TEAM FAIL-SAFE: Thirty Seconds To Critical Mass
This novel is dedicated to the following Military Personnel:
Brave men, Valiant War Fighters and True Patriots
SGM Jim Gilliam SFC Chad Ansel SGT John Thompson SSG Rick Jamison SGT Dave Ogletree CPL Jeremy Jackson 1SG James Thompson, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War
And to all the men and women in the U.S. military forces who have served, are serving, and will serve!
TEAM FAIL-SAFE:
30 SECONDS TO CRITICAL MASS
An Index of frequently used military terms, abbreviations, ranks and procedures is contained at the rear of this novel for those who are unfamiliar with them.
Reveille:
At 0800, and sometimes at sunrise, depending on the military installation, a detail of military personnel assembles at the flag pole in front of the headquarters building of the military installation. They assemble with the flag of the United States of America carried respectfully.
A cannon fires a round. It’s not a live round because it’s part of the ceremony. The detail runs the flag rapidly up the flag pole. They take one step back. They render “Present Arms.” The bugler plays “Reveille.” “Reveille” is heard over a public-address system all over the installation.
All over the military installation, the military personnel stop. Those riding in vehicles come to a controlled stop. They dismount from the vehicles. They face the headquarters building. They render the hand salute. If they are under arms, or if they are in formation, they render the command, “Present Arms.”
When the bugler finishes “Reveille,” the military personnel resume whatever they were doing.
They don’t question why they do this. They do it because it is tradition. They do it because it is expected of them. They do it out of respect for the flag that they will carry into battle. They do it because they are proud to serve.
And so, the military day begins.
Important Characters
Team Fail-Safe Personnel:
The Intellige0nce General: Lives near
Washington D.C. and offices in the Pentagon. The General is LTC Spence’s commander and overall commander of the elite Army Intelligence Team Fail-Safe.
Lieutenant Colonel Burl Spence: The immediate commander of Team Fail-Safe and part the field team. Six feet, three inches, bull necked and barrel chested, blond and crew cut, he is a former offensive Linebacker for the US Military Academy at West Point. He has moved up rapidly in the ranks in his ten-year career, is iron-willed, and has a tendency for a global view and prompt decisions.
Captain (P) James Harvey: (P) is for“promotable.” He is the executive officer of Team Fail-Safe and part of the field team, five foot eleven, darkly handsome; he holds a doctorate in Military Science and International Ethics. He is currently being looked at for promotion to the field grade rank of Major. He is an intuitive thinker, with a fondness for deductive thinking, and is prone to reflection before action.
Sergeant Major Étienne Mungo: Mungo’s mother was French, father Kenyan, and after his father died, before Mungo was five years old; his mother left France and immigrated to the US. Mungo grew up as an American boy. As an SGM in the US Army, Mungo, 6’3” with shaved head, massive shoulders and hands, is a vital and keenly intellectual, if not somewhat profane, member of Team Fail-Safe. He is the senior NCOIC of detachment Team Fail-Safe and part the field team.
Sergeant First Class Dutch Slover: He is First Sergeant of the Detachment, part of the field team, and intensely loyal to the chain of command. Five foot eleven, brown hair, receding and cut in a buzz, he has muscular arms and legs. He is single minded of purpose, letting few things distract him when he is locked on, and he is keenly observant. He loves women and drinking in general, has a vague attraction, which he does not understand, for ROK Captain Aleumdaun, whom he also does not understand.
Staff Sergeant Cruz Williams: He is lead squad leader and instructor in spy-craft for the team support personnel and part the field team for Team Fail-Safe. He is a champion drinker, according to him. He is fluent in Spanish due to his Mexican mother’s influence and time spent with tagger gangs in Los Angeles during his misspent youth. The Army saved him from a life in Prison. He is good at inductive reasoning and is technologically savvy.
Sergeant Hank Wilhelm: Part of the field team for Team Fail-Safe, lanky with calloused hands and sun-browned physique, he seldom went around, after 1700 hours, without his lasso, jeans, western boots, and his beat-up Stetson hat. He always carries with him either his lasso or his personally and uniquely modified smart phone. He is technologically advanced. He always claimed to be practicing for his next rodeo for the time when he would return to CONUS and be able to participate in calf roping.
Sergeant Arbuthnot Grayford: Part of the field team for Team Fail-Safe, hailing from Chicago, is short, baby-faced, and for a Chicago boy, he is well adept at a form of Asian self-defense. He seldom appears in public after 1700 hours unless he is dressed in his three-piece suit and his Sinatra fedora. He likes to cut up. His comments are usually insightful and he can read people very well.
