Courage under fire
The story of the famous Ferdelance Brigade of the Osean Army
"The price of freedom:
Your every drop of courage,
Ounce of pain, pint of blood,
Paid in advance"
The calm before the storm
A colonel looked beyond the window of the Humvee he was aboard to the smoke-filled horizon, lighted by the flashes of a distant battle. They passed by trees, or what's left of them, and soldiers trudging their way to the same direction, and wounded going the other.
The effects of war was something to behold, in majesty or in horror, and the colonel felt sick.
"Colonel, were coming up to brigade CP."
"Thank you Sergeant."
A colonel, the sergeant called him a colonel. He wasn't supposed to be a colonel. Yesterday he was only a lieutenant colonel, but after receiving the news of the death of this particular brigade's commander his superiors took the first guy they could find.
Unfortunately they saw him.
They parked beside a dirty M1 main battle tank, and he stepped out. He looked around and saw broken vehicles and broken bodies.
Damn this war.
It was a two-story house, beautiful if you repaired the bullet holes and blast damages. The family that lived here had already fled before the Belkan war machine, and now those who would stand against it inhabited it. He entered the brigade command post.
A Lt. Colonel of the first Osean tank battalion greeted him and after he returned the salute he was given a quick briefing.
"Sir you must be Lance, our new commander. Im Dan, of the Osean first." They proceeded to a table map and the Lt. and started the briefing.
"Our, division has sustained heavy losses after the fall of Rutherford and has been retreating since. Yesterday right before the attack that killed your predecessor we received an order to hold the line, but the attack was too powerful. They drove deep in to our lines and cut our forces in half. General Talbot is on the other side of this salient."
"What was the exact order?" he asked.
"They said to keep the line intact until reinforcements arrive."
"That will be the Yuke corps right?"
"Among other things Sir, yes. A division has already arrived but if the Belkans attack again I don't thing we can hold them off."
He studied the map. Tonight was Christmas Eve. He should be with his family and opening presents. Everybody was.
"We shall hold the line. My 3 sons would be spending Christmas without their father but if it means spending it with them next year then I'll be glad to do this. You have a son Dan?"
"A daughter, sir. We shall hold the line" he said with an affirming nod.
Then one of the radios crackled to life.
To be continued…