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**Matt Wiser** · 05-01-2015, 07:34 PM

Guys, the thread's not dead...am almost finished with a story that will finish a particular arc in the story of the 335th TFS. Patience, please.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-16-2015, 06:14 PM

Before I post the next story, here's "My" F-4. My thanks to John "Maverick" Lacey, who used to post on the old what'-if modelers page, and now on Facebook, for the art:

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**Schone23666** · 05-17-2015, 05:45 PM

Originally posted by Matt Wiser View Post

Before I post the next story, here's "My" F-4. My thanks to John "Maverick" Lacey, who used to post on the old what'-if modelers page, and now on Facebook, for the art:

Wow, just looking at that brings back a few Cold War memories. Hell, my first aircraft model kit was an F-4 Phantom.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-17-2015, 05:50 PM

And here's the next one: two days after the story Taking Command.....

Settling In

Sheppard AFB, TX: 0530 Hours Central War Time, 28 October, 1987:

Captain Matt Wiser, the CO of the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, came into his new office. He had been CO for barely a day, after the death of Lt. Col. Dean Rivers, the longtime CO of the 335th, and was still getting used to the job. One thing, though, that he didn't intend to change was the squadron's attitude to things getting in the way of results. If they had to fold, spindle, bend, mutilate, go over, around, on top, or underneath AF regulations in order to produce results So be it. Colonel Rivers had felt that way, and that attitude had been confirmed by Maj. Gen Robert Tanner, the Commanding General of the Tenth Air Force, which ran the air war in the Southwest. oeIf it gets in the way of winning the war, winning the war comes first, were his feelings on the matter. Though an overzealous officer, Major Frank Carson, had tried to blindly enforce every rule and reg in the book, much to the disgust of three previous CO s, and he loathed Captain Wiser for being promoted to Exec, then CO, over his head, despite what the previous CO, the late Lt. Col. Dean Rivers, had said, and General Tanner had confirmed the promotion to CO. Not to mention that Carson had a very negative attitude towards any officer who didn't have an Academy class ring, viewing all as brand-new Doolies, and treating enlisted airmen and NCOs as pieces of equipment. And Captain Wiser had a personal reason for his loathing of the Major, for Carson had tried to get him and his WSO, 1st. Lt. Lisa Eichhorn, written up on a fraternization violation for having an off-base relationship. Colonel Rivers had asked the pair if it was interfering with their jobs in the cockpit, and they had replied no, but if it started to, he would be the first to know. Then Colonel Rivers gave Carson a very loud tongue-lashing, reminding him that many peacetime regs didn't last when the shooting started, and not long after, a formal directive from Tenth Air Force followed, instructing base and unit commanders to ignore such incidents, as the country was fighting for its national survival, and that if such conduct was not interfering with one's duties, or was otherwise not impacting the unit (such as a senior officer using his rank to get subordinates into bed), it was to be ignored. Carson fumed, and persisted in trying to get things run as if it were still peacetime, and everyone despised him for it. So much that when the Executive Officer's slot opened up due to the death of the XO, Captain Wiser had been put into the slot instead of Carson, which meant that if anything happened to Colonel Rivers, he would get the squadron instead of the Major.

Now, Captain Wiser was starting his second full day in command of the 335th, after the death of Colonel Rivers. General Tanner had called him, and assured him that he had the General's full confidence, and that the General would be stopping by on a visit that day to see how things were going, not just in the 335th, but in Marine Air Group 11, which the 335th was attached to, but was under Tenth AF control. He looked around the desk, his desk now, he reminded himself, and saw that overnight paperwork was brief-another thing Colonel Rivers liked, and nothing yet that required his signature. Soon, the chow tent would be open, and then it would be time for their first sorties of the day. Then there was a knock on the door. oeCome on in and show yourself.

Capt. Mark Ellis came in, bearing a clipboard tucked under his arm, and two cups of coffee in his hands. oeGuru, or do I call you Boss from here on out Guru was Capt. Wiser's call sign.

oeEither one will do, Mark, Guru replied. oeWhat do you have for me

oeNot much, Ellis said. oeJust the usual. He handed the CO the clipboard. oeAnd some coffee.

Guru nodded, and took the cup. Then he reviewed the papers. oeAircraft status sheet, Morning Report for MAG-11, he muttered, and signed where necessary. oeAnything else

oeSupply requisitions, Ellis pointed out. oeStill not getting the extra hydraulic fluid we need.

oeTell Ross to have that put at the top of the scroungers' list. And find out what else we really need, and give them their hunting orders, Guru said. oeWhat else

oeTwo enlisted airmen asking for permission to get married.

oeLocal girls The CO asked. The locals had been on the short end of things, especially food and medicine, during the occupation, and marrying a servicemember automatically entitled the spouse to the benefits entitled to service dependents.

oeNope, Ellis said. oeOne's going back to Beaver, Pennsylvania, to marry his high school sweetheart. The other-he's off to Biloxi, Mississippi. Same thing. When the R&R rotation comes and they're on it.

oeHope they know what they're marrying into, Guru said. He was a bachelor, but knew one thing about the AF, it was tough on marriages, even in peacetime. With a war on, though...it was probably murder.
He signed the forms.

oeI wouldn't know: I'm still a bachelor, Ellis said. oeOne more thing: Airman Don Handley applied to Pararescue School at Hill. He wants an endorsement of his application.

Guru looked at Ellis. oeHe knows what he's getting into That's got a seventy percent attrition rate, I hear. If not worse. And it's a two-year course.

oeEighteen months, now, with the war, Ellis told his CO.

oeIf he washes out, he's back here

oeThey recycle those people, but chances are, yeah, Ellis said.

oeOkay, just so he knows, Guru nodded as he signed the endorsement. oeWhere'd you get the coffee

oeOvernight made a fresh pot. Theirs is a little stronger than usual.

Guru shrugged. oeCan you blame them He took a drink from the cup Ellis offered him. oeAnything else

oeNo word on when General Tanner's due here. Sometime today is all we know.

Guru nodded, then drained the cup. oeAs long as he shows. All he told me in that phone conversation was he'd be here, and 'with responsibility comes rank.'

oeHe going to promote you Ellis asked. oeThat'd make Rivers smile. And give Frank a coronary.

oeTo be wished for, Guru said. oeI think the General can issue field promotions, but that's something they never talked about in OTS.

oeOr ROTC, Ellis nodded. 'Ohio State.

oeYou're from there, right

oeYeah, Commercial Point, Ohio, Ellis said. oeGot a few classmates either KIA or MIA.

oeWe all do, Mark, Guru pointed out.

oeOne's in Cuba: Kelly Ray. You wouldn't know, being on the E&E, but she was one of the first female Phantom drivers. Shot down only a month after reporting to Homestead.

oeWe've all lost someone, Guru said. oeWhether it's family or close friends.

oeYeah...with her, if she's alive, and they did see her and her GIB on the ground alive, it's a Caribbean version of the Hanoi Hilton.

oeNot good.. Guru said. Then there was a knock on the door. oeShow yourself and come on in.

The office door opened, and 1st Lt. Lisa oeGoalie Eichhorn came in. She was Captain Wiser's WSO. oeDon't want my pilot and CO going to sleep on me in the cockpit.

oeIs everyone trying to bribe me with coffee this morning Guru asked deadpan.

oeJust want you fully alert, Goalie smiled. oeDon't want to lose two squadron commanders back-to-back. And putting both of us behind barbed wire, eating Kasha and Borscht.

oeOr going with the Texas branch of the Resistance, Guru finished. oeThe folks who go into combat shouting 'Remember the Alamo!'

oeCan't have that, Ellis said.Once was enough for you, I bet.

oeIt was. Guru said, referring to his five months with the Resistance in Colorado, a year and a half earlier. Eighteen months or eighteen lifetimes....He took the cup Goalie offered him, and nodded to Mark. oeTen minutes to the chow tent opening. Get another cup for yourself.

Curious, Ellis left the office and came back with a refill. oeNow what

Guru raised his cup, and the other two did so as well. oeColonel, if you're looking down on us, we're going to make you proud.

oeHear, hear, Goalie said.

They drained their cups, then Guru said, oeCome on, let's get over to the chow tent. We got a busy day ahead. Four or five hops, at least.

oeThis Dallas business ain't letting up, Ellis observed.

oeYeah, and we may be at it the whole winter, Guru said. oeCome on. Time to eat, then the sky awaits.

After breakfast, the CO's flight gathered in a briefing room. Before the war, Sheppard had been an Air Training Command base, and among those trained here were students from a number of NATO countries. After the base's recapture, MAG-11's squadrons had moved in from Amarillo International Airport, and they had taken over the facilities-after EOD Teams had checked them over for booby traps. One way to tell who had occupied a base prior to U.S. Forces returning was whether or not there were booby traps. The Soviets hardly planted any, while Cubans did so liberally. When Guru opened the door, with Goalie right behind him, the other members of his flight were waiting. oeGood mornin' all.

oeMorning, Boss, Capt. Kara oeStarbuck Thrace, replied. oeHow's it feel to be CO

oeAsk me in a few days, when it all settles in, Guru said. oeGot a busy day ahead. On his way in, he'd been handed a briefing packet by 1st Lt. Darren Licon, the squadron's Intelligence Officer, and the FRAGO from Capt. Don Van Loan, the Ops Officer. oeOkay, here's the deal. I-30 is generally the battle line northeast of Dallas, though last night Rangers took the I-30 bridges over Lake Ray Hubbard.

oeCAS for them 1st Lt. Valerie oeSweaty Blanchard, his second element lead, asked.

oeNope, Guru replied. oeThey got relieved, and our business is a little south of there. He pointed to a TPC chart. oeRight here, south of Forney, is an I-20 bypass that was under construction prewar. I have relatives there, and stopped there on the way to Seymour-Johnson from Fairchild.... Guru's voice trailed off at that, wondering if those relatives were still alive. oeAnyway, Ivan used forced labor to build the bridges over the East Fork of the Trinity River, and they've been using the bypass along with the old I-20 as a supply route. The bridges got taken out, and they've been using pontoon bridges as replacements. We need to make those go away.

1st Lt. Nathan oeHoser West, Sweaty's wingman, nodded. oeHow

'Getting to that, Guru replied. oeFirst element, that's me and Starbuck, and Guru saw that he had the close attention of not only Goalie, but Starbuck, and 1st Lt. Judd oeBrainac Brewster, Kara's WSO. oeWe get a dozen Mark-82 Snakeyes. We make the bridges go boom.

oeAnd us Sweaty asked.

oeYou and Hoser get a dozen CBU-58/Bs. You know, the ones with the incendiary submunitions. Hit any vehicles along the east side of the river. Anything headed west is priority.

oeGot you.

oeThreats 1st Lt. Byran oePreacher Simmonds, who was Sweaty's WSO, wanted to know.

oeRight at the bridges, there's triple-A. Two batteries of 57-mm, one on each side of the river. Two more to the north on the existing I-20 bridge. That's a full regiment, mind you. And that ain't all: this is Army rear area, so watch for SA-4.

oeWe getting Weasels Kara asked. oeIf not, this is a good way to get some of us killed.

oeWay ahead of you, Guru said. oeWe're getting two Weasels. Coors One-five and One-six will join us at the tanker track northwest of Fort Worth. Two HARMs and two Standard-ARMs each airplane. I'll send them on ahead to do their stuff. We've also got our jammer pods: ALQ-119s for the element leads, ALQ-101s for the wingmen. Air-to-air is four AIM-9Ps and two AIM-7Es, plus full load of 20 mike-mike.

oeGood to hear, Hoser replied.

oeIt is. Now, have a look, Guru said as he showed the flight path on a TPC chart. oe We go in low, west of Fort Worth, no more than 450 feet AGL, but climb as necessary to avoid power lines or other obstacles. Hit the Brazos River, then turn east. Past I-35W, I-35E, I-45, then we turn northeast. Hit U.S. 175, then turn north and pop up. The highway is the IP. Get to 900 feet AGL for your bomb runs, hit the target, then get your asses back down low. We go due north, past I-20 and then over Lake Ray Hubbard. Watch for the Army, though.

oeThose guys are likely keyed up after yesterday, 1st Lt. Kathy oeKT Thornton, Hoser's GIB, said.

oeYeah, so stay low,' Guru told his flight. Stay low over Lavon Lake, and once we're clear of the lake, do we pull up to altitude. Turn on your IFF then, and if you need fuel, tanker track SHELL is over Durant, Oklahoma, just north of the Red River. If not, we turn west and come on home.

oeAnd get ready to do it again, Sweaty nodded.

oeThat we do. Now, the air threat is MiGs and Sukhois of various types: They're flying MiG-23s out of Terrell Municipal, and we may get a call to do something about that, and Seagoville-Crandall Municipal, which we hit the other day, may be active again. Other MiG fields are at Corsicana, Hillsboro, Athens, and as far east as Tyler, and as far south as Waco.

oeDivert fields Kara asked.

oeGood question: if you have battle damage or run low on fuel, there's two options. First is Perrin AFB west of Sherman. It was closed in the early '70s and became a civilian field. Ivan moved in after the invasion and flew Su-24s there. Now we're back, and the Hogs and Jolly Greens are there. Your second option is D/FW International, but don't go there unless you absolutely have to: One part of the field is turned over to Army Aviation, and the other half is MAC's. Everything from C-7s on up to C-5s and 747s are going in and out. They'll take you if needed, though. Guru said.

oeBailout areas

oeNo good bailout areas, but the more rural the area, the better. The best is anyplace north of I-30, as that's friendly territory.

Heads nodded.

oeOkay, anything else Guru asked.

oeYeah, Sweaty asked. oeWhen's General Tanner coming

oeDon't know. All I know is sometime today, Guru said.

Kara shook her head. oeAnd why haven't you kicked that asshole Carson out I thought you'd do that first thing.

oeBelieve me, I was tempted, Guru replied. oeI didn't for two reasons: first, he's qualified, and we still need warm bodies in cockpits. Second, if I transferred him out first thing, he'd have a good reason to go to JAG and claim that me sending him packing was retaliation. And I sure don't want to do that.

oeLovely, Boss, Kara said. oeSo we're stuck with this asshole.

oeNot for long, Guru nodded. oeHe's on the clock, whether or not he knows it. If he hasn't shaped up by New Year's He's out. Now that I'm CO, I can see his OER. That meant Officer Efficiency Report. oeThere's five or six good reasons in there to send him to Goose Bay, And if he hasn't shaped up by New Years

oeYeah Goalie asked. She and Guru both had good reason to want Carson out of the squadron.

oeHe packs his woolen underwear. But if he royally screws up before then

oeThen he's gone

The CO smiled. oeIn a heartbeat.

oeBut business before pleasure, Sweaty said.

oeThat's it. Anything else Heads shook now. oeAll right: gear up and meet at 512.

The crews then left the briefing room and went to gear up. They met at the revetment where F-4 number 512 was parked, and that was the CO's airplane. As they did, the first faint light of dawn was breaking. Staff Sergeant Mike Crowley, the crew chief, was waiting, oeCaptain, he said, saluting. oeEverything's all set. You can preflight when ready.

oeThanks, Sergeant, Guru said as he gathered the crews around for his final instructions. oeOkay: three things. First: unless we're talking to AWACS, Weasels, or anyone else We go by call sign or mission code. He saw his flight nod. oeSecond, watch for obstacles like power lines, radio or TV towers and the like. Third No repeat passes in the target area. One pass and that's it. If you have hung ordnance, try and get rid of it in one of the lakes. Anything else

oeYeah, Hoser asked. oeHow many today

oeThe usual: four or five. Anything else Heads shook no. Guru nodded. oeOkay, let's hit it.

The crews nodded and headed to their aircraft. Guru and Goalie did their walk-arounds, and after Guru signed for the aircraft, the two mounted 512. After the cockpit checks, Sergeant Crowley gave the oestart engines' sign, and first one, then both, J-79 engines were up and running. Then Guru called the tower. oeSheppard Tower, Firebird One-one with four, requesting permission to taxi and takeoff.

oeFirebird One-one, Tower. Clear to taxi to Runway three-three left. Hold prior to the runway.

oeRoger tower. Firebird One-one rolling. Guru taxied out of the revetment, and as he turned to taxi to the runway, Sergeant Crowley snapped a salute and he returned it. The four F-4s taxied to the runway and held there so that the armorers could remove the weapon safety pins. Once they were clear, Firebird Flight was cleared to taxi onto the runway.

oeAll set back there Guru asked his GIB.

oeReady back here, Goalie replied. oeLet's go.

oeLet's, Guru said. He called the tower. oeTower, Firebird Flight ready for takeoff.

The tower didn't acknowledge over the radio, but flashed a green light. Clear for takeoff. Guru and Goalie closed and locked their canopies. Then he throttled up to full power, released the brakes, and 512 rolled down the runway and into the air, with the other three F-4s following.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-17-2015, 05:52 PM

And the mission:

Over North-Central Texas, 0720 Hours:

Firebird Flight was headed east, south of the D/FW Metroplex, They had met up with their two F-4G Weasels at the tanker track, and had penetrated enemy territory. Now, they were headed east, towards the IP. oeI-35W Guru called as twin ribbons of interstate highway passed beneath his F-4.

oeCopy, Goalie called. oeTwo minutes to 35E.

oeRoger that, Guru replied. He called the AWACS. oeCrystal Palace, Firebird One-one. Say bogey dope

oeFirebird, Crystal Palace. Negative bogeys, the reply came.

oeCopy, replied Guru. The crews were flying with their visors down as they were heading into the rising sun. While the GIBs handled the navigation, the pilots were concentrating on flying the aircraft, as threats could come from anywhere, and their heads were constantly swiveling between the cockpit view and their controls. Which the RTU had drummed into their heads.

The time went by fast, and they were just south of Waxahachie when I-35E came into view. oeMark, 35E, Goalie said.

oeCopy, Guru replied. oeNext nav point

oeI-45, north of Ennis. One minute forty-five seconds, Goalie said.

Guru nodded, then checked his Three O'clock. Kara's F-4 was tucked in formation, as she should be. And the Weasels were just ahead and slightly above the strike birds. It didn't take long until I-45 appeared. oeI-45 in sight.

oeRoger that, Goalie said. Turn now, zero-four-five.

oeCopy, zero-,four-five, Guru said, putting 512 into a left turn to head north towards U.S. 175 east of Seagoville.

oeOne minute thirty to IP, Goalie said.

oeCopy, set the ordnance up. Everything goes at once.

oeRoger that, Goalie said. oeSwitches set.

Then U.S. 175 appeared. That was the IP Time to go to work. oeFirebirds, Lead. Switches on, music on, and pull. That meant arm ordnance, turn on the ECM pods, and pull to attack altitude. oeWeasels, go to work.

oeCopy, Firebird Lead, Coors One-Five called. The two F-4Gs pulled up to 2000 feet AGL, daring the radars down below to come on. And they did. oeSA-4 up. MAGNUM! And a HARM missile left the rails. oeFirecan up, MAGNUM! That meant a 57-mm AAA radar. And this time, a Standard-ARM was shot off.

oeWeasels going in, Guru said as he pulled back on the stick. He leveled off at 900 feet AGL and saw the target just as one of the AAA radars ate a missile, and the site went off the air. Then the site on the west bank came up, and a HARM went after it. oeTarget in sight. Lead in hot.

As Guru rolled in, the F-4Gs were doing thair job. Coors One-Five shot his two remaining missiles at the 57-mm batteries near the I-20 bridge, while One-Six killed a search radar. Then an SA-4 launched, and One-Six sent another HARM after that radar, killing it.

Down below, on the old Wiser farm, two of Guru's cousins, Ned and Linda, were outside. They had moved into the old family home after the matriarch of the family had passed on, and so far, they had been relatively untouched by the war. Ned' had been raising some livestock, such as pigs, chickens, and even a few cattle, and so far, he and his wife were able to eat relatively well, along with a number of other nearby families. Linda, though, had worked as a bank teller in Forney, and when the Russians came, they had interrogated everyone who worked at the bank. She had to convince the KGB and PSD that she was just a teller, who handled customers' deposits and withdrawals, cashed checks, and so on. They had let her and most of the other employees go, but as they left, they were made to watch as the bank manager, the assistant manager, and the head of the loan department were all taken out and shot. Linda had made a vow right then to never forget, and though there were those in the area who were involved in resistance activity, she was more a passive resister, putting up posters, that sort of thing. Now, they were out doing their morning chores as the attack came in. They watched as two fighters seemed to be circling, and occasionally fired a missile at some target. Both of them had seen the two antiaircraft batteries open up, and then stop shooting as they took missile hits. Then they saw the Russians pointing to the south. More planes coming in.

oeSteady, steady,' Guru said as he lined up the westbound bridge in the pipper. He knew he was only a mile from the old farm, where his Grandfather's mother had lived. Try not to think about that now.....and...HACK! He pressed the pickle button, and a dozen Mark-82 Snakeyes came off the racks. He pulled level, and headed north.

Guru's bombs smashed into the bridges, ripping apart both the eastbound and westbound pontoon bridges, and smashing up what was left of the structure the Soviets had built as well. Goalie managed to get a brief rear view as the bombs exploded. oeSHACK!

oeGood hits

oeGood hits, she confirmed. oeNo secondaries, though.

oeNot every time, he called as he put 512 back down low, and buzzed the I-20 bridge, forcing the KGB troops guarding the bridge to scatter for cover. oeLead off target.

oeTwo's in! Kara called. She put her bird in, and lined up on the smoke left when Guru's bombs had exploded. So what if her bombs did nothing but make the scrap metal fly farther Good riddance. oeAnd HACK! Her bombs came off the racks, and a dozen more Mark-82s landed among what was left of the pontoon bridges, ripping apart what Guru hadn't been able to destroy. oeTwo's off. Kara then followed Guru north.

oeThree's in, Sweaty called. She came in just east of the bridge, and found a truck convoy lined up along the I-20 right of way. Not your morning, Ivan. oeHACK! She called as a dozen CBU-58/Bs came off the airplane, and the CBUs tore into the convoy, ripping apart a number of trucks and a couple of BTR-60P APCs. As Sweaty pulled away, she didn't notice the tracer fire coming up from a couple of BTRs, nor did she (or Preacher for that matter) see an SA-7 come up after their aircraft. She took the big Phantom back down low, and called, oeThree's off target.

oeFour in hot! Hoser called. He had seen the fire coming up at his element leader, and mentally changed his mission from oestrike to oePoststrike flak suppression. He lined up the APCs and several intact trucks in his pipper, then hit the pickle button. Again, a dozen CBUs came off the aircraft, and ripped into the convoy. These BTR-60s were open-topped, and unfortunately for their crews, completely vulnerable to the CBU bomblets, and were easily set on fire. Hoser's strike killed several APCs and trucks, and as he pulled away to the north, he called. oeFour off target.

oeCopy that, Guru called. oeForm on me and let's egress.