Sergeant Roscoe Wilson: An ex-ranger, Wilson was a “Chew some tobacco and spit it in your enemy’s eye” personality.
Captain Aleumdaun Yeoja: Pale and demure in appearance, she is an Asian beauty. Republic of Korea (ROK) army officer and a Korean Augmentation to the US Army (KATUSA). As an ROK soldier, she is assigned to a US Army unit. She is KATUSA vetted and part of the field team for Team Fail-Safe. She has a doctorate from MIT in Nuclear Physics, has an unexplained relationship with the South Korean Intelligence agency and Seoul University. She speaks flawless English, is a Tae Kwon Do instructor, and has learned Krav Maga, the Israeli Defense Force self-defense course. She has a fascination for Slover, and she may want a relationship with him but doesn’t really understand him.
SSG Pearly: A seldom seen but very savvy team technology expert whose wizardry in technology is outstanding.
Team Fail-Safe: A “go anywhere, do anything,” specialized unit operating in the special forces arena that the Intelligence General had been instructed by the SECDEF to establish as a world class unit capable of ferreting out and neutralizing any threat to military security and efficiency and the safety of the United States.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea personnel
The Glorious and Supreme Leader of the DPRK: The Buddha faced leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
DPRK General Jagwi: He is lean to the point of emaciation, sharp featured, a devious, deceptive, vindictive, and cunning North Korean General. He has cheated fundamental extremists out of four promised nuclear explosives which has resulted in their trying to cut off the head of the Glorious and Supreme Leader of the DPRK.
Sergeant Gisulja: He works for and is intensely loyal to General Jagwi.
Major Wanjeon: He is in charge of the main tunneling crew who tunneled under South Korea. He is an engineer and is in the North Korean Army because he needed a job.
Captain Yuneunghan: He joined the DPRK Army to kill Americans. He believes they are responsible for the destitution North Korean endures today.
General Gyohwalhan: He is the North Korean General in charge of locating covert acquisitions.
General Jeog-eun: He is the North Korean General in charge of paying for covert acquisitions.
Extremist Personnel:
Mustashar Mukjadie: He is a part of Rayiysi Qatal Mustajir’s plan to bring down the USA and establish an American Caliphate.
Rayiysi Qatal Mustajir: He is the architect of the Small Bite Plan to bring down the USA. The small bite plan is similar to the Death by a Thousand Cuts Technique.
Khadim: He is Mukjadie Almustashar’s computer technician.
Prologue
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea The People’s Army Headquarters Army Intelligence HQ Pyongyang, North Korea 0800 hours Sierra Breakfast Briefing
Five Years Before Current Time
He looked like an over-grown Buddha, or maybe he was Bu Cheo, with a chubby face. The Supreme and Glorious Leader of the DPRK spoke. The Generals stood attentively…expectantly.
“I think this is a good plan.
“We can undermine the American efforts completely. We can do it so that no matter where they set up their camps, we can still deliver a knockout blow. We can completely destroy their army. They will be decimated.
“We can deliver our bombs exactly to the center of their units. We won’t have to waste our precious missiles.
“At the same time that we are undermining their efforts, we can keep a small percentage of our Army fully occupied with the effort.
“But be totally aware. Listen, we don’t want our efforts to be discovered before we’re ready. However, if they should be, the Americans will be so struck with terror and awe,” here he suppressed a giggle, “that they will be running around like terrified rats in a cage. They will have no sure way out. They will have to surrender.
“They won’t attack us because they are afraid of us.
“While they are terrified and confused, if we so desire, we can launch our attack and push them into the sea.
“And if we should choose not to attack, we can still continue to undermine their efforts to defend our brothers in the south.
“Yes, I like this plan.
“General Gyohwalhan, you will arrange for the purchase of the necessary equipment. You will have the equipment delivered through an independent third party country. You will have it secretly delivered to our shores.”
General Gyohwalhan smiled knowingly and nodded his head.
“General Jeog-eun, you will arrange for the funds to be transferred. You will use the usual sly channels. You will assure the transactions to be untraceable by American spies.”
General Jeog-eun smiled knowingly and nodded his head.
“General Jagwi, you will command this venture. You will choose the necessary personnel to accomplish our goals.”
General Jagwi smiled and said, “For the glory of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and for you, my leader.”
The Glorious Leader said, “For the glory of the Homeland.”
The Generals said jointly, “For the glory of the Homeland.”
Eight Weeks later
General Jagwi stood beside a map table. His arms were crossed on his chest. His cigarette was in his left hand. The smoke from his cigarette spiraled upward. He wheezed as he spoke.
