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**Matt Wiser** · 01-01-2015, 08:32 PM

How do you like the stories There's more coming.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-01-2015, 09:19 PM

The next one, and it takes place near the end of the war:

Nearing the End: Burnout

Laredo AFB, Texas: 1 October, 1989, 0620 Hours Central War Time

Major Matt Wiser, the CO of the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was doing something that the 335th had hardly ever done since the war began: holding a mass briefing. There had been one on the first day, four years earlier, and one or two since. Mainly at the start of PRAIRIE FIRE and LONG RIFLE, but apart from that, he didn't recall any. No matter. The 335th had taken over some offices that prewar, had been used by an air charter company, the base having been closed a number of years prior to the war. The Soviets and Cubans had made use of the facilities since, both here and at Laredo International Airport, and now, the USAF, along with the Marines, had returned.

Crammed inside a meeting room was every crew in the 335th: he had eighteen flyable aircraft and thirty-two crews. Two aircraft were down for maintenance, and he was expecting four more to come, either from deep overhaul at McClellan AFB, or newly built from the Mitsubishi line in Japan. Well, when we go south into Mexico-and as far as Mexico City, we'll need those new birds and some new crews. But that was in the future-he hoped, but today's business-and those in the days ahead, came first.

oeAll right. You've probably noticed something. There's no preplanned targets for today. Everybody that can fly in MAG-11, along with the entire Tenth Air Force, is going south. Other than the Monterrey Air Defense Zone, anyplace in Northern Mexico from Amistad Reservoir down to Roma is fair game.

His Exec, Captain Don Van Loan, asked, oeSo what are we doing, hitting opportunity targets

oeThat, and armed reconnaissance, Major Wiser, call sign Guru, said.

Pilots and WSOs looked at each other. Then Capt. Valerie Blanchard, or Sweaty as she was known on the radio, said, oeSoutheast Asia all over again

oeNo. The reason Monterrey's a no-go area is because of the air defense threat. The only restriction, other than that, is no southbound traffic. Intel says the ComBloc are shipping POWs south in trucks headed deeper into Mexico, so no hitting southbound vehicles. Other than that, any military traffic on any road, whether the Mexican Federal roads, or the local ones, is a target, Guru said.

oeThis all prep for the invasion Capt. Kara Thrace, or Starbuck, asked. She was the Operations Officer for the 335th, and had submitted a strike plan for Mexico City. One that Guru had reluctantly turned down.

oeThey wouldn't say, but even money says it is, the CO replied. oeAt least, it forces the ComBloc to realize there's more than just Brownsville.

Heads nodded. Anything that made the bad guys remember there was more than that pocket on this front was a good thing. oeOpportunity targets Capt. Lisa Eichhorn asked. Goalie was her call sign, and she was Major Wiser's WSO.

oeAnything military or military related. This includes bridges, power substations, airstrips, you name it. If it's defended, it's a target. the CO told everyone.

Then Capt. Bryan Simmonds, Sweaty Blanchard's backseater, asked, oeOrdnance loads

oeGood question, Preacher. Major Wiser said. oeRight now, you're going out with either dumb bombs, CBUs, or a mix. But when you come back from the first hop, the ordnance guys will have whatever they've got ready. You might get napalm, or all dumb bombs, all CBUs, Mavericks, rocket pods, whatever. But you still get at least two AIM-7s, two wing tanks, and a full load of 20-mike-mike. And Sidewinders. Flight leads get an ECM pod as well.

oeAnd MiGs Hoser, or Capt. Nathan West, asked.

oeOK, here's what the deal is. If the MiG or Sukhoi has a good driver, or if it's got a Red Star or Cuban insignia on it, go ahead. Kill it and claim the kill. If it's flown by some Mexican who's flying like he expects to be shot down, different story, Guru said.

oeWhat does that mean Sweaty asked.

oeI haven't been claiming those kills. I've got five of those, and so does Kara. You've got four, Don has three, and several of you also have at least two. These have been too easy, Major Wiser said.

oeLike those Syrians in the Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot back in '82, Boss. Van Loan said. oeLot of those guys acted as if they knew they'd be shot down, but took off anyhow.

oeYeah, Guru responded. oeHere's what I've been doing. When I've killed these guys, I say that I've fired an AIM-9 or AIM-7, depending on what I did use, but the missile missed, prematured, failed to guide, or whatever. And the target got away, the CO said. He knew that several of those he'd mentioned had done the same. oeIf you want to claim the kill, go ahead. It's up to you.

Heads nodded. And Major Wiser noticed one thing. The old hands in the squadron were those not likely to file these claims, even if it kept somebody from a better score. The new people-and the 335th had several new crews-were more likely to do otherwise. To them, killing some guy fresh out of flight training was no different than killing a high-time flier. He knew the saying, oeA kill's a kill. Normally, he'd agree. But with these greenhorns they'd been splashing, it was all too easy. He'd rather get into the transport stream from Mexico City to Brownsville instead and be like a shark in a school of fish.
oeAny other questions

oeWhat's the weather, Major asked one of the new guys.

oeCAVU all day. the Major said. That meant clear skies and visibility unlimited. A fighter-attack pilot's dream. oeAs for bailout areas south of the river: anyplace away from the roads. If you can, stay with the bird as long as you can and get your asses north. The closer to the Rio Grande, the easier time that the Jolly Greens have to get you. And if you can get across the river, best of all.

Heads nodded again. Major Wiser looked around the room. oeAnything else

Then one of the sergeants came into the room. oeMajor, this should've been handed out yesterday. It's from Major Ellis, the sergeant said, handing the CO a letter.

oeThanks, Sergeant, Major Wiser said. oeBefore we go, anyone want to hear from Mark

Multiple heads nodded. oeCome on, Major, Kara said, oeRead it. Sweaty Blanchard said the same thing, as did Goalie.

oeOK, hold your horses, Guru said as he opened the letter. oeHe's home-back in Ohio. 'I'm at Rickenbacker's base hospital,' he says. 'I'll be back in the cockpit, but the docs say it's at least a year. More likely eighteen months. That's what happens when you break one leg in two places, along with the other leg, and your shoulder, too. I saw you guys on CNN a couple of times, and it looks like you're all doing OK. Drop me a line, and if I don't see you guys before the war's over, I'll be there at the reunion. Check Six, and kick those bastards back to Mexico City.' There's more, but that's about it. Oh, he's getting married once he can walk down the aisle.

Clapping and cheering followed. Mark Ellis had been a well respected pilot and Exec. He and Guru had run the 335th the best way they could, even if they had to fold, spindle, bend, or mutilate a few regs to get things done, so be it-as long as it got results. And having both MAG-11's commander and General Tanner at Tenth Air Force have the same attitude helped a lot. Then he'd been shot down during that Midland-Odessa offensive, what some had called Ivan's last roll of the dice, which had drawn parallels with the Battle of the Bulge, and had been rescued by the Jolly Greens. But his war was over. Major Wiser gave the letter to one of his ground officers. oePut that on the bulletin board, so everybody can read it.

oeGlad to, Major, the man said.

oeOkay. Anything else Major Wiser asked. There wasn't.

oeGood. Let's hit it. Wiser said, grabbing his flight helmet.

With that, the room emptied as those crews assigned to fly the first sorties of the day went to their aircraft. And soon after that, the runways were filled with aircraft as F-4s (both AF and Marine), Marine A-4s, A-6s, F/A-18s, and some A-7s from a shore-based Navy squadron, began taxiing for takeoff. It was going to be a very busy day.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-01-2015, 09:20 PM

Part II:

1430 Hours Central War Time: Over Northern Mexico.

Guru was on his fifth flight that day; he and Goalie had flown four before noon, and they'd finally had a break. Lunch, taking care of squadron paperwork, and then back in the saddle. He was in his usual mount, 512, and he had eleven Red Stars painted on the side. So what if the bad guys saw that in combat At least they'd know they were up against a proven MiG-killer.

They were flying with their usual wingmates, 1st Lt. Kevin McAllen and his WSO, 1st Lt. Toni Grey. Since Kara had graduated to flight lead, a year earlier, these two had been their wingmates. And had made ace in the process. But kills had been few-other than these rookies, and neither Kevin or Toni (Cowboy and Nooner as they went in the squadron) had claimed any of those, either. Then they heard Sweaty call on the radio oeAny Chiefs north of Sabinas Hidalgo Chiefs was their squadron's nickname.

oeSweaty, Guru, Wiser called. oeWhat's up

oeBig convoy at the junction of Highway 85 and Route 22: somebody dropped the bridge north of that on 85, and they're all backed up, Sweaty called.

oeCopy. Cowboy, you hear that

oeRoger, Lead, Cowboy said.

oeSweaty, Guru. We're on our way. Wiser said.

oeRoger, Boss. Sweaty called. oeWe're Winchester right now and are RTB. That meant she was out of ordnance and had to return to base.

oeRoger that. Any other Chiefs working 85, head to Sweaty's target location. Guru said, not waiting for any acknowledgments. And he took his element to that location. Sure enough, there was military traffic backed up on the highway, and the bridge was down over the Rio Salado. His two Phantoms had six Mark-82 500-pound bombs and six CBU-58/B cluster bombs. These had one advantage over Rockeyes, his favorite CBUs: they had incendiary submunitions mixed in with the antivehicle and antipersonnel ones. And ripping up a truck convoy like this one was one thing CBUs could handle.

The two Phantoms came in on the target. oeAnything on the threat receivers Guru asked Goalie.

oeNot a peep. They must not have any radars down there. Goalie responded.

oeTwo, this is Lead. First pass Mark-82s. Second pass CBUs. Then we RTB. Both runs south to north. Guru called.

oeCopy, Lead, Cowboy responded.

With that, Guru rolled in on his first pass. He picked out some trucks and unloaded his six centerline Mark-82s from low level. The six bombs ripped into the convoy, blasting some trucks, and tossing others aside as if they were toys. Cowboy followed his leader, and his bombs, too, had the same effect. The two Phantoms then came around for another run.

As the two Phantoms came in, the crews noticed small-arms fire and even some 23-mm coming up. It looked like to the crews that somebody-Russians, Cubans, or Mexicans, had put 23-mm guns on either trucks or BTR-152s as improvised antiaircraft vehicles. No matter, they were coming in too fast. And both F-4s laid down their CBUs on the vehicles cramming the northbound lanes of Highway 85. Both crews were rewarded with multiple secondary explosions, as trucks, BTRs, and armored vehicles exploded. As they pulled up, two more elements from the 335th, Don Van Loan's and Hoser's, came in.

Guru called Van Loan. oePouncer, Guru. Who's that with you

oeHoser, Boss. Van Loan called back.

oeCopy that, these guys are all yours. I'm Winchester, and RTB. Watch out for 23-mm and possible SA-7s.

oeRoger that, Boss. I'll be taking Rifle shots, Pouncer said. Rifle meant Maverick missiles.

oeCopy that, Pouncer. Go get 'em. Guru called as he headed north. Just then, AWACS called.

oeMustang One-One, Crystal Palace. Bandits, Bandits. Threat bearing two-four-zero for fifty-five.

Uh-oh, Guru thought. oeRoger, Crystal Palace. Say Bogey Dope

oeMustang, Crystal Palace. No Joy, the AWACS controller called.

Lovely, Guru thought out loud. And Goalie felt the same way. But it was showtime. oeCowboy, Guru. Bandits inbound. Drop tanks and fight's on.

oeCopy, Lead. Drop tanks and fight's on. Cowboy responded.

Both F-4s dropped their wing tanks and turned into the incoming bandits. As they did so, the WSOs had their radars on, trying to pick up the bandits. And Crystal Palace kept giving range and bearing.
oeMustang One-One, Crystal Palace. Bandits on your nose, seventeen miles.

Then Goalie called Guru on the intercom. oeTwo hits at twelve o'clock.

oeGot it. Crystal Palace, Mustang One-One. Judy. That meant the F-4s were taking over the interception. oeSay Bogey Dope

oeMustang, Crystal Palace. Bogeys are Fitters. That meant anything from Su-7s from the mid '60s to the latest Su-22M4s. And those Fitters were very effective attack aircraft.

oeRoger that, Guru called. oeGoalie, anything

oeI've got a lock!

oeCopy that. Fox One! he called out, signaling a Sparrow missile launch as he squeezed the trigger on the stick. Then he fired his second Sparrow. oeFox One again!

Two AIM-7E Sparrow missiles streaked towards their target. Then the enemy aircraft became visible. These were swing-wing Fitters: Su-17s at least. As Guru's missiles streaked towards their target, Cowboy called, oeFox One! as he ripple-fired two Sparrows.

Guru's two missiles missed. Cowboy's first one burned out short of the target, while his second flew right past the Fitter and exploded well behind the aircraft. As the Fitters broke, they jettisoned their external ordnance and fuel tanks, and tried to break away. And when they did that, their insignia became clear. Red stars on the tail. That meant Russians. oeTwo, Lead. I've got the leader.

oeRoger, Lead. I've got the other one. Cowboy called.

Guru got in behind the Fitter. This one might have been an Su-22M version, but it was impossible to tell visually. And he could see the Fitter had two AA-8 Aphid missiles for self-defense. He grinned underneath his oxygen mask. No way, Ivan, he thought as he turned his missile selector to HEAT. His AIM-9L missiles were now armed. And the seeker was tracking. The growl went loud in his headset: missile lock. oeFox Two!

Guru's first AIM-9 shot off the rail, corkscrewed right, then left, and then smashed into the Fitter's tail. The explosion blew the tail off the aircraft, and as it spun down to the left, the canopy came off, the ejection seat fired, and the pilot was in his chute. oeSplash one Fitter! Guru called.

Just as Guru made that call, Cowboy got in behind the wingman. He, too, got Sidewinder lock, and fired. Once again, an AIM-9 went off the rail, and flew up the Fitter's tailpipe. This time, when it exploded, the plane blew in half. The rear half fell away and broke apart, while the cockpit and wings tumbled end over end, before smashing into the desert floor. This one didn't have a chute. Cowboy gave the call, oeSplash two!

oeCopy that, Two. Any chutes Guru asked.

oeNegative, Lead.

oeRoger that. Crystal Palace, Mustang One-One. Guru called to the AWACS.

oeMustang One-One, Crystal Palace. Go.

oeSplash two Fitters-Su-17s or -22s. One chute. We are RTB at this time. Guru said.

oeRoger that. Do you need a vector the AWACS controller asked.

In 512, Goalie shook her head. oeDo those guys think we're lost

oeYou know the AWACS guys, they're like the backseat driver from hell-no offense intended. Guru said.. oeCrystal Palace, Mustang One-One. Negative.

Goalie smiled underneath her oxygen mask. oeNone taken, my dear Major, and she laughed.

Mustang Flight soon was short of the Rio Grande, and the crews looked down. Neuevo Laredo looked like Berlin in 1945, and inbound aircraft gave the place a wide berth: all the artillery fire being poured into the city meant that the sky over Neuevo Laredo was a dangerous place-and a 155 shell didn't care if you were friendly or not. Then Guru heard Starbuck on the radio. oeGuru, Starbuck. Got something here.

oeGo, Starbuck, Guru called back.

oeWe've got a MiG-21MF here, no gun pack, two Atolls, and he's got a centerline tank, but he's flying really weird. Straight and level at times, then he's all over the sky, Starbuck called.

Guru frowned underneath his mask. oeWhat's he got on the side He was asking about insignia.

oeFARM, was Starbuck's response. That meant the Revolutionary Air Force of Mexico.

oeStarbuck, he trying to signal or anything

oeHe did wave, Kara said. oeThis guy might be a defector.

oeETA home base

oeFifteen mikes, Kara said.

oeStarbuck, fly alongside and see if you can get him to follow you. Have your wingie right behind him in the kill slot. He does anything funny, just roll out and away, and have Grumpy take the shot, Guru ordered.

oeRoger that. Kara replied. oeSee you on the ground.

oeCopy. Major Wiser then called Laredo operations and advised them of what was coming in. Then his flight came into the pattern, with each doing a victory roll, before landing. After taxiing in, his crew chief was waiting. oeMajor, what's up

oeSergeant, your guess is as good as mine, the CO said. oeGet the strike camera film unloaded, and what have you got for the next hop

oeShake'n bake, Major. the crew chief replied. oeSix Mark-82s centerline, and two napalm tanks each wing. And we'll get you two new wing tanks. Be ready in thirty minutes.

Nodding, Guru and Goalie headed to squadron ops. They ran into Capt. Darren Licon, the squadron's intelligence officer. oeSir, Starbuck's inbound. ETA seven minutes.

oeAnything new Goalie asked.

oeNo, other than Starbuck said the guy looked like he could barely see out of the cockpit, Licon said.

Major Wiser's flight looked at each other. This was strange. They went into ops, and quickly reviewed their flight. AWACS had confirmation of the Fitter kills, so those claims were valid. Then Major Wiser went into his office, grabbed a pair of binoculars, and went back outside. He turned to Licon. oeGet a Humvee or a truck. When Kara lands, I want to be there.

oeRight, Major. Licon said as he raced to grab a Humvee. When he came back, it wasn't just Major Wiser's flight, but a number of other aircrews, who were gathered there. Word was going around. Then Licon, who had his own set of binoculars, said, oeThere they are, pointing to the southeast.

The three-ship made a pass over the base, then flew around for landing. Kara put her Phantom down first, and taxied away as fast as she could. Then the MiG-21 came in, and several pilots watched in shock as the pilot nearly ground-looped the MiG, but managed to get the plane down in one piece. Grumpy, Kara's wingmate, pulled up and did another flyaround, before coming in himself.

Then a dozen aircrew jumped into the Humvee, or so it seemed. Goalie drove, while Major Wiser and several others were wondering what kind of pilot they had on their hands. They drove past Kara's plane, which had taxied into its revetment, and the crew was quickly getting out. The MiG taxied to the edge of the ramp area, before it shut down. And armed Combat Security Police and Marines converged on the scene. Then the pilot got out. And it was Sweaty who spoke first. oeMy God! He looks like an Eighth-Grader in a flight suit!

Goalie drove as close as she could. As the aircrews got out of the Humvee, Kara came running up. She hadn't bothered to get out of her G-Suit and harness, and she ran up to the MiG pilot and slammed him against the side of the aircraft. Guru and the others came rushing up, as Kara was yelling, oeWhat in the hell were you doing She asked the Mexican, who looked quite terrified.

oeWhoa, Kara! Guru said, separating the pair. oeTake it easy! He turned to the Mexican pilot. He looked like he was way too young to be flying fighters. oeDo you speak English

oeY. Y. Yes, I do Senor. the Mexican said.

oeHow old are you Major Wiser asked.

The Mexican paused, as if he was choosing his words carefully. oeIn two months, I'll be Seventeen.

Jaws dropped, as both Air Force and Marine aviators, digested what they'd just heard. Colonel Brady, the MAG-11 commander came up. oeMajor, did we hear right He asked.

Guru looked at the Mexican. oeDid you say 'seventeen'

oeSi.

oeGuru, I think I'm gonna be sick, Goalie said.

Major Wiser knew it right then. He got the same sick feeling. oeMy God. That explains it. The Major turned to his squadron mates. oeWe've been killing kids in those MiGs!

Kara exploded. She cursed out anyone who would even consider such a thing, and those who actually trained these kids to fly. They barely belonged in Piper Cubs, and had no place being in a fighter. She stormed off, still yelling, and headed straight for the Officer's Club tent.

Colonel Brady came up to the Mexican. oeHow much flight time do you have, son He asked.

oeTwo days of taxi training. Then two days of takeoffs and landings, with three days of formation flying, the boy said.

Not just Guru, but everyone else there from the 335th, as well as the Marines there, realized it then and there. They'd been killing kids who were being sent out with a week's training in MiGs, and who were expected to fight the Americans. Most of the fighter pilots-whether Air Force or Marine, had at least one of these in their kill sheet, even if the kills hadn't been claimed. Then Licon spoke up. oeLike the Kamikazes: those guys were sent out with a week's training.

Sweaty swore. oeYeah, but they weren't expected to fight. These kids, though...Major, what have we been doing

oeI know. This isn't what we all signed up for. Major Wiser said, looking at the Mexican, then Colonel Brady, who nodded. He knew what everyone was thinking. What kind of people would put teenage boys in fighter cockpits

oeWhat now Goalie asked.