As Firebird flight headed north, the two Weasel Phantoms finished their work, killing another search radar and also a solitary ZSU-23-4 that had come up from somewhere. Both Coors One-Five and One-Six went back low, and followed the Firebirds north.

Back near the bridge, Ned and Linda picked themselves up. They heard shouting from the Russians on the road, and from the bridge area. They knew from past experience that the Russians sometimes made nearby locals clean up after an air raid, so they simply went about their chores. This time, though, the Russians didn't bother anyone living near the strike area.

In his F-4, Guru smiled as he flew over Lake Ray Hubbard. Kara had tucked into his Four Oclock, and Sweaty and Hoser were right behind them. They overflew the I-30 bridges, and thankfully, the Army pukes down below held their fire. They flew on, clearing Lake Ray Hubbard and then over Lavon Lake, and only when they had cleared that lake did Guru call for the flight to get back to altitude.

oeFirebird Lead, Coors One-Five. We need to hit the tankers. Nice doing business with you, fella. The Weasel element leader called.

oeLikewise, Guru replied oeMaybe we can do this again sometime.

The two F-4Gs peeled off and headed for the Red River and the tanker track, while the F-4Es headed west towards Sheppard. After contacting the tower, they got into the traffic pattern, and waited for several outbound flghts-AF, Marine, and Navy, to take off before they were able to come in to land. After landing and taxiing back to their revetments, the crew chiefs were waiting.

Guru shut down, and popped his canopy, and Goalie did the same. Sergeant Crowley came up with the crew ladder. oeHow'd it go, sir

oeMade some bridges go away, Sergeant, Guru said as he got down.

'Great, sir, Crowley said. oeWe'll have her turned around in a half-hour. He indicated the ordnance guys waiting with a mix of napalm tanks and Mark-82s.

oeShake'n Bake, Goalie observed.

oeThat means CAS, Guru said. He turned to Crowley. oePull the strike camera film and send it off. 512's working like a champ, Sergeant. No issues, and no battle damage.

oeThanks, sir, Crowley beamed. oeOh, sir, do you want her painted up as the CO's bird

oeNo, Sergeant. Colonel Rivers didn't with his bird, and I'll do the same, Guru said. oeDon't want anyone to see who was flying the bird if she goes down.

oeUnderstood, sir, Crowley said.

oeAll right, Sergeant, get her turned around, Guru ordered. He turned to Goalie. oeLet's get debriefed.

Goalie nodded as they walked to the edge of the revetment, and found the rest of the flight coming over. oeHow'd it go for you guys

oeWeasels did their job, Kara said. oeNo flak or SAMs.

oeSame here, Goalie said. oeMade some trucks and APCs go away.

oeYou sure about no flak Hoser asked. oeSome came up after Sweaty, but she didn't see it.

oeCome on, Guru said. oeSave it for the debrief, because we're going back out in an hour or so.

They nodded, and headed back to the squadron's offices. When they went into their building, which had belonged to a prewar training squadron, they found people acting nervous. Then Capt. Don Van Loan, the new Operations Officer, came over. oeDon, what's up The CO asked.

oeSome lieutenant came in after you left, been around asking a bunch of questions, not just about us, but the rest of the units on this base, Van Loan replied. oeHe's not from JAG or OSI, though.

oeLet me guess, Goalie said. oeInspector General's Office.

oeThat's a fair bet, Guru said. oeOkay, if he comes back before we go back out, have him see me. If he's got anything specific, I'll listen to him. Before I tell him to take his complaints to General Tanner. Who will tear him a new asshole.

Van Loan nodded. oeSpeaking of which, Base Ops called. His C-130's inbound. ETA fifteen minutes.

oeOkay, we need to debrief, Guru said. oeIf he comes here before we have to brief and launch, let me know when he arrives.

oeWill do. Mark's due back shortly, by the way.

oeOkay, Guru said. He turned to his flight. oeLet's debrief. Won't be long until we go back out. He led them to the old classroom that his flight used, and found 1st Lt. Darren Licon, the Intelligence Officer for the 335th, waiting. oeDarren.

He stood up. oeBoss, how'd it go

oeMade those pontoon bridges go away, Guru said.

Licon pulled out a TPC map, and asked them to indicate their flight paths. oeOkay, what'd you get

oePut my bombs onto the westbound bridges, Guru replied.

oeHits

oeGot a few, Goalie said. oeCouldn't see much, though. He was getting us north as fast as he could.

oeCaptain Thrace You were right behind him. How'd he do

Kara smiled. oeBombs on target, she said. oeI put mine where the eastbound bridge would've been, but there was so much smoke I couldn't really see. No secondaries, though.

oeI'll go along with that, Brainac said. oeNo secondaries means no traffic on the bridges.

oeOkay, Sweaty Licon asked.

oeHit a truck convoy east of the local road, Sweaty said. oeAPCs and trucks.

oeAny resistance

oeThe flak guns were firing, she replied. oeBut not radar-guided.

oeWeasels shut down those guys, Kara added. oeThey had antiradar missiles in the air first thing.

oeSweaty had some tracers come up after her, Hoser said. oeFrom the rest of the convoy.

oeWhat kind Licon wanted to know.

oeEither machine-gun or 23-mm, Hoser said. oeEven an SA-7, but it didn't guide. I put my CBUs on those guys.

oeGet any secondaries

oeSweaty's bombs got some, And we did, too, KT said.

oeAny MiGs

Heads shook no. oeNot a one, Guru said.

oeOkay, Licon said to sum up. oeI'll check the strike camera footage, and pass that up to Tenth Air Force Nice job, and from your description, that crossing's out of business for a few days. Thanks, guys.

As Licon got up to leave, Guru nodded. oeDarren, how are you holding up

oeWhen I go to the CO's office Half the time I think I'll see Colonel Rivers. Instead, it's you.

oeWell, when I open that door, I think I'll see him, and it's empty. Then I remember that's mine now. Takes some getting used to.

oeI guess so, Licon said. He'd joined the 335th after Rivers took over the squadron, and hadn't been around when two previous squadron CO s had been KIA.

oeOh, Darren Guru asked the Intel as he got ready to leave. oeYou have a right to know. Rivers recommended you for Captain. He forwarded the paperwork..

oeCaptain Licon asked, and his voice showed the surprise. oeYou're serious

oeYep, Guru said. oeDon't know when it'll go through, but you're not the only one. He turned to Goalie. oeGoalie, Sweaty, and a few others.

oeThanks, Boss, Licon said, while Goalie and Sweaty were beaming.

oeDon't thank me, thank Colonel Rivers. And Darren

oeYeah, Boss

oeIf you want to talk, in fact, spread the word. That includes all of you, Guru told his flight. oeIf anyone needs to talk, get things off their chest If I'm not flying, my office door is open. Colonel Rivers did the same, and I'm following his example.

oeWill do, and thanks, Licon replied.

oeAnytime.

After Licon left, Sweaty asked, oeSo what's next

oeYou saw the ordnance, Kara replied. oeShake'n Bake. That means CAS for somebody.

oeYeah, Guru said. Then there was a knock on the door. oeCome on in and show yourself.

It was Capt. Don Van Loan, the Ops Officer. oeBoss, we got a problem. Not just this squadron, but this entire base.

oeWhat do you mean Guru asked. oeYou can talk.

oeSomebody from the Inspector General's Office. Poking around, asking a bunch of questions. Wondering why not just the 335th, but MAG-11 and everyone else on this base is pretty loose militarily.

Guru shook his head. oeWhere is this guy

oeIn your office.

Guru scowled. oeOkay, let me know when General Tanner arrives. He went to his office and opened the door. He found a First Lieutenant in dress uniform sitting in a chair. The man came to attention. oeLieutenant, and you are

oeRichard Ellison, sir, the man replied. oeI'm from the Inspector General's office. I was sent here to check out a complaint from an officer on this base. Not just the 335th, sir. But how every unit on this base is run.

oeLet me guess, Guru said as he came in and leaned against the desk. oeYou're responding to a complaint from Major Frank Carson.

oeSir, I....

oeLieutenant, I've got two bars. You've got one. Tell me, Guru said. oeNow.

oeYes, sir. From his standpoint, things are pretty loose around here from a military standpoint, Lieutenant Ellison said. oeI've seen officers calling each other by first name or call sign, for starters.

Guru rolled his eyes. Clearly, this guy didn't get out much. oeDid it ever occur to you that every unit in MAG-11 is a combat squadron, whether it's AF, Marines, or Navy We're flying four, five, six times a day, if you haven't noticed. Fly, land, refuel and rearm, take care of whatever squadron business you have, then go back out. We don't have time for snappy salutes and other protocol. In case you haven't noticed, there's a war on.

oeSir, I realize that. Another thing is how poorly dressed ground personnel are. Instead of undress whites, everyone's in BDUs and is packing weapons. And the mechanics are in the dirtiest uniforms I've ever seen.

Guru got into the man's face. oeOkay, you ever hear of Spetznatz He pointed at the AKMS rifle on his wall. oeSee that rifle I carried it out with me after five months with the Resistance. It's loaded, always. If I hear the call oeSappers in the Wire, that means Spetsnatz is here. And I'd rather face them with a weapon than without. He glared at the junior officer. oeAs for the mechanics It never occurred to you that they work with hydraulic fluid, oil, grease, and a lot of other crud You should've been at Williams or Cannon back in Summer, or Amarillo. Hot and sometimes humid on the flight line. If they got things done wearing only gym shorts, or shorts and sports bras for the women I wouldn't mind at all. If it keeps them comfortable while they're doing their jobs, I could care less how they're dressed.

oeSir, there's such a thing as Air Force standards, Ellison pointed out. oeThey're there for a reason.

oeAnd a lot of that goes out the window when the shooting starts, Guru said. oeDid that ever occur to you It happens in every unit. What else

Ellison nodded. oeThree more things, sir. First, there's a lot of scrounging. Some would call it rampant-

Guru got into his face. oeWhen supply's flat on its ass, and won't give us the things we need to keep these birds flying, I could care less how my supply people acquire those items. As long as there's no felony arrests, no one gets hurt or caught, it makes no difference to me.

The lieutenant looked at the CO. Clearly, the respect for proper procedures and the necessary protocols had gone away. And this wasn't the first unit he'd seen where this was happening. oeThen you have a tech sergeant in the CSPs using an unauthorized weapon.

Guru rolled his eyes again. oeI guess you don't get out much. Did it ever occur to you that a CSP would want a sniper's rifle with a little more range than a standard 7.62 NATO round Tech Sergeant Danielle Tucker's dad didn't want his little girl to have to worry about Spetsnatz snipers. He sent her one of his own rifles, a Winchester 700 in .300 Winchester Magnum. I never argue with results: she's got twelve confirmed kills and seven unconfirmed with that weapon. If we have to go through other channels that the Air Force has set up-or did you even bother looking-to get the ammo she needs So be it. What's the last thing

oeSir, there is an officer ranked above you, and yet you are in command of this squadron. Why is that Ellison asked.

oeBecause my predecessor made a judgment that the officer you're referring to wasn't fit to command anything higher than an element. We award positions in this unit based on experience, not rank. And I might as well tell you right now: I'm not as rank as he is. Then there was a knock on the door. oeWhat

Don Van Loan opened the door. oeGuru, General Tanner's here.

oeHe just landed

oeNo, he's here. Right outside. Van Loan said. Then a voice shouted oeTen-shun!

oeAs you were, people, another voice said. oeWe're on a base at war, and we can do without the jumping up and down nonsense.

oeHear that Guru said to the Lieutenant. oeThat should tell you a lot.

Then Major General Robert Tanner came into the offices. Not in dress uniform, but in BDUs. To Captain Wiser, he looked like an older version of Harrison Ford, the actor. He shook hands with several of the officers and NCOs, then came to Guru's office. oeCaptain,

oeGeneral, Guru said, saluting. oeWelcome to the 335th.

oeGlad to be here, Tanner said, shaking Guru's hand. oeI only wish the circumstances were less,well, unpleasant.

Guru nodded. He knew that Colonel Rivers had been an aide to Tanner when the latter was a one-star. oeYes, sir. The memorial service for Colonel Rivers is tomorrow morning at 1000. Sir, there's no time for dress uniform as we'll be flying all day.

Tanner nodded as well. oeNo sense getting dressed up for that when you'll have to get back into flying gear. He looked at Guru. oeI made plans to be here all day, and if necessary, tomorrow, in case there was a service.

oeSir, I know he'd appreciate that, Guru said. oeHe told us that he was your aide some time back.

oeHe was, Tanner said. oeAnd he wasn't just an aide, he got to be a good friend. And who's this He regarded Lieutenant Ellison.

oeSir, this fellow's from the IG's office. Seems a certain Major that we've all gotten to know, loath, and despise made a complaint to the IG, and he got sent to check into those.

oeIs that true, Lieutenant Tanner asked. And by the tone of his voice, he wasn't too thrilled with what Guru had said.

oeYes, sir! Ellison replied. oeAnd I have found quite a bit to verify those complaints. If the General would like to hear what I have to say-

Exasperated already, Tanner turned back to Guru. oeCaptain, have you explained how we do things in Tenth Air Force

oeI started to, sir, but wasn't able to finish before your arrival, Guru said.

Tanner nodded, then shot a withering glance at the Lieutenant, then turned back to Guru.. oeI'll take care of that, Captain. And I'll make sure you won't have to worry about frivolous complaints to the Inspector General. All you need to worry about is getting on with the war. Is there someplace private I can discuss this

Guru smiled. oeMy office is available, sir,

oeGood. Close the door on your way out. After I'm finished with this chap, I'd like to talk to you and your squadron leadership team. I've got some good news.

oeYes, sir, Guru replied.

oeAnd Captain Do you have a mission coming up

oeYes, sir. Mission brief in thirty minutes, Guru said.

oeI'd like to sit in, if you don't mind, Tanner said.

oeNot at all, sir.

oeGood. I'll see you in a few. Tanner said.

oeYes, sir. As Guru turned to leave, he whispered in Ellison's ear. oeYour ass is grass, and he's going to mow it. Then he left the office, closing the door behind him. After he did, Guru and those outside could hear shouting from inside.

oeWell Kara asked.

oeIf Frank or anyone else thinks they're getting the squadron today, they're sadly mistaken, Guru said.

Mark Ellis snapped his fingers. oeOh, well. Back to the old advancement-by-assassination plan, then.

oeGuess so, Kara grinned. oeNow what's up

oeTanner's going to want to talk to us shortly, then sit in on the mission brief. He'll be here all day. Not just with us, mind, but the whole base. And he'll RON. He wants to be here for Rivers' memorial service.

oeThat's at when 1000 tomorrow Goalie asked.

oeYep, Guru said. oeYou did arrange things, Don He asked his Ops Officer.

oeI did, Van Loan nodded. oeEveryone should be back by 1000, and we've got an hour before the next set of sorties launches just after 1100.

oeGood, Guru said. oeCome as you are, and chances are, we'll have people fresh out of the cockpit showing up.

Sweaty nodded. oeThat we will.

oeCome on, let's get something out of the break room, the General will see us in a few, and we've got a mission brief, Guru told his flight. They went to the break room, and found Master Sergeant Michael Ross, the 335th's senior NCO, coming out. oeSergeant. What do the Jarheads have to offer us

'Sir, the usual: Chicken, Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Tuna, and something brown that just sits there, Ross said. oeAnd one of the brown sandwiches just moved.

oeWell, at least it's not a BLT where the tomato looks back at you, Kara quipped.

oeIt is that, Ma'am, Ross said.

oeOkay, thanks, Sergeant, Guru said. oeOh, and Sergeant

oeSir

oePlease let us know when the General wants to see us, if you would.

oeYes, sir.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-18-2015, 07:24 PM

The next set:

335th TFS Operations Building, Sheppard AFB, TX: 1045 Hours:

Captain Matt Wiser and the rest of his flight were in a former classroom, which their flight had taken over for a briefing room, and they were waiting until General Tanner was ready for them. And conversation was going to what the General might have in mind. oeHe said he had good news for everybody, Guru said. oeA stand-down and sending people off on the R&R rotation would be just fine.

oeAnd where would you and Goalie go, Kara asked. oeLas Vegas, where you can lose some money and your inhibitions

Guru looked at his WSO, 1st. Lt. Lisa oeGoalie Eichhorn, and saw her expression go coy. oeMaybe. Or San Diego. Get some sun and surf.

oeFine with me, Goalie said. oeOr Yosemite in winter Wouldn't mind a nice Winter Wonderland.

oeNot enough in the Valley, Guru said. oePlenty of snow in the high country, but not much down in the Valley. A early-season storm had gone through California and the West a week earlier, and had kept their squadron grounded when it came through Texas.

oeHow about you, Kara Goalie asked oeVegas and hit the blackjack tables

oeAnd take on some guys from Nellis, Sweaty asked. oeAnd I'm not talking at the casinos.

Hearing that, Kara poked Sweaty in the arm. Everyone in the squadron knew that if there was such a thing, Kara would be a board-certified nymphomaniac. oeMaybe.

oeAnd given how good you are at cards, they might ban you from the casinos, Hoser West said.

oeCan't have that, KT Thornton, Hoser's GIB, quipped.

Then there was a knock on the door. oeYeah Guru asked.

It was Master Sergeant Ross. oeSir, the General's finished tearing up that puppy from the IG.'

Guru and the others got up. oeThanks, Sergeant, the CO said. He led them back into the office, and saw his office door open.

oeIf I were you, they heard the General's voice say. oeI'd pack my bag and get on the next space-available C-130 out of here.

Then the officer from the IG's office came out. oeYes, sir, and he left the building, and General Tanner came out of the office.

oeGood riddance, Kara muttered.

oeGeneral, Guru nodded politely. oeColonel Rivers told us once that you weren't comfortable with some of your powers.

oeYou're right about that, Captain, but by God, there are times when it's mighty useful. And this was one of them, Tanner said. oeAnd don't worry about the IG's office. I'll call General Butler personally, and nip this in the bud. oe General Conrad Butler was the Inspector General of the whole Air Force.

oeThank you, sir, Guru said.

oeOkay, got a couple of other things to take care of. First, the 335th is up for a Navy award, since you're under MAG-11. They're getting the Navy Unit Commendation, and since you're attached to them, you are all eligible to wear the ribbon when the commendation is awarded.

oeWell, sir, that's unusual, Guru commented, and heads were nodding.

oeIt is, but then again, so is this whole damn war, Tanner replied. He turned to his ADC. oeMajor, you have that other material

Major Scott Reynolds smiled. oeYes, sir, He took out a Manila folder and a small case from his bag.

oeAll right: Captain, if you'll come to attention Tanner said.

Guru gulped, but came to attention. The last time he'd been this tight His OTS graduation.

oeRead it, Major, Tanner said.

Major Reynolds read a paper from the folder. oeAttention to orders. The Secretary of the Air Force takes pleasure in the promotion of Captain Matt Wiser, United States Air Force Reserve, to the rank of Major, United States Air Force Reserve, with all the privileges and responsibilities of that rank. Said promotion to take effect as of 27 October, 1987. By direction of the Secretary of the Air Force.

Guru's jaw dropped. Major

Tanner smiled oeCongratulations, Major, he said. oeLieutenant Eichhorn

Goalie's jaw dropped herself. oeSir

oeYou're his GIB, I understand. Will you assist me with the honors

oeYes, sir. She went over to Major Reynolds and took a small case from him. She handed it to the General. Inside was a pair of gold oak leaves. The General took one, and she took the other. After removing the captain's insignia, they pinned on the oak leaves.

oeCongratulations, Major, Tanner said.

oeThank you, sir, Guru said, saluting.

Tanner smiled and returned the salute. oeYou deserve it. Then he stood aside as Goalie came to face her pilot and CO. She came to attention and saluted Guru.

oeCongratulations, Guru, she said.

oeThanks, Guru replied. Then he saluted his GIB.

Goalie smiled, then went back to the rest of the flight.

Then Master Sergeant Ross's voice rang out. oeRoom, Ten-shun! And everyone stood to attention. oeSalute! And everyone in the room, officer and enlisted, saluted their CO.

Guru returned it, then nodded. oeCarry on, people. Still got this war on, so get back into game mode. But thanks, guys. I know Colonel Rivers is looking down on us and smiling. Let's make him proud while we kick those Commie bastards back across the Rio Grande and back to Mexico City.

oeHear, hear, Mark Ellis said.

oeCouple of other things: First, the promotion party'll have to wait until we get a stand-down, and chances are, there's going to be multiple promotions celebrated at the same time.

There were smiles in the office as word had gone around that Colonel Rivers had recommended quite a few people for promotion before his death.

oeSecond I'll buy a round at the club tonight to celebrate.

There was quite a bit of applause when people heard that.

oeMajor If you don't mind, I'll buy the first round, General Tanner said. oeNot just to celebrate the promotion, but to drink a toast in honor of Colonel Rivers. Who will be greatly missed.

Guru shrugged oeWell, sir, that is the General's prerogative.

oeThank you, Major. You heard your CO. Let's get back in the game. Tanner said, and people got on with their duties.