“Major Wanjeon,” Jagwi also coughed. He said, “You are our main engineering supervisor for this project. Have you studied the map and the plans and specifications? Have you done as I instructed you to do?”
Casually Jagwi inhaled. Cigarette smoke curled from both sides of Jagwi’s mouth as he asked his questions. It was a trick he had learned to make himself appear menacing. He didn’t have a surplus of flesh as the other DPRK generals did, but he had a viper’s nature. He was just as deadly.
Wanjeon, though his knees were trembling, snapped to attention and barked, “Yes, Comrade General!” Wanjeon was educated as an engineer. He had decided to join the Army. He joined because they were all well fed. Soldiers didn’t have to look for jobs.
Jagwi raised his left hand to inhale from his cigarette. As he did, he looked at the back of his hand. To him the hand, with its distended blood vessels, looked like a road map. Age had eaten away the subcutaneous fat.
He sighed.
He took another pull on his cigarette. He let the smoke waft out his mouth as he asked, “And you’ve studied the soil samples? You’ve done that so that you know the thickness required for proper support?”
Wanjeon confidently barked, “Yes, Comrade General!”
Jagwi asked, “And the wiring for lighting, computers and sensors?”
Wanjeon confidently barked, “Yes, Comrade General! All accounted for, and all planned into the system.”
Jagwi insisted, “The sensors, Wanjeon?”
“Yes, Comrade General. We have laser beams to detect movement in critical areas and motion detectors to detect motion elsewhere.”
Jagwi leaned his right hip against the plans table. He pulled on his cigarette again, waited, and exhaled. As the smoke rose, he squinted through the smoke at the other officer in the room. His squint lent to his menacing appearance.
“Captain Yuneunghan?”
Yuneunghan was already at attention. He stiffened even more, board stiff. He was proud to stand in front of the General. He had joined the DPRK’s Liberation Army to fight and to kill Americans.
The slender young officer replied, “Yes, my General,”
The General appraised the young officer’s stance. He slowly asked, “Do you have the personnel necessary to protect and defend the Major’s work force?”
“Yes, my general.”
“Enough ammunition?”
“Yes, my general. I have enough for a small battle.”
“And you can lead your personnel regardless of any life or death situation.”
“Yes, my general.”
“Are you prepared to die in the completion of this mission?”
Without hesitation, the young officer barked, “Yes, my General.”
The thin General turned his attention back to Wanjeon.
“Major, are there enough side chambers planned in for ammunition, supplies, storage and our little bundles?”
“Yes, Comrade General.”
Jagwi turned from Major Wanjeon. He glanced at the map. He looked off into the mid-distance as if calculating. He turned and addressed both officers.
“I remind you that this project is the Ultimate Secret Project.” He measured his words carefully. “No one in South Korea must ever learn of this project. They must not learn of it before its completion. Are we clear?”
Both officers shouted, “Yes, Sir!”
“If you do this right, promotions will be in order.
“Alright, Wanjeon start your tunnel near Kaesong. Drill eastward toward the American Military complex around the American Camp Casey. We have their coordinates, so, you can build the chamber just under their headquarters. Right?
“Gentlemen, let there be no errors, no slip-ups, and no cave-ins. These tunnels must be completed on a schedule and without discovery!”
Both officers barked, “Yes, Sir!”
The General dismissed them with a wave of his hand. He said, “Go!”
Chapter 1
2nd Infantry Division Camp Casey, 15 km from the DMZ Army Intelligence Detachment CQ Shack Near Dongducheon, South Korea 0100 hours Sierra, Current Date
Comment of the Moment: “Both missions are very dangerous, and could mean fatalities.”
Camp Casey cantonment area consisted of three thousand five hundred acres of hilly wooded countryside in northern South Korea. It sat with Mount Soyosan looking over its shoulder. It was minutes away from the DMZ and thirty-five kilometers from Kaesong, North Korea. It was a major supply point along Military Supply Route 3, and it had more fire power stationed there than all the other nearby US military installations. The other military garrisons in its area were Camps Hovey, Humphreys, Yongsan, Stanley, and Osan Air Base. It was the home of the secret intelligence team, Team Fail-safe. That team occupied the Intelligence building at Camp Casey.
SFC Dutch Slover sat at the CQ desk in the Intelligence building. He had two CPLs assigned to him as Runners. One of them, CPL Rider, sat in a chair leaning back against the wall. Slover had sent the other CPL, Smith, to the main gate at Camp Casey. Smith was to escort an incoming senior officer to the CQ shack.