Colonel Brady responded. oeWe get on with the job at hand. I know you're not in the mood, but we've still got a job to do. He turned to a Marine sergeant. oeTake this boy to Intel and have the intel shop have a long talk with him. And pass them this: ask the kid if he's got family in the States. If he does, get one of those 1140 forms for him.

The Marine nodded. oeAye, Aye, Sir. And several Marines took the Mexican away. A 335th line crew brought up a truck with a tow bar to pull the MiG out of the way. Brady turned to the aircrews. oeWe've got three hours or so of daylight left. If you're angry about this, make some Mexicans-or Soviets-or Cubans, feel that anger.

The crowd broke up, as aircrews and ground personnel headed back to their jobs. Back at 335th Ops, Major Wiser found 1st Lt. Keith Crandall, the Deputy Ops Officer. He talked to Crandall, who was grounded with a cold. oeKeith, pull Kara and Grumpy off today's schedule, and tomorrow's as well.

oeRight, Major. Crandall nodded. oeGoing back out, sir

Guru looked at Goalie. And the rest of his flight. Though angry, they knew they still had a job to do. oeYeah. But this is our last one for the day. Tell Don when he lands: no more flying today. Those being turned around, and are ready, go. Anyone airborne doesn't go back out. Even if there's daylight left.

oeYes, sir.

Guru corralled his flight. oeI know what you guys are thinking. We're going to make somebody-Russians, Cubans, Mexicans-pay. They'll burn, bleed, and blow up for sending that kid out in a MiG. Get back into Game Mode.

Heads nodded. oeThen what Goalie asked.

oeKara's probably getting sloppy drunk. And she's not going to be alone. Got that

And with that, Mustang flight went to their aircraft, mounted up, and went back out. And they did make someone pay-dearly-for what they'd seen earlier. When they got back, and checked in with ops, Don Van Loan was there.

oeMajor, what happened I heard about a defector, but why's everybody so pissed off

oeThat defector was a sixteen-year-old. A kid. And they gave him a week's training before sending him into combat. Those MiGs we thought were flown by greenhorns We've been killing kids. Wiser told his Exec. And Van Loan turned pale.

oeMajor...what kind of people do that he asked.

oeYour guess is as good as mine. I'm headed over to the O-Club and drown my anger in a couple of beers. And I bet everybody on this base who could is gonna be there. Major Wiser said. oeYou did get what I told Keith

oeYeah. No more flying today. We've still got an hour of daylight left, though. Van Loan reminded his CO.

oeI know. But the Marine ramp is almost full: they saw the same thing-and they've got some of those MiG kills in their log books, Wiser said. oeNobody's in a flying mood after hearing that.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-01-2015, 09:21 PM

And the final part:

1815 Hours Central War Time: Officer's Club Tent, Laredo AFB

Major Wiser and Captain Eichhorn went into the Officer's Club. Normally, a juke box would be playing, some poker games might be going on, and generally, people would be trying to blow off steam. Not today. The mood was very subdued, as the grim realization of who had been in the cockpits of the Mexican MiGs they'd killed sat in. Major Wiser went up to the bar, and ordered two Foster's-one for Goalie, and one for himself. Then he asked the bartender. oeWhere's Captain Thrace

The bartender pointed to a corner. Four empty bottles were on a table, and Kara was working on a fifth. Nodding, Guru and Goalie went over to Kara's table. oeWant to talk about it, Captain Guru asked as he and Goalie pulled up chairs.

oeNo, Major, but if you insist, Kara said, taking a pull on her bottle.

oeLook. This sure isn't what we all signed up for. We can't change the past, Captain, no matter what.

oeI know, Major. But you and I...Hell, most of the squadron's got these guys in our log books, even if we didn't officially claim the kills! We've been killing kids who should still be in high school, not in MiG cockpits! Kara yelled.

oeYou're drunk, now sit down. said Guru.

oeMajor, I had to get that out of my system.

oeYou're not the only one, Goalie said, pulling on her beer. oeI'd like to find out who stuck those boys in those cockpits and make him pay.

oeJoin the club, a voice said. It was Colonel Brady. oeMind if I join you

Kara nodded. oeMight as well, Colonel.

oeI've been looking for you guys. Intel's got some news. Brady said.

oeWhat is it Guru asked.

oeFor starters, that kid is in their equivalent of the Air Force Academy. About six months ago, the word went out for volunteers, he said, for what they called 'advanced fighter school.' He volunteered, and went through what should be, in our military, a year's worth of ground school in three months. Then he had some primary flight, then some backseat rides in a MiG-21U trainer, and they pronounced him qualified, Brady said.

oeWhat the hell Kara said.

oeYeah, Brady said, pulling on his own beer. oeThen he had his training in the MiG-21, and what tactical training they gave him was all models and chalk talks. They sent him to a unit at Monterrey IAP, and other than a couple of patrols, this was his first real combat flight.
oeOf all the....Even we wouldn't have been that desperate! Goalie yelled.

oeBe glad we never had the chance to find out, Wiser said. oeWhat else, Sir

oeThey've all been heavily indoctrinated. The Mexicans have convinced a lot of their people that if they don't stop us at the Rio Grande, we're going to keep on pushing south to Mexico City. Brady said.

oeSo Kara asked. oeThat's what we should do. Make them pay for hosting the Russians and Cubans.

oeYou get no argument from me on that, Captain. Brady said. oeBut they've taken it to extreme.

oeHuh Goalie asked.

oeThey've told their people that when we do come south, we'll steal more of Mexico. A repeat of 1846-48, basically, and not only slice off more of Mexico, but turn it into a depopulated wasteland.

oeOh, boy.... Guru said. oeThey're that convinced

oeCorrect, Major. Brady said. oeThey're convinced that we'll do to them what the ComBloc did to us.

oeThey've got their own Goebbels down in Mexico City, looks like, Goalie observed.

oeYeah, Kara said, motioning to the bartender for another beer. He looked at Guru and Colonel Brady, who nodded.

oeThis is your last one, Captain. You're not on the schedule tomorrow, so sleep it off, Major Wiser said. oeLook at the entrance. Doc Waters is there. Waters was the 335th's flight surgeon. oeHe's got two CSPs with him, and when I signal him, they are going to take you to your quarters, and they'll watch you overnight. Tomorrow morning, sleep in as long as you want. When you do wake up, eat, take care of your squadron paperwork-believe me, we've all got some of that-and just blow off steam. Go to the Marines' shooting range-use that SiG-Sauer of yours, and your M-16, and burn off as much ammo as you can. Go to bed early, because I want you up and ready, 0600, day after tomorrow. Do I make myself clear, Captain

Kara glared at him. She knew he was very serious. Then she nodded. oeYes, Sir, in a subdued voice.

oeGood, because you are the best I've got. Finish that beer, Captain. That's an order, then Doc Waters will take it from there. Major Wiser said. He then turned to Colonel Brady. oeSir, we need to talk. Privately.

The two officers left the tent and went outside. It was a clear night, and though most flying had ceased, there were Marine Hornets going up on Combat Air Patrol. oeWhat is it, Major Brady asked.

oeSir, this squadron's getting at the end of the rope. We've seen and done too much. Once this Brownsville business gets wrapped up, I'd like a stand-down. Wiser said.

oeChances are, we'll all get a stand-down, Major, Brady said.

oeI realize that, sir. But we need two weeks. Just like before PRAIRIE FIRE, LONG RIFLE, and this one. Wiser said.

Colonel Brady nodded. oeCan't promise you that much, Major. But you'll get a few days off. Once Brownsville's finished up.

oeThank you, Sir. Wiser said. oeAnd what about the kid

oeHe's got family here. Someplace in Northern California. Oroville, Yuba City, someplace near there. They'll contact his relatives-a cousin if I heard right-and if he's got an 1140, they'll take him in. He doesn't see the inside of an EPW Camp. Brady said.

Guru nodded. oeThat's good to hear.

oeYeah. Hell of a war, isn't it Just when you've thought you've seen everything, something new bites you. Brady commented.

oeAin't that the truth, Sir.

3 October, 1989: 0545 Hours Central War Time, Laredo AFB.

The 335th's aircrews were all gathered in the briefing room, before the day's flying. Major Wiser looked at the assembled faces. They'd had a day to soak in what had happened two days before. The previous day, they'd gone out and made the ComBloc pay for that-and everything that had happened since the war began. And this time, though several of the Mexican MiGs had come up, the 335th, along with the Marines, had declined combat. Nobody wanted to add another cheap scalp to one's score, not after what had transpired.

As he looked around, he saw all the familiar faces he expected. He noticed Starbuck, and said, oeGlad to have you back, Captain. Got everything out of your system

oeThat I did, Major. Refreshed, recharged, and ready to go back to work, Kara said.

oeGlad to hear it, Captain, Major Wiser said. oeSame drill the last couple of days: Armed Reconnaissance and Opportunity Targets. Weather is CAVU, and stay away from 9th Air Force's AO, and the Monterrey area. Other than that, it's a wide open hunting ground. And there's no bag limit.

Heads nodded. Then Sweaty raised her hand. oeMajor, what about MiGs

oeGood question. After what happened on the First, nobody wants to take a chance on killing a kid. Gain Visual ID before shooting. If it's Soviet, Cuban, East German-why they're still fighting I don't know-or any non-Mexican ComBloc, kill. Major Wiser said.

oeAnd if it's Mexican Starbuck asked, with grim seriousness.

oeAvoid combat for the most part. If it's a honcho-somebody who knows what he's doing-and he's serious about it, is the fight still on. Other than that, we can outfly, outrun, and outmaneuver them. Nobody's killing anymore kids. This comes from Tenth Air Force, guys, so word's gotten around.

Everybody understood this one. This was ROE that they could live with-and no one, not even the new guys in the squadron, wanted to kill anymore kids. oeMajor, what about the kid Goalie asked.

oeColonel Brady told me. He's got family in Northern California: a cousin in Yuba City or Oroville, someplace north of Sacramento. They'll take him in. He gets an 1140 form, and doesn't see an EPW Camp. Wiser said.

oeWhat about Mexico City Starbuck asked.

oeI thought it over, Starbuck, Major Wiser said. oeI sent your strike proposal to Colonel Brady. He'll send it to Tenth Air Force with his endorsement. No guarantee when we'll fly it right now, but you can bet, when we do go south, that's one mission I'll look forward to flying.

Starbuck grinned. And so did most everyone there. Even the CO was relishing the prospect of going to Mexico City-and putting some bombs on those who not only had enabled the invasion and everything that followed, but had put sixteen- and seventeen-year olds into fighter cockpits. Major Wiser looked around. Then he noticed a Marine MP. The Sergeant was beckoning him to come over. oeSergeant

oeSir, before he left, Ricardo wanted to see you all. the MP said.

This was weird, but why not oeOkay, bring him in, Major Wiser said.

The boy came into the briefing room. At first, there was silence. Then applause. This kid was getting a second chance, and in a few years, he'd be an American himself. He politely nodded. And Major Wiser offered his hand, and the boy shook it. oeCalm down, people!

oeThank you, Major, Ricardo said, with tears in his eyes.

oeGoing to be with your relatives

oeYes, Senor. I can go to school, work in their restaurant, and maybe go to university. Ricardo said.

oeJust remember this: America's the land of opportunity. Even after all that's happened here, you've got a second chance. If I were you, I'd think of October 1 as my second birthday. Major Wiser told the young man.

oeI already do.

Then something happened that surprised everyone. Kara came up, and not only shook the boy's hand, but hugged him. oeJust stay out of airplanes for a while, Okay she said.

oeOh, not for a long time. I have all the flying I want for a while. Ricardo said.

The Marine Sergeant came in, oeSir, it's time for him to go.

oeYou take care of yourself. And here's a promise. When we have our squadron reunions, you're invited. Anybody have a problem with that Major Wiser asked.

There was a chorus of oeNO, SIR! from the aircrews.

oeThank you, Major. Ricardo said, and as he turned to leave, he did one thing for the last time. He stood to attention, like he was on the parade ground, and snapped a perfect salute. And the Major returned it. And Ricardo waved goodbye as the Marine sergeant took him on the first leg of his new journey in life.

Major Wiser turned to the squadron. oeAll right. Brownsville's going to be done in a week. Maybe less, if we keep it up. Let's see if we can't do that.

oeYou got it, Major! Sweaty said, and heads nodded.

oeOkay, let's hit it. And the room emptied as the 335th went out and on with their jobs. And forty-eight hours later, it was over in Brownsville.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-03-2015, 10:51 PM

Another One, and getting a squadron the hard way:

Taking Command

Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, TX: 26 October 1987

It had been two months since Sheppard had been recaptured, and there had been a race to get there, with III Corps' 23rd Infantry Division beating out VI Corps' 7th Armored Division. Now, it was a busy place, as Marine Air Group 11, along with Air Force and Army helicopters, and AF transports, were going in and out, supporting the ongoing fight for the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Fort Worth had fallen, as had several of the cities in between Dallas and Fort Worth, but Dallas was still a slugfest. At Sheppard, AF oeRed Horse Engineers and Navy Seabees had cleaned up the worst of the damage to the base, cleared away both the bodies and the unexploded ordnance, and gotten the runways operational. Revetments had been built to handle fighters and helicopters, and both tents and trailers had been brought in to house personnel and for the various squadrons to conduct their ground business. Now, the base was seeing more air activity in a day than it had in its prewar guise as an Air Training Command base. Marine and Air Force aircraft, from fighters to transports, as well as Army helicopters, came in and out, not to mention the occasional tanker, and it all added up to organized bedlam.

Capt. Matt Wiser, call sign Guru, of the Air Force's 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron had just finished briefing his flight on a mission that was put together way too fast for his liking, but with too many missions and not enough assets, he took it like he should. The mission had come down from Marine Air Group 11, to which his squadron had been attached since the early days of the war, and called for a strike on the Seagoville Municipal Airport. Cuban helicopters and even some Su-25s were using the place, and the Army wanted it taken out. It would be a low-level ride past Fort Worth to the west, then a turn east, flying south of the metro area, before turning to strike. One pass from the flight, and forty-eight Mark-82 bombs from the four aircraft should be enough to put the airport out of commission for a while. And as for getting out, he wanted to bypass the mayhem that was Dallas, so he planned on a turn north, find Lake Ray Hubbard east of Mesquite, and fly up the lake. Only then would the flight climb back to altitude to return to Sheppard. Then, he thought, an hour or so to turn around, and back in the saddle again. Only this time, he knew, as did everyone in the unit, we're going to win.

He looked at his crews one more time. They were all sitting outside their squadron office. oeAny more questions There were none, so he told them, oeAll right, wheels up in fifteen mikes. Saddle up and get ready to go.

As they broke up to head to their aircraft, Lt. Col. Dean Rivers came over. He was the CO of the 335th, and wanted to talk with the Exec.

oeGuru. Just a minute. We need to talk.

What's up, Boss The Exec asked.

oeI've got a bad feeling about today. I can't pin it down, but it's there, Rivers said.

oeYou've had these before, and nothing happened, Boss, Guru reminded his CO. oeWhat's so special about today

oeDon't know, Guru. But I can't shake it, said Rivers. oeAnyway, I left a letter on your desk. Sergeant Ross has orders not to let anyone into your office unless it's you or me, Rivers told his Exec.

Master Sergeant Michael Ross was the squadron's senior NCO. In thirty years of service, he'd seen it all. Or thought he had until the war began. He was a father figure to the enlisted airmen, and he was old enough to be the father of nearly all the aircrew as well. There wasn't anyone more trusted in the squadron than Ross.

oeIncluding Major Carson Guru asked.

oeEspecially him, Guru. I'd rather have you take over the squadron than him. the CO said. Then the object of their conversation came towards them. oeSpeak of the Devil, Guru. Major,

oeSir, Major Carson said as he saluted. He looked at Guru, who didn't salute him. And Colonel Rivers didn't return the salute.

Carson ignored it: he knew full well that expecting these two officers to respect him was a waste of time. oeColonel, I have some write-ups of enlisted airmen for being out of uniform on the flight line, failing to salute, and...

oeSave it, Major. I'll take those. Colonel Rivers responded, taking the write ups. oeAs for what I'll do with these....Watch, Major. And then Colonel Rivers tore up the papers and threw them in a nearby garbage can.

Carson was appalled. oeSir!

oeMajor, in case you haven't noticed, there's a war on. We've been fighting for our national survival, and we can't be so spit-and-polish we lose the war! Rivers yelled at Carson.

oeSir, there's Air Force Rules, and Regulations! Not to mention rank! Carson said, glaring at the Exec.

Guru quipped, oeI can't help it, Phil, if I'm not as rank as you.

Carson's face turned red. oeColonel!

oeFace it, Major. He's got more combat experience than you, not to mention overall stick time. And he's somebody that everyone in the squadron looks up to after that E&E. I'd rather have an Exec ready to take over who's combat-experienced and tries to bring everyone home alive. You're not, Major. Rivers said, looking at Guru, who was trying to stifle a laugh.

oeSir, General Tanner will hear about this! Carson fumed.

oeSo what I've got news for you, Major. Tanner knows. And he's OK with it. Unlike you, the General knows what parts of the book to keep once the shooting started and what parts to throw away. This isn't the Academy, Major, and these men and women aren't brand-new Doolies, Rivers shot back.

oeThis is unheard of! Carson wailed.

oePeacetime rules don't apply two years into a war, Major. And in case you've got any ideas, I've already talked to the General. If anything happens to me, Guru takes command of the squadron. Whether you like it or not. And if you give him any trouble, he'll be on the phone to Tanner in a hot minute. Rivers paused to look at Guru, who was still trying to stifle a laugh, but managed to nod, yes. oeGot that

Carson stared at the both of them. Clearly, neither one of them understood his reasons or motives, and the fact that Guru came out of OTS galled him. If he'd been an Academy grad, Guru might deserve the squadron. But Rivers, who had graduated from the Academy, had come down on Guru's side. And was way, way, too chummy with these...ROTC or OTS people. Even so far as to not wear his class ring. He was obviously oeone of the boys.

oeWell, Major Rivers asked.

oeYes, Sir. Carson responded, his tone betraying how he really felt, and realizing there wasn't much right now he could do about it. He stalked off in a fit of the sulks.

oeThat is not a happy person, Boss. Guru observed.

oeI've been looking for a reason to transfer him, and his last Officer Efficiency Report might be a good reason. If he gives you any trouble, look it up. Then call Tanner and explain the transfer. He'll back you up, Rivers said.

oeOnly if you don't come back, Boss, Guru said. oeTime for me to go. See you in a while.

oeTake care, Guru. And bring everyone back safe, Rivers said.

oeI'll do that. With that, Guru walked over to his F-4E, tail number 512, where he found the other members of his flight gathered. His WSO, Capt. Lisa Eichhorn, call sign Goalie, asked, oeWhat was that all about

oeRivers has a bad feeling about today, and he wrote a letter for me, just in case he doesn't come back, Guru told her.

oeWhat was our Frank Burns wannabe doing there Capt. Kara Thrace, or Starbuck as she was known on the radio, asked.

oeThe usual BS. And he's pissed that Rivers told him that if anything happens to Rivers, I get the squadron and he doesn't. Guru replied.

1st Lt. Valerie Blanchard, call sign Sweaty, said, oeWe'd be glad to call you Boss, instead of that SOB, Guru.

oeLet's just get through what's on our plate right now. And cross that bridge if it comes to it. Anything else Guru told the flight. Everyone nodded no. oeThen let's go.

45 minutes later, over North-Central Texas

Camaro Flight was heading east, just south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. They had flown south to Mineral Wells, and then headed east. No radars, no SAMs, no MiGs. They were too low, and too fast. Normally, they'd have a pair of Wild Weasel SAM-killing Phantoms, or a pair of Marine F/A-18s with HARM or Shrike antiradar missiles, and a Marine EA-6B Prowler to jam enemy radars, but this mission had been laid on too fast, and those assets were busy elsewhere. Speed and surprise were what counted on this occasion, and coming in at 450 feet and 500-plus knots certainly helped.

In the rear seat of 512, Goalie looked at a chart and checked her watch. oeTwo minutes to IP, Guru.

oeCopy, he replied. Guru got on the radio. oeCamaro Flight, this is Lead. Two minutes.