Guru went back to his flight, and there were handshakes and hugs. And quite a few other pilots and WSOs came to offer their own congratulations. Then the General came over. oeMajor, I see the 'Wild Thing' is in your flight

Hearing that, Kara came to attention. oeSir!

oeSo this is the wild and crazy Captain Thrace. Tanner turned to Guru. oeDon't worry, Major. Word about her antics in the 335th has traveled. Along with some crazy things at Kadena or in Hawaii while she was on the TransPac ferry run.

oeSir Guru asked.

oeSomething about a rented bungalow on the North Shore of Oahu, a dozen other officers of both genders, and a beach party gone wild is the story I heard.

oeOh, boy, Guru muttered. Did he want to know the details Part of him was silently shouting oeHell, no! But another part of him wanted to know.

oeGeneral, I can explain- Kara said.

oeCaptain, as long as there were no felony arrests, and the place was returned to its owners somewhat intact Who am I to criticize

oeSir, Kara nodded.

oeGeneral, as far as her antics in the 335th are concerned, Guru said. oeSome of those, I can assure the General, are wildly exaggerated.

oeNot by much, Goalie muttered to Sweaty, who nodded.

oeAnd some, Major, have a good deal of truth The General wanted to know.

oeSome, sir, Guru replied.

oeAnd some have a considerable deal of truth attached, Tanner said. It wasn't a question.

Guru sighed. oeYes, sir.

oeAgain, who am I to criticize Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may not be separated from the rest of the aircraft, is something that's gone pretty far in the Air Force these days.

Heads nodded, while Guru said, oeYes, sir. He knew it himself, and so did Goalie. Intimately.

oeGood. Now, I believe you have a mission brief in a few minutes

oeYes, sir, Guru said. oeWould you like to sit in He already knew, but the rest of the flight didn't.

oeThank you, Major. I'll try and stay in the background, Tanner said.

oeYes,sir. If you'll excuse me, I need to get the FRAGO and the intel briefing sheet.

The General nodded. oeDo whatever you need to do, Major. I'll stay out of your way.

oeThank you, sir, Guru said. He saw Preacher talking with the other GIBs in the flight. oePreacher

Sweaty's GIB came over. oeMajor

oeHe's Lieutenant Blanchard's GIB, sir, Guru explained. oeWould you escort the General and his aide to the briefing room I'll be there in a few.

oeYes, sir, Preacher said.

Tanner regarded him. oeHow'd you get that call sign, Lieutenant

oeSir, I was studying for the priesthood when the war began. I left the Seminary and went to the nearest Air Force recruiting office and joined up. I qualified for OTS, then Nav school, and they sent me to the F-4 RTU.

oeAnd when your classmates found out your background, they gave you the call sign, Tanner finished.

oeYes, sir, Preacher said. oeIf you and your aide will follow me

While Preacher escorted the General and his aide to the briefing room, Guru nodded to Kara. oeGet everyone else there. I'll be there in a minute.

She nodded back. oeGotcha.

Guru then went to the Ops desk, and Don Van Loan was there. He was getting ready to go out himself.
oeDon,

oeBoss, Van Loan replied. oeCongratulations, man.

oeThanks. Going to take some getting used to, though, Guru said. oeWhat have you got for me

oeOn call CAS. Northeast sector, along I-30. And that's all there is, Van Loan replied. He handed Guru the FRAGO.

oeLovely, the CO replied. oeIntel sheet

oeLicon had this to give to the CAS packages, Van Loan said. He gave the CO the sheet. oeBasically, everything from regimental level on up.

oeDarren's full of good news this time, Guru said. oeAnd a secondary in case we don't get any CAS calls

oeNot in the FRAGO, but I can give you one. Here, at the intersection of Route 276 and F.M. 548, east of Rockwall. Southeast corner has a truck park.

Guru nodded. It would have to do. oeThanks, Don. Good luck, and be careful out there.

oeYou too, Boss. Van Loan said.

Guru nodded, then he headed to the briefing room. He took a deep breath, then opened the door. He found everyone milling around, then Kara said, oeCO on the deck!

oeAs you were, Guru said. oeLike the General said, we can do without the jumping up and down business. He nodded at the General as everyone else gathered around.

oeWhat have we got Sweaty asked.

oeOn-call CAS, Guru said. oeNortheast sector, along I-30 from Rockwall to Royce City,

oeThat's it Kara wanted to know.

The CO nodded. oeYou guys know as much as I do, and no, I don't like it. But that's how it is with CAS.

oeThreat level Goalie asked.

Guru scowled as he read it oeExpect air-defense assets to be from regimental level on up, he said. oeThat means SA-9 or -13 and Shilkas all the way up to SA-6 or -8. No SA-11s or -15s reported, but just because they're not in the threat board doesn't mean they're not there.

oeTypical intel, Preacher said. oeWe're betting your life.

oeTwo years into this war, we should know by now, quipped Kara.Weasels on this one

oeNot available, Guru said. He looked at the General, who was nodding. oeAnd no, I don't like that either. Now, divert fields are the same as this morning: either Perrin AFB or D/FW International. The tanker track is the same: Track SHELL is over Durant, Oklahoma, north of the Red River

oeBailout areas Goalie asked.

oeNorth of I-30 is your best bet, because that's friendly territory. South of I-30 The more rural, the better. And anyplace away from the roads.

oeOrdnance loads Hoser asked.

oeShake'n Bake, Guru replied. oeSix Mark-82 Snakeyes on the centerline, and four BLU-27 Napalm bombs on the wings. Four AIM-9Ps and two AIM-7Es, full load 20-mm, two wing tanks and the usual ECM pods.

oeGood to hear, Kara said. oeAnd if we don't get a CAS call

oeGood question, Guru said. oeVan Loan ID'd a secondary target for us. There's a truck park at the intersection of Route 276 and F.M. 548, east of Rockwall. There's a truck park in the southeast corner. With the load we'll have, we can barbeque some trucks. And there's no change to the weather.

Heads nodded. oeHow about MiGs Sweaty asked. oeSame as this morning

oeYou got it. Terrell Municipal, or as far away as Athens, Tyler, or Waco. Maybe we'll do something about Terrell Muni or Seagoville-Crandall as well. Anything else

oeYeah, KT asked. oeWhat's after this one

oeWe'll find out when we get back, Guru said. oeThat it General Anything to add

Tanner stood up. oeGood brief, Major. Good luck, everyone. And Major

oeSir

oeBring everyone back, and one other thing: Do it to them before they do it to you.

oeFair enough, Major. Good luck, and I'll see you when you get back. Then Major Reynolds opened the door, and the General left the room, and he followed.

oeGlad that's over, Hoser said.

oeStill got the mission, Sweaty reminded her wingman.

oeThat we do, Guru said. oeOkay, gear up, and I'll see you at 512.

They headed for their respective locker rooms and got their flight gear. Guru was the last to leave, and he went to 512's revetment, where the crews were waiting, along with Staff Sergeant Crowley, his Crew Chief. oeMajor! Crowley said, saluting.

oeSergeant, Guru said. oeWord travels fast.

oeSergeant Ross's been passing it around. Congratulations, sir.

oeThanks, Sergeant, Guru said. He gathered his flight around. oeOkay, listen up. All I've got is this: Same drill as this morning: if we're talking to AWACS, Tankers, FACs, or Hillsboro-that's the EC-130 AB-triple-C command plane We go by mission code. If it's amongst ourselves Call signs. Got it

oeGot it, Kara said, and everyone else nodded.

oeGood. Anything else Heads shook no. oeAll right: let's hit it.

They broke up and the crews headed to their aircraft. Guru and Goalie did their walk-around, then mounted their bird. Sergeant Crowley helped get them strapped in, and as he did so, Guru said, oeSergeant, does Major Carson's ground crew know

oeAbout you being promoted, sir Crowley asked. Seeing Guru nod, he said. oeI think so, sir.

oeGood. Do me a favor. Tell them not to tell the Major about it. I want to see the look on his face when he comes into the squadron office and sees for himself. They can tell his GIB, or his wingmates, but not him. Got it'

oeYes, sir! Crowley said. oeAnd good luck, sir.

oeThanks, Guru said as he and Goalie started the cockpit preflight. Crowley took the crew ladder away as they went through their checks. Then it was time for engine start. Sergeant Crowley gave the signal, and Guru started one, then the other, J-79 engine. Both were running normally, then it was time to taxi. oeTower, Firebird One-one with four, requesting taxi and takeoff instructions.

oeFirebird One-one, Tower. Clear to taxi to runway Three-three left. Hold prior to the runway.

oeRoger, tower. Guru replied. oeFirebird One-one rolling. He taxied out of the revetment, and Sergeant Crowley snapped a salute as he turned to taxi to the runway. Guru returned it, then led the flight to the runway, where the armorers removed the weapon safety pins. Then he was cleared to taxi onto the runway, and Kara followed him in left echelon. oeReady back there Guru called Goalie.

oeReady, Goalie said. oeLet's go and get it done.

oeCopy that, Guru said. oeTower, Firebird Flight ready for takeoff.

The tower acknowledged with a green light. Seeing that, Guru released the brakes, applied full power, and 512, with Kara's 520 in echelon, rolled down the runway and into the air, with Sweaty and Hoser right behind them.

As they lifted off, General Tanner was watching. oeGood luck.

oeWish you were with them, General Major Reynolds asked. He was counting the days until his ADC tour was up, and he got back into a cockpit,in his case, an F-16.

oeI do, Major, and so do you, Tanner said. oeYou'll get back in the saddle soon enough. But for me Combat's a young man's-or woman's-game these days.

oeAin't it the truth, sir.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-18-2015, 07:28 PM

Over North-Central Texas: 1200 Hours:

Firebird Flight was orbiting over Lavan Lake, southeast of McKinney. Guru had checked in with both the AWACS and Hillsboro, the EC-130 airborne command plane, and there had been no business for them, though the A-10s and A-4s were pretty busy. It had been a twenty-minute flight to the orbit point, and there were several other flights, either Marine F-4s and Hornets, or Navy A-7s, orbiting as well. oeHillsboro, Firebird One-one. Anything for us Can't wait all day.

oeStand by, Firebird, the controller said.

oeThey said that when we got here, Guru muttered.

oeYou'd think somebody would want some barbequed Russians or Cubans, Goalie said.

oeLead, two, Kara called. oeAnything

oeNegative, two, Guru said.

In her cockpit, Kara shook her head. oeHurry up and wait, even up here.

oeTwo, just enjoy the view, Guru said. Looking down from 24,000 feet, one could forget there was a war on. It was a sunny day, with a few puffy clouds down below, and some thin cirrus as well. Only when one looked towards Dallas did smoke from the fighting appear. As the flight banked away from the direction of the front lines, McKinney Airport appeared. Though not a divert field, it was busy, as it was a designated Medevac field. C-130s and Army Dustoff helos were in and out, and the MASH set up near the airport was busy, so the grapevine said. Then a call came.

oeFirebird One-one, Hillsboro.

oeHillsboro, Firebird One-one, go.

oeFirebird, Hillsboro. Contact Nail Four-two for tasking.

About time, Guru thought. oeCopy, Hillsboro, Nail Four-two for tasking. He then called the FAC. The airborne FACs always used the old Vietnam Nail call sign. oeNail Four-two, Firebird One-one.

oeFirebird, Nail, the FAC replied. oeSay aircraft and type of ordnance.

oeFirbirds have for Foxtrot-Four Echoes with Shake'n Bake loadout. Guru said.

oeRoger, Firebird Lead. Target is enemy artillery at the Route 205-F.M. 549 intersection. Towed one-five-two at least.

oeCopy that, Guru said. oeSay surface-to-air threat

oeFirebird, expect divisional level air defense. Can mark the target.

oeRoger that, Guru said. oeWe're coming in.

oeAbout time, Goalie said.

oeYeah, Guru replied. oeFlight, lead. We've got a target. Follow me in. One pass only unless Nail requests a second go.

oeTwo copies, Kara said.

oeThree, Sweaty called.

oeFour, said Hoser.

oeNail, Firebird Lead.. How do you want it

oeYour call, Firebird, Nail said.

oeRoger, Nail. One pass only.

oeCopy. Marking target, Nail said. And Guru and the others watched as an A-7K rolled in, and fired two rockets. Both rockets exploded on impact, sending up clouds of WP smoke. oeTarget marked. Gun line is east of the smoke.

As Guru began to roll in, he saw some 23-mm come up after the A-7, just as a strobe appeared on his EW repeater, and a GUN warning light came on. That meant a ZSU-23-4 Shilka was down there, and probably more than one. oeFlight, Lead. Music on, and follow me in.Music on, and Snakeyes on this one.

oeTwo, Kara.

oeThree, Sweaty.

oeFour. Hoser.

oeRoger that. One pass, and follow me. Lead's in hot! Guru called.

oeYour switches are set, Goalie said. oeSnakeyes only.

oeGotcha, Guru replied as he rolled in. Lead on target, Guru called as he rolled in on the target.

Down below, the gunners of the Third Battalion, 53rd Guards Artillery Regiment, 25th Guards Motor-Rifle Division were serving their guns. They were divisional artillery, and they had the big 152-mm howitzers. Though due to combat losses, instead of the Self-propelled 2S3 152-mm guns, they had the old towed D-20 howitzers. Still, this division, which had been in America since 1986, was one of the better divisions in the 1st Guards Army from Chernigov in the Ukraine, but it was still a long way from their home station at Lubny, near Poltava.

The battalion commander was, however, in a fit. The blasted Americans had seized the bridges over Lake Ray Hubbard (whoever that was, he wondered), and had been reinforced, taking Rockwall earlier that morning and starting to probe south of Interstate 30. His battalion's fire missions had been trying to make the Americans who'd seized the bridges a little miserable, while also trying to interdict the highway traffic into Rockwall from the north. And he hadn't had time to displace, as the divisional artillery commander had explained, the 200th MRD to their right flank was taking up some of the space that his guns might have used. Shaking his head, he went back to the battalion's command bunker when his Zampolit pointed to the Northwest. First he saw the smoke, then he raised his binoculars. oeAIRCRAFT!

Guru came down the chute, and lined up some of the guns in his pipper. oeHACK! He shouted, and his six Mark-82s came off the centerline MER. He leveled out and began to pull away, and as he did, six explosions followed in his wake. oeWhoo-hoo!

oeSHACK! Goalie cried. oeGood hits!

oeSecondaries

oeWe've got 'em, she said.

oeCopy that. Lead off target.

Kara saw her CO roll in, then she followed him down. oeTwo's in hot. She saw the WP smoke drifting, the explosions of the CO's bombs, and the secondaries that followed. And several guns still intact. Kara lined them up in her pipper, then hit the pickle button. oeHACK!

The Soviet battalion commander was shouting orders to his men to take cover. The more experienced men quickly ran to their shelters, while many of the battalion's support troops, who were mostly Uzbek or Turkmen, weren't doing much. Then he saw a second F-4 come in, and release its bombs. He shouted again at the men to take cover, but never saw the five-hundred pound bomb that went off a dozen feet from him.....

oeSHACK! Brainac called to Kara. oeGood hits!

oeSecondaries

oeLots, he said. oeYou must've hit the ammo trucks.

Nodding, Kara pulled away. 'Two's off target.

oeThree's in! Sweaty called. She could see some command vehicles parked in a circle. Sweaty lined them up, and then hit the pickle button. oeHACK! And her bombs landed among the battalion's command vehicles, tossing several of them like toys. oeThree off target,

oeCopy three, Guru said. Then he saw tracers coming up. oeBREAK RIGHT!

Sweaty didn't even respond. She broke instantly, and as she did, the tracers were visible. Then she leveled out and headed north.

As Sweaty got out of the area, Hoser rolled in. He saw the tracers, and decided, just like he had in the morning, to do something about that. He lined up on where the tracers had come from, and rolled in. oeFour's in. He went down the chute, and then he released his bombs. As he pulled out, KT called oeGood hit!

He rolled away and banked to get a better look. There was smoke rising from the area, and a secondary explosion. oeScratch one flak battery.

Unknown to Hoser, his bombs had hit two ZSU-23-4s. They had been deployed to protect the guns, and they had shot down an A-7 and damaged another that morning. The section commander had fired at Sweaty's plane as it turned away, but hadn't had a good solution due to the jamming. Then Hoser's F-4 had come in, and due to the ZSU's radar being jammed, he had no warning. Then the bombs exploded around the vehicles.....

oeFour's off target, Hoser called.

oeCopy, Four, Guru said. oeNail, how'd we do

oeFirebird, Nail replied. oeGood bombs on target, fella. Taking out whoever was shooting that flak was a bonus. Thanks a lot and have a nice day.

oeThanks, Nail. Anyone you know need some barbeque That was code for napalm.

oeNegative, Firebird. If you've got a secondary for that, be my guest.

oeRoger that, Guru said. oeFirebirds, on me. We're headed for the secondary.

Firebird Flight reformed, and they headed for their secondary target, the truck park. However, before they got there, Kara spotted something. oeLead, Starbuck. Got something at Eleven O'clock low.
oeI've got it, Sweaty confirmed. oeGawd, it's a SAM site. And they're not set up!

oeGot it, Hoser said. oeIt's an SA-6 site.

Guru smiled underneath his oxygen mask. oeLet's get him. He banked his F-4 around and he saw the target for himself. oeOne pass only, and get out. Meet up over Lavon Lake. He called Goalie. oeSwitches set

oeAll set here, Goalie said.

oeRoger that, Guru said. He rolled in onto the SAM site, and a grim satisfaction was taking hold. He'd been shot down by an SA-6 that January day in '86, which led to his time with the Resistance. Now....Lead's in. And now it's barbeque time, Ivan....

Below, a Soviet Army Captain was not having a good day. His unit, the Second Battery, 1175th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment from the 25th GMRD, had to relocate twice, and it wasn't even noon. Those blasted Americans were finding out his battery's location, and either targeting them with anti-radar missiles or long-range artillery fire. Now, he'd found a location that was perfect, though some buildings were nearby, along with a number of houses. Though civilians were nearby, that made no difference to him. Now, his men could get the battery set up and ready to fire, and give this sector of the division needed SAM cover, for American aircraft had been active all morning. He had just left his battery command vehicle, a BRDM-2U, and was shouting orders when he turned to the east. The smoke trails and the dots told him from experience that F-4 Phantoms were coming in. oeAIR ALARM! Then he jumped into a ditch as the lead aircraft came in.

oeHACK! Guru shouted, and four BLU-27 napalm bombs came off the inboard TERs. He had selected the Straight Flush radar track as his aimpoint, and as he banked away to the north, he saw the four napalm bombs explode around the radar track, engulfing it in flame. oeLead's off.

oeTwo's in! Kara said. She picked out two of the SA-6 missile tracks, and centered her pipper on one of them. oeHACK! She called, and the four canisters fell away.

The battery commander stood up in the ditch. Both his command vehicle and the 1S91 radar vehicle were engulfed in flames, and for a moment he didn't know what had happened. Then his training took over. Napalm. Then one of his sergeants pulled him down back into the trench as a second F-4 came in and released its bombs.

oeTwo's off target, Kara said as she pulled away. Her BLU-27s fell onto two of the SAM tracks, and they were drenched in flame as the napalm went off. Take that, Ivan. oeTwo off target.

oeThree's in! Sweaty called. She picked out the other two SAM tracks and rolled in. Lining them up in her pipper, Sweaty made the oeHACK call, and pulled away. Four more BLU-27s fell down on the SAM site, and two more SAM tracks were drenched in flames. oeThree's off.

oeFour's in, called Hoser. He couldn't pick out much, as missile tracks were on fire, and then missiles began cooking off in the heat of the napalm. Another missile shot off a few feet off the ground, headed for something to the west. Whatever it hit wasn't his problem. Then he spotted the missile reload trucks and the battery's support vehicles. He banked slightly, then released. As he pulled away, Hoser called. oeFour off target. His BLU-27s landed on the missile reload trucks, and they, too, were engulfed in flames. One of the bombs missed the trucks and its fiery cargo immolated a nearby ditch.

Hoser's last BLU-27 had landed next to the ditch where the Soviet battery commander had taken cover. His last sensation was the heat as he and the soldiers who'd taken cover with him became human torches.....

oeFirebirds, form on me and let's get the hell out of here, Guru called. He was heading for Lavon Lake as fast as he could.

oeTwo's behind you, Kara said.

oeThree's comin, Sweaty called.

oeFour copies, said Hoser.

A couple minutes later, Firebird Flight reformed over the lake, and they reformed. Now that they were over friendly territory, they could turn their IFF on and their ECM pods off. The flight reformed and headed back to Sheppard, as they didn't need to get a drink from the tankers. When they got to Sheppard's traffic pattern, they had to wait as two F-4 flights from the 335th, and two more from the Marines, were outbound. Then they were cleared to land.

Guru landed, then taxied back to the dispersal area used by the 335th. After taxiing into his revetment, he popped the canopy and shut down. Sergeant Crowley was waiting with the crew ladder. As Crowley got the ladder into position, Guru said to Goalie, oeTwo today, and probably two more.

oeAt least we get to eat, Goalie said. oeAs long as it's not a roadkill sandwich from the Jarheads' mess tent.

oeI'll take some fried chicken, Guru said. oeHell, I'll even have a slider cheeseburger. The Marines, like the Navy, were notorious for serving greasy hamburgers.

oeHow'd it go, sir Sergeant Crowley after he put the ladder in place.

oeBlasted some artillery pieces, and barbequed a SAM site. Guru said. oePull the strike camera and get it to the intel guys.

oeYes, sir! Crowley said. oeYou'll be ready in forty-five minutes.

oeGood, Sergeant, Guru said. oeNo problems or issues, and 512's working like a champ. And we didn't take any fire.

oeThat's good, sir, Crowley said. oeHate to have any more holes in my airplane.

oeYou and us both, Goalie said.

Guru nodded as he saw the ordnance people coming over. This time, it was all Mark-82 Snakeyes. oeAll right, Sergeant. Get her ready to go.

oeWill do, sir, Crowley said.

Guru and Goalie went to the taxiway, and found the rest of the flight waiting. There were high-fives all around as they went back to the squadron offices. On the way, they ran into Maj. Dave Golen, their IDF oeObserver. oeDave, Guru said.

oeGuru! Dave replied. oeI wasn't able to give my congratulations on your promotion. Well done, my friend.

oeThanks, Dave, Guru said, shaking Golen's hand. oeStill getting used to it myself.

oeYes...Colonel Rivers will be missed.

