in.

oeGotcha.

Carpenter walked into the road and waved the party in. Lori and the Major were surprised to see the two trucks. oeThese two have gas Adams asked.

oeThere's a gas tank in the back, but I haven't started the trucks, Guru said, handing Major Andrews the keys. oeWe'll have to open the garage doors.

Nodding, Adams told two of the other evadees to open the garage doors, which could be done without power. Then he started one of the trucks. It turned over easily, and the same went for the other.
oeThe tanks are full. Now I wouldn't mind riding out of here.

Lori was inside the office, checking the desks. The calendar said September 5, 1985. The day after the invasion had begun. oeSomeone was here. They must've just closed up shop and left in some other vehicle, she observed.

oeAny supplies Food, or whatever Adams asked.

oeNothing, Major. Guru said. oeThey cleaned the place out before turning off the generator.

Adams nodded. oeSee if there's any empty gas cans here. Check the big tank, see if it's got gas. If it does, fill those gas cans, then we're taking these trucks.

Guru nodded, then collected a couple of the others, and sure enough, there was gas in the big tank behind the station. After filling the cans, he asked, oeWhat about this place

oeLeave it, Lori said. oeThere might be someone else who can use this, even if it's just for shelter.

oeCheck the desks, Adams ordered. oeSee if there's a better map.

A search of the three desks and their drawers found nothing useful. Though a search of a storage shed found several tarps, along with some tools: axes, shovels, Pondersosas (a combination of ax and scraper-used by woodland fire-fighting teams), and so on. Andrews ordered the gear brought along, just in case, then he had the gas tank behind the garage punctured. oeNo sense in leaving that gas for Ivan if he comes this way.

After that had been taken care of, the group piled into the two trucks and pulled out of the station. In the lead truck, Neal Brandon was driving, with Lori beside him, two guerrillas in the back seats, and half of the party in the bed of the truck. oeFollow the road, Neal. There's another forest road about five miles away, then we take that. Then that should lead us to a county road, then that takes us to State Highway 69.

oeJust hope Ivan doesn't have any Su-25s doing armed recon on the roads.

After two hours of driving, and two roads later, they came to Colorado Highway 69. The sign at the intersection said oeWestcliffe 20, and Neal knew to take the right. Turning left only took them back towards enemy territory.

In the second truck, Guru was driving, with the Major beside him. Tony Carpenter and Mike Jensen were in the back seats, and the others were in the bed of the truck. oeEver think we'd be driving out of here, Major Guru asked.
oeNo, but right now, I'm not complaining. We just covered in three hours what would've taken a day on foot.

Guru nodded. oeMajor, neither am I.

Thirty minutes later, they rolled into Westcliffe. Or what had been Westcliffe. The town had been hit from the air, apparently, and there was nothing but burned-out buildings, wrecked cars and pickup trucks, and rubble. They stopped at the intersection of Highway 69 and State Route 96. A sign was still standing: it said, oeHillside 14; Texas Creek/Jct. U.S. 50 25. The party got out to search the nearby buildings. Nothing was salvageable, and there were remains of bodies all over. The town still smelled of death, even though they had no idea of when the town had been attacked. oeNo sign of anything military around: no wrecked vehicles, nothing, Tony Carpenter noted when he came back to the Major. oeWhat'd they hit

oeWant to bet there was a guerrilla band out of here, and Ivan decided to hit the town in reprisal Adams said.

oeNo takers, Lori said. oeThis place is giving me the creeps.

oeYou're not the only one, Mike Jensen said. oeI say we get the hell out of here.

Adams nodded. oeOkay, people! Mount up and let's go.

Twenty minutes of driving, and they came to Hillside. That town, too, had been hit, and there was nothing standing. Lori and the Major talked over the truck radios, and decided not to stop, but keep going. A few miles down the road, they came to a local road. The sign there said, oeCotopaxi 6; TO Jct U.S. 50 West.

They stopped, and everyone got out to stretch their legs. It had been so long since anyone had been in a car or truck, and they were unuused to being in a vehicle. Lori was checking her map. oeThat's a dirt road, and want to bet it hasn't seen a repair crew in ages

Most everyone nodded, but one of the guerrillas, Sean Weston, who'd been a Colorado Department of Transportation road engineer prewar, went over to the road. He could tell someone had been working on the road. oeSomebody's been here. There's dozer tracks, and they're about a week old. And the road looks like it's been worked on.

oeGot to be friendlies, Brandon said. oeHas to be.

oeYeah, but that road likely doesn't have bridges: there's a couple of creeks on the map, and that road crosses them, Lori said, pointing at the map.

oeIf someone's been working on the road, they've probably taken care of that, Adams said. oeAll right: let's take the short cut.

**Matt Wiser** · 12-16-2014, 06:13 PM

And Part II: Again, comments and questions welcome!

17 May 1986: 1500 Mountain Time, Calumet, CO

Colonel Ernesto Bella was sitting in his office at the City Hall. He'd been the local military governor since the invasion, and though the first month had gone well, those infernal Wolverines had been a major problem. Not only had they repeatedly struck at the liberating forces, but had inspired others to begin their own guerrilla activities, and this sector of Colorado, which for a month had been considered pacified, was now a mess. Though the Wolverines had been dealt with after their final attack on the town, other bands had not ceased their depredations. It didn't help matters that his second-in-command, a Nicaraguan Captain, had been killed in the attack, along with a Soviet Spetsnatz Colonel, who'd been brought in to deal with the guerrilla problem once and for all. The only bright spot had been the death of his superior, General Vassily Bratchenko, in the attack, and though Bella had to sing the General's praises at the memorial service, privately, he, and a number of other officers, had been glad that....butcher had met his end.

Colonel Bella had submitted his resignation, but he'd heard nothing so far, and given the war oeemergency, his request was likely to be denied. So, he'd been gathering material, for he'd made a decision that he knew was the right one: when the opportunity came, he would defect. Then there was a knock on the office door. He had taken over the Mayor's office, and was actually glad that he no longer had to deal with that man. What was the American term oeAss-kisser, someone had said. Well, a month after the Wolverines' attack, there had been one more attack on the town, only this time, it had been swift and silent. A number of those who'd been cooperating with the liberating forces had met with violent ends, and among them had been the Mayor. Bella now dealt with the civilian population through the prewar City Manager, and the fellow, though he could tell was not too thrilled about cooperating with the Socialist Forces, did what was necessary to keep the population under control. There was a second knock. oeCome in,

oeComrade Colonel, his new deputy, a Cuban Army Captain, said. oeMajor Volshov is here.

oeVolshov

oeSpetsnatz, Comrade Colonel, the Captain said.

oeAh, yes. Send him in, please, Ricardo.

Nodding, the Captain ushered in the Soviet officer. He had been Colonel Strenlikov's deputy commander, until the man's death, and now ran the 779th Independent Spetsnatz Battalion. oeComrade Colonel.

oeWhat do you have, Volshov Bella asked. oeYour men knew their orders, correct

oeAbsolutely, Comrade Colonel! Volshov said. oeThey avoided contact with the enemy, and brought back some photographs. The patrol only saw one party going through the pass, headed west. The Spetsnatz officer opened a manila folder and showed Bella the photos.

oeHmm....Good enough to identify people, Bella was impressed. oeAny idea who these....people are

oeNo, Comrade Colonel. My intelligence officer has access to records on known guerrillas, and none of them are familiar to him, Volshov told his superior.

oeWhat were the patrol leader's observations

oeHe noted that most of those observed seemed to have a military bearing. They may have been downed airmen, perhaps

Bella nodded. oeStill, Major, once one becomes a guerrilla, they develop a military bearing very quickly. But, given the number of aircraft that have gone down in this area, you may be right.

oeYes, Comrade Colonel, Volshov said.

oeYou do have copies of these photographs Bella asked.

oeOf course, Comrade Colonel, nodded Volshov. oeYour own military intelligence people may be able to make use of them. As would the DGI.

oeThank you, Comrade Major, Bella said. oeThey certainly will. That'll be all.

The Spetsnatz officer saluted and left the office.

Bella took the photos and scanned them once more. Yes, some of them looked like they were downed pilots. What was the term A oerat line Yes, this might be such a line, where the guerrillas conducted downed pilots and others who were escaping the Soviets over the Rocky Mountains and to American lines. It was more of an outpost war on the other side, his intelligence briefings said. Soviet-bloc outposts on the other side were few and far between, and often could not be held. Bella took the photos, and put them back in the folder, before putting them in his briefcase, where they joined a number of other documents that the Americans would clearly love to get their hands on.

He made his decision. Then and there. oeRicardo!

Bella's deputy came in. oeComrade Colonel

oeGet my driver and jeep. I'm going to one of the outposts.

oeIs that wise, Comrade Colonel

oeMaybe it is, maybe it isn't. Still, I need some fresh air. Being stuck in this office for a while makes one long for the outdoors. Bella said.

oeComrade Colonel, the man said.