The CQ shack was not, in fact, a shack. Although Slover and his fellow soldiers routinely called it that. The CQ shack was actually the Orderly Room. It was in the administrative headquarters of the Intelligence unit at Camp Casey. It was part of the USFK Command in South Korea.
Slover had seen the list of the day’s arriving personnel. He knew that no senior officer was scheduled to report in to the Intelligence unit. He also knew how his boss, LTC Spence, the detachment commander, operated. Slover had sent the runner out in the light rain to escort the officer to the shack. And now, Slover was waiting. He waited to see if the incoming officer was who he thought it might be.
The Executive Officer of the detachment was CPT Harvey. He had assigned Slover to be CQ on the duty roster. Like all other CQs, it was SOP to fill the slot from 1700 in the afternoon until 0600 the next morning. However, Slover preferred to think of himself as just occupying a chair in the shack instead of serving as CQ.
The overnight job of CQ wasn’t all that bad, he thought to himself. He resented it, though. He resented it because of the other US Army units there in South Korea. He knew sometimes they assigned their SFCs to CQ duty when the SFC had pissed off one of the brass. His current assignment wasn’t punishment. He was there because of the relatively small Army Intelligence detachment of which he was a part. His XO had ordered, with LTC Spence’s approval, that all senior NCOs, E5 through E7, would be assigned to serve a turn at CQ. That meant that PFCs, and CPLs would be runners for the CQ. It also meant Slover would serve his turn as CQ. Because he was intensely loyal to the chain of command and regular Army, he served without complaining…too much.
His detachment CO, LTC Spence, had led the detachment as it transferred. It had transferred PCS from the Middle Eastern Theater of duty to the Asian theater; South Korea. The purpose of the detachment was to investigate and resolve an issue that the Army’s Intelligence Support Activity Group was aggressively concerned about.
The detachment was a highly-specialized unit. It was an Intelligence unit that did more than gather Intelligence. It was a unit that could apply direct action to remove a perceived threat. The unit could remove the threat before it became a major problem. The detachment had the authority to engage in clandestine action to destroy the threat.
Spence and his team members worked in the Special Operations arena. They reported directly to the Intelligence General. The Intelligence General had hand-picked the specialized unit. He had arranged for their funding and travel. The General had been instructed by the SECDEF to establish a world class unit. The official name of the new covert group had been decided upon. It was named “TEAM FAIL-SAFE.” It was made up of eight active front line members. They were Spence, Harvey, Mungo, Slover, Wilson, Williams, Grayford and Wilhelm.
In Spence’s ten-year Army career, he had moved rapidly up the officer ranks. His reputation for completing assignments was well known by senior officers at the Pentagon. CIA recruiters had tempted him with recruitment offers. They wanted him to come over to their operations. However, Spence could not do it. He thought, and he had often said, there was more in the Army way of life with a predictable and reliable life style than the out-in-the-cold-spy-life for him. However, the occasional Army life-or-death assignment didn’t bother him. To him it was combat. His rapid advancement in rank sealed his decision to stay Army.
His detachment XO was his protégé. CPT James Harvey was gaining a reputation for getting things done as well. However, Harvey’s personal style tended more to the reflective side of thought before action,
As Slover waited for his CO, he thought to himself that life in the Army wasn’t too bad. After all, most of the time it was as boring as hell. Mostly it was nothing to write home about, if one had a home to write to. There were days and weeks of morning formations. There were Orders of the Day. There were boring filings of MRs and AARs. The boring days were punctuated by hours and days, and sometimes weeks, of dangerous special assignments. They were punctuated by Field Exercises designed to train the 28,500 US military personnel in South Korea. They were designed to repel, overcome, and defeat a very large North Korean Army.
He knew the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea, had a population of about 25,896,000. They had a standing army of about 1,000,000. Should the DKPR launch an invasion, he’d heard the brass say, all the various US Army units this close to the DMZ would probably only serve as speed bumps to an invading North Korean force. He didn’t want to believe that.
He told himself that’s why his Army Intelligence job was important. In an all-out battle, commanders could never have too much Intelligence. There was always the need to provide information to the commander. The information was needed to help the commander prepare the battlefield. It was needed to help him determine which course of action to take. It was needed to suggest what the worst thing was that an enemy force could do to him. It was needed, as if it weren’t clear, because of what an army of 1,000,000 could do to an army of 28,500.