Guru nodded. oeWho's going with you

oeSandi Jenkins, Golen said. 1st Lt. Sandi Jenkins had been Colonel Rivers' wingmate, and had been flying with him when he was shot down.

oeOkay, Guru said. oeVan Loan set it up

oeHe did.

oeGood, Guru said. oeFor now, she's your wingmate. And she's your younger sister from another mother. You bring her back. She's got the fire in her, and it's why I pulled her from the flight schedule yesterday. Remind her when you get to your birds that this isn't the time or place for grudges.

oeUnderstood, Golen said. He'd seen it before, in the Yom Kippur War.

oeOne more thing: tell Sandi that if she wants to see me and talk, my office door is open. Always.

oeWill do.

oeOkay, Dave. Good luck, and remember: do it to them before they do it to you.

oeGot you,

oeAll right, have a good one, Guru said.

oeYes, Golen said, shaking Guru's hand, then he headed to his aircraft.

oeWhat was that about Kara asked. oeWhat's with Sandi

oeShe was with Rivers when he was shot down, and she's got the fire in her, Guru said. oeRivers treated her like she was his own daughter, and she's got something burning inside her. And no, I don't know what it is. He left me a packet with a bunch of stuff in it, in case he was shot down. Haven't had time to look at it.

oeDoes it involve Carson Sweaty asked. oeWhen they're in the Club, and if they exchange eye contact, her stares....if they were knives, Frank would be dying the death of a thousand cuts.

oeI noticed, Guru said. oeI'll have to look at her file, Frank's, and that packet Rivers left me. Haven't had time yet. If I have time this afternoon or evening, I will.

oeWhat could it be Goalie asked.

oeNo idea, Guru admitted. oeCome on, let's debrief and eat.

They went into the squadron office, and noticed a new metal sign on the CO's office door. It read. oeMaj. Matt Wiser. CO, 335th TFS. Guru nodded approval, then they went to the classroom his flight used. The SIO, 1st Lt. Darren Licon, was waiting. oeMajor, how'd it go Licon asked.

oePretty good, Darren, Guru said. oeMade some artillery pieces go away.

oeAnd barbequed a SAM site, Sweaty added.

oeWhere was the artillery Licon asked, pointing to some reconnaissance photos.

oeRight about here, Guru said, pointing to the Route 205/F.M. 549 intersection. oeBig ones. 152-mm or larger.

oeYour strike camera footage may tell. Or the BDA from the RF-4s, Licon said. oeWhat'd you use

oeMark-82s all around, replied the CO.

All three who hit the guns showed their flight paths,while Hoser showed where the AAA had come up after Sweaty, and he put his Mark-82s on the gun site. oeDidn't get a radar hit, though.

oeThey may not have had it, Licon said. oeOr they weren't using it. After that, what was your secondary

oeWent towards a truck park at the Route 276/F.M. 548 intersection. But about a mile from there, we found an SA-6 site just setting up, said Guru.'

oeAnd you turned it into a barbeque pit, Licon said.

oeWe did, Kara nodded.

Licon nodded himself as he checked the recon photos. oeNot on the imagery, so they must've arrived sometime this morning. I'll check your strike camera footage. Anything else I should know

oeNo MiGs, Sweaty said, and everyone else nodded.

oeThanks, Major, Everyone, Licon said. oeI'll pass this up the line to MAG-11's intel shop, and then Tenth Air Force. Good luck on your next one.

oeThanks, Darren, Guru said. oeHolding up OK

oeDoing fine, Boss, Licon said. oeIf I need to talk...

oeLet me know. My office door is always open, Guru reminded him.

oeThanks, Major, Licon said, then he went to debrief the next flight.

oeNow we eat, Kara said. It wasn't a question.

oeWe eat, Guru said. They went to the break room, where the Marine Mess people had brought lunch. The aircrews were usually too busy to head over to the chow tent, so Colonel Allen Brady, the CO of MAG-11, had the meals brought to the air and ground crews.

oeWhat'll it be, sir, A Marine corporal asked. oeCheeseburgers and fries, Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, or fried chicken with Cole slaw

oeAt least it's not your roadkill sandwiches, Goalie said.

The crews had a laugh as they selected their lunches, then went back to the classroom to eat. While they ate, discussion went from the day's sorties to the topic of what would happen when Major Carson found out Guru had been promoted. oeHe'll have a coronary, Kara said. oeCouldn't happen to a nicer asshole.

oeMaybe, Guru said. oeThat'd make Doc Waters happy: he hasn't had much to do other than flight physicals or the occasional sports injury. Doc Waters was the Flight Surgeon for the 335th.

oeHe'll probably go through the ceiling, Hoser said. oeI've never seen anyone so arrogant.

oeI'll go with that, Preacher agreed. oeComing from the Academy, and a rich Boston family breeds that, I imagine.

oeAnd throw in a big sense of entitlement, Goalie said. oeI have classmates who'd be just like him, given the chance.

oeYou're Academy, right KT asked.

oeYep. Class of '82. Goalie said. oeThird class with women. And there were some guys who couldn't take being in a class with women.

oeI'll bet, Kara said. oeThough the Academy's now at Beale, right I bet they don't have that kind of attitude now.

oeNo arguing that, Goalie replied.

Heads nodded, then people looked at the CO. He was lost in thought. oeWhat's up KT asked. oeOr can you tell us

oeIt's Sandi and Frank, Guru said. oeSomething just isn't right between those two, and it's not just Frank's attitude towards non-Academy grads. The way she looks at him in the club....

oeThey've got a history, Sweaty nodded. oeThe question is what

oeAll I know is that she was in the squadron when the war began, and she was one of the first to go into the Airman to Pilot program, Guru said.

oeThe one where they let enlisted with two or more years of college to go to a thirty-day knife and fork, get their commissions, then flight or nav training Preacher asked. oeThey were starting that when I went to OTS.

oeThe same. But when she came back to the unit, Rivers had a private talk with her, and even I don't know what they said. She became his wingmate, and he treated her like she was his own daughter. She was flying wing on him when he went down, and she was pretty much out of it when she got out of her plane, Guru said. oeI had to pull her from the flight schedule yesterday, and she was fine this morning. But she's Dave Golen's wingmate from now on.

oeSo what's the deal with her and Frank Kara asked.

oeThat, I don't know, Guru admitted. oeSomething's not right, and I can't put my finger on it. I'll look at her file, Frank's, and that packet Rivers left for me. This afternoon, I'll find some time and do it. He looked at his flight mates. oeEnough of that. He opened the mission briefing packet. oeWell....looks like we get to do something about Terrell Municipal after all.

oeWe're busting up an airfield Goalie asked.

oeWe are, Guru said. oeThey're basing MiG-23s and Su-25s there. All Soviet.

Kara smiled. oeBoss, looks like we may have some MiG action.

oeYep, and Sweaty and Preacher are one kill away from becoming aces, Guru said. oeAnd Goalie's one kill away from making backseat ace. He looked at his GIB, who had an evil-looking grin on her face.

oeOrdnance Sweaty asked.

oeTwelve Mark-82s each airplane, Guru said. oeJust like this morning, only we'll be about twelve miles to the east. Same approach route, though we make our northern turn over Kaufman, then go north. Make a Southeast to Northwest run, and angle your run so that your bombs cover both east and west ramp areas, as well as the runway. The same air-to-air load, and the usual ECM pods and both wing tanks.

oeGotcha, Hoser said. oeAnd defenses

oeWe'll have two Weasels. Coors One-three and One-four will meet us over Mineral Wells. Because there's an SA-2 site, and since this is on I-20 and U.S. 80, there may be other air-defense assets around. Besides the SA-2, there's radar-guided 57-mm AAA. One battery to the west, another to the northeast. Possible optical 23-mm and heavy machine guns as well. Not to mention MANPADS like SA-7 or SA-14.

'Where's the SA-2 site Kara asked.

oeNorthwest of town. Guru said. oeThe Weasels go in ahead of us and do their thing. When we're clear of the target, form up and head north. Don't climb to altitude until you're clear of I-30. Same drill on bailout areas: the more rural the better, and anyplace away from the roads. Best area is anywhere north of I-30. No new update on the weather.

oeSame drill on the radio Brainac wanted to know.

oeYou got it, Guru nodded. oeIf it's between us, we go by call sign. If it's to AWACS, Weasels, or anyone else Mission code. Anything else

oeHow many more after this one KT asked.

oeOne for sure, Guru said. Maybe two. He nodded. oeThat it' Heads nodded. oeGear up and I'll see you at 512.

They nodded, then the crews went to their locker rooms to gear up. When they came out, there was a familiar,though loathed, face there, staring at the door to the CO's office. It was Major Carson.

oeWell, well, Kara said. oeHe finally knows.

oeHi, Frank, Guru said. oeToo bad you weren't here this morning.

oeIs this a joke' Carson snarled.

oeNo joke. Tanner pinned on the oak leaves this morning, Guru said. oeWhile you were out. Oh, and he knows about the snot from the IG's office. Tore him a new hole, and he'd probably do the same to you, if you gave him the excuse.

Carson just glared at Guru, then he shook his head. oeThis isn't right.

oeWant to tell a two-star General he made a mistake Guru said as he headed on out. oeToo bad I'll be out, because I'd love to see him tear you a new hole.

oeWhat about seniority You may have rank, but I have seniority over you.

Guru got into his face. oeWhen you can't command anything more than a flight, seniority means nothing. Nor does that Boston blue blood of yours. He turned to his flight. oeLet's go, guys. We got a MiG field to rip up.

oeI'm taking this to a higher authority, Carson fumed.

oeYou going to write your Mom and Dad again Kara quipped.

Carson glared at all of them, then left the building in a fit of the sulks.

oeThat is not a happy camper, Preacher said.

oeHis problem, Guru said. oeI'll tell him he's on the clock, either tonight or tomorrow.

oeGood, Goalie said. oeThe sooner he gets away from here, the better.

oeRemember what I said this morning Guru reminded everyone. oeBut yeah, he gives me the slightest excuse, he's out of here. Let's go.

The flight went to 512's revetment, where Sergeant Crowley was waiting, and 512 was bombed up and ready. oeSir, she's ready to go.

oeThanks, Sergeant, Guru said. oeAll right: a reminder. Call signs between us, mission code to everybody else. Anything else Heads shook no. oeAll right: let's mount up and hit it.

The crews split up and headed for their aircraft. Guru and Goalie did their walk-around, then Guru signed for the aircraft. They mounted up and began their preflight checks. Once the preflight was done, it was time for engine start. After running up the engines, it was time for taxi. Guru called the tower and got permission to taxi, and the lead the flight to the runway. After holding so that the armorers could remove the weapon safeties, Guru got permission to taxi onto the runway. Kara taxied into the slot next to him, and they ran their engines up to full military power.

oeTower, Firebird One-one requesting clearance for takeoff.

As usual, the tower acknowledged by flashing a green light. Guru released the brakes, and 512 rolled down the runway and into the air. Kara did the same with 520, and she was right behind the CO. Sweaty and Hoser followed, and Firebird Flight headed south to their rendezvous with the Weasels.

**Ancestor** · 05-18-2015, 10:17 PM

Originally posted by Schone23666 View Post

Wow, just looking at that brings back a few Cold War memories. Hell, my first aircraft model kit was an F-4 Phantom.

As was mine, I was so freaking proud of it!

**Ancestor** · 05-18-2015, 10:20 PM

Thanks!

Outstanding! Every time I read these posts I hear the Red Dawn closing music credits in my head! Well done!

**Matt Wiser** · 05-19-2015, 09:09 PM

Thanks very much! There's a cameo by a real-life Russian AF officer in this next segment, and can anyone guess what the guy did in our timeline

South of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: 1330 Hours:

Firebird Flight was at low-level once again, and headed east. They were south of Fort Worth, and had just crossed I-35W. The meetup with the Weasels had gone off, and Major Wiser had found that the lead Weasel, Coors One-three had two HARMs and two Shrikes, while Coors One-four had two HARMs and two Standard-ARMs. The Weasels were just ahead and above, while the F-4Es were tucked in tight, in two elements as they headed east.

oeTwo minutes to 35E, Goalie called from 512's back seat.

oeCopy, Guru said. He was keeping his head on a swivel, watching the sky, watching his instruments, oeMan, would you kill to have the displays in this bird that the F-15E's supposed to have

oeI would, Goalie replied. She, like the other GIBs, was handling the navigation. oeMake my job a lot easier. One minute.

oeOne minute, Guru called. They were at 450 feet AGL, and doing 500 Knots. So far, there was no sign of SAM or MiG activity, but he knew from experience that could change in a heartbeat. Then another interstate appeared. It was I-35E. oeThirty-five E dead ahead.

oeRoger. Your next turn point is I-45. One minute.

oeI-45 in one, Guru acknowledged.

It didn't take long until the twin ribbons of I-45 appeared, and right then and there, Guru was wishing armed reconnaissance was their mission, for there was a supply convoy headed north. oeAnd turning.

oeU.S. 175 in one minute forty-five, Goalie said. oeRight past Kaufman.

oeCopy. Guru said. So far, no SAMs or MiGs. But soon, it'd be time to go to work. He looked around, and saw Kara's bird tucked in nice and tight, at his Four O'clock.

oeKaufman dead ahead, Goalie called. That was the IP. Twelve miles to target, forty-five seconds.

oeRoger that, Guru said. Then he made the call. oeFirebird flight, ready, ready...PULL! Switches on, music on, and time to go to work.

oeTwo copies, Kara.

oeThree, roger, Sweaty.

oeFour, Hoser.

oeFirebird lead, Coors, the Weasel leader called. oeTime for us to go to work.

oeCopy that, Coors. Get some. Guru said. He turned on his own ECM pod. oeSwitches set He asked Goalie.

oeAll set. Everything in one pass.

oeGood girl, Guru said as he pulled up to 1200 feet AGL. That was bending it for the SA-2, but the Weasels should be able to kill the SA-2's Fan Song F radar.

Up ahead, Coors One-three fired his first HARM missile, and that HARM took out a nearby P-40 search radar that not only served the SA-2 site, but the AAA batteries near the airport. A second HARM forced the SA-2 to shut down, while he began to orbit. His wingmate, Coors One-four, fired a Standard-ARM at the SA-2, unknown to him, and unfortunately for the Soviet SAM operators, the AGM-78 went right to the Fan Song radar, and the AGM-78's big 214-lb warhead blew the radar apart.

Just then, the AAA batteries near the airport came up, and fortunately for the inbound raiders, only one had a Firecan fire-control radar, and as it came up, a HARM came down on it, killing the radar, and causing casualties among the AA gunners.

At Terrell Airport, the MiG-23MLAs of the 85th Guards Fighter Regiment (GIAP) were sitting on the ramp at the west side of the field. Their three squadrons had only just arrived in Texas, and it was proving to be everything they had been told about the place. And all of it bad. From locals who hated their guts, guerrillas who took pot shots at sentries at night, and could be counted on to mortar the field on a regular basis, and then there were the Americans in the air, whose F-14s, F-15s, and F-16s were every bit as dangerous as their intelligence briefings had told them. Some of the pilots were wishing they'd paid more attention to what the Su-25 pilots of the 452nd Independent Ground-Attack Regiment (OshAP) had told them about oethis wonderful place called Texas. Then the alert siren sounded, and the alert pilots ran for their aircraft. They were just getting strapped in when one of them looked to the south. The smoky trails and the chevron tail were obvious. F-4s were coming in.

oeLead's in! Guru said. He'd pulled up to attack altitude, lined up the runway and ramp area in the pipper, and rolled in. oeSteady, steady....

oeFlak coming up, Goalie said. She'd noticed the 57-mm guns starting to shoot.

oeNot this time, Ivan... Guru muttered. oeAnd...HACK! He hit the pickle button, and walked his dozen Mark-82 Snakeyes across the field. He pulled away, and called, oeLead's off target.

At the airport, the sirens were sounding and those personnel still out in the open were running for cover as Guru's F-4 came in. Two of the 2nd Squadron, 85th GIAP's MiG-23s were taxiing to takeoff when the F-4 walked its bombs across the field, and not only had several of his bombs hit either Su-25s or MiG-23s, but at least two had blasted holes in the runway. The leader taxied to the end of Runway Three-Five, but didn't notice the second F-4 coming in...

oeSHACK! Goalie said as Guru pulled off target. She could see several fireballs as parked aircraft exploded. oeWe got secondaries!

oeSave it for later, Guru said. He turned north for I-30.

oeTwo's in hot! Kara called. She rolled in, and as she did so, she saw two MiG-23s attempt a takeoff roll. Ignoring the flak, she released her bombs and pulled away to the north. oeTwo's off.

The two MiG-23s had started to roll down the runway as Kara's F-4 came in. The wingman saw the bombs exploding ahead of him and aborted his takeoff, but the leader didn't. As his MiG went down the runway, his MiG got into a bomb crater and crashed, going up in a fireball.

oeGood hits! Brainac called to Kara from 520's back seat. oeAnd we got a couple of fireballs.

oeGood enough, Kara said. She turned to follow Guru north. The sooner they were north of I-30, the better.

oeThree's in hot! Sweaty called. She came in, and put her bombs to the right of where Guru had. Not only was most of the Su-25 regiment exposed, but several warehouses next to the airport were as well. oeHACK! She called as her twelve Mark-82s came off the airplane. As Sweaty pulled away, she saw her bombs rip into two of the warehouses, while several Su-25s were blasted apart by a couple of Mark-82s landing among them, and at least one of her bombs landed right on the runway for good measure. oeThree's off. She, too, headed north.

oeGood hits! Preacher said. oeAnd there's secondaries.

oeFour's in! Hoser called. He saw where his element leader had made her run, and he laid down his bombs perpendicular to hers, namely, going right down the runway, and though he was taking a chance with the AAA coming up, he wanted that runway. oeHACK! Hoser called as he flew down the runway. His bombs came off his F-4 as he overflew the runway, and both he and KT saw a MiG-23 parked on the runway, while a fire burned in the middle of a bomb crater. Not your day, Ivan....

The MiG pilot saw what happened to his leader, and with the tower not answering his calls, he decided to get out of the plane. He'd seen Sweaty's F-4 make its run, and ran for a slit trench west of the taxiway. He had just jumped in when Hoser made his run, The bombs marched down the runway, and when one of the bombs found his MiG-23, the plane blew apart. He ducked into the trench as the F-4 pulled up and away.

oeFour's off, Hoser called.

oeGot a secondary, KT said. oeMust've been that MiG.

oeHe didn't have a good day, Hoser said as he headed north.

oeFirebirds, Guru called. oeForm on me and let's egress. Coors, how's it going

oeKeepin' 'em busy, Firebird, Coors One-three said. oeYou guys get clear. Clearly, the Weasels were living up to their motto of oeFirst in, last out.

oeCopy that, Guru said. Just then, Kara pulled her bird close to him in combat spread. Then both of them heard a call from Sweaty.

oeLead, Sweaty, BREAK! Bandit in your six.

Guru and Kara immediately broke. Guru pulled up and did a cross-turn to the right, while Kara stayed low and did a turn to the left. As they did, both could see an Su-25 that had been right behind them. oeSweaty, Guru. You have him

oeGot him, Lead, Sweaty said. She lined the Su-25 up in her pipper and selected HEAT. She got a loud growl in her headset as the AIM-9P3 was tracking. oeFOX TWO! Sweaty called as she squeezed the trigger.

In that Su-25, Lt. Col. Alexander Rutskoi was cursing his luck. He'd had several chances for air-to-air action in his combat time in America, and had actually shot down two CH-47s and two Hueys, along with taking a shot several times at A-10s. Now, he'd been getting ready to land when the tower waved him off. The base was under attack. Colonel Rutskoi seized his chanced and got in behind the first two F-4s as they formed up. He armed his R-60 AAMs and checked his cannon ammo status. Enough. He was trying to lock up one of the Phantoms when he saw them suddenly break. How'd they spot him Then he saw a missile trail fly past his aircraft. Now he was the hunted.

oeDamn it! Sweaty cursed. The first Sidewinder had simply oegone stupid and not tracked. She lined up the Su-25 again and got tone. oeFox two again! This time, the missile flew straight and true into the left engine of the Frogfoot and exploded. To her surprise, the Russian was still flying, though trailing smoke.

Colonel Rutskoi let out some curses of his own as the Sidewinder exploded ahead of him. He was turning his head, looking for his attacker, when a loud bang exploded behind him. Then his left engine light went on, along with a couple other warning lights. But the Rook, as the Su-25 was known to its pilots, was built to take punishment, like its American counterpart.

oeTough mother, Sweaty muttered. She got good tone on her third missile. oeFOX TWO! Again, an AIM-9P shot off the rail. This one went right, then left and tracked the Su-25. As it did, she did a high yo-yo to maintain position behind the Russian. This time, though, it wasn't necessary, for the third missile flew right into the Su-25's right engine and exploded. After the explosion, she saw the canopy come off, the seat fire, and the pilot was in his chute. Then the Frogfoot just flew into the ground, exploding on impact. oeSPLASH!

oeGood kill, Sweaty! Hoser called.

oeWhoo-hoo, Lead! Kara called. oeLooks like we got another new ace.

oeSave it for later, Guru reminded her. oeLet's egress. Coors, we're out of here.

oeCopy that, Firebird. We're on the way out.

Colonel Rutskoi had felt and heard the second strike on his Rook. He knew he'd be ejecting for the third time in America when the right engine exploded and every light on his control panel came on. He pulled the handle on his K-36D ejection seat, and he was soon hanging in his chute. Rutskoi watched as Sweaty's F-4 pulled up and rolled, apparently so the crew could verify the kill, then the F-4 rolled back and headed north, followed by a second F-4, obviously the wingman. Now, as he drifted to earth, he saw Soviet soldiers converging on his parachute. Shouting every cuss word in Russian that he knew, the Colonel saw the soldiers put their weapons down. These motor-rifle blockheads thought every parachute was a downed American.....He landed, and the pain that shot through his ankle meant he'd broken it. As he stood up, though in pain, a Kazakh private came up, shouting oeStoi. He replied with several choice cuss words in Russian, along with his rank, and the private lowered his AK-74 and motioned for him to follow.

Sweaty and Hoser joined up on Guru and Starbuck, and the Weasels were right behind them. It wasn't long until I-30, and the Weasels, just like the morning strike, they broke off to head for the tanker track. Firebird Flight, though, didn't need to refuel, and they headed back to Sheppard. After waiting in the pattern for two Marine flights and another 335th flight to land, and two more Marine flights to take off, they came in and landed.