A few minutes later, Bella's UAZ-469 jeep pulled up to City Hall. He took his briefcase-which his deputy was curious about, but said nothing. The ways of Field-grade officers were a mystery to him, just as they were to junior officers the world over. oeWhen will you be back, Comrade Colonel

oeA few hours, Ricardo. I may even have dinner with the men at the outpost. A gesture of solidarity with the men on the line, you might say, said the Colonel. Bella got into the jeep. oeKeep things going here until I return.

The deputy clicked his heels and smartly saluted. oeComrade Colonel!

17 May 1986, 1545 Mountain Time: County Road 85, near Cotopaxi, Colorado:

Guru was driving the second truck, keeping his eye on the first, and trying to avoid bumps and dips. oeMajor, whoever worked this road hasn't been here in a while.

oeNo kidding! Adams responded. oeIf it was the Army, they just did the bare essentials.

Then the radio crackled to life. oeMajor, this is Lori.

Andrews picked up the talker. oeGo ahead.

oeLooks like a military camp up ahead. There's a flag flying, but I can't tell whose from this distance. At the same time, her truck stopped.

Guru stopped behind Lori's truck and everyone got out. Several pairs of binoculars were soon in use. oeLooks like ours, Tony Carpenter said.

oeI'll go along with that, Guru said.

oeProblem is, that collaborationist force, the ALA, has a flag similar to ours, Lori said. oeSomeone's got to get close and see who they are.

oeI'll go, WO Kyle Lewis said.

Adams nodded. Lewis was the best of the aviators, and was Ranger-qualified. oeAll right, we'll cover you.

Lewis took off his Soviet gear, taking only two things: his AKM rifle, and his winter camo suit. If need be, he'd wave it at whoever it was to ID himself.

The party watched through binoculars as he approached the camp. oeIf they're hostiles Lori asked.

oeIf they are, we get in those trucks and hightail it out of here. Then we find some other way around that location, Adams decided.

Lewis took his time in getting close. He could see that the brush had been cleared away to give the outpost's defenders a clear field of fire, except where they hadn't. And a trick he'd been taught at Ranger school came back. If grass wasn't being cleared, that was a sure sign there were mines around. He looked at the flagpole: it was the Stars and Stripes, but was it the good guys Those ALA scum had a variation of it that you needed to get real close to see. He crept in closer, taking care to check for booby traps. If they're ours, there's Claymores around, and he didn't want to trip one if he could help it.

In the outpost, a very bored soldier was standing watch. He was wondering what his platoon was doing here, watching a road that no one had traveled on for months, apart from those engineers who took their heavy equipment there for a couple of weeks. Rumor had it some kind of push might be happening and the higher-ups wanted the road in at least passable shape. He shouldered his M-16 and took off his helmet. When are we getting those Kevlar helmets The airborne mafia has theirs, so when do we get ours Then he heard something. He raised his rifle, and called for his squad leader.

oeDamn it! Lewis whispered to himself. He'd found some wire, and attached to the wire were cans of varying types and sizes. An old Vietnam trick to alert bases that there were intruders in the wire. And that meant that this camp had friendlies. Then he heard a shout:

oeHALT! Identify yourself!

oeYou Americans Lewis yelled.

oeWho are you The voice yelled back.

oeMake sure you're Americans, Lewis yelled. oeWhere did the Dodgers play baseball before going to L.A.

oeBrooklyn, the voice said. oeNow, how many Oscars did John Wayne win

They were Americans, Lewis knew. Though he didn't know himself, he did have a ready answer. oeNot enough!

oeWell, Sarge, do we shoot him or not

oeHe's right, though, A soldier stood up. oeStand up and come on in.

Lewis stood up and waved his camo suit. The soldiers waved him in, though he was careful to keep his hands visible, and nowhere near his rifle. Then he saw the flag. The genuine article. oeWO Kyle Lewis, United States Army,

oeStaff Sergeant Clay Haswell, 2-17 Infantry, 7th ID, the solider said. He pointed to a gap in the wire, and Lewis got into the camp. oeWhere did you come from, uh, Sir

oeBeen on the other side with the guerrillas, Lewis said. He pointed to the specks in the distance where the party was. oeThere's a whole bunch of us: downed pilots and guerrillas. We've been looking for friendlies for over a week.

oeWell, Sir, you found 'em, Sergeant Haswell replied. oeCarter, Walsh! Go with Mr. Lewis, and escort the rest of his party in,

Two soldiers nodded, while Lewis shook Haswell's hand. oeWhere's your platoon leader

oeDead. Got himself killed on a patrol a week ago. And they haven't sent us a new shavetail yet.

Nodding, Lewis told the two GIs to follow him back down the road.

oeHe's coming back, Tony Carpenter observed. oeAnd he's got two people with him.

Everyone reached for their rifles, and took cover beside the road. oeDon't fire unless I give the word, Adams ordered.

People nodded, as they raised their weapons. Then Kyle yelled. oeMajor! We've got friendlies! He motioned the two soldiers to go ahead of him.

Major Adams and Lori stood up. oeWhat's your unit

One of the soldiers responded, oe7th ID. 2-17 Infantry, 2nd Brigade.

oeMajor Mark Adams, United States Marine Corps, Major Adams said. oeLori, here, she's in charge of the guerrillas.

The two soldiers saluted, then Carter, a Spec 4, said. oeSir, let's go.

Nodding, Andrews ordered everyone into the trucks, and they drove to the outpost. And for the first time in months, the evadees saw an American flag flying, and by habit, they saluted. Then Sergeant Haswell came in. He saw Major Adams and saluted. oeMajor,

oeSergeant, Adams said, glad to return the salute. oeAre we glad to see you.

oeSir. Haswell said. oeI've called my company commander, and we should have vehicles coming to take you guys and gals-he saw Lori Sheppard and two other female guerrillas-to the rear. He looked at the USFS trucks. oeGuess you won't be needing those anymore, Sir.

Both Adams and Lori tossed him the keys. oeIf you can use 'em, Sergeant, they're yours.

oeYes, Sir, Haswell said. oeWe'll find a use for 'em.

A few minutes later, a pair of 6x6 GMC trucks arrived. An Army Captain climbed down from one of them. oeMajor Adams I'm Captain Dale Logan. These trucks'll be taking your party back to Division.

oeWhere's that Adams asked.

oeSalida, Sir. If you and your party will get on the trucks, Sir.

Nodding, Adams waved to the group. oeLet's go, people!

1610 Mountain Time. County Road 44, west of Calumet, CO

Colonel Bella's UAZ-469 jeep headed west, towards one of his forward outposts. A Soviet motor-rifle brigade, one that had been pulled from Afghanistan and sent here, had the outpost line in this area. He knew the brigade commander, and both knew that there wasn't much chance of a push over the mountains in force. Now, guerrillas sallying from the mountains to raise whatever hell they could, that was a totally different story, and the guerrillas knew full well not to attack the company-sized outposts. Shooting up patrols, or ambushing supply convoys, now, that was a different matter. But Bella knew, though his driver didn't, that they'd never get to the outpost. Knowing the dispositions of the Soviet and Cuban forces in the area, he knew where to cross into No-Man's Land and then get to American lines. The jeep pulled up to an intersection, complete with STOP signs.

oeAlmost there, Comrade Colonel, the driver said.

oeYes, Bella agreed. He took out his service pistol. oeNow, Corporal, you will get out and walk, back the headquarters, he said, pointing the Makarov in the driver's face. oeGet out and start walking. NOW.

Thoroughly frightened, the driver got out, and tried to take his weapon.

oeLeave your weapon in the vehicle, Bella said, and the driver left his AKM in the jeep. Bella then got out himself, still covering the driver, and pointing the pistol at the driver, ordered him to get going. And the man ran away. Smiling, Bella got back into the jeep, pulled out his own map, and started taking back roads. It would be a day, maybe two, before he found a road across the mountains, but, even if he had to take logging roads or what the Americans called oefour-wheel drive trails, he'd get to where he was going. And he knew of a couple of caches that he had put there: he'd found a couple of isolated, but abandoned, cabins that would be perfect for his purposes. Bella had placed the caches shortly after the Wolverines' final raid, stocking them with food, fuel, and ammunition. Even a couple of AK rifles in each. Now, he thought as he headed towards one of them, did the guerrillas find the caches first

1750 Mountain Time: Salida, CO

The two GMC trucks bringing the evadees to Salida pulled into town. The canvas covers on the trucks hadn't been put on, and everyone had a view. As they got closer to Salida, the number of outposts increased, and a couple looked like Vietnam-era firebases, even. When they got into town, seeing armed troops on the streets, along with armed locals, was no surprise. The trucks pulled up to City Hall: it was Division HQ. Several officers, and a number of soldiers, were waiting. One of the officers came up to Major Adams.

oeMajor Adams

oeThat's right.

oeI'm Colonel Mitch Drummond, G-2, 7th ID. Welcome back to Free America.