With that call, the four Phantoms popped up from 450 feet to 2,000 feet. They would have just enough time to identify the target and line up for bomb release. But it would put them in danger from antiaircraft guns and any missiles the Cubans had.

oeThirty Seconds, Guru. Goalie called.

oeGot it. Target in sight. Camaro Flight, Lead. Target in sight. Lead in hot. With that, Guru rolled in onto the target, and he picked out the edge of the runway and the parking apron as his aiming point. He pressed the pickle button, and twelve Mark-82 500-pound bombs came off his plane. He walked his bombs across the runway and the apron, not only putting holes in the runway, but blasting a couple of Mi-8 Hip helicopters in the process. oeLead's off target, he called.

The first sign that the Cuban defenders had that they were under attack was Guru's first bomb exploding short of the runway. And the rest of his bombs exploding in turn. Antiaircraft gunners ran for their ZU-23 AA guns, while Cuban soldiers grabbed SA-7 shoulder-fired missiles. But it was already too late, as Starbuck came in.

oeTwo's in hot! She called as she laid down her dozen Mark-82s onto several Su-25s, blasting four of the Frogfoots apart. An added bonus for her was that two of her bombs wrecked a hangar, and another blasted the small control tower. Starbuck called in, oeTwo off target.

oeThree's in hot! Sweaty called. She led her element in perpendicular to the first, coming in from due south. She laid down her bombs directly on the runway, adding to the bombs that Guru and Starbuck had dropped. And with that, Seagoville Municipal was out of business for a while. There was some flak coming up, and even an SA-7 or two, but Sweaty called in, oeThree off target.

oeFour in hot! 1st Lt. Nathan West, or Hoser as he went on the radio, called. He brought his F-4 right behind Sweaty, but he didn't aim for the runway. Hoser picked out the Cubans' fuel dump, and planted his bombs right on that, and several that missed the dump fell in the Cuban motor pool. As he banked away, he could see oily black smoke and balls of fire rising into the sky. oeFour off target.

oeOK, let's get out of here. Camaro Flight, form on me. Guru called, and the four Phantoms joined up and headed back down on the deck. oeAnd Music on, he ordered. That meant their ALQ-101 jammer pods, carried in the left forward Sparrow missile well, came on. The four Phantoms then found Lake Ray Hubbard, and came in over the lake, throwing up spray behind them. It took another two minutes before they reached the north shore of the lake, before they could climb up and turn west. And hope the Army air-defense pukes down below didn't decide they were enemy and take a shot at them.

Nothing of the sort happened, and the flight came into Sheppard's traffic pattern and requested landing instructions. After they landed and got themselves parked, the aircrews were still pumped. Apart from the flak at the target, they'd had a free ride. It wasn't that often that happened. They were still pumped when Guru opened the door to the squadron office, a former office for a flying training squadron, and found a very different scene.

Everyone was somber, going about their jobs, but they were in a daze. People were still being briefed, and were going out, but one could tell that something bad had happened. Guru led his people into the main briefing room, and noticed the other crews, and they looked like they were in shock. Then he noticed Capt. Mark Ellis, the Operations Officer. He waved Guru over.

oeWhat happened, Mark You'd think the President just died. Guru told him.

oeNot that. Colonel Rivers got shot down near Corsicana. He didn't get out, Ellis said. oeThe squadron's yours now, Guru.

Wiser looked at Ellis like he'd just grown two heads. Then he felt like he'd just taken a punch to the gut. Oh, man. Not like this, he thought.

oeI'd better get to my office. Is Ross there Guru asked.

oeEver since we found out. And no, Carson hasn't been in there, Ellis replied.

oeGood. Make sure he stays out. Guru then went to the front of the room and addressed the aircrews. oeI know this isn't much, but Colonel Rivers would want us to buckle up, hold it back, and get on with our jobs. I'll get the chaplain so we can have a memorial service later, but right now, the best thing we can do is to keep doing what we're doing: namely, pushing those ComBloc bastards back where they came from. He'd want it that way. Any questions

The room was silent, then Ellis stood up. oeOkay, people, we all know what to do. Let's get on with winning the war. With that, people started going back into oegame mode. There was a job to do, and they had to keep going.

Guru then turned to Ellis. oeMark, give me a few minutes in my office. We'll clean out Rivers' stuff later. I'm not ready for that just yet. You're Exec now.

oeI'm not ready for that, Guru. Ellis said.

oeI wasn't ready to be Ops when I got it, and I wasn't ready to be Exec when Rivers handed it to me. And for sure, I'm not ready to be CO, but there's nothing I can do about it. We do the best we can, and that's it, Guru replied, seeing Ellis nod.

oeAnd who becomes Ops Asked Ellis.

oeDon Van Loan. Rivers had his eye on him, and we talked it over. He's got enough experience, and he's done good as your backup. Goalie moves to senior WSO, and Kara becomes Don's deputy. Wiser said.

Overhearing that, Starbuck replied, oeThanks a heap, Boss.

oeWe all have to start sometime, Starbuck. Goalie, you comfortable being senior WSO Guru asked.

Goalie looked at her pilot and CO. oeIf I say no, does that change anything

oeNo.

oeOkay, then. I'm comfortable, she responded.

oeGood. I'll be in my office. Mark, get the department heads-supply, maintenance, ordnance, the flight surgeon, you, and Goalie. Have 'em in there in ten minutes, he told Ellis.

oeRight, Ellis said as he went to notify those requested. Guru left to head to his office. He passed the CO's and he knew it was his now by right, but he just didn't feel like going in just yet. Then he came to his office, where Master Sergeant Ross and two armed CSPs were waiting. oeSergeant.

oeSir. It's a shame about Colonel Rivers, Ross said.

oeI know. Has Major Carson been by Guru asked.

oeNo, sir. Not yet.

oeGood. See that he stays out. Let the enlisted folks know I'll be around, talking to them, and letting them know what's up. Nothing changes, and unless it's really bad, anyone Carson writes up gets that stuff sent where Colonel Rivers sent it: namely, the trash. Guru told Ross.

oeYes, Sir! Ross said, beaming with pride.

oeGood. The senior officers will be here in a few minutes. I want you in as well: you're the senior NCO.

oeYes, sir.

oeAll right, Sergeant, that's all. I need a few alone. Guru said as he went in.

oeSir. Ross said, closing the door behind his new CO.

Guru went to his desk and found the envelope. After he opened it, he found the letter very short:

Guru, if you're reading this, then I'm either dead, MIA, or eating Kasha behind barbed wire. I just want to tell you that the squadron's yours now. I've cleared it with General Tanner, and FYI you wouldn't be the first in those shoes, bypassing someone senior to get a squadron. You're the one I trust to run things, and not Carson.

Keep doing things the way we've been doing, and remind everyone to take care of the enlisted guys. They keep us in the air, and remind them the enlisted aren't brand-new Doolies, or pieces of machinery. Take care of them, just as they take care of our birds.

As for the Major, don't worry. Like I said, Tanner's OK with you running things, and if Carson gives you any heat, call Tanner. Here's his contact info. And if you decide to kick him out of the squadron, check Carson's OER: I didn't want to kick him out just yet, but if you decide to, everything's there.

Don't worry about Linda and the kids: I've included a letter for you to send them. They're in Minnesota, and for them, the war is rationing and what they see on the evening news. Her dad was an Air Force Colonel, so she knows what can happen.

Just remember what I said, and I'll be watching over you guys. Check six, and finish the job we started.

Dean.

And we will, Boss, Guru thought to himself. There was a knock on the door. It was Ross. oeSir, the senior officers are here.

Guru took a deep breath. oeOK. Send them in, come on in yourself, and close the door behind us. And Carson stays out.

Ross nodded, and the officers Guru wanted to talk to came in. Sergeant Ross closed the door behind him, and the two CSPs took their position outside.......

Fifteen Minutes later.....

The meeting broke up, and Goalie, Mark Ellis, Starbuck, and Don Van Loan were still there with Guru. General Tanner had called, and informed Guru that he'd be there in two days, and strongly hinted that something else in addition to squadron command was on the agenda. oeWith responsibilities come rank, Captain, Tanner had said. That was a sign that good news was coming.

oeWhat do Tanner and Colonel Rivers have in common, Guru Starbuck asked.

oeRivers was Tanner's aide, when he was a one-star. Even back then, Tanner never let rank go to his head, Guru replied, remembering a conversation he and Rivers had had.

oeUnlike a certain Major, right Goalie observed.

oeRight you are, Goalie, Guru said.

There was a knock at the door. One of the CSPs came in. oeSir, Major Carson's here. He's demanding to be allowed in.

Everyone inside looked at each other. Then Guru said, oeOK, let him in.

Carson came into the room, a foul look on his face. oeSo you're CO now, Captain He sneered.

oeRight you are, Major, Guru replied. oeAnd General Tanner's OK with that. I just got off the phone with him. I get the squadron, as Rivers asked. Not you.

oeThis isn't right. General Tanner will see reason. He has to. And I am your superior officer, Carson wailed.

oeNo, Phil. You aren't. Just a higher-ranking one. That's all, Guru replied.

There was another knock on the door. One of the operations sergeants came in, with a fax in his hand. oeCaptain, a fax came for you from Tenth Air Force.

Carson reached for it, but the Sergeant said, oeSir, this is for Captain Wiser. And he handed it to Guru.

Guru read it. Then he handed it to Ellis. oeRead it, Mark.

Ellis read the fax aloud. oeBy order of Commanding General, Tenth Air Force, Captain Matt Wiser, USAF, is hereby confirmed in command of the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron effective 1300 Hours this date. The Commanding General will be arriving at Sheppard AFB on 28 October to visit the squadron and other units based there. No formal unit inspection is intended, and the visit will not interfere with ongoing combat operations. Signed, Tanner, CG, Tenth Air Force.

The smug look on Carson's face disappeared. He sulked out of the office, a solitary figure. After he left, Kara observed, oeNever thought I'd say this, but he's worse than Tigh.

oeHe's got a sense of entitlement, Starbuck, Goalie observed. oeHe thinks he's entitled to the squadron by right. And finding out General Tanner denied him sure deflated his balloon.

oeThat it did, Goalie. That it did, Guru said. oeIn the meantime, I need some help this evening. If you like, I'd appreciate it if we all helped clean out Colonel Rivers' office. It'd deal with some of the pain.
He looked at the group, and saw nods in the affirmative. oeIn the meantime, I believe we've got missions scheduled, Mark

oeThat we all do, Boss. Ellis replied. oeYour flight's up in an hour.

oeAll right. Get something to eat, and let's go back to work. And if you're angry, let some Russians or Cubans feel that anger, Guru said.

oeYES, SIR! They all shouted.

And with that, the 335th went on with the war.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-05-2015, 09:14 PM

The sequel to Taking Command:

Trials of Command

Sheppard AFB, TX, 5 December, 1987, 1250 Central War Time:

Major Matt Wiser, the commanding officer of the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was actually pleased with things this day. His unit had flown a number of strikes into the Dallas-Fort Worth area, supporting the Army in the meat grinder that was Dallas, and several crews had added MiGs or helicopters to their kill sheets. He had taken his flight to the Waxahachie area, where supply convoys headed to and from Dallas went up Interstate 35E, and his F-4s had laid waste to one such convoy. His flight had come out of the strike without a scratch, and having debriefed the mission, had some time to kill before their next strike, in two hours' time. And so the squadron commander decided that a nap on his office couch was in order. He'd laid down and closed his eyes, only to suddenly hear a voice in his ear. oeMajor

Major Wiser opened his eyes, to see his exec, Capt. Mark Ellis, standing over him. oeWhat is it, Mark Can't you see your CO needs his beauty rest And I was about to have a dream: me, Goalie, and at least two Sports Illustrated swimsuit models-all about to do things that would likely get all of us arrested in half a dozen states.

oeSorry, Major, but this is important. It's about Major Carson.

oeWhat has that sumbitch done now Wiser asked as he got up.

Major Frank Carson was perhaps the most hated officer in the squadron: a sentiment shared by both officers and enlisted airmen. Whether it was writing up airmen for being out of uniform-when the temperature on the flight line at Cannon or Amarillo had reached 118 degrees-the man thought male airmen stripped to the waist as they worked-or females in sports bras was oeout of uniform, or wailing about how the other officers failed to show him some respect-which everyone else felt he had done little to earn, or complaining about being passed over for squadron command, he'd gotten on just about everyone's bad side. Even the previous CO, before he was KIA, had little use for the man. And Lt. Col. Dean Rivers had put then-Capt. Wiser, call sign Guru, into the Executive Officer slot, and then upon Rivers' death five weeks earlier, as CO. And the oeFrank Burns wannabe as some called him, was appalled. But his protests to higher authority fell on deaf ears.

oeWell, Major, he's involved in a suspected friendly-fire incident with the Army, Ellis said.

oeWhere is he now

oeI imagine he's writing up his backseater, his wingman, and his WSO-for insubordination, failure to maintain flight integrity, and so on, Ellis said. oeThey're all waiting outside.

Nodding, Major Wiser went over to his office coffee maker and poured himself a cup. He had a feeling he'd need the caffeine jolt. oeOkay, send them in. Do you know what they've said

oeYeah, boss, Ellis said. oeIt's not pretty.

oeAll right. Find out from the Army-or the ALO in question, what happened from their side. Who'd he attack

oeThey were in First Cav's AO. Who, exactly, no idea as yet.

Major Wiser nodded. oeGreat. First Cav....next thing we know, their division CO will be outside the main gate, with some MPs, wanting someone's head. Now, get Master Sergeant Ross and two CSPs. I want them on the office door. No matter what, Carson doesn't come in. Until I say so.

oeYou got it, Major.

oeDoes Van Loan know Wiser asked. Capt. Don Van Loan was the squadron's operations officer.

oeHe was the first to find out. Ellis replied.

oeAll right, send 'em in.

Ellis opened the office door and the three crewers in question came in. First Lt. Brian Slater, who was Carson's WSO, and Capt. Sean Hennnings and 1st Lt. Melissa Brewster came in and saluted. The Major sketched a salute, and said, oeLet's hear it. Brian, you first.

oeYes, Sir. We were coming back from our strike down by Cleburne,

oeSupply dump, right Asked the CO.

oeYes, Sir, Slater replied. oeAnyway, we were south of Mineral Wells when the Major saw a convoy headed south on one of the local roads, and he rolled in.

oeDid he ask an ALO or FAC if he was in a no-strike area

oeNo, Sir. He just saw the convoy, and rolled in. A FAC, Nail Five-Seven, called and told him to pull out and abort. He called twice, but the Major went in anyway. He burned all of his 20-mm on the pass.

Major Wiser nodded. He turned to Hennings and Brewster. oeDid he order you to follow him on the run

Both nodded, and Hennings said, oeYes, Sir. But with the FAC calling him to abort, I didn't. The FAC must've known something we didn't. And Major Carson was livid that we didn't follow him.

oeHow livid

oeSir Brewster said, oeHe was saying the words 'court-martial', 'violating flight intregity,' things like that.

oeHe was just as angry with me, Major, Slater chimed in. oeI told him about seeing IFF panels on the trucks, and he said 'What panels' Sir, with all due respect-those panels were there. He saw only what he wanted to see.

oeTypical Carson, Major Wiser said. He picked up his phone and dialed Capt. Don Van Loan, the Ops Officer.

oeBoss

oeDon, come to my office. Now.

oeOn the way.

While waiting for Van Loan to arrive, the Major was considering his options. He'd been looking for a very good reason to transfer Carson, and it now appeared he had one. Then there was a knock on the door.

oeIn!

Van Loan came in. oeYou wanted to see me, Boss

oeYeah, and this time, I wish I didn't. Take these three, put them in separate rooms, and have them write out their statements. Once that's done, have them typed up, signed, and sealed. While they're doing that, get the strike camera film and the cockpit audio from both aircraft. I don't care if the film hasn't been developed yet-and chances are, it hasn't. I want that boxed up, because JAG is going to handle this. Major Wiser said.

oeGotcha, Major. Van Loan said.

oeYeah. Where's Mark

oeHe was on the phone with somebody, last I saw. Van Loan replied.

oeGet him back here. Major Wiser ordered.

oeWill do. Van Loan nodded, then motioned to the three. oeYou guys all come with me.

As Van Loan left, Ellis came back in. oeBoss, I just got off the phone with the senior ALO with First Cav.

oeWhat'd he have to say Asked Major Wiser. And the CO was dreading what Ellis would have to say.

oeYou're not going to like it. First, the CO of First Cav is hopping mad, and wants someone's head on a platter, his ass in a sling, and the rest of him in Leavenworth. Second, he did relay a casualty report. Twenty-seven casualties in all: twelve KIA, fifteen WIA. Seven of the KIAs are civilians, five are Army Civil Affairs people. All fifteen WIA are civilians, and four of the WIAs are under fourteen. Ellis reported.

Major Wiser put his palm to his face. oeLovely. That's just great..... He looked at the XO. oeLet me guess: the Army was escorting refugees home

oeYou got it, Major.

oeOkay. I'm calling JAG. Major Wiser said. He picked up the phone and dialed the base JAG office.

oeJAG, Captain Carroll speaking, the voice on the other line said.

oeCaptain, this is Major Wiser at the 335th TFS, I have a friendly-fire incident involving one of my pilots, and I was hoping you'd be able to take this off my hands.

oeSir, I don't think we'll be able to help you, with all due respect, Carroll replied.

oeWhat do you mean by that, Captain...

oeSir, I'm only a year out of OTS, and it's been fourteen months since I passed the bar.

Major Wiser looked at his Exec. oeAll right, and your other officers

oeSir, one's fresh out of knife-and-fork, she only passed the bar five months ago. My other officer is six months out of OTS, and he passed the bar eight months ago. None of them have any trial experience.

oeLovely.

oeSir, we're busy with casework-the usual with divorces, wills, and more than a few investigations. May I suggest talking to OSI They may be able to assist you, Caroll said.

oeThanks, you've been a big help. Major Wiser said. Then he slammed down the phone. oeTwerp.

oeLet me guess: too many cases, not enough people, and who they do have, are all inexperienced, Ellis commented.

The CO nodded. oeYou got it. He picked up the phone and dialed the base OSI office.

oeOSI, Agent Martinez.

oeAgent Martinez, this is Major Wiser at the 335th TFS. I have a friendly-fire incident involving one of my pilots, and I was wondering if you could get the ball rolling on an investigation.

oeSir, we'd be glad to help, but we're kind of busy here. We've got several major ongoing investigations at the moment; counterespionage, collaboration, and some things we really can't talk about, the agent replied.

oeOf all the... Major Wiser said.

oeSir, may I suggest calling JAG They may be able to help.

oeThey told me to call you! The CO shot back.

oeSorry, Sir. I wish we could help you.

oeThanks. You've been a big help, the Major said. He waited until Martinez hung up, then slammed the phone down again. oeNo sense pissing off OSI.

oeThey're busy Ellis asked.

oeRight again, Mark, replied the CO. Major Wiser opened a drawer on his desk, and pulled out a piece of paper. He found what he was looking for, then dialed a number.

oeWho are you calling now, Boss

oeGeneral Tanner's office. All squadron and Wing commanders have a direct line to his office. It bypasses the ADC, staff flunkies, and so on. Major Wiser said as he waited for the other line to pick up.

oeGeneral Tanner's office, the feminine voice on the other end said. oeHow may I help you

oeThis is Major Wiser with the 335th TFS. I need to speak to the General right away. It's very urgent.

oeOne moment please, Major. She put him on hold for what seemed like an eternity, but it was only a few seconds. oeHe'll be with you in a moment.

Tanner's voice then came on the line. oeMajor! How's things with the Chiefs oeChiefs was the nickname for the 335th.

oeSir, it's going great, but we've got a serious problem. It concerns a certain Major that you, me, and my predecessor all have had problems with. Major Wiser reported.

oeWhat has that idiot Carson done now Tanner asked.

oeSir, he's involved in a friendly-fire incident, involving elements from the First Cav. There are fatalities, and not just soldiers. Civilians as well, the Major said.

oeOf all the..... Tanner said. oeYou're absolutely sure about this, Major

oeGeneral, I am. The three witnesses in his flight are all giving statements right now, and we have the strike camera film and cockpit audio recordings, Wiser said. oeSir, I imagine First Cav's CO wants someone's head on a platter, his ass in a sling, and the rest in Leavenworth.

oeDon't worry about First Cav. I'll talk to General Franks at III Corps, then First Cav's CO. You let me worry about that. Just concentrate on your job at hand, and getting on with the war. Tanner said.

oeYes, Sir, Major Wiser said. oeAnd Major Carson

oeJust a minute, Major. I need to put you on hold, and Tanner did so. After a a couple of minutes, he came back. oeMajor, there's a C-130 that just left Amarillo. I've ordered them to divert to Sheppard, and they'll fly Carson-and any escort, right to Davis-Monthan. Get him-and any evidence you have, on that plane.

oeYes, Sir!

oeAnd Major Don't worry about First Cav or III Corps. You let me handle that, and you handle the Russians, said Tanner.

oeYes, Sir.

oeAll right. Tenth Air Force will handle everything from here on. Once he's on that 130, he's no longer your problem. Clear

oePerfectly, Sir. Major Wiser said.

oeGood. You wish they'd taught you to handle something like this in OTS Tanner asked.

oeNow that you mention it Yes, Sir. Wiser replied.

oeAnd the Academy, and ROTC, Tanner said. oeYou're doing fine, Major. And I've got every confidence in you. Just get him on that plane.

oeYes, Sir.

oeLike I said: I'll handle this. You have a good day.

oeThank you, Sir.