Guru taxied 512 to its revetment, and popped the canopy. oeGood one.

oeIt was, Goalie said. oeWe need to get one more, then I'll be an ace.

oeIn time, Guru replied as Sergeant Crowley brought the crew ladder. oeGet some buckets of water, Sergeant. Lieutenant Blanchard's now an ace.

oeYes, sir! Crowley said. After attaching the ladder, the crew chief ran to fill a couple of buckets, while Guru and Goalie climbed down from the aircraft. They did a quick postflight check, then picked up the buckets. oeHere you go, sir.

oeThanks, Sergeant. Guru said. He and Goalie headed towards the revetment where Sweaty's aircraft was parked. Kara and Brainac were waiting when they got there, and they, too, had water-filled buckets. Hoser and KT showed up just afterward, and all six converged on Sweaty and Preacher, who were demonstrating the kill with hand signs to their crew chief. The Staff Sergeant saw those bearing buckets,and backed away. oeSweaty, Guru said.

oeMajor She asked, then she turned, seeing the six close in on her and her GIB. oeOh, shit.

oeFor which we are about to receive, we thank you, oe muttered Preacher.

oeCongratulations, Sweaty and Preacher! Guru yelled as Sweaty and Preacher were drenched by their flight mates.

oeWelcome to the club, Kara said. oeLike the Major said a while back: 'you only make ace once.'

oeThanks, guys, Sweaty said. oeGuess we'll be celebrating something else tonight.

oeWe will, a voice said from behind Major Wiser. It was General Tanner, who was there along with his aide, and Colonel Allen Brady, the CO of MAG-11. oeLooks like we've got another ace team.

Guru and the others turned, and saw the three. oeWhups, Guru said, sketching a salute. oeGeneral.

oeAnother pair of aces Tanner asked.

oeYes, sir! Guru replied. oeLooks like someone's buying a round for these two.

oeI'll take care of that one, Colonel Brady said. oeBy the way, congratulations, Major.

oeThank you, sir, Guru said. oeBeen pretty busy today, and haven't had much time to notice.

Both General Tanner and Colonel Brady nodded. oeUnderstandable, Major, Tanner said. oeGet debriefed, and you've got time for one more mission today. Get that done, and get back here by 1700. Two hours before twelve-hour ought to be enough.

oeYes, sir!' Major Wiser said,

Everyone got back into game mode, and on their way back to the squadron's offices, Guru stopped by 512 and informed Sergeant Crowley of his aircraft's condition. The crew chief was pleased that no problems or issues had come up, and that there was no battle damage. Then they went into the classroom they used, and found the SIO there, waiting. oeMajor, Lieutenant Licon said. oeHow'd it go

oeTore up the airfield, Guru said. oeAnd Sweaty got her fifth.

Licon nodded, then asked everyone to show their strike paths on a recon photo, and on an FAA chart of the field. oeSo you guys hit both ramp areas

oeWe did, Kara said. oeGot bombs on both the MiGs and the Su-25s. Too bad they don't credit ground kills like they did in World War II.

oeI'll go along with that, Goalie said.

oeSame here, Sweaty added.

oeOkay, Licon asked. 'How about resistance

oeJust triple-A, Guru said, and the others nodded. oeDidn't have any SAMs, so the Weasels did their thing.

oeFlak optical or radar

oeOptical, .looked like, Sweaty said. oeThere was smoke coming from the center of the west battery. They had the radar, and must've taken a HARM or Standard-ARM.

Licon nodded. oeAnd the kill

oeSu-25, Sweaty nodded. oeHe pulled in right behind the CO's element, and I called the break. They broke away, and took the first shot with AIM-9. It missed, so I gave him two more.

oeBoth hits Licon asked, and Sweaty nodded. oeSee a chute

oeCanopy went off, and the seat fired. Then he was in his chute, Preacher said.

oeWitnesses Asked the SIO, and six hands shot up. oeOkay, he smiled. oeI'll write that one up as confirmed, and it's official: you're now an ace, Licon said to Sweaty.

Sweaty smiled back. oeThanks, Darren.

oeYou're welcome. I'll see you guys later, he said, then went to debrief the next mission.

oeNow what Kara asked.

oeI'll check with Van Loan and see what Ops has for us, the CO said oeGet something to eat, get some rest, and check your squadron paperwork. Be back here in an hour.

Heads nodded. oeWhere you headed Goalie asked.

oeTaking my own advice on the last, Guru said. oeThis CO thing takes getting used to. He reminded the flight to be back in an hour, then went to his office. He was pleased to see that there wasn't much, and after taking care of what there was, he decided to see what was in the special packet Colonel Rivers had left for him. After Rivers' death, Sergeant Ross had come to Guru the following day, with a key to one of Colonel Rivers' desk drawers. In a letter in a packet Rivers had left for him, Guru had been told to get the key from Ross. Though he'd done so, he hadn't had time to see what was in the drawer. Now Guru did.

He went to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup, then unlocked the drawer. He got the packet, and opened it. There were a couple of Manila folders, and a note from Rivers. Guru, if you're reading this, get Carson's 201 File. Curious, Guru went to a file cabinet which had the officers' records and got Carson's file. He opened it, and went back and forth between the file and Rivers' material. oeSon of a....this can't be right. Guru went back and reread it. Then he read the other two folders. His jaw dropped. oeMother of God... And the bile was forming in his stomach. oeOf all the... He'd had good reason to loathe Carson before, but now....And what to do

Guru got up and thought for a moment. Nodding, he opened his office door and saw the Exec there. oeMark, I need to see you.

oeGetting ready to brief and then go, Ellis replied. oeWhat's up

oeThis can't wait, Mark. The CO replied. oePush your mission back by an hour. Then come in here.

Curious, Ellis nodded, and went to the Ops desk to postpone his mission. Then he came to the Major's office. oeWhat is it Ellis asked, seeing the expression on Guru's face.

oeClose the door, Major Wiser said. oeFirst, we never had this conversation, and you did not see this material. Understood

Ellis was curious. oeOkay, what are we, uh, not talking about, and what am I not seeing

oeHave a look, Guru said, indicating the material on his desk.

Ellis gave a nod, then sat down and went over the material. It didn't take long for a look of revulsion to come across his face. oeNow what

**Matt Wiser** · 05-19-2015, 09:11 PM

You guys have seen Major Carson before....and here's several reasons why he's so despised.

335th TFS Commander's Office: Sheppard AFB, TX: 1430 Hours:

Major Matt Wiser stared at his Exec. oeMark, I have no idea. Most of what's in that file Either the Statute of Limitations passed a while ago, or an Article 32 Hearing is going to see it as oeHe said, she said.

Captain Mark Ellis looked at his CO, then at the material on the CO's desk. oeHate to say this, but you're right. Not much we can do, legally.

The CO ndded. oeYeah. Still, get Ryan Blanchard here. Capt. Ryan Blanchard was the Officer-in-Charge of the Combat Security Police detachment attached to the 335th. And before joining the Air Force, she had been a deputy sheriff in Michigan. oeI want to run this by her, then get the Department Heads, Ross, and the senior female NCO.

oeWill do, Ellis said as he got up. Five minutes later, Captain Blanchard, who was no relation to Sweaty Blanchard, came in.

oeRyan, Major Wiser said. oeI wish I didn't have to ask to see you. But this concerns a member of the 335th.

oeMajor, Ryan said. oeWell, Congratulations first of all. What's up

oeFirst of all, we are not having this conversation. You didn't see this material.

oeUnderstood, sir, Blanchard nodded. oeSo...

oeHave a look.

Ryan nodded, then went over the material that the CO had shown the Exec. Both Major Wiser and Captain Ellis watched as her face turned red. To both of them, it looked like she was ready to pop.

oeMajor....I knew he is some kind of arrogant, self-righteous, know-it-all, and wannabe martinet who comes across as someone you'd like to punch out, but this

oeYeah. And there's nothing legally we can do about it The CO asked.

The ex-Deputy Sheriff nodded. oeAfraid so, Boss. The stuff at the Academy The Statute of Limitations has expired, and even it it hadn't, says here the victim wouldn't testify. Elmendorf That was consensual, even if the girl in question was the Wing Commander's daughter. She was over eighteen at the time.

oeOkay, Ellis said. oeAnd the last thing

oeThat is the he said/she said. No way would a civilian grand jury get an indictment. I know, you can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, and even if they didn't and a DA went ahead, it'd get tossed at the Preliminary Hearing. Which is equal to an Article 32, Ryan said. oeI don't like it any more than you guys, but that's the way it reads to me.

oeOkay, Ryan. I read it the same way. Stay here, I want you here with the Department Heads. Mark, get them, Major Wiser said.

Fortunately, it took just a minute to get the squadron's department heads, since Ellis had already contacted them. Not to mention Master Sergeant Michael Ross, the senior NCO in the 335th, and Tech Sergeant Natalie Sanchez, the senior female NCO. Kara was there, as she was the senior ranking female pilot, while Goalie was there as senior WSO, though there were WSOs with the rank of Captain in the squadron. Doc Waters, the squadron flight surgeon, Don Van Loan, the Ops Officer, Darren Licon, the SIO; Capt. Kevin O'Donnell, the Maintenance Officer, and the supply and ordnance officers. Everyone was wondering what the CO wanted them for. oeMajor, Van Loan said. He could tell this was serious.

oeOkay, last one in, close the door. And draw the blinds, The CO said. oeNow, we did not have this meeting, and the subject matter stays in this room. Do I make myself clear

Heads nodded, then Mark Ellis said, oeYou do, Major.

oeSergeant Ross

oeLoud and clear, sir, Ross' voice thundered.

oeGood, Major Wiser said. oeNow, we all know, love, and loathe one Major Frank Carson, even if you can't admit it, the CO nodded.

oeYou can say that, Major, Kara said. oeEven if it's barely concealed.

Major Wiser nodded. oeYeah. Okay, Carson's Academy as we all know. His contempt towards officers who aren't Academy grads, and treating NCOs and enlisted as serfs and he's the lord That's just the start.

oeWhat are you getting at Van Loan asked.

oeOkay. You and Goalie are Academy, right

oeYeah, Im '81, Van Loan said.

Goalie added, oe82 for me.

oeOkay, Carson is '78. They have a SERE course at the Academy, and cadets are instructors, right the CO asked.

oeThat they do, Goalie said.

oeCarson was an instructor, Major Wiser said. oeHe took advantage of a female cadet during an interrogation scenario. And the CO saw jaws drop and feelings of disgust come across their faces.

Kara stared at the CO. oeWhy isn't this SOB in Leavenworth

oeA week before the Article 32 hearing, she backed out and refused to testify. Then she left the Academy, the Major said. oeRivers did some digging and found she had a visit at an off-campus cadet hangout from a couple of tough guys with Boston Irish accents saying if she testified, it would be a shame if something happened to her mother.

oeWitness intimidation, Van Loan observed.

oeYeah. Rivers found out that she transferred to the University of Washington, and OSI arranged an ROTC scholarship for her. She's a C-130 driver at Yokota now, Major Wiser said. oeAs for Carson We've got a fellow who treated the Academy as a frat house in uniform.

oeOf all the... Goalie said. oeNot surprised. They told us a couple things about him. Wasn't sure if it was Upper Classmen scaring us Doolies, but now...

Doc Waters nodded. oeOkay, he graduates, gets flight, then what

oeGot sent to Clark, and we all know how wild the towns are near that base, Major Wiser said. oeEven if we haven't been there, word gets around.

Heads nodded at that. The towns near Clark AB in the Philippines were notorious for being dens of recreational activity whose legality was dubious at best. oeThen what Kara asked.

oeHe got sent to Elmendorf in '82, he's a Captain now, and got sent back to the Lower 48 six months later.

Several people looked at each other. oeWhat for Mark Ellis asked. Though he already knew.

oeSeems he got caught in the sack with the eighteen-year old daughter of the Wing Commander, Major Wiser said.

Jaws dropped when the others heard that. oeOh, boy, Sergeant Ross said. oeUh, sir.

oeSo where'd they send him then Kevin O'Donnell asked.

oeMoody, and the 347th, the CO replied. oeHe impressed enough people that he went to Squadron Officer School, then got promoted to Major in October, '84. How he did any of that, I have no idea. Got married about that time, too.

oeAnd that didn't last long, Van Loan commented. oeIt was final about the time he joined the squadron.

oeYeah, Major Wiser nodded. oeAnyone want to bet that she found out about his past

oeNo takers, Doc Waters said. oeThat's a given.

oeMakes sense, Kara noted. oeWhen was his divorce finalized

oeNovember, '85, the CO said. oeRight after he joined the Squadron, and two weeks after Rivers did.

Darren Licon nodded. oeOkay, Major. How'd he get to the 335th

oeHe was on leave from Tinker when the war began. Couldn't get back to Tinker, as Ivan was slicing through West Texas and New Mexico like a knife through butter. So he reports to the nearest base, which is Nellis-

oeHe was in Vegas Van Loan asked. oeHell, you and me were there for the Red Flag!

oeI know, Major Wiser nodded. oeBut he was on leave. After a couple weeks at Nellis, they sent him to Kingsley Field and the first wartime F-4 RTU class. He passed-barely. And because of the losses we took those first few weeks, they sent him to us.

oeHe does look good on paper, Ellis admitted. oeBut he sure doesn't have a clue how things go in wartime.

Major Wiser nodded. oeDon and I picked that up pretty fast, though we were only First Lieutenants at the time. Colonel Rivers did, too, along with everyone else. But hold onto your hats. Frank was a flight leader three times, and he lost it three times.

oeWhat happened Licon asked.

oeHe had six wingmen shot out from under him, the CO said firmly. oeThe last time it happened, I was Ops Officer and the guys in the second element came to me and said they wouldn't fly with him anymore. Took them to see Rivers, and then he called Frank in. Pulled him as a flight lead then and there.

Kara nodded. oeThat sums up his flying ability.

oeIt does, and the only thing keeping him in the cockpit is the fact that we need warm bodies in cockpits. If I could, I'd ground him and keep him pushing paper. Major Wiser said. oeWhich brings us to this last matter. You all know Sandi Jenkins, right

Heads nodded. oeYes,sir, Ross said. oeWhen she was an Airman First Class, she was real popular, friendly, and I thought that if she ever finished college and went to ROTC or OTS, she'd go far.

oeOkay, the CO said. oeA month or two into the war, the Air Force announced an Airman to Pilot program. Enlisted airmen with two or more years of college, pass a flight physical, and pass the Officer Qualifying Test could go. A thirty-day version of knife and fork, they get their commissions, then off to flight or nav training.

Van Loan nodded. oeThat's right: the knife-and-fork at Vandenberg, along with basic flight. The intermediate and advanced flight at Edwards.

oeRight you are, Major Wiser said. oeOkay, Sandi was the first enlisted airman from this squadron to go to that. How does Carson get into the picture He was her immediate superior, and before Rivers saw her application, he had to endorse it.

Darren Licon looked at the CO. oeDon't like the way this is going, Major.

oeNeither do I, Doc Waters said.

oeFast-forward to September, when we're still at Cannon. We get our first replacement crews since PRAIRIE FIRE kicked off. Sandi was one of them, though she didn't want to come back to the 335th. But we needed replacements, and she was in the pool. When she reported in, Rivers had a long talk with her. And as Exec, I wasn't allowed in. Just between the two of them. Then Don, he had you put her in as his wingmate. said Major Wiser.

oeThat I remember. He treated her like she was his own daughter, Van Loan recalled.

oeThat he did, the CO noted. oeShe's a natural as a stick, and if she finishes those two years of college She'll go far. And have you noticed that when she and Frank are in the Club at the same time She stares at him with this look that says oeDon't fuck with me.'

oeYou bet, Kara said. oeIf those eyes were daggers, Frank would be dying the death of a thousand cuts.

oeI've done the same thing, Goalie added. oeAfter the BS that he tried with me and Guru, she nodded at the CO.

oeGuilty, Major Wiser admitted. oeNow, Sandi was with the Colonel when he went down, and she was pretty distraught when she came back.

oeThat she was, Van Loan said. oeCan you blame her Not to mention having a 57-mm shell go through her left elevator without exploding

oeNo, Kara said. oeBut what's with her and Frank

oeBottom line He gave her a quid pro quo. I'll endorse your application. You give me one night in bed, the CO said, and he hardly concealed his disgust at the thought.

Jaws dropped, and several people were muttering curses. oeOf all the....bastard! Kara yelled. And Goalie turned red, looking like she was ready to blow her cork.

Kevin O'Donnell looked at the CO. oeCan't we put cuffs on him

oeWish we could, Major Wiser said. oeRyan, you tell them what you told me.

Ryan Blanchard stood up and spoke for two minutes. When she was finished, the same looks of disgust were still on everyone's faces.

oeWe can't change the past, people,' the CO reminded them. oeWe can, though, affect the future. And here's what we'll do.

oeAnd that is Kara asked.

oeFirst, Carson's on the clock, even though he doesn't know it. He's got until 11:59 PM on New Year's Eve to shape up. If not, there's half a dozen good reasons in his OER to send him packing. I haven't kicked him out yet because he'd have good cause to go to JAG and say it was retaliation. So....Kara, you're the senior female officer in the squadron. You and Goalie Major Wiser nodded at his GIB. oePass the word to the other female officers. Any unusual behavior on the part of Major Carson gets reported. Either to me, Captain Ellis, Captain van Loan, or Captain Blanchard. Got it

Kara and Goalie nodded. oeGot it, Major, Kara said. When he heard that, the CO smiled. That was the first time Kara had addressed him by his new rank.

oeMark You and Don, in fact, all of you, spread the word to the other officers. Same thing.

oeWill do, Major. Mark Ellis replied.

Okay, Sergeant Ross

oeSir Ross asked.

oeSpread the word to the NCOs and enlisted airmen. Same thing. Anything unusual about Major Carson, I want reported. Sergeant Sanchez

oeYes, sir' The Cuban-American female NCO asked.

oeTell the enlisted women. Same drill, the CO said. oeBut, all of you I'll need proof. No rumor or innuendo. It has to be verifiable. Good enough that I can kick Carson out, at least. And at most Our friend Ryan here can put cuffs on him.

Heads nodded, while Ryan grinned, arms folded across her chest. oeIt'll be a pleasure to do just that, Major.

oeTo be wished for, Major Wiser said. oeAll right: if he screws up big time He's out. If he comes to me anytime between now an New Year's and asks for a transfer I'll happily get rid of him that way. But, if he doesn't shape up He's gone, period. Only thing is, he'd be someone else's problem.

oeCollateral damage, Van Loan said.

oeUnfortunately, the CO nodded. oeOkay, remember: we did not have this conversation, and this subject matter stays in this room. All we did was have a meeting of department heads and the CO. I'll talk to the General tonight along with Colonel Brady. Marine Colonel Allen Brady was the CO of MAG-11, to which the squadron was attached. oeI'll also talk with Sandi ASAP, and the soonest I can, I'll lay down the law to Carson. Is that clear, everyone

Heads nodded, and Ross' voice boomed. oeLoud and clear, sir.

oeGood, the Major said. oeOkay, we've still got a war to win, people, so get back in the game. We've got missions to fly and two and a half hours of daylight left.

Mark clapped his hands. oeYou heard the boss, people! Let's get back in the groove.

People got up to leave, and as they did so, the CO told Kara, oeGet our flight together. As soon as Van Loan has a mission for us, we're going.

oeGot you, she replied.

He turned to Goalie. oeWish those rumors you heard at the Springs were just that

Goalie nodded. oeYeah, I do. Heard some nasty ones. Part of me wishes they weren't true.

oeI know, the Major nodded. 'But then, you do know now there's some basis to those.

oeNothing we can do about that, like you said. But I've got classmates who have that same kind of behavior. Hating non-Academy grads, thinking that class ring entitles them to whatever they want in the Air Force, and being general, all around assholes.

Major Wiser looked at his GIB. oeWhich is why I probably won't go to my ten-year high school reunion, if the war's over by then.

oeWhy's that Goalie asked.

oeThe jocks are still jocks and the jerks are still jerks.

oeRemind me not to go to mine, if the war's over by this time next year. Or my fifteenth. For just that reason. Goalie laughed.

The CO smiled. oeBack in the groove. That's the Goalie I know He saw his GIB have a nasty-looking grin.. Come on, we've got business with the other enemy. Van Loan should have a mission for us by now. We'll brief, then let's get it done.

oeToo bad some poor Russians have to pay for Carson's sins, Goalie quipped.

oeConvenience, Major Wiser said. oeCome on. We've got two hours of daylight left. Let's see what Don's got, then we make some poor Russians or Cubans burn, bleed, and blow up.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-21-2015, 06:30 PM

The next set:

335th TFS Squadron Offices, 1500 Hours:

Major Matt Wiser and Lieutenant Lisa Eichhorn left the CO's office and headed to the Ops Desk. They found Capt. Don Van Loan, the Ops Officer, All were anxious to put the disclosures of the past hour behind them, and get on with business. Deadly business. oeDon, the CO asked. oeWhat have you got for me

oeTwo targets, both next to each other, Van Loan replied. He handed Major Wiser the briefing packet. 'Supply dump and a truck park. Supply dump northeast side of the U.S. 175/F.M. 2578 junction. The truck park is on the northwest side.

oeThat's an Army-level rear area, Lieutenant Eichhorn, call sign Goalie, pointed out.

The Ops Officer nodded. oeIt is. You'll be getting two Weasels. Coors One-one and One-two. They'll meet you at the tanker track over Mineral Wells.

oeAnd our way out is over some of the folks we hit this morning or afternoon, the Major, call sign Guru, said. oeSwell.

oeSorry, Boss, but this is the first one that came down, Van Loan said. oeIntel sheet says SA-4 in the area, along with AAA near the target. And that's not counting MANPADS, or any mobile AAA systems with any convoys.

oeMiG fields Guru asked.

oeNearest operational ones after you took out Terrell Municipal are Athens, Tyler, and Corsicana. There's been some activity out of the old Connelly AFB near Waco, but no word on who they are. Might be the Su-27s who got run out of Dyess.

oeMight, Guru said. oeOkay. Thanks, Don. Don't tell me where you're going, but have a good one, and bring everybody back.

Van Loan nodded, then shook the CO's hand. oeWill do, and will try, Boss.

oeWouldn't it be nice if we did lose someone in particular Goalie wondered aloud.

oeDown, girl, the CO said. oeThe downside of that is we lose a perfectly good and honest GIB. He nodded to his GIB. oeLet's go brief, then we get going.