Adams saluted. oeSir, glad to be back.

oeNow, we'll have to verify the evadees' identity, just to make sure. The air liaisons have all of the aircrews' personal verification questions, Drummond told the Major. The aircrews overheard that, and knew why. With the ALA, and Soviet intelligence probably inserting agents disguised as either refugees or evadees, verification was a necessary part of life.

oeAfter that

oeYou all can get cleaned up, and something to eat, Drummond said. oeThen my intel people want to have a talk with all of you.

oeColonel, with all due respect, after we eat, we need to sleep. We've been running on adrenalin for over a week, and, Sir, we need to crash someplace.

The intelligence officer nodded understanding. oeAll right, Major. He looked at the aircrew and the guerrillas, and all were clearly tired. oeThe debriefs can wait until morning.

After the aircrews' identities had been verified, and they had vouched for the guerrillas, the party was taken to a reception center set up at the local High School. There, they were able to get out of their dirty clothes, and have a hot shower and decent shave for the first time in months. The chow hall was open, and the Army mess people told everyone that there was more variety there than at the cafes in town. Knowing mess people, the military evadees took that with a grain of salt, with more than one oeYeah, right, being uttered. Since classes were still being held at the school, there were tents set up, and the party, in clean Army OD fatigues, but still keeping their weapons, fell down on the cots and went to sleep.

The next afternoon, Colonel Drummond came by the tents. He was wondering why no one from the group had shown up at Division HQ to talk with his people. The Officer-in-Charge of the reception center simply took the Colonel to the tents, and showed him why. All were still asleep, nearly twenty-four hours after their arrival. The Colonel nodded. oeAnyone try to wake them, Captain

oeNo, Sir, the officer replied. oeThey've all got their weapons with them, and if we try to shake one of them awake, they might shoot one or two of my people.

Drummond laughed. oeWell, we can't have that, can we, Captain

The captain smiled. oeNo, Sir. I'll just notify you when they wake up.

19 May 1986, 1530 Mountain Time, 7th Infantry Division, Salida, CO:

Guru and Tony came out of the Division's G-2 shop. They had spent several hours with not only the Army intel people, but an Air Force Intelligence Officer had also debriefed them. Everything had been gone over, from shootdown, to those who had helped them, to their time in the mountains, and the trip out. It wasn't enough that they had told the same story to the Army pukes, but the AF wanted it firsthand from them as well. And that intel weenie was going to be busy, for there were six AF evadees in all, and he'd be busy into the night and the next day.

Glad to be out of the intel weenies, and dressed in new BDUs, Guru turned to Tony. oeWant something to eat There's a cafe not that far away.

oeYeah, a late lunch sounds good, Tony said. oeHey, there's Lori.

Lori Sheppard came towards them. She waved them over. She was in new BDUs as well. She had spent the morning not with the Division's intelligence people, but with Special Forces. There was a Special Forces Base nearby, and she had been anxious to talk to the Green Berets. oeHey, guys!

oeLori, how's the Army treating you

oeCouldn't ask for anything more. They'll be sending some SF in, and my people as well, to the Family Camp. We'll evacuate those people by chopper, and they're going to be with us the rest of the way, she said. oeHowever long that is.

oeOne thing my Squadron CO told me, Lori, on Day Two: 'It'll be a long war.' Guru said.

Tony Carpenter nodded in the direction of the cafe. oeLunch

oeYeah, Lori agreed. oeI can use a late lunch.

oeWhere's your .270 Guru asked. He saw that she had her AKM instead.

oeOh, the SF guys are taking care of it. Their gunsmith was practically in heaven. He's drooling at the thought of customizing it for me, but I told him no. It's a family heirloom, and right now, it's my only family connection.

Guru and Tony knew all too well what she meant. oeSorry...

oeDon't be, Lori replied. oeNot your fault. And if someone talked, I'll find whoever it is. And kill them myself.

The two pilots understood, and they also knew that she meant what she said. Then they walked to the cafe. A sign at the entrance asked that all civilians check their long guns at the door, but military personnel could keep theirs. And they saw several of their fellow evadees sitting down at a table. oeGuys, come on in, Neal Brandon waved.

oeThanks, Tony said. And the trio joined their friends. The waitress came over with menus for the new arrivals. oeYou guys just ordered

oeYeah, Bill Andrews said. oeMost of the beef, though, it's unavailable. Even if they do have it, you need a ration coupon to order.

oeLet me guess: chicken, pork, elk, deer Lori asked.

oeYou got it, Neal Brandon said.

oeI've had enough deer and elk that if I ate one more bite, I'll start growing antlers, Guru quipped. oePork chops and eggs is good enough for me.

oeSame here, Lori said. oeI can do without for a few more days. Remember, prewar, I hunted a lot.

oeSeconded, Tony said.

After the new arrivals had ordered, Guru noticed something. He saw a very healthy looking busboy cleaning up a table. oeShoudn't he be in uniform

oeWe asked the waitress that same question when we got here, Bill Andrews said. oeHe can't join up.

oeWhat

oeHe's diabetic, she said. Needs insulin every day, and the Army's the area's only supply. Andrews said.

oeOh, boy. Guru sighed. Then he noticed the boy was packing a Colt .357 Magnum in a shoulder holster. oeEverybody's carrying.

oeYep, Brandon said. oeAnd that kid does his part: they have a mounted posse, and he rides with 'em. He may be diabetic, but he still does his part for the war effort.

oeSorry to change the subject, but did you guys hear about when we're leaving Bill Andrews asked.

oeThe AF liaison said we'd have something in a day or two. Family notifications have to go first, Tony Carpenter said. oeThen we get two weeks' leave, then refresher training, and back to our original units.

Andrews smiled. He raised his glass of ice water. oeHere's to that,

Clink

The waitress brought the original party's order, and said to the new arrivals, oeYour meals are coming. Be a few more minutes. And Guru, Tony, and Lori watched with envy as their friends tore into their food. Lori was drooling, and looked at Neal Brandon as if possessed. Then she saw him jerk his head up with a start. oeWhat's up

oeThe front door.

oeWhat are you.. Lori asked, turning to look. Guru and Tony turned as well, just as a Cuban Colonel, in full uniform, came into the cafe. And everyone at the table, not to mention several Army personnel at other tables, reached for their rifles. And as safeties were being clicked off, an Army officer came running in.

oeHey, don't shoot! He's a defector.

oeProve it, An SF trooper at a nearby table said, pointing a CAR-15 at the Cuban.

Everyone at Guru's table had their AKMs out, waiting. Then another officer came in-a light colonel, this one, and said, oePeople, he's a defector, it's OK. And weapons began to be lowered. As the Cuban entered, it was obvious that he was what they said he was. Several SF officers were right behind him, and in plain BDUs, a couple of others, who looked to be oeOGA types, followed the officers. The party sat down at another table, and after ordering coffee, started to talk to the Cuban. He took one look at Guru's table and asked, in English, oeIs this how you welcome guests

One of the officers laughed. oeColonel, with that group, it probably is. They just came out of the mountains a few days ago.

oeI see... the Cuban said. Then he switched to a language that no one, other than the SF men, could understand.

Unable to follow the conversation, Guru's party ate. As they got up to leave, the Cuban was still at it. oeWant to bet they'll be at it all night Neal Brandon asked.

oeNo takers, Tony said. oeMaybe they'll be so busy with him, they'll tell us, 'We're done with you guys.'

After paying for his meal, Lori's, and Tony's, Guru went outside. There, he found an AF Sergeant, part of the liaison team, waiting. oeSergeant

He turned. oeLieutenant Wiser Then he saluted.

Guru returned it. oeThat's right.

oeSir, I've got movement and travel orders for you and Lieutenant Carpenter. He looked behind Guru. oeIs Captain Andrews in there I've got something for him as well.

Tony came out, with Lori right behind him . oeWho's asking

oeHe is, Guru pointed to the Sergeant. oeHe's got one for you, Tony, Guru said as he opened the envelope. oeTwo weeks' leave. Movement and travel to Castle AFB is authorized, civilian train transportation to Fresno.... Home for two weeks, Guru noticed. oeCan't beat that.

oeSame here, Tony said. oeTwo days on a train to Oregon, though, he saw.

Lori shook their hands. oeAt least you guys have a home to go back to. When this is over, I have to start all over. She looked at them oeAnd so do a lot of others.

oeYeah. Guru knew full well what she meant. He held out his hand oeLori, when this is all over, you're welcome at our unit reunions. You've earned it.

She shook his hand, then embraced Guru. oeThanks, Matt. Then she did the same with Tony. oeYou guys take care, and do me, and all of us up in the hills a favor.

oeJust say it, Lori, Guru said.

oeKill as many of those bastards you want. Shoot them down or blow 'em up on the ground, I don't care. Lori told both of them with all seriousness.

oeWe'll do that.