With that, Tanner hung up. Major Wiser turned to Ellis. oeMark, you're going to escort Carson to Davis-Monthan. Along with Ross and the CSPs. Plan on being there overnight.

oeRight, boss.

There was a tap on the door. It was Van Loan. oeMajor, Got all the statements, film, and the cockpit audio. All boxed and ready.

oeGood, the Major said. Then there was a knock on the door. oeYeah

It was 1st Lt. Lisa Eichhorn, call sign Goalie. She was Major Wiser's WSO. oeGuru, we've got a brief in thirty minutes. You going to be there

Oh, joy, Major Wiser thought. He'd forgotten about the upcoming mission. oeGot something more important. He turned to Van Loan. oePush my flight's mission back by at least an hour-no, make that two. I have a feeling this'll take a while.

oeWill do, Boss, Van Loan said, heading out the door past Goalie.

oeWhat's up Goalie asked. oeWord's going around that Carson may be out.

oeNot may, will. He won't be around for much longer. Wiser said. He saw the puzzled look on his WSO's face. oeI'll explain at the Club tonight.

oeFine by me, she replied, going out and closing the door. After doing so, the Major and Ellis saw her pump her arms and and shout oeYES!

oeWord's gonna get around, Major, Ellis said. oeAnd not just in the 335th. Colonel Brady's probably going to call you and ask 'Why did it take you this long to fire this asshole'

Colonel Allen Brady was the CO of Marine Air Group 11, to which the 335th was assigned oefor the duration. And the eager Major had not only angered members of the 335th, but also Marines as well. For which there had been a number of complaints sent to the squadron. Now, those complaints would cease.

oeI know. I was willing to see if he was going to shape up, Wiser said, shaking his head. oeMaybe it was wishful thinking, or what. He looked at his Exec. oeWell, even if they don't court-martial him, he'll be shoveling snow in Newfoundland or Labrador, and he'll be someone else's problem.

oeThere is that, Boss. Ellis agreed.

There was another tap on the door. It was one of the CSPs. oeSir, Major Carson's here. Do we let him in or not

The CO and XO looked at each other. oeMark, stay here. Not just for backup, but you might be in this position one day. If not in the 335th, heaven forbid, but they might decide there's a squadron somewhere with your name on it. Think of this as a learning experience.

oeNo problem, Major. Ellis replied.

Major Wiser nodded, then said to the CSP. oeLet him in.

Major Frank Carson came strutting into the CO's office, as if he thought he owned the place-which wasn't far from what everyone else in the unit thought was his feeling. Carson never hid his belief that the 335th was his to command by right, and that Colonel Rivers had made a mistake in putting then-Capt. Wiser in over him to be Exec, and then having Wiser take over upon Rivers' death. Carson felt that an Academy man, and only an Academy man, should command the squadron, and he was appalled that not only had an OTS graduate gone over him, but that a fellow Academy graduate-Colonel Rivers-had put a .peasant from some rural California town in line to command the squadron. His protests to higher authority had fallen on deaf ears, and was easily the most hated man in the squadron. Still, he felt no one recognized his efforts to maintain discipline, and doing things by the book. Carson came to attention and snapped a perfect salute. oeMajor.

oeFrank, the CO said, sketching a salute. oeWhat is it now

oeSir, I wish to file charges against Slater, Brewster, and Hennings. Failure to maintain flight integrity, refusal to obey an order, and insubordination. He handed the the papers to Major Wiser.

oePretty serious, Mark. The CO said, and saw the Exec nod. oeHere's what I think of your charges. And Major Wiser tore the papers into several pieces, and threw the pieces into his trash bucket.

oeSir! Carson wailed. oeYou're turning a blind eye to serious issues in the cockpit!

Major Wiser glared at Carson. oeRight now, any fault of theirs is the least of your worries. That convoy you strafed The one that Hennings and Brewster didn't roll in on and Slater urged you not to fire That was one of ours!

Carson stared at Major Wiser. Was this....OTS peasant being serious oeSir..

oeYou just saw a bunch of Soviet-built trucks. But you didn't see the IFF panels on top, and ignored the FAC repeatedly telling you to pull off and abort. So you had to make a gun run. Well, Major, hope it was worth it, because those were friendlies.

Carson was stunned. oeFriendlies Sir, those were Soviet trucks, and Ivan's used American markings before...

oeWhen a FAC tells you to abort, you abort! Major Wiser shot back. oeYou didn't, and shot up three vehicles, and one of those blew up. He turned to his Exec. oeHow many casualties, Mark

oeTwenty-seven, Major. Twelve fatalities. Seven civilians and five soldiers killed. Fifteen civilians wounded. Four of those are under fourteen, the Army says. Ellis said.

oeCivilians... Carson said. oeWhat

Major Wiser exploded. oeThey were our people! The Army was escorting refugees home, and you rolled in on them! People that survived the Soviet occupation of their homes, and you put seven in the morgue, and fifteen in a MASH! Hope you think trying to impress General Tanner-or someone higher than him-was worth it.

oeSir, I made a decision in the cockpit, Carson said. oeAnd I resent your implying that I acted recklessly.

oeI'm not implying it, Wiser said. oeI'm saying it flat out. This is a SNAFU of the highest order. He went to his desk and opened a drawer. The CO pulled out a form-mostly filled out. oeRight now, it's in the hands of JAG at Tenth Air Force. They'll handle the investigation and decide on a court-martial. Regardless of that, you're out of the squadron. As of NOW.

oeSir...

oeYou never made the transition from peace to war, Frank. And before you say it, I'm not as rank as you are. Major Wiser said. oeI only had one bad encounter with you-and before you say it, I've loathed you ever since the day you tried to have me and Goalie written up on a fraternization reg-something that General Tanner told JAG and OSI to ignore-as we've got worse things to worry about-like winning the war!

Carson glared at his CO. oeThis isn't the Air Force I joined when I graduated from the Academy.

oeYou know what It's not the same one I joined when I graduated OTS. Things change, Major. Wartime does that-or haven't you noticed The Air Force has changed. You haven't-and still can't get used to things-like a girl from 'the wrong side of the tracks'...

oeYou mean that bitch Thrace Carson sneered.

oeI'd be careful using that phrase if I were you, Major Wiser said. oeAnd that woman you mention can fly an F-4 better than you can. Which is something you can't handle. Or the fact that the number of Academy hands in this unit can be counted on two hands. That ring on your finger means nothing when the flak comes up. Rivers knew it-he never wore his class ring, and my WSO doesn't either.

oeSir, you don't understand, Carson said. oeI have been trying to bring more order and discipline to this unit, and my efforts have been misunderstood, and even belittled.

oeNo, Frank, said Major Wiser, oeYour efforts have been despised. You don't realize just how much you're hated. The officers under you aren't in Doolie Summer at the Academy, and the NCOs and Airmen aren't pieces of equipment to be used and abused. I don't care what happens next in the investigation, but like I just said: you're out. The CO took the Transfer Form, and filled in the box marked oeReason for Transfer. He put in, oeFailure to adjust to wartime circumstances; inability to get along with fellow officers; and, possible involvement in friendly-fire incident. Major Wiser then signed and dated the form. He then gave one copy to Ellis. oeThat's for the squadron personnel file. Another copy for his personnel jacket, and the other is for personnel at Tenth Air Force.

oeYes, Sir, Ellis replied.

oeYou can't be serious, Carson said.

oeI am. And if I were you, when I get to Davis-Monthan, I'd wrangle a long-distance call to that rich Daddy of yours in Boston. The CO got right into Carson's face. oeTell him 'Dad, I need a lawyer.' Because guess what: chances are, you'll need one. Major Wiser said. Then he yelled, oeSergeant Ross!

Master Sergeant Ross came into the office. oeSir

oeSergeant, you will escort Major Carson to his desk. Watch as he cleans it out. You will then escort him to his quarters, and watch him pack. Then, you will escort him to Base Operations. Take the two CSPs with you, and you will accompany him on a C-130 headed to Davis-Monthan. Captain Ellis will be with you, and you will hand the Major over to General Tanner's representative-probably JAG. You will not let him out of your sight until relieved by said representative. Is that clear Major Wiser asked.

oePerfectly, Sir.

oeGood. You may have to RON there, though, so have a friend pack a few things for you. Wiser said. He turned to Ellis. oeThat evidence box doesn't leave your sight until Davis-Monthan, and it's handed over to that representative.

oeUnderstood, Major, Ellis said, trying to conceal a smile.

oeYou haven't heard the last of this, Carson sneered.

oeMaybe, maybe not, Major Wiser shot back. oeIf there's a court-martial, I'll be there for the prosecution. If they don't, well, if you're shoveling snow at Goose Bay or Gander, or watching for Polar Bears at some Radar Station above the Arctic Circle, I won't care. The only bad thing is that you'll be someone else's problem. The CO then turned to Ross. oeGet him out of my sight!

Ross let out a grin. oeYes, Sir! And he escorted Carson out of the office and to his desk. When it was obvious that Carson was packing up to leave, there were smiles all around. And when Ross escorted him out of the office for the last time, there was cheering.

oeAbout time! Capt. Kara Thrace said to the CO when Carson left.

oeNo kidding! 1st Lt. Valerie Blanchard said, nodding to the CO. oeMajor, you just made everyone's day.

oeThanks, Sweaty, Major Wiser said. He looked around the squadron office and saw smiles on everyone's face-both officers and enlisted. Then he saw Doc Waters, the Flight Surgeon, who was trying to hide a stethoscope. oeDoc...were you giving the office wall a physical

oeI plead the Fifth on that, Boss, the surgeon replied.

oeNow I know how word traveled so fast, observed the CO. oeAll right, people! Get back into game mode, because we still got a job to do. If you want to let rip, do it at the club tonight. He went back into his office, and found Goalie, Kara, Sweaty, Van Loan, and several others there, waiting for him, and all had smiles on their faces. And they applauded as he came in.

oeWay to go, Major! Goalie said.

oeI know, this just reduces the enemy to the ComBloc, Wiser said. oeAnd you guys were probably wondering what took so long to get him out

Kara nodded, oeThe thought had occurred to some of us. And other heads nodded.

oeWell, there was an outside chance-a small one-but a chance that he'd shape up. Rivers advised me in his letter to wait and see before kicking Carson out. Second, I was hoping that he'd fall on his own sword, and it would be so obvious to anyone on the outside that he had to go. Major Wiser said.

oeThat he did, Major, Van Loan observed.

oeYeah, the CO replied. oeToo bad it happened this way, but now, he'll be someone else's problem.

oeAnd I pity whoever that is, Goalie said.

oeYou, me, and probably everyone else here, Kara said. oeSaid this before, but he's worse than Tigh.

oeYeah, and if they don't decide to court-martial him, pray they don't send him to be Tigh's Exec. Sweaty said.

oeEven Tigh has scruples, Kara pointed out. oeHe'd be looking for a way to kick Carson's ass as far away from Kingsley Field as he can.

oeAnd he would, too, the CO said. oeAll right, guys, I hate to break this up, but we still got a job to do. My flight, mission brief at 1500.

The others filed out, still grinning at each other, but Goalie stayed. She shut the door. oeGuru, I can tell when something's bothering you.

oeYeah. You're an Academy grad. I know, not everyone from Colorado Springs is like that, and I also know not to judge a whole group by the acts of a few idiots, but did you have classmates like that Guru asked his WSO.

oeI did, sorry to say. There's a half-dozen people I knew who'd be carbon copies of that bastard, Goalie said. oeMakes me kind of ashamed I know those people. I'm just glad he wasn't one of my classmates.

oeRivers never was like that: he took off his class ring and never put it on. He was 'one of the boys', Major Wiser said. oeAnd you do the same.

oeWell, I learned early on-and not just from him. He did reinforce it, though.

oeSomething our Major didn't realize. And I bet Rivers is looking down on us and smiling. Though he's probably asking, 'what took you so long' Guru said.

oeI imagine so, Goalie nodded.

Major Wiser looked at the office clock: 1420. oeMan, how time flies. We've got a mission brief in forty minutes. I need a nap: wake me up just before 1500: Mark woke me up from a too-brief nap with the news.

oeWill do, Goalie said, heading to the door.

The CO checked his desk. Something he'd overlooked in the day's excitement had caught his attention. oeWait. He scanned a list. oeThe December list of Captains is out. Guru looked at his WSO and grinned. oeYou're on it. Congratulations, Captain.

Goalie stopped. Then she came over and gave her CO a hug. oeThanks!

oeDon't thank me, thank Rivers. He forwarded the paperwork.

oeStill...

oeI know: I'll pin the Captain's bars on you. And you have to pay for the promotion party. The CO reminded his backseater. oeTwo reasons to celebrate at the club tonight. And when we have time for a more...private celebration....

oeThere is that, Goalie agreed.

oeAll right: go and sew on some Captain's insignia on your flight suit. I'll see you at 1500. And today, this is your first combat flight as a Captain.

oeI never thought I'd do this for you, but.. Goalie said. She came to parade-ground form, just as if she was back at Colorado Springs, snapped to attention, and gave a perfect salute.

The CO returned it, and said, oeAs you were before, Captain. I'd rather have the Goalie I know.

oeDon't you worry about that, she replied.

He laughed, knowing she meant it. oeI'll see you at 1500. And I hope to see Captain's bars on you.
Goalie let out one of her grins. oeYou will, Boss. And he also knew that when she grinned like that, fun times were ahead. Tonight at the club, she'd let rip-for an hour or so before the twelve-hour rule kicked in.

oeGood. Now, your CO and pilot needs that nap. I'll see you at 1500. Oh, one more thing, he said, taking the list off his desk and giving it to her. oePut this on the bulletin board. There's several other people in the squadron on it. Spread the joy around.

oeWill do.

The CO went over to the couch. oeSee you in thirty,

oeI'll be here. Goalie replied, leaving the office and closing the door behind her. He could hear oeYES! as she went to tell the others on the list.

oeThanks, Colonel, Major Wiser said, looking up at the ceiling. oeShe deserves it. He then closed his eyes, hoping to have that dream he'd been hoping for-when Mark had awakened him.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-12-2015, 05:09 PM

Here's one involving a Red-on-Red friendly-fire incident...

Red on Red

335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Williams AFB, AZ; 2 May, 1987, 1230 Hours Mountain War Time.

Captain Matt oeGuru Wiser, the Executive Officer of the 335th TFS, was in his office, going over some squadron paperwork in between missions. One thing about wartime, he had found out, was that many of the bureaucrats who infested the Air Force in peacetime had either slithered away or, he hoped, had found more useful work supporting, instead of hindering, the war effort. He had just finished some enlisted airmen's evaluations when his WSO, First Lieutenant Lisa oeGoalie Eichhorn, knocked on the door. oeShow yourself and come on in.

She came into the office bearing two lunch bags. oeHere. Fresh from the Marines' mess tent.

oeWhat'd you get

oeFried chicken with cole slaw, and two bottles of water. oe

He smiled. oePaperwork can wait. Lunch can't. And both of them attacked the food. They were just about finished when there was another knock on the door. oeCome on in!

First Lieutenant Valerie oeSweaty Blanchard, his wingmate, came in. oeWe've got a mission, CO says. Lt. Col. Dean Rivers was the CO of the 335th. oeBrief in ten.

Guru nodded. oeAll right. Get Preacher and we'll be there. 2nd Lieutenant Bryan oePreacher Simmonds was Sweaty's WSO.

Sweaty nodded. oeWill do.

oeLet's go, Guru said to Goalie.

A few minutes later, the four crewers were in a former classroom used by the base's former occupants, an Air Training Command T-37 wing. When they arrived, they found 1st Lieutenant Darren Licon, the Squadron's intelligence officer, waiting. oeDarren, Guru said.

oeGuru, Licon replied, nodding. oeAnd everyone. He got to the point. oeWe've got a truck park and maintenance site outside Newkirk, on old Route 66, just north of I-40. Intel says the truck convoys pull off the Interstate before dark, remain overnight, and leave again in the morning. But they've got some intel that says the truck park's still occupied.

oeAnd let me guess: someone wants something dreadful to happen to the truck park Preacher asked. Prewar, he had been studying for the priesthood, and when the war began, he'd joined the Air Force and volunteered for WSO training. When his classmates found out he'd been studying to become a priest, they gave him the call sign.

oeYou got it, Licon said. oeIt's still occupied. They want it hit before it's empty.

oeDefenses Guru asked.

oeThere's a 57-mm battery to the east, and a ZPU battery around the park itself. There's also the Tucumcari SA-2 site further east. No other heavy SAMs reported, Licon reported.

oeMiGs Sweaty wanted to know.

oeNearest field is Cannon, and they do have both MiG-23s and MiG-25s, the SIO said. oeYou may expect a defensive reaction from those guys.

oeWe getting any support on this one Goalie asked.

oeNo. All assets are committed elsewhere. You'll have to rely on speed, surprise, and your ECM pods.

Guru nodded. oeWeather

oeCAVU, Licon said. oeCO says how you fly the mission is up to you.

oeOkay, Guru said. oeThanks, Darren.

The SIO said, oeGood luck, then he nodded and left the room, leaving the crews to peruse their TPC chart, and look at the photos Licon had left for them.

oeWell Sweaty asked.

oeLow and fast, Guru said. oeGo in low, pop-up and strike, then get down low and head southwest. Stay away from the Interstate, and any other east-west roads for that matter.

oeGot you, she replied. oeOrdnance load

oeSays here, I get twelve Mark-82s with Daisy Cutter fuze extenders. You get twelve CBU-59/Bs. The ones with the incendiary submunitions. We both get four AIM-9Ps, two AIM-7Es, an ALQ-101 pod, and full 20-mm.

oeThey want those trucks to burn.

oeNot arguing that, Guru replied.

oeUsual bailout areasSweaty asked.

oeYep. Anyplace away from the roads. The further away you are, the better chance of SF, the Jolly Greens, or the locals finding you instead of the bad guys, Guru said. oeBeen skydiving once, and not willing to do it again.

oeDon't blame you, Preacher said. What Guru had seen and done on his E&E was common knowledge in the squadron, and in the Marine Air Group that the 335th was attached to.

oeOnce we're across the fence, we go by call sign, not mission code, unless we need to talk to AWACS or somebody else, Guru told his flight. The oeFence was the Rio Grande, and the front line. oeAnything else Heads shook no. oeAll right: get your gear, and let's hit it.

Over Occupied Eastern New Mexico, 1320 Hours Mountain War Time:

Camaro Flight was headed east, well south of I-40, and going in low. They had a pre-ingress refueling at the tanker track to top up their tanks, then they had gone in low. With few good terrain features, other than the occasional body of water, like the Pecos River, navigation was by dead reckoning and their inertial navigation systems. In the front cockpit of his bird, 512, Guru was swiveling his head, keeping an eye out for threats, something that had been drummed into his head in his F-4 training prewar. oeHow far to turn

oeThree minutes, Goalie replied. oeJust past U.S. 84.

oeCopy, Guru replied. So far, so good.

Both F-4s continued east, and it wasn't long before they reached their turn point. oeAnd turn, Goalie called.

oeRoger that, Guru replied. He banked the F-4 over some nameless dirt road, and leveled out, still at 450 feet AGL. oeTime to pop-up

oeOne minute, Goalie said.

oeOkay, switches on. Set 'em up. Everything in one pass.

oeYou got it,

oeSweaty, Guru. Switches on, music on, and stand by to pull.

oeRoger, his wingmate called.

oeSwitches set. Stand by.... Goalie called. oeAnd pull!