Goalie nodded, then the two of them headed to the classroom the CO's flight used as a briefing room. Guru led her in, and Kara was waiting, with the rest of the flight. oeCO on the deck! Kara said.

oeThat'll be enough of that, the CO said. Then he saw General Tanner in the background. oeGeneral,

oeMajor, the General nodded. oeWanted to see you for your last one today.

oeYes, sir, Guru said. oeHope you don't mind a quick brief, sir.

oeKeep it short and sweet, Major, Tanner said.

'Yes, sir, Guru said. oeOkay, listen up. We've got two targets. Both across a road from each other.

oeLet me guess, 1st Lt. Valerie oeSweaty Blanchard said. oeThe usual supply dump/truck park combo.

oeFour-oh, Sweaty, Guru replied. oeHere's the target area, He passed around the recon photos included in the briefing packet, pointing out the supply dump and the truck park. oeLead and two have the Rockeyes, so I'll take Kara and hit the truck park, Guru nodded at Capt. Kara oeStarbuck Thrace, his wingmate, then continued. oeSweaty, you and Hoser have Mark-82 Snakeyes again. Take the supply dump. Other than that, we have the usual: four AIM-9Ps, two AIM-7s, wing tanks, full 20-mm, and the ECM pods.

oeThreats 1st Lt. Nathan oeHoser West, Sweaty's wingmate, asked.

oeSA-4 in the area, and yes, we'll have a couple of Weasels with us. Coors One-one and One-two join us over Mineral Wells. Then there's at least one battery of 57-mm AAA, which may or may not be radar guided, possible 23-mm ZU-23, not to mention any mobile AAA with any convoys, or MANPADS the staff at either facility have access to.

oeAnd out egress out is close to where we've been going all day, Kara observed.

oeNo getting around that, Guru said. oeWhich is why the Weasels are with us. They'll have four ARMs each bird, so we should be good on that score.

oeMiGs Sweaty's backseater, 1st Lt. Byran oePreacher Simmonds, asked.

oeGood question, Guru replied. oeNearest fields are at Athens, Tyler, and Corsicana. Possible from the old Connelly AFB in Waco, which is where the Su-27s that were at Dyess went to, but Intel says that's unconfirmed.

First Lieutenant Kathy oeKT Thornton, Hoser's GIB, asked, oeBailout areas still the same

oeThey are, the CO nodded. oeAnyplace rural and away from roads is good. Anywhere north of I-30 is best. The Army's pushed a mile or two south of I-30 east of Lake Ray Hubbard, but it's still fluid. North of the Interstate is your best bet.

Sweaty nodded. oeTanker tracks still the same

oeThey are, said the CO. oeTanker Track SHELL is still over Durant, Oklahoma. And the same divert fields as previously briefed. Stay away from McKinney Municipal, though: it's a dedicated Medical Evac field, and the MASH there is pretty busy. So stay away unless you have no choice.

Heads nodded.

oeBoss, what's after this one 1st Lt. Judd oeBrainac Brewster, Kara's WSO, asked.

oeHopefully, that's it, the CO said. oeAnything else Heads shook no. oeAll right; gear up and meet me at 512.

As people headed to their locker rooms to gear up, the General came to see Guru. oeMajor, good briefing.

oeThank you, sir. Guru said. oeGeneral, when we get back, I need to talk to you. Privately.

Tanner nodded. He had a very good idea of what the new Major needed to discuss. oeI'll be here, Major. You have a good mission, and bring everyone home.

oeThank you, sir, and will do. Guru said. He left the room and went to gear up. When he came out, Goalie was waiting. oeWell

oeLet me guess: what did the General want to know Seeing his GIB nod, Guru continued. oeJust a good brief, bring everyone back, and I asked to talk to him after we get back.

oeAbout a certain Major Goalie asked.

oeYep, Guru said. oeAnd maybe see what screwups can earn that.....person a General Court-Martial.

oeTo be wished for, Goalie said as they left the squadron's building, which had belonged to a T-37 squadron prewar. Then they ran into Maj. Dave Golen, 1st Lt. Sandi Jenkins, and their respective GIBs.

oeDave, Guru said. 'And Sandi, he nodded. oeHow'd it go

oeHit a convoy on I-45, Golen said. He was an IDF oeObserver attached to the 335th. And on many occasions, he'd done more than observe.

oeAny MiGs

oeNo, but Sandi got a Hip helicopter, Golen said with pride. oeHopefully, she'll get a proper kill one of these days.

oeGood girl, Goalie said.

oeThat she is, Guru nodded. oeDave, could you guys go on ahead Goalie, I'll see you at 512. I need to talk with Sandi for a minute.

oeOf course, Guru, Golen said, while Goalie nodded and headed out to the dispersal area.

oeMajor Sandi asked.

oeSandi....how are you holding up the CO asked.

The lieutenant, who had her brown hair done up in a bun, nodded. oeSir, is it always like this when you lose a wingmate

oeThat pit in your stomach Guru asked. Seeing her nod, he said oeIt is. I was with a previous CO two weeks into the war when he was shot down. One minute he's there, the next He's a fireball. And I had two wingmen shot out from under me in the early days. When I was with the Resistance Saw and did some things I still won't talk about. You just get used to it, that's all.

oeThat's what Major Golen said, sir. He said he lost friends in the Yom Kippur War. Sandi replied.

oeYeah, Guru said. oeFeeling better, though I imagine just flying was therapeutic. And getting that Hip was icing on the cake.

Sandi's eyes brightened. oeYes, sir! And I felt that the Colonel was there. I can't explain it but I felt like...his voice telling me, 'Good kill', when I shot the Hip.

oeI know what you mean, Guru said. oeI know what Carson did with you. It makes me sick that a fellow officer used and abused his position to get what he wanted. You're not the first he's done this to, but, if I have anything to say about it, you will be the last.

oeSir, how did you know Sandi asked.

oeColonel Rivers left a packet for me. Among other things, what happened to you was in it, the CO said. oeYou have a right to know: he did this to someone at the Academy. Guru explained for a moment, then finished. oeWe can't change the past. But we can affect the future, and he doesn't know it yet, but Carson's days in this squadron are numbered. If he doesn't shape up by New Year's Eve He's out. If he fucks up just once before then It's bye-bye for him. If he wants a transfer I'll gladly sign the form, then shove him on the next C-130 out of here. Only regret is that he's then someone else's problem. But seeing him shoveling snow at Goose Bay or K.I. Sawyer would be good.

Sandi smiled. oeSir, it would be worth paying money to see.

oeIt would, the CO agreed. oeListen, Sandi. If you need to see me for any reason My office door is always open. If I'm not flying, and you need to talk, just knock. Spread the word about that. Colonel Rivers did the same thing, and I'm just carrying on where he left off.

oeThank you, sir,

oe Feeling better

oeYes, sir! Sandi said, and Guru could tell from her voice that she was feeling better.

oeGood, Lieutenant. Now go and debrief with Major Golen, and we'll see you at the Club tonight. You have a kill to celebrate.

oeYes, sir! She said, and snapped a perfect salute.

Guru returned it, and nodded. oeAll right, carry on.

Sandi smiled, then headed into the squadron building. Then Guru went over to dispersal, and found his flight waiting at 512. oeWhat was that about Kara asked.

oeHad a little talk with Sandi Jenkins, Guru said. oeWanted to see how she was holding up, and let her know that we know about her and Carson.

oeHow's she doing Goalie asked.

oeShe's doing fine, Guru said. oeDave's like the older brother from another mother to her, and she got a Hip today.

Kara and Sweaty both smiled. oeWell, do we have another ace in the making Sweaty asked.

oeWe'll know when she starts splashing MiGs, Kara grinned.

oeThat we will, Guru said. oeLet's get into game mode, people. This ought to be our last one of the day. So....when we're on the radio Just remember, call signs when we talk to each other, mission code to anyone else. Got it

oeGot it, Sweaty said, and heads nodded.

oeAnything else' Guru asked, and heads shook no. oeOkay, then. Let's hit it.

Guru and Goalie went to their aircraft, and the others did the same. Sergeant Crowley, the crew chief, was waiting, oeSir, he saluted. oe512's ready to go.

oeThanks, Sergeant, Guru said. He and Goalie did their walk-arounds, then mounted the aircraft. After going through their cockpit preflight, Guru got the oeStart Engines signal from Sergeant Crowley. First, one, then both, J-79 engines were up and running, Guru then contacted the tower, and got permission to taxi. After the wheel chocks were pulled away, Guru taxied 512 out, and the other three F-4s in the flight were right behind him. After holding at the runway to allow the armorers to remove the weapon safeties, the tower gave permission to taxi for takeoff. Guru taxied 512 onto the runway, and Kara taxied 520 right in close to him.

oeTower, Firebird One-one requesting clearance for takeoff, Guru called.

The tower acknowledged by flashing a green light. Guru released the brakes, and 512, followed by 520, then Sweaty's element, rolled down the runway and then into the air.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-21-2015, 06:32 PM

And the next:

South of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, 1550 Hours:

Firebird Flight was at low-level, headed east. They had met up with the two F-4Gs of Coors Flight, and it turned out that Coors One-one was the CO of the 562nd TFS. But Major Wiser was the strike leader, and the light colonel gladly tucked his two Weasels in with the F-4Es. Inside the Phantoms, pilots and GIBs watched their instruments, or in the case of the pilots, kept up their visual scanning. Wartime experience had taught them that radar, whether onboard or from AWACS, didn't always pick up every airborne threat, while other threats, such as SAMs or AAA, not to mention power lines or radio/TV towers, were called out using the Mark I eyeball.

oePassing I-35W, Goalie called as twin ribbons of interstate highway passed beneath them. oeTwo minutes to I-35E.

oeRoger that, Guru said from the front seat. His eyes were at a swivel, going from his instruments to outside, then to the radar repeater, then the EW display. Oh, for the TEWS that the F-15Es are getting, he thought, though there was talk of McAir contracting to Mitsubishi for a oeglass cockpit F-4 if the war kept going, and there was no reason to think it would be over anytime soon.

oeFirebird Lead, Crystal Palace, the AWACS called. oeThreat bearing one-niner-five, for sixty-five, medium, going away.

oeThose Flankers Goalie asked.

oeAs long as they're going away, they could be old MiG-17s for all I care, Guru said. oeCopy that, Crystal Palace.

oeIf they were, we'd make Robin Olds nostalgic, she replied. oeOne minute.

oeOne minute, Guru said. Then I-35E appeared, and as they flew over, there was scattered vehicle traffic. A small convoy headed south, and an equally smaller one going north.. oeTurn point.

oeAnd turn, Goalie called. Next up would be I-45, then the IP over the Trinity River.

Guru made the turn, and the others were tucked in, nice and tight. So far, no threats, either ground or airborne, had materialized, but that could change in a heartbeat. It was a minute to I-45, then another thirty seconds to the river. oeIP dead ahead, Guru said. oeCoors, Firebird Lead. IP ahead.

oeRoger that, Firebird Lead, Coors One-one called. oeTime for us to go to work, and the two F-4Gs pulled up and gained altitude, daring the SAM and AAA radars to come up. And they did, for an SA-4 and a gun radar came up, and two oeMagnum calls came over the radio.

oeFirebirds, Guru called. oeSwitches on, music on, and PULL! That meant arm weapons, turn on the ECM pods, and pull up to attack altitude.

oeRoger Lead, Kara called.

oeCopy, Sweaty.

oeFour, roger, Hoser.

Guru pulled up just as one of the F-4Gs fired a HARM at an SA-4 radar, Just then, two SA-4 missiles launched, but the HARM was faster, and the AGM-88 killed the SA-4 radar vehicle, and the two missiles went ballistic. An AAA radar came up, and Coors One-two fired a Standard-ARM at the Firecan radar, and the missile's 214-lb warhead found its target, blasting the radar vehicle and sending shrapnel all over the battery. Then it was the strike birds' turn.

oeSwitches set' Guru asked Goalie.

oeAll set back here.

oeGotcha, Guru said. He leveled out at 900 feet, then rolled in. oeTarget in sight. Lead's in hot! Guru then lined up the truck park in his pipper, ignoring the 23-mm flak coming up. oeSteady, steady.....HACK! He pushed the pickle button, and twelve Rockeye CBUs came off the fuselage and wing racks. oeLead's off target.

In the truck park, the truck drivers from the 28th Army's material support regiment were cursing the powers that be. They had arrived from Houston before dawn, and had hoped to unload their cargo and get on the way back to Houston, but had been told to wait. Most of the truck drivers were mobilized from their civilian collective owners, while others had served in transportation units during their Army service. Most were standing around, chatting or waiting on something to eat, when someone shouted oeAIRCRAFT!, and pointed to Guru's F-4 rolling in. The truckers scattered for cover, while MVD troops, who escorted truck convoys, opened fire with their AKMs or ZU-23s mounted on trucks or BTR-152 APCs.

As Guru pulled away, he banked to see where his bombs had landed,and he noticed the tracers coming up. Then the CBU bomblets showered the trucks, exploding a number of them in fireballs. oeSHACK!

oeGood hits! Goalie said.

oeGood enough, said Guru. He then pointed his F-4 north.

oeTwo's in! Kara called. She picked out the truck partk, and saw the CO peel away, and his CBUs explode. She grinned, then centered her pipper on some tracers that were trying to follow the CO's bird. No way, Ivan. Not today....HACK! And another dozen CBUs fell onto the truck park.

In one of the BTR-152s, an MVD Lieutenant was shouting at his Uzbek gunners. He was trying to get them to lead their target, but the F-4 was too fast. His gunners turned their gun back south, only to see a blur pass overhead, and a rain of CBU bomblets come down. Several of the bomblets landed in the BTR and it exploded around the occupants.....

oeGood hits! Brainac, Kara's GIB, called. oeWe got secondaries!

oeSave it, Kara replied. She, too, headed north. oeTwo's off target.

oeThree's in! Sweaty called. She picked out the supply dump, and rolled in. Sweaty was able to line up several fuel tanks in the pipper, and hit the pickle button. oeHACK! And a dozen Mark-82 Snakeyes came off the racks, and she walked her bombs across the dump. oeThree's off.

Several of Sweaty's bombs landed in the fuel storage area, and set off several large explosions as fuel drums, storage tanks, and even several fuel trucks, exploded in orange-red fireballs.

In his F-4, Hoser saw the explosions. oeFour's in! He called, and rolled in. Spotting several trucks that looked to be like they were loading, he lined them up in his pipper, then hit the pickle button. oeHACK! Twelve Mark-82s came off his airplane. Hoser then rolled away to the northeast, then headed north. oeFour's off.

In the supply dump, the Soviets manning the dump watched as first Sweaty's F-4, then Hoser's came in. Another rain of bombs followed from Hoser's aircraft, Several supply trucks, filled with supplies for the 28th Army's divisions, exploded. And a five-hundred pound bomb had landed next to the slit trench where the Army's supply officer had jumped in when the first bombs had hit the truck park....

oeGood hits! KT Thornton, Hoser's GIB, called.

oeSecondaries He replied.

oeSeveral.

oeGood enough, Hoser said, turning his F-4 to follow his element leader.

In his F-4, Guru had a smile underneath his oxygen mask. oeFirebirds, form up on me, and let's get the hell out of here.

oeCopy, Guru, Sweaty called.

Guru acknowledged, then turned to his four. Kara was bringing her F-4 right in, tucked in nice and neat. She gave him a thumbs-up, and he returned it as they headed north for I-30. Sweaty and Hoser were right behind them. oeCoors Lead, Firebird Lead. We're outta here.

oeCopy Firebird, Coors Lead said, oeWe'... then there was a burst of static on the radio.

oeFirebird, Coors One-two. Coors Lead is down. his wingmate replied. And Guru could hear the concern in the woman's voice.

oeAny chutes Guru called back.

oeNegative. Gadfly came up all of a sudden. Coors One-two responded. That meant SA-11.

Oh, man....somebody just inherited a squadron and didn't know it. oeCoors One-two, nothing you can do, Guru said. oeFollow us and egress now.

oeOn my way, One-two said. And as Firebird Flight crossed I-30 and headed for Lavon Lake, Coors One-two joined them. And the strike crews noticed all four wing pylons were empty. Two HARMs and two Standard-ARM missiles had been expended.

oeAcross the fence, Goalie said. That meant the battle line.

oeCoors One-two, Guru called. oeYou okay

oeAffirmative, One-two replied. The female Captain in One-two's front seat was a six-month Weasel vet, and had seen it happen before. Though not to the CO.....We can make the tanker, then home plate.

oeBeen there, done that, One-two. Good luck. Guru said.

oeCopy that. Maybe we can do this again, though without losing anybody.

oeAmen to that, Guru said. He didn't envy that squadron's exec. Then the F-4G broke off and headed for the tanker track.

Though the loss wasn't from their squadron, the mood in Firebird Flight's cockpits was subdued as they headed back to Sheppard. They had lost Weasels or flak suppressors before, but it had been a while. They orbited in the pattern as the first A-6s began to launch, and four other flights of either Marine or 335th F-4s were ahead of them. Then they came in and landed. The flight taxied into their revetments, and the crew chiefs were waiting.

In 512, Guru and Goalie popped their canopies as they taxied in, and when Guru parked the F-4, both let out a sigh of relief. oeThat's done. He checked his watch. It was 1615. oeYou do know that if we did a hot refuel and rearm, we could go out again.

oeIF, Goalie said. oeThat in the cards After four missions, she was beat.

oeNo, Guru replied. He took his helmet off, then wiped his brow with a handkerchief.

Sergeant Crowley, the crew chief, came up with a crew ladder. oeHow'd it go, sir

oeWent good for us, Sergeant, Guru said. oeOne of the Weasels went down, though. He stood up and climbed down from the cockpit. oeFirst in, last out, for them.

oeSometimes it's first in, never out, Goalie added as she climbed down from the plane.

oeYes, ma'am, Crowley said. oeSir, any problems with 512

oeNo, Sergeant, she's still truckin'. Pull the strike camera film, and get her ready for morning.

oeYes, sir!

oeOne thing, Sergeant. Has Sergeant Ross told you about Major Carson Guru asked with due seriousness.

oeYes, sir. He came by and gave us the run-down. No rumor or innuendo, and if we do see anything, report it. Crowley replied.

oeGood man, Sergeant, Guru said. oeAll right. Let's get 512 ready for the morning.

oeYou got it, Major. Crowley said, then he and the ground crew got to work as Guru and Goalie left the revetment. They met Kara and the other members of the flight at the entrance.

oeOrdinarily, Boss, Kara said, oeI'd be saying 'good one.' Not today.

oeHaven't had a flak suppressor or a Weasel go down on us in a while, Sweaty said.

oeYeah, but they were taking it bad in the early days, Guru reminded them. oeThey took fifty percent losses back then. Just like the early Weasel days in Vietnam.

Kara winced, as did Sweaty. oeOuch, Kara nodded.

oeBelieve it, Guru said. oeAnd they're still flying G model F-105s on strikes into Cuba, they say.

oeThuds Hoser asked, surprised at hearing that. oeThose things are old.

oeBut they get the job done, Goalie said. She'd read some accounts from the Georgia Guardsmen who flew the old F-105Gs into Cuba.

oeThat they do, Guru said. oeLet's debrief, then check any paperwork. Then hit the Club. We've got a few things to celebrate tonight.

Kara and the others grinned at Sweaty. oeThat we do, Major.

Hoser looked at his CO. oeThree pilot aces and two backseat aces in this flight. This a first

oeProbably some Navy guys in F-14s, Guru noted. oeBut in the AF Maybe. But we've got three backseat aces. Brainac had two before he was Kara's GIB. He's got more kills than his pilot.

Kara grinned at her GIB. oeThat he does.

oeCome on. Let's get debriefed. Major Wiser said.

They went into the squadron building and got out of their flight gear, then went to the classroom they sued for briefings. When Guru opened the door, he found not only the SIO, 1st Lt. Darren Licon there, but General Tanner and his aide also. oeMajor, Tanner said.

oeGeneral, Major Wiser said, snapping a salute.

oeWhat happened out there Tanner asked.

oeGood for us, not so good for the Weasels, and bad for the Russians, Guru replied. oeSir.

oeAll right, the General nodded. oeLieutenant

oeMajor, Licon asked. oeHow'd it go

oePut my bombs on the truck park, Guru said. oeGot some secondaries as we pulled away.

oeCaptain Thrace

oeI'll confirm that, Kara said. oeSaw some secondaries as we were rolling in, and Brainiac nodded.
oeWe got some as we pulled away.

oeLieutenant Blanchard Licon asked Sweaty.

Sweaty pointed to the supply dump on a recon photo. oePut the Snakeyes on the fuel part of the dump, and we had quite a few secondaries go off.

Hoser added, oeShe did, and we added to that. He pointed to the western part of the dump on the photo. oeThen we got out of there.

oeWhen did the Weasel go down General Tanner asked.

The flight all looked at each other. oeJust after Hoser called off target, Guru said. oeTold him we were headed out, he started to reply, then there was a burst of static.

oeHis wingmate came up and said the lead Weasel was down, Sweaty added. oeShe formed up on us and we all headed out.

Licon nodded.What happened

oeShe said Gadfly. Guru said. oeSA-11 strikes again.

oeDamn it, Tanner said, speaking in the debrief for the first time. oeAny radar warning

oeNo,sir, Guru said, and the others nodded. oeHad to have been optical. That meant optical guidance, for which several Soviet radar-guided SAMs had optical backups.

oeAny other resistance Licon asked.

oeTriple-A, Sweaty nodded. oeBut no radar, and it was poorly aimed.

oeConcur, Kara said, and Hoser simply nodded confirmation.

The SIO nodded. oeThanks, everyone. Major, I'll pull the strike camera footage and send it up the line.

oeOkay, Guru said. He looked around, and caught General Tanner's attention, and the General nodded. oePeople, could you leave us I need a word with the General.