Slover sat at the CQ desk. He maintained his muscular fitness with a twenty-pound barbell in each hand. CPL Rider had a ten-pound barbell in each hand. Slover arched one eyebrow as he watched Rider lift his ten-pound weight. Slover’s arched eyebrow challenged Rider to best Slover’s twenty-pound repetitions. As he lifted his weights, he reflected on his life style. When he wasn’t maintaining his fitness, he was drinking. When he wasn’t drinking, and sometimes when he was, he was hooking up with the prostitutes in Seoul. His reverie was interrupted by a rapid tap-tap-tap on the CQ shack door.
He dropped the two weights beside the desk. He stood to go open the door. His Runner, CPL Smith, charged in the door. He said quickly and breathlessly, “Sarge, the LTC, our CO, is on his way to see you.”
Slover exclaimed, “Oh yeah! Where is he now?”
A deep commanding voice behind Smith boomed out. The voice dared anyone to disbelieve it when it said, “He’s right here.”
LTC Burl Spence stepped into the doorway. Bull necked and barrel chested, Spence filled the doorway. Spence had, of course, graduated from the United States Military Academy, at West Point. He had filled the position of Offensive Tackle on the football team. He still maintained his fitness. His men liked to brag about their commander. Their claim was that he had the strength 0f ten men in each hand. They said that once he grabbed you, you couldn’t get away unless you tore your arm out of its socket at the shoulder.
Slover was in full military discipline and courtesy. He snapped to attention and shouted, “CQ Shack, Attention!”
CPL Smith snapped to attention. CPL Rider scrambled to stand at attention still holding his ten pound weight.
Spence calmly said, “Thank you.” Then he commanded, “As you were, everyone.” He handed a folded note to Slover and ordered, “I need to meet with these team members, now, and quietly, please.”
Slover unfolded the note. On it Spence had written the words; “Team Fail-Safe field members.”
He swallowed hard and thought, Life just got more interesting.
He snapped his fingers. He pointed at CPL Smith. He ordered, “Go find CPT James Harvey. Tell him, ‘Team alert, CQ Shack.’ Use only those words, Say nothing more. Then go find, in the following order; Sergeant Major Ètienne Mungo, Staff Sergeant Cruz Williams, Sergeant Arbuthnot Grayford, and Sergeant Hank Wilhelm.
“Do I need to repeat any of the instructions to you?”
“No, Sergeant.”
“Do I need to repeat any of the names to you?”
“No, Sergeant.”
“Then, move your ass, now, pronto.”
Slover propelled him out of the shack with a slap on the butt.
The CPL moved quickly on his mission.
Spence reminded Slover, “Sergeant first Class Slover, you, of course, are one of the field team members.
“I’ll need one of the secure rooms. Please turn on the noise machine.”
The noise machine was used to produce a special noise. It produced the type of noise that would prevent surreptitious listening devices from intercepting and recording secret conversations.
Slover replied, “Yes sir, Colonel Spence. It’s good to see you again, sir. Please come this way.” He turned to CPL Rider and said, “Go get SGT Wilson. Tell him he is now CQ and NCOIC, per my instructions.”
Minutes later, the first soldier to enter was CPT Harvey. Slover waved to him from the secure room doorway. As Harvey entered, Slover whispered, “Colonel Spence wants to hold all explanations until all Fail-Safe members are inside.”
Within seconds Harvey was followed by SGM Mungo. When Mungo spoke in conversation, there was no hint of his French background. There was, however, plenty of profanity and logic.
Mungo was followed by SSG Cruz Williams. Of the group, Williams was fluent in Spanish. He was chubby-faced with a permanent five o’clock shadow.
SGT Hank Wilhelm and SGT Arbuthnot Grayford came in together.
A lanky Hank Wilhelm had calloused hands and sun browned physique.
Grayford had chubby cheeks, was pale, and joked a lot. He had a knack for reading people and their intentions.
A scruffy SGT Wilson entered quickly. He was still pulling on his ACU blouse. He took one look at LTC Spence. The querulous and angry look on his face disappeared. He turned to Slover. He asked quietly, “What’s up, Slove?”
Spence turned and walked into the secure room and closed the door.
Slover glanced back toward the closed door and replied, “Just a routine meeting,” He grinned and winked at Wilson. He quietly briefed Wilson on routine CQ business.
Wilson said, “I have the CQ. I relieve you.”
Slover replied, “You have the CQ. I am relieved.”
He turned to enter the room after Spence but stopped. He turned back to Wilson, and asked, “Three weeks ago, you were an SFC. Now you’re just a Sergeant. What have you done?”
Wilson growled, “Aw Hell. You know I spent about 11 years in the Rangers.”
Slover nodded, “Yeah, pretty much common know-ledge with you wanting to apply Ranger solutions to every problem we have.”
