Chapter 1 - Percy
'Sierra Juliet be advised 2nd platoon TIC at 0500 hours. Emergency EVAC en route. Sierra Juliet come in, over.'
"Copy Command. We're en route towards the combat zone," I held my finger into my right ear. The buzzing of static followed commands orders. We were on our own.
"Lieutenant! ETA 6 minutes to LZ!" The pilot shouted from the cockpit through the small window slit in the wall. I looked around the chinook. My men and best friends were examining their weapons and gear for possibly the final time.
"Alright boys, here's the sitrep. We got men pinned down by enemy fire coming from the Southwest of the complex. We're to go in, provide support fire, and get the men and wounded out,"
"Copy," 2nd Lieutenant Jason Grace, code name Sparky, one of the finest men I've ever had the pleasure to serve beside. As my secondary in command, he's my best friend and one I call brother. His code name was given by a joking Lt. Colonel who saw his bright blue eyes and thought he saw sparks. Put that alongside his blonde hair and Jason was a man who stuck out. We met in RASP and from then on we were a deadly duo.
"Roger that," Staff Sergeant Charles Beckendorf, code name Blackbear, was the biggest, jacked, motherfucker I've ever seen come out of ranger school. He was a genius in the explosives department. He could take one look at an device or a launcher and make it cause some serious damage on his first try. He was a terrifying sight, at 6'4" his dark skin made him look like a shadow in the dark. A scary threat to any hostile.
"Understood sir," Sergeant Frank Zhang, code name Emperor, a very stout man with a serious look. Almost as serious as Charlie's glare. He was a true marksman, he could hit a moving mouse from 300 yards out. He was usually quiet, but lately his confidence had been on the rise.
My team was freshly assembled with almost a couple missions under our belts, this op would put us on the map for command.
"1 Minute!" The co-pilot yelled towards the back of the Blackhawk. We looked out of the helicopter towards the rocky hills and forestland of Afghanistan. The darkness made it seem as the entire mountain chain was covered in a tight knit forest. Intel confirmed beforehand what we we're coming up on.
'Thirty seconds' The comms informed us. We all stood up and lined the sides of the Blackhawk.
"Lieutenant. You are clear for jump. Good luck, Rangers lead the way!" The pilot shouted and we jumped.
A dark cold night was our doorman into the oblivion below. A 10,000 foot jump was our room key. All of this was the components of the Afghanistan Hotel. Welcome to Paradise.
I kept my knees together and locked my ankles. Ready to brace and roll off the inertia from the free fall. The landing was textbook, I did although land in some brush and felt the wood tear at my pant legs.
I pulled on my night vision goggles and my view turned from a blackout to a a forest outlined in green. I spotted the other guys shaking off their parachutes. I followed suit, which is a hassle when carrying 40 pounds of other gear.
"Comms check. Eyes up and ears open," I said into my microphone.
"Copy that Lieutenant," Beckendorf responded.
"Roger, can hear you loud and clear," Grace checked in.
"Copy, I'm all ears," Zhang was present and ready for a fight.
"Group on me, we're making for the break in the trees. To the southwest," I stepped out of the dry bush and moved towards the gathering point. We all grouped up and took a knee in a small circle.
"Alright, Zhang you've got navigation. Grace, comms. Beck you're our eyes. I want you on point," I began delegating the roles out to them.
Zhang pulled the map out of Grace's pack and unfolded it. It had our check points in red before reaching the village, which was circled in yellow.
At least that's the colors they were back in the briefing room. Now they just had slight degrees of varying black and gray.
"Okay we're here. The village is about 3 klicks south of us. We need to hit two checkpoints with command.
"Comms just came in, the hostiles have backed off for now. Now's the time to move in for extract," Grace hadn't said anything for a while. He was, I suppose, listening to orders.
"Copy that Grace," I told him, I motioned for Zhang to continue.
"Right so the two checkpoints codename John and Wayne. Then its onto the village."
"Alright, lets get moving. Tangos could come back at anytime," I said.