Both F-4Es pulled up, and as they did so, pilots and WSOs began scanning visually for the target. Sure enough, the twin ribbons of I-40 appeared, then the small town of Newkirk. And then the truck park appeared, north of the old Route 66. oeGot it, Lead, Sweaty said.

oeI see it, Guru said. oeLead's in hot. He rolled his F-4 in on the target, and lined up the truck park. oeSteady, steady, he murmured. Then he hit the pickle button. oeHACK! And a dozen Mark-82 five-hundred pound bombs came off the aircraft.

Down below, at the truck park, a Soviet truck convoy had stopped the previous night, but had to remain there due to several trucks having maintenance issues. The truckers hadn't been complaining, since there was hardly any bandit activity, and there had been no American air attacks. And their MVD escorts were feeling the same way. Then someone pointed to the southeast, as Guru's F-4 rolled in.

oeLead's off target! Guru called as he pulled up.

A dozen five-hundred pound bombs exploded in and around the truck park, ripping up vehicles, and killing and wounding many of the truckers, as well as the truck park's personnel. The survivors had barely picked themselves up, when a second F-4 came in.

oeTwo's in hot! Sweaty called as she rolled in. She lined up the smoke of Guru's bombs exploding in her pipper, and then she pressed the pickle button. oeHACK! Was the call, as a dozen CBU-58/Bs came off her airplane, scattering a mix of high-explosive and incendiary subunitions on the truck park, exploding a number of vehicles that had survived Guru's bombs, and starting a number of fires. One of which exploded the truck park's fuel dump....

oeTwo's off safe, Sweaty called. oeLook at that!

Guru and Goalie saw the oily fireball erupt as the fuel tanks exploded. oeGood work, Sweaty. Let's get outta here. Guru set his course southwest, and Sweaty joined up with him. As they headed southwest, they had just cleared U.S. 84 when AWACS called.

oeCamaro Two-One, Crystal Palace. Threat bearing Two-nine-zero for forty-five, medium, closing.

oeCopy, Crystal Palace, Guru replied. oeSay Bogey Dope

oeCamaro Two-One, Crystal Palace, the controller replied. oeBandits are Fitters.

oeCopy, Crystal Palace, Guru responded. oeSweaty, Guru, let's go get 'em.

oeRoger that, Sweaty replied.

The two F-4s turned for the bandits, climbing slightly, and turning on their radars.

Then the AWACS called again. oeCamaro, Crystal Palace. Second threat, bearing One-seven-zero for thirty. Medium, closing fast. Bandits are Foxbats. Repeat, bandits are Foxbats.

oeShit! Guru called. oeSweaty, Guru. Break!

oeRoger that! Sweaty replied, and both F-4s broke into the Foxbats, honoring the more immediate threat.

MIG-25PD number 067, 2nd Squadron, 787th IAP-PVO, Over New Mexico:

Major Valery Kornnikov and his wingman, Captain Arkady Belov, were in their MiG-25PDs, responding to a report of American aircraft and they were being directed by their ground controllers.

oeZero-Six-Seven, Jaybird. The GCI called. oeHostiles bearing directly ahead. Low level. Descend to one thousand meters.

oeUnderstood, Jaybird. Executing. Kronnikov replied. In the PVO, a GCI controller's word was law.

oeZero-six-seven, Belov called. oeI have targets dead ahead, medium level.

oeJaybrid, Zero-Six-Seven. We have targets directly ahead. Request permission to engage.

oeStand by, the GCI controller said. He turned to a senior officer. oeComrade Major, any friendly flights in this area I have four targets.

The Major looked at his flight schedule. oeLibyan Su-22s! He turned to another controller. oeContact those Libyans. Tell them to get clear of the area.

That controller nodded, and called the Libyans. oeNo response.

Shaking his head, the Major turned to the first controller. oeTell the MiG-25s to engage. Verify via IFF that the targets are hostile.

Nodding, the controller called the MiGs. oeZero-six-seven, Jaybird. You are cleared to engage. Verify targets are hostile.

oeUnderstood, Kornnikov replied.

Ahead of them, the two Libyan Su-22s were flying on. Neither of the Libyans had a good knowledge of Russian, having learned to fly in their homeland, via Syrian and North Korean instructors. They were flying without their IFF transponders on. It would turn out to be a big mistake.

oeTarget locked, Kronnikov said. oeZero-six-nine, engage.

Both MiG-25s locked up their targets for their R-40 (NATO AA-6 Acrid) missiles. And they fired.

oeSweaty, Guru called. oeBreak!

Both F-4Es broke to the right, and they saw the missile trails going above them. The crews hadn't yet seen the MiG-25s, and as they turned, they saw the missile trails end in fireballs.

The Libyan flight leader suddenly picked up his radar warning receiver. Then he saw the missiles coming for him. oeAllah Akba-

The lead Su-22 exploded in a fireball, and then the Libyan wingman exploded a few seconds later. Both Su-22s crashed to earth and exploded again on impact.

oeWhat the... Goalie called. oeThose chumps blew away the two Fitters.

oeNot arguing with that, if the Reds want to kill each other, Guru replied. oeWhere's the MiGs

oeGoing away.

oeJaybird, Zero-six-seven, Kornnikov called his GCI. oeBoth targets destroyed. Fuel running low. Request permission to return to base.

oeZero-six-seven, Jaybird, the controller replied. oePermission granted.

The two MiG-25s turned and headed back towards Cannon AFB, leaving the two F-4s behind.

oeLet's get out of here, Guru called Sweaty. oeGet back down, and head for the river.

oeRight with you, Lead.

The two F-4s formed up and headed back to the Rio Grande. As soon as they cleared the river, Guru called. oeCrystal Palace, Camaro Two-one is across the fence. Request a vector to the tankers.

oeCopy, the AWACS controller replied. oeVector is two-six-five.

oeRoger that, Guru replied. The two F-4s then made the tanker rendezvous, drank some fuel, then headed back to Williams.

After the two F-4s taxied to their dispersal, the crews shut down and got out. oeWhat the hell was that
Goalie asked.

oeRed-on-Red, Guru said. oeToo bad that doesn't happen more often.

oeGuru, Sweaty said as she came over. oeReds blowing each other away What the fuck

oeCouldn't happen to nicer people, Preacher said.

oeCome on, Guru nodded. oeLet's get debriefed, give Darren the good news, and get something to eat. We've got time for one more.

Cannon Air Force Base, Occupied New Mexico:

Major Kornnikov taxied his MiG-25 to his dispersal area and shut down. He looked to his right and saw Belov doing the same. His ground crew put up the crew ladder, and as he got out, he saw his Squadron Commander, the Regimental Commander, and another officer he didn't recognize come over. oeComrade Colonel He addressed his Regimental Commander.

oeComrade Major Kornnikov and Comrade Captain Belov, the Regimental Commander said. oeYou are restricted to quarters until further notice, and the conclusion of an investigation by the Military Prosecutor's Office.

oeWhat is this about Kornnikov asked. He and Belov were stunned.

The other officer, who identified himself as the local Military Prosecutor, said, oeThe two aircraft you shot down were Su-22s flown by our Libyan allies. You are confined to quarters until the investigation is concluded.

oeWhat Kornnikov said.

The Prosecutor nodded to four men of the Commandant's Service (Soviet Military Police). oeEscort these two officers to their quarters. They will remain there under guard until further notice.

335th TFS, Williams AFB, AZ: 1405 Hours Mountain War Time:

oeWhat Lieutenant Darren Licon said. oeRun that by me again, please, Captain.

oeI'll say it again, Darren. Those two MiGs blew away two of their own aircraft, Guru said.

oeWe saw it too, Sweaty nodded. oeWe had the MiGs on radar, closing, then missiles in the air, and they flew right over us. Then to our north, there's two fireballs all of a sudden, and those Fitters went down.

Licon shook his head. oeI'll send this to Tenth Air Force Intelligence. We've heard about the Reds having Friendly-fire incidents before, but this is the first time it's been air-to-air that I know of.

oeSAM operators are the same wherever they are, Goalie said. oeIf it flies, it dies, and we sort it out on the ground.

oeYeah, Preacher agreed.

oeAll right, Sir, Licon said. oeI'll check your strike camera footage, and see what BDA we get from recon, but it looks like, based on your description, that the truck park's out of business for a while.

oeThanks, Darren, Guru said.

Then Captain Mark Ellis, the Ops Officer, came in. oeRed-on-red YGTBSM!

oeNo, Mark, and we saw it, Guru replied. oeWhatcha got for us

oeNew mission, Ellis said. oeRivers is out, and he left it to me. You guys are going to Fort Sumner. There's a local radio station that the Quislings are using as their local 'Liberation Radio' affiliate. You guys get to put the transmitter out of commission.

oeFine with us, Sweaty said.

Cannon AFB, Occupied New Mexico, 4 May, 1987; 1400 Hours local time:

Major Kornnikov and Captain Belov were in a military courtroom, attending a State Commission of Inquiry into the incident two days earlier. They had given their testimony, had listened to the GCI controllers giving theirs, and had also heard from the Libyans' squadron commander. The members of the Commission had adjourned, and the two pilots were waiting on the verdict, along with their Squadron Commander and the Military Prosecutor. Then the Commission members returned.

oeIt is the conclusion of this Commission that the responsibility for the shooting down of the two Libyan aircraft on 2 May, 1987, over Liberated New Mexico, lies solely with the two Libyan pilots. Testimony has proven that their failure to follow established radio procedures, their failure to turn on their identification transponders, and their refusal to acknowledge the warnings from ground control, led to the unfortunate incident.

oeThe Commission therefore rules that the two Soviet Pilots, Major Kornnikov, V. and Captain Belov, A., are cleared of any wrongdoing, and are authorized to return to combat duties.

The chair of the commission, a SAF Major General, banged his gavel, bringing the proceedings to a close. As the members filed out, Kornnikov shook hands with Belov, then his Squadron Commander and Regimental Commander. oeReporting back for combat duty, Comrade Colonel,

oeI expected you would, the Regimental CO replied. oeThose Black-Assed Libyans got themselves killed, but somebody raised a stink-probably the Libyans, and you two had to go through the motions.

oeOne thing I'm curious about, though, Kornnikov replied.

oeAnd that is

oeWho were those F-4 pilots And what did they think of what happened

The political officer came over. oeAfter our victory, you can ask them.

Wing Commander's Residence, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, 4 February, 2010, 1500 Hours Mountain Standard Time:

Colonel Matt Wiser was sitting in his living room, waiting until it was time to go to Wing HQ and pick up his wife from work. Colonel Lisa Eichhorn-Wiser was now the wing commander of the 366th TFW at Mountain Home, and he was commanding the 419th TFW in the AF Reserves at Hill AFB down in Utah. Their units had just returned from the Baja War, or the Second Mexican War as some people were calling it, and their units were taking a well-deserved break before getting back into peacetime routine.

Colonel Wiser was reading an Osprey book, one that he'd just gotten that day via Amazon and UPS, USAF F-4E Units of World War III, and to his surprise, there was a whole chapter on the 335th, while one of the color plates in the book, along with a photo, showed his old bird, 512. Then a paragraph caught his eye. It was a first-person account from then First Lieutenant, now Lieutenant Colonel, Sweaty Blanchard. It detailed the encounter with the MiG-25s and the Su-22s.

The book had been in print for a year, but only after the Baja War, had he gotten around to ordering it. Well, now, some familiar stories from the 335th, me, Goalie, Kara, and the others. Not to mention the rest of the 4th TFW, the guys who came back from Germany, even the guys who stayed in the Philippines and kept Ivan from making too much mischef out of Cam Ranh Bay. He finished the book, got his laptop, then logged into his e-mail, and after that, he went to the F-4 Phantom Association's web site, where there was a message board. One of the topics was the book, and he gave a brief review. Then he saw something else. oeWhat the... He clicked on the topic, and it was from somebody in the Russian Republic, The originator of the topic identified himself as a former Voyska PVO MiG-25 pilot, who had been flying over New Mexico that day, and he gave the Soviet side of the story. oeI'll be damned, Guru said to himself. He typed in a reply, saying that he'd been flight lead of the two F-4s that day, and then he logged out. Almost time to pick up Lisa, he knew.

The next day, he had a surprise in his e-mail. It came from a Russian Republic e-mail address, and at first, he was going to delete it-more spam, he thought. Then his curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it. It was from Col. Valery Kornnikov, Soviet Air Force (retired). Guru read the e-mail, forwarded it to his wife, then called her. oeWhat do you think

oeI'll call the DAO at the Embassy there, See if he's interested in coming over, Lisa replied.

It took a while, but in August, 2010, after the fall of the Rump USSR and the wild night that had come about, Guru and Goalie were waiting in the arrivals area at Salt Lake International Airport, for a United flight from Chicago. As the passengers came down the jetway, they saw a USAF officer and a older man in a business suit. oeColonel Wiser Colonel Eichhorn The two nodded. oeI'm Major Mike McClure, AFHC. They sent me to be Colonel Kornnikov's escort. Not only that, but I'm a fluent Russian speaker. Just in case.

They shook hands, then Colonel Kornnikov introduced himself. oeSo you two were in one of the Phantoms that day

oeWe were, Guru said. oeBut you splashed those two Libyans instead.

oeWrong place, wrong time, added Goalie. They shook hands. As they went to Baggage Claim, she asked, oeSurprised, Colonel

oeThat you were flying in an F-4 No. The Political Officers said it was because you were desperate.

Guru laughed. oeNot that desperate, but if they let Kara fly combat, then maybe we were.

oeIs this the same Kara Thrace I keep hearing about Major McClure asked.

oeIt is, Major, Goalie said. oeShe runs the 390th TFS in my wing.

oeOh, no, McClure said. oeColonel, you'll be meeting the wildest pilot to come out of World War III, and she's the terror of the Air Force still.

They got Kornnikov's bags, then he asked. oeAnd why is that

oeBecause, Colonel, she flew hard, and partied harder during the war. She's mellowed a lot since, but...
Guru said.

oeBut the old habits die slowly, Kornnikov finished. oeNot unknown in fighter pilots.

oeYou're right. Goalie said. oeShe's the best I have in the 366th.

oeYou command the wing

oeThat's right. I'm the Wing Commander, but I'm not a pilot. I'm one of two navigators who are currently wing commanders in TAC, nodded Goalie.

oeAnd you, Colonel Wiser What do you command

oeI run the 419th TFW at Hill. We're the only Reserve F-15E wing at the moment. We've got a healthy rivalry with the 366th, but we share a feud with the 388th TFW at Hill as well: they're active Air Force, and they fly F-16s, said Guru.

oeAh. The rivalry between fighter pilots and those who fly strike aircraft... Kornnikov understood. In Russia, the rivalry between MiG-29 and Su-27 pilots on one hand, and those flying Su-24s was also heated at times.

oeIt is that, McClure said. oeNow, Colonel, we've got you at Mountain Home, and then Hill.

oeGood. You do have veterans still flying

oeWe do, Guru said. oeIn both F-15E wings. You can meet the WW III vets, those who went down to Baja, and everyone was here for the fall of the USSR. That was a wild night.

oeIt was, I'll grant you, Kornnikov agreed. oeI'd like to meet this Kara for myself.

oeBe careful of what you wish for, Goalie said. oeShe's mellowed a lot since the war, but put her in an airplane, and she flies it like she stole it. Like I said, she's the best I have.

oeThen there's one thing we all can agree on: we've had our wars, and we've all had enough.

oeTrue that, Guru said, and his wife nodded.

oeIndeed.

oeThere's one other thing, Guru said.

oeColonel Kornnikov asked.

oeFinding out the war from your perspective is going to be interesting. We'll be swapping a lot of stories over the coming week.

oeAnd I look forward to doing so.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-13-2015, 10:13 PM

The 335th's strangest mission of the war:

Part I:

Target: Madeline

Williams AFB, AZ; 1300 Hours Mountain War Time, 12 May, 1987:

It had been a busy morning for the crews of the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, as well as Marine Air Group 11, to which the squadron had been attached to since the beginning of the war. The usual Close-Air-Support and Battlefield Air Interdiction missions had been going on all morning, and when crews returned and finished their debriefs, the talk was of the Battle of Wichita. Pundits on the news were comparing it to Kursk in 1943, and to many, it looked like the first signs of light at the end of the tunnel.

For Captain Matt oeGuru Wiser, the Executive Officer of the 335th, it had been a busy morning for him and his flight. They had flown three missions that morning, and finally, they were able to take a break, get something to eat, and just breathe easy. With the occasional glance at the news, since during Wichita and after, the networks had been covering the battle non-stop. He'd been watching in the Exec's office with the members of his flight, and having lunch at the same time. oeAbout damned time we stop these bastards before they get too far.

His WSO, 1st Lieutenant Lisa oeGoalie Eichhorn, nodded. oeSchwartzkopf laid a trap for 'em, and they fell for it. She looked at her pilot and squadron exec. oeWish we were there

oeNo way, Guru said. oeThe surface-to-air threat would be murder.

oeEven with the Army helping out Captain Kara oeStarbuck Thrace, Guru's wingmate, asked.

oeEven with that, Guru replied. oeFrom MANPADS to SA-11, it would've been there.

oeNot arguing with that, First Lieutenant Valerie Blanchard, call sign Sweaty, said. oeNow we push those SOBs back south.

oeYeah, several voices said at once.

Then Guru looked at Sweaty's wingman, First Lieutenant Nathan oeHoser West and his backseater, Second Lieutenant Kathy oeKT Thornton. oeYou two fitting in Both were recent replacements to the 335th, and when Sweaty graduated to flight lead, they had become her wingmates.

oeThey told us there'd be days like this, Hoser replied. oeHow many today

oeDon't know, Guru said. oeNormally it's two before lunch, then two after. Something's going on, that's for sure. He looked at KT. oeAnd you

oeIt could be worse, KT said. oeNot like the early days, I'm told.

oeBe glad none of you were here, Guru said. oeFive, sometimes six missions a day, and we were losing people. Two weeks in, we lost the CO. A month later, the XO bought it, and then another month later, the new CO went in. Then Colonel Rivers came and took over.

oeNot long after that, you went camping with the Resistance, Goalie said. oeNot fun, you said.

Guru nodded. oeNo fun at all. Running, hiding, and fighting. Spent about as much time hunting for deer or elk as we did killing Russians or Cubans. And the stories about atrocities behind the lines They're true. Saw enough of that, and Lori Sheppard, our guerrilla leader, lost her family, home, everything. Some bastard talked, told the KGB that her family was sheltering downed pilots, so some KGB and ALA came to her family's ranch. Made her mom and dad watch as they raped her sister, killed her brother, then they did her mom, then shot her dad. Took all the livestock, and burned the place down.

oeThose bastards need to pay-KGB and ALA both, Kara said.

oeYeah, Guru nodded. oeHalf of those with that guerrilla group has a similar story: family killed, home destroyed, so they went into the hills. Then there's a good number of people who ran to the hills when it started, and a few who were on camping or hiking trips in the back country on Invasion Day.

oeThey get out Sweaty asked. oeYou said when the pilots hiked out, the Army was going to evac the noncombatants.

oeThat's what Lori said, and they were going to get some SF going in with them. He raised a bottle of water. oeHere's to the guerrillas. May they entertain Ivan and Fidel as long as they can.

oeHear, hear, Kara said.

Then talk turned to what they were having for lunch: sandwiches and nachos from the Marines' mess tent. oeMay the Lord have mercy on whatever it is in these sandwiches, Second Lieutenant Bryan Simmonds, Sweaty's WSO, said. He'd been studying for the priesthood when the war began, and he'd dropped that and joined the Air Force. His classmates in navigator training found that out, and they gave him the call sign oePreacher.

oeWhatever this is, it's been dead for a while, and can only improve with age, Kara nodded. oeIt said Pork Tri-Tip, but it's more like something brown that just sits there.

oeAt least the turkey tastes like turkey, Guru said, and there were some laughs. A knock on the office door followed, and Guru said, oeShow yourself and come on in.

Capt. Mark Ellis, the Squadron's Operations Officer, came in. oeGuys.

oeWhat's up, Mark

oeColonel Rivers wants you guys, all of you, in the main briefing room. Fifteen minutes.

oeWhat Main briefing room Kara said. oeYou did say that, right

oeI did, Ellis replied.

oeWhat's going on, Mark Guru asked. oeThat's pretty unusual.

oeColonel Rivers was asked to get the four best crews in the squadron for a mission. Half the squadron's out right now, so he picked you guys, the ops officer said. oeBe there in fifteen. Oh, he says, 'that's an order.'