Wilson grinned, “Yeah, I’ve always liked blowing things up. So, about six years back in the regular Army trying to make rank, but this puzzle palace has its own rules about who can make rank.”
Slover waved Wilson’s reply aside. He asked again, “Yeah, but what did you do?”
“Ah, hell! Spence came up with the idea for us SFCs to serve on CQ. You remember? He asked me what I thought about his plan. I told him it was a stupid idea. I told him I wouldn’t do it.”
Slover exclaimed, “My God, Wilson. Have you gone crazy? You said that to your CO?”
Wilson grinned, “Nah! Not crazy. I was just trying to break-up the monotony of the puzzle palace.”
“Slover scoffed, “Oh shit! What did he do?”
“He got real pissed off. He gave me a field grade Article 15. He busted me on the spot to E-6. Then he set the Article 15 hearing for the following week.”
“A Field Grade Article 15? Oh, my God!”
“Yeah, well, some officers don’t take criticism well. I know it very well.
“I mean, I was standing there. I was chewing some tobacco. I was minding my own business. And he comes up to me again. He started ragging on me about proper NCO behavior.
“So, I closed one eye and let some tobacco drool out of my mouth.”
Slover was aghast. He said, “You didn’t!”
Wilson grinned and said, “Yeah, I did.
“The Colonel asked me if I was drooling. I told him I was. He asked me why. I told him. I said he was mind numbing me.”
“Oh, my God. Wilson. Are you insane?”
“No, like I told you, I was just using a little Ranger humor.”
“What did he do?”
“He busted me to E-5 on the spot. He told me he was discharging me instead of the Article 15.”
Wilson shrugged. “I told him if he tried to give me any fucking discharge less than honorable, I’d fight it, and ask for a court martial.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘You’ve got it; no Article 15 and an Honorable Discharge.’ So, after sixteen years and some odd months of genuine service to Uncle Sam, I’ll retire with full benefits. And I’ll retire at the rank of E-7.”
“What are you going to do then?”
“Oh, I’ll probably sign up with an independent contractor. I’ll probably go to Afghanistan. Maybe kill some ragheads.”
“Hey, man! Don’t be so disrespectful. They’re not all bad.”
“Yeah? Well, I’ve always loved a good fight,”
“Wilson, you are incorrigible.”
Wilson grinned and said, “Nah, just…”
Slover interrupted him, “Yeah, I know, ‘Just Ranger.’”
Slover shook his head, “I never knew that Rangers acted like that.”
Wilson said, “You don’t know the half of it.”
Spence stuck his head out of the secure room door. His deep voice asked, “Slover?
Slover answered, “Yes sir. I’m coming.”
He grinned at Wilson, shook his head, and stuck his chin out at Wilson in goodbye and went into the secure room after Spence.
After everyone was seated in the secure room, LTC Spence began with his command voice, “Tonight I speak to you as your unit commander. I am here VOCO. My boss, our General in Washington, has sent me VOCO. He has sent me with orders for a briefing and two missions for this team. As a matter of fact, I’ll need to divide up the team. What I am about to tell you should not be repeated outside this room.
“As a matter of fact, under ordinary circumstances, at this point in time, I would ask you to sign a statement. The statement would say you will not mention, outside this room, what you are about to learn. The document would cause you to swear and affirm that you will not mention anything said tonight to anyone else.
“You will say nothing until Army has learned all it needs to know about the subject. You will say nothing until you are told that you can mention the pertinent subject matter. Or you will not discuss it until ten years have passed.
“But, since this conversation never happened, and I was never here, I am unable to sign as a witness to your signatures. But you are still bound by the injunction.”
Around the table, eyebrows went up foreheads. Eyes flicked from one face to another. Cowboy looked at Dude and lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. Dude flicked a thumb under his chin. Around the conference table silence prevailed.
Spence continued, “The nature of the missions I am about to give you are known only at Army Intelligence headquarters. There are no written records for these two assignments. One part the team may have to secretly enter North Korea. Should you be caught in North Korea performing the duties of this mission, you will not receive help or recognition from the government.
“So, don’t get caught!
“We’ll be dealing with some devious, cunning, vicious bastards.”
Spence paused, tilted his head left. He looked down the left side of a long conference table. No one moved. He tilted his head right. He raised his right eyebrow as he looked down the right side of the table. When he tilted his head, his thick neck tended to make him lean instead of just tilting his head.
SGM Mungo exclaimed, “What the Hell, Sir! What you have said sounds like one of those missions that we have been trained to do.”
Spence continued, “It is, probably. However, as of now, it will be the most important mission you’ve ever been asked to undertake, and it involves, first, the National Security of the United States, and second, the national security of South Korea.
