Lieutenant Junior Grade Jim Cruiser, Senior Chief Petty Officer Buford Dawkins, and Chief Petty Officer Matt Gunnarson would have been among the participants in the bruising competition. But they had been summoned to a special briefing with Commander Tom Carey and Lieutenant Commander Ernest Berringer. Thus, while the rest of the detachment were doing their best to pound and pummel each other into defeat, their leaders were seated in air-conditioned comfort in the company of the staff officers.
Carey and Berringer were not stationed aboard the Daly. Although they shared office space on the ship, they were assigned to the USS Combs, an unobtrusive DDG that was a floating and very clandestine SPECOPS command post. She maintained almost total anonymity by sailing within the formations of carrier battle groups, seemingly employed on routine duties. Carey served as the N-3, while Berringer took care of the N-2 duties for all special operations that were launched from the Daly. Only a scant hour before, they had arrived from a mission briefing aboard the Combs that would affect Brannigan and his men.
Upon their landing aboard the Daly, Carey and Berringer had immediately sent instructions for the senior members of Brannigan's Brigands to report to their shipboard office. Carey, as soon as the four SEALs arrived, opened the meeting in his usual terse, businesslike style:
You're going on an operation.
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1430 HOURS
BRANNIGAN stepped out on the flight deck with Cruiser, Dawkins, and Gunnarson just behind him. The quartet surveyed the volleyball game, arriving at just the right moment to catch sight of Bruno Puglisi jumping up and hitting Joe Miskoski on top of the head with the edge of a closed fist. At that same exact instant, Miskoski slammed Puglisi in the midsection. Both collapsed to the deck, lying on their backs and staring up into the sky.
Mike Assad, about to serve the ball, yelled out, Hey! You two guys get on your feet. Nobody called a ten- minute break that I know of.
Puglisi, the breath knocked out of him, managed to roll over on his stomach and get up on his hands and knees. Uh . . . uh...glug...
Miskoski was a bit more articulate. I ...got... headache...
Senior Chief Petty Officer Buford Dawkins bellowed so loud, the chopper crews on the aft deck turned to look at him. Secure the game! Up to the isolation area! Move it!
The SEALs responded immediately. Assad, still holding the ball, headed for the island with his best buddy, Dave Leibowitz, at his side. Meanwhile, Garth Redhawk and Chad Murchison grabbed Puglisi under the arms and hauled him to his feet. Miskoski was as well served by Milly Mills and Pete Dawson. The group left the flight deck under the amused gazes of the officers and chief petty officers.
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ISOLATION
1440 HOURS
TINCH-HUT!
SCPO Buford Dawkins' voice boomed across the compartment as he called the detachment to attention. Everyone immediately slid from their chairs, snapping-to and locking their heels. The two exceptions were Bruno Puglisi and Joe Miskoski. Puglisi, still breathing with some difficulty, slowly got to his feet, while Gutsy Olson grabbed the back of Miskoski's collar and hauled him to a standing position.
Brannigan led the way in, followed by Commanders Carey and Berringer with Jim Cruiser. The SEAL officers continued on to the back of the compartment while the staff officers remained at the front. Carey nodded a greeting to his audience, saying, Take your seats. As soon as everyone was settled, he went directly into his spiel. You are going into Afghanistan to participate in Operation Rolling Thunder. The mission statement is as follows: You will conduct security patrols utilizing DPVs in the OA. He paused a moment before continuing. This is a cut-and-dried routine that is about as complicated as a kitchen match. Maybe even less so. In effect, you are there to 'show the flag,' as the old saying goes. Therefore, there will be no briefback. You are to fly from here to Station Bravo in Bahrain. I believe you launched your first operation from there as a brand-new platoon. You will board a C-One- Thirty at that location for a flight to Shelor Field just outside Kandahar.
Chief Matt Gunnarson raised his hand. Will them DPVs be going with us, sir?
Negative, Chief, Carey replied. There are nine of the vehicles already waiting for you. They were flown into Shelor three days ago.
Excuse me, sir, Frank Gomez said. You said we'd be doing security patrols in an operation called Rolling Thunder. Who else is gonna be in the OA with us?
You'll be by your lonesomes, Carey said.
Que huevos! Gomez said with a laugh. Rolling Thunder makes it sound like the start of World War Three.
Carey was not amused. I thought up the name myself.
And a good name it is, sir, Gomez said. Real emprendedor and osado!
I'm glad you approve, Petty Officer Gomez, Carey said dryly, not wanting to find out what the Spanish words meant. To continue then. Your duties, as I said, are quite straightforward. You are going to patrol the area and nose around. There's not much going on, but an outside chance always exists that something interesting might happen.
Berringer added, But not much of one.
Commander Berringer is correct, Carey agreed. But what the hell? It's better than sitting on your asses aboard the Daly. You'll be out and about, so to speak.
How big is our OA, sir? Doc Bradley asked.
Approximately 140 by 275 miles, Carey answered. It's a total of 38,500 square miles. Not really all that large for a motorized operation. Commander Berringer will give you all the details on the terrain. He shuffled through his notes. Have you all had experience with DPVs?
Mike Assad stood up. Only me and Dave Leibowitz, sir. We went on an orientation and familiarization course at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center a little more'n a year ago.
Okay, Carey said. He pulled some literature from his briefcase. Here's some photos and data sheets on the vehicles. Pass these around. As the material was distributed through the detachment, he continued his discourse. The DPV, i.e., desert patrol vehicle, is simply a very aggressive dune buggy, okay? It's one more piece of evidence that the SEALs will not be keeping one foot in the water as is traditional with past operations. They have two-wheel drive and because of their mission have a ground clearance of sixteen inches. Normally, they are manned by three men: a commander, driver, and gunner. But since you guys aren't exactly an armored brigade, Lieutenant Brannigan is going to have to reconfigure crew assignments.
Joe Miskoski's head had now cleared enough for him to ask, How're they armed, sir?
You'll have a single M-Two fifty-caliber heavy machine gun mounted behind and above the front seats, Carey explained. That's the gunner's position, from which the intrepid lad will fight the enemies of democracy and defend the American way of life.
Mileage, sir? Andy Malachenko asked.
Ten miles to the gallon, Carey said. The gas tanks hold twenty-one gallons, so you'll be able to go about two hundred ten miles per tankful. And here's some more data for you to digest. It has a wheelbase of one hundred fourteen inches, overall length of one hundred sixty-one inches, height of seventy-nine inches, and can manage a maximum grade of seventy-five degrees and a side grade of fifty degrees. Now hear this: She can go eighty miles an hour if you really have to haul ass.
Mmm, Guy Devereaux mused. It's nimble little thing, ain't it?
That it is, Carey said. Now! I have a bit more interesting news for you. You won't be taking the CAR-15s you usually carry along. Instead, there will be a brand-new weapon waiting for each of you at Shelor Field. I'm not familiar with it now, except to say it's a state-of-the-art enhanced carbine designated the Heckler and Koch Four- Sixteen System. Or, as your crowd is going to call it, the HK-Four-Sixteen. Don't ask me any questions about it. I've never even seen one, but the Navy wants written evaluations on all aspects of the weapon's performance submitted by each and every man.
Brannigan, who had been scribbling in his notebook, waved his hand. What about resupply, sir?
Ah, yes, Carey said. You will need chow and gas, won't you? Everything you need will be at Shelor Field, so you'll have to time your patrols so that there will be enough fuel to get back. You'll fly in with a basic load, then