Heads turned at that. oeWe'll be there, Guru said.

oeOh, one other thing. There's some brass here, and before you ask, no, it's not General Tanner. Something's going on, and it's related to this. I don't know, Rivers doesn't, and neither does Colonel Brady. Marine Colonel Allen Brady was the CO of MAG-11, which the 335th was operating under.

Goalie quipped, oeLet me guess: the mission orders say 'Burn before reading

Ellis looked at her. oeYou're not that far off. See you at the brief.

A few minutes later, the four crews came into the Main Briefing Room, which was normally used for all-officer meetings in the squadron. Ellis was there, along with Second Lieutenant Darren Licon, the Squadron's Intelligence Officer, and one of Ellis' NCOs. . They nodded as the crews came in and sat down. Then the NCO shouted. oeGeneral on the deck!

Everyone in the room sprang to attention as a one-star AF general came into the room, followed by Colonels Brady and Rivers, and behind them came several civilians. They weren't ordinary civilians, for they wore suits and Ray-Bans, and that told everyone right away who these people were.

oeBe seated, the one-star said. oeEveryone, I'm Brigadier General Donnelly, General Tanner's Intelligence Officer. He looked the crews over. oeColonel Rivers says you four are the best in the 335th. Now you get to prove it. General Donnelly nodded at one of the civilians, who was obviously an oeOGA type. The lights dimmed, and a projector showed an aerial photo. oeThis is your target.

oeLooks like a ranch house, Guru said.

oeIt is, Captain, General Donnelly replied. oeIt's called the Madeline Ranch. All you need to know is that it's being used by the KGB.

Kara asked, oeWhere's the target

General Donnelly nodded, and a detailed map of part of Eastern New Mexico was the next slide. oeHere, about five miles southeast of the small community of Elida, on U.S. 70. All you need to know is that this target has to be taken out, and your aircraft are being prepared with the appropriate ordnance loads. Lights.

The lights came back on, and the crews were looking at each other, and they noticed the OGA types were still in the room. oeSir, what about defenses Guru asked.

oeComing to that now, Captain, Donnelly noted. oeYou're at the outer edge of the Portales SA-2 site, and the same goes for the Roswell North SA-2 site. You'll be getting Weasels and a Spark Vark to make things easier for you, in case Ivan has any additional surprises in the area.

Guru looked at his flight, and heads were shaking. He knew what they were thinking, and that this would be a good way to get someone killed. oeHow many

oeFour, Captain, Donnelly replied. And an RF-4C will follow you in, to get BDA imagery of the target. I need to know, though: how many of you are Pave Tack qualified

Guru and Kara's hands rose, along with those of their back-seaters.

oeVery well, then. Captains, you two will actually hit the target. You will both have a Pave Tack pod, and two GBU-10s to destroy the target. No one comes back with unused ordnance. All four bombs go on the target. Do I make myself clear, Captains

Guru and Starbuck looked at each other again. oeYou do, Sir, they said almost at once.

oeGood. Lieutenant Blanchard You and your wingman will be the TARCAP. You'll be loaded air-to-air. There will be four F-15Cs coming with you, and an EF-111 will perform some standoff jamming for your ingress and egress. The briefing packet will have the necessary call signs, and your rendezvous will be at the southern tanker track. AWACS will vector you in, and once you're across the fence, it's in your hands.

oeThey'll get the job done, General, Colonel Rivers said.

oeGood. Now, Captain Wiser You're in command once in the air. This package is yours. How you fly it is up to you.

oeYes, Sir, Guru said.

oeGeneral, isn't this an A-6 or F-111 mission At night Colonel Brady wanted to know.

oeAll I can say, Colonel, is that this has to be flown now, Donnelly replied. oeNow, your briefing packet will have call signs and other information. However, when you are finished, you all have to sign a nondisclosure form. You are not to discuss this flight with anyone. Is that understood

Heads nodded. oeYes, Sir, several voices said.

oeYour aircraft will be ready by 1400. Be ready to launch after that, Donelly nodded. oeGood luck.
He then left the room, .and all but one of the OGA types followed him. Colonels Brady and Rivers stayed, though.

Guru went to both Colonels. oeSirs, what's this all about We're the ones flying this mission, and we don't know diddly squat.

oeBelieve me, Guru, Rivers said. oeWe tried. Even General Tanner doesn't know all the details. None of us have a 'need to know.' I don't like it any more than you do.

oeYes, Sir, grumbled the Exec. It was clear from his voice that Guru wasn't too happy.

oeGet your planning done, sign that form, and get ready to fly, Rivers said.

Guru nodded and went back. oeAll right, suggestions

oeLow and fast as usual Sweaty offered.

oeSounds good to me, Guru said. oeKara

oeI'll go along with that. We'll both have the pods, so we can self-designate, she pointed out.

oeOkay, Guru nodded agreement. oeSweaty, I want you and Hoser about a mile from the target. When we do the pop up, you two orbit. The F-15s will be further away, so anyone getting past them is yours.

oeGotcha, oe Sweaty replied.

oeNow, Weasels. I'll have them go in a minute ahead of us, and they'll take out the Portales SA-2 and the Roswell North SA-2., Guru added. He looked at his flight. oeThen they'll stay with us until we hit the target. Just in case.

Kara nodded. oeGood to hear. She looked around. oeWhere's this recon driver who's supposed to be coming along

oeRight behind you, a female voice called. Heads turned, and Capt. Sharon Valerri-Park and her GIB, 1st. Lieutenant Karl oeHelo Agathon, came into the room. oeNice to see you guys again.

oeYou too, Athena. Guru said. He introduced Kara and Hoser to the photo crew. oeSo you're behind us

oeYou got it, Athena said. oeAll we know is you're hitting this house, and they want photos of the aftermath. And that's all we know.

oeWhich is what all we know, Goalie replied. oeThose guys probably have something to do with it, she pointed to the OGA fellow still in the room.

Heads nodded. oeOkay, Guru said, oeTwo more things. He looked at his crews. oeFirst, usual bailout areas. Anyplace away from the roads. Second, unless we're talking with an AWACS or another flight-like the Weasels or the F-15s, we go by call sign, not mission code. He looked again. oeAnything else before we gear up

The OGA fellow came over. oeJust one thing, Captain. He opened a Manilla folder. oeI need your autographs on these, he said as he produced the NDA forms.

The crews grumbled, but they signed the forms, then both Colonels Brady and Rivers did so. oeThank you.

oeAll right, Rivers said. oeYou people gear up, and I'll see you on the ramp.

The crews got into their G-suits and survival gear, then they walked out to the ramp. When they got to their aircraft shelters, the crews noticed a lot of activity around the aircraft, not to mention armed Combat Security Police guarding the four F-4Es and single RF-4C. And the aircraft were not being tended to by their Air Force ground crews, but by civilian oetech-reps. Surprised, Guru went over to where his crew chief, Staff Sergeant Mike Crowley, was standing. oeSergeant.

oeCaptain, Crowley said. oeThey got tech-reps going over the birds. Why, I have no idea.

Guru and the crews noticed the coveralls worn by the technicians. McDonnell-Douglas, Raytheon, Loral-who made the ECM pods, General Electric-who made the J-79 engines, Ford Aerospace-who made the Pave Tack pods, and so on. Everything was being given the proverbial once-over. Not just once, but twice. After what seemed like forever, but was only about fifteen minutes, the tech-reps pronounced the aircraft ready to go, and the crews gathered around for Guru's final instructions.

oeRemember, this is a featureless part of New Mexico. The IP is the town, so keep that in mind. No second passes, Kara. If you have hung ordnance, don't come around and do it again. I know, nobody's supposed to come back with unexpended ordnance, but if it hangs up...

Kara nodded.

oeSweaty, you and Hoser have four Sidewinders and two Sparrows, and full 20-mm. I'll be happy if you guys have nothing to do.

oeSo will we, for once, Sweaty replied.

oeAnything else Guru asked.

oeHow soon can we talk about this Preacher asked.

Guru smiled. oeProbably when we're bouncing our grandkids on our knees. How's that

oeYeah, and I bet the mission report is classified as 'Burn before reading,' or words to that effect, joked Hoser.

Colonel Rivers looked at him, then smiled. oeNo doubt, Lieutenant. He checked his watch, and was about to say something when one of the OGA types came up to him and said something. He nodded, and told the crews, oeTakeoff delayed by at least thirty minutes.

oeWhat Boss, YGTBSM! Guru said.

oeSorry, but they put a hold on us.

Word spread, and the tech-reps went back to the aircraft. Even with the delay, the AF ground crew were still not allowed to work on the aircraft. Colonel Brady arrived a few minutes later, and he brought a cooler with cold drinks for the aircrews, because it was hot on the ramp.

oeBoss, Guru said to Rivers. oeTell us at least we can keep the Pave Tack pods when this is over.

oeI'll see about that. I know, we haven't done that much with laser bombs, with only two Pave Spike pods, Rivers nodded. And he knew what his exec was thinking. Even though the 335th's crews were very good in terms of accuracy with dumb bombs, having additional pods so that they could use the oeintellectual ordnance would make their job a lot easier.

Time dragged on, and several aircrews checked their watches. Thirty minutes became an hour, then the OGA fellow came back to Rivers. He whispered in Rivers' ear, then the Colonel nodded. oeThe mission's a go, people! Get your birds preflighted and airborne.
Hearing that, Guru shook hands with the CO and with Colonel Brady. oeBack in a while, Boss, he said to Colonel Rivers.

oeBring everyone back, Guru, Rivers said.

oeWill do, Boss, Guru replied. oeAll right, people. Time to hit it.

The crews went to their aircraft as the tech-reps left, and went through their walk-arounds. At their respective aircraft-512 and 520, Guru and Starbuck found a Pave Tack pod on the centerline, two AIM-7s in the rear fuselage wells, an ALQ-119 ECM pod in the left front well, instead of the usual ALQ-101 pod they had been carrying. Inboard wing stations each had a single GBU-10 Paveway laser-guided bomb, while the outer wing pylons had fuel tanks, as usual. Sweaty and Hoser each had four AIM-9P Sidewinders and two AIM-7E Sparrows, an ALQ-119, and full 20-mm ammunition, along with the fuel tanks. Athena's bird had the fuel tanks, a single ECM pod, and other than that, only had speed as a defense. After the walk-arounds, the crews boarded their aircraft and went through the preflight cockpit checks. Then it was time for engine start. Once the J-79 engines were warmed up, the Phantoms taxied to the end of the runway, where the armorers removed the final weapon safeties. When that was done, the planes taxied onto the runway, one element at a time, and the tower flashed a single green light, signaling clear to takeoff. Then each element rumbled down the runway and into the air. It was 1515.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-13-2015, 10:14 PM

Part II:

1530 Hours Mountain War Time: Over Western New Mexico:

The five-ship of Phantoms made the tanker rendezvous over the Continental Divide, and met up with their F-15 and Weasel escorts. Four F-15s made up Cowboy Flight, and one pair would set up a BARCAP to take care of anyone coming out of Cannon, while another pair would do the same for anyone out of Roswell (the old Walker AFB/Roswell AAF). Guru talked with the Weasels, who were using beer names for their call signs, and Coors 31 would lead the Weasels. He asked them to send one pair in to deal with the Portales SA-2, and the other pair to take care of the Roswell North SA-2, then come back and cover the target. After the inflight brief, everyone drank the fuel they needed from the tankers, and headed east. As they did, Guru noticed an EF-111 orbiting west of the Rio Grande. That would be their escort jammer, and the Spark Vark came into the formation. Then it was time to go down low and get into enemy territory.

The trip east went by like a blur. As the package went in, enemy radar activity was nil at best. Maybe the jamming's working, Guru thought. oeTime to U.S. 285 That was their next nav checkpoint.

oeOne minute, Goalie replied.

Up ahead, the F-15s were like blockers in a football game, ready to jump on any MiGs that showed up, while the F-4Gs were on their flanks. Behind the strike birds was Athena's RF-4C, and above her was the EF-111, spoofing enemy radars as they headed on in.

oeAnd now..285, Goalie called.

The ribbon of Highway 285 flew by below them, a they headed for the next nav point. La Espia Peak, where the EF-111 would break off, climb, and then orbit to perform its standoff jamming role. oeTwo minutes to the peak, Guru said, remembering the pre-mission planning.

oeYou got it, Goalie said. Both crewers were swiveling their heads, keeping an eye out for threats, something that the RTU instructors had drilled into their heads.

It wasn't long, then the peak appeared at their Eleven Oclock. oeSundance Four-One. Time for us to go to work.

oeRoger that, Guru replied. oeBlind 'em, fella.

With that, the EF-111 pulled up and started sending electrons out onto the radar frequencies used by the SAM sites, air-defense radars, and especially the GCI stations.

After that, the F-4Gs peeled off for their antiradar strikes, and then the F-15s climbed to assume their BARCAP mission.

oeElida dead ahead. That's the IP, Goalie called.

oeSweaty, you and Hoser do your thing, Guru said.

oeCopy, Sweaty replied. oeGood luck. Both TARCAP F-4s climbed to orbit the small town, as Guru and Starbuck climbed to search for the target, and WSOs began searching with the Pave Tack pods' cameras.

oeGot it! Capt. Judd Brewster, or Braniac as he was known. He was Kara's WSO.

oeRoger that, Guru said. oeGot it He asked his GIB.

oeTarget locked, Goalie said. oeReady to lase. Stand by to release on my hack.

oeRoger that, Guru replied, setting up the ordnance himself.

oeSteady, steady, laser on, and.....HACK!

Guru hit the pickle button, and both GBU-10s came off the aircraft. He then banked away, but not in a steep turn so that the laser could stay on target and the two bombs could follow the laser all the way in.

As Guru pulled away, Starbuck rolled in. She dropped her bombs a few seconds after Guru did, and she, too, pulled off target, but careful enough to keep the laser on the target.

Down below, in the Ranch House, several KGB and PSD officers were discussing their joint interrogation of a 'bandit' leader. They suspected he knew about plans for a major guerrilla operation timed to coincide with any counteroffensive the Americans launched, but so far, the bandit had resisted all of their efforts. Drugs, torture, even offers of sex, had been for naught. Then the rumble of aircraft engines could be heard, then everything blew apart as four laser-guided bombs blew the house-and all of its occupants-into tiny pieces.

oeSHACK! Goalie called from the back seat. oeFour good hits!

oeAnything left Guru asked as he pointed the F-4 due west.

oeNothing but matchsticks, blood, and brains, she replied. oeLaser off. And I say it's time to go.

oeYou are so right, Guru said as he took 512 down low again. oeStarbuck, you concur

oeRoger that, Lead. Four bombs, four hits. Let's get the hell out of here, Kara said.

oeSweaty, Hoser, on me, Guru called. oeHere comes Athena. Her RF-4C was starting its run-in. Cowboy, Coors, time to egress.

oeCopy,

oeRoger,

The package reformed near the EF-111 orbit point, and the trip west was anticlimactic. No MiGs came to challenge them, no SAMs lit up. And crossing the Rio Grande didn't even get a response from the Patriot and HAWK crews. After hitting the tankers, Guru gave the oeMission Success call, then all of the birds broke for their home bases; Luke for the F-15s, Phoenix/Sky Harbor for the F-4Gs, Davis-Monthan for the EF-111, and Williams for the F-4Es and the photo bird.

When the F-4s came into Williams, there was a crowd gathered, with both Colonel Brady and Colonel Rivers heading it up. The birds were taxied into their dispersal shelters, and their regular ground crews came in, as usual. When the crew ladders were in place, the crews were able to climb down. At 512, Staff Sergeant Crowley was waiting. oeHow'd it go, Captain

oeCan't say much, Guru said. But he gave a thumbs-up. Then he saw Goalie come out from the Pave Tack pod, and she had a videotape in her hand.

Then Kara came over with Braniac, and he also had a videotape in hand.

oeAll right, people! Brady said. oeHow'd it go

oeFour drops, four hits, Guru said. oeNo SAMs or MiGs. And no flak either.

The two Colonels looked at each other. oeGood job, Captain, Rivers said. oeMain Briefing Room, ten minutes. Get out of your flight gear and get your asses over there.

Ten minutes later, the crews-including Athena and Helo, who had come in a minute behind the strike birds, were in the Main Briefing Room. General Donnelly was there, and to no one's surprise, the OGA people were there as well. oeAll right, Captain, let's have it. How'd it go out there

Guru and Starbuck exchanged glances. Then he looked at the General straight in the eye. oeGeneral, four drops, four hits. All that's left of that house is matchsticks and bloody and/or burned scraps of meat.

oeYou concur, Captain Thrace

oeYes, Sir, I do, she replied. oeEven if somebody had been right outside, getting some fresh air If the shrapnel didn't kill him, the concussion did.

Donnelly nodded. oeLet's check the tapes.

First Goalie, then Brainac, played their Pave Tack tapes. The crews all noticed the OGA people were paying very close attention. oeFour bombs on target. CEP is zero, one of them said. oeNuthin' left of that place.

oeWait for the RF-4C imagery, oe one of his friends said.

oeCaptain Park Donelly asked. oeYour assessment

oeI'll go along with what Captains Wiser and Thrace said. That place is history, Athena replied, and Helo nodded.

oeVery well, Donelly said. He paused for a moment, thinking. Then he said. oeAll right, then. I remind you that you are still bound by your NDA forms, and are not to discuss this mission with anyone, even amongst yourselves. In your log books, you will say that you flew a strike-or a post-strike recon, against a target in Eastern New Mexico. Nothing more than that. He looked at the aircrews. oeIs that understood

The crews all looked at each other, then they said, oeYes, SIR!

oeGood, said Donelly. As he got to leave, with the OGA men in two, he turned to the crews. oeI wish I could tell you more. But I can't. Other than this.

oeSir Colonel Rivers asked.

oeAll of you on the mission have done a valuable service for your country today. Maybe in twenty or thirty years, when you're bouncing your grandkids on your knee, you'll read about it. Then you can say whatever you want. Maybe. Then the General and the OGA men left the room, leaving ten still confused aircrew and two senior officers still confused by the whole thing.

Rivers came over. oeGuru, you're one of the old hands in the squadron. Ever flown anything like this

oeNo, Sir, Guru replied. oeGive me a shot at the Denver siege perimeter, ripping up a supply dump along I-40, or paying Cannon or Roswell a morning wake-up call, but this

oeI know what you mean, Rivers said. oeThere were probably strikes like this flown in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam. They don't tell you anything other than 'hit this target.' He looked at the crews. oeLet's get over to the Club. Twelve-hour rule kicks in at 1900 for you guys, so you've got an hour and a half to get loaded.

oeBoss, that's an order I'll be glad to obey, Kara said.

oeYou guys may not get a medal for this mission, or any other recognition, but I'll be able to do something at least, Rivers nodded.

oeAnd I'll buy the first round, Brady said.

oeThen, sir, Sweaty said. oeLead the way.

As they left, Guru turned to Rivers. oeBoss, they did leave us those Pave Tack pods

oeThey did, Rivers confirmed. oeYou and Ellis, in between flights tomorrow, check and see who else in the squadron's Pave Tack qualified.

oeGot it, Sir.

oeOh, and Guru Rivers asked. oeI'll see about getting some time on the range for some refresher Pave Tack training.

Guru nodded. Then he asked. oeTime on the Goldwater Range, Boss Or time on the range in Eastern New Mexico

A smile came to the CO's face. oeWay things are going, it may be a little of both.

Two days later, it was the first day of PRAIRIE FIRE, and this one mission was quickly forgotten. Until.....