We all rose from the knee and began to fall into a line. Beckendorf first, Zhang, myself, and Grace bringing up the rear. The crunch of the gravely shale mountainside was a constant worry, but at this altitude I wasn't too worried on the noise. No shepherd or child is running amok at this hour.
After keeping a decent march pace for about 10 minutes we had dropped about 300 feet in altitude. The climbing and slippery earth made the climb slower than if we're walking on flat ground. Precious time was being lost during this scaling, time the soldiers down in the village didn't have.
"Grace call it in, we are at John," Zhang said with his eyes firmly on his map and watch. The watches we were given had a compass component. For once Uncle Sam made our lives easier, on the logistical side, not the operations side.
"USASOC be advised we have arrived at Checkpoint John," Grace radioed from behind me.
'Sierra Juliet we copy continue to Checkpoint Wayne, over.' Command replied back. All of us got the confirmation.
"Roger that Command," Grace responded.
"Alright team, lets move," I told them, I tapped Zhang on the right shoulder and he did the same to Beck. Who had his head on a swivel and probably didn't even hear the radio chatter.
He felt the hand signal and began his path maneuvering through the forest again. All of us kept our weapons moving around and looking for any wandering potential hostiles.
This checkpoint seemed to arrive shorter as we found a steadier decline with less trees. Checking my watch, we made it in about 7 minutes. Altitude was pretty much the same, so the incline must be steep near the village. Since it was around 2,600 feet above sea level and we were currently at 3,191 ft.
Once again Grace confirmed our location, "Command be advised we have reached Checkpoint Wayne, continuing on route, over."
'Copy that Sierra Juliet proceed with caution. New intel suggests multiple hostile groups moving towards the village, over.'
Perfect, more forces are closing in. Means another big firefight is coming to that village, and they need an out quick.
"Zhang report, how far are we out?" I asked, as we started to move again. Gravel crunching under my boots as we took off.
"Less than a klick sir, map suggests steep terrain upcoming. Might allow us to slip in unnoticed," He reported.
"Lets hope so, keep moving team," I ordered. One way or another those men are coming home. No one gets left behind.
The mission was simple, on paper. We go in to extract and relieve a squad which has been pinned down in a village after being ambushed during a routine patrol. Multiple hostile groups converging on them and going for blood. We're to escort to them out and to the extraction point.
As we kept our pace, the terrain began to shift from somewhat of a forest with brush into just a combination of rocks and sand. Sort of like if you put small pebbles in sand. Like the beach right after you get into the shallow waters kind of consistency.
Time seemed to race by as we closed in on the area of the village. We reached a tree line and there was the recent drop of altitude.
"Woah," Beck put a closed fist up behind him. Stop. I peered around his and Zhang's shoulders. A pit of darkness was in front of them, quite the drop off.
"Distant to ground?" I asked. Trying to keep my voice down as we near hostile territory. The shadows we their weapon just as much as ours. Anything or anyone could be hidden. We were the visitors and they were the home team.
"We're talking close to 50 to 75 feet down. Flying isn't really your thing though eh Kahuna?" He gave a smirk with the quick jest.
Since I'm from New York and moved to Oakland for school, I had a love of surfing my nickname became Kahuna. Cause once I got out, I surfed almost daily for an entire summer. Once the boys found out I was from the Big Apple and was a converted Californian, I've never heard the end of it. Unlike the other guys nicknames, mine was about my lifestyle other well are interesting.
Jason used to be a major science whiz kid and one day in physics he made a magnet which ended up sparking up and shocking him. Hence, his codename.
Zhang was really easy. Once the news slipped out that he was a descendant of a Chinese Emperor, well…Emperor became the gimmick.
Now Beck's was real crazy. He was the kid in shop class who was fixing the teachers car because it was cheaper than going to a professional mechanic. Guys love cars and any other motorized thing you can recall in existence. But one day he came back from the class so dirty with grease or oil, and his black head of head was real poofy at the time. He turned the corner and a classmate thought he was a black bear. Poor girl ran away screaming bloody murder. But man that's a great story to break the ice.