24 June 1985, 1400 Mountain War Time; Williams AFB, AZ.

Lieutenant Matt Wiser got off the C-130 that had flown him, via Beale AFB and Nellis, from Kingsley Field to Williams. Just as he'd hoped, he was rejoining the Chiefs, the 335th TFS, and getting back into the fight. He looked around, and saw the familiar: F-4s, painted in either SEA camouflage or Navy/Marine Corps grey, A-4s and A-6s, AF Jolly Green Giant rescue choppers, and a couple of other C-130s. Just another day.

He'd enjoyed the two weeks at his home in Auberry, in the Southern Sierra Nevada foothills. His family was doing OK, and rationing, though it had bitten, wasn't hitting rural folks as hard as it did in cities, for nearly everyone who could had a garden. Though trips to Fresno were still common, people knew to combine trips, and shop for a neighbor if that person only needed one or two things.

Word had gotten around that he was back, and he'd been asked to talk to school assemblies, the local VFW, the Shaver Lake Chamber of Commerce, and so on. Recounting his experiences, some of which he still didn't want to talk about, went easier than he thought, and he wished he had more time at home with his mom and grandparents, but the two weeks went by fast, and it was time to get to the Fresno Air Guard Base. There, he'd gotten his travel orders to go to Kingsley Field, and that meant space-available again on a C-130. When he got to Kingsley Field, to his surprise, he had very little to do with Colonel Saul Tigh, the CO of the RTU there, but things he'd heard about the man came back: he was stubborn, irascible, grumpy, and just an overall asshole. When Guru had said as much to one of his instructors, the man-who had flown with Tigh in Vietnam before going to the Reserves, simply said, oeYou only have him for two weeks. I put up with him in SEA for a year.

His RTU time went by fast, and on his final check ride, he'd maxed the flight. His instructor was beaming on landing, and was ready to pronounce Guru requalified. Tigh was on the ramp, and when the instructor brought Tigh the form to sign, with Guru there, Tigh had simply signed it, made some kind of grunt, then went off. Guru turned to the instructor, a Captain, and said, oeThat's it No 'Welcome back to the Air Force' Or 'Glad to have you back in the fight'

oeThat's it, Lieutenant.

The only down side: Tony Carpenter, once he requalified, was being kept on as an instructor. When they were in the O-Club that afternoon, Guru was celebrating, while Tony was drowning his sorrows. oeTony, it won't last forever. You'll be back in the fight.

oeYeah, but for at least a year, I have to put up with this asshole. Carpenter grumbled.

oeWell....what else can I say Guru held out his hand. oeI'm glad to have flown with you, and see you at the reunion.

oeGuru, I'm glad to have known you, Tony said, shaking his hand. oeI'll see you around. Take care, and check six.

Now, as he got off the C-130, a wave of heat hit him. He was in his dress blues, as per regs, and it was hot on the ramp. Guru looked around, and saw the 335th was still in its old location. He went to check back in with his squadron, glad to be back. He opened the door to the old T-37 flying training squadron offices that the 335th had taken over, and he saw a few familiar faces. And one of them recognized him: Captain Tim Cain, one of the backseaters left from Day One. oeGuru!

oeTim, Guru said. oeGlad to be back.

oeWe heard you were coming back, man. How bad was it with the Resistance

oeDon't ask. It was bad enough, Guru replied. oeIf you want to know, it should be in the SERE Bulletin.

oeYeah, Cain responded.

oeColonel Rivers still the CO Guru asked.

oeHe is. He'll want to see you.

Guru nodded. oeAll right.

He picked up his bag and went to the CO's office. Several of his friends had recognized him, but there were more than a few unfamiliar faces. And he knew why. People he'd flown with were KIA, MIA, POW, or were in the hospital. Or worse: they might be going through what he'd experienced. Shaking his head at the thought, he knocked on the CO's door. oeCome in.

Guru went into the office and saluted. oeColonel, one lost sheep back to the 335th.

oeGuru! Lt. Col. Dean Rivers said, getting up and shaking his hand. oeGlad to have you back.

oeGood to be back, Sir. Guru replied.

oeBefore you have a seat, you're out of uniform, Rivers told Guru.

Guru was confused. They'd reoutfitted him at Castle before he went home, and he found out the AF had sent his personal belongings home after he'd been reported MIA. oeSir

Rivers gave him a small case, like a jeweler would use. oeOpen it.

Guru did. oeCaptain He stared at the CO with a dumb look on his face. oeSir, I don't have enough time in grade.

oeThings are different in wartime, Guru. Lot of things happened while you were doing the SERE course for real.

oeWe heard. Some botched counterattack, then Ivan pushed north again, and they got stopped short of the Mississippi and I-90. Guru replied. oeWe saw Stars and Stripes when we came out of the mountains.

Rivers nodded. oeYeah. And we just started pushing them back. Chances are, we go right back to where they were in January.

oeLovely, Guru said.

oeAnyway, sorry about Tony not coming back. I asked for both of you, but they wanted an Academy grad as an instructor there, Rivers admitted. oeBut I've got you a new WSO. A week out of the RTU, but no combat yet.

oeCaptain's bars and a new WSO in the same day, Guru noted. oeBe careful of what you ask for, because you might just get it.

Rivers let out a laugh. oeThere is that. Ready to meet your new backseater

oeMight as well, Guru said. Not that he had much choice.

Rivers went to the office door and motioned for someone to come in. A female 1st Lieutenant came in, with wavy blonde hair as long as regs permitted, and even in a flight suit, she was a looker. oeFirst Lieutenant Lisa Eichhorn reporting, Sir. she said, saluting.

Rivers nodded and returned the salute. oeLieutenant,. He turned to Guru. oeLieutenant Eichhorn, meet Captain Matt Wiser, your new pilot.

Guru was surprised. This had to be a welcome-back joke. But what if it wasn't When had they tossed the ban on women flying combat oeSir

oeGuru, they tossed the ban on women flying combat in November, but we were all too busy to notice, Rivers reminded the new Captain. oeShe's in the first crop of female pilots and WSOs to come out of the RTU.

Well, then, that answers that. oeJust like Ivan did, forty years ago, Guru observed. He put out his hand. oePleased to meet you.

oeLikewise, Eichhorn replied.

oeHow'd you do at Kingsley Field

oeFirst in my WSO class, Eichhorn said with pride.

Guru noticed her Academy ring. oeAny problems flying with an OTS grad

oeNot at all, Eichhorn replied. oeRight now, the only thing I care about is my pilot wearing Air Force Blue.

Guru nodded, then turned to Rivers, who made a habit of not wearing his class ring. oeBoss, I think we'll get along just fine. He turned to Eichhorn. oeWhat's your call sign

oeGoalie, she replied.

oeA guru and a goalie, Rivers observed. oeYou two will make a good team. Now, Guru, I'll want a check ride with you in the morning, then you two can fly a fam hop to the Goldwater range to shake down. Because in three days, we're back on the firing line.

oeYes, Sir. Guru said.

oeAll right, find Mark Ellis, Guru, and see about billeting. We're still in the Mesa Sheraton, but he'll find you a roomie.

Guru nodded.

oeAnything else Rivers asked. Both shook their heads. oeDismissed.

Back in the squadron offices, several old hands welcomed Guru back. And they reminded him of the obligatory promotion party! oeTomorrow night, guys, Guru said. He walked out of the building, with Goalie right behind him. He turned to her. oeLet's say we go to the Club, and talk things over. I think we'll make a good team.

She nodded. oeSuits me just fine. As long as the new Captain is paying.

Guru laughed. oeYou know what We'll get along just fine. And I am.

It was her turn to laugh. oeThen let's go.

Epilogue:

14 October, 2011. Victory Day Air Show, Scott AFB, IL.

Colonels Matt Wiser and Lisa Eichhorn were sitting in the shade, which their F-15E Strike Eagles could provide. He had flown his Wing King bird from Hill AFB in Utah, where he commanded the 419th TFW of the AF Reserve, while Colonel Eichhorn flew her Wing King bird from Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, where she ran the 366th TFW oeThe Gunfighters. They were the first married couple in the Air Force to be wing commanders at the same time, and flying the same aircraft, so there was naturally some publicity. They had been specifically requested by the Air Force to bring themselves and their aircraft to the show, and to have one other aircraft from their unit come, flown by veterans of World War III if at all possible, or the recent Baja War if not. Colonel Wiser had brought his WSO, who was too young to be in the Big War, but had flown with him in Mexico, and Colonel Eichhorn had done the same. But their wingmates had been in the big one: Colonel Wiser's was Lt. Col. Kelly Ann Ray, who had been a POW in Cuba during the war, while Colonel Eichhorn had brought along Lt. Col. Kara Thrace, who had been in the 335th during the war, and was now commanding the 390th TFS. All of their respective WSOs had flown in Mexico, when both units had deployed to Baja for that brief war.

This year's Victory Day Air Show was big, and for two reasons. First, it was the biggest show of the season, and all of the military's demonstration teams participated: the Thunderbirds from the Air Force, the Blue Angels from the Navy, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, and the services' respective Heritage Flights. Second, it was the final Victory Day show to be held at Scott, because the following year, Andrews AFB would formally reopen, along with the rededicated and rebuilt Washington, D.C, and the show would move to Andrews on a permanent basis, much to the disappointment of the Greater St. Louis area, which looked forward to the show visitors pumping a lot of money into the local economy every year.