“The locations are in, first, the United States. The second is in South Korea, with possibly an infiltration under North Korea. The Korean aspect may well involve fissionable weapons.”
Spence paused again. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Slover raised his hand and asked, “Sir, when you say fissionable, are we talking like nuclear bombs?”
Spence nodded, “Absolutely!”
Around the table, exclamations of surprise erupted.
“Since I am the CO of this Unit, I will have OPCON of the mission in the U.S. I am taking that mission because I may have to call in drone strikes. If I am to be in Mexico, I need to be very careful. I want to be certain that if I do call for a strike, it is the correct thing to do. Sergeant Major Mungo will have OPCON of the mission in Korea. Mungo is squared away, and knows when to order an attack with weapons and when to cut his losses and withdraw.
“My mission in CONUS is designated ‘Operation Over-Eye.’ The mission here in Korea is designated ‘Operation Under-Eye.’ Both missions are very dangerous and could result in fatalities.
“My intent, here in Korea, is for mission Under-Eye participants to fully investigate the extent or their assignment. If nuclear material is found, you are authorized to demolish it, or render it useless. If you are unable to do that, you are authorized to destroy any timers or controlling devices or detonators. Oh, and be sure to document your findings with pictures.
“If any of you want to withdraw from either mission, now is your chance to stand up and walk out of this room.”
Mungo said, “Sounds fucking exciting to me.”
Boots shuffled under table, and chairs scraped, but no left the room.
End Of Book Data
Military Terms/Abbreviations Used In This Novel For Which Most Civilians Won’t Know The Meanings.
Meanings of words and abbreviations used.
AO: Area of operations Article 15: Usually company level punishment for misbehavior consisting of confinement to barracks, or loss of pay, or loss of rank. Usually the punishment does not follow the soldier. When Field Grade Officers assign an Article 15, it is more serious. Punishment can be more severe, and the punishment stays on a soldier’s record. One step up from a Field Grade Article 15 is a Court Martial and is much more serious. CO Commanding Officer CONUS: Continental United States CQ: Charge of Quarters: Enlisted personnel appointed to serve all night to answer queries, take messages and handle problems. DANTES: Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support (payment to Higher Education facilities for course work taken by military personnel) DMZ: Demilitarized Zone DPRK: Democratic People’s Republic Korea, North Korea ELINT: Electronic Intelligence HUMINT: Human Intelligence KATUSA: Korean Augmentation to the US Army, ROK soldiers assigned to US Army units METL: Mission Essential Task List: Lists what a commander wants to kis personnel to learn. MDMP: Military Decision Making Process: A critically essential process for planning a military offensive or military movement decisions guided by the commander and utilizing the commander’s complete staff. Similar to War Gaming. MRE: Meals Ready to Eat, prepackaged food with chemical heaters used to heat the meals. NCOIC: Non-Commissioned-Officer-In-Charge NVG: Night Vision Goggles OD: Officer of the Day: Similar to CQ but filled by a junior Officer OIC: Officer-In-Charge OPCON: Operational Control OPLAN: Operations Plan: Planning conducted to establish parameters, procedures, processes and communications for a unit of any size to move from one location to another for official purposes OPORD; Operations Order: An order based on the OPLAN for unit Movement PCS: Permanent Change of Station: Orders sending personnel away from their current unit to another location or new assignment Plebe: First year and inexperience cadets at the military academies. A plebe’s error: Kind of stupid Recon: Reconnaissance, Army term for observing, discovering, seeing what is there. It means far more to Marines ROK: Republic of Korea, South Korea SECDEF: The Secretary of Defense Sierra Time: Local Time SIGINT: Signal Intelligence TAC: Tactical Command Center TOC: Tactical Operations Center Top: An ad hoc title given to the top NCO of a unit. TDY: Temporary Duty: Orders sending personnel away from their Unit to another location for schooling or temporary duty Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: “What the Fuck” Zulu Time: Greenwich Mean Time
Secret designations for data clearances and operations: S**F and other designations not generally known to outsiders which are extremely secret and will not be covered here. Eyes-Only Top Secret Secret Confidential