"How much cord we got?" I asked looking around.
"40 feet maxium," Grace was digging through his pack. We didn't plan on any zip lining this go around.
"Any other paths?" I questioned, there had to be some other way.
"LT, there's a small semi-formed path down this right side," Zhang's arm was pointed downward to our right, path could be no more than a foot wide.
"Aight. Let's tread lightly".
Our line was reformed and we made our way down as fast but carefully as possible. Unfortunately the crunching was constantly giving our position away. The dark forest was still a threat to remember out here. No matter what, danger could be anywhere.
"Heads on a swivel boys. This forest ain't home," I told them.
"LT, I see the village. Slightly east of us," Zhang pointed out towards the dense area of trees. Slightly above the horizon line, small buildings were present. Smoke and minute amount of lights were forcing their way out.
"Copy. Press on."
The woodland would be good cover as we approached the small cottages. Pray to gods no one else is in them.
We stopped about 200 feet from the nearest house. The trees had been thinning out and all that was left was some small bushes with barely any green on them. The lights we had seen before we're still present. Signs of a battle had been scattered around the hamlet. There was a cart that seem to be carrying grain or some seed. Now it was sprawled over, most likely for cover. About 20 feet to the right of it laid a dead mule of some kind. Obviously not our people. We aren't so careless with our rounds, definitely Taliban.
"Grace. Radio in to command and then I want you to get on the squads frequency and tell them we're coming in. Also their location," We need this info as quickly as possible. They had intel we needed about the groups patrolling around. How many and what they're packing.
Jason spoke quietly into the radio while we all kept watch. Everything seemed quiet for now, but in Afghanistan that could all change in an instant.
"Command be advised we've reached the village and are moving to group up with bravo squad."
'Copy that Sierra Juliet. We await your confirmation at the LZ,' The radio buzzed back in response.
"Try the squad now," I told him. "Beck watch our left flank. Zhang watch Grace's 6." "Roger that."
"Copy."
"Bravo squad do you read me? Over," Grace began to hail the squad. Hopefully their radio was broken. A few moments of static came through.
'We read you, over.'
"Bravo squad which house are you holed up in. We're coming in for escort, over," Grace said. A light flicked quickly but not long enough for someone who wasn't paying attention for it. The house went black immediately after. Seems the guys had the good idea to not draw attention and make the hunt obvious.
"Grace I know where they are. Follow me," Beck and Zhang had turned slightly to head where I was directing them too.
"Hooah, Lieutenant."
We arose from the crouched position in the foliage and make a quick pace to the door of the small home. We lined it like a breach, single file against the wall and I placed my hand on door handle and knocked in Morse, us. I pushed and the door was already unlocked. We filed in quickly and came up the soldiers sitting throughout the room.
They looked grateful instantly to see friendly faces and uniforms.
"Lieutenant, thank gods you've come," Came from a short man who had been in the furthest corner of the room. A short man barely making the U.S. standards spoke up.
"Fucking hell its Michael Yew," The words came from my head out of Beck's mouth. A grinning smile broke out on his face.
"Sgt. Yew, how'd you manage to get caught this far out? Shit you're about 4 klicks south of where you're supposed to end your patrol," I tried to scorn him but he's been around the block too many times to give a shit what any C.O. says lower than a Colonel.
"Well had to ditch the vehicle after taking enemy fire. Didn't get much further before we had to ditch it and take shelter in the village.
"No shit…you left the humveee?" Grace seem shocked at this detail.
"Better to be holed up here instead a drag race back to F.O.B., hooah?" He gave a small chuckle.
"Hoo fucking ah, Yew." Grace began laughing to himself.
"Where is it, Sergeant?" I asked him. He's all one for jokes until shit hits the fan.
"Half click north of us, PFC Banks had the location on his map," The private offered his map which I passed to Zhang.
"You're in luck Sarge. That's on the way to the LZ, don't think the chinook is gonna be able to carry the fucker though.