That was not a concern to the two colonels, who noted that a lot of vets were in attendance. Though this day was more of a practice day, with the teams having practice runs, it was also the day when VIPs could attend, without the extra security, and it was also the day that civic and veterans' organizations, as well as special needs visitors, could be there as well. The oeMake-a-wish kids often came on the practice days, and these days were less crowded.

Looking around, Guru saw the F-15Es from Seymour-Johnson, and he had a soft spot for his old wing, and the 335th, which was still part of the 4th TFW. Then there were the F-22s, and he knew full well that Kara and Kelly had a score to settle with the CO of the 357th TFW, who had oeshot down both of them in a Red Flag, and they had promised revenge, even if he was a one-star. The bombers were out, with B-52s and B-1s on the ramp, with the B-1C known as Cleopatra and its all-female crew being spotlighted, and a B-2 flyby from Whiteman was on the agenda. Just about every type of fighter, bomber, or transport was represented, and that was just the AF! All of the other services were well represented, with Navy, Marine, and Army aircraft and helicopters there, and the RCAF also came down as usual.

Guru and Goalie were talking with some cub scouts, signing autographs, and showing the kids around the F-15Es, while Kelly Ann Ray was signing books: her book Down in Cuba had become a best-seller, and had been made into a movie that had done well on Showtime, and was coming to DVD. Then Goalie looked around. oeWhere's Kara

oeShe went to put some decals in the wheel well of that one-star's F-22, Guru said. oeNotice I said the wheel well. She knows full well not to put it on the outside.

oeDoes she Goalie asked her husband. oeI don't want my pay docked to pay for the paint job.

Kara then came back. oeMission accomplished.

oeYou did put them in the wheel well Goalie asked.

oeYes, Ma'am, Kara said. oeI may be crazy but I'm not stupid. Besides, I want that one-star's crew chief to have a coronary-along with said one-star.

oeThat's our Kara, Colonel Ray quipped. And everyone knew she wasn't kidding.

The cub scouts had just gone on, when a Cuban-accented voice spoke up. oeColonel Wiser, we meet at last.

oeHuh Guru turned and saw someone he hadn't seen personally since that long-ago day in that caf in Colorado. But he'd seen the man on Larry King Live, being interviewed along with Erica Mason, one of the two surviving Wolverines, and now Governor of Colorado. oeWell, now. Not every day you see a man you almost shot.

oeWhat Goalie asked. And the expressions on Kara's face and Kelly's were just as surprised.

oeAh, Colonel Ernesto Bella, Cuban Army (ret.), said. oeYes, your Colonel here almost shot me in a caf after my defection. He explained the event to the Eagle crews.

oeErnesto, you didn't tell me about this a woman's voice said.

oeForgive me, Colonel, meet my wife, Manuela, and my children, Jose, Pedro, and Sofia, Bella said, introducing his wife, teenage son, and year-old twins.

oePleased to meet you, Guru said, and the other Eagle crews were just as pleasant.

oeNow, what's this about nearly shooting him in a caf Mrs. Bella asked.

Guru nodded. oeWell, Ma'am, your husband came into the caf still in his Cuban Army uniform, complete with beret, and everyone reacted out of reflex. It wasn't just us; almost everyone in there was carrying a weapon of one sort or another.

Bella laughed. oeYes, and I remarked to one of the intelligence officers that 'Is this how you welcome guests'

oeThat I heard, Guru said. oeWhat brings you here, Colonel

oeI have something for you, Bella said. He motioned behind him, and a young woman came and handed him a folder, and getting by the bodyguards that always accompanied Bella. oeMy publicist. After my book's success, hiring one was mandatory. He handed Guru the folder. oeI suggest you have a look.

Guru opened the folder. Several photos came out. They showed a party walking single-file, towards a mountain pass. All were dressed in Soviet winter suits, and had AK rifles at the ready, except for one, who had a hunting rifle. oeI recognize the one with the rifle. Lori Sheppard: that's a .270 Winchester she's carrying.

oeYes, I saw her at the caf, Bella said. oeNow, look at the close-ups.

Guru flipped through the photos. There were several 8x10 close-ups, all clearly enlargements. oeOK, Neal Brandon, Lori Sheppard, and.... He looked at Bella. oeThis isn't possible.

oeIt is, Colonel, Bella replied.

oeLet me see, Goalie asked. She looked over Guru's shoulder. oeWhat! Guru, that's you!

oeYeah, Guru said. He looked at Bella. oeWho took these

oeA Spetsnatz team. They had orders to observe and report about whoever was using the pass. The Front intelligence directorate wanted to know about possible guerrilla supply lines, escape routes, that sort of thing. They had orders to observe and report only, and to avoid combat, Bella said, matter of factly.

oeHow'd they know we were there

oeThey didn't, responded Bella. oeThey had been up there for nine days, and were on the last day of their mission,

oeGod...they're good enough to recognize everybody, Guru noted. oeExcuse me, Colonel, but I need to make a phone call. He reached into one of his flight suit pockets and pulled out his cell phone.

oeWho are you calling Goalie asked.

oeSheriff Lori Sheppard. was the reply. Guru had her number, and he made the call.

oeSheriff Sheppard, Lori said after picking up. oeWhat's up, Colonel

oeLori, Guru said. oeI'm at the Victory Day Air Show, and there's a certain former Cuban colonel who's got some nice pictures. They're of us, going over the pass.

oeWHAT

oeColonel Bella says there was a Spetsnatz team keeping tabs on the pass. They got some nice pictures of everybody. Good enough to get ID on all of us. Guru told the Sheriff.

oeWho talked Colonel, if someone was a rat, they'll wish they had never been born! Lori was practically shouting into the phone.

oeNobody talked, Guru said. oeBella said they were watching the pass, and we just came into range of their camera...

oeNOT GOOD ENOUGH! Lori yelled. oeI'll find the snitch, whoever it was, and watch as the Feds hang him or her! Colonel, I'll call you back. My chief of detectives is going to be busy for a while. And with that, Lori hung up.

Guru went back to where Goalie was, with Colonel Bella. oeWell Goalie asked.

oeGreat. Lori's gone ballistic. I told her about the Spetsnatz team and the photos, and she went ape. She's convinced someone was a traitor, and she's going after someone who doesn't exist. I do not want to be her chief of detectives right now.

oeAh, Bella said. oeShe has to satisfy herself that there wasn't a traitor, but will make life miserable for her subordinates in the meantime.

oeExactly, Guru said.

oeWell, then. Bella said. He turned to Colonel Ray. oeColonel Ray, I have read your book.

She was surprised. oeAnd how did you like it

oeA very harrowing read, I must say. Bella said. oeYour treatment was most unforgivable, and totally reprehensible. I trust the guilty parties will pay

oeA couple have, Colonel. The rest, well once the appeals are done, it's time to measure them for the correct drop, replied Colonel Ray.

oeQuite so, Bella agreed. oePlease accept my apologies as a Cuban. You and your fellow prisoners deserved much better treatment. He put out her hand.

oeYou're not one of them, Colonel. Ray said. oeSo you're okay in my book. And the two of them shook hands.

oeErnesto, we should be going, Mrs. Bella reminded her husband. oeThere's a lot more to see.

oeYes, we should. Bella turned to Guru. oeYou may keep the photographs, Colonel. Consider them a gift. And a reminder of a close shave.

Guru nodded.

Bella then shook hands with the Eagle drivers, then he and his party-bodyguards included, moved on.

oeWell.... Goalie said. oeNot every day you meet someone like him.

oeYeah, Kara said. oeHe's still in shape, though: I read his book: the man's ex-Cuban SF. Experience in Nicaragua, Angola, Cambodia, El Salvador, and Mexico. He probably doesn't need the bodyguards.

oeThere's enough ex-DGI types around who might still try to whack him, Capt. Jody Tucker, Kelly Ray's WSO, commented. oeHe'll have them for a while longer.

Kelly nodded. oeYou know one thing

oeWhat Guru asked.

oeHe's the first Cuban to actually apologize for what happened to me, personally, Kelly replied. oeHe's okay in my book.

Nodding, Goalie looked at the photos again. oeMan, they were close.

Her husband nodded. oeYeah. Now I have to do one more thing. But not until Monday.

oeWhat's that Kara asked.

oeSee if Lori's climbed down from the ceiling and calmed down, Guru remarked dryly.

oeWhy Monday Goalie asked.

oeIt'll take her that long to settle down, Guru said.

And with that, the show went on, for the rest of the day, and the whole weekend.