**Matt Wiser** · 01-13-2015, 10:15 PM

Part III:

21 May, 2012; Wing Commander's Residence, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. 1325 Hours Mountain Daylight Time:

Colonel Matt Wiser, USAF Reserve, was sitting in his den, reading the latest issue of Air and Space Magazine. This issue had a couple of articles on how the New Air and Space Museum was taking shape on the National Mall, and how exhibits had been recovered, decontaminated, and sent to the oetemporary museum at Quantico, and the same had been done for the aircraft in storage at the Gerber Restoration facility in Maryland. Now, the Air and Space Museum was going home, though the Quantico Museum would stay as a satellite museum, and would house exhibits too big for the main museum on the Mall. As he perused the magazine, he wondered how the Smithsonian would treat World War III. He'd given an oral history interview, and wondered what aircraft would fit in the new museum's World War III gallery, when another article caught his eye. oeWhat He reread the piece. It was from a former reporter for Air Force Times, who was now a respected aviation historian. The article gave details of the mission that he and his flight had flown, two days prior to PRAIRIE FIRE kicking off, and had been told not to talk about with anyone. Guru then went to his laptop, and went online. He found the magazine's web site, and found the article. Then he picked up his phone and called his wife, who should be in her office.

oeYeah The voice on the other end asked. oeWhat's up

oeGoalie, get online, and go to Air and Space magazine's web site. Click on the current issue, and open the third article down from the top. Then call back and tell me what you've read.

oeWhat Colonel Lisa Eichhorn-Wiser asked. She was the CO of the 366th TFW at Mountain Home.

oeJust do it, Guru said. The CO of the 419th TFW (AFRES) was firm in that.

oeOkay, but if this is some kind of joke, buster....You'll get it. No romping in the hay for you...

oeAs one wing CO to another, this is on the level, Guru said.

oeOkay, his wife said, then she hung up. Five minutes later, she called. oeI read it, but don't believe it. Is this the one where....

oeThis is the one, Guru acknowledged. oeThe guy must've FOIA'd the mission reports, because everything's there. Is Kara in her office

oeI'll get her, Goalie said. A couple minutes later, Kara came in. Then she got on the line.

oeWhat the hell, Guru This guy on the level

oeLooks like it, he said. oePut Goalie back on.

oeGuru His wife asked.

oeYou might want to make some phone calls. JAG, OSI, HQ TAC, and who know what else You might want to tell those folks that this mission's now in the public domain, and we might get contacted by other media, or other researchers. Bottom line: are we still bound by the NDAs Guru wanted to know.

oeI'm wondering that myself, Goalie said. oeI'll make some calls, then call you back.

While he was waiting for his wife to call back, Colonel Wiser turned on CNN. At the top of the hour, Wolf Blitzer was on, and after covering the '12 Presidential Campaign, turned to the next story. And it was the subject of the magazine article. He watched Blitzer interview the author of the story, and ask if these men and women knew they had saved the guerrilla portion of PRAIRIE FIRE, and who knew how many lives in the process The answer was blunt.

oeTo be honest, Wolf, I don't think so. These men and women are still bound by a nondisclosure agreement, which is why I never contacted them for the piece. They still wouldn't have been able to say anything about this mission.

How right you are, Guru thought. No way would we have told anyone about this. Then his phone rang again. He checked the Caller ID, and knew who it was. oeYeah

oeGuru, I just got off the phone with JAG and HQ TAC. We're still under the NDAs for now, Goalie said.

oeLisa, did you tell them it's public domain now

oeI did, Matt, and they said we're still covered. But they did bump it up to the Chief of Staff. It's his call, and he should have it by now.

oeIf Sundown Cunningham was still Chief of Staff, he'd be volcanic right now.

Goalie let out a laugh. oeHe would be, she said. oeAnd he would probably tear up those NDAs and say 'Boys and Girls, you can talk about this to whoever you want.' Then there was an audible knock on the line, and Goalie said, oeYeah

Guru was able to overhear. oeMa'am, Chief of Staff's Office for you. On line two.

oeGuru did you-

oeI heard, he replied. oeLet me know how it turns out.

oeWill do. Then she hung up.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again. It was Goalie. oeWell

oeHe'll formally release us. As of 0900 Eastern tomorrow, we're free to talk about the mission, said Goalie.

oeDon't know if we'll get calls from reporters, but there's three people we can talk to, Guru told his wife. oeEric, Sandy, and Melanie.

In her office, Colonel Eichhorn smiled. oeWell, well....when the kids get back for summer break, this is one war story they'll be glad to hear.

oeAnd Kacey, too, Colonel Wiser reminded his wife.

oeNot to mention the gang down at the 419th, especially Kelly Ray.

oeOkay, tell Kara, and I'll spread the word to Sweaty, Preacher, Hoser, and KT. Too bad Brainac's no longer with us, Guru said.

oeYeah. I'll tell Kara, and I'll see you around 7:30 or so. Got a evening hop on the schedule, Goalie said, the wing commander's voice coming back.

oeAnd you know me: when you're out late, it's 'Hello, Pizza Hut'

She laughed. oeOkay, get me a combination, and you that pepperoni and sausage you like.

oeIt'll be here. Take care, and have a good flight. Who's it with

oeMe and Kara are taking some newbies up. Teach them a thing or two.

oeAh, memories, Guru said. oeSee you later,

oeWill do. Love you.

oeYou too. Bye.

After hanging up, Guru e-mailed KT, Hoser, Preacher, but he called Sweaty. She was flying F-15Es down at Eglin, doing weapons tests, before hopefully getting her own squadron command. She was surprised, but relieved. Now she could tell her boyfriend about the mission.

After talking with Sweaty, Guru sat back and checked the F-4 Phantom Association's web site, and the message board. Sure enough, there was a link to the article, and there were posters already talking about the mission. Then his phone rang. oeWiser.

oeColonel Wiser

oeThat's right, and you are

oePhil Shafter, Salt Lake Tribune. I'm calling about the article in Air and Space..

oeMr. Shafter, I can't talk about that mission until I've been released from a nondisclosure agreement. Colonel Wiser said. oeThat should tell you enough.

oeI understand, Colonel. When do you expect to be released

oeIn a few days, but listen to this, Mr. Shafter. IF you want to talk to me about this, go through the PAO at Hill Air Force Base, Guru told the reporter, and his tone of voice said that the reporter had better do so.

oeOf course, Colonel. Sorry to bother you. Then the reporter hung up.

oeI doubt it, Guru said to himself. Then he called his wife again. oeLisa Listen, I just had a reporter call me at home about that mission.

oeYou're kidding.

oeNo shit, Sherlock. I think you'd better have your PAO say something. Say three of the aircrew who flew that mission are on base, but are not talking to reporters until we're released from the NDA,

In her office, Colonel Eichhorn looked at her Duty Officer. She whispered. oeGet the PAO in here. NOW. And the man slipped out the door. oeWill do, Matt. Anything else

oeWe and Kara need to talk, and decide how much we're going to say about this. Tomorrow night, over leftover pizza.

oeGood idea.

Guru nodded. oeOkay, then. See you later. Love you.

oeYou too, his wife replied. oeBye!

After hanging up, Guru thought. This is going to be a long evening. Too bad Raid doesn't deal with these kinds of pests....

**Matt Wiser** · 01-16-2015, 10:55 PM

Guys, how do you like things so far More feedback, please!

**Adm.Lee** · 01-17-2015, 11:54 AM

I am still reading.

Maybe that the jerk major (name now forgotten) seemed a little too stereotypical He really didn't make any shift to wartime mode at all Even if several of his commanders and their commanders told him that things had changed

From my first reading, I thought he was a non-flying officer, dunno how I gathered that-- did he have a callsign early on Anyway, it seemed abrupt that he was on a mission in the first place, I didn't notice that he was flying at all. Also, it felt a little too neat that he would screw up by the numbers, committing the one sin that would get him grounded and shipped out and investigated and potentially prosecuted.

**dragoon500ly** · 01-19-2015, 09:36 AM

Matt, I'm loving these stories! By all means keep up this great work!!!

**Matt Wiser** · 01-19-2015, 08:08 PM

Here's one for a change of pace: A USN carrier vs. Badger Bombers...

Part I:

Kennedy vs. Badger

12 May, 1987: 1100 Hours Local Time: Cuban Air Force Operations Center, Havana, Cuba

Colonel Eduardo Toledo came into the operations center. A longtime MiG-21 and MiG-23 pilot, he was now deputy chief of operations for the entire Cuban Air Force, and right now, he was not a happy man. He had just come from a briefing at the Defense Ministry, and the news from the front in America was not looking good. The joint Soviet-Cuban offensive in Kansas, aimed at cutting off an American bulge in the lines near Wichita, was stalled, and was on the verge of failure. The Americans had been waiting for the Soviets and Cubans to attack, and had laid an appropriate welcome-and some were comparing the battle to Kursk, only this time, the Soviets were the ones doing the attacking, and the Americans had been the ones who'd had time to plan and prepare-and the Soviet and Cuban forces had suffered appallingly as a result. That didn't concern the Colonel, but what the Soviet military mission had proposed, and President Castro had agreed, did. A joint attack on the Port of Miami was being planned, and while the Soviets would handle the actual attack on the port with Su-24 Fencers, Cuba's only heavy strike regiment, the 38th Bomber Regiment, with Soviet-supplied Tu-16K Badger bombers, was also set to participate, using their KSR-2 (AS-5 Kelt) stand-off missiles to suppress the American defenses.

The rationale for the mission was obvious: the Port of Miami was where many of the weapons and equipment the Americans were getting from their overseas lackeys, such as Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa, was unloaded. Knocking out the port for a while would greatly assist the land campaign in North America, and send a strong signal to those who were supporting the Americans that there would be consequences for doing so, both now and in the future, after the inevitable triumph of the Socialist forces.

However, Toledo knew full well that things had changed: the Florida Peninsula was now heavily defended, with Key West, the Homestead-Miami area, Tampa Bay, Orlando, and the Cape Canaveral area were now guarded by HAWK and Patriot SAM batteries, many having been formerly deployed in West Germany, and that American fighters were a constant presence in Florida skies. Now, strikes into Florida required careful planning to avoid heavy losses, and even so, despite such planning, losses could-and often did-get high.

Now, he went to the situation board, and so far, all was quiet. Just the routine Cuban and Soviet fighter patrols over the island, and the Americans doing the same thing over the Florida Keys and South Florida. Occasionally, one side or the other would try a fighter sweep, hoping to draw their opponents' fighters into a free-for-all in the sky. Sometimes it worked, sometimes the would-be victim realized a sweep was on and would not give battle. More than once, American fighters had seemed to run from Soviet or Cuban fighters, only to draw the pursuers into SAM traps at either Key West or Homestead-Miami, and the Soviets and Cubans had fallen for it. And when the Cubans and Soviets tried the same trick, it rarely worked. And so far, there'd been few American strikes flown into Cuba: maybe the DMI and the GRU were right after all, and the Americans had pulled their strike-dedicated tactical fighters out of Florida and sent them to the front. What strikes had been flown, though, were apparently from carriers, and there wasn't much that could be done about that at the moment, for the carriers had one simple advantage: they could make runs into strike range of Cuba, launch their aircraft, wait for the strike to return, and after recovering their aircraft, head out into the Atlantic or the Caribbean. And so far, the Soviets and Cubans had been unsuccessful in countering the carriers, as strikes had been sent out to find the carriers, only to find empty ocean. Or the pathfinders-either Soviet Tu-95Rs or Cuban Tu-16Rs had either encountered American fighters, or had simply disappeared without getting a message out.

oeToledo, come into my office, Major General Francsisco Estrada said from the open door of his office. Estrada was Air Force Operations Chief.

Toledo came into General Estrada's office. oeComrade General

Estrada was standing behind his desk. And he was clearly not in a good mood. oeI've just gotten word from General Lorenzo. General Antonio Lorenzo was the commanding general of the entire Cuban Air Force. oeHe's been ordered by the President to find an American carrier in the Atlantic or Caribbean and attack it.

Toledo was stunned. oeWhat Excuse me, Comrade General, but did I hear correctly

oeYou did, Comrade Colonel. Estrada spat. oeOur President has decided to divert attention from what's happened in Kansas-and in case you haven't heard the latest, it's a bloody shambles. Both our forces and the Soviets tried to do to the Americans what the Germans tried in the Summer of 1943 at Kursk, and they failed. Now Wichita's the greatest tank battle ever, and the Americans have won. Now, the signs are there that the Americans have a major counteroffensive in the works.

oeComrade General, if I may, Toledo said. oeThat means an attack against Miami is all the more important. It requires the Americans to divert fighters and air-defense assets away from the front to reinforce Florida.

oeGeneral Lorenzo said almost those exact words. And President Castro was very blunt: either carry out my orders to sink the carrier, or he would find someone who would. Estrada said. oeFor now, the Miami strike is off. Order the 38th to start sending their Tu-16Rs into the Caribbean and into the Atlantic northeast of the Bahamas. Have their Tu-16Ks on alert, ready to go once a target is found.

Toldeo sighed. oeComrade General, if I may

oeBy all means, Colonel. Estrada said. oeI've always valued your thoughts.

oeThank you, Comrade General. Toledo said. oeEither this will be a wild-goose-chase, or it will be a tragedy.

oeI realize that, Colonel. Estrada said. oeBut since the Soviets have pulled this off twice: America and Coral Sea, the President feels it should be our turn now. He was referring to two American carriers that had been sunk by Soviet Backfire bomber strikes, and also to Castro's jealousy in that Cuba had not taken part.

oeUnderstood, Comrade General, Toledo said. oeAnd if the strike aircraft cannot find a target

oeThere's always a target in Puerto Rico, if they have the fuel. Other than that, they're to come on home. Get the orders off at once.

oeImmediately, Comrade General. replied Toledo.

38th Bomber Regiment, Holguin Air Base, Cuba: 1120 Hours, 12 May 1987:

The phone rang in Colonel Ricardo Duarte's office. He was the commanding officer of Cuba's only medium bomber regiment, and had been hand-picked for the job by General Lorenzo himself. A year in Russia, learning, along with his men, the Tu-16, before coming back to Cuba. The delivery flight had certainly been an unusual one: from the Soviet Far East to oeliberated Alaska, then to Calgary in occupied Canada, then a flight over the Great Plains under heavy fighter escort to a base in Oklahoma, then another trip to Houston, Texas, before the final run to Havana. There, they'd been greeted by President Castro himself, before they had gone into combat. His regiment had flown strikes with their KSR-2 missiles (AS-5a) against targets as far north as Charleston, South Carolina, up the Gulf Coast to New Orleans and Mobile, and throughout Florida as well, from Key West to Jacksonville and up to Pensacola. Not to mention going east to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on more then one occasion. However, the regiment had suffered losses, for the unit had once been forty strike aircraft strong, and was now down to 30, though they had received some replacements.. The regiment's reconnaissance squadron had once numbered ten Tu-16RM (Badger-D) aircraft, and was now down to four.

Now, his men were planning their part in a proposed mission to the Port of Miami, to hopefully shut down the port for a while, and reassert some form of control over the Straits of Florida. His bombers were to shoot their KSR-2 missiles at known American SAM sites in the Homestead-Miami area, as well as at Homestead AFB, while Soviet Su-24s actually attacked the port facilities and any ships at anchor. And given the American defenses that had been in place for over a year, he didn't envy the Soviets one bit: HAWK and Patriot missile batteries, many formerly deployed in West Germany, now protected not just the Homestead-Miami area, but many key installations in Florida proper: his men had found that out the hard way, when six of his aircraft had tried to attack Kennedy Space Center the previous fall, only to find out that not only had American fighters been stationed at nearby Patrick AFB, but a HAWK battery was also in place. None of the KSR-2s had found a target, and four of the six bombers were lost with their crews.

The phone kept ringing, and Colonel Duarte picked it up. oeDuarte here.

oeColonel This is Colonel Toledo at Air Force Operations. I'll be blunt as well as brief. Your mission to Miami is on hold. There's a new mission coming down, and you'll receive teletype orders in a few minutes.

oeWhat's the new mission Duarte asked.

oeAnti-carrier. Toledo said. oeSend two of your Tu-16RMs to the northeast, past the Bahamas, and direct the other two south of Jamaica, then send them east as far as fuel permits.

oeWHAT Duarte yelled. oeNo definite targeting information, so we just send my aircraft out in the general direction of a carrier-and we don't know if any are on station right now

oeI'm afraid so, Colonel. This comes from the top echelon of command. Toledo said. And Duarte knew full well who Toledo meant by that.

oeI understand, Colonel. But the chances of finding a carrier are slim, at best, this way. And you know that. Duarte shot back.

oeHold on, Toledo said. oeWhat's the saying, 'preaching to the converted' He went on, though. oeBut we've got no choice. If you can't find a carrier, come on home.

oeAt least I can thank you for that, Duarte said. He then hung up the phone and went into the operations office, where his senior staff and senior pilots were planning the Miami mission. oePut all of that on hold. We have a new mission. And he outlined what Toledo had told him.

oeOf all the.... his operations officer said. oeThis sounds like a good way to get a lot of us killed. If we run into American fighters, we're easy prey, no matter what.

oeI know, Luis. Duarte said. oeIf it's any consolation, I will be in the lead strike aircraft. He turned to the map. oeSend Captains Infante and Torres to the northeast sector, and have Captain Delgado and Lieutenant Moreno take the southern flight.

oeAnd when do we know which way to go his Executive officer asked.

oeWe'll know in the air. The aircraft are already armed, correct

The Exec nodded. oeYes, Comrade Colonel.

oeGood. Get the aircraft fueled immediately. We'll brief the crews while that's going on, and chances are, we'll get word of a target in the air, Duarte said. oeNow get to it!

His staff broke up to get things going, while Colonel Duarte went back into his office. He took out a pen and paper, and then wrote a brief note to his wife. He knew full well that if F-14s, F/A-18s, or even F-8s from a carrier found his bombers, it would be a massacre.

U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CV-67), south of the Mona Passage, 1155 Hours local time.

The supercarrier John F. Kennedy and her battle group was south of the Mona Passage, between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, heading to a launch point south of Cuba. The station was well known to the carrier's crew, who called it oeBuccaneer Station, for the area had been an old haunt of the famous buccaneers back in the day of men like Sir Henry Morgan, or Sir Christopher Myngs, and the name had stuck. From that station, her embarked aircraft from CVW-3 could strike targets all over southeastern Cuba, and had done so often since the war began.

Rear Admiral James Mattingly, USN, commanded what was now Carrier Task Force 44. Once the carrier passed Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico, she was oechopped to the Fourth Fleet, which had been established shortly after the outbreak of war, to direct naval operations in the Caribbean. Sometimes, there were two carriers, sometimes just one, on this station, but there had been always a carrier in the area. Strikes had been coordinated with the carriers on oeDevil Station east of the Bahamas, for that was in the area of the legendary oeDevil's Triangle, and for the most part, had gone off without incident, whether natural, Soviet- or Cuban-inspired, or supernatural. Though Admiral Mattingly had a good laugh once when he checked the chart showing the carrier's course from Norfolk to Puerto Rico, and someone had carefully drawn a triangle connecting Bermuda, Miami, and San Juan.

His orders were to strike targets in Eastern Cuba, as far up as Holguin, and to do so as long as fuel and ordnance permitted, but without incurring unnecessary losses to his aircraft. And CVW-3's squadrons had gotten very familiar with Cuba over the course of the war, and many of the aviators knew the landscape like the backs of their hands as a result.

Now, he sat in his chair on the flag bridge, watching the carrier conduct flight operations. A CAP of two to four F-14s was always in the air, along with S-3 Vikings for ASW, and SH-3H helicopters for close-in ASW protection. Not only that, but SH-2 and SH-60 helicopters from the other ships in the battle group provided additional ASW protection, along with P-3C Orions based at NAS Roosevelt Roads.

Besides the carrier, Task Force 44 consisted of the AEGIS cruiser Valley Forge, completed after the war began, and having already acquitted herself well during combat in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits. TF-44 also had the services of the nuclear-powered cruiser South Carolina, along with the destroyers Semmes and Dewey for additional anti-air warfare (AAW) and the Spruance-class destroyer Briscoe as the lead ASW escort. Two Perry-class frigates, Boone and Halyburton, added to the ASW screen, and there was at least one SSN in direct support. Given the Soviet sub base at Cienfeugos, the Admiral felt that one could never have too much ASW.

And there was also ample land-based support available. E-2B+ Hawkeyes from Roosevelt Roads handled AWACS responsibilities for Puerto Rico, and VAW-77's operators had done a magnificent job in detecting aircraft inbound, and vectoring fighters onto the bandits. The Air Force had sent the PR ANG's 156th TFG to the mainland, and had been searching for a replacement to handle the island's air defense, when the loss of the carrier America had enabled the Navy to fill the role. VF-33 had survived the loss of its home carrier, and after a period of reconstitution at NAS Oceana, had deployed to NAS Roosevelt Roads to handle the air defense of Puerto Rico. And the Starfighters had been joined by their sister squadron, VF-102, once they had been reformed, deploying to the former Ramey AFB near Borinquen, which had become a Coast Guard base after the departure of the Air Force, and was now designated as NAS Borinquen. In addition, a VQ-2 detachment with both EA-3B Skywarriors and EP-3 Orions for SIGINT and other electronic intelligence activities now based there often provided raid warning by listening in on Soviet and Cuban radio traffic.

