peligro — explosivos! prohiba la entrada!
por orden de la gobierna de los ustados unidos
Sonny had his eyes on the rutted road, trying to keep from breaking an axle, when I reached over and turned off his headlights.
'What're you doing?' he barked. 'Can't see.'
'I have a feeling we're gonna end up going in there.' I pointed at the range. 'I don't think we oughta be advertising our location.'
Sonny grunted, but made no move to turn the lights back on.
We were soon passing what appeared to be a massive automobile graveyard. Bombed out wrecks, old county and state vehicles, yellow bulldozers, garbage trucks, and decommissioned road-maintenance equipment loomed behind the chain-link. Most of them were scorched by fire or blown to bits, some barely recognizable, others had signs painted on the sides in large white letters: Armored Column, Russian T-62 Tank, SAM Missile.
'What the hell is all this about?' Sonny said, slowing to look as we passed.
'I've heard about this place. Navy and Marine pilots fly practice sorties against all this old junk.'
'Is it safe for us to go in there?' Sonny said, suddenly apprehensive.
'If that's where Smiley is, we got no choice.'
Then I remembered the slip of paper I'd found out by his trash. I dug it out of my pocket and opened it up. 'Pull over for a minute.'
Sonny stopped the truck and I turned on the map light.
'Whatta ya got?' he said.
'I found this at his place in Inglewood. I couldn't figure it out back then, but you know what I think it might be?' Sonny shook his head, puzzled.
'A Marine Corps firing mission. MCAS could stand for Marine Corps Air Station. YUMA is the Yuma air wing. TACTS could be like Tactical Air Combat Training or Combat Target Systems-something.'
We both studied the sheet.
7S
MECH INFANTRY REIN
1335
PG783783
N 33 13 57.1
W 11505 16.6
LIVE ORD
1,2
8S
MECH INFANTRY REIN
1539
PG726796
N 33 14 39.9
W 11508 58.2
LIVE ORD
1,2
10S
SA-6 Site
2240
PG771820
N33 15 56.5
W 115 06 01.1
LIVE ORD
1,2
11S
ARMORED COLUMN
2203
PG773815
N 33 15 38.1
W 115 05 54.3
LIVE ORD
1,2
12S
SAM SITE
1348
PG735806
N 33 15 12
W 115 08 18.5
LIVE ORD
1,2
13S
MECH INFANTRY
1444
PG7718803
N 33 15 02.9
W 115 09 27.5
LIVE ORD
1,2
14S
MECH INFANTRY REIN
2350
PG771772
N 33 13 14.5
W 11505 57.4
LIVE ORD
1,2
15S
NE-SW AIRFIELD W/SAM, AAA, RADAR SITES
0205
PG736809
N 33 15 23.6
W 11508 17
LIVE ORD
1,2
MT. BARROW
NE-SW AIRFIELD W/SAM SITES