**Matt Wiser** · 12-18-2014, 06:24 PM

And the next one....the first day of the war, from the 335th's POV:

The First Day

Prologue: Nellis Air Force Base, NV: 30 August, 1985, 1430 Hours Pacific Daylight Time:

First Lieutenant Matt Wiser climbed down from his F-4E Phantom, having arrived at the sprawling Nellis AFB for his first Red Flag exercise. His unit, the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, had arrived that day from Seymour-Johnson AFB in North Carolina, and this was his first time at Red Flag, or any other major exercise for that matter. He'd been in the squadron all of six months, and was still relatively fresh out of F-4 training. One thing he was glad to have, was that his Squadron CO, Lt. Col. Mark Johnson, had taken him under his wing, and he was the CO's wingman. Colonel Johnson felt that it was his job not just to be CO, but to be a mentor to those just out of the RTU, and having Guru (Wiser's call sign) be his wingmate illustrated that.

Now, after climbing down from his F-4, tail number 515, he shook hands with his WSO, First Lieutenant Tony Carpenter. Tony, though, was an experienced WSO with a year in the cockpit, and as was usual in the AF, had been paired up with a pilot fresh from the RTU. So far, the pilot from California and the WSO from rural Oregon had hit it off, and were planning on enjoying the weekend in Vegas before the Red Flag got going. Then Sergeant Kyle Calhoun, 515's crew chief, came over. oeSir, anything I need to know

oeShe's going good, Sergeant, Guru said. oe515's working like a champ.

oeThank you, sir.

Then Colonel Johnson and his WSO, Maj. Bryan Calhoun, came over. oeGuru, how do you like Nellis

oeHot, sir. Guru said, and Tony echoed that.

oeThat it is, Johnson said. oeCome on in, get cooled off, and we'll get the lowdown.

A few minutes later, the crews from the 335th were in the largest briefing room anyone in the squadron had been in, apart from the Academy grads. oeThis is kinda familiar, Tony said to his pilot.

oeWhat do you mean by that Guru replied.

oeThe Academy. A couple of the lecture halls are this big.

Guru nodded as a one-star general came into the room. oeTEN-HUT!

Everyone snapped to attention as the general came into the room. Brig. Gen. Ken Shoemaker commanded the Fighter Weapons School, and supervised the Red Flag program. oeTake your seats, gentlemen.

Everyone found a place to sit as Shoemaker started to talk.

oeOkay, first of all, welcome to Red Flag 9-85. For the next two weeks, beginning on Tuesday, you all will be put through the wringer when it comes to air combat. Air-to-air or air-to-ground, it doesn't matter. By the time your units are all through, you will have gained the experience needed to fly, fight, and survive if and when the balloon goes up.

oeStatistically, most combat losses occur prior to the tenth combat mission. This exercise will give you the experience, without live ordnance, of those first ten missions. Keep in mind, that you will be flying against the best pilots in the Air Force, who are the Aggressors. They fly according to Soviet doctrine, and don't be surprised if they see you before you see them.

oeNow, you'll have a flying day tomorrow, for orientation. Normally, in a combat zone, you wouldn't get that chance, but this is an exercise, and those rules apply. Before you all get billeted, one other thing: if you go off base, and chances are, all of you will, base security has been ramped up a notch. We're at Threatcon BRAVO for the time being. So expect some delays as you come and go from the base. Questions

'Sir, Colonel Johnson raised his hand. oeThis have anything to do with China and the Far East

oeGood question. This is just for this base only. Something's going on, and it's an ongoing investigation. It might be China, but then again, with everything that's going on south of the border....just keep in mind that this will likely blow over. That's what I've been told, anyway, General Shoemaker said. oeAnything else There were the usual questions about billeting, and the other usual things that went on with an exercise, then Shoemaker said, oeAll right, that's it. Good luck, and play safe.

After going to the Las Vegas Hilton, where the squadron had been billeted, along with the 58th TFS from Eglin AFB, Guru and Tony went down to one of the hotel's restaurants for dinner. Most were out of the price range of a couple of Air Force First Lieutenants, but they a causal cafe to sit down and eat. After ordering their meals, Guru took out a copy of a Vegas newspaper he'd picked up in the hotel lobby, The Las Vegas Journal, and as he started to read, he whistled.

oeWhat Tony asked.

oeChinese call for UN to discuss Soviet troop buildup in Far East. Guru said, reading from the headline.

oeLet me see... Tony asked, and Guru handed him the front page. oeWhoa...this looks serious. 'Chinese sources claim there are now eighty Soviet divisions in the Soviet Far East, and the Chinese Government has demanded an explanation from the Soviet Union. All requests have been denied.' Wouldn't surprise me, the two Communist giants going at each other.

oeYeah, and North Korea is a friend of Ivan, Guru pointed out. oeIf they go south when the Russians move....

oeWe're at war, Tony finished. oeYou up for a TransPac

oeIf you drive F-4s, it has to happen sometime, Guru said, remembering one of his RTU instructors.

Then Colonel Johnson came in, and he was looking tired. oeWondered if I'd find some guys from the squadron here.

oeWell, Boss, Guru said. oeMost of the other eateries here are a bit above our pay grade.

oeOr dress code, Tony added.

oeThere is that, the CO said. oeI'm waiting for the XO, we've got some things to talk about, and you guys will find out tomorrow, with everyone else.

oeAs usual, Guru deadpanned. oeBig fish talk, little fish circle around and wait.

Johnson smiled. oeYou're catching on fast, Lieutenant. Anyway, they had a briefing for all squadron commanders. Not just those here for the Flag, but the tenant units as well. Want to know why the base security got stepped up

oeThe thought had occurred to us, Carpenter said, just as the waitress brought their dinner salads.

oeWell, the story is that some guy whose parents were Russian emigres either tried to get into the Air Force and got turned down, or got kicked out of the Air Force, flipped out, made threats against the base, and well...nobody's taking any chances.

oeGreat, some wacko with a grudge against the Air Force, Guru said as he attacked his salad. oeFBI out looking for this nut

oeLVPD and FBI, Johnson said. oeSo....now you know what's up. Just smile, grin and bear it, and hopefully soon, they'll catch this nut and they can stand down.

oeEveryone on base will be glad to hear that, Boss, Tony said.

Guru nodded. oeEven better still: they caught this bastard.

Colonel Johnson nodded back. oeThat's the best of all. Then he saw the XO appear at the entrance to the restaurant. oeLooks like the XO's here. See you two tomorrow, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, 0800.

oeWe'll be there, Guru said.

Nellis AFB, NV, 0630 Hours Pacific Daylight Time, 4 September, 1985:

Lieutenants Matt Wiser and Tony Carpenter were in their rented Camaro, in a line of cars waiting to enter Nellis Air Force Base. They had risen early, eaten at the hotel, and knowing that there was a good chance security was still on alert, the both of them decided to go ahead and head to the base. Now, looking out the left window, Wiser saw a long line of cars on Craig Road waiting to enter the base. He and Tony had driven up Las Vegas Boulevard, avoiding I-15, and were in a long line as well. And both of them noticed Clark County Sheriff's Deputies and Nevada Highway Patrol officers assisting with traffic, since they were outside the city limits of Las Vegas. oeHow long have we been here Guru asked.

Tony looked at his watch. oeSince 5:50.

oeGod, with this much security, you'd think the President was coming.

oeYeah, Tony nodded. He went back to the morning's Las Vegas Review, which they'd picked up at the hotel along with the Los Angeles Times. oeSays here they did find that wacko.

oeOh Guru asked.

oeYeah. He crashed off of U.S. 93 near Henderson. They found him, dead, along with an AK-47 and 5,000 rounds of ammo.

oeAnything else, like, say, a note Guru asked. oeNuts like that always leave something to say 'The world sucks, It sucks to be me, so I'm lashing out.' Or something like that.

Tony scanned the story. oeNope.

oeGreat, Guru cursed. oeIf this guy's dead, why all the security

oeMaybe he's got friends Tony asked.

The line moved and as the Camaro got to the main gate, Guru and Tony noticed the AF Security Police waiting. They rolled down the windows and got ready to show their ID cards.

oeSirs, could you step out of the vehicle, please One of the airmen asked. Instead of the spit-and-polish of dress uniforms, they were in fatigues, and had M-16s slung over their shoulders.

Guru and Tony got out of the car and both were quickly padded down by SP s. After that, they were allowed to show their ID, and the car was given the mirror treatment, and a military working dog sniffed the vehicle. Everything was checked, and only after the dog was through did the SP airman hand the ID cards back to the two officers. oeHere you go, sirs,

oeWhat's this about Didn't they catch that loony last night Tony asked.

'Sir, all I know is what they told us: keep this up for another day or so. Not until the FBI and OSI give the all-clear. OSI meant the Office of Special Investigations, the Air Force's criminal-investigation and counterintelligence arm.

The two F-4 crewers shrugged, got into their car, and headed into the base. After a few minutes, they found the building where their squadron was being housed for the duration of the exercise. After they parked, they found several of their squadron mates sitting around, waiting. oeLook who the cat dragged in, Capt. Morgan Donahue, who was one of the squadron's ordnance officers (every pilot and WSO had a secondary ground job besides flying) quipped.