"We'll drive it back, just gotta have the air support to get us there safely," Yew offered.
"Damn right you'll be driving back. Get your shit troops, we're moving out copy?" They all nodded in agreement with the order. As they were loading up I stepped outside with Sgt. Yew. He followed promptly.
"Dammit Mike, you gotta stay with the equipment. Lucky this time its on the way, or we'd be hauling ass to get there before missing our LZ window," I told him.
"Roger that Lieutenant. I'll be on it next time," He replied.
"Every time. From now on, hooah?"
"Hooa-you hear that?" He asked. I stopped and tried to hone in on what he was picking up. It was low, almost like a rock sliding on sand.
"I believe so,"
"Fuck. Truck," His eyes went wide as he identified the sound. We burst back into the house where we were met with puzzled looks.
"We got a truck heading in from the East. Everyone outside now!" I shouted and departed the room. Followed by swears and curses of the other men.
"Whats the plan boss?" Beck adjusted his grip on the gun and pressed the butt against his shoulder.
"We make for the LZ, now. PFC Banks, Specialist West and Grace, I want you covering our backs. Grace, also radio to USASOC, they need to know about the humvee," I was belting out orders like an In-N-Out cashier at 5 pm.
"Copy that Lt."
"Beck and Yew with me, we're going to draw their fire and bootleg to the others. Zhang you and Private Dunn are on point. Get us to that vehicle. Lets move!"
"Rangers lead the way!" SSG Beck uttered. And that was exactly what we're gonna do.
We broke off into our three groups. My team and I rounded the house next door and waited for the vehicle to approach. Beck moved against a small pile of wood and Yew shuffled behind the cart. I spotted Zhang, West, and Banks heading more south of us, finding cover just as we had. Meanwhile Grace had one hand over his mouth and mic as he spoke. Good man, keep it quiet.
The rumbling of the truck came closer and closer until the headlights we're pouring out on the village around. Arabic words started echoing into the common area between all the houses. The white truck stopped and four Taliban soldiers got out. One remained on the back of the machine gun mounted in the truck bed.
They spoke more before leaving the vicinity of the vehicle. A couple more steps and they would spot Sgt. Yew. 7…6…5…4, I raised my M4 and looked at Beck. He nodded and gave me a 3 with his fingers. Three seconds. 3..2..1, the soldier was a step from Yew. I gave him a look and opened fire.
Almost instantly the entire village broke out in gun fire. From all over shots poured in onto the extremists and their chevy truck. Within the first few rounds the caught two bodies and they dropped. The man on the machine gun began spraying in our general area. I had to maneuver back around the corner as the shots came plunging through the brick house. Shrapnel and debris began to spew onto me.
Beck didn't to do any better with splinters of wood erupting where he had been crouching a second ago. He was now laying on his chest as the bullets flew over him, missing him nearly.
I couldn't tell from where between the gunfire but he was finally taken down after about 5 seconds of consistent fire. Thankfully I placed Grace on the far northern side of the hamlet. I'm confident he made the kill.
As the machine gun fire died we rose and poked our heads out further. One terrorist was now backed in the corner looking frantically around as more US soldiers confronted him. He held his AK-47 with a death grip and pointed it around sporadically.
I could see it in his eyes, he was going out only one way. Down fighting.
"Drop it!" Zhang shouted. We like to capture the ones we could, easy to get information from the source. But he didn't strike me as the chatty type.
Michael took another step towards him and that must have crossed this guy's mental threshold. He turned the weapon toward him. Both fired at the same time. It seemed to happen in slow motion, adrenaline placing me in a matrix scenario. I could almost see the bullet hit him in the chest, while Yew's hit cleanly in the head.
"Yew!" I sprinted towards him and caught him before he hit the ground. Already his uniform was slightly seeping with blood. The AK caught him just horizontal with the collarbone. From the amount of blood I'm assuming the brachial artery.
"Fuck! Medic! Who's got your supplies?" Private Dunn was hauling ass towards us.