Kara nodded, as she was senior, then everyone, including Tanner's aide, left the room, and Licon closed the door behind him.

oeGeneral, permission to speak freely' Major Wiser asked.

oeCertainly, Major. It's your squadron. Tanner replied.

oeThank you, sir. Sir, is there any way we can haul a certain officer before a General Court-Martial

oeI know full well who you're talking about, the General said. oeUnfortunately, I had my legal officer have a look. Either the Statute of Limitations has expired, or an Article 32 hearing would rule insufficient evidence to proceed.

oeGeneral, Colonel Rivers left me some information that said the same thing. And I had my senior CSP officer, who is a former Deputy Sheriff, have a look. She said pretty much the same a couple of hours ago.

The General nodded sympathetically. oeBelieve me, Major. That officer is on a short list of people I would happily kick out of the Air Force in a hot minute. Unfortunately, we still need warm bodies in cockpits, despite their other faults.

oeUnderstood, sir, Major Wiser said. oeSir, he doesn't know it yet, but he will as soon as I can, but he is on the clock.

oeMajor

oeSir, he's got until 11:59 PM on New Year's Eve to shape up, drop that 'Academy man knows everything' attitude towards fellow officers who don't have an Academy ring, starts listening to the NCOs, and treats the enlisted airmen with some respect instead of as pieces of equipment, Major Wiser said. He saw he had Tanner's full attention. oeIf he doesn't by then He's gone.

oeAnd before then, Major Asked the General.

oeSir, if he screws up big time He's done. And if he asks for a transfer anytime before then I'll happily sign on the dotted line, and put him on the space-available C-130 myself. The only regret is that I'd be inflicting him on a fellow officer who doesn't deserve him.

Tanner nodded. If he was a squadron CO who suddenly got Major Carson, he'd be wondering what he'd done to deserve someone like him. oeMajor, I think you're handling things in this matter as well as can be expected. I've had a look around, and things are going well in the squadron. Colonel Rivers laid down a fine foundation. If I were you, I wouldn't change a thing.

Major Wiser smiled. oeYes, sir. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm not changing a thing. And when that officer we've discussed leaves, this unit can only get better.

oeThat it will, Tanner said. oeColonel Rivers had every confidence in you when he made you Exec, and you ran the squadron well when duty required him away. I knew from his reports that the 335 was in good hands if anything happened to him. And I have every confidence in you.

oeThank you, sir, Major Wiser said.

oeDon't worry about missing out on Squadron Officer School or any other PME. World War II proved that guys who went through the School of Hard Knocks wound up doing well as squadron commanders. You and several others are carrying on the tradition.

oeYes, sir.

oeNow, the memorial service for Colonel Rivers is at 1000 tomorrow Tanner asked.

oeIt is, sir.

oeI'll be there. The General checked his watch. oeIt's now 1640. You've got some squadron business, I imagine. Take care of it, Major, then I'll see you at the Officer's Club. We've got a few things to celebrate.

Major Wiser smiled. oeYes, sir.

Tanner shook his hand, then left. Then the Major left for his office, and as he got to the squadron's office space, he saw the members of his flight, along with a number of other pilots and GIBs, waiting. Including Major Dave Golen and Lt. Sandi Jenkins. The Major smiled, then gave a thumbs-up. And everyone applauded.

oeHow'd it go with the General Kara asked.

oePretty good, the Major said. oeHe said Colonel Rivers laid down a good foundation with this squadron, and we can only improve on it. I'm not changing a damned thing.

oeThat's good to hear, Capt. Mark Ellis, the Exec, said.

oeIt is, the CO nodded. He went to Maj. Dave Golen, their IDF oeobserver. oeDave.

oeGuru, Golen said, going by the IDF's habit of first names or call signs. oeAgain, my congratulations.

oeThanks, Dave. Major Wiser turned to 1st Lt. Sandi Jenkins. oeSandi Feeling better

oeMuch better, sir, she replied. oeI've had a talk with Major Golen, and he's told me some things from '73 and in this war.

oeWhen he-or any of us-talk, it's from experience. This is his third war, so listen to him.

oeI do, sir. Sandi replied, and the CO saw Golen nod.

oeGood, Major Wiser said. oeNow, I'll see you in the Club. You've got a kill to celebrate.

Her face brightened. oeYes, sir!

The CO smiled, then nodded, and went to his office, where his flight mates were waiting. oeGuys, if anyone thinks they're getting the 335th anytime soon Forget it.

oeThat's good to hear, Goalie said.

oeIt sure is, Sweaty added. oeOne more thing to celebrate tonight.

oeIt is,' the CO said. oeNow, Kara He turned to his wingmate. oeThe last time we celebrated a new ace, you wound up stark naked in the front seat of Carson's aircraft. Now, I don't mind if you get overexcited, but please, no shenanigans like that while the General's here, if you would.

Kara looked at her CO, but saw that he was serious. oeGot you, Major. I'll try and keep things under control.

oeYou do that, Major Wiser replied. Then Mark Ellis knocked on the door. oeMark

oeGot a few things for you, before you knock off. the Exec said.

oeGuys, I need to take care of this, then I'll see you guys at the Club. The General may be buying the First Round, but I'll buy one in lieu of a promotion party tonight.

There were smiles, then Goalie said. oeWell, when these promotions go through, we'll have to have a squadron promotion party.

oeWe will, the CO promised. As everyone else left, he nodded to Goalie. oeAnd we'll have a more....private celebration as soon as we can.

Her expression went coy. oeI'll be waiting. Then she nodded and left the office.

oeDon't need to ask about that, Ellis said.

The CO nodded. oeWartime romance. And we're not the only ones in this squadron. Van Loan and Sweaty are seeing each other.

oeI noticed. They share a table at the Club every so often. A table in the chow tent, and on occasion, a sleeping bag or camp bed.

oeAlong with two or three other couples, and don't forget Kara's antics, the CO said. oeWhat have you got for me

oeAircraft status update, Ellis said. oeWe'll have eighteen for the morning.

The CO looked at the sheet. oeTwo down for maintenance

oeYep. One's down due to a radar gone tango uniform, and Sandi's bird from the other day still needs a new elevator. The parts for both are on order.

oeTell Ross to turn the scroungers loose, the CO ordered. oeSee if they can't get the radar parts before Supply does. And see if they can't find a new elevator for Sandi's mount.

Ellis looked at his CO. oeThat's a factory-level part, the Exec pointed out.

oeSo Major Wiser replied. oeThere's bound to be F-4 elevators in some warehouse somewhere. Find one.

The Exec nodded. oeI'll tell Ross.

oeWhat else

oeRyan Blanchard wants an Apache Tracker Team assigned. The Marines, OSI, the new FBI office in town, and the Texas Rangers all think someone's taking an interest in this base.

oeOkay, the CO said. oeTell her to put it in writing, and I'll approve it. Anything else

oeThat's it, Ellis said.

oeGood, Major Wiser said. He checked the clock on the wall. 1650. oeGood. Ten minutes and we can hit the Club. Then there was a knock on the door. oeYeah

It was one of the Sergeants in the Admin side. oeSir, Major Carson's here.

oeHe wants to see me Major Wiser asked.

oeNo, sir. He just got back.

oeBoss, have you- Ellis asked.

oeNo. Not yet, but might as well get it over with,' the CO said. oeStay here, though. I want a witness.

oeYou got it.

oeSergeant Tell the Major the CO wants to see him. Now, Major Wiser ordered.

oeYes, sir. the Staff Sergeant said. A minute later, the office door opened, and an officer who was universally despised in the 335th, as well as MAG-11, stepped inside. He was a dead ringer for the Malcolm McDowell played character from the movie Blue Thunder.

oeYou wanted to see me, sir Major Frank Carson asked., snapping a salute. And both the CO and XO could tell from the tone of voice that there was a bit of contempt in it.

oeI did, the CO said. He was leaning against the front of his desk, and sketched a return salute. oeClose the door.

Carson did so, and then asked, oeWhat's this about, sir And Major Wiser could tell that the oesir was an afterthought.

oeI've been waiting to tell you this since I took over the squadron....

**Matt Wiser** · 05-22-2015, 07:43 PM

The next:

335th TFS Squadron Commander's Office, Sheppard AFB, TX: 1652 Hours:

Major Matt Wiser glared at the officer in front of him. He'd loathed the man for over a year and a half, and even when he was still a First Lieutenant, he'd been put off by Major Frank Carson's overbearing, Academy oeknow-it-all attitude, his Boston Blue Blood arrogance, and that was the beginning. After coming back from his E&E with the Resistance, and getting 1st Lt. Lisa Eichhorn as his GIB, the two had developed a more...private relationship to go along with their professional one. Carson had found out, and tried to have them written up for fraternization. Major Wiser's predecessor as CO, Lt. Col. Dean Rivers, had asked them if the....private was getting in the way of the professional. They had replied no, and said that if it ever did, he'd be the first to know. Then Colonel Rivers had shoved a memo from General Tanner, the Commanding General of Tenth Air Force, advising unit commanders, JAG, and OSI to ignore any fraternization cases unless it was a senior forcing himself on a subordinate,. He had also outlined several other regulations that were getting in the way of job number one, which was winning the war. And the General felt that anything that got in the way of winning the war was to be ignored. Then, after dismissing the two officers, Colonel Rivers had given Carson a severe dressing-down, and Carson's complaints to General Tanner had been ignored, and now that the Inspector General's representative had been kicked off base by Tanner himself.....it was obvious to everyone that no one cared for Major Carson's attitude, complaints, or the man in general. Except Carson and a few fellow Academy grads from other services who had the same attitude, everyone in Marine Air Group 11 felt the same way.

oeMajor, have a seat, Major Wiser said.

oeI'd rather stand, sir, Carson replied. And both the CO and XO could tell the contempt in the man's voice.

The CO nodded. 'Suit yourself, Frank. Now that I've had a couple days to settle in, it's time you and me had a chat. And you'd better pay attention. First of all, what's with you Your Academy 'know-it-all' attitude, Boston Blue-blood arrogance, strutting around as if you're the Lord and everyone else is the peasants

oeI have been trying since I arrived in this squadron to enforce Air Force Standards, and all rules and regulations-

Major Wiser slammed his fist on the desk. oeAnd a lot of that means nothing here. In case you haven't noticed, we are at war. And we've been fighting for our national survival for two bloody years. There's no time for your kind of attitude. He glared at Carson. oeThat Academy ring on your finger means nothing. SAMs, triple-A, and MiGs don't discriminate, and ninety percent of the officers in this squadron, hell, the entire Air Force, came out of AFROTC or OTS. They are not brand-new Doolies, despite what you may think. And when NCOs give you advice, you listen! And the enlisted airmen who keep this unit flying and fighting are not pieces of equipment to be used, abused, and disposed of as you see fit. Those men and women work fourteen to sixteen hour days so that we can fly and fight. All that matters is ordnance delivered on the enemy and MiGs shot out of the sky. I could care less if officers go by first name or call sign, or if the NCOs and airmen who work on the flight line or in the hangars are either wearing the grimiest, dirtiest uniforms they have, or wear gym shorts at most, or shorts and either T-shirts or sports bras in the women's case because it's so hot on the flight line. We don't have time for snappy salutes, spit-shined boots, polished brass, or pressed uniforms! We're flying four, five, six times a day, if not more, and we don't have time for that kind of nonsense!

Carson glared at the CO. It was bad enough that he'd been passed over for command of the squadron, but this...this peasant from some tiny California town, who'd gone to a 'hick' school and then OTS, now not only had the squadron, but rank to go with it. oeSir, there are still Air Force rules, and regulations-

oeAnd half of that means nothing once the balloon goes up! The CO shot back. oeRemember what the General said If it gets in the way of winning the war, winning the war comes first! If we have to fold, spindle, bend, or mutilate a few regs in order to get results So be it. What matters is results first. And when in doubt, win the war! Or has that ever occurred to you

oeWhat about rank' Carson sneered. oeI have seniority in rank over you.

Major Wiser got in Carson's face. oeI'm not as rank as you. And I don't let it go to my head. And when a two-star general thinks I'm doing a good enough job running this squadron, that goes pretty far in anyone's book.

oeJust because the General thinks it's okay doesn't make it right, said Carson.

oeOh Care to tell him he made a mistake He'll give you more of an ass-chewing than I ever will,' Major Wiser said. oeAnd before we go any further, I've loathed you ever since you tried to have me and my WSO written up on a fraternization violation. In case you forgot, General Tanner, then the Air Force Chief of Staff himself told JAG and OSI to ignore any such complaints, because winning the war comes first! If you're wondering why I haven't transferred you out already, it's because you could go to JAG and claim retaliation. And I'm not giving you that pleasure.

oeThat's another thing, Carson said. oeYou and Lieutenant Eichhorn-

oeEver hear the phrase 'wartime romance' oe the CO shot back. oeWe're not the only ones. There's several such romances going on among the officers, and a few among the enlisted as well. As long as we keep our private lives private, it's no one's business but our own. And before you open your mouth, I'll say this: you are a bloody hypocrite.

oeWhat are you talking about

oeMark, you have his 201 File

oeRight here, Boss, Ells said, handing the CO the file.

oeWe know what you pulled at the Academy, the CO said. oeTreating the Academy as if it was a Frat House in uniform. Hell, your GPA would've made you eighth in your class. But your disciplinary record puts you in the 49th percentile. Then there's your taking advantage of a female cadet in a SERE exercise.

oeThat never went to trial, let alone the Article 32, Carson reminded the CO.

oeBecause some tough guys from Boston-did your daddy arrange that-intimidated the victim into dropping the charges. I'll tell you this: she left the Academy, and went to the University of Washington on an AFROTC scholarship thanks to OSI. She's now a C-130 driver at Yokota in Japan, and she's done more for the war effort than you ever will. Major Wiser said. oeThen there's your time at Clark after graduation and getting your wings, and then Elmendorf.

oeThat was consensual, retorted Carson.

oeIt may have been, but as far as the Wing Commander was concerned, if anyone he doesn't like touches his little girl, it sure isn't. Be glad he didn't take a shotgun to you and give you an ass load of buckshot or just march the two of you to the Chaplain's office for a double-barrel ceremony, the CO reminded Carson. oeThen Moody, and Squadron Officer School, and promotion to O-4 below the zone. How'd you manage that The Academy's old-boy network help you

oeI had an understanding commanding officer, unlike here, Carson snorted.

oeAnd you got married, Major Wiser said. oeBut it didn't last long, because you were in the middle of divorce proceedings when the war began. Caught you on leave in Vegas, I see. Celebrating your impending divorce

oeWouldn't you'

oeMaybe, but I'm a bachelor, the CO said. oeAnd last, but not least, the Sandi Jenkins business. There's no excuse for that kind of behavior, and it galls me that a fellow officer would pull that kind of BS. One more reason for anyone to despise you.

oeWhat... Carson stammered. How did that get out It was so simple. One night in bed in exchange for his signature.

oeShe told Colonel Rivers when she came back as a First Lieutenant and with pilot's wings. He treated her like she was his own daughter, and made her his wingmate, nodded the CO. oeAnd she was with him when he went down. And before I forget, If I ever hear you badmouthing Colonel Rivers, I'll be tempted to slug you then and there. And everyone else in the squadron would be feeling the same way, so don't bother.

oeAre you threatening me

The CO got in Carson's face. oeNo. Just reminding you that you are the most hated man in this unit and on this base. And I'm giving you notice, Major. Major Wiser thumbed at a calendar. oeNew Year's Eve, Major. 11:59 PM. If you haven't done a complete and total 180, you're done. And if you fuck up just once You are out of my squadron.

oeWhat Carson asked. oeYou can't be serious.

oeOh, but I am, Major Wiser said. oeAnd if you want to leave this squadron on your own terms Just come to me and I'll sign the transfer orders. Then I'll shove you on the next space-available C-130 out of here. My only regret I'd be making you someone else's problem, and that officer would be wondering what he did to have you arrive. Then the CO got eye to eye. oeToo bad I won't see it, but seeing you shoveling snow at Goose Bay or K.I. Sawyer, or being in some Air Liaison Team on the Montana-Alberta border when it's minus thirty outside in January would be something I'd love to see.

Major Carson glared at the CO. And to the CO and XO, it was a look of total contempt. oeAnything else, sir And that 'sir' was an obvious afterthought.

oeJust reminding you that I gave you your first, last, and only warning. Do you understand me

oeYes,....sir. Carson muttered.

oeI doubt it, but one can hope, Major Wiser said. oeNow get out of my sight!

Carson didn't say a word, but snapped a salute, did an about-face, then stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

oeThat, Boss, is not a happy person. Ellis observed. oeNever seen him that mad.

Major Wiser nodded. oeNeither have I, Mark. He glanced at the wall clock. Ir read 1705. oeWhy do I get the feeling that the last ten minutes have been a complete waste of time

oeHad to be done, Boss. said the XO. oeSooner or later. At least you got it out of the way.

oeYeah, but why do I also have the feeling that every word I said went in one ear and out the other

oeAt least you gave him fair warning, Ellis said.

oeThere is that, Major Wiser nodded. He looked at the clock. oeCome on, the Club's open, and we got a few things to celebrate before twelve-hour kicks in.

That we do, grinned Ellis. oeAnd you got a round to buy.

oeDon't remind me, the CO said.

oeBoss, it's my job to remind you.

Major Wiser laughed. oeThat it is, he said. oeCome on. And the two officers left the CO's office, and headed over to the Officer's Club tent.

Officer's Club Tent, Sheppard AFB, TX: 1710 Hours:

Major Matt Wiser and Captain Mark Ellis walked into the tent that held the Officer's Club. The prewar Officer's Club had been a candidate for reactivation, but it was a burned-out shell. It turned out that the Soviets had simply taken it over, until a Resistance operation managed to get a bomb into the building and blew the place apart, killing 44 Soviets and injuring 200 more. In reprisal, the Soviets took 440 prisoners from a forced labor camp and 560 ordinary people rounded up from Wichita Falls and nearby towns, and shot them all. War-crimes investigators were going through the mass grave, even as the fall rains were coming, to recover bodies and try to identify them. When MAG-11 heard the story after moving in, they had donated excess clothing and other supplies to the families looking for their loved ones' remains. And it had given the aircrews and the soldiers from III Corps yet another score to settle.

When the two AF officers entered the tent, they found it full of Air Force, Marine, Navy, and even some Army Aviation officers from III Corps. And it didn't take them long to be noticed by General Tanner and Colonel Allen Brady, the CO of MAG-11. oeAh, I see our last guest of honor has arrived, the General said.

oeSorry to be late, sir, Major Wiser said. oeBut we had squadron business with a certain officer. And I had to give him fair warning.

Both the General and Colonel Brady nodded. They knew full well who the Major was referring to. oeAnd how did it go General Tanner asked.

oeAbout what I expected, sir, Major Wiser nodded. oeThough I can't help but think that everything I said went in one ear and out the other.

Both Tanner and Colonel Brady nodded as well. They knew that it was more than likely the case, but the talk had to be done. oeTime will tell, Major. Either he'll do a complete 180, or he's on his way out.

oeYes, sir.

Colonel Brady came and shook the Major's hand. oeHaven't had time today, Major. But congratulations. Glad to see you make O-4, but too bad the man who thought you should get it isn't here to see it.

oeThank you, sir, the Major replied. oeI know he's looking down on us and smiling. He knows.

oeThat he does, Colonel Brady said. oeNow, get your drinks, because we've got some business to take care of before 1900 and twelve-hour kicks in.

Major Wiser nodded. oeYes, sir. He and Mark went to the bar and the barkeep came over. oeWhat have you got tonight, beer wise

oeFoster's, Sapporo, some Bud, the barkeep replied.

oeAny Sam Adams

oeExpecting some later in the week. Sorry, Major.

oeOh, well. Bud for me, Major Wiser said.

oeSame here, Ellis added.

The barkeep nodded, popped two bottles, and plopped them down in front of the two officers. Major Wiser paid him, then they walked over to where most of the squadron's officers were gathered. oeYou know, Bud's a good way of sticking it to the Russians.

oeWhat do you mean by that Capt. Kara oeStarbuck Thrace, the Major's wingmate, asked.

oeAnheiser-Busch was one of those, like McAir, that wasn't hit in the firebombing of St. Louis, the Major said. oeThey're still going, and every bottle they put out is one more to shove up Ivan's ass.

oeThat's how many beer bottles shoved up that bastard Chebrikov's rear end First Lieutenant Lisa oeGoalie Eichhorn, the Major's WSO, asked.

oeA lot, Ellis replied.

The bell at the bar rang, and General Tanner got up. oePeople, he said as he surveyed the crowd. oeTwo days ago, you lost your CO. Lieutenant Colonel Dean Rivers. A fellow Vietnam vet, a trusted aide, and a good friend to me. To you, he was a father figure, someone the more junior members of the squadron looked up to. And to others, he was not just a beloved commanding officer, but he was a good friend. And he'll be dearly missed. The General paused for a moment. oeI know losing a CO is hard, and trust me, in my F-105 days, I lost a couple. But, he's looking down on you and smiling, and he'll be with you in spirit as we finish the job he helped start, and we kick those Commie bastards back to where they came from, General Tanner surveyed the crowd again. oeSo, here's to Colonel Rivers. He raised his beer bottle.

oeTo Colonel Rivers, the crowd repeated. And the toast was drunk.

oeNow, then, to more positive business, the General said. oeMajor Wiser, front and center!

The Major heard several of his friends mutter oeUh-oh, as he stepped forward. oeGeneral, he nodded.

oeColonel Rivers set things in motion when he decided his Exec should have the rank that went with the job. Unfortunately, he went down before it could be finalized. It's a pity he's not here to see this, but he's watching you from above and he's no doubt very pleased. So, here's to the new CO of the 335th, Major Matt Wiser, and here's to the best damn Air Force F-4 unit in Tenth Air Force!

oeHear, hear, the crowd said, and then the 335th people started to shout oeSpeech! Speech!

The Major got up and addressed the crowd. 'Well, people, let me say this: It's an honor and privilege to be your commanding officer. Colonel Rivers had a rule in the squadron: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Well, the 335th ain't broke, and nobody's going to fix it! Despite what some people- he shot an icy glance to one corner of the bar where Major Frank Carson was sitting-may think. He surveyed the 335th officers. oeI know I've got to buy a round tonight. But, there's several of you who are up for promotion in the coming weeks. When you guys get your promotions, we're going to have one hell of a promotion party! How's that, people! There was a lot of applause, then he finished. oeAnd like the General said, Colonel Rivers is going to be watching over us, and be with us in spirit, as we get the job done and send those Commie bastards back to where they came from! Drink up, people! Then he turned to General Tanner. oeGeneral,

oeMajor, I believe you have some squadron business to take care of now

oeYes, sir, Major Wiser said. oeLieutenant Valerie Blanchard and Lieutenant Bryan Simmonds, front and center!