General Terms: ACUs: Army Combat Uniforms Black Eagle Rank Tab: Indicates the rank of a full Colonel on an ACU Uniform “The Brass”: Any of the officers Class A uniform: Dress Blues Hardened: Protected against damaging exposure to a hazard Hooah! An expression generally meaning Yes Sir, okay, I agree, will do, understood, go for it, I’m with you, whatever SOP: Standing Operating Procedure MAC Military Airlift Command Km Kilometers Klicks Kilometers MR Morning Report: Details a unit’s strength and disposition AAR After Action Report: Details who did what including timing and assets used after a military exercise Orders of the Day: Details what a unit is supposed to do Special Orders: Covers what regular orders do not VOCO Verbal Orders Commanding Officer (With the exception of movement orders, promotion orders, special orders, orders of the day, and Operations Orders, VOCOs are used to accomplish many mundane daily military activities. Major activity orders nearly always require significant planning and written instructions to all personnel for coordination, communication, and accountability. Accountability is of prime importance in the military, and VOCO sometimes is used to accomplish some clandestine activity and is used (but not always) to avoid and deny responsibility for some regrettable outcome as is the statement by any senior officer, “this conversation never happened, and I was never here.” (I always wanted to be able to use that line some-where. . .somehow, and I did, but only once, honest Injun! LTC Thompson). NSA National Security Agency M16 The semi-automatic rifle used by the battle prepped Personnel M4 Similar to the M16, only slightly smaller M249 SAW: A Squad Modified Weapon on a modified M16 platform. It fires a 5.56 NATO ball round. A weapon capable of firing automatically with a single pull of the trigger, intended to chew up the enemy. 1911 M 45: 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, acquired by the Army in 1911 to help US military personnel defeat the Moro tribe in the Philippines. Camel Back: A device designed to be filled with water, equipped with straps, and worn across the back. It holds more water than a typical canteen and it has a tube that runs from it to the front from which a soldier can siphon water. Hummer; The HWMMV personnel transportation vehicle which replaced the old Jeep, at a much greater expense than the typical Jeep, and which isn’t all that much a better vehicle. HOR: Home of Record DOR: Date of Rank. A group of military personnel may wear the same rank, but the one with the earliest date of rank is usually in charge. The others are subordinate to the earliest DOR. RHIP: Rank has its privilege XO: Executive Officer, second in command
Commanders of Areas: (generally speaking) Centcom: Central Command Commander CinCPac: Commander in Chief Pacific CO USFK: Commanding Officer United States Forces Korea
Staff Positions for Various Levels of Command, (Usually): J Positions preceded by J at Army and sometimes Division G Positions preceded by G at Division S Positions preceded by S at Regimental/Regiment and Battalion J1, G1, or S1: Personnel, All Records keeping for all personnel and The MDMP J2, G2, or S2: Intelligence, Investigation for Planning offense /defense/Preparation of the battlefield/national security/the MDMP J3, G3, or S3: Operations, Planning for training and Indoctrination and the MDMP J4, G4, or S4: Logistics, Planning for materiel, supplies, personnel and the MDMP 5 Civil/military Affairs, Planning civilian/military interface and for the MDMP 6 Signal or other designations for planning and for the MDMP, and other designations for other purposes
US Army Commands from the top down: Army Army, The US has 3 Armies Division DIV. Brigade/Regiment BDE/REG Battalion BAT Company Co. Platoon PLT Squad SQD Detachment, Section, Special Duty, Force, (Can be any size)
Army Rank from the top down (Commissioned Officers): O10–General (Five Stars, awarded only during war time) O10–General, General of the Army/Joint Chiefs (Four Stars) O9–Lieutenant General, (Three Stars) O8–Major General, (Two Stars) O7–Brigadier General, (One Star)
Field Grade Officers with three letter Army Designation:
O6— COL Colonel, an eagle 05— LTC Lieutenant Colonel, a silver oak leaf 04— MAJ Major, a gold oak leaf
Company Grade Officers with three letter Army Designation: O3— CPT Captain, (wears two linked silver bars) 02— 1LT First Lieutenant, (wears one silver bar) 01— 2LT Second Lieutenant, (wears one gold bar)
Warrant Officer Rank: (Minds of their own & independent as hell) WO5—Chief Warrant officer WO4—Chief Warrant officer WO3—Chief Warrant officer WO2—Chief Warrant officer WO1—Warrant officer
Enlisted rank with three letter Army Designation (Non-Commissioned Officers, NCOs): E-9—SMA Command Sergeant Major of the Army E-9— CSM Command Sergeant Major of a Division or a Regiment E-9— SGM Sergeant Major of a Battalion E-8— 1SG First Sergeant of a company (can be as low as an E-6) E8— MSG Master Sergeant E—7- SFC Sergeant First Class E-6- SSG Staff Sergeant E—5- SGT Sergeant E—4- CPL Corporal E—3- PFC Private First Class E—2- PVT Private E—1- PVT Recruit, Private (Trainees and Potential Heroes)
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