The only two neutrals in the area, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, lacked any real air power, and both sides routinely violated neutral airspace, sometimes en route to a target, or in hot pursuit. The Jamaicans, being Commonwealth members, and having had to deal with a pro-Cuban uprising in the war's early days, also lacked an air force, but Jamaican air-traffic control radars often tracked outbound Cuban or Soviet aircraft, and broadcast raid warnings-in the clear-over the two main international emergency channels.

oeAdmiral A staff officer said, interrupting his thoughts.

oeYes

oeSurface radar contact, bearing three-five-eight relative, range two hundred. And closing,

oeNotify CAG, and have him get a couple of A-7s out to ID. There's no friendlies ahead of us, so it's either neutral or enemy. Mattingly said.

oeRight away, Admiral. the staffer said.

Five minutes later, two A-7s from VA-46 launched and headed out after the contact. They were armed, of course, with two Sidewinders and six five-hundred-pound bombs apiece, typical for a Surface Combat Air Patrol.

After he watched the launch, he turned to his Chief of Staff. oeAnything on sub activity

oeNo, Admiral, none at all since the last update.

oeWhat have we got Mattingly wanted to know.

The chief of staff went to a map showing the Caribbean. oeRight now, there's at least one Echo-II in the Windward Passage, along with a Victor-II; and in the Mona Passage there's at least one Foxtrot, maybe two. Satellite imagery of Cienfeugos shows two cruise-missile boats, one a Charlie-II, and an Oscar, both tied up at pierside.

oeAwful nice of them. If they're still in port when we get there, we can take them out easily enough. Better to kill them at pierside than hunting them at sea. Mattingly said.

oeYes, Sir. the chief replied.

The phone buzzed, and the chief picked it up. oeFlag Mission. He listened for a minute, then relayed the message to the Admiral. oeAdmiral, this just in from the Ravens: Ravens was the usual code for the ELINT aircraft. oeThey're reporting four Badgers outbound from Holguin. Two headed northeast, two headed south.

Mattingly turned to his intelligence officer. oeThoughts

The intelligence officer looked at the map, then she replied. oeFour Badgers sounds like a reconnaissance flight. Two headed northeast to look at Devil Station, and two coming this way. They'll strike whoever they locate first. Either Bon Homme Richard, or us.

Admiral Mattingly looked at his chief of staff, who nodded in agreement. oeVery well. He picked up the phone to the bridge. oeBridge, this is Flag. Notify the battle group. Go to Battle Stations.

As the General Quarters alarm sounded, he turned to his staff. oeLet's get to CIC.

Cuban Foxtrot-class submarine 914, south of Mona Passage, 1220 Hours:

Captain Joaquin Torres looked over his chart. So far, no viable targets had been found, and though his wretched Feniks sonar was puny compared to what was installed on Soviet boats like the 641B (Tango) or the new 877 (Kilo) subs, his crew was one of the best in the Navy. He'd sunk several ships in the Florida Straits in the early days of the war, and had gone as far north as Jacksonville and laid some mines, which may have accounted for a few more ships. Now, though, the ASW environment off the American East Coast was now very hazardous to an old boat like his, and with the Americans now mounting carrier strikes against Cuba on a routine basis, Naval Operations had sent his boat-and Cuba's one other 641 (Foxtrot) class boat-into the Caribbean, where the threat level was decreased, though the opportunities for other targets were lacking. The Americans and their lackeys were running convoys from the Panama Canal up past Puerto Rico, and avoiding the Windward Passage altogether. And those convoys were well guarded by destroyers, frigates, and land-based patrol aircraft from either Panama or Puerto Rico.

Now, he decided to come to periscope depth. A routine sweep, perhaps get his ESM mast up to listen for any radar signals, and maybe, just maybe, find a target. He turned to his First Officer. oePeriscope depth.

oePeriscope depth, aye, the first officer responded, and the boat came slowly to twenty meters. oeAt periscope depth, Comrade Captain.

Torres nodded. oeUp scope.

As the periscope came up, he began his sweep. oeNothing here...

Up above, an SH-3H Sea King from HS-7 was on ASW patrol, out looking for hostile submarines. The pilot was brand-new to the left seat, having been in SH-3s for a year now. And she had never stopped wondering how something could be exciting yet boring at the same time. Once, when she'd asked that out loud to her copilot, he'd replied that ASW guys had been asking the same thing since World War I. She'd never dropped on a contact, but had seen the aftermath of sub attacks more than once, going out on search-and-rescue for survivors of ships that had fallen prey to Soviet subs. Seeing that had only made her determined to find a contact-and kill it.

She was searching visually, while her copilot was actually flying the helo. The two sonar operators were listening to several sonobuoys that had been laid earlier, and so far, nothing had been found. Then she saw it at her eleven o'clock.. oeHoly gawd! That's a freakin' periscope!

The copilot noticed it too. oeGot it. You want an active buoy

oeHell, no! Arm a fish, left search pattern.

The copilot set it up. oeReady.

When the pilot pushed her pickle button, a Mark-46 torpedo fell from the helo, a parachute streamed to slow the torpedo down, then after it entered the water, began searching for its prey. It soon found it.

The Mark-46 tore into the submarine amidships, just below the conning tower. And right into the central command post. Captain Torres and his crew died without knowing they were even under attack.

oeA hit! the pilot yelled. A gout of water spouted up, and soon, there was oil, wreckage, and even a body coming to the surface.

The copilot nodded, while one of the systems operators tuned things in. They heard the breakup noises, then the CRUNCH as the boat plunged below crush depth. oeWell, Joanie, looks like you got yourself a sub.

She looked at the copilot, then back in the cabin, where the two operators were looking back, grinning. oeNo. We all got him.

Kennedy CIC, 1225 Hours.

oeAdmiral, Dipper 613 reports dropping on a periscope nine-zero miles ahead of us. No friendlies in the area. the group's ASW officer reported from Briscoe.

oeWhere's that position Mattingly wanted to know.

oeJust south of the passage itself. And if the helo hadn't dropped on it, we would've met it in three hours or so. the TAO said.

oeID on the boat Mattingly asked.

oeNo, sir. Just wreckage and oil, plus a body. the ASW officer responded.

The Admiral turned to his chief of staff. oeWas this one of the boats in the ASW Sitrep

oePossible, sir. The known boat in Mona Passage was last reported at the northern end of the passage. They did have a report on a second, but it was unconfirmed, the chief replied.

Admiral Mattingly nodded. oeGet another helo out there ASAP. Find out who it was; get some wreckage, and recover that body if at all possible.

oeAye, aye, Sir. the chief replied.

**Matt Wiser** · 01-19-2015, 08:12 PM

Part II:

1245 Hours: 38th Bomber Regiment, Holguin Air Base, Cuba:

Colonel Duarte strapped himself into the pilot's seat of his Tu-16 and began the preflight checklist with his copilot. So far, there'd been no word from the reconnaissance flights, but Duarte had ordered his crews to their planes, and the regiment would get word as to a target location while in the air. Each Tu-16K carried two KSR-2 missiles, plus a full load of 23-mm for the defensive guns. Lot of good that did, Duarte thought. None of his bombers-that he knew of-had been able to make use of their defensive guns, since the Americans often stayed out of range and used either Sidewinders or Sparrows to kill the lumbering bombers. Today, though, he expected to face F-14s in force, and he'd be going up against AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, and from what the Soviets had passed along, those didn't miss much against bomber-sized targets. Even if the carrier was one of the old Essex-class ships that had been reactivated and only had F-8s, they still carried Sidewinders, and they were still deadly. Colonel Duarte put those thoughts aside as he prepared for taxi and takeoff. He called the tower, and received permission to taxi and prepare for takeoff. And the whole regiment-other than one aircraft down for serious maintenance-would be right behind him.

oeTower, this is Broadsword Leader, requesting clearance for takeoff.

oeBroadsword Leader, Tower. You are cleared for takeoff. Winds are zero-eight-five for ten.

oeRoger, Tower. Broadsword Leader rolling.

The big Tu-16 began its takeoff roll, and was soon in the air, its two engines leaving a pair of smoky trails in its wake. One by one, the other bombers rumbled down the runway and into the air, forming up into squadron formations, then they headed southeast, towards the Windward Passage.

1300 Hours: Camp 32, near Holguin, Cuba.

First Lieutenant Kelly Franklin, United States Air Force, watched the bombers take off from her compound with some interest. She had been an F-16 pilot with the 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron, before being shot down the previous January, in a raid on the port of Matanzas, and after a spell of brutal interrogation in Havana, had been sent to Camp 32. In this particular compound in the camp, were female officers-mostly air crews, but some were from the destroyer tender Prairie, sunk at Guantanamo, others were actual base personnel from Gitmo, and some had even been captured on the mainland and shipped to Cuba. Another compound held male officers, and still another housed enlisted prisoners used by the Cubans on forced labor details. Most of the officer prisoners were not used on the outside work details, but those that the Cubans wanted to work were put into such things as sweeping cell blocks or courtyards, working in the camp gardens-or the dishwashing detail.

Lieutenant Franklin was sweeping the courtyard for her cell block-most of the officer prisoners spent most of the day in their cells, with only ten or fifteen minutes outside for exercise. The routine was harsh, guards were a constant presence to prevent prisoner communications, and punishment was often severe, as she had found out firsthand. But, as she swept the courtyard, she did so in code, passing messages along, and giving encouragement to the other prisoners, especially those in solitary.

It had been the rumble of jet engines that caught her attention, and though she was not diverted from her detail-hard to be diverted with a guard following her-she did notice the bombers climbing out and away from the air base, and she counted them as they left. Thirty bombers-most of a regiment, she knew. And they were headed southeast. With that direction-southeast, she knew they likely weren't headed for Puerto Rico, but Panama, perhaps Maybe the Navy's got somebody nearby that can send you guys somewhere else-like into the Caribbean, and you can feed the fish, she thought as she went about her chores. The thought warmed her heart as the bombers disappeared to the southeast.

1310 Hours: Kennedy CIC:

Admiral Mattingly's chief of staff came up to him. oeAdmiral, we have a raid warning.

oeWhat have we got, Commander

oeTwo sources, Admiral. First, from Kingston. Jamaican air-traffic-control radar picked up a large formation of aircraft headed southeast from Cuba. Second, Ravens came through again. Right now, it's a regiment-sized force, headed southeast. They should be passing over the western tip of Haiti anytime now. the chief replied.

oeToo bad Baby Doc doesn't have a real air force, otherwise he'd have his people splash a few, the Admiral observed.

The chief paused. oeUh, yes, sir.

oeAll right. Mattingly turned to his air wing commander. oeCAG

oeAdmiral, with your permission, I'll shoot off the Alert Fives, put four more on Alert Five, and have everybody else at Alert Fifteen. In a half-hour, the Alert Fives go, and then the rest. Assuming Badgers, we have an hour at least. CAG responded. By training he was an attack pilot, but knew full well that defending the battle group came first. oeExcept for the ASR alert birds, all the A-6s and A-7s have buddy stores and tanks. We can keep the Tomcats up all day if necessary.

Mattingly nodded. oeDo it.

CAG picked up the phone and relayed the orders. Four F-14s from VF-32 shot off the catapults and into the air. Four more, these from VF-14, taxied into position, ready to launch. oeAdmiral, we have now eight Toms on CAP, and four more on the cats, ready to go. Everybody else is in the ready rooms.

oeVery well, CAG. Mattingly responded. He knew that CAG would be mounting an Alert Fifteen Tomcat himself, leading his people into combat as a CAG should.

1315 Hours: Clansman 304, South of the Dominican Republic:

Lieutenant Commander Kevin oePopeye Doyle brought his A-7E Corsair down towards the surface contact. He was the Operations Officer for VA-46, and he'd seen combat in the Caribbean before. He'd flown strikes in support of the Grenada operation back in '83, and in addition, that cruise had also seen the ill-fated Lebanon strike, and he'd also gotten some combat there-combat time in two locations on the same cruise The last time that had happened was World War II! Then once the big war had gotten started, he'd been flying combat missions in the Med, Iceland, and now, back to the Caribbean. Some war, the thought.

His wingmate was Lieutenant (j.g.) Shannon oeBuns Weaver, a oenugget on her first cruise. This was her first combat deployment since graduating from VA-174, the A-7 RAG, at NAS Cecil Field. Apart from walking around with NBC gear wherever she went, and making sure she knew where air raid shelters were on base, it had just been like peacetime, or some old hands in the RAG had said. She had been graduated early from Annapolis, and sent to Pensacola for flight training. Once she'd gotten her wings, the ban on women flying combat had been lifted, and she'd asked for either A-6s or A-7s. They'd sent her to Corsairs, and she fell in love with the SLUF. Once the war was over, the Corsairs were likely to be replaced by F/A-18s, but until then....

oeBuns, Popeye, Doyle called. oeContact at eleven o'clock. Low.

oeI see it, Popeye.

oeBuns, time for some OJT. I'll cover you. Fly down and make the ID.

oeCopy that. And Buns rolled in and flew down to check out the contact. She could see it was a medium-sized freighter, headed east. And it looked like it was flying a Swedish flag. Buns rolled right and came around for another pass. Yes, there it was, a Swedish ensign from the stern, and another ran up from the superstructure. She pulled up and back to altitude.

oePopeye, Buns. It's a Swedish freighter. Headed east.

oeCopy. Form up on me, and I'll call it in. Starbase, this is Clansman 304. Surface contact is a neutral freighter flying Swedish flag.

oeRoger that, 304. You are to RTB. Repeat, RTB. Buster.

Down below, the crew of the freighter Gotland watched the American plane fly around their ship, then pulled up and away. It was nothing new: they'd been buzzed by American, Cuban, and even Soviet aircraft every time the ship came into the war zone. But the Swedish government insisted on right of passage for neutral ships, even though there were hardly any neutrals that dared enter Caribbean waters-not unless they joined a convoy headed to or from the Panama Canal-because sometimes, Soviet subs had been known to attack neutral shipping. The Americans had gotten used to the neutrals tagging along, but when the ships arrived at the Canal, those ships were given a very through inspection-not by Panamanian authorities, but by the U.S. Navy-which still guarded the Canal. The rules were simple: either submit to the inspection, or turn back. Nobody fooled around with the safety of the Canal at risk, and the neutral captains were told by their home governments to go along. This trip, though, they hadn't had that problem. First, a stop in Bluefields, Nicaragua, to load coffee, and then a stop in Honduras to load Bananas. With luck, they'd be out of the war zone in two or three days, and headed across the Atlantic.

1325 Hours: South of Hispaniola:

The two Tu-16Rs flew to the southeast, about forty miles apart. Both were using their ELINT gear and, on occasion, their radars, to look for any ships. A single track would mean a freighter, and since most freighters-or tankers-in these waters belonged to the local neutrals, they were usually left alone. But several ships either meant a convoy, or an American battle group, and that meant combat. And a half-hour behind the pathfinders was the strike group, waiting on targeting information. So far, apart from a couple of surface contacts that were almost certainly freighters, there was nothing yet.

Unknown to the Cubans, their position and status reports-radioed back not only to the strike force, but to Eastern Air Command at Camaguey, were being picked up by the EA-3s and EP-3s orbiting over Mona Passage and south of Puerto Rico. That information was relayed to Kennedy CIC, and a rough plot of the Cuban reconnaissance aircraft was able to be worked out.

Captain Simon Delgado sat back in the pilot's seat of his Tu-16, letting the copilot fly the plane. So far, this mission had been boring, and there'd been no sign of the Americans. Maybe Colonel Duarte was right after all, and this would be a wasted effort. But still....maybe there was something out there. He asked his senior ELINT operator. oeAnything

oeNo, Comrade Captain. Nothing at all.

He turned to his copilot. oeJose, this might just be another wasted effort. Just like last week. Remember Someone reported a carrier east of the Bahamas, and all we found was empty ocean.

The copilot let out a laugh. oeMaybe some fishermen saw a tanker and thought it was a carrier Who knows

As the Badger flew on, an E-2C Hawkeye from VAW-126 picked up the incoming aircraft. First one, then two tracks came on the scope. The information was relayed to Kennedy CIC, where the entire battle group-other than the single Hawkeye- was still under full EMCON (Emissions Control: no radar or radio signals of any kind unless absolutely necessary).

oeAdmiral, looks like the Badger-Ds are coming in. Mattingly's intelligence officer reported.

oeWhat have we got asked the Admiral.

oeTwo tracks. One's about eighty miles south of Santo Domingo, with the other forty miles south of the first.

oeThat's it. Flush the remaining Tomcats, get some A-6s and A-7s up with buddy stores. And kill the Badger-Ds.

1327 Hours: Gypsy 202.

Lieutenant Phil Copely and his RIO, Lieutenant Commander Joe Parsons got the message from the Hawkeye: Kill the Badgers. oeGypsy 202 copies.

As the Tomcat broke orbit, its wingmate turned to follow. Gypsy 207, with Lieutenants Mark Richard and Jeri Hansen, pulled in alongside 202. Both Tomcats scanned the sky with their TCS camera systems, while their AWG-9 radars remained off. Sure enough, about seventy miles away, the head-on outline of a Tu-16, with a huge amount of smoke behind it, appeared on the TCS in both aircraft. It was 207 that had acquired a target first, and thus they would take the lead. oeJeri, light 'em up, and lock 'em up,

oeGotcha. Hansen said. She powered up the powerful AWG-9 radar and had the Tu-16 squarely in her radar picture. oeThere's two of them.

oeWe'll take one. Phil and Joe get the other one. Richard said.

oeCopy. We've got lock! Range sixty miles.

oeFox Three! Richard called on the radio as he fired, and a Phoenix missile dropped from the Tomcat's belly and ignited. Then he did it again, oeSecond Fox Three, releasing a second missile.

In Delgado's Tu-16, an electronic-warfare operator was checking his screen. Then what he saw made him turn pale. oeF-14 radar!

oeWhat Delgado asked.

oeWe have a fighter radar locked on us. the operator responded, his voice now calm and cool. oeJamming pods are activated.

oeGet a warning out!Delgado screamed at his radio operator.

There wasn't time. Flight time for the Phoenix missiles was a mere sixty-five seconds. The first missile blew the tail off the Badger, while the second exploded in the former bomb bay, and hot fragments from the missile sliced into the aircraft's fuel tanks, turning the Tu-16 into a ball of fire.

oeSplash! Hansen called. Not only had she seen it on radar, but she'd also seen it on the TCS camera.

oeThat's a kill, Richard confirmed.

Just as he made that call, Gypsy 202 locked up the southernmost Badger and fired. This time, the missiles needed only fifty-six seconds to track the Tu-16 and explode it.

oeStarbase, Gypsy 202. Splash two Badgers. Returning to station.

1330 Hours: Kennedy CIC:

oeThat's the reconnaissance flight, Admiral. the intelligence officer said.

oeNo arguing with that. Now, will the main strike abort, or keep going Mattingly asked.

oeDepends, Admiral. If the Air Force is calling this one, they'll abort. If it's somebody higher up....

oeThey'll press on, Mattingly finished. He turned to his Chief of Staff, who nodded.

oeI don't think they'll abort, Sir.. These are Castro's boys, and they'll keep coming in.

oeAgreed, the intelligence officer said. oeAdmiral, we can expect the raid in a half-hour.

Mattingly nodded. He looked at the plot, and saw the Tomcats taking their CAP positions. Twenty-four F-14s, along with a dozen A-6s and A-7s rigged as buddy tankers, were now airborne. And an EA-6B from VAQ-140 was also in the air, to jam missile-guidance radars. oeAny word from Bon Homme Richard

oeNo, sir. the chief replied.

That carrier group had also received the warning of the Badger reconnaissance flight, and had simply moved to the east, while leaving a couple of F-8s to deal with the Badgers, if they were encountered. As it turned out, one of the Tu-16s was found by the Crusaders, who shot him down. The second Badger, unaware of the fate meted out to their squadron mates, flew on, completed its planned search sweep, and turned for home.

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Semi-OT: Red Dawn fan fic

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