'And good morning to you too, Tony said. oeSir.

oeLet me guess You guys still grumpy about being in that traffic jam

oeYou could say that, Guru said as he got his bag out of the car. They then went inside and found the ops office. Both of them worked for Major Keith Pollard, the Operations Officer. He wasn't there, so they left their bags on their desks. As they got ready to go back outside, Colonel Johnson came in.

oeNice to see my wing crew in early, Johnson said.

oeYes, sir, Guru and Tony nodded.

oeMajor Pollard in

oeNo sir, Guru replied. oeChances are, he's stuck in traffic.

oeLike almost everybody, Colonel Johnson said. oeYou guys eat yet

oeYes, sir. We ate before coming here, Tony said.

oeCome on. It's going to be a busy day, and you'll be glad you had the extra food.

Officer's Open Mess, Nellis AFB, NV: 0710 Hours Pacific Daylight Time:

oeSo, how was your weekend Colonel Johnson asked Guru and Tony.

oeCelebrated my birthday Friday, Lieutenant Wiser said. oeOne of the restaurants in the hotel is a steakhouse, and they had a steak and lobster tail dinner.

oeSteak and shrimp for me, Tony said. oeIt was a little expensive, but since he paid, it was worth it.

oeAlways good to have someone else pay for a dinner like that, Maj. Brian Calhoun, Johnson's WSO, said.

oeIt is that, Tony grinned. oeOther than that, we wasted a little money in the slot machines.

oeOnly a little, Boss, Guru added.

Colonel Johnson nodded as he skimmed the Las Vegas Journal. This was a later edition than the one that had come out earlier in the morning. oeSee this 'China Claims Soviets Plan Attack'

oeWe saw it, Colonel, Guru said. oeOne thing I learned as a History Major....

oeAnd that is, Johnson asked in between bites of his omelet.

oeOne of Eisenhower's prima donnas said this: 'There are only two rules of war, One, Never invade Russia. Two: Never invade China.'

oeWho said that Tony asked.

oeMontgomery, Guru said, then he took a swig of coffee.

Capt. Donahue spoke up. oeWell, Colonel, if the two Communist giants go after each other, what do we do

oeSit back and watch, Captain, Johnson nodded.

oeThat'd be great... Guru nodded. Just after he said that, there was a large BOOM.

oeWhat the hell was that Several people asked all at once.

oeConstruction blasting Colonel Johnson asked. oeAt this time of morning

Then there was another explosion, and what sounded like firecrackers off in the distance.

oeMaybe that nut had friends, someone said.

Then another Colonel, who'd been in Southeast Asia, yelled, oeThat's small arms fire! And this base is under attack!

General Shoemaker came running in, half out of breath. oePeople, I'm only going to say this once: we are at war. The Soviets have attacked Alaska, there's Soviet and Cuban armor crossing the border from Tijuana all the way to the Gulf, and there's Soviet airborne in Colorado and New Mexico. Right now, your planes are being armed with what's available. Get to the border, and any armor headed north Kill it. Man your aircraft!

The mess emptied as aircrews and other officers headed to their posts or to get suited up. Colonel Johnson, Guru, and the others from the 335th ran like hell to their spaces, and frantically got suited up. oeEver think you'd go to war Tony asked.

oeIn Korea, or maybe Europe, Guru said as he put on his G-suit and grabbed his helmet and oxygen mask.

On the way out, they literally ran into their squadron's supply officer, Maj. Paul Whitaker. He was a former WSO who'd been grounded due to a heart murmur, and he was wondering what was going on.
oeWhat's going on

oePaul, Colonel Johnson said as he went out the door. oeTriple-order everything you can think of.

oeWhat the hell's happened

oeIvan and Fidel just crossed the border. So we're at war. Tell the supply sergeants to, uh, get whatever we need, by hook or crook.

Whitaker understood; he'd been a F-4 WSO in 1972 during LINEBACKER I and II. oeGotcha, Colonel. Go get some.

oeLet's go, people! Johnson yelled as the crews ran for their aircraft.

Guru and Tony ran for 515, oetheir aircraft, while others intended to take the first armed and fueled aircraft they came to. As they ran, they saw two F-16s from the 474th TFW, the combat unit stationed at Nellis, take to the air. As they got to 515, they found their crew chief staring dumbfounded as ordnance people loaded a full drum of 20-mm ammunition for the F-4's Vulcan cannon, and loaded a pair of TER racks with three Mark-82 500-pound bombs apiece on the inner wing stations. oeSergeant, Guru said as they reached the plane.

oeSir, what's going on Sergeant Calhoun asked in his Georgia drawl.

oeRemember all those folks who said the Russians might come across the Rio Grande Tony said.

Calhoun nodded. oeYes, sir....

oeThey were right, Guru said. oeGot the starter cart

oeAll set, sir. But.. what, we're at war

oeWe are. Get ready for engine start, Guru said as he climbed the crew ladder and got into the pilot's seat.

Then Calhoun's training kicked in, and he helped both Guru and Tony get strapped into their seats. The two crewers ran through what both thought was their fastest preflight ever, then they got the oestart engines hand signal from their crew chief. Both J-79 engines came to life, one after the other. As the engines warmed up, Colonel Johnson's voice came over the radio. oeOkay, people, go in flights of four. Get to the border, find armor headed north, and kill it. Watch for MiGs, watch for SAMs, and watch for power lines if you get down low. Remember your training, stick to your wingmen, and we'll get through this. Go by call signs on the radio. Let's go.

With that, Johnson's plane began to taxi, and Guru was right behind him. As they taxied, the crews noticed several more F-16 two-ships, and a couple of F-15s-presumably from the visiting 58th TFS, take to the air. They held short of the runway so that the armorers could pull of the weapon safety pins, and as they waited, the crews saw a strange sight: the Catholic Chaplain, standing next to the armorers, and he was giving the departing crews the sign of the Cross, and a absolution as they taxied onto the runway. oeYou Catholic Tony asked as he saw Guru snap a salute to the Chaplain.

oeNo, technically Episcopalian, but devout Agnostic. But today We may need all the help we can get, Guru observed as he taxied onto the runway, in the wing position to Colonel Johnson.

As they taxied, they saw a couple of helicopters orbiting. One was a UH-1N from the base, and another looked to be a civilian news chopper. Then, all of a sudden, a white smoke trail came from just north of the base, and the news chopper's tail came off as it was struck.

It tumbled to the ground in flames and exploded on impact oeOh, God... Guru said. oeBoss-

oeI saw it, the CO responded. oeAll Chiefs, this is Lead. Grail, Grail, Grail. Combat takeoffs, no matter what.

Before anyone could respond, the tower flashed a green light. Clear for takeoff.

oeLet's go! Johnson shouted, and he released his brakes and rolled down the runway. Guru followed, and both Phantoms rumbled into the air. And as they pulled up and away, toward Lake Mead, they saw another missile trail reach out towards them, but it missed. Then the UH-1 hovered over the launch area, and sprayed it with machine-gun fire.

After takeoff, the two Phantoms were joined by another pair, plus two F-16s and two F-15s. Colonel Johnson called the element leaders, and found out he was senior. oeAll right, follow us to the border. Kill any MiGs that get too close to us.

oeCopy that, the F-15 leader, a brand-new Captain who had just graduated to element lead, said. Let's go.

oeWhat are we waiting for the F-16 lead called.

The eight-ship then turned and headed into Arizona.

Over Arizona, 0810 Hours:

As the eight-ship headed south, towards the Phoenix area, everyone was either scanning the sky, or in the WSOs' case, watching their radar scopes. So far, everything they had picked up was civilian, but no one was taking any chances, because either the F-15s or F-16s went to ID the contacts.

A few minutes later, they approached the Phoenix area, and gave the airspace around Luke AFB a wide berth. The crews could see F-15s taking off, and several civilian airliners coming in to the traffic pattern for Sky Harbor IAP. So far, there were no signs of any enemy aircraft, but that could easily change. oeTony, try using that AM receiver on your radio. See if you can pick up anything, Guru said.

oeGotcha, Tony replied. He fiddled with the tuner, while Guru stayed on the squadron's own channel.

As they skirted Phoenix, the crews saw several civilian airliners landing. Evidently the FAA had ordered all civilian aircraft to land at the nearest airport, and a nationwide ground stop. That had only happened twice, during exercises in the 1960s. Now, the fighter crews saw a number of airliners, from commuter types to a 747, orbiting and waiting to land. And there were some F-15s circling above them. They also noticed a departure: a Arizona ANG KC-135 was getting airborne.

oeEither SAC scrambled them or those guys took off on their own, Tony called on the intercom.

oeYeah, Guru said. oeAnything on the radio

oeUh, got a station from Phoenix. They're telling people to stay off the streets, leave them clear for police, emergency vehicles, and the National Guard.

oeWhat you'd expect,' Guru said as they headed past Sky Harbor Airport. oeAnything else

oeYeah, nobody can get in touch with either New York or D.C.,

oeWhat

oeThat's what the man said. And he was talking to a guy from their sister station in El Paso. That guy said there were Cuban tanks and troops in Downtown El Paso.