When Sweaty and Preacher heard their names called, there was applause, as everyone knew that they had made ace that day. oeMajor, Sweaty nodded.

oeNow., Sweaty and Preacher's first kill was a MiG-21R that some Cuban was using to get the guys in Western New Mexico on Candid Camera, the Major joked. oeI got the escort, but she got the photo plane. Their second kill was a MiG-29, and he, like his flight lead, didn't think that an F-4 could kill a Fulcrum, Well, we taught them wrong, and that MiG flight leader walked home from that one. Kill number three was a Hip on the Denver Siege Perimeter, while number four was a MiG-23 that she got when our dear friend Kara Thrace made ace- the Major waved at Kara, and she waved back-while their fifth Some Su-25 jockey thought a Frogfoot could handle an F-4. He thought wrong, and Sweaty and Preacher made sure he walked home from that one. Though I bet as he was walking back to his field, he was probably wondering, 'Where did that damned F-4 come from' There was quite a bit of laughter at that. oeNow, Sweaty, Preacher, you guys are now fighter aces. You two are a pair of certified, card-carrying aerial assassins, and no one can take that away from you. Welcome to the club! Major Wiser, an eight-kill ace, said, and there was a thunder of applause.

oeThanks, Major, Sweaty said, while Preacher echoed it.

oeYou've got an hour and a half to party hearty, so get with it, the CO said. He turned to the General, who nodded. 'All right, we got one last bit of business. Lieutenant Sandi Jenkins and Lieutenant Ken Dahlberg, front and center!

When they heard that, Sandi and Ken gulped, then went to where Sweaty and Preacher had stood.

oeNow, you two don't have call signs, and that's something we need to work on, isn't that right people
The Major said, and there was a bit of chatter about that, then he waved his hand and everyone quieted down. oeNow, Ken, you were so good at the RTU they kept you on as an instructor, but you finally get to do what you signed up for, and you're doing a hell of a job. Sandi

oeMajor Sandi asked.

oeSandi, you were in the 335th from Day One, not as a pilot, obviously, but as an airman. Then Airman to Pilot opened up, and you were the first to go from this squadron. It was a tough road, but you're back, and you've earned the respect of your squadron mates for coming back. Colonel Rivers took you under his wing, and made you his wingmate, and he treated you as if you were his own daughter. He made you forget that past, and get on with the job at hand. And you were with him when he went down, and speaking as someone who saw two squadron commanders go down, well, 'been there, done that.' Major Wiser paused, then continued. oeI know what it's like. That pit in your stomach. Well, all you can do is suck it up and get on with the job at hand. Now, you've got the older brother from another mother as your element lead-and Major Golen, stand up if you will Major Dave Golen, their IDF oeobserver stood up. oeAnd the two of you are going to do just fine. Now, she got back in the saddle today, got it out of her system, and, most important, Sandi got her first kill today. How's that for back in the groove

Once again, there was quite a bit of applause.

oeNow, it may have only been a Hip, but what the hell, a kill's a kill, right The Major asked. oeAnd when she gets her fifth We're going to have a hell of a party, and not only are we going to be proud of her, but I know Colonel Rivers will be, watching from above. Isn't that right

The crowd shouted approval, oeHell, yes!

oeOkay, Sandi Ken You two did great today, and keep at it. The two nodded, then Major Wiser finished. oeOkay, I'll buy the next round, then it's sixty-five minutes to twelve-hour, so drink up, people! The Major bought the round, then took his second beer over to Goalie's table. She had been sitting with Kara and Brainiac, Kara's WSO. oeWell

oeWas it this raucous when Colonel Rivers took over Goalie asked.

oeMore subdued, The CO said. oeWe just had two CO s and an XO shot out from under us, the news was still bad, even though the front lines were stalled, and we were wondering how long he'd last.

oeI can imagine, Kara said. oeHeard plenty about how bad it was at Kingsley. Kingsley Field in Oregon was the West Coast F-4 RTU.

oeBad enough, the CO said, recalling those first months of the war. He changed the subject. oeNow, Kara, you going to hustle anyone at the pool table or at a poker game tonight

oeMaybe, Boss, Kara said. oeWhat are you getting at And both Goalie and Brainiac were listening intently.

oeWell, the last thing anyone wants is a repeat of your antics after you made ace, the Major noted. oeTonight, if someone loses to you and can't pay Take a check for once.

oeOkay, Boss, Kara said as she got up and headed over to the pool table.

oeWell Goalie asked. oeWhen are we having our little private celebration

oeNot while the General's here, Major Wiser said. It was an open secret in the 335th that the two were seeing each other on a more.....intimate basis.

oeFair enough, Goalie said.

The Marine mess people brought dinners into the Club, and the CO got a fried chicken dinner for himself and another one for Goalie. oeThis is fine. A cold beer, fried chicken, corn on the cob, cole slaw, and good company.

oeThat it is, Goalie smiled.

Major Wiser nodded, then glanced over at the pool table. oeOh, no.

oeWhat Goalie asked, turning to look.

The CO put his palm to his face. oePlease tell me that isn't Kara and the General at the Pool Table, and someone has challenged the other to a game.

oeOkay, I won't, Goalie said.

oeThat's good.

oeBut Brainiac will, Goalie said, nodding at Kara's WSO.

oeWell Major Wiser asked.

Brainiac smiled. oeExactly as described, Major.

oeI was afraid of that.

The CO, and everyone else, watched, either from a distance or close up, as General Tanner and Kara went through the game. It didn't take long for Kara to realize that she was up against someone who'd done this before, and often. And it didn't take long for experience to take hold, for there was shock in the Club as General Tanner did something that few had managed to do. Beat Kara. She smiled, shook hands, paid the $50.00, then came over to the CO's table in a fury.

oeHow'd he manage that Kara fumed as she finished her beer.

Goalie looked at her. oeHow much did he take you for

oeFifty, spat Kara. oeHe's done this before.

oeI'll find out, Major Wiser said, standing up. oeAnd Kara

oeWhat

oeCan't win them all.

Major Wiser went over to the General, who was shaking hands with Colonel Brady. oeGeneral, I see you've managed to do what very few have managed to do. Beat the Wild Thing at one of her games.

Tanner nodded. oeMajor, I'm not new at this. Won quite a few at Takhili in my second F-105 tour.

oeI'll take your word for it, sir.

oeWell, I've got some of my own paperwork to catch up on, Tanner said. oeI'll see you at the memorial service. 1000, correct

oeYes, sir.

Tanner took his leave, then Major Wiser went back to the table. Kara was still there, fuming. oeWhat'd the General say

oeTakhili, 1967, the CO said. oeDid this quite a few times, he said..

oeFigures. Kara spat. oeWell, the poker table awaits.

One of the Navy Flight Surgons with MAG-11 rang the bell at the bar just after that. oeOkay, people! Twelve-hour now in effect!

Major Wiser checked his watch. oeNineteen hundred on the dot, he said. oeOkay, Kara You stick to club soda or Seven-up. Comprende

oeGotcha, Kara said as she got up.

oeAnd Kara

oeYeah, Major

oeNo shenanigans like you did when you made ace, okay The last thing I want to is find out you're in Carson's front office, stark naked and drunk as a skunk. Especially while the General's here, Major Wiser said with all due seriousness.

oeMajor, you know me, Kara said, giving the innocent act.

oeI do, the Major replied. oeThere's a right time for getting crazy, but tonight's not one of them. Not while the General's on base.

Kara looked at her CO and saw that he meant it. oeUnderstood.

oeAnd one more thing: tonight, make an exception. If someone can't pay what they owe you Take a check this one night.

oeWill do, Major, Kara said, then she went and got in on a poker game.

oeWell Goalie asked.

oeThis is a first, Major Wiser said. oeKara actually taking it cool for a night.'

oeWith the General here Even she wouldn't get that crazy. Goalie said.

oeYou never know, but she will, the CO replied. oeI'll get us a plate of nachos, something nonalcoholic to drink, and be back We've got a couple of hours to kill before aircrew curfew.

The card games and the pool table were busy, and those not interested were glued to a rerun of the 1979 World Series on ABC when Colonel Brady rang the bell. oeOkay, people! Aircrew curfew for those on the flight schedule is now in effect!

Those on the flight schedule, no matter what service they belonged to, got up and headed for their respective tents. Even with the memorial service scheduled for 1000, it would still be a typical day, with three or four sorties per crew the norm.

**Matt Wiser** · 05-22-2015, 07:45 PM

And more:

335th TFS Offices, Sheppard AFB, TX: 29 October, 1987, 0530 Hours Central War Time:

Major Matt Wiser entered the squadron offices, and found the night duty staff still at it. They didn't get off duty until 0600, then the day shift took over. Another bunch of unsung airmen who keep us in the fight, he knew, though their numbers compared to the day shift were small. He nodded at Capt. Kerry Collins, the NDO. Collins was serving as Night Duty Officer while he got over a cold, and Doc Waters, the Flight Surgeon, was serious about anything that affected the health of the aircrews. As the CO came in, Collins jumped up and Major Wiser nodded. oeKerry, we're in a war zone, and that jumping up and down nonsense has to stop.

oeSorry, sir. Old habits are hard to break.

oeAcademy, right the Major asked.

oeClass of '82, sir, Collins nodded. He'd just been promoted to Captain only a month earlier.

oeThat explains it, Major Wiser said. oeYou've heard about Major Carson

oeYes, sir, Collins said. oeSir, if those stories are true-

oeThey are, Captain, the CO said. oeYou can take it to the bank.

oeThen, sir, Collins said with due seriousness, oeFind something and nail his ass to the wall, then nail him. Uh, sir.

oeHopefully, we'll do just that, Major Wiser said. oeHow's the cold

oeAnother four or five days, Major, Collins spat. He gestured to some pills he had been prescribed. oeBe glad to get off the pills.

oeWell, at least at night you can steal a nap. Unless there's a Scud alert, and we haven't had much of those recently. The CO gestured to his office. oeThe Exec in

oeYes, sir. He's in your office.

oeThanks, Kerry, Major Wiser said. He went to his office and opened the door. oeMorning, Mark.

Captain Mark Ellis, the XO of the 335th, stood up from a chair in front of the desk.Boss, he nodded, then handed his CO a cup of coffee.

oeOkay, what do you have for me Asked the CO.

The XO handed him a paper. oeAircraft status sheet. Still two birds down.

oeRoss' scroungers find anything to help in that regard' Major Wiser asked, looking at his Exec.

oeA couple of the radar parts, but not everything, Ellis admitted. oeThey're still looking. But they did get us some extra hydraulic fluid and brake fluid. And an unattended Pave Spike pod.

oeA WHAT

oeA for real Pave Spike pod, unattended with no tags identifying which unit it belonged to. So they, uh, appropriated it. The XO said.

The CO stared at his Exec, then nodded. oeAll right. Anything on the other parts or the elevator for Sandi's bird

oeThey're running down leads, and as for the elevator, Ross says that he knows someone who knows someone who might have an idea where we can find one.

Major Wiser nodded. oeOkay. Just as long as there's no felony arrests, and no one gets caught or hurt, he reminded his Exec. Then he signed the sheet. oeAny word on replacement aircraft

The Exec handed him a message form. oeTwo birds due in from Japan, and we should have them by Monday.

oeMonday, the Major made a note. oeThat's 2 November. From McClellan

oeYou got it. They have to install the bombing computer and the stuff like Pave Tack and Pave Spike interface, and the AGM-65 controls. The stuff that Japanese law doesn't let them install at the factory.

Major Wiser nodded. oeAnd anything about crews

oeTwo crews fresh from Kingsley Field.

'Okay, that'll get us to twenty-two aircraft and thirty-two crews, the CO commented. oeMost we can expect for a while.

oeYeah, the Exec agreed.

oeAnything personnel wise

'One applicant for Airman to Pilot, the Exec handed a form to the CO. oeAirman First Class Holly Lockhart. Five semesters at USC before she dropped out to join the Air Force.

oeAny problems Major Wiser asked.

oeYeah, She works for one Major Frank Carson, Ellis said, and he could tell that the CO's face was turning red upon hearing that.

oeOf all the...and we know Frank's price for signing the application.

oeWe do, sad to say, Ellis replied.

The CO nodded. The thought of Carson using his power to get another female airman into his bed for a night made him furious. Not to mention queasy. oeOkay, I've got an idea to bypass Frank. You're the Exec, and can sign things for me if I'm not available, right'

oeThat's right, Boss.

An evil-looking grin came over the CO's face. oeHere's how we'll do it. You sign for him, as he's 'unavailable.' Then bring the application to me, I'll sign it, then we pass it along and Lockhart packs her bags. You like

oeMajor, has anyone told you that you can be a sneaky bastard Ellis said.

oeGot to be one when I was Exec, the CO replied. oeWhat else

oeMorning report for MAG-11, Ellis said, handing him the document.

The Major nodded and signed it. After he handed it back to Ellis, there was a knock on the door. oeYeah

A female officer in a flight suit with wavy blonde hair came in. First Lieutenant Lisa oeGoalie Eichhorn was the Major's WSO, and also his girlfriend, though since he'd become CO, they'd been more discrete, especially with General Tanner, the Tenth Air Force Commanding General, on base. She had two cups of coffee in her hands. oeMorning, Major,

oeLieutenant, the CO nodded pleasantly, though it was an open secret in the squadron that the two were on an intimate basis with each other. oeStill trying to bribe me with coffee

oeJust trying to make sure my pilot is awake and alert, as usual, Goalie smiled.

oeFair enough, Major Wiser said. oeMark, everything set for Colonel Rivers' memorial service'

oeAll set, Major. Everyone's supposed to be back by 1000, and the only ones who can't attend are the ordnance guys and Combat Security Police. They have to work, because-

oeI know: as soon as the service is over, people are going right to their cockpits, the CO said. oeAnd chances are, my flight will be among them. Who's the Chaplain

oeNavy one from MAG-11, Ellis said.

oeRivers was Lutheran, the CO reminded the Exec. oeIs he

oeCouldn't get one, Ellis said. oeEpiscopalian.

The Major nodded. oeThat's me, but I haven't been in church in years. Okay, squadron color guard'

oeRoss is handling that. Master Sergeant Michael Ross was the senior NCO for the 335th.

oeThe salute

oeColonel Brady offered some Marines to do that, the XO replied. Colonel Allen Brady commanded Marine Air Group 11, to which the 335th was attached. oeHe said it's the least he could do.

Major Wiser nodded. oeAll right. Ten hundred

oeStarts on the dot, Ellis said.

The CO nodded, then looked at the wall clock. oe0545. Chow tent opens in fifteen minutes. Let's go eat, then we brief, then we fly. Then he looked at his GIB. oeKara keep her promise

oeShe did. Saw her in the shower, and she was ready to go. Goalie said.

oeFair enough, said the Major. oeLet's go. He drained his coffee, then nodded at his WSO. oeReady

oeHungry enough to eat a horse, and ready to fly.

The CO nodded. oeLet's go. Oh, Mark Next time'

oeYeah' the Exec replied.

oeCocoa. Major Wiser said, then he headed on out.

oeWhere am I going to find cocoa on this base Ellis wondered aloud.

oeAsk Ross, Lieutenant Eichhorn said, then she followed the CO.

Ellis nodded, smiled, and said to himself. oeGotta keep the CO happy. Then he made a note for Ross and the scroungers, then followed the CO to the Mess Tent.

When they got to the Officer's Mess Tent, they found most of the 335th's aircrew, along with their Marine and Navy counterparts. And the first officer Major Wiser found was Colonel Brady. oeColonel, he said, saluting.

oeMajor, Brady said, returning the salute. oeJust wanted to let you know: I'll be at the service. And your Exec asked about a rifle salute Not to worry. I'll provide seven Marines for one.

oeThank you, sir, Major Wiser said.

oeAnd Major If you need any advice Just ask. Stepping into a dead man's shoes is something that is not taught in any service academy or officer's candidate school, regardless of branch, Brady said.

oeI will, sir, the Major said. oeAnd where's General Tanner

oeHe's eating with the enlisted troops this morning,

And that was why the General was so popular. He took care of his subordinates, something that a certain officer in the 335th seemed not to understand. oeWe're his 'kids' you know, sir,

oeThat we are, Major, replied Brady.

Then Major Wiser saw the members of his flight gathered near the entrance. oeSir, I need to talk with my flight.

oeNo problem, Major, Brady said. oeIn case I don't see you before, good luck, and I'll see you at the service.

Major Wiser nodded. oeThank you, sir, and will do. He, Ellis, and Goalie went over to where Kara, Sweaty, Hoser, and their respective WSOs were waiting. oeKara,

oeMajor, Captain Kara oeStarbuck Thrace replied. oeHad a quiet night.

oeShe did, First Lieutenant Valerie oeSweaty Blanchard said. oeGot home with us, and woke up at zero-dark-thirty, ready to get with it.

oeAny antics Major Wiser asked.

oeNope,' Kara replied.

The CO nodded. oeI don't mind people out getting crazy, but not while the General's here.

oeWill do, Major, Kara said, and the others nodded.

Just then, the Mess Officer came out and changed the sign from CLOSED to Open. oeAll ready, folks, he said.

oeAll right: let's eat. Then I'll get the frag order, we'll brief, then we fly. Major Wiser said.

After breakfast, his flight headed for the old classroom they used as a briefing room, while the CO went and got the FRAGO from Capt. Don Van Loan, the Ops Officer for the 335th. He then went to the briefing room, and found his flight members waiting. oePeople, he said.

oeWhat have we got, Guru Sweaty asked. Guru was the CO's call sign.

Guru opened the packet and a scowl went over his face. oeGreat. On-call CAS. Northeast sector, along I-30.

oeWe could be in a holding pattern for a while, Kara pointed out.

First Lieutenant Nathan oeHoser West, Sweaty's wingmate, nodded. 'That we can, Boss.

oeI know, Guru said. oeLet's see...antiarmor loadout, with twelve Rockeye CBUs each airplane. Full load 20-mm, four AIM-9s and two AIM-7s, two wing tanks and ECM pod to go along with that.

oeWhat if they don't give us a target First Lieutenant Bryan oePreacher Simmonds, Sweaty's GIB, asked.

oeI'll ask Van Loan for any good secondary targets, Guru replied. oeIf he can't give us any We'll find some opportunity targets. Because we don't get paid for bringing ordnance home.

First Lieutenant Kathy oeKT Thornton, who was Hoser's GIB, asked, oeBailout areas still the same as yesterday oe

oeThey are, and before you ask, no change in the weather, and no change for two days. There's a storm coming into California tomorrow, and we'll feel it in two days. So we make the most of good weather.

Kara nodded, then asked, oeThreats

oeAnything from Regimental level on up, the CO replied. oeAnd the same MiG fields as yesterday as well. He regarded his flight members. oeAnything else Heads shook no. oeOkay, gear up, and I'll see you at 512.

The flight members nodded, then everyone headed to the locker rooms to gear up. On the way out, Guru stopped by the Ops office and found Don Van Loan. oeMajor Van Loan asked.

oeDon, we drew on-call CAS, and we need secondary targets in case we don't get tasking. Guru said.

oeGot that truck park east of Rockwall on Route 276, Van Loan said. oeThe one you could've hit, but found that SA-6 site instead.

oeAnything else

oeSuspected divisional HQ north of the junction of F.M. 548 and F.M. 233, north of Forney, Van Loan pointed to the suspected target on the map. oeAnd there's a vehicle maintenance and repair area at Roue 205 and F.M 548, near Chisolm.

oeAnd if we find something else, it's fair game.

oeYou got it, Boss.

oeOkay, Guru said. oeHave a good one, and I'll see you when we get back, or at the service, whichever's first.

oeYou too, Van Loan said, shaking the CO's hand.

Major Wiser went out of the office and as he did, Major Frank Carson, the nemesis to him and everyone else in the squadron and MAG-11, came in. oeFrank,

oeMajor.... Carson said, and the CO could tell it was a sneer.

oeI'll say this once: you say one bad thing about Rivers, and you'd better pray I'm the only one who heard it. Because if the General does...

oeIs that all Carson sneered.

oeNo. Airman Holly Lockhart is going to Airman to Pilot. Whether you like it or not, Guru said, then he headed over to his plane's dispersal, leaving a confused Major Carson in his wake. When he got to 512, his flight was waiting. oeGuys,

oeWhat'd Carson want to know Sweaty asked.

oeHe won't be forcing an airman into bed who wants to go to Airman to Pilot, let's put it that way, Gurus said. oeOkay, Van Loan found us some secondary targets. If we don't get a tasking by 0900, we're going for one. If we can't ID a secondary Free strike. There's enough in that AO to hit.

oeThere should be, Goalie said. oeThat's 1st Guards Army, according to the intel sheet.

oeYeah, Guru said. oeSame drill as before: Call signs between us on the radio, mission code to anyone else. Got it

oeGot it, Sweaty said, and heads nodded.

oeOkay, anything else There wasn't . oeLet's hit it. Guru said.

The crews went to man their aircraft, and both Guru and Goalie went to 512, and Staff Sergeant Michael Crowley, the crew chief, was waiting. oeMajor, he said, saluting.

oeSergeant, Guru said. oe512 ready

oeShe's ready to rock, sir, Crowley said.

Nodding, both Guru and Goalie went through their walk-around, then they mounted the aircraft. After strapping in, they wen through the preflight, then Sergeant Crowley gave the oestart engines signal. First, one, then two, J-79 engines were up and running, then Guru called the tower for taxi and takeoff. He was cleared to taxi, and as he did, Kara, Sweaty, and Hoser taxied behind him. They held at the end of the runway so the armorers could pull the weapon safeties, then Guru's element was cleared to taxi for takeoff. Guru taxied onto the runway, and Kara was tucked in echelon right. Then he called the tower. oeTower, Corvette One-one requesting takeoff clearance.

The tower flashed a green light in response. Then both pilots released their brakes, and both F-4s rolled down the runway and into the air, with Sweaty and Hoser right behind them.

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