"Me sir," He began tearing his rucksack apart, medical supplies was being thrown wildly. A massive ball of gauze was stuffed into Yew's shoulder.
"We got to get him to the LZ now! Grace radio in a medivac, lets get the fuck out of here," I yelled.
Private Dunn pulled out a stretcher and kicked it into place. Beck kept pressure on the wound while we did this. We slid him onto the stretcher and hoisted him in the air. This was dire, no tourniquet could be applied with this injury he was gonna bleed out fast.
We began running towards the LZ. Almost a full sprint trying to keep the stretcher as flat as possible. Beck was doing the best pressure work I've seen on the move. His arms never moved from the spot and both hands we're pressed on the wound. His M4 swinging violently as we ran. We dodged the trees and steamrolled through the bushes without any trouble. Our blood was pumping and a soldier was dying.
Banks and West were back peddling most of the way. As we just trucked towards the LZ. We came upon the humvee within 4 minutes.
"Banks, West. Get in the humvee now. Tell me one of you has the keys!"
"I do Lieutenant," Banks said.
"Get back to F.O.B. ASAP, medivac should be here any second," I told them as we kept moving.
"Percy, medivac is about a minute out," Grace came and told me. We set Yew on the ground slowly and began to put more gauze on the wound. Beck had used his hands as catcher's mitts. His coverage and pressure kept a lot of blood from leaking out.
"Yew stay with me, the chopper on the way. You're getting back," I said to him. He was pale in the face and all he could manage was the faintest of grins.
"Lieutenant, he lost a lot of blood. He doesn't have much time," Dunn notified me.
"Fight it Mike! Cmon fight!" I shouted. Mike looked like he was trying, but willpower isn't enough to stop a bullet wound.
The blackhawk came from over a mountain and landed in front of us in a clearing with no trees for about 30 feet each way. A medic with a pilots helmet jumped out and ran towards to meet us. Instantly she began to examine the lesion.
"Let's go, get him in the chopper!" She yelled over the loud rotors of the blackhawk. We got Mike secured in the chopper and everyone left piled into it.
The medic and Dunn began to tear out the blood soaked gauze and put fresh wraps in it. Mike looked the same as he did, I'm assuming shock was the cause of it.
Beck put a hand on my shoulder, Jason and Frank followed suit. They felt a fellow brothers sorrow. I'd known Mike since I joined the Rangers. We'd been deployed together for almost a year, almost time to go home.
"Mike fight, stay strong for Jodi. She needs you Michael," I tried to encourage him, he turned towards me and I think he wanted to grin but didn't have the strength. The life was draining from his brown eyes. A place once full of laughter and glee were just now glazed over and unsteady.
We landed at F.O.B. and we're met with a medical team and the Colonel. Mike was hauled off into surgery. He gave me a weak thumbs up and that was the last time I ever saw him alive.
"Wow, thats a tragedy. Shit. Sorry you lost your friend man. I don't have the guts to do what you guys do. I mean fuck that's a heavy load. But I respect the hell of you guys. Thank you for your service," The tattoo artist said to me as I sat in the black leather chair.
"Yeah well, shit happens. We all knew the cost. Mike just paid higher than the rest of us, he came home in a box while we all rode back in a plane…" I told him with a sigh.
"This tattoo means a lot to you eh?" He asked.
"Yeah. Yeah. First one I've gotten, not the last but the first."
"Well I think it's gonna look great. Reflect what Mike was and what he stood for. There check it out in the mirror."
I stood up and walked towards the vertical mirror. I turned my left bicep and there it was. Perfectly done as described. A bullet marked with his initials and a yellow ribbon wrapped around it, Mike's favorite color.
"So yeah, just put lotion on it and don't get in a pool or the ocean. Thanks again for your service he said to me," As I took my card out of the machine. I gave him a half smile and nod. I opened the door and was met with the bright sunshine native to California.
This was inspired by my recent decision to sign up for military service. I'm fascinated by it and it holds the potential to have unique and memorable chapters. Til the next one, R/R, love you all.
-SG