Guru shook his head at the thought. oeLead, Guru.

oeLead here, Go, the CO replied.

oeBoss, anything about that tanker

oeRoger that. He came up on GUARD and offered to pass fuel to anybody who needed it. Johnson said. oeHe also asked if we'd heard about Omaha.

oeWhat about it

oeFlight, Lead. Omaha's gone. They took a nuke, a big one. Same thing for Kansas City.

Mother of God....Tony thought. His old Academy roommate was from K.C., though the guy was now stationed in Hawaii, he did have family still there. oeBoss, anything about D.C. Or New York

oeHe didn't say, the CO said. oeTuscon dead ahead. Watch for Hogs and SLUFs. SLUFs meant A-7 Corsairs, and the Arizona ANG at Tuscon flew two squadrons. One a deployable squadron, the other handed RTU duty for the A-7 force, which was all ANG. The Hogs were the A-10s, and chances were, they'd be headed to wherever the armor threat was showing itself. And several A-10s were seen headed south, as well as a number of A-7s. oeFollow I-19, people. That's where they're coming up. I'd bet money on it.

The eight-ship headed south, and as they did so, activity began to pick up on their EW systems. oeLead, Surfer. That was Capt. Sean oeSurfer Boyer, flying as Three. oeGot a six coming up. Surfer's call meant an SA-6 missile radar was up.

oeGot it, Surfer, the CO replied.

A call came in on GUARD: armor at Rio Rico, north of Nogales on I-19. oeBoss, Guru. Looks like we've got a target.

oeCopy that. Eagles and Vipers, any MiGs come to the party, break 'em up. Rhinos, we got work to do.

Both F-15 and F-16 leaders acknowledged, and the F-4s, who were called Rhinos on the radio, dropped down low. As they did, more SAM radars came up. oeGot another six, and an eight, Surfer called. Another SA-6 was up, and an SA-8 was there as well.

oeAnd no Weasels, Tony said to Guru. oeRemember what they told you about the Israelis in '73

oeYeah. Same drill, Guru said. That meant a low-altitude ingress, a quick pop-up to release the bombs, and get out low again. He looked ahead and saw A-7s and A-10s working Interstate 19, and Colonel Johnson led them past that strike area, and spotted some vehicles backed up on the freeway. Tanks and APCs by the look of them.

oeFlight, Lead. One pass, south to north. Go in low, pop up, make your run, and get out. If you're hit, try Davis-Monthan or Tuscon International. Time to do what they pay us for.

oeTwo copies, Guru

oeThree, Surfer.

oeFour, roger, Capt. Keith oeYogi Santelli.

oeAll right, let's go. Lead's in hot! And Colonel Johnson led the 335th on its first attack mission of the war.

Down below, a Cuban motor-rifle battalion commander was having a fit. Though the initial push through Nogales had gone according to plan, the Mexicans had taken the lead, as they were exuberant about reclaiming what they felt had been stolen from them in the Mexican War back in 1846-48. But now, they were stopping every so often to loot, and hopes of a swift advance to Tuscon and seizing the Davis-Monthan air base complex were starting to fade, especially with the Americans' having reacted quickly, and the skies were now full of American aircraft. Suddenly, his political officer pointed to the southwest. oeAIRCRAFT!

Colonel Johnson made his pop-up, and rolled in on the target. He dropped his bombs, and got back low, calling, oeLead's off safe.

Guru went in just as his leader made his pop-up. oeTwo's in! He called, oeSwitches set Guru asked his backseater.

oeAll set, Tony replied.

Guru grinned beneath his oxygen mask. He lined up several APCs in his pipper, then released his bombs. Two off target. He pulled up after the bomb run, and headed north.

Unknown to him, the Cuban battalion commander was picking himself up after Colonel Johnson's run. A couple of BTR-70s had been ripped apart by bomb hits, and a few others had been flipped on their sides by near-misses. The Cuban Major was shouting orders to get trapped men out of their vehicles when Guru's plane flashed over. He never saw the Mark-82 that exploded near him......

Guru banked his F-4 around, trying to stay below 300 feet. oeWell

oeSHACK! Tony called. oeThere's a few fireballs.

oeThree's in! Surfer called. His F-4 was the first to draw fire, but he manged to drop his bombs into several T-55 tanks in the southbound lane, exploding a couple, and flipping another. oeThree's off.

oeFour's in, Yogi called. He put his bombs onto some more APCs, and he pulled away.

Guru was watching, as he turned his F-4 to the west to break an SA-6 trying to lock him up. Then he saw the missile track Yogi's F-4. The SA-6 blended with the Phantom and the plane fireballed. As it tumbled out of the sky, end over end and trailing fire, Guru and Tony saw the cockpit area had been blown off. oeOh, my God... Guru said.

oeLead, Three, Surfer called. oeYogi's down. No chutes.

oeI saw it, Three. Nothing we can do for them. Let's get the hell out of here, Colonel Johnson called.

Oh, man, Guru thought. He'd had a RTU classmate die in a crash, but that was an accident in peacetime. Now, two friends, Yogi and Burner, his WSO, were gone. Just like that. Suck it up, Guru, he thought to himself. Won't be the last, he knew. oeRight with you, Lead.

oeCopy, oe the CO replied. oeVipers, Eagles, on me. RTB, now.

oeRoger that, the F-15 leader called. oeWe're all Winchester. Got several MiGs.

oeSort it out later, Johnson said as another F-4 flight came in. It was the Exec's. oeGlad you guys could make the party. Free strike. Anything moving north that's painted green is a target.

oeGotcha, Boss.

oeWatch for SAMs. We lost Yogi.

oeWill do.

The lead flight formed up and headed north. The F-15s and F-16s joined on them, though when they got to where the KC-135 was, they found three tankers. And one was filling up an F-15, with his wingie waiting his turn. The two Vipers from Nellis broke off to get a drink for themselves, while the F-4s and F-15s headed back towards Nellis.

As they headed north, Tony kept fiddling with the radio. oeGuru...radio says D.C.'s gone.

oeWhat Guru was incredulous when he heard that. oeYou sure

oeYeah. They're on the line with a station in Richmond, Virginia. They can see the mushroom cloud.

oeGod almighty...

oeAnd New York....there's another fireball and cloud there.

oeLead, Two... Guru called.

oeI heard, Two. Fight now, mourn later, Colonel Johnson replied. oeEverybody got that

oeTwo copies, Guru replied.

oeRoger, Lead, Surfer said.

The crews were subdued as they headed back to Nellis. Losing Yogi was bad enough, but hearing that four of America's cities had been nuked It was almost too much. But they had a job to do, and like the CO said. Fight now. Mourn the dead later.

When they got back to Nellis, they found that instead of chaos, there was organized chaos. They had to wait in the pattern while the runway was cleared; a FedEx DC-8 had put down there instead of McCarran International due to McCarran's pattern being full of aircraft trying to land, and the DC-8 was out of fuel. Then they were able to come in and land. As the F-4s taxied in, they noticed aircraft being loaded with weapons. And this time, they were going out fully loaded. F-4s, F-15s, F-16s, and F-111s from the 525th TFS from Cannon-they had come for the Flag, only now, they were going out to try and save their home base, as there was a tide of armor headed into New Mexico and West Texas, and all of it headed north. There were also some RF-4s there, from the Nebraska Guard at Lincoln, and they were no doubt in a foul mood. For once, Guru bet, they wished they had fighters instead of recon birds.

After they taxied to their area on the ramp, and shut down, the crews got ready to get out of their aircraft, but the crew chiefs told them no. oeHot refuel and rearm, sir, Guru's crew chief told him. A fueling crew went right to work, and topped up the internal tanks and the two wing tanks. Then the ordnance crews came, with a dozen Mark-82s: six on a MER rack, and six on two TER racks. Plus two AIM-9s and two AIM-7s.

There was some more good news: this time they would have F-4Gs. Two Weasel Phantoms would meet them northwest of Phoenix, and give them the SAM-suppression stuff they needed. The same two F-15s would come with the Rhinos, and two more that had just landed would join them. Fully armed this time.

When the hot refuel and rearm was finished, Colonel Johnson came back up. oePeople, we've got mission codes. We're now Chevy flight. And we're going back to the border.

oeWhen Surfer called back.

oeWhen they release us, the CO replied.

They had been on the ground a half-hour when they got the call to start engines. The aircraft taxied to the end of the runway, and again, they saw the Chaplain giving departing aircraft the sign of the cross. oeHe's busy, Guru observed.

oeHis job, Tony noted. oeReady

oeNo, but let's get it over with, Guru replied.

Then the tower gave them the green light, and the flight rumbled down the runway on their second mission, and it was only midmorning.

Announcement

Semi-OT: Red Dawn fan fic

Semi-OT: Red Dawn fan fic

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment