PAW Fiction - Tired Old Man (Gary D Ott) - Earthquake

Fort Navajo – Chapter 1
WASHINGTON, May 25 (UPI) – At some point this fall, probably in September, China
will take delivery of a state-of-the-art anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system. For
an overall contract that with training and spares will certainly exceed a billion dollars, the
Russian-built S-300 PMU-2 air defense system will provide China with the power to
challenge the United States for command of the airspace over the Taiwan straits.
The Russian air defense system, reckoned by military specialists to be more advanced
than the US Patriot missile system, has an intercept range of up to 120 miles, and ac-
cording to the Pentagon's latest report on China's military capabilities it provides "in-
creased lethality against tactical ballistic missiles and more effective electronic counter
measures."
China's military modernization program also includes Russian-built Sovremenny-2 guid-

ed missile destroyers, another eight Russian Kilo-class submarines, and an accelerated
production program for China's own Song class of submarines. They carry a new gen-
eration of underwater-launched cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, which represent a
serious challenge to the US Navy's traditional command of the waters around the Tai-
wan Straits and the Yellow Sea.
China is also building its own advanced warships. Last year China launched its own
new Luzhou class guided missile destroyer, which incorporates much of what China's
naval designers learned from the Sovremenny ships, but it said to have improved elec-
tronics that double the effective radar detection range.
China claims to be doing all this with a defense budget of a mere $23 billion, or about
five percent of US military spending. Nobody really believes this, but equally there was
skepticism of Pentagon estimates that the real level of Chinese spending was around
$90 billion a year. But now London's prestigious International Institute for Strategic
Studies (IISS) has published its own detailed estimate, which comes very close to the
US estimates.
The IISS study analyzed China's defense budget for the year 2003, and by including
figures for China's arms purchases from abroad (including Israel and Brazil as well as
Russia), research and development costs and industrial subsidies, it came up with a
more realistic figure of $39.6 billion. The IISS then applied the World Bank's purchasing
power parity figures, which allow for the fact that China's real costs are far lower, and
reckoned that in US terms, China was really spending the equivalent of $75.5 billion.
Bear in mind that in the years since 2003, China's official defense budget has increased
by over 10 percent a year (as it has for the past 15 years in a row) so the IISS figures
would suggest that the Pentagon's estimate of around $90 billion for this year is bang on
target. This would make China the world's number two in defense spending, ahead of
Russia, Japan, Britain or France.
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"Expenditure is on a sharp upward trend and will remain so in view of popular and elite
support for accelerated defense modernization," said IISS director John Chipman at this
week's publication of "The Military Balance," the annual IISS survey of global military
power.
"As China's strategic presence continues to expand, the question of what resources
Beijing is investing in defense capabilities, and to what end, loom larger," Chipman add-
ed. "The military dynamic of the US-China relationship remains implicitly but decidedly
competitive, and there is little that augurs for change. With that, the risk will grow that
this military dynamic will over time have a greater bearing on the tone and content of the
relationship as a whole."
China's official military journal recently published an interesting editorial that argued for
the development of a Chinese military "commensurate with its international status... and
its interests." This is significant for the long-term given that China has major energy in-
vestments in Sudan, Angola, Nigeria, Central Asia and Latin America, and its prosperity
as a great trading economy and as the world's second biggest oil importer depends on
sea routes.
But in the short term, any military analyst looking at China's current force structure and
at the 700-plus ballistic missiles facing Taiwan would probably concur with this week's
Pentagon report that "In the near term, China's military build-up appears focused on
preparing for Taiwan Strait contingencies, including the possibility of US intervention."
"Beijing's sustained military buildup in the area of the Taiwan Strait risks disrupting the
status quo," the Pentagon report added, which may be an understatement. The Penta-
gon report does not add that the status quo has been shifting because of Taiwan's own
politics, where the National Assembly has declined to vote the $19 billion in funding for
the arms modernization package that President George Bush offered them back in his
first term. If Taiwan's politicians are reluctant to vote the money to help defend them-
selves, American taxpayers are entitled to ask why they should do it for them.
There is no doubt that the Pentagon and the Bush administration are aware of all this
and deeply concerned by it. As Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has noted, China's
neighbors as well as the Americans are asking what China is intending to do with the
surge in its military capabilities.
Dan Blumenthal, formerly senior country director for China and Taiwan in Rumsfeld's
office and now with the American Enterprise Institute is warning that "the time may be
fast approaching" when the United States has to recognize that its strategy of trying to
encourage China to be a responsible player in the global security system is simply not
working. Interestingly, Blumenthal's colleague at AEI Karl Zinsmeister has just been
named as the new policy director at the White House. But with Iraq and Iran and North
Korea already crowding out the agenda, the question is how much attention will the
Bush administration can devote to China's military challenge and to the related question
of Taiwan's curious reluctance to help meet it.
2
One of the reasons the price of gas was so high in California was Chinese consumption.
There were probably more cars in California than any other state in the nation. If you
wanted to know the average price of gas in California, take the national average and
add 40¢. Our car only held about 11 gallons and it usually ran about $30-$35 to fill the
tank. It irked me because there was plenty of fuel off the coast but the environmentalists
blocked every attempt to recover it.
Congress was battling over the North Shore oil too. Every time the House voted to allow
development the Senate blocked the legislation.
JUNEAU, Alaska, May 25 (UPI) – Alaska's governor says he has a deal with the state's
top three North Slope energy companies for a proposed natural gas pipeline to the
Lower 48.
Gov. Frank H. Murkowski said Wednesday his revised accord will ensure state oil reve-
nues for 30 years under a proposed contract to recover North Slope natural gas, the
Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner reported Thursday.
Under the accord, Exxon Mobil Alaska Production Inc., BP Exploration (Alaska Inc.) and
ConocoPhillips Alaska would pay a 20 percent tax on their Alaska oil profits, and they
also could subtract investment credits of 20 percent.
The deal, which requires state legislative approval, effectively freezes oil and gas taxes
for up to 45 years.
If lawmakers, who could take up the proposal as soon as next week, approve the initia-
tive, it would result in shipment of about 4 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to the
Lower 48.
The environmentalists would probably block that too, it might thaw 2 in² of tundra. On
the same day, I discovered that China didn't have the same problem with environmen-
talists we had in the US.
BEIJING, May 25 (UPI) – China Thursday saw its first petroleum directly piped into the
country, Xinhua news agency reported; the oil was from Kazakhstan.
The crude oil was pumped through a newly constructed pipeline that travels from Ka-
zakhstan, across Alataw Pass, and into northwest China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous
Region.
The oil, which emerged at a petroleum hub in Alataw Pass at 3.10 a.m. (local time)
Thursday, had taken 30 hours to travel the 575-mile pipeline. Workers at the Sino-
Kazakh Oil Pipeline Co. Ltd. opened the valve on the China-Kazakh border at 7.32 p.m.
(local time) Tuesday, following instructions from their Kazakh colleagues in Atasu, who
began pumping oil into the pipeline at 8.22 p.m. Tuesday.
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The pipeline will benefit both countries; China's rapidly growing economy is thirsty for
energy, and the Kazakh deliveries are much-needed. China's endless thirst for oil – it is
the world's second-largest importer – in turn helps the Kazakh economy.
The pipeline has the added advantage of being direct-delivery, reducing China's reli-
ance on sea-transported oil through the Strait of Malacca; previously the route of 80
percent of its oil imports.
"(The pipeline) has provided a direct link between Kazakhstan's rich oil resources and
China's robust oil consumer market," said Yin Juntai, China Petroleum Exploration and
Development Company deputy general manager.
In 2005, China imported 127 million tons of crude oil. Kazakh crude, via Alataw Pass,
made up 1.3 million tons of those imports. Following the opening of the pipeline, Kazakh
imports are expected to reach 4.75 million tons in 2006, and 8 million tons in 2007.
The 575-mile pipeline runs from Atasu, Kazakhstan, to the Alataw Pass of Xinjiang,
northwest China, and is built to transport 20 million tons of oil per year. Completed in
November 2005, it cost $700 million to build.
The 800-mile-long Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is one of the largest pipeline
systems in the world. It stretches from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope, through
rugged and beautiful terrain, to Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in North America.
Since pipeline startup in 1977, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the operator of
TAPS, has successfully transported over 15 billion barrels of oil. The cost to construct
that pipeline was $8 billion and it wasn't even twice as long as the new Chinese pipe-
line.
The one thing environmentalists didn't need was ammunition. The old saw said, "A
chain is only as strong as its weakest link." In the case of TAPS, that link was named
the Exxon Valdez. On March 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Val-
dez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gal-
lons of crude oil. The spill was the largest in US history and tested the abilities of local,
national, and industrial organizations to prepare for, and respond to, a disaster of such
magnitude. Many factors complicated the cleanup efforts following the spill. The size of
the spill and its remote location, accessible only by helicopter and boat, made govern-
ment and industry efforts difficult and tested existing plans for dealing with such an
event. The suit against Exxon has never been settled, although they set aside $5 billion
to cover the punitive damages originally awarded. The interest now exceeds the princi-
pal. In January of 2006, the 9th Circuit heard Exxon's appeal.
If they had built the pipeline all the way to the lower 48 in the first place… All I got out of
that was a handful of spit.
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Getting back to what started this, it wasn't only the US that had a problem with China, it
was the whole darned world. The Chinese continued a military buildup without apparent
reason, was Taiwan worth that much? The reason for the buildup, many claimed, was
that China intended to seize Taiwan. They need a big navy to do that because in 2005
Japan and the US agreed to protect Taiwan.
BEIJING, February 20 (2005) – The Chinese government is rebuffing a joint statement

issued by the United States and Japan, which has broken new diplomatic ground by de-
claring that Taiwan is a shared strategic security concern for the two nations.
Beijing's opposing statement read, "Chinese Government and people resolutely oppose
the United States and Japan in issuing any bilateral document concerning China's Tai-
wan, which meddles in the internal affairs of China, and hurts China's sovereignty."
29 Dec 2005 – Russia has delivered a number of newly completed warships to the PLA
Navy this year, including seven Project 636 (Kilo class) diesel-electric submarines and
one Project 956EM (Sovremenny class) missile destroyer.
Russian Regnum news agency confirmed that the North Shipyard based in St Peters-
burg delivered a Sovremenny class destroyer to the Chinese navy on Wednesday (28
December), only days after a Kilo class submarine was officially handed to China on 22
December. This year the PLA navy has already received seven of the eight Kilo class
submarines and one of the two Sovremenny class destroyers it ordered from Russia in
2002.
22 Dec 2005 – The YingJi-62 (YJ-62) is a long-range subsonic anti-ship cruise missile
(ASCM) developed by China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy
(CHETA, also known as 3rd Aerospace Academy). The missile was first spotted
onboard the Type 052C (Lanzhou class) destroyers commissioned in 2004. The 280km-
range missile may also form the basis for a longer-range land attack cruise missile
(LACM) family for the PLA.
7 May 2006 – China sent its first space-based SAR system JianBing-5 into orbit on 27
April 2006 for all-weather targeting applications, particularly the location of naval forces
in the Taiwan Strait. The space-based SAR system could see through clouds, rain, fog
and dust in order to detect targets on the ground or underground, and in or under the
ocean.
Understand one thing; the entire Chinese Navy is about the size of 2 Carrier Strike
Groups, without the carriers. The Project 636 submarine is a Kilo, diesel electric with a
snorkel and can stay underwater under ideal conditions for 4 days (96 hours). They
have one ballistic missile sub with 12 missiles, no doubt with nuclear warheads. With
only one single Type 092 SSBN, it is not possible for the PLA to establish an effective
underwater nuclear strike capability, which can guarantee that at least one boat is ready
to launch at any time. It has never put to sea. However, the boat served as a stepping
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stone in the development of a more comprehensive Chinese nuclear-powered, subma-
rine launched ballistic missile (SSBN) force in the future.
The Type 094 is the second-generation Chinese nuclear ballistic missile submarine
(SSBN). The first-of-class has reportedly been under construction at Huludao Shipyard
in Huludao, Liaoning Province since 1999 and was launched in July 2004. The subma-
rine is armed with 16 JL-2 submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with a maximum
range of 8,000km.
Most folks know what we have 24 of the 688, 23 of the 688I Los Angeles class attack
subs, 3 of the Seawolf class attack subs and one of the Virginia class (commissioned)
with second due to be condition before 01 Jul. There are 14 of the Ohio class SSBN
and 2 of the SSGNs with a third due to be commissioned in Oct 06. We have 12 Carri-
ers and 23 Ticonderoga class CGs, 51 Arleigh Burke class DDGs and 30 of the Oliver
Hazard Perry class FFGs. We have way more than they do, of everything, but we're al-
ready fighting a war in Afghanistan and a second in Iraq.
I'm sure they're lying, but they claim to have ~400 nuclear weapons. I'd doubt that just
to be on the safe side. We have something on the order of 5,600 nuclear weapons in
active service, but I'd bet we're lying about that. We just took the Peacekeeper missile
system offline and those 50 missiles carried 10 warheads each. We have 500 Minute-
man III that aren't supposed to be MIRVd, but probably are with 3 warheads each. Our
D-5 Tridents have a mixture of warheads totaling 2,688. Our military is small, less than
3 million troops counting the active, reserves and National Guard. Every one of them is
a volunteer; we haven't had the draft in 30 years.
Our solution to being under manned is to use technology. Most of our bombs are edu-
cated and the latest generation of smart weapons a very small probability of error. We
have all kinds of fighters, bombers, tankers and cargo aircraft, too many to list. Ironical-
ly, for a peace loving nation, we have the most powerful military in the world.
The small arms of both countries are online.
In terms of a possible conflict, a war between the US and China was always there,
hanging over our heads. We were involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it
seemed possible we'd be out of Iraq by the end of 2007 and we might leave Afghanistan
too. As the War on Terror became increasingly unpopular, the only thing that could re-
fuel it would be another terrorist attack. It was becoming more like the Vietnam conflict
daily. Make that the end of 2011 for Iraq and who knows when for Afghanistan. We can’t
win any more than the Russians could.
Our real problem was energy, the demand continued to rise despite the increasing pric-
es. The only other potential problem was the bird flu, H5N1. But it hadn't mutated and
WHO was now suggesting that it might not. If we could require all gasoline fueled vehi-
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cle to be flexible fuel vehicles burning E85, we could produce enough gasoline domesti-
cally and not import crude petroleum. In similar fashion, we could run B100 in all of our
diesel vehicles. Solar and wind sourced electrical energy could, in time, meet most if not
all of our needs and we could burn 'clean' coal until it did. Wind and sunshine were free
and the only costs associated with it were distribution costs and recovery of the invest-
ment in assets needed to produce it.
This wasn't the same country it had been when we adopted the Constitution. Some of
the changes were good, while others were equally bad. While we didn't necessarily treat
all people equal, they were. Morality, on the other hand continued to decay. We were
poisoning ourselves with drugs, including alcohol. We were as well educated as we
were 50 years before. These were symptoms of decline and decay. In some ways we
were becoming a divided people. Quite frankly, I expected it to get worse.
"I get so tired of trying to stretch the money, what are we going to do?"
"Are you asking for my opinion or commiseration?"
"I don't know what I'm asking. I'm more frustrated than anything; I paid $3.749 for gas
today at Costco."
"The best bet would to move the kid and grandkids out, paint and carpet and sell this
sucker. We would have enough left over to buy a trailer and settle down in Arizona."
"Do you really want to move?"
"Yes, yes I do. Forty years ago, this was a good place to live, but not anymore. I'm sorry
I ever moved us here. Most of our furniture is junk except for the oak furniture. We could
keep it and give the rest to Goodwill or send it to the Dump. I think if I could get out of
here it might even improve my health. You know that Cymbala ad on TV that says de-
pression hurts? It really does, you know, don't you feel it?"
"Is that what it is?"
"I'd bet my life on it."
"Where in Arizona?"
"I'd love to move to Sedona, but I think all we can afford is a place like Holbrook. If we
were debt free, we could live very well on our income and I could buy back my guns. All
you want is a place where they have a quilting guild and someplace you can buy mate-
rial and supplies. You can pick the place, I don't drive anyway. All I need is a good gun
store."
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"I'll think about it."
"Don’t take too long, the housing market is softening."
It was an itch smack dab in the middle of my back. The only way things were going to
change was if we made the first move and you could take that literally. Our daughter
had something burning deep inside of her and I think I understood. Her goal was to get
a Master's degree and then become a lawyer. In that way she'd one-up me. To do that
she had us raising her kids and grandchildren were nice for a visit, but not as live-ins.
Sharon didn't take too long to decide.
"Ok, I have my misgivings, but let's do it."
Derek had written from Iraq that if we ever decided to leave ERK (Environmentalist's
Republik of Kalifornia) he'd be happy to help us move. I called him and took him up on
it; he was on leave from Iraq.
"Hey kid, get a plane ticket and you can drive the rental truck."
"Did you decide where to move to?"
"I think she has, but she hasn't said. Use your military ID and fly standby, that's about all
I can afford for a ticket."
"I still have to go back and finish my time in the sandbox."
"No hurry, kid. It will take a couple of months just to haul the junk out. Besides, I want to
get Chris to engineer a rifle rest on my wheelchair."
"Do you really need the wheelchair?"
"I didn't when I got it, but I do now."
"Are you on oxygen too?"
"Only when I catch cold."
"So what do you have emphysema or chronic bronchitis?"
"One or both don't know. And, to tell you the truth, I don't want to find out."
"Why not?"
"They find out when they do the autopsy."
"Are you going to rent a lot or buy acreage?"
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"Sharon hasn't told me. I prefer to buy about 2½ acres, if we could afford it, but we
probably can't. It sort of depends on how much the house brings."
"What does your house need?"
"A coat of paint inside, new floor covering and a ton of soap. Then, when you can find
the house, it needs a few repairs."
"Why don't you get Damon to move out there and help you do the work?"
"No thank you. I might get him to move in with us when we get to wherever we're going.
He can walk the dogs for me."
"You knew Mary bought a .30-30?"
"She wrote me."
"I'm getting a FAL."
"Get a M1A."
"They cost more."
"I'll make up the difference; it's only about $300."
"No sir, I'm buying one of those Belgian Steyr FALs from DSA."
"Planning on converting it to full auto?"
"I don't know that they can be; but, if so, possibly."
"I thought you were against full auto."
"My being in Iraq changed that."
"How about Mary and you move to Arizona?"
"I'll talk to her about it, but her folks are here."
"It was just a thought. Damon probably won't move either; he wants to be close to his
kids. When will you get back?"
"Around October."
"Keep your powder dry, I have some knives for you to sharpen."
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"Love you Dad."
"Love you too."
"Have you decided where we're moving?"
"Winslow."
"Ok, that's closer to Flagstaff."
"What's in Flagstaff?"
"Authorized retailers of Springfield Armory rifles."
"I located a sporting goods store for you, Desert Ridge Firearms & Sporting Goods."
"What do they sell?"
"AR-15's, Remington's."
"We'll have to go to Flagstaff then."
"Why?"
"To buy real guns."
"You're going to buy a M1A rifle even if it kills you."
"Yes ma'am, one each genuine in the box Springfield Armory M1A Super Match rifle
and about a dozen of the 20 round box magazines."
"Uh-huh, what else?"
"One each genuine in the box Springfield Armory XD .45ACP pistol with 4 extra high
capacity magazines."
"And what else?"
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Well, I'm a runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load,

I've got seven women on my mind:
four that wanna own me, two that wanna stone me,
one says she's a friend of mine.
Take it easy, take it easy,
don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.
Lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand,
just find a place to make your stand and take it easy.
Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

and such a fine sight to see:
it's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
slowin' down to take a look at me.
Come on, baby, don't say maybe.
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me.
We may lose and we may win though we will never be here again.
So open up, I'm climbin' in, so take it easy.
Well, I'm a runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load,

got a world of trouble on my mind.
Lookin' for a lover who won't blow my cover,
she's so hard to find.
Take it easy, take it easy,
don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.
Come on, baby, don't say maybe.
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me.
Oh, we got it easy,
we oughta take it easy.
(Eagles – Take it Easy) The building on the corner was a memorial until it burned down.
"One each Winchester model 94 Legacy in the .45 Colt."
"You're on a roll, what else?"
"Two Ruger Vaqueros, one with a 4⅝” barrel and one with a 7½” barrel. Plus a Laredo-
an crossdraw rig."
"What, no shotgun?"
"Mossberg 590A1 with a 20" barrel and a magazine extension in 12-gauge."
"Let me guess, Winchester model 9422 in .22LR."
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"Yep. I'll be done then."
"You'll be dead then."
"What's it going to take for me to be able to buy them?"
"One each new in the box Husqvarna Mega Quilter plus one each new in the box Inspi-
ra quilting frame."
"Don’t you want some guns too?"
"Yeah right, like you can shoot all of those at one time. You want guns and I want to
quilt. It's entirely up to you how we work it out."
"Ask more for the house, we're going to need about 15 grand to buy all that stuff."
"One thing more."
"Ok, what else?"
"I get the master bedroom as my quilting room."
"Agreed, I'm used to sleeping in a tiny room."
"You're renting the medical equipment from that company in Van Nuys, what are you
going to do about that?"
"Turn it in and buy our own. I always wanted a 10-liter oxygen machine anyway and for
what they charge, we could buy one. I don't use the CPAP anyway and you own yours,
which you don't use either. A nebulizer is not that expensive, under $100. Everything
else we have we already own."
"Why do you want a 10-liter machine?"
"For when I have the heart attack. All we need is a 10-liter machine and a zapper."
"Zapper?"
"Defibrillator."
"So, tell me, what's everything you want cost?"
"I already did, 15 grand including your sewing machine. Rifle $2,900, pistol $600, re-
volvers $1,100, Winchesters, $1,000, holsters $400, oxygen machine $2,500, zapper
$1,800 and Nebulizer $100 = $10,400. That leaves you $4,600 for your stuff."
12
°
The downside to our moving was that we'd have to replace some furniture and I hadn't
allowed $50 grand for my bomb shelter. I read the newspapers daily and one of these
days, before too long, the stuff was going to hit the fan. Understand, I'd written a story
about every kind of disaster we were likely to experience, except a hurricane or a torna-
do. But I believed in 3 people George Santayana, Gunny Highway and Travis Dane. I
know that Travis Dane and Gunny Highway were a fictional characters in movies, but
that didn't mean that 'chance favors the prepared mind' and 'improvise, adapt, over-
come' weren't good slogans. Santayana was a real man who said, "Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
I'm happy to say that our neighbors put their house on the market for $400,000. The
ones with the dogs who gave us all of the trouble. Smarty pants put our house on the
market for $325,000 as a 'fixer upper'. I'll be damned if she didn’t get her asking price.
She got the carpets shampooed and scrubbed the kitchen floor. Anyway, I figured if she
got $200,000 as a 'fixer upper' she'd be doing good; very good.
The realtor got 10% and I'd say she earned every penny of it. My wife was laughing so
hard at me I thought she was going to wet her pants. Hey, for $292,500 clear, let her
laugh and wet her pants. We walked away with $202,000 clear after paying off the
mortgage. Sharon hired one of those 5-yard dumpsters and Lorrie's kids to empty most
of the house right into the dumpster. She kept the oak furniture and her new chair. Eve-
rything else went into the dumpster and the boys only charged $350 to load the thing,
which cost $350 for 5 yards. She was burning through the money; we were down to
$201,000. Then, she rented a 24' U-Haul truck for a one-way move. It was only August
and Derek was still in Iraq, but our furniture was on the truck and we were at the Day's
Inn.
Sharon rented a storage room for one year and had Amy's furniture moved back, plus
rented her an apartment for 6 months and pre-paid it. Amy was seething and Sharon
never looked happier. As Sharon muscled the truck out of town towing her Daewoo, she
muttered, "Good Night and Good Luck."
Sharon found a 24 acre lot for $20,000. Here are the details:
Land Property; Winslow; Coconino County; hill/mountain view; approximate lot is 2640 x
970 x 2810; lot is 1045440 ft²; approximately 24 acre(s); and, borders undeveloped
land, level lot, meadow/trees, scrub vegetation, San Francisco Peaks view. The place
needed a well and there was no phone or utility service unless you wanted to pay to run
the lines. We rented storage, had the truck unloaded and turned it in. Then, we got a
room at Motel 6. The property was west of town towards the Meteor Crater except north
a bit.
There was a Fleetwood dealer in Show Low. We bought a Beacon Hill Series (Floor
plan C) with 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 1,490 ft² with the sunroom to use for her sewing
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room. We added the 4’ stretch which added 4’ to the den and 2’ to bedrooms no. 3 and
no. 3. Perfect and we still had a ton of money left over after drilling the well and buying
the home and furniture. The wind doesn't blow so much around here, but we could put
in the 40kw wind turbine that put out 12v, a lot of amps, and I could back it up with bat-
tery backups and a 10kw inverter. Instead of 40kw monster wind turbine, the Air-X pro-
duces 400 watts each for $500 per unit, can be run in parallel and doesn’t require a con-
troller since they’re internally regulated. Also, they don’t need towers; they can mount
on 30-foot guyed poles or on top of your roof using a roof mount. They start making
power at 3 knots, and make peak power at 28 knots.
What a choice to make, 1 turbine or 100. In the end, the money might be the same, I
really didn't know. The big turbines were very expensive and if 1 turbine went down, the
entire system was down. 40,000 watts divided by 400 watts did equal 100. That was
one hell of a lot of maintenance. On the other hand, if one turbine went down I'd only
lose 400 watts, not all 40,000 watts. I checked and a 30' guyed pole would run about
$75. Total cost was $575 x100 = $57,500. I had only allowed $30 grand for the power
system. That was about 50% down. If TEOCAWKI came, I wouldn't have any payments.
What the hell there was safety in numbers, I bought 4 10kw wind turbines.
The only phone we had was the cell phone, but that suited me just fine, I'd find another
way to get on the internet or maybe not bother. The well went $15,000 and the home
about $50,000 installed, I'm embarrassed what we paid. We still had enough money to
buy the things we both wanted AND a shelter. $199,000 minus ($20,000 + $15,000 +
50,000 + 30,000) = $84,000 less living expenses, or about $80,000. Utah Shelter Sys-
tems wanted $45,300 plus delivery and installation for a 10 x 50 shelter. We added
$700 for 2 extra set of double bunks and another $760 for the kitchen sink/counter. We
also upgraded the LUWA system to 45psi for $550. I could get around well enough we
didn't need a wheelchair ramp. There was also the septic system that went in before the
home and because Sharon Packer said the thump from a bomb might break it, I had it
buried very, very deep. Goodbye chemical toilet, hello real toilet.
By the time we had everything bought including land, well, turbines, septic, furniture,
guns and all, we were broke except for the income I'd earned on the Trust and my disa-
bility, 3 months’ worth. That amounted roughly $9,000 plus her pension, another $1,000.
I sure wanted internet though. I had everything I wanted in life, now and a little money in
the bank.
"Hello?"
"Hiya kid."
"Where in the name of God have you been?"
"We moved."
14
"Where?"
"Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona."
"Huh?"
"It's an Eagles song."
"I know the song, where are you?"
"Where the song says, come and visit."
"Winslow, Arizona?"
"Yeah. Did you buy the FAL rifle?"
"Yep. Did you buy the M1A?"
"I bought the Super Match, 'cause I liked the stock. Chris built me a rifle rest on the front
of my chair and a gun rack on back. I got the Nightforce NXS 8-32×56mm scope for the
rifle. I still need night vision and the Surefire suppressor"
"Where are you really?"
"I'm sitting in our new Fleetwood Beacon Hills home on our 24 acre plot northwest of
Winslow. I got the bomb shelter and even ordered the package plus an extra CD V-717
and CD V-700, extra dosimeters and KI. We put in a wind turbines for electricity backed
up by a used Kohler 50kw generator and a 3,000-gallon propane tank. There are 3 bed-
rooms and we're only using one so come and visit."
"What do you have for ammo?"
"Black Hills, 175gr BTHP match and 180gr Nosler AccuBond hunting for my rifle. Speer
Gold Dot for the handguns and Winchester. 15 pellet 00 buck and Brenneke 3” Black
Magic slugs for the Mossberg and lots off .22LR for the 9422. When you get to Winslow,
you can call Sharon's cell phone and I’ll come lead you out to the place."
"Where in Winslow?"
"On the corner. Just tell a local, you're looking for the corner, it's famous. If you go to
Wiki and look up Winslow, Arizona, they have a picture of the corner before the building
burned down. They're working on rebuilding."
"Ok, why Winslow?"
15
"The economy is depressed and the land was cheap. I'll give you a lot if you want to put
in a house."
"Where would I work?"
"You were an MP, right?"
"Can't answer that."
"49th MP Battalion, 1-113 Cavalry, C Troop, 1st Platoon, Derek, it's in your address for
Iraq. Anyway, the prison is looking for guards. It pays about $25,000 to start and they
have school buses here Mary can drive."
"I did promise to come and visit, so we'll be there. What's the number?"
"928-555-1212." (Sorry…)
"Do you have an email address?"
"I'm working on that, but not yet."
"We'll be there for Thanksgiving."
I hadn't seen Derek for the better part of 10 years, except in pictures. I wasn’t prepared
for what I did see when he got here, either. I'd seen that look once before, in the late
'60s or early '70s when Dennis got home from Vietnam. My cousin Dennis was a medic
in a MASH unit in Vietnam. He'd worked with an Ophthalmologic Surgeon. He described
one wounded man to me and that was more than enough. I think they call it the 1,000-
yard stare.
As one guy who had been to Iraq described it, "I have never seen anything like this.
Trucks and Humvees that looked like they had just come through a shredder. Their
equipment was full of shrapnel blast holes and missing entire major pieces that you
could tell had been blasted by IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). These kids looked
bad, too! I mean, sunken eyes, thin as rails, and that 1,000-yard stare they talk about
after direct combat. Made me pretty damned embarrassed to be a 'rear-area warrior.' All
people could do was stop in their tracks and stare ... and feel like me ... like I wanted to
bow my head in reverence. A Marine captain stationed with me was standing next to
me, also headed to the gym. He said: 'Part of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 8th Marines,
sir. Took the heaviest losses of any unit up north as part of Task Force Danger, sir.'"
He called me from Winslow and sang me the lyrics. I told him I'd be there in 10 and to
just hang on. I half expected he wouldn't look good, but still…
16
"Lost some weight, huh?"
"It was hot over there. What's the deal, did I get taller?"
"I sort of shriveled up a little, bad posture, I suppose. Are you going to formally introduce
me?"
"Dad, this is Mary, Elizabeth and Joshua."
"You didn't bring DJ?"
"Junior wouldn't let him come; and, he didn't want to come so I didn't force him."
"I can't say I'm surprised after he returned the Christmas present last year."
"I'm sorry about that."
"Don’t be. It was his choice and I told Mary to use the card for Elizabeth and Joshua.
Follow me and we'll be there in a few minutes."
I needed a minute to compose myself. He was 31 when he left, but looked close to 40.
He had the same worry lines in his forehead that Dennis had when he came home from
'Nam. I was sure that once I accepted his looks, I'd just see him as an older 32. I didn't
want him to see how I felt and had kept a 'stiff upper lip' in Winslow. Of course I wasn't
any prize either. Half my hair was grey and it was falling out as my hairline receded a
bit. That was the Boggess genes. Derek rather favored his mother in his looks although
he was 5'11 to her 4'11.
In some ways, neither of our two sons had gotten over her death, although Derek was
more accepting, probably because his faith was stronger. He was the exact opposite of
Damon, level headed, took life as it came and just kept plodding. He hadn't inherited my
major depression disorder where Damon had. Damon went me one better and was bi-
polar. He'd be ok if he'd just get his medication right. He had a very strange sense of
humor, but so did Derek. I loved them equally but Damon was too much like me, just as
I was too like my father.
"Still writing fiction?"
"Yeah, but I haven’t posted it in quite a while. Any progress on getting your story pub-
lished?"
"Not yet, but I haven't given up."
17
"Don't. Just keep submitting it to publishers and eventually one of them will see what a
good story Soul Forge is. People like Damon's writing because he's a cut up. Your stuff
is much harder to write since it's fantasy. I might be able to help a little in the future, I
only have one more thing I want to buy and I have the money to do it. It's just a matter
of ordering it."
What is it?"
"A rifle. When I've out lived this body of mine, all of my guns will become yours, Damon
only wants the shotgun and he bought one."
"Are you going to make me guess?"
"I want a McMillan Tac-50. Then, I want to equip it with the Jet suppressor and night vi-
sion. I also want to fit my M1A with a suppressor. The money is available because
we've been spending far less on things than I would like. We only have about a 3 month
supply of food, but I have managed to store heirloom seeds. Our only utility bills are the
cell phone and propane. We generate our own electricity and almost never drive to
town. We make a once a month trip for groceries and to refill our prescriptions, but I
have Humana Part D insurance for them. Of course, you know me; we do have a lot of
beans and rice. I've made a point to spend as much on food as we did when Amy was
living with us. But we don't eat ¼ as much food so it should accumulate."
"You quit going to the doctor?"
"Yep, he never did a thing for me except write prescriptions quarterly and I got him to
write me a full year when we left California. When they run out, I try calling him first and
see if he will order refills. Otherwise I'll see a doctor in Winslow, tell him what I take and
try to get new prescriptions for the same things. I keep my eye on my blood pressure
and sugar level and that's about all I really need, beside Zoloft and Plavix."
"From what I see in the papers since I get home, that one letter you wrote me really
summed things up well."
“The one where I said, 'The way I read the paper, we're going to war with Mexico, Ven-
ezuela and Iran. Chavez says he's going to give the 21 F-16s he has to Iran so they can
fight us. Mexico's significant somebody says that our closing our border is akin to an act
of war.'
"Come home intact and alive and buy a M1A and plenty of ammo. We're sending Na-
tional Guard troops to guard the border, but because of Posse Comitatus, they can't use
their weapons. It's going to give a whole new meaning to accidental discharge. The
Mexican Army is switching from G-3s to G-36s, they're manufacturing under license. It's
a shame you don't have one of those, but the US Army won't buy them because they
work in all conditions.
18
“George can't run again, but he put in a plug for his brother Jeb. Given the sentiment at
home, he has 2 chances, slim and none. The Hispanics are buying up the houses in our
tract and putting 3-4 families in each. And, that's the good news. The world is going to
hell in a handcart with balloon tires and well-greased axles."
"The only thing I did differently was to buy the FAL."
"Close enough, do you have a handgun?"
"No."
"Take my SA XD .45 and I'll buy another."
"How did you convince Sharon to let you buy the guns?"
"I bought her a long neck quilting machine and the table that goes with it. You need to
check out the den at the end of the hall, it's wall-to-wall with quilting equipment."
"Assuming you get everything you want bought, then what?"
"Once I have enough ammo stocked, I get a the 1 year supply of food from Walton
Feed, a unit at a time until I have 1 year for 10 people."
"Why so much?"
"If I can't talk you into moving here, I will have a place you can come to when TSHTF."
"How come the XD .45 instead of the Kimber?"
"Good question, but I don't really have the answer. The Kimber is expensive and has
close tolerances. I suppose that I didn't want anything LAPD had. Plus the grip isn't any
bigger, but holds more cartridges."
Springfield Armory's XD line of pistols received a great honor on May 19th, when it was
awarded the coveted American Rifleman Golden Bullseye Award for "Handgun of the
Year" at the NRA annual meeting in Milwaukee, WI.
The Award was for the latest version of the XD pistol chambered in .45 ACP. It packs
13+1 rounds of big-bore firepower into a trim, ergonomic frame, featuring the same
Point & Shoot Ergonomics™ that have made the XD line famous with shooting enthusi-
asts.
Mark Keefe, Editor in Chief, American Rifleman Magazine said the XD .45 ACP's supe-
rior ergonomics make it the best of the next generation of .45s. "The XD is the first of
19
the high-capacity polymer-framed .45 caliber pistols that does not feel like a .45 in the
hand," Keefe said.
You may have noticed that I didn't bring up Iraq. He told me a long time ago he probably
wouldn't be allowed to talk about it. From that stare, I knew better than to ask. I could
only hope he didn't have PTSD. Nobody knew I'd bought a Taurus PT1911 and I had no
intentions of telling anyone. Neither did they know that we made an occasional trip to
the Res to buy smokes. Illegal as hell, but I didn't care. I did it to cut costs; I was smok-
ing like a chimney.
"How far was it from Flippin to Winslow?"
"1,125 miles. We picked up I-44 in Tulsa and took it to I-40. It was roughly 17 hours driv-
ing time."
"It would probably take your brother 24 hours to get here, assuming he'd come."
"He bought a shotgun."
"How did he mange that, Kathy and he spit up?"
"He gave Carrie the money and she bought it for him as a Christmas present."
One of the shelter options pertained to how they installed the main entrance. All shelters
come standard with ladders for each of the two entrances. During installation, the 48-
inch diameter entrance should be tilted to a 60 degree angle. The step ladder is de-
signed to that angle. The 36 inch diameter exit tunnel is designed for a vertical configu-
ration to facilitate the lowering of supplies by a rope or small crane. The center floor
panels are removable in 4 ft. lengths, down the entire length of the shelter. This pro-
vides easy access to supplies and keeps the shelter free of clutter. The tilt made it pos-
sible for Sharon and me to get into the shelter.
The only thing I hadn't purchased yet was radios. I had my mind made up to the Ken-
wood TS-2000 and a Cobra SSB CB radio. Derek persuaded me I need the radios far
more than I needed the Tac-50. He said he'd stay and help me install a telescoping
mast, a US Towers MA770 with pull down motor. The antenna included a MFJ-1798 10-
band, a Comet tri-band, a Diamond DJ-130 and StarDuster CB antenna.
20
Ira Hayes,
Ira Hayes
Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war
Gather round me people there's a story I would tell

About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian
A proud and noble band
Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land
Down the ditches for a thousand years

The water grew Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights
And the sparklin' water stopped
Now Ira's folks were hungry

And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, Ira volunteered
And forgot the white man's greed

There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill,

Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again
And when the fight was over

And when Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

Ira returned a hero
21
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored;
Everybody shook his hand
But he was just a Pima Indian

No water, no crops, no chance
At home nobody cared what Ira'd done
And when did the Indians dance

Then Ira started drinkin' hard;

Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
like you'd throw a dog a bone!
He died drunk one mornin'

Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes

But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died
This antenna was one of the most popular, and also probably one of the most hyped
antennas back in the mid 70's. Its basic construction was nothing more than a ¼ wave
ground plane (9 foot radiator, and 3- 9 foot radial elements), yet Antenna Specialists
claimed a gain figure of 5 db for it. Despite this seeming inconsistency and possible
embellishment of spec's, many people bought into the hype and ran them. This only
goes to reinforce the notion that many CB operators would believe almost anything they
read. On the plus side though, this antenna required no loading or matching coils, and
would hold a low SWR over a fairly wide band of frequencies. The SWR would also not
change in rainy weather (A common problem with coil matched ½ and ⅝ wave ground
plane antennas). The lack of matching coils also permitted some fairly high power to be
22
run through it. Mechanically, there wasn't much wind loading so therefore it ended up
being a fairly sturdy antenna, with the exception of the fiberglass spreaders on the ele-
ments and the vertical radiator stud in the hub. These weak points would become ap-
parent when the antenna was exposed to too many years of high winds and ice storms.
In more temperate environments, this antenna would last for many years. It was a mat-
ter of principle with me; I was one of those thousands who had a StarDuster in the '70s.
I think my base station was a Washington back then.
I bought a Galaxy DX2547. Derek wanted me to put in a CB beam antenna with a rotor.
I thought he was nuts, but he said that as close as we were to I-40, it would be a good
idea.
"Can I talk you into staying?"
"I want to look around back home to see what I can find for a job first, Dad."
"The door will always be open. You should check out those guard opportunities before
you leave. I'll take the remainder of the money and stock up on food and ammo. I don't
know that the Tac-50 is in my future. If I can save up for it in time, maybe."
"In time for what?"
"In time for the stuff to hit the fan."
"You meant it, didn't you? That stuff you put in that letter."
"It's not a question of if, Derek, it's a question of when and what."
I had voted for George W. Bush twice, the same as I had for his father. Unfortunately,
the son wasn't the father. I lost hope for the Administration when Collin Powell resigned.
Powell should have been President.
If you take I-40, you use exit 245 to get to our place. Sharon will be in her sewing room
working on a quilt and I'll be at my computer, typing another yarn. They couldn't stay
long, Mary had her job and Derek had to find one. He did check in on the positions at
the prison and they seemed interested in him. I told him the XD .45 was his Christmas
present and Sharon gave Mary Wal-Mart shopping cards for her and the kids.
We finally got phone service and an internet connection, Qwest and Cable One. Sharon
let Amy and Lorrie know our new phone number and I sent Damon and Derek emails
with the information. Derek replied and wanted to know if the prison was still hiring. I
sent him their email address and told him to ask for himself. I was getting close to hav-
ing the money saved up for my Tac-50 rifle, again. It was truly amazing how little money
we spent now that we had our own electricity and water and no house payment.
23
We didn't put in a lawn because it would use water and grow, which was fine until
someone had to mow it. It was dusty here and no amount of work could keep the dust
out of the house. Sharon had this little routine where she dusted one room each day
and vacuumed the carpet once a week. I did the dishes, we didn't use many and I got
into the habit of loading the dishwasher as we dirtied dishes and running it at night.
Somehow we got Missy and Scrappy trained to go outside and do their business. The
only 2 cats we brought were Pyewacket and Sassy. Life was actually easier now than it
had been in Palmdale.
I dislike anyone who draws maps in the sand and gives aid and comfort to our enemies.
Six-hundred yards was the measured distance of the shot I took in several of the stories
to shoot Geraldo Rivera. It's just a shame Wolf Blitzer wasn't with him. Law and Order
made an episode about Geraldo and his line drawing. In it, the reporter shot himself and
blamed it on a Marine who hated him because the map caused a friend of his to get
killed. Season 14, Episode 8: Embedded – 19 November 2003. (Episode 309) After a
reporter accused of causing the deaths of soldiers with whom he was embedded in Iraq
by reporting on their troop movements is shot and wounded on the eve of his return to
the front, the ballistics report indicates that the gun belonged to one of the dead sol-
diers, leading the detectives to uncover who brought the gun back from the front and
committed the crime. This episode is "ripped from the headlines" of the Geraldo Rivera
scandal during the war in Iraq. Everything you wanted to know about anything is on the
internet if you ask your search engine the right question. I like Yahoo and Fleataxi likes
Google.
We're both retired, that's why we're both still writing. He's cleaning his stuff up and I
could care. The reason we poke so much fun at each other is that we're good friends. If
this story is written while Derek is still in Iraq. It assumes that with all the prayers for
him, he'll get home ok. If he doesn't, it will fall into the category of what could have
been.
I like to give plugs for companies who make some of the things we all need (but proba-
bly can't afford). Utah Shelter Systems and Radmeters4U are two examples. I noticed
that since I've been talking about Tractor Supply, they're airing ads on TV; I like the one
with rabbit. If you decide to put in a generator, considering what USS says and go for
diesel as opposed to propane or gasoline. The low rpm units will run 2 years with only
minor service. Kohler and Onan are good brands, as are others, but these are made in
the USA. The property description came from an ad on a local realtor's website for
Winslow, AZ. Buy your KIO3 from Frugal; he needs the money to keep the website up.
Even the Berkey water filters are illegal in the ERK. I'll probably add a winch to my
wheelchair so I can hoist the Tac-50 into position, if I ever buy one.
24
"I haven’t found a decent job. I think I'll come out there and live with you and go to work
for the prison. Mary and the kids will come when school is out."
"I'll be damned."
"Why do you say that?"
"Praying does work. We figure something out for housing for when she comes out. For
now, you can live with us."
"I'll be there in about 18 hours."
"Are you going to drive straight through?"
"Yeah, money is a little tight."
"Hokay, see you tomorrow."
Eighteen hours meant he'd get here about the time I usually go to bed. I figured I'd best
stay up so our guard dog, Missy, didn't lick him to death. Scrappy would wake the whole
house with his barking. I sure hoped he'd bring his FAL, we'd do some shooting. The
only thing that would change would be our food bill, assuming he still ate like there
wouldn't be a tomorrow. It was logical to assume he'd transfer to the 855th MP Compa-
ny down in Phoenix, only a 2 hour drive.
"Hey kid, have any trouble?"
"Nope. Just about out of gas, though."
"Here's $50, fill your tank and keep the change. While I was waiting, I checked on the
Arizona National Guard. They have an MP Company in Phoenix. I didn't see any armor
units in Arizona or New Mexico. I assume you've had all the training so, it gives you one
option."
"Colorado?"
"Nope and not Utah, either."
"Crap, I have my own tank now."
"What do they have in Arizona?"
"Artillery. Being a prison guard might work in your favor being an MP or vice versa. I
checked up on the place, they have around 1,800 inmates."
"What about a place to live?"
25
"You'll stay with us until Mary is ready to come. Ever live in a mobile home before?"
"No. Well, we visited you in Davenport."
"And you've stay here last Thanksgiving."
"Expensive?"
"Not for what you get. I'll be able to give you maybe $20,000 down on a home and you
can run off our utilities."
"You have that much saved?"
"No, but I will. I've got enough for the rifle, but you having a home is more important."
"How much was this one?"
"In the fifties. You might find a repo for under thirty."
"Free electricity?"
"Mostly free, the inverter is only 12kw so if we're running off the batteries, you're only
going to have about 50 amps available. We have to be sure you have a swamp cooler
instead of regular air conditioning. I hate running that generator."
"I'm not so sure I like you buying me a home."
"I'm not, I'm loaning you a down payment is all. If you want to add an extra inverter,
they're about $800 a kilowatt. Figure 10 grand without the batteries."
"How expensive are the batteries?"
"These are Lifeline AGM type 8D deep cycle batteries, they aren't cheap, but you can
buy one a month until you have enough."
"How many is enough?"
"That is up to you, Derek. Hey, let's get some sleep, we can talk tomorrow."
"It is tomorrow."
"Yeah, but you know what I meant."
26
Derek was up early, but Sharon warned him not to wake me. By the time I did wake up,
he'd gotten the application and submitted it. I guess he had to take some kind of test, it
was a government job. I wasn't worried, he has an IQ of nearly 170, and he could pass
the test in his sleep. I had a plan and it involved Damon, but I didn't tell Derek, Mary and
Damon didn't get along. I'd get Derek employed and settled in a home and then start
working on Damon. I didn't figure he'd come, but I'd get the seed planted so when the
time came, he grab his kids and split. If they wouldn't come he'd have a clear con-
science. Britney was born in '91 and she was 15 going on 16. She was old enough to
make up her own mind and when Damon was in Illinois chasing that skirt (Dawn), it did-
n't really bother him. He was on disability anyway and what did it matter where he lived?
He could get a new representative payee down here.
If I loaned Derek 10 grand, that would give him at least 20% down if he couldn't find a
repo, 33% if he could, and I could still buy my Tac-50. And while he was waiting to find
out if he got the job, he could sharpen my knives. First Blood first and then Rambo III,
the knife I intended to give to Damon. And when they were sharp, he could sharpen the
knife I had for Sharon. I thought I had it all figured out, and wrote it down in case if
somehow forgot my own plan. I could always add 2 more pairs of bunks to the shelter
and fix it up to sleep another 4 people. Not bad for a senile old man, who knew the real-
ly story of Murphy's Law.
Yes, he got the job, did you think he wouldn't? He also transferred into that ANG MP
Company down in Phoenix, but he wasn’t particularly happy about that. Did I remember
to thank the Squirrels for suggesting I just pack it in and move Arizona? If I didn’t,
THANK YOU. The wife's happy, she has the new sewing machine, I'm happy I got my
guns, one of my kids living here and I have a plan to move the other one of these days.
I also plan to have my monster rifle by the time the youngest has his new house.
Bought the suppressors; in a couple of months, as soon as the BATFE approves the
purchase, I can pick them up. I know I shouldn't have bought the suppressor for the
Tac-50 until I had the rifle. However, I figured since I have to wait for the BATFE clear-
ance I'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Because I needed the Coconino County Sheriff in Flag-
staff to sign off on the suppressors, I also applied for a CCW. Derek was hauling me
around to take care of business. There's enough paperwork to discourage the average
guy, that's part of their secret.
Derek started to work and we started looking for a good repo'd home. By March, we'd
found one. That's March of 2007 if you're keeping track of the time. It was a Fleetwood
Entertainer model (floor plan B). We ended up loaning him $10,000 so he'd have 20%
down. It was a pretty fancy home, wouldn't have minded having that myself. We ran wa-
ter lines, electricity and septic. He decided to mount it on those concrete road dividers
instead of stands. The price included delivery and installation. His payments were
$286.57 a month for 20 years.
Derek started to buy batteries, one a month because they were expensive. He decided
on a 3,600 watt inverter, just enough to keep the appliances running. He told me he
27
wouldn't get over 6 batteries to begin with. For the moment, he'd continue to live with
us, because he didn't have any furniture or anything to cook with. He called Mary to tell
her they finally had their own home and referred her to the Fleetwood website so she
could look at the floor plan. The story about the home being on the market was rather
sad. A couple retired from Illinois and bought the home, putting 20% down. She kept it
in immaculate condition, but they were killed in a car accident on the way to church.
He'd had a heart attack and the car had gone off the road in Tonto National Forest.
"That home you got is just like new."
"It even has the 40" TV, Dad."
"If you get the Playboy Channel, I'll come over and watch TV with you."
"Fat chance, I'll get basic cable when Mary gets here."
"When is she coming?"
"June, as soon as school gets out."
"I ordered my rifle."
"The Tac-50?"
"Yes, sir. Now we can snipe cars on I-40 if you want to."
"Getting your kicks on Route 66?"
"That isn't what I meant. I-40 is a major thruway. If TSHTF, we're stilling out here in the
middle of nowhere and could make an inviting target. They can see the whole place
from the highway."
"Are you paranoid?"
"Just because you're paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you."
"Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts?"
"I don't know. Mel said, A good conspiracy is unprovable. I mean, if you can prove it, it
means they screwed up somewhere along the line. I saw the quote on Frugal's."
"Now, are you going to tell me why Winslow?"
"Already did, Sharon picked it. I didn't even know she listened to the Eagles."
"You were in Hotel California too long."
28
"What's the line, You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave, we
should have left there in '92. If I knew then what I know now, we would have."
"You always wanted to live in Arizona, you should be happy."
"Derek, I'm 64. My body is about what you'd expect for an 80-year-old man. I know I did
it to myself, but that doesn't make it any easier. I got no complaints, but man, would I
love to be 30 and know what I know now. What was Iraq like?"
"Very unpleasant. After Dan got killed, we became more conscious of our environment.
In a way, I'm glad I went; now I know what a war really is."
"Did you get it out of your system?"
"Get what out of my system?"
"Volunteering."
"That depends on what happens."
"Say, could I get you to do something for me?"
"What do you need?"
"A rifle range."
"How long?"
"Oh, 600 yards."
"That's about ⅓ of a mile; can you even see that far?"
"I can with a scope."
"The effective range of an M14 rifle is 500-yards."
"Yes… but this is a Super Match. It's capable of sub-MOA fire. Could you humor me?"
"You're going to have to grade in a back stop."
"I'll arrange for that. How high should I make it?"
"In your case, about 10'."
29
I found a contractor who was willing to grade in a flat shooting range and put in a 10'
high back stop. He wanted to know if it was going to be a public range. I told him no, but
if he needed a place to shoot, come see Derek or me and we'd work something out. I
also told him I'd give him a 5 point veteran's preference. He was wearing a USMC utility
cover. I figured once a Marine, always a Marine.
It turned out to be a good idea, I couldn't shoot worth a chit. Geraldo might be safe at
600'. Al had been a Sergeant in the Corps, but I called him Gunny anyway, he liked that.
With practice, he was consistently shooting 4" groups at 600-yards. A long about May, I
finally was able to pick up the suppressors and the Tac-50 came in. Derek helped me
and we mounted the Jet suppressor on the Tac-50. I could barely pick it up. Gunny
worked for one of the local contractors, he wasn't the actual contractor and his name
was Alberto Martinez. Al was half Mexican and half Navajo. I didn't figure that a likely
combination, but I didn't ask; it was probably one of those Romeo and Juliet deals.
I put the vanishing race in my yahoo search engine. It popped up, The vanishing race –
Navajo. It's not that far to the Res from where we live here west of Winslow. Anyway,
Derek and I had a new buddy, Al. But he really liked it when I called him Gunny. Al
thought maybe the show I mentioned was episode 117 that aired 18 Oct 57 titled, The
Last Navajo (Rin-Tin-Tin). The song from Rin Tin Tin:
An Indian rode along one day

On a lonely mountain trail
And gazed below with a heart of woe
Where the prairie schooners sail
A vision formed in a mortal storm

In the dust of the wagon train
A vanished race appeared in space
And he sang this sad refrain
Oh buffalo rolling on
Like the tide to the sunset
Soon the herd will be gone
See now the paleface they come

Like the shadows of nighttime
O’er this land that I love
Then, like the eagles that fly

Like the eagles we die
When our wings are tied
Now my blanket I roll

And I ride from the valley
30
Of the brave Navajo
Then, like the eagles that fly

Like the eagles we die
When our wings are tied
Now my blanket I roll

And I ride from the valley
Of the brave Navajo
Soon the time will be gone…

Navajo
Anyway, we got to talking about Native Americans. It seems that everyone has some
sort of cause they support and if Sharon and I had one, it was support for Native Ameri-
cans. Not that we carry placards in parades, or write long essays to post on the web.
Quite the contrary, it's just how we feel about the way our ancestors treated the Indians.
A very long time ago I had met Russell Means and Dennis Banks when they were on
the run. AIM's original mission included protecting indigenous people from police abuse,
using CB radios and police scanners to get to the scenes of alleged crimes involving
indigenous people before or as police arrived, for the purpose of documenting or pre-
venting police brutality. AIM Patrols still work the streets of Minneapolis.
In 1973, AIM activists barricaded themselves in the hamlet of Wounded Knee on the
Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. They were alleged to have taken eleven hos-
tages, which led to a seventy-one-day standoff with federal agents. In the ensuing trials
most accused AIM members were acquitted. At Pine Ridge in 1975, a gun battle be-
tween AIM members and FBI agents resulted in the shooting deaths of a two Indige-
nous American, Joseph Stuntz and Anna Mae Aquash. An unrelated incident during the
same time period resulted in the murder of two FBI agents by Leonard Peltier, Jack
Coler and Ronald Williams. Many AIM activists claim that the AIM members who shot at
the FBI agents were engaged in self-defense, and thus the killing was not a murder. In-
deed, two of Peltier's co-defendants in the agents' murder were acquitted on grounds of
self-defense in a separate trial. Peltier's critics, on the other hand, point out that one of
the agents was shot and killed at close range after being wounded, with his hands up.
This killing and the subsequent conviction of Peltier have been major bones of conten-
tion between activists and FBI agents.
31
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?

You've been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy

She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things

Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger

Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh-oh freedom, well that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?

The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're loosin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?

Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late
Thunderheart is a crime movie directed by Michael Apted with Fred Ward and Val
Kilmer. Val Kilmer plays an FBI agent investigating a murder on a Native American res-
ervation. It is based on true events, including the rise of the American Indian Movement.
It seems that the Navajo had their own Trail of Tears they called The Long March. The
Long Walk of the Navajo, also called the Long Walk to Bosque Redondo, was an Indian
removal effort of the US government in 1863 and 1864.
The plan called for the removal of the Navajo from their native lands, which were called,
in the Navajo language, Dinetah. (Dinetah included land from northeastern Arizona
through western New Mexico, and north into Utah and Colorado.) The Navajo cultivated
32
crops on the fertile floors of canyons, including Canyon de Chelly, home to the ancient
Anasazi people.
Some Navajo managed to escape the Walk, variously surviving in the territory of the
Chiricahua Apache, the Grand Canyon, on Navajo Mountain and in Utah. By 1868 the
experiment – meant to be the first Indian reservation west of Indian Territory – was de-
clared a miserable failure, the victim of poor planning, disease, crop infestation and
generally poor conditions for agriculture (harvests failed in each of the successive years
of 1864, 1865, 1866 and 1867). Having survived the ordeal, the various peoples in-
terned at the camp were permitted to return from whence they came, and the Navajo
were granted a 3.5 million acre (14,000 km²) area where they had previously resided.
On June 18, 1868, the once-scattered bands of people who called themselves Diné,
now united as one, set off on the return journey, the Long Walk Home.
The Navajo Wars were fought during the nineteenth century between the US military
and many western tribes. These wars depleted the Native Americans' numbers, divided
their leadership, and drove them onto reservations, often located far from their home-
lands and in inhospitable climates.
As was often the case, the US military fought the Navajos and Apaches largely for their
lands. The Civil War brought many soldiers to the Southwest, including General James
H. Carleton, who decided to remove the Navajos and Apaches to reservations so that
the lands of the Rio Grande Valley could be used for settlement and mining. Carleton
enlisted the one-time friend of the Navajos, Kit Carson, to force them from their home-
lands through starvation.
Carson burned the Navajos’ farms, stole their livestock, and finally destroyed the villag-
es in their last stronghold, Canyon de Chelly. Without food or shelter to sustain them
through the winter, over 3,000 Navajos surrendered and made what is called "the long
walk of the Navajos" to the reservation at Fort Sumner (SE New Mexico). Hundreds of
Navajos died along the way and after arriving at the fort. A few bands of Navajos held
out, living in the mountains. But one by one, these bands and their leaders – Bar-
boncito, Armijo, and finally Manuelito – were captured or surrendered and taken to the
reservation.
I used to think Kit Carson was an American hero. Oh, well… In November, 1864 Carson
was sent by General Carleton to deal with the Natives in western Texas. Carson and his
troopers met a combined force of Kiowa, Comanche and Cheyenne numbering over
1,500 at the ruins of Adobe Walls. In what was known as the battle of Adobe Walls the
Native force led by Dohäsan made several assaults on Carson's forces which were
supported by 10 Mountain howitzers. Carson inflicted heavy losses on the attacking
warriors before burning the Indian's camp and lodges and returning to Fort Bascom.
33
A few days later Col. John M. Chivington led US troops in a massacre at Sand Creek
(Colorado). Chivington boasted that he had surpassed Carson and will soon be known
as the great Indian killer. Carson was outraged at the massacre and openly denounced
Chivington's actions. However Sand Creek and Adobe Walls helped bring the Coman-
ches to sign the Little Rock Treaty of 1865. In October 1865 General Carleton recom-
mended that Carson be awarded the brevet rank of brigadier-general, "for gallantry in
the battle of Valverde, and for distinguished conduct and gallantry in the wars against
the Mescalero Apaches and against the Navajo Indians of New Mexico." The Sand
Creek Massacre is the subject of the 1970 movies Soldier Blue and the massacre of an
Indian village in Little Big Man were based on the event.
The Battle of Bitter Creek only happened on TV (Branded, 1965). The Battle of the Little
Big Horn was probably the few times the US military got what was coming to them dur-
ing The Indian Wars.
Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I
am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, too-hul-hul-sote is
dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on
the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freez-
ing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blan-
kets, no food. No one knows where they are – perhaps freezing to death. I want to have
time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find
them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From
where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever. (Chief Joseph)
His name might be Gunny Martinez, but he sure knew the history of The Indian Wars.
He told me that the Navajo, unlike most other tribes, required you to be at least 25%
Navajo before you could be listed as a member of the tribe. He was half and half and
qualified. He asked me if I knew about Lori Piestewa, the Hopi Indian who was killed in
Iraq. I told him I knew about her but not many details. She was the first American Fe-
male Soldier killed in combat. Her death led to a rare joint prayer gathering between
members of the Hopi and Navajo tribes, which have had a centuries-old rivalry.
The attack made Jessica Lynch famous. US Special Forces later plucked her from an
Iraqi hospital and rushed her to safety, and the media seized on the daring rescue to
create a tale of American heroism and valor. But the real story of what happened in Na-
siriyah that day – and the clear warning it offered of things to come – involves a different
soldier, one who gave her life to protect her friends. Lori Piestewa, born and raised a
Hopi on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, became the first American woman to die in
the war, and the first Native American woman ever to die in combat on foreign soil. Only
twenty-three years old, Piestewa saw herself as a Hopi warrior, part of a centuries-old
tradition developed by a people who once resisted an invasion and occupation by the
US military – much as the Iraqis are today. She went to war, but she believed above all
in peace, in doing no harm to others. "I’m not trying to be a hero," she told a friend just
before the invasion. "I just want to get through this crap and go home."
34
The high desert country around Tuba City, Arizona, where Lori Piestewa grew up, looks
a lot like southern Iraq. Vast, open stretches dominate the barren landscape, punctuat-
ed now and then by red sandstone mesas. As a child, Lori spent weekends racing her
three-wheeled ATV across the sand dunes north of town. Only six inches of rain fall
here each year – about the same as in Nasiriyah. When the producers of Three Kings,
the George Clooney movie about the first Gulf War, were looking for a stand-in for Iraq,
they decided to film in the Arizona desert.
If Lori had been born a century earlier, the United States government would have con-
sidered her an enemy. In the late 1800s, the US Cavalry invaded Hopi lands and de-
creed that the fields now belonged to white settlers. The Hopi fought back, not with guns
or arrows, but with nonviolent resistance. (The name Hopi means "Peaceful People.") In
defiance of the military, Hopi farmers continued to cultivate their lands. The Army ar-
rested nineteen Hopi leaders and sent them to Alcatraz, where some spent as long as
two years in solitary.
Piestewa was raised in this Hopi tradition of nonviolence, which emphasizes helping
others, starting at home, with one’s own family and clan, and extending outward to in-
clude the entire community and nation. (Her father, Terry, is Hopi; her mother is Hispan-
ic.) As a baby, Lori had her hair washed in a Hopi ceremony and was given the name
Köcha-Hon-Mana, White Bear Girl. "We Hopi were put on this earth to be peaceful," ex-
plains Terry, a short, round man with graying hair and a soft voice.
Terry Piestewa fought in Vietnam, but it’s not something he is proud of. He was drafted
and didn’t want to go to prison like two of his brothers-in-law who had refused to fight in
Korea. Asked about his tour of duty, he folds his arms across his chest and his eyes fill
with tears.
"A lot of us that did do harm, we have that on our conscience," he says. "It’s going to
stay, and there’s nothing that can take that away."
Maybe watching all those Westerns with people getting scalped makes people think
that’s what a warrior is," says Lori’s oldest brother, Wayland. But for Hopis, he says, be-
ing a warrior has nothing to do with hurting people. "My sister is a warrior because she
did the right thing, the honorable thing: going to Iraq when she didn’t have to, because
she felt it was the ethical and moral thing to do. That’s what being a warrior is about: do-
ing what’s right, even when it’s difficult and means sacrifice."
Lori never shied away from doing what was difficult. "She was really strong-willed," says
her brother Adam. "We were always telling her not to do things, and she’d just go ahead
and do them." The boys of Tuba City learned that if they were going to get in White Bear
Girl’s face, they’d better be prepared to fight. Lori was small for her age – she would top
out at five foot three – but even the bigger boys were intimidated by her. "She never
backed down," says Adam. "She was never afraid to take on anybody."
35
Most of the time, though, Lori used those same traits in the Hopi way: to help whatever
group she was part of. When she was eight years old, she played shortstop for the local
Little League team. On the day before a championship game, the coach was hitting
practice grounders when one ricocheted off the iron-hard dirt and struck Lori full in the
face, breaking her nose. Despite two blackened eyes that made her look like a panda,
she insisted on playing the next day. The team was counting on her, she argued. Her
family gave in. With Lori at shortstop, the team won the championship.
"She couldn’t not play," says Adam. This wasn’t about choice – it was about duty.
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is comprised of two Native American
tribes: The Pima, or "Akimel Au-Authm," (River People); and the Maricopa, or "Xalychi-
dom Piipaash," (People who live toward the water)
The Maricopa tribes were small bands that lived along the lower Gila and Colorado riv-
ers. In the early 1800's they migrated toward Pima villages. The Pima, known as a
friendly tribe, established a relationship with the Maricopa. Both tribes provided protec-
tion against the Yuman and Apache tribes.
The Pima believe they are the descendants of the "Hohokam," (those who have gone)
an ancient civilization who lived in Arizona nearly two thousand years, dating as far
back as 300BC. The Hohokam farmed the Salt River Valley and created elaborate canal
irrigation systems throughout the valley area; that system, now modernized is still used
today.
The Pima were strong runners, basket weavers and farmers who could make the desert
bloom. They served as trusted scouts for the US Cavalry and continue to serve their
country today in various forms of the armed forces.
The Pima's are well known for their basket weaving techniques, intricately woven they
are made watertight. The Maricopa, known for their red clay pottery work, created vari-
ous forms of jars and bowls. Both forms of artwork are made of natural materials and
can be viewed at the Community's Hoo-hoogam Ki Museum.
The Pima and Maricopa tribes together, comprise the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian
Community.
Gunny said the Navajos forbade alcohol on the Res, but they were plenty of towns
around that were more than happy to sell Indians whiskey. One of the primary problems
of the Navajo had been diabetes. We set up the new Tac-50 rifle at 600-yards and he
showed me how to shoot it. Didn't take him long to get it zeroed in and start shooting
killer groups on the silhouette target we were using. There was room, so we moved the
36
shooting table 400 yards further back. Son-of-a-bi…, it was clear who would be shooting
the Tac-50 and his name wasn't Derek.
"Tom, you carry the M1A as the backup rifle and be my observer."
"Why Gunny?"
"Because you bought the spotting scope."
I had a Burris Landmark Spotting Scope 20X-60X-80mm on the Burris tripod. A .50 cali-
ber hole was easy to see at 1,000-yards. He even tried the M1A at 1,000-yards, but that
was a long way for the 175gr. bullets to carry. The specs on the M-118LR ammo were:
extreme horizontal spread at 1000 meters 10.3" avg., extreme vertical spread at 1000
meters 14". Gunny would hit you, but it might not be a fatal shot all of the time. I hit the
target the first time I shot. I quit while I was ahead.
"That's it for the shooting, Gunny."
"Why?"
"Because the .50 caliber match ammo I buy runs about $5 a round. I'm saving the brass
to get it reloaded."
"Ok. Why did you buy expensive ammo like that?"
"When your life depends on the quality of your ammo, you don't want ammo made by
the lowest bidder."
"You worry too much. I mean what could happen in Winslow, Arizona?"
"Well, for one thing, it has a meteor crater. But, other than that, I can't think of anything
except maybe that bird flu. I hear they don't think it's going to be a problem."
"What about the Chinese?"
"Which ones?"
"PRC."
"Well they're busy building up their military using American dollars to buy the stuff they
can't build from Russia. We could take their whole navy out with 3 carrier strike groups."
"Do you think it will happen?"
"I write about it happening in a lot of my stories, but how the hell should I know?"
37
"You must think something is going to happen, I heard you have a bomb shelter."
"But I don't know what. My motto has always been, prepare for the worst and hope for
the best. Say, how far would you say it is from here to the Interstate?"
"Maybe 1,000-yards, why?"
"Just curious."
Smile when you drive by… Republican or Democrat? Muslim?
I'll bet you read where I said I could barely pick the Tac-50 up, didn't you? If a Marine
can't shoot a tight group at 1,000 yards with the M1A, what chance do I have? Two: slim
and none. Just wave at old Tom when you drive by and I'll wave back, if I'm on the front
patio. It's more likely I'll be in the house, typing, trying once again to reword the same
old tired story.
Well, we did get out of ERK. Hmm, if a person called it the, Jolly Environmentalist Re-
publik of Kalifornia the acronym would be JERK. If you don't like Jolly, any word begin-
ning with 'J' will do nicely. JERK sort of fit because it was the earthquake state and it did
jerk a lot. It also described most of the people in elected office. Come to think of it, it de-
scribed a lot of the people who lived there.
In all my years in ERK, I'd only seen one live snake in the wild, a sidewinder. That
changed when we got to Winslow and the only way I could let Missy and Scrappy out
was to walk them. We were very careful with Sassy too, he liked to go outside and I
wasn't sure he'd ever seen a pit viper. I had those walking sticks and made it a point to
carry one. I slapped the bushes whenever we came near one. If there was a snake
there he'd rattle and I'd run (walk away fast).
That was one of two negatives associated with the move, the other being who to vote
for. In ERK, I'd wait to see who Feinstein and Boxer support and vote for the other guy.
Here, I kept it simple and voted straight Republican. My bride favored Democrats but
over the years, she'd more or less converted, or so she said. She let me fill out her
sample ballot so either we voted the same or cancelled each other out. Everyone knows
how I feel about the media, politicians and lawyers so I won't explain it for the 44th time.
Coconino County had only 19 tornadoes from 1880 to 2000 with 0 injuries and 0 killed
and the biggest being a F2. Navajo County had 6 and the largest was a F1. The biggest
hazards were floods and fires. Derek helped and we kept the brush removed. It not only
prevented fires, it gave the snakes fewer places to hide. According to Shane Connor's
maps of Arizona, there was some kind of nuclear target in our general area. It appeared
to be Holbrook because it wasn't in this County. Flagstaff was a potential target, but it
was 65 miles away.
38
What did Holbrook have that made it a potential target? The only thing I could think of
was that power plant. Take that out and a whole lot of people would be going without
lights. The map didn't distinguish between primary, secondary and tertiary targets.
"What are you doing?"
"Putting in a garden, Dad."
"Right, that sand is going to grow 8" tomatoes."
"I think it will if we add enough water."
"I'm not going to try and stop you. But I don't believe that I'll help. I will get my 9422 out
and watch for varmints."
"You won't need to; I'm going to string some chicken wire to keep the rabbits out."
"You'd better use a very fine mesh."
"Why?"
"'Cause when you get the plants to grow, it will provide shade for snakes and be very
inviting to rats. If the rats get in there, the snakes will follow."
"You shouldn't kill snakes."
"I won't, the bullets will."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Where was I? I remember, May. We're set up to repel the Chinese invasion, Derek is
growing veggies and my phone bill is running $200 a month, what with Derek calling
Flippin all of the time. I'm looking forward to Mary getting here. The phone bill won't go
down much, but it will be on him. I hope he'll get Mary to call her folks at night. Even
with the high phone bill, we were still money ahead and I was saving up again.
What for? Well, I have 3,000-gallons of propane and a generator, what do you think
what for? More propane that 50REOZJB could burn through. The shelter wasn't quite
complete either; I wanted to add a compact washer and electric dryer. Sitting in a shel-
ter, you want to get close to God and they say cleanliness is next to Godliness. Am I
having fun yet? Ask me tomorrow.
39
Derek needed a propane tank anyway so if he put in a 3,000-gallon tank, we'd have
twice as much propane available if TSHTF. It was time to get out the slide ruler and fig-
ure this out. In the shelter, we'd probably be using 25% power or 1.5gph of propane.
Assuming of course we didn't have wind for the turbines. We wouldn't have to run the
generator all that much depending on how many batteries we had. I reckon I needed a 5
dimensional slide ruler, too many variables here. Screw it, we'd have enough power re-
gardless of what happened because it was triple redundant. That's what a person gets
from working in the space program, too many layers of redundancy. If they built it right
in the first place, they wouldn't need so many backups.
"Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona."
It's a bitch when the mind goes…
You do know where I put my inverter, don't you? In the shelter, they generate heat when
they convert the AC to DC to charge the batteries and when they convert the juice in the
batteries back to 120v. I had the batteries under the floor of the shelter. I had 12 of the
units and they weighted about a ton. Not each, but they were over a foot long and very
heavy. If the generator didn't kick in, we had enough propane for about 2-3 years of
cooking and heating. These were Lifeline AGM type 8D deep cycle batteries (165
pounds each).
I wasn't bad enough that the 24 acres were sand and brush with a few trees; we had to
go and remove the brush because of the snakes; forgot to put a burning permit too. Ig-
norance of the law is no excuse, he said, when he wrote me the ticket. Just my luck
there was a deputy in the area. He wanted to know what I was going to do if the fire got
away from me. I told him it was sitting right there and we cleared all of the brush before
we burned it, so how could it? I didn't tell him we had a 6" well and a pump that could
pump 1,500gpm through a 1½" fire hose, but he didn't ask.
Not only do I write my own stories, I sometimes read them. Buying a fire engine was
stupid unless you were rich and we weren't rich. Besides, we weren't in Kansas. This
here was chili pepper country. So, naturally I planted a couple of plants since Derek al-
ready had a garden. No I don't know what kind they were, but the plants were green and
the peppers were small. I'll tell you when they mature and I bite into one.
"You like jalapeños?"
"Why?"
"That's what you planted. You have one jalapeño plant and one Anaheim or New Mexi-
co pepper."
"Oh, I did? Can I make Chiles Relleños?"
40
"They usually use Poblano chilies, but you can substitute. You like those?"
"Gunny, I always order Chiles Relleños when I eat in a Mexican restaurant."
"Always?"
"Always. I don't care for their tacos and I can take or leave enchiladas. I've always liked
Mexican restaurant food and most Chinese restaurant food."
"What's your favorite Chinese dish?"
"Mongolian beef provided it's made with green onions."
"Are you a picky eater?"
"You don't know the half of it; I make George H. W. Bush seem like an amateur. He
doesn't like broccoli."
"So who is running the country Bush Sr. or Bush Jr.?"
"It has to be Jr.; Sr. wouldn't make half the mistakes he's made."
"Do you really think the war will be over by the end of the year?"
"No, but it's hard to say whether the Iraqis will let us stay beyond then. Sr. would have
never have gotten us into Iraq. He had the chance once and refused. His reasons for
not doing so are the very problems facing us today over there."
"What do you mean?"
"In a foreign policy move that would later be questioned, President Bush achieved his
stated objectives of 'liberating' Kuwait and forcing Iraqi withdrawal, then ordered a ces-
sation of combat operations – allowing Saddam Hussein to stay in power. His Secretary
of Defense Dick Cheney noted that invading the country would get the United States
'bogged down in the quagmire inside Iraq.' Bush later explained that he did not give the
order to overthrow the Iraqi government because it would have 'incurred incalculable
human and political costs... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in ef-
fect, rule Iraq'." (Man, was he ever right!)
41
Every time I think that I'm the only one who's lonely
Someone calls on me
And every now and then I spend my time in rhyme and verse
And curse those faults in me
And then along comes Mary

And does she want to give me kicks, and be my steady chick
And give me pick of memories
Or maybe rather gather tales of all the fails and tribulations
No one ever sees
When we met I was sure out to lunch

Now my empty cup tastes as sweet as the punch
When vague desire is the fire in the eyes of chicks

Whose sickness is the games they play
And when the masquerade is played and neighbor folks make jokes
As who is most to blame today

And does she want to set them free, and let them see reality
From where she got her name
And will they struggle much when told that such a tender touch as hers
Will make them not the same

And when the morning of the warning's passed, the gassed

And flaccid kids are flung across the stars
The psychodramas and the traumas gone
The songs are left unsung and hung upon the scars

And does she want to see the stains, the dead remains of all the pains
She left the night before
Or will their waking eyes reflect the lies, and make them
Realize their urgent cry for sight no more

At the time The Association's "Mary" was a hit (summer 1966), I was unsure of a course
of action in life, as a student at Iowa State University. I hear one commentary about the
42
song's being about a person who is lonely, then along comes Mary to set things right.
Admittedly, the Association ran the words of "Mary" together at times, so I did not know
at the time what the song was intended to mean. Besides "Mary", there were other rec-
ords that I remember "Sweet Pea", "Wild Thing", "Lil' Red Riding Hood", "Popsicle",
"Sunny", "Strangers in the Night", "Red Rubber Ball" – and many others.
"In explaining to Gulf War veterans why he chose not to pursue the war further, Presi-
dent Bush said, 'Whose life would be on my hands as the commander-in-chief because
I, unilaterally, went beyond the international law, went beyond the stated mission, and
said we're going to show our macho? We're going into Baghdad. We're going to be an
occupying power – America in an Arab land – with no allies at our side. It would have
been disastrous'."
"I see what you mean."
"So you don't give any credence to the idea that Jr. was cleaning up after Daddy?"
"I've said it a few times in my stories, but I don't really believe it. If anything, I believe
that he was trying to show the country that he was as decisive as his father. Let's face it
Gunny, we had plenty of chances to take bin Laden out before 9/11."
"You sure have equipped this place of yours nicely."
"As soon as we get the propane tank in for Derek and I do a couple of things with the
shelter, we'll be ready. I want a compact washer and dryer so we can keep clean if we
have to use it."
"Did Derek's house come furnished?"
"About half furnished, I'd say. It was stripped of personal possessions but it had the op-
tional TV, a washer and dryer, refrigerator and freezer. I'd say he got a pretty good deal
for 50 grand."
"He's hooked into the wind turbines?"
"Yes but he only has a small inverter. He'll need to buy 2 more to get him to 10kw and I
think it would be cheaper for him to buy the same 12kw unit I have."
"Why didn't he?"
"Money. I'm saving and at the rate I'm going, I can buy him one real soon and swap it
for the 3,600 watt unit he bought."
"What will you do with it?"
43
"Oh, probably put it in the well house and run the well pump off it. It will handle the
surge from when the pump kicks in. I may put in a couple of batteries for backup."
"That ought to work."
"You know Gunny, there's only one thing that I'm afraid of."
"What might that be?"
"That some jerk will come along, snap his fingers and wake me up from this dream I'm
having."
"You think this is all a dream?"
"A good one too, I haven't cheated on my wife, have a big gun collection, a shelter, my
son’s here and I don't live in ERK anymore."
"ERK?"
"California."
"Bad out there?"
"Every neighborhood has its own gang population. My pal Ronald took off and moved to
New Mexico to be near his brother and my other pal, Clarence just sort of disappeared.
Of course, I didn't get to meetings, so I wouldn't have seen him."
"Meetings? Do you belong to a club?"
"In a way, Alcoholics Anonymous."
"You don't drink?"
"Not any more. Why do you think a 64-year-old man has the body of an 80-year-old?
You have your fun, but you pay for it twice, once when you do it and later when all of
your sins catch up to you."
"You seem healthy enough."
"Thank you kind sir. Better yet, thank Humana that I can afford the drugs I need to keep
going."
"Do you take a lot?"
"Not really, but the ones I take are very expensive."
44
"How expensive?"
"About $1,000 a month at retail. They cost me $250 a month until I get to a certain level
and then begin to get cheaper. Eventually, they'll only cost me $50 or $100 a month."
"What are they, gold plated?"
"No, but they're the latest miracle drug for my conditions. Because the patents are still in
force, most of them retail for $5 per."
"Remind me not to get old."
"Gunny, you watch what you drink and you may never need the pills. No matter how
hard you try, you can't drink more than they can make."
"What did you like to drink, Tom?"
"Chivas Regal, Gentleman Jack, Bombay Sapphire Gin and Jose Cuervo 1800 Tequila.
For beer I drank Coors and Carlings Black Label when I could find it."
"That's all top drawer stuff."
"I didn't say I was a cheap drunk, just a drunk."
"And you chain smoke on top of it?"
"Not really, I light each cigarette separately. I suppose I smoke about 2 packs a day."
"All expensive, bad habits."
"Smoking is cheaper than drinking and doesn't leave you with a hangover."
"Yeah, just coughing and wheezing."
Did you ever watch them drive on I-40? In Arizona, I think the average speed was ~75
and in New Mexico ~80. You get used to the sound and after a while the only thing you
notice is the screech of tires. Although this wasn't a prime wind area, there was just
enough to keep the turbines running 95% of the time and keep all of the batteries
charged. Derek and I ran the gas pipe that would link our two tanks together. When he
put in his tank the first week of June I had mine topped off, keeping us even at 2,700
gallons each.
45
In this case it was my daughter-in-law and the two kids. Derek was settled in his new
job and she put in an application for a job with the Winslow Schools as a bus driver. I
had high hopes things would settle down and we could get back to enjoying our retire-
ment. Frank Sinatra had High Hopes too (A Hole in the Head 1959), but I believe I used
those lyrics in another story. Me like movies and music? Where on earth did you ever
get that idea? (It's cheap entertainment)
I also had one small problem with that wheelchair. The wheels were so small it tended
to bog down in the sand. The wheelchair could go 5mph on high and I could walk about
2mph with frequent breaks to catch my breath. I settled on a Polaris Trail Boss 330 to
get around with, it was the perfect vehicle for an old fart. Now I could ride my string line
when I got tired of typing.
We discussed fencing the property but that was a whole of fence posts and wire. As it
was, Derek was making double payments on his home in hopes of having it paid off in 7
years. That left them a little tight on money, but they were used to that by now. At least
he had health insurance and all the other benefits that go with state employment.
When Chris had fashioned the rifle rack for the back of the wheelchair, it was bolted on
as opposed to being welded on. Gunny and Derek helped me move it from my wheel-
chair to my new Polaris. Does it seem like Gunny was there a lot? Well, his was single
and spent most of his weekends at our place. We'd do a few chores I couldn't handle
and a little shooting. I was paying for the ammo, but he was taking the brass because
he knew someone who could reload them. After a while, he was shooting only his re-
loads.
Al was maybe 37-38, divorced, and had taken a liking to the beer I kept in the refrigera-
tor for him. I was still working on getting Damon to come to Arizona, but hadn't made
any progress. I won't say it doesn't bother me to have beer in the refrigerator, but I'd
drink Coke C2 instead. I also had a couple of bottles each of the booze I listed earlier
but the seals were intact on those. (Of course they took C2 off the market!)
We got the washer and dryer for the shelter from Sears. It was a Kenmore white-on-
white 24" space saver. I got it based on the size, not the capacity. We were down to or-
dering food from Walton Feed and maybe buying some replacement ammo. The laun-
dry in the house was the Maytag front loading models Sharon had always wanted.
With Derek out of the house, the expense for phone and phone went way down and I
began contemplating ordering from Walton Feed. Sharon and I discussed this and de-
cided to buy 3 1-year supplies at a time. It would come to about $3,000 including ship-
ping. With the things we already had, ie, coffee, toilet paper and medicines, we were
good to go. In order to get some of the meds we need, we'd immediately found a doctor
and got prescriptions for the drugs we took. The second set of prescriptions was for a
90-day supply of each drug with 3 refills. In the 10 months we had been here we'd man-
aged to fill them 3 times giving us a 9-month back up supply of drugs. I didn't relish
46
those trips to the pharmacy; they were very, very expensive. As soon as we had that 3rd
refill, we'd switch to buying food.
Preparation is 1) never easy; and 2) extremely expensive, especially when it came to

getting a year up on prescriptions. In terms of when TSHTF, I was thinking 2008 when
Beijing had the Olympic Games. I was guessing at both what and when, but the right
one, H5N1, didn't get us so the left one, China, would. Or maybe it would be terrorists
after we left Iraq and Afghanistan.
I was born in 1943. We had WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm,
Somalia, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, a total of 9 wars or actions in my 64
years. This didn't include WTC '93, Oklahoma City '95 or the WTC/Pentagon in '01. Nei-
ther did it didn't include Ruby Ridge, Wounded Knee, the Montana Freeman or Waco.
Just because you're paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you. No doubt I missed a
few too. I didn't mention the Marine Corps Barracks, USS Pueblo, SS Mayagüez inci-
dents or the Iran Hostage Crisis.
It hasn't been peaceful for a very long time. Iran and North Korea are pursing nuclear
weapons and China really wants Taiwan. It was bad enough when 5 nations had those
weapons and now there are 10. My two most likely candidates for trouble are terrorists
and China. Everyone who bothers to prepare has to put up with all of the scofflaws who
think you're crazy. They look at your old high mileage junker and ask why you don't
have a better car or live in a real home instead of a trailer. We ought to just let the me-
dia appoint our politicians for us instead of holding elections. Disillusioned? Yes, and
then some. Frightened? Not at all, it's just a storm shelter in a place that doesn't get
many storms. The name I gave to my new ATV? Salina.
Derek continued to buy batteries until he too had 12. His garden did well considering
and we even found Gayle's recipe for bread and butter pickles. We canned green
beans, homemade spaghetti sauce and pickles plus put up a ton of potatoes and 100
pounds of onions. We stored the spuds and onions in the shelter due to the tempera-
ture, where the carrots went into a box of sand.
Before the end of the year, we bought a full Black Angus steer, had it butchered and di-
vided it with Derek. This time the 20.3ft³ upright freezer we bought from Sears was frost
free. I also bought a case of boneless pork loins and spent an afternoon cutting 1" thick
pork chops. When we cook them they're easy to butterfly. We had our final prescriptions
and our first supply of food from Idaho.
I finally got Damon to come down for Thanksgiving of 2007. I mailed him an airline ticket
so he could fly from Des Moines to Flagstaff. It was one of those budget tickets that you
can't change so I knew exactly how long he would be here.
47
"Did you ever finish posting In Harm's Way on Frugal's?"
"Well, my computer…"
"Yes or no?"
"No. Why did you leave California?"
"I have wanted to move to Arizona since 1992. We finally took a chance, put the house
on the market and here we are."
"I don't suppose you have a beer?"
"There's a six-pack in the refrigerator."
"Want one?"
"Bring me a C2."
"Did you buy Derek his house?"
"Sharon and I loaned him the down payment. When you make up your mind to move
here, we'll do the same for you."
"Pretty fancy house."
"It's a repo. Look, you're free to live anywhere you want and do whatever suits you. I
have my preferences and there are bonuses attached. For example, should you decide
to live here, we'll loan you $10,000 for a down payment and you'll have free electricity
and water. Derek's payments are under $300 a month, what do you pay for rent?"
"$300, how much are the payments to pay you back?"
"At the moment, nothing."
I didn't tell him that despite our having spent all that money on drugs and the food from
Idaho, Sharon and I had $10,000 set aside in case he decided to take me up on the of-
fer. Most of the things we'd spent money on were classified as just in case stuff. There
was no way we'd ever fit a 10-year supply of food into the shelter, that would require
330ft³. We need a building for a well house so we'd had it built extra big, on the order of
12'x24'. It was our out building we used to store nearly everything.
There was Costco Store in Prescott. It made for a day-long trip, but we were just sitting
around growing old anyway. We'd borrow Mary's pickup for those shopping trips, toilet
48
paper is very bulky. We'd always sigh when we drove through Sedona. It wasn't meant
to be. We stopped once and I got myself a serape, I'm a big fan of Clint Eastwood.
I reminded Damon that his kids would soon be grown and Britney would probably make
him a grandpa. His youngest was 12 and Britney was 16 now. Aaron was 14 and, ac-
cording to Damon, hell on wheels. I also pointed out that Carrie's new husband would
probably help him move, just to get him out of Britt. I also noticed he slept a lot, proba-
bly the meds he was on. I had a lot of odds and ends. For example, I ordered a full case
of Marsh Wheeling cigars. They went with the serape and my grimy old straw hat.
Damon said he'd think about it, but if I found a good used mobile home, send him an
email. Not my yob to find him a home, I didn't bother. If'n he wants to be sitting in Britt
when the bombs start to fall, so be it.
Derek and Mary were both tall and Elizabeth took after her parents. At 7 years old, she
could almost look me in the eye. I had noticed that Derek was the quiet type; he
seemed to prefer to keep things to himself. The only thing my two boys had in common
were their parents, we could have named them Day and Night.
The race was on, and I wondered who would win. Would we get the food purchased
from Walton Feed before TSHTF or not? $64 question. I didn't bother to read the papers
or watch the news anymore, it was too depressing. Derek would mention anything that
merited attention. To be 80% truthful, I felt like I was at Disneyland, locked away in Fan-
tasyland and that at any moment, I'd wake up from this dream.
Before we left ERK, I talked Dr. J into updating all of our immunizations and we're set
unless there's a smallpox epidemic. There were places you could go to get the shots
and I talked myself blue before he wrote the Rx so we could get them. Sharon refused
to take that smallpox vaccine, but I should be good until I die.
Saw a rattlesnake today. I took a picture and compared it. It was a prairie rattlesnake
and the first one I’d see here. I went through all the Arizona snakes just to see what
liked this area. It seemed that only the prairie rattlesnake like to call Coconino County
home. That wasn't gospel; it would be just my luck to get bit on the backside by a Moja-
ve Green. I'd probably be too embarrassed to get treatment.
The dealer put in a 500 gallon gas tank today. You know the kind that is up on stilts.
Derek bought one of those case hardened chains with a padlock to prevent anyone
from stealing gas from us. Lucky us, Sharon and I got to pay for the tank and the first fill.
The gas wasn't all that much cheaper than in ERK.
"Dad, this is Derek, did you see the news?"
49
"Naw, I wait for you to tell me. What's up?"
"Bush dispatched 3 CSGs to Taiwan."
"He can't do that."
"Why not?"
"I haven't bought all of the food yet."
"You had better hurry; it will only take them about a week or so to travel the distance."
"There is no way we can do it in that short of a time. We'll have to rent a U-Haul truck
and pick the food up; can you get some time off to do that?"
"I suppose."
"I'll call them and find out when they can have the order ready. I'll use the money we set
aside for Damon's house to buy the food and you will just have to go get it. We'll send a
cashier's check. I can print you a map from Map Blast to help you find the place. It's
about 750 miles north of here."
The only downsides to picking the order up were we'd have to pay the Idaho sales tax
and rent the truck. Derek said it would be faster and cheaper to take Mary's pickup and
just rent a U-Haul trailer. Faster was good, cheaper was even better. It would take Wal-
ton 3 days to get the order ready. He was to stop in the store and pay for it and then
pick it up at their warehouse. I told him to buy a grain mill and anything else he thought
we might need.
I started to check our supplies of ammo. We couldn't fight a war, but we had enough to
keep the bad guys away. I called Damon, but he didn't answer his phone. I checked and
we had 24 bundles of toilet paper at 30 rolls per but only 36 cans of coffee.
"We need to go to Costco. I figure 12 more bundles of toilet paper, 36 cans of coffee
and a bunch more batteries. Do you think I could get them to put in a propane tank for
Damon's house?"
"Gary, all I can do is call and ask. Why the sudden rush to stock up?"
"Derek said they sent the Nimitz, Stennis and Reagan CSGs to Taiwan. The Kitty Hawk
is sailing out of Yokosuka to join them. He's not leaving for Idaho for a day or so and we
can use Mary's pickup."
"I'd better call Amy and Lorrie."
50
"Call Lorrie, she'll know where Amy is."
We hadn't added the extra pair of bunk beds because Damon hadn't moved here. We
had accommodations to sleep 10 people. Sharon said we were in luck; they could deliv-
er the propane tank tomorrow, but wondered if we had enough cash to pay for the fuel. I
told her there was $2,500 left from the 10 grand we'd set aside for Damon. She said we
had 4 grand in the bank. The answer was yes; we could top off our two tanks and pay to
fill the third one. We'd run the pipe early, figuring Damon would say yes. It would be
simply a matter of hooking the tank into the pipe and opening the valve. That would give
us a total of 8,100-gallons of propane and 24 batteries backing up the wind turbines.
The two nearest possible targets were Flagstaff and Holbrook, putting us in the eye of
the needle. If it looked like a strike was imminent, we could lower the radio antenna and
lock down the wind turbines. We'd have more than an hour after any strike to put them
back to their operational mode.
Costco was experiencing a run at both stores and limiting. We got 12 cans of coffee and
6 packages of toilet paper. I bought more cigarettes while we were at it. Then we went
back in and did it all over again, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Then we hit
the other store in Prescott and did it over again. We ended up with everything on our list
and a few things besides. Of course, if China doesn't strike, we won't need to go to
Prescott for the next year.
When I got home, the announcer was saying that Bush ordered all of our troops out of
the Middle East. I took that as a very bad sign. Ships had already been dispatched to
pick up the equipment, 2 weeks before, a very bad sign indeed. Derek hadn't said why
the Prez had sent the CSGs. The announcer said that the rocket attacks on Taiwan
were continuing; that explained that.
Costco had all their Christmas stuff out too. Yeah right, it was going to be a very, merry
Christmas. Sharon had called Lorrie again and Amy was living in Phoenix. She was on
her way with her two and Lorrie was on her way with their 4 (1 was in the service) and
David's spare girlfriend. Jesus H. Christ!
Sharon gave them directions. Take exit 245 north and look for 2 doublewides and 100
wind turbines. Good directions, unfortunately. I had Derek put my guns and ammo in the
shelter and my ATV in the shed after he unloaded Mary's pickup. I also had him empty
the spuds and onions from the shelter. Sharon was busy working on a quilt and I got her
keys and drove the Daewoo into town and filled up the tank. I can still drive; I just don't
have a license. Don’t need one because I don't take the ATV off the property. We also
called in refills on our prescriptions.
51
On a dark desert highway

Cool wind in my hair
The warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway

I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
This could be heaven or this could be hell
Then she lit up a candle
And she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place, such a lovely face
There's plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here
Her mind is definitely twisted

She's got her Mercedes Benz
She's got a lotta pretty, pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard
Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
So I called up the captain

Please bring me my wine
He said "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969"
And still those voices they're calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place, such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis
52
Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink Champaign on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here of our own device"
In the masters chambers they're gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knifes but they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was runnin' for the door

I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
"Good night" said the night man "We are programmed to receive
You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave"
Wannta bet? I would have to admit, there was more truth to that song than I would have
liked. Went there in '82 to escape Iowa. Stopped working for Iowa in '92, but it took us
until '06 to get the hell out of California. If they hadn't passed all of those stupid gun
laws, we'd probably still be there. If this is all a dream, don't ever let me wake up.
"Yesterday Geraldo Rivera was again asked to leave Iraq for giving away sensitive in-
formation. ... Afterwards, Geraldo said I've never been so ashamed and I'm Geraldo." –
Conan O'Brien
"It's been reported that the Pentagon is trying to kick Geraldo Rivera out of Iraq because
he revealed sensitive military information. Yeah, if Geraldo is kicked out this means that
Saddam Hussein will once again be the most hated man in Iraq." – Conan O'Brien
"Playboy magazine announced that they are going to support the troops by sending
them emails from Playboy playmates. After hearing this, the US troops said 'Just our
luck, we get emails from playmates, but we're embedded with Geraldo.'" – Conan O'Bri-
en
"The Pentagon announced a policy change. They said that if there is a war with Iraq,
they will give the media total access. They're going to let them come along, be there on
the front lines. It's called Operation Goodbye Geraldo." – Jay Leno
"Roger Ailes, the head of the Fox News Channel, is denying reports that he sent Presi-
dent Bush a letter giving him advice on the war. In his own defense Ailes said 'I'm not in
a position to give anyone advice, I hired Geraldo'." – Conan O'Brien
"I never give my opinion on political matters, but before we bomb Iraq, let's wait two
weeks until Geraldo is over there." – Craig Kilborn
"Geraldo has returned to the states. See? I told you airline security was a joke." – Jay
Leno
53
"Even though bin Laden is said to have fled to Pakistan more than a week ago, US offi-
cials said they will continue to bomb Afghanistan as long as Geraldo is there." – Jay Le-
no
"According to the New York Daily News, Geraldo said he is now carrying a gun, and he
will personally shoot Osama bin Laden if he finds him. If Osama also has a gun, this
could work out okay." – Jay Leno
"This week the Fox News Channel found out that a man that they had repeatedly inter-
viewed lied about being a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and he wasn't a real Colonel
at all. Yeah, and they had been interviewing this guy for months. After hearing the news
a spokesperson for FOX said, 'Big deal, Geraldo is not a real reporter.'" –Conan O'Brien
There were Sharon and me, 2. There were Derek, Mary, Elizabeth and Joshua, 4.
There was Gunny, 1. There were Amy, Audrey and Udell, 3. There were David, Lorrie,
his 4 boys, Jeffrey and Maria, 8. There was, of all people, Damon that was 1. Total = 19
and if an attack comes, there are going to be a whole lot of people sleeping on the floor.
Tough chit, be damned grateful. And, no, Sharon's chair won't fit, take a sleeping pill,
I've got 1,800. We should have bought some paper plates and plastic silverware. Oh,
well… The good news? Damon brought his shotgun and can ride with Derek to Idaho.
The bad/good news? Those carriers go faster than advertised, but the other ships can't
all keep up with them so they have to slow down. Look at the sky, we might get lucky
and the rock will come out from behind the sun.
There were no embedded reporters on this trip. That was a real shame, if they had
known which of our ships was going to get sunk, they could have assigned Geraldo. It's
pretty hard to draw maps in water. It must be said that since he stuck his foot into his
mouth all the way to his crotch, he's cleaned up his act, a little.
If a CSG can maintain headway of 20 knots, they can cover 480 nautical miles a day.
The distance from San Diego to Taipei is 5986 nautical miles. Steaming time at 20
knots is ~300 hours or 12½ days.
It is important to note that there really is no real definition of a strike group. Strike
groups are formed and disestablished on an as needed basis, and one may be different
from another. However, they all are comprised of similar types of ships. Typically a car-
rier strike group might have:
•a carrier – The carrier provides a wide range of options to the US government from
simply showing the flag to attacks on airborne, afloat and ashore targets. Because car-
riers operate in international waters, its aircraft do not need to secure landing rights on
foreign soil. These ships also engage in sustained operations in support of other forces.
•two guided missile cruisers – multi-mission surface combatants. Equipped with Toma-
hawks for long-range strike capability.
54
•a guided missile destroyer – multi-mission surface combatant, used primarily for anti-air
warfare (AAW)
•a destroyer – primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
•a frigate – primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
•two attack submarines – in a direct support role seeking out and destroying hostile sur-
face ships and submarines
•a combined ammunition, oiler, and supply ship – provides logistic support enabling the
Navy's forward presence: on station, ready to respond
The slowest ship would probably be the oiler. The new class of oilers is capable of 25
knots. With that in mind, one could cut the sailing time to 12 days, not a significant im-
provement; which probably explains why we always have some of our CSGs closer to
SE Asia. At any given time, I'd speculate that we have ~3 CSGs within 3-4 days sailing
time.
The only way to know where the carriers are at any given time is to check the websites
for the individual carriers and hope they're up-to-date. Global Security is more than a
year out of date and FAS about 5 years. However, if it is a classified movement, watch
CNN or CBS. If anyone is going to report the movement, it will be the Communist News
Network or Communist Broadcasting System.
Who would be stupid enough to go to Taiwan and wait to see if the carriers would show
up? CNN and CBS come to mind. And then, not to be outdone, ABC, NBC and FOX
News would follow. The speculation is running rampant and our carriers haven't even
cleared Hawaii, yet.
WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) – The rise of China affects virtually every other country in
the world, but most especially those that neighbor it. Moscow has important reasons to
be concerned about China: Russian territory bordering it is sparsely populated.
Furthermore, large numbers of Chinese citizens have been crossing the border to settle
in Siberia – something that many Russians in the region have become nervous about.
Siberia also possesses petroleum and other natural resources that a rapidly moderniz-
ing China increasingly wants access to.
In the past, Beijing has asserted territorial claims to a significant portion of Siberia. Al-
most all of these claims have been settled, but if a more powerful China ever in the fu-
ture decided to revive its claim to any of this territory, Russia would face an extremely
difficult challenge. The Chinese military appears to be undergoing modernization at a far
55
more rapid rate than the Russian one – in part because China is the largest customer
for Russian weaponry. As time goes on, the Russian-Chinese conventional force bal-
ance is steadily shifting in Beijing's favor.
Russia, of course, continues to possess a large nuclear arsenal – as does China. But
would the Kremlin really be willing to risk Moscow in order to save Vladivostok or any
other Russian city near the Sino-Russian border? The answer to this question may not
be clear to the Kremlin even now, much less in the future when China has become
more powerful.
The Chinese challenge to Russia, of course, has not reached this point by any means.
Many Russian observers, though, have expressed fear about China's future intentions
toward Russia. Yet China and Russia also have several important common interests,
including opposition to American "hegemony," democratization, and Sunni fundamental-
ism. They also have a growing trade relationship that is important to both.
Moscow's response to the Chinese challenge has so far involved a mixture of band
wagoning with it and balancing against it. On the one hand, Moscow band wagoned
with China through signing a Treaty of Friendship with Beijing in 2001, working with
China through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to reduce America's post-9/11
presence in Central Asia, and participating in joint military exercises that were widely
seen to have both anti-Taiwanese and anti-American overtones. On the other hand,
Moscow has balanced against China through repeatedly calling for a strategic partner-
ship with India as well as China (despite the important differences between these two),
and selling more advanced weapons to India than to China.
The Putin administration's conflicted policy toward China can best be seen by compar-
ing its arms export and petroleum export policies toward it. China is the biggest custom-
er for Russian weapons. Indeed, the Russian arms industry needs China as a customer
in order to prosper since the Russian military cannot afford enough weapons in order for
it to do so. By contrast, the Putin administration has been hesitant about building an oil
pipeline from Siberia to China for fear of becoming too dependent on China as a cus-
tomer. The result is that Moscow is providing Beijing with the means (i.e., arms) to
threaten Russia while also giving it some incentive to do so by denying Beijing as much
Siberian oil as China wishes to buy.
Fortunately for Moscow, Beijing is preoccupied with Taiwan, the US, Japan, and even
domestic unrest. But if China ever decided to take measures that Russia found threat-
ening, Moscow could find fending it off to be extremely difficult – if not impossible.
Even if China had understated her nuclear arsenal by 90%, she couldn't successfully
take on both the US and Russia at the same time. The first round of incoming warheads
would be intended to interrupt C3I. That went for everyone; you always start by decapi-
tating the enemy.
56
"Where are you going?"
"Out, I don't know where, just out."
"Take a portable radio."
"I didn't buy any. There are too many people in here, I can't hear myself think. I think I'll
go check the sting fence and harass a rattlesnake."
Derek, Mary, and their two kids plus Damon were at his house. Everyone else was at
our house and all of them were trying to talk at the same time.
"Hold on Tom, I’ll go with you. I heard you say you didn't have any portable radios."
"Believe it or not, I forgot to buy some. Can I get any in Winslow?"
"I'm not sure; you'd probably have to go to Flagstaff."
"What time is it?"
"1330."
"Feel like going now?"
"Why not."
"Sharon, Gunny and I are going to Flagstaff. We'll be back before supper."
"What do you need?"
"Portable radios."
"What kind?"
"Whatever I can find that's cheap."
"Where?"
"Radio Shack. I'll need the ATM card and the checkbook."
The fella at Radio Shack told me I'd need a license for the GRMS but not for FRS. I said
screw it and bought CB radios. You don't need a license for them, thank you Mrs. Carter
or was that Betty Ford? It took longer to get there than it did to buy the radios. I only
bought 10 Midland® 75-822 Mini 40-Channel CB Radio w/ Weather/All-Hazard porta-
bles and 3 Cobra 148 GTL AM/Single Sideband CB mobiles plus the mobile antennas.
57
°
Going and returning, we had a chance to visit.
"When is Derek leaving for Idaho?"
"Tonight. They'll leave around 8 and get there tomorrow morning. They should be back
tomorrow night around midnight."
"If they're driving you crazy now, how are you going to be able to stay in the shelter?"
"Xanax, I knew it would come in handy for something."
"Do you really think we're going to have a war?"
“It’s not if, it’s when and what.”
"You didn't know your daughter was in Phoenix?"
"We left her in Palmdale. I guess it means that you can run, but you can't hide."
"Sure. You never said what branch of service you were in."
"Air Force, '61-'65."
"Where were you stationed?"
"Edwards Air Force Base."
"I've been through this before you know, back in '62. Those were the longest 2 weeks of
my life. We went to work just like any other day. Later that morning they told us there
would be a radio broadcast in 45 minutes that we all had to listen to. When we got back
to the main base that night, there were 12 bombers sitting at the end of the runway
loaded and ready to leave for Cuba."
"Were you scared?"
"Petrified. I have the feeling that this time it may not work out. It will depend on whether
China chooses to blink. By all logic, they should, they can't possibly win and if Russia
joins us in this, they could step down. Did you hear anything about why they may have
attacked Taiwan?"
"Yes, the Congress over there or whatever it's called voted for independence."
58
"I think they were undergoing some sort of change over there, eliminating the National
Assembly or something. That would have given them only one division in their legisla-
tive branch. It's in the CIA World Fact book. Both Bush and Japan have been trying to
get them to hold off from declaring independence. The PRC has a law prohibiting from
claiming independence, saying they would use military force to prevent it. Both Japan
and we resumed military relations with Taiwan a couple of years ago. If that's what's
behind this, we may not support them."
"We may have to if we have any citizens there that the Chinese won't allow leaving."
There was a lot going on behind the scenes that didn't make the news or wasn't well re-
ported. Air Force One flew to Moscow, I can tell you that much. The question of Iran's
uranium enrichment program had never been resolved. Iraq was turning into a civil war
as our troops began pulling out.
Daytime highs were barely above freezing and the nights were very cold. I don't know
what time my boys got in, the pickup and trailer were parked by the shed when I got up.
The kids hung around for 4 or 5 days waiting, worrying and just plain hoping this would
all blow over. Finally David said he had to get back to California. Sharon persuaded Lor-
rie and Jeffrey to stay. Amy said she couldn't afford to miss any more school and would
go back to Phoenix, but would watch the news closely and come back if it sounded bad.
I got out an Arizona map and used a highlighter to mark the route she should take if she
had to come back. Damon stayed on with us and Derek returned to work. After they left,
I hired a woman to come in and clean up the house, it was a mess.
At least the well house was filling up, but looking it over I remembered what we forgot.
We need 40 gallons of vegetable oil plus sugar. The folks at Walton feed said each one
year supply of food needed 4 gallons of oil and that they didn't include sugar. What the
hell, we could stock up on more toilet paper and cigarettes too. Sharon said good oil ran
$8 a gallon, the TP was $11 a bundle and the kids had gone through several cans of
coffee. She also said that the way Amy went through sugar, we better buy 200 pounds.
How long did it take to get your wife aboard your preparedness program? I'm not sure
here, but I think I've finally succeeded. Derek had picked up the mill, oxygen removers
and several of the empty 6 gallon pails with lids in Idaho. Mylar bags and a sealer were
another add-on. We ended up with 4 pails of sugar, 12 cans of coffee, 6 packages of
TP, 10 large cans of Crisco and 40 gallons of oil, but didn't have enough money for
more smokes. That irked me; I only had 22½ cartons left.
Sharon would only let me smoke in one room of the house, my bedroom, which doubled
these days as my office. What's more, she'd only let me smoke my cigars outside. I
needed to put a heater in the well house. Then, I could warm the place up, get on my
Polaris ATV, light a cigar and say, "gitty-up Salina". Of course it's silly, but this was one
horse that wouldn't run away with me.
59
°
The TV didn't say what happened, but it turned out to be Dick Cheney and Condie Rice
on Air Force One. I could only speculate that Putin and they made China an offer they
couldn't refuse. The carrier strike groups held off ~ 200 miles from Taiwan where they
were joined by Russian ships, guided missile destroyers.
Lorrie didn't seem to be in any hurry to return to Palmdale. We had long suspected that
David and she weren't getting along that well. That only left us Amy to worry about and
Phoenix was plenty close enough. Lorrie told Sharon that there wasn't anything in
Palmdale she wanted to go back to.
Just after the first of the year (2008), Sharon got the call that Charlene had died. She
told me she'd drive to California City and meet Shirley; that I'd better stay home and
take care of the pets. It wasn't an even deal; Missy didn't like me giving her the insulin
shots.
Given the criteria that USS used to describe possible nuclear targets, Palmdale was
high on the list. The Air Force built all of the really neat stuff at Plant 42 (PMD) and it
had very good runways: Runway 7/25 – 12002 x 150 ft. / 3658 x 46 m; Runway 4/22 –
12001 x 150 ft. / 3658 x 46 m; Runway 72/252 – 6000 x 100 ft. / 1829 x 30 m – Runway
used as a military assault strip.
Winslow had an airport too: INW, Runway 4/22 – 7499 x 150 ft. / 2286 x 46 m; Runway
11/29 – 7100 x 150 ft. / 2164 x 46 m; Runway 11/29 – 7100 x 150 ft. / 2164 x 46 m. If an
attack came, they couldn't nuke every runway in the US, regardless of what anyone
says. Winslow didn't have much else to offer, but the airport did have Jet Fuel A. Those
were short runways, about all you could land there was a C-17 or C-130 and choppers.
Aircraft operations average 53/day: 77% transient general aviation; 21% local general
aviation; and, 2% military.
Using Hotel California as a metaphor for the nation, Eagles touched on many themes,
including innocence (and the loss thereof), the dangers, temptations, and transient na-
ture of fame, shallow relationships, divorce and loss of love, the end results of manifest
destiny, and the "American Dream". Members of Eagles have described the album as a
metaphor for the perceived decline of America into materialism and decadence. So, one
might say that the Eagles describe the Fall and Decline of the American Empire in Hotel
California.
The Monroe Doctrine is a principle of American foreign policy enunciated in President

James Monroe's message to Congress, Dec. 2, 1823. It initially called for an end to Eu-
ropean intervention in the Americas, but it was later extended to justify US imperialism
in the Western Hemisphere and later the entire world. Don't mistake my sense of real-
ism with my patriotism, where is it written that one can't be a realistic patriot? One of
these days, America is going to bite off too big of a chaw.
60
The Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny were closely related ideas: historian Walter
McDougall calls Manifest Destiny a corollary of the Monroe Doctrine, because while the
Monroe Doctrine did not specify expansion, expansion was necessary in order to en-
force the Doctrine. Concerns in the United States that European powers (especially
Great Britain) were seeking to acquire colonies or greater influence in North America led
to calls for expansion in order to prevent this. In his influential 1935 study of Manifest
Destiny, Albert Weinberg wrote that "the expansionism of the [1830s] arose as a defen-
sive effort to forestall the encroachment of Europe in North America."
"Damon, have you decided whether or not you're going to stay on permanently?"
"Gee, no, I haven't why?"
"We spent every penny of the money we had set aside to give you a down payment on
a home."
"I do miss the kids, but until we know which way this situation is going to go down, I'd
rather stay here."
"Ok, I guess Sharon and I had better start saving you a down payment. Don't look for a
house until we have the funds, though."
"How long will that take?"
"Maybe 4-5 months, I can't say for sure."
"Can I do anything to help out?"
"Yes, save your checks. What did you do with your stuff up in Britt?"
"I just split; it's still in the little house. My payee is paying the bills while I'm gone."
"You'd better decide what you're going to do and either close up the house or go home."
"I think I'll just go home and then decide."
"Just go home and pick up your stuff. Bring it back here and we'll figure something out.
This thing isn't over; it's just in a lull."
"Could I borrow some money?"
"I have $300, will that do?"
"It will buy the gas."
61
"Take some MREs with you."
"Yuck."
"How much gas can that Honda you borrowed take? Just for once in your life, take
some direction. Go home. Get your stuff. Come back here. Leave the shotgun here"
Used to chase that boy home from school

We called him frekled-faced, red-headed fool
He was different...he wasn't cool like me
Sticks and stones didn't break any bones
But we never left well enough alone
And one day he ran away from home, you see
And I passed him as he walked away
And in his eyes I heard him say
One of these days you're gonna love me

You'll sit down by yourself and think
About the times you pushed and shoved me
And what good friends we might've been
And then you're gonna sigh a little
Maybe even cry a little but
Patty Sue was a small town beauty

I took one look at her and had to pull her to me
Lord knows she should've seen right through me
When I promised her the world
But at 17, you only want one thing
I left her standin' with my high school ring
Innocent tears in the pourin' rain
As I walked away
And I still see her in my dreams
And to this day she's whispering

You'll sit down by yourself and think
About the time you turned from me
And what good friends we might've been
And then you're gonna sigh a little
Maybe even cry a little but
62
Now everybody stands up
The congregation sings
It's a song of sweet forgiveness
And as the chorus rings
The wind blows clear my memory
The pages start to turn
Then suddenly I'm singin'
The moment that I learn
One of these days I'm gonna love me

And feel the joy of sweet release
One of these days, I'll rise above me
And at last I'll find some peace
Then I'm gonna smile a little
Maybe even laugh a little but
One of these days I'm gonna love me
That was Tim McGraw, not the Eagles. I like him too and was a bit envious. He married
Faith Hill. There was one song she recorded I used to like too, maybe I'll share it later.
I had other problems. That StarDuster was near the top of a 75' tower. Under federal
law, for CB, you must use an FCC certified transmitter. No modifications are allowed to
your equipment. Equipment output power is limited to 4 watts for AM transmitters and
12 watts PEP (peak envelope power) for single sideband (SSB) transmitters. There are
no restrictions on size or type of antennas, except the antenna must not be more than
20 feet above the highest point of the structure it is mounted to and may not be more
than 60 feet above the ground. It wasn't when the tower was down. The linear amplifier I
had was only a small amplifier and it was legally modified to 10-meters but worked well
on 11 meters, not that I would do such a thing. There are the radio police, you know.
I figured that if Damon left his shotgun here, I could expect to see him back. If Lorrie
was staying, she'd need a place, too. Maybe we could kill 2 birds with 1 stone and buy a
home Lorrie and Damon could share. I had in mind a modest, 3-bedroom home. Be-
tween his disability and her SSI, they could get by very good and they could tolerate
each other although there wasn't any love lost there.
Sharon got back before Damon did and we discussed my proposal. She could see the
possibilities but said that she thought I'd lost my mind. She agreed with my assessment
that it would take 4-5 months to have a down payment. I asked if she really wanted ei-
ther of the kids living with us on a permanent basis. That settled that, she would discuss
it with Lorrie and I would discuss it with Damon. Do you have any idea how quiet a
house can be when it's just you and the wife? You can almost hear the electric clocks
tick.
63
Things quieted down and I wondered if this was the lull before the storm. What was the
sense of being prepared if nothing happened? What would happen if we weren't?
By the middle of February, we had managed to talk Lorrie and Damon into the ar-
rangement. The CSGs had sailed back to San Diego or to other assignments and I be-
gan to bemoan the fact that we had all of that food in the well house that we might never
eat. I had managed to cut back on my smoking to a pack a day, but was careful not to
let Sharon know. That way, she'd still buy 6 cartons a month. We went into Winslow for
our annual doctor's visit, got checked over and issued new prescriptions. We also saw
the dentist and had any damaged teeth fixed.
I sent Dr. J an email and told him I was doing just fine and wondered if he would con-
sider writing new prescriptions without seeing us. About a week later, they came in the
mail. He didn't send an Rx for Vicodin ES, but we were still working on the bottle we'd
opened during 2006. He also didn't send an Rx for Xanax, but I had 2,000 in reserve
and an Rx from our Winslow doctor.
As long as we weren't presently at war or going to war, I gave up watching the news
and went back to the History Channel, Military Channel, Discovery Channel and Nation-
al Geographic. Occasionally, they'd show a new program instead of a rerun. After that
scare with China, someone must have thought it would be a good idea to make a new
batch of those possible disasters programs. There was the new documentary about how
we'd lost both Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). We'd also lost
the Battle of Mogadishu (Blackhawk Down), but the press didn't beat up Clinton nearly
as bad.
Maybe I really am dreaming and will wake up just before the good part. Where was I?
Counting pills, I guess, we got a lot of pills and have an Rx for another one year supply
of the non-psychotropic drugs, which I have enough of anyway. If'n I could find my pow-
der scale, I'd just weigh 'em. I think it was Valentine's Day or about that time.
Sharon said we had enough put aside we could start looking for homes but not to buy
one before June. I got Damon to drive me down to Show Low and we looked over his
new homes and asked about used homes. He told us he was trying to talk one family
into a newer home and if he did it, their old home might be available around April 1st.
He didn't know of any repos at the moment. We looked at the floor plan and it was a
model from the early '90s. It had the desert package, propane appliances, 3-bedrooms
and 2 baths.
I asked about the price and he said it was worth more now than it cost the owners when
they bought it, inflation. Probably about $30,000 and it had drywall throughout, a swamp
cooler and the people didn't have pets. We could take an option on it for $1,000, ½ re-
fundable or fully refundable if we bought any home from him. I wrote a check.
"Used ok with you?"
64
"I guess so. What do you think it will need?"
"I'd guess probably new linoleum and carpet and maybe a coat of paint. We can fix it up
to look almost new."
"What about the appliances?"
"Replace as needed, Damon. You'll need an upright freezer and maybe a refrigerator.
We'll wait and see on the stove and the dishwasher. It might need a new hot water
heater, too; but if it does, we'll go electric."
"Why, I have a 3,000-gallon propane tank."
"Hooked into the generator that kicks in when the wind isn't blowing and the batteries
are down. I haven't had to exercise it since we put it in. The wind doesn't blow enough
to suit me and that's why we have the batteries."
"Is everything triple redundant?"
"There is only one of me."
"Thank you, Jesus."
"What did you say, can't you speak up?"
"Nothing."
I'm not quite as deaf as I pretend to be. He was driving hence he was on my left side
with the ear that still works. The majority of the time I position myself so everyone is on
my right side and I can't hear them. I don't know why noise irritates me so much, but
ever since Amy and her kids moved in with us in Palmdale, my tolerance for noise has
fallen.
I called Gunny and asked him to talk to his boss and schedule time to grade in a spot
for the mobile home we took an option on. We'd set the median dividers about 1' in the
ground the same as we had done with Derek's home. Once they were in place, we had
poured ~4" of concrete to keep them in place. Sharon and I hadn't done that with our
home and I wish we had. To go back and do it now would be very expensive and time
consuming. The house would have to be split, the pipes removed, the dividers placed,
the pipes relocated and concrete poured. It was just too damned much work.
Derek had a heater under his house to warm the batteries in the winter. I asked him
about moving them to the shelter and he said he'd think about it. I suggested to Damon
65
and Lorrie that they each buy one battery a month for the next 6 months. If they did,
we'd have 9,180 ah of juice stored up and probably wouldn't have to run the generator.
That depended, of course, on whether they also had a 12kw inverter.
It was like to putting a jigsaw puzzle together. If you had told me back when I wrote The
Ark that I'd actually have a place in a state where I wanted to live, have my children with
me or nearby and I have nearly everything I always wanted, I simply wouldn't have be-
lieved you. None of it: not the firearms, not living in Arizona; and, not my boys with me.
A two year supply of pills, not yet, but soon? Un-un. Peace and quiet? That was coming,
right around the first of April. Don't you dare wake me up!
On March 23, 2008 I turned 65. The dealer in Show Low called to say that the home
would be ready to set on April 7th. It looked to me like the other guys, the Democrats,
stood a very good chance of taking both the Congress and the White House. Hillary
wasn't doing well in the primaries. Iowa Democrats weren't ready for a lady President
and she hadn't fared any better in New Hampshire. I'll bet Bill was disappointed.
Before the less-binding Iowa caucus first received national attention in the 1970s, the
New Hampshire primary was the first binding indication of which presidential candidate
would receive his political party's nomination. In defense of their primary, voters of New
Hampshire have tended to downplay the importance of the Iowa caucus. "The people of
Iowa pick corn, the people of New Hampshire pick presidents," said then-Governor John
H. Sununu in 1988.
We hadn’t broken any laws that I knew of, yet. Well, I did test the linear amplifier once,
but that was all. As long as the radio mast was lowered, the StarDuster was legal. One
thing I liked about the StarDuster was the fact that you could put 1,500 watts into it and
not burn it up. Our car had a CB as did Derek and Mary's vehicles. A big fancy beam
antenna for the ham radio would have been nice. However, a vertical was omni-
directional, perhaps a better choice under the circumstances. So, despite what Derek
wanted, I didn't put up any beams.
Getting Damon and Lorrie into their house, getting Derek's batteries safely stored in the
shelter with the rest and a few other things were high on my list. Maybe expanding
Derek's garden a little made sense, but there were a lot of things that didn't even make
the list. We didn't have any livestock to take care of except for our pets. Maybe later, but
not now. If you're a farmer, and I wasn't, you got up before the sun and retired early.
That didn't fit into my schedule; I was the classic night person and had been since Jan-
uary 1, 1999. In all truth, my nickname ought to be Insomnia, not TOM.
I only had tied up with one Marine. My reasoning on that related to the Texas Rangers
and their saying, "One Riot, One Ranger." We hadn't spent any money putting in a
fence, either. The Interstate was fenced and I hoped it would be enough. With Gunny
66
here, I could give you 50 reasons not to mess with our little ranch. Make that .50 caliber
reasons. A ranch is:
1. An extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of
cattle, sheep, or horses are raised.
2. A large farm on which a particular crop or kind of animal is raised: a mink ranch.
3. A house in which the owner of an extensive farm lives.
The origin of the term is: American Spanish rancho, small farm, from Spanish, hut,
group of people who eat together, from Old Spanish rancharse, to be billeted, from Old
French se ranger, to be arranged, from renc, reng, row, line, of
I guess the beauty was in the eye of the owners. I just didn't feel like calling it our place.
A slice of Heaven it was not. It was just 24 acres of sand that we kept the scrub brush
off to prevent rattlers. If Winslow were attacked in some future war, I told myself, the
most likely target would be the airport, ~4 miles away. They would use a ground burst to
destroy the runway. The CEP on the DF-5 Chinese missile was 500 - 3,500 meters.
As of mid-2002 China had around 20 DF-5 ICBMs capable of targeting the United
States. The total number of ICBMs capable of targeting the United States was anticipat-
ed to increase to around 25 by 2005 and may reach 60 by 2010.
The DF-41, a 3-stage 12,000 km-range missile similar to the American Minuteman and
the Russian Topol M, will apparently be developed using the first two stages of the DF-
31 along with a much larger third stage. The larger third stage and longer range of the
DF-41 is made possible by the fact that, unlike the DF-31, the size of the DF-41 is not
constrained by the requirement that it be fitted into a submarine launch tube. The can-
celled 1,700km-range DF-25 ground mobile missile, was developed using the first two
stages of the DF-31.
In August 2001 it was reported that China was developing a longer range version of its
DF-31, designated the DF-31A. The DF-31A will reportedly be able to cover targets
throughout the continental US from mainland China.
There is considerable uncertainly in published estimates of the size of the Chinese nu-
clear weapons stockpile. In the late 1980s it was generally held that China was the
world's third-largest nuclear power, possessing a small but credible nuclear deterrent
force of 225 to 300 nuclear weapons. Other estimates of the country's production ca-
pacities suggested that by the end of 1970 China had fabricated around 200 nuclear
weapons, a number which could have increased to 875 by 1980. With an average an-
nual production of 75 nuclear weapons during the 1980s, some estimates suggest that
by the mid-1990s the Chinese nuclear industry had produced around 2,000 nuclear
weapons for ballistic missiles, bombers, artillery projectiles and landmines.
During the 1991 Gulf War, 80% of the Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by the US
forces hit their targets within 3 meters of the aim point after a 1,600km journey. The PLA
67
took note of the magnificent performance of these weapons and has been focusing its
efforts on acquiring cruise missiles and their relevant technologies since the early
1990s.
China’s LACM research and development is aided by an aggressive effort to acquire

foreign cruise missile technology, particularly from Russia and Ukraine. China also
sought dual-use technologies and subsystems from the United States and other foreign
countries. According to a recent report, Ukraine exported at least 18 examples of the
3,000km-range, nuclear capable Kh-55 (NATO codename: AS-15 Kent) strategic cruise
missiles to China and Iran between 1999 and 2001. China may have also obtained the
design of the Kh-65SE, a shorter-range export version of the Kh-55 from Russia.
China is keen to develop its own Tomahawk-like long-range cruise missiles to deliver
conventional and unconventional payloads. This is a time-consuming, technically chal-
lenging, and costly endeavor, but it offers China an opportunity to strengthen its manu-
facturing and technical capabilities, and it could become a source of national pride. Des-
ignations of current development projects reportedly include ChangFeng (CF),
HongNiao (HN), and DongHai (DH), with possible range between 400 and 1,800km.
And, they would probably use our GPS system to guide their missiles. The CEP of the
DF-31A was ~300m, and it was able to hit any target in the world. Were we kidding our-
selves? Unlike our country, the Chinese didn't publish their military data in the Washing-
ton Post. They could have anywhere from 200 to 2,000 nuclear weapons. If they do, I
may not be able to tell you, "I told you so."
Our fearless leader sent 6,000 National Guardsmen to the border with Mexico to keep
out illegal aliens. The troops had guns they could use only in self-defense. Arnold had
caved in and agreed to send troops but they couldn't even touch people who were cap-
tured sneaking in. Then, to top it off, the Congress couldn't really agree on anything.
They did vote a little money to pay the NG because they were deployed, but other than
that, nada. It had been that way ever since the Republicans took over Congress. They
didn't really have enough votes or agreement among themselves to control anything.
Whether you like or dislike the President, it really boiled down to him becoming more
and more ineffective. He did well by me, I had Medicare part D.
Of course, when he lowered my taxes they went up, but what was new about that? I just
hope he doesn't lower them much more, I can't afford it. Coincidentally with the Part D
insurance, the drug companies cut off a lot of the free samples. I should say, some, but
not all. Moving to Arizona cut me off from all the doctors who used to give them to me. If
you're curious, they're still advertising drugs on TV and spending 15 seconds telling you
why you should take it and 45 seconds telling you why you shouldn't.
FDA Alert: 4/7/2005:
68
Celebrex has been associated with an increased risk of serious adverse cardiovascular
(CV) events in a long-term placebo controlled trial. Based on the currently available da-
ta, FDA has concluded that an increased risk of serious adverse CV events appears to
be a class effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (excluding aspirin).
FDA has requested that the package insert for all NSAIDs, including Celebrex, be re-
vised to include a boxed warning to highlight the potential increased risk of CV events
and the well described risk of serious, and potentially life-threatening, gastrointestinal
bleeding. FDA has also requested that the package insert for all NSAIDs be revised to
include a contraindication for use in patients immediately post-operative from coronary
artery bypass (CABG) surgery.
The company insists the drug is safe. When I took it, I belched sulfur, so I guess sulfa
and I don't get along. All drugs are safe, until they kill you. Alcohol is a sedative-hypnotic
drug.
Sorry, I didn't hear anything on TV about any incoming missiles, yet. The Canadians
caught another group of terrorists and these guys had 10 tons of fertilizer. Back in June
of '06, they caught a bunch of al Qaeda related extremists who had 3 tons. I guess they
didn't like French and were going to blow up Quebec. Canada was one people divided
by two languages, whereas the English and we are two peoples divided by a common
language.
Thank God there are other writers who have taken up the slack at Frugal's. This new
guy, Ragin Cajun, has a very good story going. The guy who wrote the French joke was
correct about his French; Babel Fish couldn't translate the joke.
I had tried to get all my stories posted to Collected Works before we moved, but got a
bit tied up. I'd removed some of the formatting commands and had to reformat them,
which took a lot of time. Whenever I had time, I worked on it, but it was a slow go be-
cause there were too many variations on the same theme. Plus there was the unfin-
ished story that I hoped Damon might work on now. I guess I should have made copies
and reformatted those to produce the pdf files. I had evolved into educating using a sto-
ry to tie the details together. Not all of the links still worked, but that was a project for
another time.
I benefited more than anyone who had read the stories, I'd learned a lot about locating
things I wanted. I'd reviewed nearly every .30 caliber rifle made and kept coming back to
the M1A. In the end, it really boiled down to the looks of the rifle. With a 5-round maga-
zine in it, it looked very much like a hunting rifle. The only problem was those 5-round
mags were harder than hell to get in and out. The 20-round mags, conversely, were
very easy to handle even with my half numb hands. If I hadn't settled on quality instead
of quantity, for very little more, I could have bought 3 of the FAL rifles.
69
We went to church and as I listened to the sermon, I realized that if you'd heard one
sermon, you'd hear 'em all. Christianity is all about faith and behavior. Christ said if a
man smites you on the cheek, turn to him the other. He didn't say what to do after that.
On the other hand, he'd never heard of a gun. While I agreed in principle, if someone
smacked me on the face, I probably fall down and break my butt. They say when you
get older; the bones don't heal so fast.
Fleataxi once gave some good advice, "Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out." Was he
talking about Muslims or the French? The answer is probably yes. The payment on
Damon and Lorrie's place was $202.53 for 15 years. The got it for $30,000 and we put
$6,000 down. They shampooed the carpets, waxed the floors and washed a few dirty
spots off the walls. We shopped Goodwill for some good used furniture until we could
save up some money to buy them something new. They were still buying batteries and
hadn't gotten an inverter. Sharon got them a service of four in plates and silverware plus
some pots and pans and a can opener. The hot water heater was nearly new and they'd
left the refrigerator because their new place came with one.
They could use our washer and dryer for now; I really wanted them to finish off buying
batteries. Sharon had other ideas and they went shopping. I hadn't paid much attention
to our money situation since we'd move. She'd been holding out on me and technically,
the bedroom suite, dining room furniture and hutch in Palmdale belonged to Lorrie. She
paid a mover to bring all of Lorrie's things from Palmdale and hired a lawyer to force
David to reimburse Lorrie for her half of the house. Six weeks later, a check came and
they went and bought everything they'd shopped for. I'd forgotten that Lorrie had our
freezer.
Damon had a half way good computer and I insisted he connect it to a faster Ethernet
hardwire network. With the money, Lorrie bought the remainder of the batteries and an
inverter. Finally, Derek caved in and we moved his ton of batteries. Finished? You're
never finished, but sometimes you get pretty damned close. The day the final delivery
came in and all the tanks were topped off, I went outside, faced west and stuck out my
tongue. Gary, be careful what you wish for, God has a sense of humor.
Where the hell was Ronald anyway? Cedar Hill, New Mexico, if I remember right. Clar-
ence was wherever he was. Alive or dead, I had no idea. They didn't call me and I didn't
call them. If AA has its own Heaven, we'll get together then. Sort of sounds like a Hank
William's Jr. song.
When TSHTF, most people won't be ready; we were ready, therefore, TSHTF probably
wouldn't happen. Gunny Martinez was still around and came out to shoot most Satur-
days. However, he got himself a new girlfriend and we didn't see quite so much of him.
A quick head count came up with Sharon and me, 2; Derek's family, 4; Damon, Lorrie
and Jeffrey, 3; Amy's tribe, 3; and Gunny and his girlfriend, 2. Total = 14. Two more pair
of bunks and we'd all have a place to sleep.
70
I suggested that someone ought to think about putting in 2 more pairs of bunks in the
shelter. They could copy the bunks that were already there. After Sunday dinner, Derek,
Damon and Gunny left to take measurements. When they came back, the opinion
seemed to be that it was doable, barely. They would get the materials, precut the pieces
and assemble them in the shelter. It would be up to me to find the mattresses.
"I'll find them. I’ll tell you what, though. Y'all better be thinking about which bunk is yours
and putting the clothes you need down there now. If everything you need is down there,
all you'll need is your BOB and your weapons."
"What BOBs?"
"You don't have BOBs? It's a bug out bag that you carry a few essentials in so no matter
where you are when TSHTF, you can get by for a short while."
"Do you have one?"
"Yep. It's a military style fanny pack with a multi-tool, one of the inserts from a survival
knife handle, a box of ammo, a lifeboat ration, several bags of water, a handgun and fire
starting materials. I never go anywhere, so that's enough for me."
A discussion ensued and they decided that they all ought to have some sort of BOB that
would be appropriate to their circumstances. I made notes because I realized the Amy
didn't have anything, she probably didn't keep her tank full and probably didn't have any
spare gas. I decided to put something together for her. I called up and told her to come
up the following weekend. I figured she needed a car kit, a couple of cans of gas and
some rations. She didn't like guns but I didn't care.
I hurried and put together a Mini-14 with a folding stock, 7 30-round magazines (PMI), 2
jerry cans of gas, a case of MREs, a case of water, a Leatherman, a hunting knife, etc. I
plotted the shortest route to Winslow, 177 miles – ~3¼ hours, and made up a new map.
The fastest route was 25 miles longer and 20 minutes quicker, she could choose based
on the circumstances. I had it in mind to ask Sharon to buy the kids just enough clothes
that we could stock the shelter for Audrey and Udell. Amy and Sharon wore the same
size.
"Amy that gas is for one thing and one thing only, to get you here. I can refill your tank
and the cans when you come here, but whatever you do, don't use those cans for any-
thing else. They're stabilized and should be good for a year. There's a small rifle sighted
in for 100-yards, some ammo, food and other things you might need. I made up a map
of two ways to get here. If I-17 is clogged, you go the other way; it's shorter but takes a
little longer. I also picked up a CB for your SUV and Damon will install it."
71
I've got this friend who is lonely

She's afraid she'll never find her one and only
A little shy but she can be fun
If the right guy came along
Would you know someone?
I've got this friend and it sounds crazy

But he's been feeling that way too a whole lot lately
And interested, oh I'm sure he'd be
I can almost speak for him
He's that close to me
Maybe in each other

They might find a lover
They've been missin' until now
They'd trust the judgment of
Two friends like us who care so much
Can we get them together...somehow
I've got this friend

Yeah, I think I know her
My arms can almost feel the way he'd hold her
It's like he's here when you describe him
And if he's anything like you I'm sure she'd like him
This is not about trying to go back in time

This is not about where I'll be a year down the line
It's just moment to moment, surviving somehow
This is not about then, this is just about now
Can we get them together...I've got this friend
That's the Faith Hill tune that a certain blond used to capture me, a very long time ago…
I've made some dumb mistakes in my life, but that one was a Lulu.
"You're crazy Dad, nothing is going to happen."
"Good. Do me a favor just once and humor me. Keep those MREs in your apartment
because heat will cause them to spoil much sooner than normal. Whenever you take a
road trip, always take this stuff with you."
72
If you're looking for TSHTF in this chapter, I'll tell you right now, it doesn't happen, but
we're getting very, very close. There is some speculation that Beijing might use the
2008 Olympic Games as a cover to attack Taiwan. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad –
Beijing 2008 will take place from 8 to 24 August 2008. The Games in Beijing will play
host to the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic program. Approximately 10,500
athletes are expected to participate in the Games with around 20,000 accredited media
bringing the Games to the world. It occurs to me that that amounts to 30,500 hostages.
Concern over a formal declaration of de jure Taiwanese independence is a strong impe-

tus for the military buildup between Taiwan and mainland China. Some people believe
that Taiwan will attempt a declaration of independence during the 2008 Olympic Games
in Beijing. Others point out that the current US administration has publicly declared that
given the status quo, it would not aid Taiwan if it were to declare independence unilat-
erally.
The Taiwanese couldn't agree last time to declare independence and Dick and Condie,
together with Putin got China to back off.
From the perspective of the ROC constitution, which the mainstream political parties
such as the KMT and DPP currently respect and recognize, changing the ROC’s gov-
erning status or completely clarifying Taiwan’s political status would at best require
amending the ROC constitution. In other words, if reunification supporters wanted to re-
unify Taiwan with the mainland in such a way that would effectively abolish the ROC or
affect the ROC’s sovereignty, or if independence supporters wanted to abolish the ROC
and establish a Republic of Taiwan, they would need to amend the ROC constitution.
Passing an amendment requires an unusually broad political consensus, which includes
approval from three-quarters of a quorum of members of the Legislative Yuan. This
quorum requires at least three-quarters of all members of the Legislature. After passing
the legislature, the amendments need ratification from at least fifty percent of all eligible
voters of the ROC, irrespective of voter turnout.
Given these harsh constitutional requirements, neither the pan-greens nor pan-blues
can unilaterally change Taiwan’s political and legal status with respect to the ROC’s
constitution. However, extreme Taiwan independence supporters view the ROC’s con-
stitution as illegal and therefore believe that amendments to the ROC constitution are
an invalid way to change Taiwan’s political status.
The possibility of war, the close geographical proximity of ROC-controlled Taiwan and
PRC-controlled mainland China, and the resulting flare-ups that occur every few years,
conspire to make this one of the most watched focal points in the Pacific. Both sides
have chosen to have a strong naval presence. However, naval strategies between both
powers greatly shifted in the 1980s and 1990s, when the PRC assumed a more aggres-
sive posture by building landing craft, and Taiwan adopted a more defensive attitude by
building and buying frigates and missile destroyers.
73
The PRC's air force is considered large and powerful, although it is not yet capable of
controlling Taiwan's airspace in the event of a conflict. The ROC's air force relies on
Taiwan's second generation fighters. The ROC has approximately 150 US-built F-16s,
approximately 60 French-built Mirage 2000-5s, and approximately 130 locally devel-
oped IDFs (Indigenous Defense Fighters). All of these ROC fighter jets are able to con-
duct BVR (Beyond Visual Range) combat missions with respective BVR missiles, while
only a handful of PRC fighter airplanes are able to conduct such tasks.
In 2003, the ROC made a purchase of four missile destroyers – the former USS Kidd
and three sister ships (modified Spruance class), and expressed a strong interest in the
Arleigh Burke class. But with the growth of the PRC navy and air force, some doubt that
the ROC could withstand a determined invasion from mainland China in the future. This
also leads to a view that Taiwanese independence, if it is to be implemented, should be
attempted as early as possible while the ROC still had the capacity for an all-out military
conflict. Over the last three decades, estimates of how long Taiwan can withstand a full
scale invasion from across the Strait without any outside help have decreased from
three months to only six days. Given such estimates, the US Navy has continued in
practicing "surging" its carrier groups, giving it the experience necessary to respond
quickly due to an attack on Taiwan. The US also collects data on the PRC's military de-
ployments, such as through the use of spy satellites. It would take days, if not weeks,
for China to prepare for a full assault on Taiwan, so the US and Taiwan would have
some time to prepare for an attack.
However, numerous reports issued by the PRC, ROC and US militaries make wildly mu-
tually contradictory statements about the possible defense of Taiwan.
Naturally, the possible war is not being planned in a vacuum. In 1979, the US Congress
passed the Taiwan Relations Act, a law generally interpreted as mandating US defense
of Taiwan in the event of an attack from the Chinese Mainland (the Act is applied to
Taiwan and the Pescadores, but not to Quemoy and Matsu). The United States main-
tains the world's largest permanent fleet in the Pacific Region near Taiwan. The Sev-
enth Fleet, operating primarily out of various bases in Japan, is a powerful naval contin-
gent built upon the world's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Kitty
Hawk. Although the stated purpose of the fleet is not Taiwanese defense, it is safely as-
sumed from past action that that is one of the reasons why the fleet is stationed in those
waters.
Since 2000, Japan renewed its defense obligations with the US and also embarked on a
rearmament program, partly in response to fears that Taiwan would be invaded. Some
analysts believed that the PRC could launch pre-emptive strikes on military bases in
Japan to deter US and Japanese forces from coming to Taiwan's aid. Japanese strate-
gic planners also see an independent Taiwan as vital, not only because Taiwan controls
valuable shipping routes, but its capture by China would make Japan more vulnerable.
Historically, in WW II, although the US captured the Philippines, another viable target
would have been Taiwan as that would enable a direct attack on Japan. However, crit-
74
ics assert that the PRC would not wish to give Japan and the US such an excuse to in-
tervene.
I was also keeping an eye on the Middle East. Iran had stopped supplying oil to anyone
except favored neighbors who didn't need much and the PRC. Because they supplied ¼
of the world's oil, it severely strained the Saudis to make up the difference. All the other
Middle East countries were pumping and shipping oil at maximum capacity. It wasn't
enough and the price of gasoline kept creeping up.
Which was fine, in a way, Detroit was producing more hybrid vehicles and E85 certified
vehicles. The 2006 H-1 Hummer was the last year that size vehicle had been produced
except for the military. Ah, the military. With the troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq,
budgets got cut big time. Frustrated with so many failures of so many of the newer sys-
tems, the US Army adopted the SCAR-L rifle as its official rifle. It was very flexible and
almost everyone was happy with the new weapon.
The US Marine Corps, after its experience with the 5.56mm M16s and M4s and the
9mm M9s, adopted the SCAR-H rifle and the SA HD .45. It's ok folks, Robert McNama-
ra had passed away. They adopted the SCAR-H CQC as the weapon of choice for
combat vehicles, mainly because of its compact size. Personally, I don't care for the
SCAR, but at least the Marines are using the 7.62×51mm and .45 ACP weapons. That
means more of the 7.62mm and .45ACP overruns. How many times must we learn the
same lesson? The .38 is a 9mm and in the Philippines, it didn't work out and they had to
resort to Colt Peacemakers.
Derek bought a second FAL rifle, this one was for Mary. I ordered her a SA HD .45. The
dealer told me it would take a week to get it in; SA couldn't build them fast enough since
the Corps had adopted it. He had the 13-round magazines and I bought 4 more. Derek
told me the MOLLE gear was crap. I didn't care, I loved ALICE. Yeah, I know, it was
from the Vietnam era. It lasted for a very long time before they 'improved' it with MOLLE
and MOLLE II. Not everything is bad because it wasn't invented THIS year. I'm just sur-
prised the Marines didn't resurrect the M14; they used a lot of them in Iraq.
In anticipation of the forthcoming Olympics, several CSGs set sail from the west coast.
They slipped them out one at a time and nobody took particular notice. We moved slow-
ly into summer and Derek was off for 2 weeks doing his summer whatever. I was out on
my ATV cutting loose the brush as it grew. I kept a sharp lookout for those rattlers. If
you let them, they will slither away rather than confront you. I made plenty of noise; they
had to hear me coming.
When we finally had a little cash on hand, I gave a bunch to Gunny and told him the
next time he went to the Res; I needed all the Kool 100's (box) the money could buy. He
75
complained I was getting him to do my dirty work. I asked him if he knew anyone else
with a Tac-50. I gave him 10 crisp new $100 bills. When I heard a news snippet on TV,
we went to Costco and loaded up again. I also called Amy and suggested that she
come and visit for most of August, I'd make it worth her while.
After the earlier scare with China, they advanced the construction schedule of the Bush.
She was supposed to join the fleet 2009, but she was undergoing final trials, well ahead
of the revised schedule. I had a sinking feeling that she'd soon be sailing around the
horn and headed out to join the Reagan. They had already assembled her aviation
group and as soon as the ship was signed off, they could land on her. Originally she
was schedule to join the fleet in 2008 but they'd slipped the date. They must be working
overtime now.
I was getting so nervous, I called Ammoman and ordered 20 cases of ammo, 5 of

.45ACP and 15 of 7.62×51mm. He had the stuff on stripper clips in bandoleers and it
was Lake City overruns. Absolutely fricking perfect! He also had some Talon Blue Tip
Incendiary (.50BMG) so I bought 200 rounds. Gunny had all of the reloaded ammo and
I'd replaced every round we'd ever shot. We weren't short on .50BMG.
Sharon told me we had too much coffee, so I bought another 36 cans. She said we
were long on toilet paper too, so I only bought 24 packages of that. That $1,000 got me
40 cartons of Kool’s. She said we had way too many pinto beans so I bought more and
300# of rice (I had a full case of Beano).
The Triumf S-400, also known as the S-300PMU3, is a new generation of air defense
and theater anti-missile weapon developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau as an
evolution of the S-300PMU [SA-10] family. This new system is intended to detect and
destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 km (2-2.5 times greater than the pre-
vious S-300PMU system). The main difference between the PMU-2 and the S-400 is
greater engagement range of the latter, about 250 mi. against aircraft versus 125 mi., a
larger number of targets it can track and improved electronic counter-countermeasures.
The Triumf system includes radars capable of detecting low-signature targets. And the
anti-missile capability of the system has been increased to the limits established by the
ABM Treaty demarcation agreements – it can intercept targets with velocities of up to
4.8 km/sec, corresponding to a ballistic missile range of 3,500 km.
What you see above is the public version that is on Global Security.
In Moscow, a conversation took place late in June of 2008. I've translated it for you.
"Comrade President."
"Report."
76
"The new warheads are ready. The S-300VM can intercept anything that they throw at
us."
"By they you mean any nuclear power?"
"Da. The missile has been upgraded and extended beyond the range permitted by the
ABM Treaty. The new warheads produce a 5kT blast. We have made several tests of
the missiles but haven't had an opportunity to test the new warhead."
"What were the results of the tests?"
"98%+ probability of a knock down of a missile warhead and 100% probability of a

knock down of an enemy bomber. The 2500 system has been designed to incorporate
multiple radar emitters to set up a bi-static array, which separates transmitter and re-
ceiver. Such an array picks up signals deflected below or to the side of stealth aircraft
shaped and coated for reflecting radar beams."
"And the funding?"
"Fully funded and fully deployed, Comrade President."
"Yes, Comrade General, what is it?"
"Perhaps a demonstration to the Chinese and the Americans?"
"I think not. They know of the S-400 and believe that we didn't complete this program.
You could perhaps arrange a test at sea that we could deny?"
"Perhaps from a Sovremenny class guided missile destroyer, Da?"
"Camouflage it to look like one we sold to the Chinese."
"Da, Comrade President."
THAAD is scheduled for deployment in 2011. The MEADS program is currently execut-
ing a thirty two and half month Risk Reduction Effort (RRE) phase. The primary objec-
tives of RRE are to develop program cost and schedule consensus to mature critical
technologies, and prepare program planning for entry into the Design and Development
(D&D) Phase at Milestone B in 2004. The D&D Phase is currently planned to be a six
year, ten month effort producing six MEADS Fire Units with the First Unit Equipped in
FY12. The D&D Phase will be executed under an International Memorandum (MOU)
between the participating nations. The overall procurement objective of 1,159 PAC-3
missiles remains unchanged. The larger purchases in FY-03 and FY-04 may be offset
77
by lower production in FY-08 and FY-09. Instead of buying 216 missiles in each of those
years, DOD would receive 184 units annually.
In the FY2006 budget request, DOD terminated some programs whose cost-
effectiveness no longer warranted their continuation, such as the C-130J and the Joint
Common Missile. The HAWK missile and warhead were modified to allow the HAWK to
better engage enemy ballistic missiles. Specifically, the upgrade improved the HAWK's
missile fuse and warhead which resulted in an "improved lethality missile." Additionally,
improvements to the launcher made the HAWK more mobile and better able to interface
with the missiles. The total HAWK inventory is 37,000 and only the Marines have them.
Had I been in charge, I would not have abrogated the ABM Treaty until we had a work-
ing missile system or three. All this time the US thought that nobody had a workable
ABM system that would work against both missiles and stealth bombers. However, if
you remember, only Russia and France was putting stuff into orbit with any degree of
certainty. We could launch satellites but had to depend on the Russians to reach the
ISS.
Once we had a dependable, flyable ABM missile, we should have started building them.
And then, when they finally got THAAD and MEADS to work the way they should, they
could fit the electronics. Coulda, woulda and shoulda are all members of AA.
This is a breaking news alert. Sources revealed that an anti-ballistic missile test using a
nuclear warhead was conducted earlier today in the Pacific Ocean. The test, which was
obviously timed to coincide with Independence Day, was successful with the ABM suc-
cessfully intercepting a missile fired from a ship in the North Pacific. Both vessels have
been identified as Russian build Sovremenny class guided missile destroyers sold to
the People's Republic of China. Beijing denied conducting any missile tests.
"They'd deny it if we had pictures," Gunny said.
"If the test was successful, why would they deny it? I don't know Gunny, one Russian
destroyer looks just like another Russian destroyer. Why do they assume it was the
Chinese?"
"That's above my pay grade Tom."
"I think that all we can say with any degree of certainty is that the target and interceptor
were launched from Russian built ships. Both Russia and China have those."
"Does anyone else?"
"Not that class. Are you going to marry her?"
78
"Norma? I've thought about asking her, but haven't. How long have you been married?"
"Sharon and I got married in 1976. We got divorced in 1997 and remarried in 1999."
"Why did you do that?"
"I thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence."
"Was it?"
"Yes, but it had stuff in it."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Broken glass, rocks, barbed wire and rattlesnakes. Got myself cut to ribbons and bit on
the butt."
"A case of wrong-headed thinking?"
"Yeah, I guess. The first one got tired of me and the second one never really liked me."
"Slow learner?"
"Very slow."
"I read your stories."
"What did you think?"
"Who are the 3 amigos?"
"Ron Brown, Clarence Floyd and me."
"The three of you always seemed to win your fights and never get hurt."
"We never gave the other guy an even break. We aren't part of the military and didn't
sign any convention. If you are sure they're a bad guy, shoot 'em in the back. If you
don't know 'em, avoid them if you can."
"And if you can't?"
"Keep 'em covered and never bunch up."
"Think we're going to have a war?"
"Yep, but I don't know when or with whom."
79
"Care to guess?"
"Russia, China, Iran or maybe Iraq."
"I can see the first two, they're large nuclear powers, by why Iran and Iraq?"
"Terrorists. According to the paper, Iran was supplying the Iraqi insurgents with the IEDs
that could blow up our vehicles. They've never stopped enriching uranium and they
might have a bomb."
"How would they know how to build a bomb?"
"That guy from Pakistan. I can't remember his name anymore but he was helping peo-
ple with nuclear weapons."
"Are you talking about that guy named Khan?"
"That's the guy Gunny. Khan confessed to sharing nuclear technology with Iran, Libya,
and North Korea in a 12-page document presented to President Pervez Musharraf, ac-
cording to a briefing given by government officials in Islamabad."
"Where did you hear that?"
"I read it in the Christian Science Monitor."
"When?"
"I can't remember, but it was while we lived in Palmdale."
It seems to me that it was back in 2004 but I wasn't sure. I was sure about one thing,
the Cold War had been between the US and Russia. I'd read the article that talked
about the Russian's playing with danger by supplying the Chinese. Putin must have
promised them something to get them to back off Taiwan. Only Putin and the Chinese
knew for sure, but Condie and Dick had been there, so maybe they knew. If it was any-
thing that wasn't in the best interests of the USA, they didn't.
Condoleezza Rice spoke the language the European nations, Russia and China wanted
to hear before she met their representatives in Vienna Thursday, June 1, to discuss
their incentives package for cajoling Iran into abandoning its proscribed nuclear activi-
ties. The US Secretary of State said the US was willing to join European allies in direct
talks with Iran - provided Iran abandoned its uranium enrichment program. Tehran pre-
dictably dismissed the offer as propaganda and presenting no “new and rational solu-
80
tion” to Iran’s nuclear case. The enrichment program would go on, declared Iran’s for-
eign minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Rice had her answers ready for that response. Anticipating an Iranian brush-off, the US
has already begun implementing its own package of sanctions. As Rice put it, “We’re
prepared to go either way.”
She also made it clear that the United States would not “swear off ever using military
action.”
The two parties are therefore closer to a collision course – first financial and, further
down the road, military – than to dialogue.
Washington has also taken into account that its allies will not go along with stringent
penalties for Iran’s refusal to give up activities that could lead to the production of a nu-
clear weapon. Russia and China are too heavily staked in business with Tehran to go
along with this measure. And even if UN financial sanctions became feasible, it would
take two to three years for them to bite. The Islamic republic has piled up $50 billion in
reserve assets from rocketing oil prices, a solid cushion against real damage during the
period it needs to complete its weapons programs.
With this timeline in mind, the US Treasury has begun activating a go-it-alone program
targeting the personal finances of Iranian officials in foreign banks and government
transactions, with a view to cutting the regime’s access to foreign currency and global
markets and its isolation in the regime in the international financial community.
Three weeks ago, American emissaries began quietly visiting banks and financial insti-
tutions in West Europe and Asia. They showed the heads of these institutions lists of
Iranian firms, industries and private tycoons associated in one way or another with
Iran’s nuclear effort. They then indicated that American banking and corporate doors
would slam shut against any financial bodies continuing to do business with the black-
listed Iranians. Our sources report that the Americans were pleasantly surprised by the
success of this quiet campaign.
Many of the banking and financial bodies lobbied in this way were quick to cut their ties
with the named Iranians, with immediate impact: A loud outcry arose in Tehran’s central
bazaar where most business with foreigners is contracted.
During this period, Iran has activated assets of its own – the surrogate terrorist groups
the Islamic Republic maintains across the Middle East.
81
This land is mine, God gave this land to me

This brave and ancient land to me
And when the morning sun reveals her hills and plain
Then I see a land where children can run free.
So take my hand and walk this land with me

And walk this lovely land with me
Though I am just a man, when you are by my side
With the help of God, I know I can be strong.
Though I am just a man, when you are by my side

With the help of God, I know I can be strong
To make this land our home
If I must fight, I'll fight to make this land our own
Until I die, this land is mine.
That was the theme to Exodus. It was written by Pat Boone.
Washington sources report that President George W. Bush’s phone call to Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert Wednesday night was more than a courtesy briefing on the Rice
announcement. They held a down-to-earth discussion on the efforts needed to repulse
Iran’s already-unfolding campaign of violence.
Another asset Tehran proposes to field is the supply-and-operations network it has

planted in Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian areas – mainly to target Israel. Israel’s
security situation has deteriorated sharply in the last two weeks on two fronts, the Leba-
nese and the Gaza borders. Faced with US sanctions, the Iranian regime proposes to
cash in on a third asset by buttressing the Hamas government’s backbone and its ability
to stand up to international isolation as the head of Palestinian government.
This tactic has not been lost on Hamas’s rival, Palestinian Authority chairman and Fatah
leader Mahmoud Abbas. Even though the Bush administration and Olmert government
are wooing him intensely to block Hamas, Abbas tends to lean more towards Moscow
than Washington. Consequently, while Fatah and Hamas continue their internal feud,
there are indications that in the final resort the two Palestinian groups may hook up so
as not to miss the opportunity developing over the last few hours of gaining Iran as a
strategic partner against Israel.
I figure it was only going to end one way, Israeli bombers would take out every Iranian
Nuclear asset. They'd done it to Iraq, why not Iran? I had no idea what we had supplied
the Israelis with in terms of bombs, but if we hadn't supplied what they needed, they had
82
a couple of hundred of their own, and I was pretty sure THOSE bombs were up to the
task.
On July 17th, a Chinese Kilo class submarine was on patrol off the coast from Vladivos-
tok. I've translated the conversation for you.
"Conn, Sonar."
"Conn, Aye."
"We have a target bearing 80° relative; it appears to be a Sovremenny class guided
missile destroyer, range 20,000 meters."
"Bring us to periscope depth."
"Periscope depth, aye."
"Sonar, Conn."
"Sonar, Aye."
"What is the vessel's course?"
"Conn, Sonar, 270° true."
"XO, load tubes 1 through 6. Raise the scope."
"Range 14,000 meters, bearing 71°. Down scope."
"Sonar, Conn."
"Sonar, aye."
"Estimated speed of the vessel?"
"Conn, Sonar, 14 knots."
"XO plot a solution."
"XO, aye."
"Raise the scope."
"Range 9,000 meters, bearing 59°, speed unchanged. Down scope."
83
"Solution laid in Captain."
"Fire tubes 1 through 6 on my mark."
"Fire tubes 1 through 6 on your mark, Aye."
"Fire."
"Firing tubes 1 through 6, Aye."
"Running time?"
"Sixty seconds."
The men watched the second sweep hand of the large clock. At 61 seconds they heard
the first explosion follow by 3 more."
"Raise the scope."
"XO, take a look. Call out what you see."
"She's rolling, down by the head… She's capsized and sinking… She's down."
"Sonar, Conn."
"Sonar, Aye."
"Report."
"She's breaking up Conn. I hear compartments collapsing."
"Conn, Aye."
"Will they blame us?"
"A Russian built submarine sinking a Russian Guided Missile Destroyer? I think not."
American SOSUS operators heard the whole thing. They were tracking the destroyer
and heard her sink. A quick check with the CNO revealed the US didn't have any sub-
marines in the area.
Russia lodged a protest of the sinking of one of its Guide Missile Destroyers with the
UN. They stated that the Destroyer had been sunk by an unknown party. The American
Ambassador to the UN reported that the United States had no subs in the area. He went
on to say that the US did have submarines in the general area of Taiwan.
84
°
Any action to defend these 24 acres of sand would be too much action, I wasn't THAT
old, but I felt every minute of my 65 years. Manufactured housing had its advantages
and its disadvantages. The principal advantage was the price, relatively inexpensive.
The major disadvantage was that it wasn't as sturdy as a conventional home. At Sha-
ron's insistence, the well house was made out of filled in concrete block and had a gal-
vanized (tin) roof. She claimed that would help to keep it from burning up our supplies. I
wasn't so sure; we had all those bottles of vegetable oil stored in there.
The first event in what would later be called WW III had been the sinking of the Russian
destroyer. The second was the Israeli attack on Iran in early August. Using several
flights of fighter bombers, they dropped precision munitions on the Iranian targets. The
facilities located below ground were hit by ground bursting nukes. The nation of Israel
was on full alert, just waiting for retaliation. With the exception of Egypt and Jordan,
their neighbors ganged up on them.
My fellow Americans,
I was informed by the Israeli Prime Minister that they had several flights of fighter
bombers inbound to Iran. Satellite surveillance reveals that Israel used both convention
and non-conventional weapons, and totally destroyed Iran's nuclear program.
Russia and China immediately filed protests with the United Nations and several of Is-
rael's neighbors are mobilizing. Congress has issued a Joint Resolution in support of
Israel.
As Commander-in-Chief, it is my decision to provide logistical support to Israel but not

to commit our military forces. I have issued such directives as are necessary to fulfill
that commitment.
In light of the situation, I have raised the readiness condition of our military forces to
DEFCON-3 and the Department of Homeland Security has raised the threat level to Or-
ange for the country and to Red for select cities.
FEMA recommends that every person in the United States prepare for possible difficul-
ties by securing a two week supply of food, water and medications.
Over the past several weeks, most of our naval forces have left their home ports and
are now at their action stations. We do not want war with any nation. However, our forc-
es remain on alert.
Please stay tuned for announcements by FEMA about necessary preparations.
Thank you and goodnight.
85
God Bless America.
"Katie bar the door, here come the Indians."
"Hey, that wasn't nice."
"Sorry Gunny, it's just an expression."
"What do you have for supplies, Tom?"
"Ten of the one-year deluxe foods supplies from Walton Feed, and a lot of stuff from
Costco. The shelter sleeps 14 now and has enough food in it for 100 days. There's a
place for you and Norma."
"You've been planning for this, haven't you?"
"Yes and no. If you prepare and don't need it, you've wasted money. If you don't pre-
pare and do need it, money can't buy it when you need it."
"What brought you to Winslow?"
"An argument between Sharon and Amy and a U-Haul truck; Sharon picked Winslow,
not me."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"We have to get the potatoes out of the ground."
"I'll take a couple of days off, we aren't busy anyway."
"Thanks."
"Call Amy and tell her to get her butt up her."
"Shouldn't she wait?"
"That fine with me, she doesn't like me anyway. Gunny and I are going to dig the pota-
toes. If there is anything you need, Mary and you should go to Prescott and get it."
"How are you on cigarettes?"
86
"That's like toilet paper, you can never have too many."
"We don't need anything else that I can think of."
"I'll ask Gunny to go to the Res, can we spare $1,000?"
"I suppose. Are we really going to have a war?"
"I hope not. It does look like it; it reminds me of the Cuban Missile Crisis."
"What do you mean?"
"Tensions are high. Russia and China are mad at Israel and we're backing them.
Somebody tested an ABM in June and it worked, so they might think they're invincible. If
we do have a war, I know who is going to win."
"Who is that?"
"The cockroaches. Moscow is GMT plus 3. Beijing is GMT plus 8. We are GMT minus 7.
That puts Moscow 10 hours ahead of us and Beijing 15 hours ahead of us. Any attack
against us would come in the middle of the night. I think I'd better stay up nights and
sleep days until we know what is going to happen."
"Should we expect a terrorist attack?"
"If they're already here, it might be possible, otherwise, I doubt it."
If I were giving odds, I'd say there was a 66% chance that WW III was going to happen.
However, in 1962, I was figuring the odds at 95% and it didn't happen then. I was as
frightened now as I had been in 1962, with one difference; I was 19 years old then, now
I was 65. I was single then, now I had grandchildren.
"Damon, why don't you call Britt and get your kids to visit us?"
"They're in school Dad."
"Call Mutt then and tell her this is the real thing. At least they can build a shelter in the
basement."
"Should I go get the kids?"
"How far is it?"
"1,500 miles, about 24 hours each way."
87
"Call her first. If she doesn't believe you, I'll give you the money for gas and you can
take Sharon's car. Don't plan on getting a lot of rest. You'd better be able to make the
round trip in less than 60 hours."
Carrie told Damon he was crazy. She had that right, but she wouldn't even listen to him
about putting in a basement shelter. I gave him the keys to the car and $500. Gunny
and I put 4 cans of gas in the trunk and off he went.
I later learned that he'd gotten to Britt and checked into a motel. He'd picked the kids up
when they were getting out of school and told them he'd give them a ride home. He had
Sharon's cell phone and called Carrie from I-35, telling her he taken the kids to grand-
pa's house for a visit and not to look for him. The kids were safe and he was entitled to
a visit. They didn't know what kind of car to look for and Carrie thought that we still lived
in Palmdale. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Apparently she decided not
to call the cops.
Gunny and I dug the potatoes, and while he was on the Res getting me cigarettes, I
went into Winslow and picked up 4 air mattresses. I didn't know the kids sizes and
picked up an assortment of jeans, shirts and underwear. We moved a bit of extra food
into the shelter and Sharon had all of our tanks topped off. That left us flat-ass broke.
Amy showed up and she was very angry about coming to Winslow. Damon was back
from Iowa in 58 hours.
The third and final event that triggered WW III occurred near the end of the 2008 Olym-
pic Games when Taiwan formally declared independence. The moment the Games
ended, China expelled all of the participants. Damon called Carrie and told her the kids
were safe at Grandpa's and not to come looking. As soon as the situation warranted, he
bring the kids back to Britt. He used Sharon's cell phone and Carrie had Caller ID. All
she knew was we were in Arizona, Sharon's cell phone had a Flagstaff exchange.
Carrie was very angry. She insisted on speaking to me.
"Are you behind this?"
"Yes. If this blows over, the kids will be back in Iowa in no time with a bunch of new
clothes, we'll find the money to fly them home or Damon will bring them back. I really
think that you should put in a basement shelter, Carrie. You are directly east of several
of our Minuteman silos."
"Where are you?"
"Sedona, Arizona. If something should happen, the kids are safe, I have a bomb shel-
ter."
88
"You're as crazy as Damon."
"Worse, I've had more practice."
"I want them back here by the first of October and no later."
"Ok, I promise."
"Promise what?"
"To try and have them back by October 1st."
"If they aren't, I'm calling the cops."
"Ok, you do what you must, but we'll try to have them back by then."
It would be just my luck that nothing would happen, like the last time, and I would end
up in trouble with the law. Aaron and Eric slept in one of our bedrooms and Britney in
the other. Damon gave the leftover money back to Sharon and she took Britney shop-
ping for some ladies undergarments and exchanged some of the wrong sized garments
I'd purchased.
I called Iowa and asked Matt if he could possibly make the Trust dispersion early under
the present circumstances. By the 4th Wednesday of September 2008, the 24th, we
were liquid again. We pulled all of the money out of the two bank accounts in cash. If
something did happen, it would be the last cash we would see and in the early days fol-
lowing an event, some people might accept cash. We let the kids call back to Iowa as
much as they wanted and that served to keep Carrie pacified. I think Britney probably
told her mother that they were in Winslow.
During the nighttime hours of Thursday September 25, possible early Friday, Septem-
ber 26, China attacked the US, Russia and Israel. In turn, Russia attacked China, the
US and Israel. However, Russia waited until they had satellite data before selecting
their targets, thereby greatly increasing the number of US targets.
For our part, we blasted China into the Stone Age. Russia, it seems had an ABM sys-
tem that was rather effective and it took out ~90% of our warheads. Our B-2 bombers
were withheld until we had a damage assessment. We made 3 successive attacks with
the B-2s before Russia also became a Stone Age country.
The lesson is that no matter how effective your ABM system seems to be, it can be
overwhelmed and the units it depends on for targeting can be destroyed. A determined
89
enemy can empty his warehouses and use up his nuclear weapons as long as he can
keep his bombers flying. The majority of our weapons had been targeted on Russia and
at least 250 got through in the first wave.
If you have a list of the 100 largest cities in the US, you have a beginning of the target
list used by the Chinese and the Russians. A small nuclear weapon took out the Wins-
low airport in a ground burst. You may recall the effect of a 1mT ground burst:
3,000 Rem
Distance: 30 miles
Much more than a lethal dose of radiation. Death can occur within hours of exposure.
About 10 years will need to pass before levels of radioactivity in this area drop low
enough to be considered safe, by US peacetime standards.
900 Rem
Distance: 90 miles
A lethal dose of radiation. Death occurs from two to fourteen days.
300 Rem
Distance: 160 miles
Causes extensive internal damage, including harm to nerve cells and the cells that line
the digestive tract, and results in a loss of white blood cells. Temporary hair loss is an-
other result.
90 Rem
Distance: 250 miles
Causes a temporary decrease in white blood cells, although there are no immediate
harmful effects. Two to three years will need to pass before radioactivity levels in this
area drop low enough to be considered safe, by US peacetime standards.
Radius of destructive circle: 1.7 miles

12 pounds per square inch
At the center lies a crater 200 feet deep and 1000 feet in diameter. The rim of this crater
is 1,000 feet wide and is composed of highly radioactive soil and debris. Nothing recog-
nizable remains within about 3,200 feet (0.6 miles) from the center, except, perhaps, the
remains of some buildings' foundations. At 1.7 miles, only some of the strongest build-
ings – those made of reinforced, poured concrete – are still standing. Ninety-eight per-
cent of the population in this area is dead.
Radius: 2.7 miles

5 psi
Virtually everything is destroyed between the 12 and 5-psi rings. The walls of typical
multi-story buildings, including apartment buildings, have been completely blown out.
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The bare, structural skeletons of more and more buildings rise above the debris as you
approach the 5-psi ring. Single-family residences within this area have been completely
blown away – only their foundations remain. Fifty percent of the population between the
12 and 5-psi rings are dead. Forty percent are injured.
Radius: 4.7 miles

2 psi
Any single-family residences that have not been completely destroyed are heavily dam-
aged. The windows of office buildings have been blown away, as have some of their
walls. The contents of these buildings' upper floors, including the people who were
working there, are scattered on the street. A substantial amount of debris clutters the
entire area. Five percent of the population between the 5 and 2-psi rings are dead. For-
ty-five percent are injured.
Radius: 7.4 miles

1 psi
Residences are moderately damaged. Commercial buildings have sustained minimal

damage. Twenty-five percent of the population between the 2 and 1-psi rings are in-
jured, mainly by flying glass and debris. Many others have been injured from thermal
radiation – the heat generated by the blast. The remaining seventy-five percent are un-
hurt.”
The weapon used on the airport was more like 100kT. It more or less missed its intend-
ed target striking east ~2 miles. Our homes survived with minor to moderate damage,
but we didn't know that. The well house came through intact as did the shelter. As you
can see from the following it does make a difference in the size of the weapon. A 100kT
bomb has a much smaller damage radius: 15 psi: 0.71 miles; 5 psi: 1.3 miles; 2 psi:
2.28 miles; 1 psi: 3.37 miles; 0.25 psi: 8.63 miles; and, 0.1 psi: 17.68 miles.
I was sitting at my computer working on something, probably another story. I had the TV
on, but I can't tell what was playing because I wasn't really watching TV. I heard the
tone and looked. They were flashing the TV version of the EAS message. I turned it up
and listened. It was a White House spokesman saying we were under attack with mis-
siles coming from China.
I grabbed the phone and called Derek. I wasn't sure what to say so I told him, "Red
Alert, we have incoming missiles from China."
Comment: On 6-20-06, the US placed its existing ABM's on active status. They also had
2 DDG's close enough to North Korea to possibly shoot the missile down in launch
phase. I'm thinking about offering my crystal ball for sale on E-Bay. I suspect the DDGs
91
have the Standard 3 missiles. My wife told me I could have a M1A for Christmas. I think
I'm having a heart attack!
92
Of course I didn't mention 10 magazines or the 5,000 rounds of ammo, but I can spread
that out over time. Maybe she'll buy me another PT1911 for my 66th birthday.
I repeated the call to Damon and he must have really been sleeping. "Red Alert, we
have incoming missiles from China."
"Huh?"
"This is not a drill; get your butts in the shelter."
Gunny was next on my list and I clicked save and shut my computer down while the
phone rang. "This is not a drill. Red Alert, we have incoming missiles from China."
Next I woke Sharon up and told her to wake up Amy while I took care of a few things.
Specifically, I need to get my computer to the shelter followed by the dogs and cats. I
yanked the cables and grabbed the computer, hauling it to the shelter entrance. Derek
was opening it up and I said, "Get my monitor, it's too heavy for me to carry."
I grabbed the speakers in one hand and the mouse and keyboard in the other. I dumped
them at the shelter entrance and went after the dogs. First I took Missy and went back
and got Scrappy. Sharon was holding Sassy and Pyewacket was in the kitchen begging
for food. Once we had the animals in the shelter, Amy and her kids climbed down. Mary,
Elizabeth and Joshua were already there. Damon came with Jeffrey and Lorrie and they
went down. I told Damon to lower the antenna mast and secure the wind turbines.
I went back to the house and grabbed the first box Sharon was filling from the refrigera-
tor. She started on a second and I got it too. When I got back, she was getting the fro-
zen goods from the refrigerator's freezer. I strapped on my guns, grabbed the Winches-
ter and then the box.
"Forget it dear, I don't know if we have time for everything."
"I need my sewing machines, they're computerized."
"Grab the portable and I'll get the boys."
"Hey, you two, come back up, I need your help. Get Sharon's sewing machines, they're
computerized."
"What about her computer?"
"Get that too, but hurry."
Just as they finished, Gunny and Norma pulled in.
93
"In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen. I now pronounce you husband
and wife, hurry up; they gave the notice 10 minutes ago."
We followed USS instructions to the letter and filled part of the tunnel with bags of
beans, rice and potatoes. I turned on a small flashlight and the dogs went back into the
tunnel. Then I did a nose count and we had everyone. Call me crazy but I had cable TV
in the shelter. I wanted to watch the end of the world on TV, if I could.
The first indication we had anything was happening was when national news feeds be-
gan popping off the air. We did know that both Air Force One and Air Force Two had
taken off, in different directions. I don't know and they didn't say, but I'd guess that the
President went to the nearest shelter. I mean really, would you want Dick Cheney run-
ning the country?
After a while the only news was coming from one local station, KNAZ, Flagstaff. Finally
even they went off the air. We sat, we talked, and we worried, me about the Winslow
airport. I don't know how long it was before we felt the ground shake, maybe an hour,
maybe two. It felt like an earthquake, but I knew better.
We were about 8 miles west of the crater the bomb created. If it had been 2 miles to the
west of the airport, we'd be alive, but the homes would be gone. The real question
would be how long could we hold out in the shelter. We probably had 0.3 psi, give or
take. I don't know and I don't really care. I can tell you that we were nearly out of food
before it was safe to come out. We couldn't afford even one of those fancy anti-radiation
suits. The best we had was some N-100 air masks.
The CD V-717 worked as advertised and went off scale. After 7 hours, the radiation lev-
el was ~ 300R and at 49 hours 30R. At 343 hours it was down to 3R and at 100 days
300mR. We could egress briefly, long enough to bring in more food and empty the
waste, but that was the extent of our outside time. We had been running on batteries,
periodically recharged by the generator. The longer we stayed, the smaller the shelter
became. When the radiation level finally hit 100mR, we bailed out of the shelter. That
was around day 125, seven raised to the 4.1 power.
"Slider, you stink."
"Line out of a movie?"
"Top Gun."
"That goes for everyone, Tom."
It took me a while to get here, but I warned you it would. We were ~8 miles from ground
zero of a 100kT nuclear weapon. Holbrook had gotten hit with a larger 300kT weapon.
Flagstaff had gotten hit with a similar sized weapon, 300kT. The furnaces in our homes
94
had been set on 55° as had been the heater in the well house. The weather was dry
and very, very cold. Between the 3 homes, we had 6 bathrooms and nearly ran out of
hot water, but everyone managed a shower.
At age 5+ Udell had been diagnosed as bi-polar, the same as Damon. I can tell you for
a fact that it was a very good thing that I had loaded up on Xanax. I had started out with
approximately 3,600 of the 0.5mg pills. I did not have a whole lot left even though I'd
been cutting them in half and only giving people 0.75mg a day (0.25mg TID). You might
say I was sort getting screwed without getting kissed.
I most definitely had not planned on our doing any scavenging like The Three Amigos
had in most of my stories. But I hadn't planned on being put in a situation where I had to
share my meds either. I had taken them only to sleep, ~ 240 pills. Another 2,400 had
been used to keep everyone from killing each other as tempers wore thin. I only had a
1½-year supply left, and I was rather upset about that. I had about the same amount left
of my other meds, so I wasn't too sure I'd see 67.
This was Arizona, not California, and there wasn't a pharmacy on every third street cor-
ner. On the other hand, we had 18 months to find me more. Damon and Udell Jr. didn't
have nearly the back stock I had. We had a lot of food left and plenty of toilet paper. I
wasn’t allowed to smoke in the shelter, but went to the tunnel, cutting my consumption
of smokes quite a bit. I needed a drink, man, did I need a drink; screw it, I had one.
The only vehicle we could get to start was my ATV.
"Do me a favor."
"Sure, what?"
"Lock up that booze where I can't get to it. We may need it for medicinal purposes later
and if you don't secure it, I'll drink it all up."
"I'll take it," Derek said.
"We need a vehicle."
"I should be able to Mary's pickup to run."
"How, Derek?"
"There a cardboard box in the shelter with a full set of spare ignition parts, alternator,
starter and computer. You can write off the Daewoo, there aren't any parts anywhere for
it."
95
"We need to get the wind turbines running."
"If they aren't burned out, we will. One thing at a time."
"Where are the nearest National Guard Armories?"
"Show Low, Flagstaff and Bellemont."
"Bellemont is Navajo Depot. That's probably a better bet than Show Low or Flagstaff.
The installation has three missions: (1) Operate a National Guard training site (2) Pro-
vide command and control of the Arizona Army National Guard force structure in North-
ern Arizona (3) Provide depot-level storage services to various DoD customers."
"About the same thing to the Army as MCLB, Barstow is to the Marines?"
"Munitions wise, anyway."
"Let's get things in order here and then we can go looking."
Even with the antenna mast fully raised, we didn't hear many people on the air. I hadn't
modified the TS-2000 and didn't know how. If we could, we could hear military frequen-
cies that weren't encrypted. While they tinkered with the Dodge pickup, I started a list.
We needed a SINCGARS radio, antenna and a power supply. We didn't really need
ammunition, I had plenty of that. The other thing on my list was drugs for everyone on a
prescription of any kind. Darn it was cold. The date was January 28, 2009.
I dug around and found the coat I'd bought in 1997 and hadn't worn in years. It was a
parka like coat I bought at Burlington Coat Factory when I was chasing after bimbo #2. I
guess if you don't wear them, they don't wear out. Although each of the homes had fire-
places, we didn’t have any firewood because a pile of firewood by another name was a
snake home. So prepared and yet, unprepared. I should have read more of my own sto-
ries. All those typos clearly indicated I wrote them but hadn't read them.
"Pickup runs."
"We'll try to find some old vehicles that weren't wiped out be EMP. It can't be too wide-
spread, if they did ground bursts."
"Oh really, it got ours?"
"We were close to a ground zero. However, are you sure it isn't just dead batteries? The
EMP from a ground burst is negligible."
"Why didn't you suggest that before I changed out all the parts in the Dodge?"
96
"I didn't occur to me. Don't assume dead batteries, only try to charge one. Whoever at-
tacked us could have detonated a high power weapon at a very high altitude. If they did
that, everything electronic is dead."
"Try your TV."
"That won't help; we have no signal on the cable box."
I'll be the first one to admit I'd slid a bit in the mental department. Most of it was still
there, but I had access problems. Getting old seems to start with your gums receding.
Then my teeth went followed by my eyes when I got cataracts. My teeth didn't fall out,
they broke. I had a lot of caps in my mouth. Somewhere along the line, I pretty much
lost the hearing in my right ear. You know the rest; I won't repeat it, again. I'd be 66 on
3-23-09, if I didn't freeze to death first. Did I say it was cold out?
We, they, lugged everything out of the shelter that had hurriedly been placed there be-
fore the warheads started falling. The food in the freezer was fine and Sharon had got-
ten anything that would spoil out of the refrigerator. The kids didn't have much left in the
way of leftovers to spoil. Triple redundancy had paid off; the food in the freezers was
still frozen solid. The vehicles were deader than a doornail. We hadn't burned a lot of
propane because the generator only kicked in when the batteries were discharged. On
the other hand, some of the electronics seemed to be ok. The wind turbines had been
shut down and hadn't burned out. If you can explain that, please let me know.
"Do you have a list of the things we need?"
"SINCGARS, antenna and power supply plus drugs for everyone on prescriptions.
That's all I could think of. I take any Kool’s you find."
"I suppose we ought to go see what we can find," Gunny suggested.
"I'll stay here and guard the home place. There are a whole lot of igloos at Navajo De-
pot, get anything we can use including vehicles."
"What kind of vehicles?"
"Well, I always wanted a Hummer with a Ma Deuce on the top. Anything you can find
that runs will be ok with me."
They left the next morning and were gone most of the day. Around sunset, I began to
get worried, but then the Army arrived. They had a Hummer with a Ma Deuce towing a
trailer of something and they had a modified LAV-III (M1126 Stryker equipped with a M2
machinegun) and a second Hummer, with a M240, towing a trailer of fuel.
97
"What in the fuel trailer?"
"JP-8."
"How about the other trailer?"
"A little of this, a little of that and mostly things I thought you would want," Derek
grinned.
They had stacked the inside of the Stryker full of .50 caliber belted ammo. The trailer
had an assortment of things I would like, M67 grenades, LAW rockets, C-4 with detona-
tors, Javelin missiles (4) and a half dozen of the M-4/M-203 carbines with ammo, gre-
nades and magazines. They had stopped at one pharmacy and cleaned them out of
everything I had listed. I sure wish pharmacies stocked more.
Gunny had a new rifle, an M107 and several cases of Mark 211 ammo. He gave me
back my cannon and also gave me some of the ammo. Maybe if I mount the Tac-50 on
a winch, I can shoot down helicopters. Mark 211 is also called Raufoss ammunition.
"What's for supper?"
"Beans."
"Tomorrow night?"
"Beans."
"White bean or pinto beans?"
"White beans."
"When do you make the goulash?"
"Wednesday."
The boys should feel right at home. That sounded a whole lot like my late wife's (Joyce)
menu. Sharon didn't use the same recipe for bread that Joyce and her mother used.
She used the recipe out of Better Homes and Garden cookbook. On her last trip to
Costco, she bought 300 pounds each of pinto beans, rice, flour and 3 jars of yeast. We
didn't have any buttermilk so she substituted powdered milk.
"Did you get me any smokes?"
98
"Next trip, Tom. We're going after more prescription drugs and cigarettes."
"You smoking now?"
"Might as well, if I don't get cancer from the fallout, someone will shoot me."
"God didn't let us live through this just to kill us off."
"How many do you figure?"
"I have no idea, 1, 2, 3 billion dead or dying."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't believe China had enough warheads to nuke Winslow. Therefore the Russians
must have been involved."
"How long will we have this Nuclear Winter?"
"The most correct answer is when it's over, but I don't really know. TTAPS suggest 6
months or longer, but it could go for several years. After, we'll get a nuclear summer and
high levels of ultra violet radiation. I think the best approach is to live life according to
the AA model, one day at a time. Derek has proven we can grow gardens so that will
probably be our primary source of food from now on. You need to think about things we
can't produce, drugs, toilet paper, propane, and gasoline. We can stabilize the gas and
it will last."
"Can you make me a list?"
"Yes. I can also suggest where you should look for certain things. You are most likely to
find PRI-D and PRI-G at marinas, for example. You should locate and haul all of the fuel
you can. Were there any LAV-25s at Navajo Depot?"
"I really don't know."
"Get some, they have the Bushmaster cannon. Get the 25mm ammo for them too. Most
armories don't have much ammo so you really need to get what you can at the depot.
See if you can find a minimum of two AN/PVS-27 Magnum Universal Night Sights. I
have the rail on the Tac-50 and will do something for the Super Match."
Derek told me that the little grenade holders on the sides of the magazine pouches were
very dangerous to use. He suggested hanging the grenades on my web gear or adding
a pouch just for them. I did as he suggested and used one magazine pouch for gre-
nades instead of magazines. I also got a LAW out of the carton and had Gunny explain
to me how to use it. I’ve seen the movies, but there is nothing like hands on experience
99
from a veteran who had actually used them. I kept the carton in the front hall closet and
told Sharon hands off.
They had made the trip on the 2nd day out of the shelter. On the 4th day, they made a
second trip with the Stryker. When they returned after dark, they had 2 more Hummers,
ammo, cigarettes and prescription drugs. They took another day off and on the 6th day
made their final trip for a while, this time coming back with a tanker vehicle full of JP-8,
fuel stabilizers and more drugs, smokes, ammo and 6 MUNS. Si vis pacem, para bel-
lum. - If you want peace, prepare for war.
Sharon had thawed a pair of baking hens for Sunday dinner. Al and Norma were staying
with Damon and Lorrie, but they need a place of their own. So did Amy, she wasn't tak-
ing this home over. On Monday they went to Show Low and returned with 2 new 16'
wide singlewides. They spent most of the week getting them installed. All we need now
was an inverter to bring us up to 40kw. Then I remember the 3.6kw inverter in the well
house and we were set. They went into Winslow and managed to salvage enough furni-
ture to outfit the singlewides. We threw camouflage netting over the Stryker and got
ready to sit out the winter.
We didn't have a lot of the white beans and it wasn't long before Sharon had to shift to
pinto beans. I heard about that. But under the circumstances, she wasn't complaining
very loud. She wasn't very happy about anything. She hated the survival food, she hat-
ed the war and she wasn't looking forward to living on beans.
"Why the M4/M203s, Gunny?"
"The Depot had those; the National Guard is always at the end of the line. They were
new, that's something. Derek scored some of the CLS Bags. Gary, I don't know quite
how to tell you this, but I think we're looking at 250 Million dead in the US."
"Do you speak Navajo?
"Yes, why?"
"Spanish?"
"Some."
"We'll, if we lost that many people, English might become a foreign language."
Right at that moment, my brain turned off.
"Are you ok?"
100
"Get me a coke; my blood sugar is must be low."
"Did you have breakfast?"
"Uh…"
"I'll get the coke."
"Thank you."
"We aren't really married, you know. I think we'll go to the Res and have a Navajo wed-
ding."
"Have fun."
"You don't want to go?"
"I've love to, but it's too damned cold out."
"Do you need anything?"
"Cigarettes, but I'm short on money. I don't want to spend our cash in case we need to
buy something."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, about 30 cords of firewood."
They were back 2 days later. Al said he'd arranged for the firewood and some of his
cousins would be bringing it down. Cousins? I wrote that story already. They brought 2
of the 2½-ton trucks loaded to nearly overflowing with firewood. Three times, they did
that and we refilled the gas tank each time. Gunny gave his cousins 3 of the M4/M203
with ammo, grenades and magazines. I was guessing each truck held about 4 cords of
wood and asked Al when we were going to get the other 6 cords.
"Tom, that's all the spare wood they had. They're willing to brave the cold and cut more,
but it will cost us."
"How much?"
"They want a Bradley IFV or a LAV-25."
"Guns and ammo too, I suppose?"
"You got it."
101
"Any Bradley's or LAV-25s at Navajo Depot?"
"I didn't see any, that why we brought back more Hummers. There are lots of ammo and
explosives, even stages for the Minuteman II missiles."
"Do you feel up to a trip to California?"
"Barstow?"
"And/or Ft. Irwin."
"They were most probably nuked."
"It couldn't hurt to look."
"Are you going along?"
"I think maybe I will, I've been to Ft. Irwin but never Barstow or Yermo Annex. Derek
has done a training session at the NTC."
"What are we looking for?"
"LAV-25s, IFVs, munitions, small arms and anything else we see that we can use."
"Fuel?"
"If we can find a way to transport it, yes."
"We'd better take Mary," Derek suggested. "She can drive anything and if push comes
to shove, so can Damon."
Rather than bore you with the fine points, we got a HETS and loaded on 2 CFVs from
Ft. Irwin. We got a tanker load of JP-8, our second, and a few odd and ends at Barstow.
Some of the odds and ends were still new in the box. Mary drove the HETS, Damon
cussed a blue streak and drove the tanker and Derek drove the 1 LAV-25 we found.
Gunny and I drove the 2 Hummers back to Navajo Depot and loaded up on munitions,
which we towed back to the ranch in trailers. An M-3 CFV is 10' shorter than a M1A1
Abrams. A HETS was designed to carry one Abrams, but Mary managed to jockey 2 of
the CFVs onto the trailer. She claimed she'd done it before. The M1000 trailer is 51’ 10”
long. A M3 CFV is 21’ 6” and weighs ⅓ the weight of an M1A2 Abrams.
It turned out to be a nice place to put a prison, all of the inmates received a death sen-
tence from the enemy. Everyone was out of a job. I suggested that we had 24 acres
102
here and we could use all the people we could get just to survive. Naturally the question
arose about how we were going to plow the ground.
"You got me guys; I doubt my ATV will pull a plow, if we had one, which we don’t."
"Do you know how to farm?"
103
"In theory, yes. You turn the soil, disk it, drag it and then plant it. It will take one heck of
a lot of water. When it's done growing, you harvest it. Derek knows how to raise bees."
"I should be able to get some horses from the Res."
"Dad you ride horses, don't you?"
"The last time was in 1976, thank you. I'll stick to the ATV."
Perhaps the finest horse riders were the Nez Perce. They were from somewhere in the
Northwest. Their cavalry tactics rivaled those of the American Army. "We, the Nez
Perce people, call ourselves Nimi'ipuu, which means the 'real people' or 'we the peo-
ple'." I'm not Nez Perce but I do wish I could ride like they do. Salina and I get along just
fine; she knows who the boss is. I named her after that horse I rode in 1976.
"What are we going to do with the HETS?"
"I have no idea, Derek, what do you want to do with it?"
"I think that Mary and I should take a trip."
"Where are you going?"
"Ft. Irwin."
"What are you going to get?" (As if I needed to ask.)
"An M1A1."
"Don't forget the bullets. You had better see if you can find a trailer load of JP-8 while
you're there. They use a lot of fuel don't they?"
"Yep. Do you want to ride along?"
"Uh…"
"Here, have a coke."
"Yeah, I'll go, I was just deciding."
There you go; did I ever get a tank in any of my previous stories? Probably, but I can't
remember. I wore my dress up hat, the black one. Plus jeans, my zip up Laredo's and
my Laredoan rig. It was dress up so I wore a white shirt and my vest. Oh yeah, I brought
the Winchester and a couple of boxes of .45 Colt ammo. I looked in the mirror and
104
laughed before I realized I was looking at myself. I suppose I should tell you that the
odds and ends have an alternative spelling, SINCGARS. They are also known as M14s.
I really was trying to learn Spanish, without much success. Anyway, he found a M1A1
with low engine hours and we put it on the HETS. On the way back, we stopped at
MCLB Barstow and picked up enough ammo to finish filling the trailer. It never really did
get warm during the summer of 2009. We planted potatoes anyway and got something
of a crop. The 2 CFVs went to the Navajo tribe along with some of the odds and ends.
They paid us back in firewood, about 50 cords worth. Very few of them smoked Kool’s,
but they had them and included a full case, 60 cartons.
The Phases of a Disaster
There are 3 phases of the disaster response: pre-event planning, response to the event,
and post event restoration. The aim of each phase is to optimize the response and re-
duce potential losses.
Pre-event Phase: Planning and Prevention
The pre-event phase is defined by anticipation, planning, and training for potential ad-
versities. We must continually rethink both the estimation of the risk and our response to
it to ensure a reliable response and we must expect setbacks and have contingency
plans to counteract them.
The primary objective of this phase of the disaster response is vulnerability reduction.
Long before the event, risks are identified and defined; preventative measures are at-
tempted; and response plans are developed and practiced. This phase revolves around
a comprehensive risk assessment and measures of risk reduction, the basic concept
behind disaster mitigation. Simply put, preparation reduces both the likelihood and con-
sequences of disasters.
The cornerstone of disaster preparation is an estimation of risk. It is not feasible to plan

for every contingency of every possible threat. There must be a prioritization to focus on
the greatest risk and greatest benefit with allocation of resources based on the likeli-
hood of the threat balanced with potential loss. Low-likelihood threats that have the
highest potential for losses obtain the most attention. These threats are unpredictable
but potentially devastating. It is difficult to sustain preparation for events that have a low
likelihood of occurring or to plan and train without a defined threat. Pre-event planning
must account for cost-effectiveness and balance the allocation of resources for improb-
able events vs. the risks of not being prepared.
The medical response to disasters must be planned and trained long before the event
occurs. Because the outcome, timing, or location of any event cannot be reliably pre-
dicted, plans must remain flexible to allow for a competent response to different disas-
105
ters and adapt to different contingencies or various situations. Pre-event assumptions
must be made but should not restrict the execution of the plan. Training cannot be over-
emphasized. This training should use an interdisciplinary approach and incorporate both
medical planners and the numerous agencies functioning as first responders. Each re-
sponding unit should have identified roles and responsibilities to prevent excessive
overlapping and parallel efforts. In addition, there should be 1 clearly defined chain of
command, usually the lead federal agency, to ensure proper command and control to
optimize the functioning of the responding organizations and proper execution of the re-
sponse plan. The goal of pre-event planning and training is to ensure an adequate,
competent, and flexible response that will satisfy the acute needs resulting from the dis-
aster while still meeting baseline demands of the affected community.
An important aspect of the preparation phase is to use preventative strategies when

possible. These include the development and implementation of early warning systems,
improved barrier protection, and enhanced security measures. In response to emerging
infections, expanded disease understanding and diagnostic capabilities along with con-
tinued vaccine development can minimize the burden of disease. Likewise, increase
public awareness through education and information dissemination (without causing
unnecessary panic) can also assist with prevention, containment, and mitigation.
Integration and Forming a Disaster Network
The US National Disaster Response Plan directs that we be prepared to react to multi-
ple, simultaneous, and unrelated events. We are faced with numerous types of threats
that can result in numerous possible outcomes. The formation of a disaster network, or
a pre-established and readily available consortium of subject matter experts that can
provide guidance and assistance based on specific needs, would facilitate the disaster
response.
Integration of disaster preparedness must be brought to the local level. The best plan is
ineffective if it is not properly executed or able to adapt and continue to function despite
losses. The disaster medicine community must adopt the concept of the business conti-
nuity plan used by industry to minimize disruption of normal operations despite the dis-
order following disasters. A disaster can cripple the delivery of healthcare through de-
creased infrastructure in the face of increased demands that now exceed capabilities.
Hospitals must maintain operational effectiveness with minimal interruptions despite the
potential loss of infrastructure and personnel. This is a true marker of resiliency.
Event Phase: The Medical Response
While the plans for the disaster response are detailed during the pre-event phase, they
must be properly executed to achieve the goals of disaster mitigation. Disasters may
strike with little or no warning and cause damages that limit or prevent an aid response.
Despite adequate preparation, these events can easily overwhelm the healthcare
system. A well-developed and executed plan for the delivery of aid, sustenance, and
medical care may be the most useful tool to minimize losses and preserve lives. Given
106
this, the healthcare community must be familiar with local and federal disaster man-
agement plans as it will be called upon to be the first line of care during these situations.
Medical treatment facilities provide immediate support of local efforts. Certain predesti-
nated facilities provide health and medical services at the request of the lead federal
agency in support of the Federal Response Plan. These facilities are required to have a
Hospital Emergency Incident Command System as well as a defined plan to respond to
hazmat incidences, CBRNE events (chemical, biological, radio-nuclear and high-energy
explosions), natural disasters, mass casualties, and industrial or transportation acci-
dents. These facilities may also be called to provide support for planned events and
search and rescue operations. Obviously, these designated facilities must plan and train
for potential threats. However, all medical treatment facilities may be called upon in
times of need and must be prepared.
For healthcare providers to effectively respond to disasters, they must be familiar with
their facility's and regional response plan as well as their role in it. The local response to
a disaster should revolve around the plan outlined by the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency (FEMA), which incorporates 12 emergency support functions: transporta-
tion, communication, public works and engineering, firefighting, information and plan-
ning, mass casualty care, resource support, health and medical services, search and
rescue, hazmat containment and removal, food, and energy. There must be a sense of
interdependency among the responding agencies to ensure a coordinated response.
(Right, like they did in New Orleans with advance knowledge.)
The medical response may involve multiple simultaneous threats. However, while simul-
taneous events may occur (multiple separate terrorist attacks, simultaneous natural dis-
asters, etc.), it is more likely that 1 disaster will result in secondary events. For example,
the destruction of a hurricane may cause damage to an industrial plant or toxin storage
facility. Furthermore, the effects of natural disasters do not end with the primary or even
secondary events. The collapse of the local infrastructure impairs evacuation and relief
efforts and leads to a decreased capacity at time of increased demand. Basic needs to
support life are compromised and resources to treat chronic medical conditions may not
exist.
The emergence of infectious diseases resulting from the loss of adequate hygiene,
housing, and basic sanitation lead to further morbidity and mortality. The disaster re-
sponse faces numerous challenges and, despite impaired resources, must provide shel-
ter, hygiene, food, water, clothing, medications, medical care, and basic sanitation to
the victims. It must also support the removal of bodies, animal carcasses, and waste;
search and rescue operations; and evacuation and relocation services while maintaining
a steady and reliable supply chain. Meanwhile, the maintenance of security for the vic-
tims and relief workers must be ensured.
Postevent Phase: Restoration
107
Ongoing mitigation efforts must be continued even after resolution of the event and its
aftermath. The recovery process needs to start immediately to restore normalcy and
function as quickly as possible. In this phase, the affected community must be rebuilt
and efforts made to reduce future risks. As much as 10% to 15% of the gross national
product of developing nations is devoted to restoration following disasters, further limit-
ing needed resources. Homes must be rebuilt with better construction and locations to
reduce future vulnerabilities. Following a disaster, reflection and process auditing re-
garding pre-event preparations and the ensuing response must be critically evaluated to
decrease future risks and improve future responses.
A nuclear war isn't a natural disaster. Even if they figured out how to deal with natural
disasters, which apparently they hadn't, it didn't have a lot to do with the present situa-
tion. Of all the people who survived the attacks, those best prepared to deal with the af-
termath were the Native Americans. And then, we went and armed them with CFVs and
munitions.
"Gunny, are we the last people alive in this country?"
"Nah. I think everyone is laying low."
"Why? What else could anyone do to us?"
"Repeat after me, "Mi nombre es Gary.
"¿Cuál es su nombre?"
"Mi nombre es Gary."
"Not bad for an old man."
"Who are you calling old?"
"You."
"Oh. Wantta fight?"
"Give me a minute while I tied one hand behind my back."
"Is it really that bad?"
"Yep."
Screw him, I went and practiced shooting down helicopters with my Tac-50 rifle. They
did that in 'Pax', I think. The only difference was they hit what they were shooting at. I
108
got a big sheet of cardboard and painted what sort looked like a helicopter. I was shoot-
ing at it from 1,000-yards. One out of ten isn't good, right?
The smart thing to have done would have been to sit outside and wait for the incoming
weapons. I wasn't going to further the species and what knowledge I had locked inside
my brain was just that, locked. I could barely hit the broadside of a barn from the inside.
Within each of us exists a survival instinct and when we're afraid, it kicks in. They call it
fight or flight. I'd remember the strangest things at the strangest times. Most of it was
experiences I'd had, usually bad.
Dementia is a decline of reasoning, memory, and other mental abilities (the cognitive
functions). This decline eventually impairs the ability to carry out everyday activities
such as driving; household chores; and even personal care such as bathing, dressing,
and feeding (often called activities of daily living, or ADLs).
•Dementia is most common in elderly people; it used to be called senility and was con-
sidered a normal part of aging.
•We now know that dementia is not a normal part of aging but is caused by a number of
underlying medical conditions that can occur in both elderly and younger persons.
•In some cases, dementia can be reversed with proper medical treatment. In others, it is
permanent and usually gets worse over time.
About 4-5 million people in the United States have some degree of dementia, and that
number will increase over the next few decades with the aging of the population.
•Dementia affects about 1% of people aged 60-64 years and as many as 30-50% of
people older than 85 years.
•It is the leading reason for placing elderly people in institutions such as nursing homes.
•Dementia is a very serious condition that results in significant financial and human
costs.
•Many people with dementia eventually become totally dependent on others for their
care.
•Although people with dementia typically remain fully conscious, the loss of short- and
long-term memory are universal.
•People with dementia also experience declines in any or all areas of intellectual func-
tioning, for example, use of language and numbers; awareness of what is going on
around him or her; judgment; and the ability to reason, solve problems, and think ab-
stractly.
•These losses not only impair a person's ability to function independently, but also have
a negative impact on quality of life and relationships.
Many older people fear that they are developing dementia because they cannot find
their glasses or remember someone's name.
109
•These very common problems are most often due to a much less serious condition in-
volving slowing of mental processes with age.
•Medical professionals call this "benign senescent forgetfulness," or "age-related
memory loss."
•Although this condition is a nuisance, it does not impair a person's ability to learn new
information, solve problems, or carry out everyday activities, as dementia does.
Alzheimer's disease is a condition in which nerve cells in the brain die, making it difficult
for the brain's signals to be transmitted properly. A person with Alzheimer's disease has
problems with memory, judgment, and thinking, which makes it hard for the person to
work or take part in day-to-day life. The death of the nerve cells occurs gradually over a
period of years.
Once thought to be rare, Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia.
Most patients' symptoms progress slowly over a number of years. Symptoms may not
be noticed early on. Sometimes, it is only when family members look back that they re-
alize when the changes started to occur.
Common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include:
•Impaired memory and thinking. The person has difficulty remembering things or learn-
ing new information. In the later stages of the disease, long-term memory loss occurs,
which means that the person can't remember personal information, such as his or her
place of birth or occupation, or names of close family members.
•Disorientation and confusion. People with Alzheimer's disease may get lost when out
on their own and may not be able to remember where they are or how they got there.
They may not recognize previously familiar places and situations. They also may not
recognize familiar faces or know what time of the day it is, or even what year it is.
•Misplacing things. The person forgets where he or she put things used every day, such
as glasses, a hearing aid, keys, etc. The person may also put things in strange places,
such as leaving their glasses in the refrigerator.
•Abstract thinking. People with Alzheimer's disease may find certain tasks – such as
balancing a checkbook – more difficult than usual. For example, they might forget what
the numbers mean and what needs to be done with them.
•Trouble performing familiar tasks. The person begins to have difficulty performing daily
tasks, such as eating, dressing, and grooming. Planning for normal day-to-day tasks is
also impaired.
•Changes in personality and behavior. The person becomes unusually angry, irritable,
restless, or quiet. At times, people with Alzheimer's disease can become confused, par-
anoid, or fearful.
•Poor or decreased judgment. People with Alzheimer's disease may leave the house on
a cold day without a coat or shoes, or could go to the store wearing their pajamas.
110
•Inability to follow directions. The person has difficulty understanding simple commands
or directions. The person may get lost easily and begin to wander.
•Problems with language and communication. The person can't recall words, name ob-
jects (even ones that are very familiar to them – like a pen), or understand the meaning
of common words.
•Impaired visual and spatial skills. The person loses spatial abilities (the ability to judge
shapes and sizes, and the relationship of objects in space) and can't arrange items in a
certain order or recognize shapes.
•Loss of motivation or initiative. The person may become very passive and require
prompting to become involved and interact with others.
•Loss of normal sleep patterns. The person may sleep during the day and be wide-
awake at night.
It is important to visit a doctor if you or a loved one experiences any of these symptoms
so you can receive the proper evaluation and diagnosis. There are other conditions –
such as depression, a head injury, certain chemical imbalances, or the effects of some
medications – that can produce symptoms that are similar to Alzheimer's disease. Many
of these conditions are treatable.
Your doctor can only determine if the symptoms are probably due to Alzheimer's dis-
ease after a thorough medical, psychiatric, and neurological evaluation. He will evaluate
other possible causes of dementia to rule out all other factors before settling on Alzhei-
mer's disease as a diagnosis.
Currently, no definitive diagnostic test for Alzheimer's exists. A definite diagnosis of Alz-
heimer's disease is possible only after death, when a pathologist can more closely ex-
amine a patient's brain for the telltale changes associated with Alzheimer's disease.
The course of Alzheimer's disease varies widely from person to person. The duration of
the illness could be short (2-3 years) or long (up to 20 years). Usually the parts of the
brain that control memory and thinking are affected first, but over time, cells die in other
areas of the brain.
Eventually, a person with Alzheimer's will need complete care. If the person has no oth-
er serious illnesses, the loss of brain function itself will eventually cause death.
Because the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is not known, there is currently nothing
that can be done to guarantee its prevention. Some interventions may be worth incorpo-
rating into your life as more research reveals some potentially controllable risk factors.
Staying mentally and physically active, maintaining a normal blood pressure and avoid-
ing head injury by wearing seat belts and helmets may decrease your chances of de-
veloping Alzheimer's dementia.
It is important to remember, however, that there are causes of dementia other than Alz-
heimer's disease that may be preventable such as eating properly, exercising, quitting
111
smoking, and limiting how much alcohol you drink. Your doctor can advise you about
other healthy lifestyle habits you can adopt that may help prevent dementia.
Senile? Maybe. Alzheimer's disease? Not likely. Depressed? Everyone was. The world
as we knew it had ended. It wasn't coming back for a very long time, if ever. TEO-
CAWKI. Until now, it was just an acronym. The reality of our situation gripped us in a
vise like grip. How many people had I heard in my lifetime that said, if it happened, they
didn't want to live through it? They were overlooking the fight or flight response. That
was ingrained into our very being. We'd fled the devastation. Now we were going to
have to fight to survive. It can't get any more real than that.
I can't tell when nuclear winter ended. The sky cleared, but it was still colder than a
witch's you know what. We didn't do any more foraging for supplies. Any city of any size
had been wiped out. Smaller communities that did survive didn't want visitors. We made
a run down to Show Low. The purpose of the trip was to visit the Fleetwood dealer. We
didn't even get into town before we ran into a roadblock. We weren't threatening, we
had Mary's pickup. Those fellas on the roadblock didn't seem to care. It was obvious
that they'd been to the armory. We left rather than start something we couldn't finish.
Couldn't finish? That wasn't exactly so, but it would have meant starting something we
didn't want to. Hadn't enough people already died? Weren't enough more people going
to die before things normalized without our help? If we didn't start trouble, maybe it
wouldn't come looking for us. But, if it did, they'd better have armor, we did.
One Stryker and one Abrams tank do not a Brigade make. You had to start somewhere
and there weren't many of us. The only one of us who knew anything about tanks was
Derek. He had held all jobs, driver, loader, gunner and commander. None of us knew
much about the Stryker. This led us to do a little recruiting up on the Res. We needed
someone who had been in the Army and knew about the Stryker.
You did know that the US Navy named ships after Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon
didn't you? Nice gesture since they weren't sailors. Their widows' were the ships spon-
sors.
Present. Arms!
Order. Arms!
The old tribal feud between the Navajo and Hopi didn't seem so important now. We
ended up with some men from each tribe that either knew the Stryker or the M1A1
Abrams. It wasn't a big deal because many of the people who live on the Res live in
mobile homes. It would, however seriously overload our wind turbines. I didn't really
want to hook them up to the generator because I wasn't certain where we'd get more
propane.
112
We obviously needed something a bit bigger. Only 3 places came to mind, Kansas,
Tehachapi and Palm Springs. There were wind turbines up by Tracy, California but
Palm Springs and Tehachapi were closer. We opted to get a group together and try
Palm Springs. My only concern was the Marine MCAGCC at 29 Palms. That probably
got hit. When everyone was up to speed on their training, the Abrams tank was loaded
aboard the HETS and it and the Stryker set off for Palm Springs. Derek told me he was
leaving me behind in case we were attacked by helicopters. I immediately saw through
that; he figured I'd just be in the way. My sole instruction was to get a 'big one' and all of
the ancillary equipment. I also said, "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes."
"Dad, we have to shoot before then, the shells won't arm themselves."
"These shells need to be armed? Use canister rounds."
I think he was pulling my leg. They loaded 5 rounds of sabot, 15 rounds of canister and
20 rounds of HEAT. They also took the front half of a tanker loaded with JP-8. I asked
how they were going to get the wind turbine home and Damon laughed an evil sounding
laugh. Spare rounds for the tanks went into the trailer the Hummer was pulling.
They told me they were going to Needles and then Blythe and finally Palm Springs. If
you know the road from Blythe to Palm Springs, you have some idea what they were up
against. Personally, I think Derek wanted to visit the Patton Museum at Chiriaco Sum-
mit.
I also knew about that big solar array at 29 Palms, but I sort of figured that the EMP had
taken it out. That was just a wild guess. The reason I knew about it was the last time we
stole wind turbines from Palm Springs, one of the Squirrels mentioned it. There simply
aren’t that many places with a lot of wind turbines. Neither are there many military de-
pots close by. The Marine Corps has two MCLBs: Barstow, California and Albany,
Georgia. I have no idea where the Army depots are and the internet is down. What I
know about are Navajo Deport and Hawthorne, Nevada. I really don't believe it would be
a good idea to drive around on The Day After and ask, "Hey, have you seen an Army
Depot around here anywhere?"
Uh-duh. I don't think so. They sort of left me to guard the women. I was hoping the
women were guarding me. I was torn between being a cowboy and a 'soldier'. 'Soldier'
won and I got my PT1911 .45 and my M1A Super Match. The deciding factor was the
reload time. Neither the Winchester nor the SAA revolvers were fast reloads. I got Amy
to help me set up a folding table and proceeded to set up my weapons: M1A rifle, Tac-
50 rifle and a Mini-14. I set up 2 Claymores and plopped my butt in a chair. I looked at
those Claymores and begin to wonder, was that curved side in or curved side out? I'd
done it right. But then, both sides were curved, weren't they?
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I had, however, read Army Field Manual FM 23-23, Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 and
M18 (Claymore) and I do believe the other people were 'Enemy'. I had to get that one
right the very first time. Hey, the Air Force don't teach you nothing about Claymore
Mines, or at least they didn't in 19 and 61. They did show us a M16, once. We weren't
allowed to touch it but we did get to see what they looked like.
Since his days growing up in Tampa, Fla., the lanky kid with the slightly mischievous
smile had wanted to be a soldier. By this bright morning, April 4, 2003, Sgt. First Class
Paul Ray Smith had more than fulfilled his dream. He had served 15 of his 33 years in
the US Army, including three tours of duty in harm's way – in the Persian Gulf, Bosnia
and Kosovo.
Now all his training, all his experience, all the instincts that had made him a model sol-
dier, were about to be put to the test. With 16 men from his First Platoon, B Company,
11th Engineer Battalion, Sgt. Smith was under attack by about 100 troops of the Iraqi
Republican Guard.
"We're in a world of hurt," he muttered.
That "world" was a dusty, triangular walled compound about half the size of a football
field, near the Saddam Hussein International Airport, 11 miles from Baghdad. Sgt.
Smith's engineers, or "sappers," had broken through the 10-foot-high concrete-block
southern wall with a military bulldozer and begun turning the compound into a tempo-
rary "pen" for Iraqi prisoners as U.S. forces pressed their attack on the airport.
While they were working, guards posted at a small aluminum gate in the north corner of
the triangle had spotted the large Iraqi force approaching the compound from the north
and west. Sgt. Smith had just run up to join the guards when all hell broke loose. They
came under furious fire from machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.
The lightly armed work detail needed fire support. Sgt. Smith called for a Bradley
fighting vehicle. Within minutes the tank-like Bradley roared through the breached wall
and broke through the aluminum gate, taking a position just beyond it and opening up
on the attackers with its rapid-fire 25mm Bushmaster cannon.
Sgt. Smith's men took positions around the Bradley. He could see Iraqi soldiers north,
east and west of him, streaming out along his flanks. He called for a nearby M-113 ar-
mored personnel carrier, to give additional fire support with its M2 .50-caliber heavy
machine gun.
As the APC passed through the breached wall, its commander, Sgt. Louis Berwald, re-
alized that flanking Iraqi troops had occupied a roofed guard tower to his left, just out-
side the southwest corner of the compound, and were firing from it. He raked the tower
114
with his M2, then moved on through the compound to a point just outside the north gate
behind the Bradley.
By now the Iraqis were concentrating their fire against Sgt. Smith's small force by the
gate. An RPG round hit the Bradley, and at almost the same moment a mortar round hit
the APC, wounding its three occupants.
Several additional RPG rounds hit the Bradley, which by now had run low on ammuni-
tion. The Bradley retreated through the compound, exiting south through the breached
wall. With one armored vehicle gone and the other out of action, Sgt. Smith's men had
lost any firepower advantage they might have had.
Sgt. Smith could have withdrawn as well, back south through the compound. But be-
yond it was a lightly defended aid station crowded with 100 combat casualties and med-
ical personnel. To protect it from being overrun, Sgt. Smith chose to fight no matter what
the odds.
Under intense fire, Sgt. Smith's men heroically extracted all three wounded crewmen
from the APC. Sgt. Smith then entered the vehicle, ordering Spc. Michael Seaman to
join him as driver and "keep me loaded" with ammo belts. Sgt. Smith popped up out of
the turret hatch and grabbed the grips of the .50-caliber machine gun mounted on top.
The Iraqis were practically on top of him. Coolly grasping the situation, Sgt. Smith or-
dered Spc. Seaman to back the APC south into the compound to a position half way
down the eastern wall. There he could arc the big machine gun back and forth, from the
gate entrance to the north, all along the western wall of the triangle, to the Iraqi occu-
pied tower in the southwest corner to his left.
To fire the machine gun, Sgt. Smith had to stand in the APC's main hatch, his body ex-
posed from the waist up to a withering fire coming at him from three directions. On the
ground through the blur of combat, Sgt. Matthew Keller saw Sgt. Smith grimly firing
measured bursts from atop the APC even as a hail of bullets hit around him.
Sgt. Keller yelled at him to get out. Sgt. Smith looked back at him and with a slight
shake of his head, made a cutting motion across his throat with his right hand. Sgt. Kel-
ler would always remember the look in his eyes. "There was no fear in him whatsoever."
As Spc. Seaman, crouching in the adjoining hatch, fed him ammunition belts, Sgt. Smith
directed an expert and murderous fire with the long-barreled M2, hitting Iraqis who tried
to enter the compound through the gate or over the wall. He tried also to suppress re-
newed fire coming from the Iraqis in the guard tower to his left.
Finally, one of his fellow sappers, First Sgt. Timothy Campbell, led a small fire team
which stole up to the tower and killed all Iraqis inside. But by this time, Sgt. Smith's ma-
chine gun had fallen silent. The attack had been broken. Nearly 50 Iraqi dead lay all
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over the area. Others were in retreat. But Sgt. Smith was now slumped in the turret
hatch, blood soaking the front of his uniform.
Spc. Seaman jumped out of the vehicle in tears. "I told him we should just leave," he
said. Pvt. Gary Evans drove the APC out of the compound at high speed to the nearby
aid station.
But it was too late. When Medic Michelle Chavez tried to remove Sgt. Smith's helmet,
she realized that it was holding his head together. A bullet – one of the last fired from
the tower – had entered through Sgt. Smith's neck and traveled up into his brain, shat-
tering his skull from the inside. There were 13 bullet holes peppered over his armored
vest – the impact from any one of them enough to knock a man down. The vest's ce-
ramic armor inserts, back and front had been cracked in numerous places.
"Sapper Seven," the wiry, hollow-cheeked guy who had been so hard on his men in
training, so exacting, so insistent on "doing it right"; the guy who had led them into battle
on the first day of the war with a rock-'n'-roll tape blaring from his Humvee; the guy who
had personally got down on his knees in front of their convoy to patiently, carefully ex-
tract the deadly mines when they ran into a minefield near the Karbala Gap, was dead.
A chaplain and a sergeant in dress uniforms came to Birgit Smith's home near Fort
Stewart, Ga., late on the night of April 4 to break the terrible news. Mrs. Smith, the
German girl Paul had met and married during his tour of duty in Western Europe in
1992, listened numbly to her visitors. She fought the growing dread and pain by grasp-
ing at a desperate hope:
"Our name is so common," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Maybe it's a mis-
take."
There was no mistake. Paul Ray Smith had given his life protecting his men and his po-
sition. He had almost single-handedly blunted an overwhelming attack which might well
have overrun the nearby aid station.
"There are two ways to come home, stepping off the plane and being carried off the
plane," Sgt. Smith had written in an unsent email to his parents. "It doesn't matter how I
come home, because I am prepared to give all that I am to insure that all my boys make
it home." He had been the only American killed in the courtyard fight.
On April 4, 2005, exactly two years after his selfless action, his wife and their children
David and Jessica stood in the White House as President Bush presented them the na-
tion's highest decoration for bravery, the Medal of Honor.
It was the first awarded in the Iraq War. Paul Ray Smith had indelibly marked his "com-
mon name" on history's small bright roll of those forever remembered for their uncom-
mon valor.
116
Present. Arms!
Order. Arms!
Sgt. Smith's CMH was the first awarded since Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon
earned theirs. The story of how they earned the CMH and Sgt. Smith did have much in
common besides the fact they all died. Basically, they gave their lives saving countless
other lives and killed a lot of the enemy before they were killed. Sgt. Smith must have
watched, 'To Hell and Back'. That hero didn't get killed, he just got shot in the ass, or
something like that (leg). The US Army declared that there would never be another Au-
die Murphy. If you pull a man from combat when he can still fight, you might be doing
him a great disservice.

The name of the movie was, The Outsider (1961) starring Tony Curtis as Ira Hamilton
Hayes. The list of the Corporal's decorations and medals includes the Commendation
Ribbon with "V" combat device, Presidential Unit Citation with one star (for Iwo Jima),
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars (for Vella Lavella, Bougainville, Consoli-
dation of the Northern Solomons, and Iwo Jima), American Campaign Medal, and the
World War II Victory Medal.
On 10Nov93, the US Marine Corps held a ceremony at the Iwo Jima Memorial com-
memorating the 218th anniversary of the Corps. Of Ira Hayes, USMC Commandant
General Carl Mundy said:
"One of the pairs of hands that you see outstretched to raise our national flag on the
battle-scarred crest of Mount Suribachi so many years ago, are those of a native Ameri-
can ... Ira Hayes ... a Marine not of the ethnic majority of our population.
“Were Ira Hayes here today ... I would tell him that although my words on another occa-
sion have given the impression that I believe some Marines ... because of their color ...
are not as capable as other Marines ... that those were not the thoughts of my mind ...
and that they are not the thoughts of my heart.
"I would tell Ira Hayes that our Corps is what we are because we are of the people of
America ... the people of the broad, strong, ethnic fabric that is our nation. And last, I
would tell him that in the future, that fabric will broaden and strengthen in every category
to make our Corps even stronger ... even of greater utility to our nation. That's a com-
mitment of this commandant ... And that's a personal commitment of this Marine."
The correct name of the memorial is: The US Marine Corps War Memorial, not the Iwo
Jima Memorial.
117
°
There was zero traffic on I-40. People were probably afraid to drive through Holbrook,
Winslow and Flagstaff. The radiation wasn't that bad, provided you didn't linger. We
were still wearing the CD V-742 dosimeters and logging our radiation doses. Unless we
went somewhere, like Flagstaff or downtown Winslow, where there was significant re-
sidual radiation, we didn't register much of anything. That particular dosimeter registers
up to 200R. We generally recorded the readings and re-set the dosimeters when we
reached 50R.
Here's one I haven't said in a while: Life's a bitch and then you die. I think it would be
fair to capitalize the cuss word. There was a bright side; it was much quieter with no
traffic. On the other hand, if anyone came calling, I was tied or outnumbered. Then, I got
an idea. CB radios had provision for a PA function. I had a speaker around here some-
where. It took me a while sitting at the table west of Winslow, Arizona to wire it up, but
Amy said she could hear it all the way to the highway and if I turned it, to the entrance of
the ranch.
I had the bipods extend on both rifles and could move my chair to defend the entrance if
necessary. If I did shoot at someone and miss, I could always claim it was a warning
shot. I know that most agencies don't allow warning shots, but I was in charge here until
they got back from ERK. The magazine with the incendiary ammo had a ring of red
tape, the armor piercing black tape, the match ammo no tape and the Mk211 green
tape. I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget.
All of this crap was supposed to go down when I was a young man, a not so lean, not
so mean fighting machine. Back then, I might have hesitated before shooting. Not any-
more, I started out irritable in the morning and it got worse though the day.
I had no idea how long it would take. First, they had to find a working wind turbine about
the right size that still worked. Second, they had to locate the ancillary equipment and
make sure it still worked. Third, they had to find something to allow them to remove the
blades. And, fourth, they had to lower the tower and get everything onto the truck Da-
mon planned to steal.
Then, when they got it back, we had to find enough ready-mix to put in a base, erect a
shed to hold the equipment, string lines and put in a power distribution panel, extend the
septic system and the water lines and move in the Navajo Warriors' mobile homes. You
can see what I was doing with my free time sitting at the table, planning.
"You guys get lost?"
"We had to…"
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"I figured that all out. Did you get one that works?"
"Yes, it was…"
If I had listened, I would have learned that they ended up in Tehachapi, where they
found a wind turbine being installed. They removed the tower from the new concrete
base and were out of there in a day. Tehachapi is on Highway 58 that goes to Mojave
and then east to Barstow. They lingered at Barstow, checking the place out and identify-
ing things we might need in the future. When they got to Navajo Depot, they stopped
and did the same thing. The list they made was enough to give a survivalist fiction writer
heart failure. Plus, they stopped and ripped off every pharmacy they passed.
The Tehachapi Wind Farm, with around 5,000 wind turbines, is the second largest col-
lection of wind generators in the world (the largest is at the Altamont pass, near Liver-
more and the San Francisco Bay area), but is now the largest wind power array in the
world in output. The turbines are operated by a dozen private companies, and collec-
tively produce about 800 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to meet the resi-
dential needs of 350,000 people every year. With over 15,000 turbines in the state
(7,000 at Altamont and 3,000 at San Gorgonio Pass, near Palm Springs), wind power in
California makes up about 1% of California's electricity.
The equipment was new, in the box, and had been stored in a galvanized metal build-
ing, except for the lattice tower which they took down and split into 4 pieces of about 40'
each. Somewhere along the way, they had refilled the tanker so we weren't down much
fuel.
I cleaned my weapons and put them up. I was tired and wanted to go to bed and sleep
for a year. In our half civilian, quasi-military organization, Derek as a member of the
Guard at the rank of E-6 was the highest ranking individual here. Gunny had been an E-
5 and Damon and I, E-4s. Their information was far more current than mine so Derek
was put in charge. Damon was an ET in the Navy and he would work on electronics and
some electrical. Derek had been a tanker and more recently, an MP. Gunny was Marine
infantry; he was in charge of tactics.
When they had the semi unloaded, some of them took off with that shopping list and
others began to assemble the tower. Still others went looking for ready-mix while Gunny
began to excavate a hole for the tower base. I'd say we had about a dozen of those
'cousins' from the Res. I had a sneaking feeling that they would reclaim my 24 acres. As
long as they waited until Sharon and I died, that was fine with me. Somebody stole it
from them; they were free to steal it back. Plus, I had a sneaking suspicion that once I
was dead, I wouldn't really care.
I had plenty of reasons to stick around, though. Those next 14 years I planned on living
were going to be tough. All we had now was what was here on the ranch plus what we
could salvage. I don't suppose there is much difference between salvaging and scav-
119
enging. The dictionary defines scavenge as, 'to search through for salvageable materi-
al.' Salvage is 'something saved from destruction or waste and put to further use'.
Good definitions because most of the country was a pile of junk. The next question be-
comes, why now, why not wait? You've met the early bird, right? He's the one sitting
there chomping on the worm.
Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

and such a fine sight to see:
it's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
slowin' down to take a look at me.
That was then, this is now. The corner is still there, somewhere under the rubble. The
girl isn't anywhere to be found; and if she was, she'd probably have radiation sickness.
Thirty odd years does make a difference.
"What's for supper?"
"Eat your beans if you want, I'm steak and a baked potato."
"Hey, I don't like beans all of the time either."
"You should have thought of that when you didn't buy the bigger freezer."
"Hey, who puts the food on the table?"
"I do."
"Well, who gets the food in the house in the first place?"
"I do."
"Well, who makes it possible to buy the food?"
"You do."
"Well?"
"Possession is 9 points of the law."
"Who was that guy I saw you talking to?"
"Fabio? He's an Indian who wants to be an Italian fashion model."
120
What tribe did Tonto belong to? (Potawatomi) How about Black Hawk? (Sauk) Tecum-
seh? (Shawnee) As of 2000, the largest tribes in the US by population were Cherokee,
Navajo, Choctaw, Sioux (Lakota), Chippewa, Apache, Lumbee, Blackfeet, Iroquois, and
Pueblo. Chuck Norris? (½ Cherokee) Charles Curtis, the 31st Vice President of the US
under Hoover? (½ Caw)
I tried to look up Indian Lover once on the web. I expected to find a definition of 'one
who favors or is partial to Native Americans'. What I found instead, was ads to date Na-
tive American singles. If you don't know that TOM is partial to Native Americans by now,
what can I say? I can't say for sure when it started, maybe the time I transported the
'Chief' of the Meskuaki (Fox) tribe to a Boy Scout function. The Tama Reservation in
Iowa is like no others. The Fox bought the land and own it free and clear. Fox are Al-
gonquian.
We kept gaining workers because we were putting in electricity and had a well. For a
while there, I began to believe they were turning our 24 acres into a trailer park. You
can, however put a lot of homes on one acre of land, even spaced out a bit. They
poured the concrete with some kind of accelerator in it and let it sit 30 days anyway.
The tower was assembled and left on the ground while they worked on the turbine itself.
Once they had that done, they went scavenging again and brought home pipe and wire
and all manner of stuff.
Derek explained to me that if the septic system was buried deeply enough, the sand
would filter the water and it could nourish the garden. I told him, I'd caught hell over one
of my stories and it had to be deep, say 12' maybe more. For a while there, I thought
they were putting in field drainage tile. Then, they started to construct an above ground
tank, on stilts. Oh, a water tower. It wasn't but 15' off the ground so it was a good thing
we didn’t have any 2 story houses. They installed a 15,000-gallon shop built galvanized
water tank on top of the platform. I heard someone say that they had requisitioned the
tank.
By this time, you see, I was mostly just taking notes for my grand novel. I figure to tell
our story and label it fantasy. Nobody would believe it anyway, so that was the best
marketing ploy. I didn't consider the fact that every publisher in the nation was probably
out of business. At least I didn't until Derek complained that he'd never published Soul
Forge.
Well, I'm sittin' on my 24 acres in Winslow, Arizona

Just watching the traffic not go by.
We planted an acre of Indians and they grew,

Slow down and take a look at me.
You know what those Navajos eat? The same thing we do. Except they have a big Res
and they can now go hunting any damn time they feel like it. I'm not particularly fond of
venison so I asked, could they hunt me down a cow and a couple of pigs. All they need-
121
ed to do was go into Winslow and salvage me a band saw out of one of the grocery
stores. A slicer, tenderizer and a hamburger grinder wouldn't hurt either. Then I could
teach them the way Huey taught me to cut meat. And afterwards, I could show them
how you were supposed to do it. Huey, cheated a little and we didn't cut the sub primal
cuts at the correct bones.
Hell, I didn't even get to do that, one of them Navajo fellas was a meat cutter. He, of
course, knew the correct way to cut meat. So, they rescued up some cattle and hogs
and we had livestock. When I wasn't taking notes, I was busy watching I-40.
Navajo Warriors sing the song of the vanishing race,

The Mighty Navajo,
The Mighty Navajo.
White Warriors sing the song of the vanishing race,

The White Man,
The White Man.
"What do you call that building?"
"That's our livestock building."
"Do you mean the barn?"
"If you insist."
"Don't look like no barn I ever seen. Why did you tile the field?"
"That's the drainage system for the septic tanks."
"Well, good, everyone around here seems to be full of chit anyway. Are you planning on
growing crops?"
"Nope, just gardens."
"Just what in the name of God do you intend to feed the livestock?"
"Do you have any idea just how many abandoned grain elevators there are, Dad?"
"No. But, tell me something, what are you going to do when that's all gone?"
"I don't know, Dad, we haven't even started to salvage the semi-trailers on the highways
yet."
122
Derek had a point, there; we had passed many semis on our travels along I-40. And, we
had only gone west. Now I remember; the 3 amigos had salvaged trailers from the
highways in The Ark. Once they finish up with their little project here, perhaps I could
persuade some of the kids to take a trip up The Devil's Highway and we'd see if we
could find Ronald and Robert. They may very well be dead, but he did have that ele-
phant gun… I was dying to tell him my big rifle was a .50 caliber.
Ron's doctor kept him very well supplied with samples. Unfortunately, he and I took a
few of the same drugs and one in particular, Plavix, was expensive and his doctor
couldn't get many samples. He couldn't sign up for Part D when it first came out be-
cause of his other insurance. That insurance only covered 50% of the cost of his Plavix
and he wasn't about to share the samples he got. Robert had been on Plavix at one
time and had given him 200 pills, lucky him. However both my amigo and his brother
had very bad hearts and I didn't expect them to be alive, especially Robert. Back in '06
he had one foot in the grave. They had finally moved when Linda's father had died, but I
had expected that. I just had to think about where and that came and went.
I remember him telling me that he had a one year supply of everything and some of it
got so old he had to toss it. Man, would it be nice to have a problem like that. The doc-
tor's nurse advised him when he needed to go through his stash and discard dated
drugs. According to the map, there wasn't much around Cedar Hill, but it was in a fallout
stream. If you have ulcers and can't take aspirin, there's always Ecotrin if you can't get
Plavix.
It might be crazy driving the Devil's Highway after Armageddon, but it was mostly Indian
country so I got Damon to drive the Hummer and a second Hummer and 6 Navajos to
go along. We got there and went door to door looking for either Robert or Ronald
Brown. Nobody answered their door and after a couple of hours we gave up. It was a
very long drive for nothing and I never did find out which house was theirs. The round
trip took 9 hours driving time and 2 hours looking around.
Of one thing I was certain, this couldn't last. This wasn't a movie and we weren't the on-
ly survivors out there. We knew about Show Low, but the next move was up to them.
There simply aren't that many large cities in Arizona. Flagstaff at circa 50 thousand was
a major city. Phoenix was the largest and there was Tucson. I think that Marty Robbins
named most of them in his song, Ride Cowboy Ride.
This is one Urban Cowboy who misses the man. Thank God I've got a couple of his CD
collections.
123
Ride, cowboy, ride

Don't ride too slow
Tucson's a mighty long way yet to go
He started his long ride in Prescott

The sun was a hundred or more
On down he rode at full gallop
Into the flat desert floor
Driving the big herd to Flagstaff

In Prescott the letter was there
Happiness soon would be sorrow
Sad news the letter did bear
Ride, cowboy, ride

Don't go too slow
Ride, cowboy, ride
You've a long way to go
Your darlin' now lies on her deathbed

Racked by fever and pain
Reaching for you at her bedside
At each breath she's callin' your name
Forward he leaned in the saddle

Pushing through mesquite and sage
His head never raised for a greeting
As he passed the Wickenburg stage
Ride, cowboy, ride

Don't ride too slow
Tucson's a mighty long way to go
In Phoenix he traded horses

Now on the back of this roan
He could see visions of Tucson
His darlin' and their lovely home
Ride, cowboy, ride

Don't ride too slow
There's still a hundred and twenty to go
In through the ranch gate he galloped

And without breaking his stride
124
He bounded out of the saddle
And rushed to his sweet darlin's side
Then as the dyin' girl saw him

A smile came over her face
Holding her hand as it tightened
Barely had he won the race
Ride, cowboy, ride

On through the blue
Ride, cowboy, ride
She'll be waiting for you
Ride, cowboy, ride
On through the blue
Ride, cowboy, ride
She'll be waiting for you
It was a mighty short summer and I can't say I noted one day where temperatures rose
to the 80s. Derek informed me one fine day that they were going to Show Low a second
time. This time they'd pull up short and unload the Abrams. They were take the Stryker
and the Hummers and intended to establish trade with those folk if there was any way
possible.
"Count me out, I'll stay here and watch the highway."
"Lose your sense of adventure?"
"I'll be more good to you here than if I come along. I'll stand by the radio and can relay
any message up to the Res."
"What good will that do?"
"Maybe I can put together a War party."
That pig wire and 3 strands of barbed wire they strung around the 24 acres barely kept
the livestock in and I had serious doubt they would keep anyone out. Of course, I'd pre-
ferred castle like structures in my stories. You know high, thick walls that in reality took
5 years to construct and I somehow manage to erect nearly overnight. I had begun to
suspect that leaving me home to keep an eye on the ladies was more keeping me out of
the way than offering much protection for them. That's why I opted out before they could
ask me just to stay home.
125
I had sunk into a morass of self-pity and blamed everyone but myself. If only this... if on-
ly that… Dear Vladimir, please don't nuke us, it isn't a good idea. It will force us into a
life of crime and we'll end up stealing the place blind. Besides, beans give me gas.
Did you ever wonder what would become of our Navy after they released their missiles?
10 CSGs, 14 empty Ohio class subs with no missiles and tens of thousands of sailors
with no port they could dock at? I didn't either, but it is an interesting question. On The
Beach seemed to think there would be only one submarine left. Yeah right. They'd
probably all ended up home porting in some country south of the equator.
If what Gunny and I discussed was correct, 50 million survivors in the US, where were
they? And my major concern seemed to be finding more cigarettes. Usually, the only
place you find full cases of cigarettes are in bonded warehouses. All the Costco stores
I'd been in kept their cigarettes locked up in a wire cage. Why? Because of what a case
of cigarettes was worth. 60 cartons at $30 = $1,800 and you could walk off with it, easi-
ly. That little wire cage probably held $100,000 worth of the store's inventory.
"What did you work out with the people in Show Low?"
"Not one damned thing."
"They didn't want to cooperate?"
"They were dead."
"What do you mean dead, they get hit by illness or something?"
"Yeah, the .30 caliber flu."
"Then there are MZBs out there."
"Hey, wait a minute, why do you say bikers Dad?" Damon retorted. "Bikers are mostly
good folks, and they don't go running around killing off towns."
"Well, EXCUSE ME. You know what I meant, bad guys."
"Whoever it was killed the males plus the children under the age of about 12. They took
many of the females, there were far fewer bodies than a person might expect. They
cleaned the town out lock, stock and barrel," Gunny explained.
"Surely you could tell who it was; they must have had losses too."
"Must have taken the bodies with them, Dad."
126
"That tears it, no more trips with all of the fighting men. Gunny, you're in charge of de-
fense around here, you'd better figure out how we're going to protect our 24 acres."
"The problem is, it's not really defensible, Tom. Look at it, it's nothing more than 24
acres of flat sand with homes and wind turbines. Hell, you can't even drink the well wa-
ter until it is processed."
Our well was ~410' deep and the water it produced was brackish at best. The water
conditioner cost more than the well, bringing the total cost to 15 grand. The stuff would
change the color of your teeth if it hadn't been thoroughly filtered. It was Rain Dance
water processing equipment. The water actually stank, hydrogen sulfide, I suppose.
Rain Dance was located in Ramona, CA near San Diego. We went there once, looking
for a place to lock Amy up. If you took 78 east, you'd eventually end up in Julian, the
Apple Capital. Julian is also unique among Southern California communities for its cold-
winter climate, ideal for growing apples. All Julian apples are sold locally as apple pies,
apple cider or whole fruit. In October, 10,000 apple pies a week are baked in Julian,
when Southern California tourists flock here for the Fall colors, cool breezes and frontier
atmosphere.
"I really don't care, Gunny, we have too much invested in this place now to pull up
stakes and move. I'd suggest tank traps, but they don't stop people. Frankly, I don't care
if you turn this place into a castle as long as we're relatively safe."
"That's about what it would take."
"Why couldn't you get a heavy duty concrete saw and cut up part of I-40? If you could
take slabs of the road out intact, we could set them on edge. We could put in two rows
of slabs and fill the middle with adobe sand. Well you're at it; you might just as well
square off our little plot of land."
I was joking, but someone took me seriously. Do you remember the ad? The lot is 2640
x 970 x 2810; lot is 1,045,440ft²; approximately 24 acre(s). They squared it off alright at
2,800 feet on a side, a circumference of over 2 miles. An acre is 43,560ft². A square
2,800' per side is 7,840,000ft², ~180 acres.
This was a heavy duty interstate with slabs 325mm, ~13", thick. Can anyone tell me
how much a slab of concrete 12'w × 15'l × 13"t weighs? That about 8 yards of concrete,
I think, so I'd guess ~16 tons. Except, somebody figured out that if the slabs were 12'w,
234 slabs would be 2,808'. The outside wall would take 936 of those slabs minus 2 for
gates. The inside wall would take less, only 928 minus 2 for the gates. Standing on
edge with 5' in the ground and 10' above the ground. Did I say 5 years? That's about
1,826 days. 928 + 936 = 1,834.
127
That would assume they cut, moved and installed 1 slab a day for 7 days a week for 5
years. Wait, it gets better, if possible. If they left 12' between the two layers of slabs,
They would need roughly 10'h × 12' wide × 12' between × 936 or ~50,000 cubic yards of
sand to fill the space between the 2 walls and 4 more slabs to cap the ends were they
put the gates. So, 936 × 2 = 1,872 slabs and mortar for the seams. I love math, it's so
simple because there are only 10 digits, LOL.
They had to be sure to put the smooth sides out so nobody could climb the wall easily. I
knew it couldn't be done. 1,872 × 15' = 28,080' = 5.3 miles of road. But, that was only 1
lane, so they divided by 4 and figured to pull up 1.33 miles of road. Never underestimate
the creativity of desperate men. I have no doubt they found every truck mounted con-
crete saw in Arizona and a whole lot of those saws you walk behind. So, I'm sitting there
counting again, 1little, 2 little, 3 little Indians, 4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians… Except,
there were more than 10 and they weren't little Indian boys. And, they weren't lazy or
drunk.
I strapped on my guns, mounted Salina and started the engine. I had it in mind to check
out their work. Every place there was a crack in the Interstate, there was a red 'X' and
that section wasn't going to be part of any slab. Back at the ranch, Gunny was running
one trencher and one of his cousins a second. That trench was about 15" wide and 5'
deep and they were moving along. I drove on into Winslow and found a 6-pack of warm
beer. And then, I drove myself home and opened up a can of that Coors. Spoiled! There
ain't nothing more skunky than a spoiled can of beer. I used the other 5 cans for target
practice.
On the second day, they kept sawing, but others brought in a couple of cranes and they
commenced to pick up those 16 ton slabs and move 'em. Stood 'em up on edge, got
'em squared up and tamped the soil back in place to keep 'em where they placed 'em.
About 10' on the outside of the slab, they began to dig a trench with an end loader and
fill the space between the slabs. I thought I'd seen everything, but you'd be amazed how
fast this was going. By the end of the day, they had lifted, moved and set 9 slabs in
place and had even mortared the seams. One of those slabs was the south end of the
west gate. There had been some experimenting while they figured out how to lift the
slabs and move them. Otherwise, I expect they may have move as many as 13 slabs.
"How many slabs a day, do you figure on moving?"
"Twelve."
"So it will take 1,872 divided by 12 or 156 days, 22 weeks, to build this place?"
"Nope, Sunday is the Lord's Day. We only work 6 day weeks, so that's 72 slabs a week.
The 156 days may be right, but you'd better figure on 26 weeks."
"What about the gates?"
128
"Someone is making those even as we speak."
"I know I wrote a story about build a castle or something like it in Arizona. Can't remem-
ber with one, but it was probably set in Holbrook."
"Why there?"
"It's my second favorite place in Arizona."
"Where is your most favorite place?"
"Sedona."
"You probably couldn't have bought a lot in Sedona for $20,000."
"I've always had a Champagne appetite and a beer budget. Once this place is all se-
cure, how do you plan to get the tank in and out? I measured and it's 12' wide. Accord-
ing to the plans, you're going to put in 12' gates. It won't fit."
"Crap. We're going to have to make the gates wider."
"Another thing, with the walls 10' tall, how is the tank going to shoot over the walls?"
"Tanks."
"You're welcome."
"No. Tanks, as in more than one tank."
"But, we only have one tank."
"Derek has his eye on 3 more."
"Ft. Irwin?"
"Ft. Hood."
"III Corps Headquarters? Fat Chance."
"He seems to think they can do it."
"He'd better try Ft. Irwin first. The 1st Squadron of that OpFor unit also maintains M1A1
tanks. Ft. Irwin is one hell of a lot closer than Ft. Hood."
129
"He told me he wanted a tank Platoon and that consisted of 4 tanks. The cavalry troop
is organized, equipped, and trained to protect and conserve the combat power of other
combined arms forces. While its primary missions are reconnaissance and security, the
cavalry troop may be called upon to execute attack, defend, and delay missions as part
of squadron and regimental missions.
"The armored cavalry troop consists of a headquarters, two tank platoons, two scout
platoons, and mortar and maintenance sections. The headquarters section is equipped
with one main battle tank, one command post (CP) carrier, one APC, one cargo truck,
and two utility trucks. The scout platoons consist of six M3 cavalry fighting vehicles
(CFV). Equipment in the mortar and maintenance sections includes two 107-mm mor-
tars mounted in self-propelled carriers, one APC, one heavy recovery vehicle, ERS."
"Does he intent to build an entire Troop?"
"Derek didn't say; all he talked about was one Platoon. However, I do suppose we could
put together a Calvary Troop if we worked at it."
"Let's get these walls built first Gunny."
They got the road cut up much faster than they were able to move the slabs and install
them. As a consequence, Derek, Mary and Damon when on an expedition with the
HETS and returned with a second M1A1 and the empty space on the trailer filled with
cannon shells and 7.62mm and .50 caliber belted ammo. They left and came back with
a 3rd and subsequently a 4th tank. That made up one tank platoon. I figured they were
done. When they came back with a 5th tank, I had to ask.
"Why do you need 5 tanks?"
"I don't, I need 9. I also need 10 more of the CFVs, and the rest of the vehicles to make
up one Armored Calvary Troop."
"Are you out of your mind?"
"That's Damon."
"Maybe it runs in the family."
"As soon as Gunny finishes up the trenches, he's going to start putting in the munitions
bunkers."
"Somebody pinch me and wake me up, this must be a nightmare."
130
That Twerp reached out and pinched me. Damn that hurt and I was still having the
nightmare. Those stinking tanks are big, too, 12' wide, 92½" tall and about 32' long with
the gun forward. It would take an acre just to hold his damned Troop. Once he had his
tanks and CFVs, he needed one command post (CP) carrier, one APC, one cargo truck,
and two utility trucks. Plus, the equipment in the mortar and maintenance sections
which included two 107-mm mortars mounted in self-propelled carriers, one APC, one
heavy recovery vehicle. I can tell you one thing; our part of WW IV wasn't going to be
fought with clubs.
I also figured out that we were talking on the order of 130 plus people plus their wives
and children. I sure hope he had that in mind when he built that septic field. I instantly
did a Fleataxi and slapped myself on the head. That hurt too; it must explain his fiction –
he does that a lot. A whole Armored Calvary Troop for what, some rattlesnakes? Ain't
no damned Chinese left to invade and as far as I'm concerned the Mexicans can HAVE
California.
If'n ya cain't beat 'em, join 'em. So, by the time they had the walls in and filled, Gunny
had the bunkers done and Derek had his Calvary Troop. There were no smoking signs
nearly everywhere. 'What a revoltin' development this is!"
Some kind soul brought me a real pair of cowboy boots. A thoughtful gesture, but I had
trouble getting the half-height Laredo's on and they had a zipper. Another thoughtful
person brought me a white hat. I put it up even though it was my size, only the good
guys wear white hats and with all of the requisitioning we'd done lately I'd have felt out
of place wearing a white hat.
They made the 2 gates 24' wide to accommodate the Calvary Troop. The road they cut
up was from our exit east towards Winslow and there was a bridge down in Winslow
anyway. With the bridge being just north of the airport between 252 east and 252 west
mile markers, a person could get past downtown if they wanted to and it wasn't that far
from where the crater from the bomb was located. There wasn't anything in Holbrook
that was worth the risk and going to find Ronald was the last trip we intended to take to
the east. Most of the things we need and/or wanted were to the west anyway.
I spent long hours listening to the ham radio trying to find some sign that we weren't
alone. I meant the people in the area of Winslow and north on the two reservations
when I said we. I can tell you right now that more than people survived. There were feral
cats and dogs from Winslow and the occasional coyote. There were signals out there
but they weren't very strong or my antenna wasn't as good as I thought. Neither did I
pick up any signals on the SINCGARS radios, but if I understood how they worked, you
had to set the initial frequency. I'd have to re-read the FM on my computer when I had
time.
Well, time is on my side, yes it is
131
Time is on my side, yes it is
I had nothing but time on my side, if you must know. When the shock finally wore off,
during the summer of 2010, I started to get angry. I was angry at everyone and it wasn't
my senility. The madder I got, the more I began to overcome the irritability and irrational
anger. Our leaders had let us down. Not once since we came out of the shelter at the
end of January the previous year did anyone try and contact us. Not once had there
been a contrail in the sky indicating aircraft traffic.
BTW – Time is on my side is the theme song from Fallen. It’s a song by The Rolling
Stones.
We had gone to California several times, unopposed. I was ready to head to northeast-
ern Nevada and find my friend with the dogs. Unfortunately that would involve going
through Holbrook and then north to Salt Lake City where we'd pick up I-80 and travel
west almost to Elko. How many nuked out cities would we have to go through to find
Fleataxi? CFI was in that area too, the last I knew. Wait a minute, I'm not going to Utah,
Latter Day Saints have guns. Worse, they know how to use them. That's good for them
but bad for anyone that worries them.
The Latter Days Saints were born survivalists. Not all of them practiced the storage of
food and so forth that the Church Doctrine seemed to suggest, but a lot of them did.
Some of them made a business out of survival and survival supplies. One time when I
was in Salt Lake City, I took advantage of that fact and loaded up on over the counter
medical supplies. Sharon laughed at the umbilical clips I brought home but they were
still in my survival bag of medical supplies.
Disaster preparedness website; lots of free information for planning for all disasters,
Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Hurricanes. Emergency Survival kits, tools, equipment, and
supplies. Mention LDSResources.net and receive special promo code for 15% discount.
We should be prepared for the future. Only preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can
dispel fear. Individual members and families should prepare to be as self-reliant as pos-
sible in times of personal or widespread emergency; and, Church leaders can help fami-
lies learn to respond to emergencies by familiarizing them with information about emer-
gency preparedness available through many sources. Church publications that help
members prepare for emergencies include Essentials of Home…
Being a Methodist, I only knew what I heard about the Mormon Church. I hadn't heard
anything bad and those Mormons I had to work with in the past were especially nice
people. However, I went to school in the Air Force with one of those 'Reformed' Mor-
mons from Tucson and I don't believe they were the same as the people in Utah.
132
First Aid Kit – Emergency Preparedness
Are you ready? Take the time to ensure that all members of your family know the follow-
ing emergency preparedness procedures:
FIRST AID How to Make a First Aid Kit
1. When assembling your First Aid Kit, take into consideration the following:
A. Specific health needs of family members.
B. Include the necessary medications and equipment for them in your first aid kit.
C. Items that your family is familiar with and knows how to use properly.
2. Discuss with your family doctor your special needs. He can inform you of the specific
medications/prescriptions you need and explain how to use, store and rotate them.
3. The following is a list of BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLIES recommended for a first aid kit.
Upgrade your first aid kit as you increase your training:
First Aid Manual

Sterile Adhesive Bandages
Sterile Gauze Pads
Hypoallergenic Adhesive Tape
Triangular Bandages
Roller Bandages - 2 & 3 inches
Scissors
Tweezers
Needle
Thermometer
Tongue Blades
Assorted Sizes of Safety Pins
Latex Gloves
Antiseptic Soap
Rubbing Alcohol
Cotton
Disposable Diapers
Insect Repellent
Moistened Towelettes
Antiseptic-Cream
Neosporin
Petroleum Jelly
Aspirin or Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever
Laxatives
Anti-Diarrhea Medication
Syrup of Ipecac – To induce vomiting if advised by Poison Control
Antacid
Sterile Adhesive Bandages in Assorted Sizes
133
Special Medications for Family
NOTE: The American Red Cross offers classes in First Aid and CPR that cost little or
nothing.
That was just a sample of what you found when you used to look on the web to find in-
formation about the 'Mormon Doctrine on Preparedness'. Searching the web was easy;
mostly it was how you chose to phrase your question.
134
Heavenly father watching us all

We take from each other and give nothing at all
Well it's a dog-gone shame
But never too late for change
So if your luck runs low
Just reach out and call his name, his name
[Chorus:]
Yah mo be there (up and over)
Whenever you call
Never be lonely lost in the night

Just run from the darkness
Looking for the light
'cause it's a long hard road
That leads to a brighter day (hey)
Don't let your heart grow cold
[Chorus]
You can count on it brother

'cause we're all just finding our way
Travelling through time
People got to keep pushing on
No matter how many dreams slip away
Yah mo be there
Well it's a dog-gone shame

But never too late for change
So when your luck runs low
"Tom, how did you get started writing survivalist fiction?"
"I think it was Desert Doc who mentioned moving to Colorado from the state of Jeffer-
son. Whoever it was, it gave me an idea for a story. I didn't know anything about writing,
so I built the story around me and my friends. The truth was, I didn't know much of any-
thing, but I did know how to search the internet. When a thought popped into my head,
I'd research it and include the information in my story. I had a friend who built Gatling
135
guns and I conceived Thumper, a 6 barreled Gatling gun that shot 12 gauge shotgun
shells."
"Where was that story set?"
"California, Iowa, and Colorado. I had lived in each of those places for a time. I took
what I knew and polished it by looking up what I didn't know. I wrote 40 plus stories, all
told. Some were good and some weren't. I used the stories to educate myself and the
other Squirrels."
"Squirrels?"
"Frugal Squirrel's. It was a website. Strange thing was the owner set up a second web-
site called Build an Ark. I found that to be amusing. I didn't really mean to start any-
thing."
"What were the stories about?"
"You name it, and I studied it and wrote about it. Towards the end, I favored writing sto-
ries about WW III. Gunny, morality has taken a fall; no, make that a plunge, since I was
born. After WW II, this country was powerful and rich. We had the baby boomers and
each succeeding generation was a little worse. The government had the bomb and real-
ly began exporting Democracy, whether the people wanted it or not. Then, Russia got
the bomb and we came oh so close."
"The Cuban Missiles Crisis?"
"Yeah, we talked about that. After, we had the Vietnam War and more or less tarnished
our image. We didn't really redeem it until 1991 in Desert Storm."
"The War on Terror didn't do our image any good, Tom."
"I know. We started off being disliked and ended up being hated. California wasn't a
good place to live anymore and when Ron took off, we left too. Credit Amy for that, she
made us so miserable we had to do something. Don't tell her I told you that. Derek was
in Baghdad too and I was suffering terribly with my depression."
"Why?"
"The Iraqis and the insurgents were blowing everyone up. Derek was on a guard detail
of some kind according to the Des Moines Register. He was sworn to secrecy and nev-
er has said. He was always in armor until then. Man, that boy loves tanks."
"He's not exactly a boy any more, Tom."
136
"He always will be to me; I know what you mean though. Say what do you intend to do
to the top of the wall so we don't get shot leaning over to shoot the bad guys?"
"Know what a palisade is?"
"Nope."
"A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, used as a defensive
structure. I thought we could cut blocks out of the road and stack them on top of the
outer wall. We could mortar them in place and they would at least stop rifle bullets. It’s
like an embattled parapet may be paneled, but are pierced, if not purely as stylistic de-
vice, for the discharge of defensive projectiles."
"Or, you could cut notches in the outer wall."
"We could, but I’d rather go up than down; besides, we already cut 4' slabs and only
have to set them in place."
"How much fill did you put between the walls?"
"The total wall thickness including concrete is 12'. Total height will be 10½'."
"Ok, whatever. How much longer to finish up?"
"A couple of months, we'll do the front first."
"Will those gates stop a tank?"
"I doubt it. They're only made of 6" pipe 12" on center. They're strong, though and are
12' long. The way they're installed, they're quite solid from the outside and there are 3
layers on each gate."
"How thick is the plate?"
"All we could find was ¾" plate."
"So a grenade or a rocket would blow right through one?"
"One and maybe two; that's why we put in 3 gates at each of the entrances."
"So what the deal with the mound in the center of the ranch?"
The Command tank goes on top and the eight others on the lower level, all facing out-
ward."
"I sure wouldn't want to be in that Command tank, only the front armor is strong."
137
"We could put in a blockhouse instead."
"I like that idea, check with Derek."
A couple more trips to Navajo Depot while they were finishing the parapets and Gunny
and Derek declared Phase 1 complete. Phase 1? What the heck now? It was quickly
reveal that Phase 2 was the stage where we began to grow our own food. For a mo-
ment or two I thought they were talking about some kind of military campaign. They al-
ready planted a small orchard to produce fruit like peaches, apples, pears and some cit-
rus crops. They grew lemons and oranges in Phoenix, but could they do it here? I sure
as hell wasn't milking any cows. I asked them what Phase 3 entailed.
"Phase 3? That is our truck salvage operation Dad."
"Really? Well put smokes and toilet paper at the top of your list."
"Where do you plan to store the stuff?"
"Leave it in the trailers; it's as good of place as any. Just don't go dragging back any-
thing we can't use."
They also moved the antenna mast and antennas next to the blockhouse, adding an
additional 10' to their overall height. This was getting better and better. I began to pick
up a few more signals now. Was there iron in this ground? That had caused the com-
munications problems at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden (A Bridge Too Far).
It wasn't getting crowed either, not with the additional 156 acres they'd added when they
built the walls. Some of that land was devoted to pasture for the herd of horses they
brought in from the Res. I stuck with my ATV; I had no intentions of ever getting on a
horse again. I was 67 and I understand that senior had to be very careful about break-
ing bones. Sorry, I mentioned that before. Back when Sharon rode, she went around
140 pounds. When I mentioned riding to her she just laughed. If Clarence had been
here, I just know we'd have resurrected the 10th Calvary.
They grew cattle in Arizona but most were range fed. If you saw the amount of grass on
the range, you could understand when the cattle business in Arizona had suffered. It
was primarily due to a lack of water – everywhere. Drought in the Midwest drove the
prices of feed grains higher and large herds with little grass in Arizona lowered the price
of beef due to there being more beef than grass. Now, the only cattle there were
roamed free. The same with the hogs, what there were of those. Some had crossbred
with wild pigs and we had very dangerous hogs.
138
Wild pigs in the United States are referred to by many names, largely because of their
mixed ancestry. Wild pigs are not native to the United States and should not be con-
fused with the collared peccary (javelina) of the Southwest. Swine were first introduced
to the United States in 1539, when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto brought them to
Florida. After that, it was common practice for settlers to allow their domestic swine to
roam freely. Many years later, sport hunters introduced true Eurasian wild boars into
certain areas of the United States, and their bloodlines have become mixed with those
of the wild pig.
The feral swine population that exists today is a combination of domestic, escaped, or
neglected domestic swine, Eurasian wild boar, or feral pigs that have been captured for
the purpose of starting wild, free-living populations. The intentional movement of
trapped feral pigs has resulted in extensive crossbreeding of feral populations, produc-
ing variations in appearance. Wild pigs today are often hybrids: some look like wild
boars, and others look more like the common domestic pig in body shape and color. It is
often difficult to distinguish wild pigs from domestic swine based on appearance alone.
If they had tusks, we killed them and if they didn't, we frequently captured them and
tried to breed them. We didn't include me, I moved way too slow.
With a compound of 180 acres, larger than a quarter section of ground, if someone
came in and tried to lay siege, they'd be out of luck unless they could get through the
walls or gates, or we ran out of ammunition. From the number of trips to Barstow and
Navajo Depot, it didn't seem likely that would happen.
After months of trying, I finally hooked up with ham east of Tucson. I thought I heard him
say Tombstone, but wasn't sure. Been there, seen Boot Hill, OK Corral and couldn't
think of any reason to go back. Maybe it would be different now, it wasn't a tourist trap.
When I had been there, 20 years before, the number of gun stores was remarkable.
Well, maybe, a genuine Colt might be fun. Every kid has a dream of what he wants to
be when he/she grows up. I wanted to be a fur trapper. I learned how but it was difficult
to make living out of it in the '70s. I became an accountant instead.
The ham wanted to know what to call me and I told him I preferred Tom. He could al-
ways look up my call sign (KD6GDQ) in the book, and learn my real name. I learned
that he was originally from ERK and had moved first to New Mexico and later to Tomb-
stone. I got that about the 3rd time he told me. He said he didn't have a call sign and I
could call him Mac. I asked where he lived In California and he said Palmdale. I laughed
and said so did I, damn small world isn't it? I asked him what kind of radio he had and
he said it was a Kenwood TS-2000.
"That's what I have, how did you come to pick that model?"
"I had a friend who was a writer. He recommended the Kenwood."
139
"What was his name?"
"Gary."
"Hey, that's my name."
"Is this Tom as in Tired Old Man?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, asshole, how are you doing?"
"Ronald MacDonald?"
"The one and only."
"Hey, we went to Cedar Hill looking for you."
"You didn't find me because I wasn't there."
"Why not?"
"We were on vacation and down in Tombstone when TSHTF."
"Did you leave me any guns, asshole?"
"A couple. Where are you?"
"Winslow, Arizona."
"I drove by there several times, that's desolate country."
"How about we come down?"
"I'll meet you at the OK Corral, remember where it is?"
"Damn right I do. We'll come down state route 77. How about tomorrow afternoon?"
"What time?"
"3:00pm."
"What are you driving?"
"Either a Hummer or a Stryker."
140
"Been looting?"
"Strategic reallocation."
"You haven't changed."
"Well, from one asshole to another, neither have you."
"KD6GDQ clear."
"Bye."
Son-of-a-bitch. I'll bet he was in good shape without a doctor to keep his veins clear. If
we could find Clarence… Ron's favorite handgun was a .41 magnum Ruger. He never
went anywhere without the gun. There was a hat store in Tombstone too; maybe I could
get a new straw hat. The map said we could avoid Holbrook and Phoenix, but Tucson
was nearly mandatory. I hoped the radiation would be down. The shootout at the Ok
Corral occurred around 3pm on Wednesday, October 26, 1881.
"Hey kid, whatcha doing?"
"I'm trying to figure out where to plant what."
"Put that on hold, we have to go to Tombstone tomorrow."
"Why?"
"I hooked up with a ham down there who turned out to be Ron Brown."
"As in the Ron Brown from Palmdale who you went to look for in New Mexico?"
"That's him. They were down there on vacation when TSHTF."
"We'd better take one tank, the Stryker and a couple of Hummers."
"Hey, all he has is a .41 magnum."
"Are we going through Tucson?"
"Yes."
"One tank, the Stryker and a couple of Hummers. How far is it?"
"About 350 miles."
141
"We'd better figure 8 hours travel time, what time did you tell him we'd be there?"
"We're meeting him at 3pm at the OK Corral."
"Then we're out of here by 7am."
"I'm going home and tape my hat to get all the lint off. If anyone wants a new hat, get
their size."
The next morning, I got up in the middle of the night, 6am, showered and dressed up in
my finest pair of jeans, buffed my boots, tucked in my shirt and strapped on my guns. I
assumed they'd take their bazookas or whatever, but I was as close as I could come to
looking like a cowboy. I grabbed my Winchester and the saddle bags that held 4 boxes
of ammo.
"Ready to go?"
"What route?"
"77 out of Holbrook."
"Chit."
"You'd rather go to Phoenix?"
"Are those the choices?"
"Yep."
"Ok, we'll do it your way."
"You're an ugly looking sum bit."
"Screw you too, Gar-Bear. I thought you said a Hummer or Stryker, what's with the
tank?"
"Derek brought me down. We have a nice place up in Winslow, wantta come?"
"Whatcha got?"
"180 acre Fort with 12' thick walls and triple gates."
"Indians?"
142
"Navajos."
"Just one tank?"
"Nine."
"Booze?"
"Derek has it locked up."
"Food?"
"Steak."
"I'm your man."
"Thought so. We'll stop in Show Low and get you a new home."
"Fine, now what?"
"I need a new hat."
"Are you still wearing that greasy, grimy old straw hat?"
"Not any more. I need 2 Colts, .45 caliber, 4¾” and 7½”."
"Is that all?"
"Whatcha got?"
"About 6 boxes full."
"Bring 'em. Got leather?"
"Everything has leather. You know where the hat store is?"
"About a half block down."
"You and that damned memory, don't you forget anything?"
"I'm having a good day, is all."
"You plan to drive back in the dark?"
143
"We have headlights, partner. Is your car dead?"
"Oh yeah, why else would we be here?"
"Who do you have with you?"
"Lyn, Brenda and the baby."
"Baby? She must be what, 4 years old?"
"You remember?"
"You never told me her name."
"Lynn."
"How are you doing on meds?"
"Just about out, do you have some?"
"Several pharmacies worth."
Derek said we'd stay over because he didn't want to drive in the dark and it would be
too late to look for a new home for Ron and Linda in Show Low. It was fine with me be-
cause it gave me more time to shop. I wear a size 7⅛ hat and he didn't have many in
that size in his shop. I tried them on and if Ron liked it, I kept it; otherwise I put it back in
the box and the box in the back of the Hummer. He might change his mind. We cleaned
Tombstone out of guns and ammo so somebody couldn't come along and later use
them against us.
The next morning we left and headed back north. The only model left on display at the
Fleetwood dealer's was an Entertainer floor plan A. It must have come in just before the
war, it wasn't assembled. Ron said, that was easy, he'd take that one. It was 4-
bedrooms and 2-baths; large, about 2,300ft². Damon worked on the two semis pulling
the sections and got them started, somehow, probably a jumper and ether. I later found
out that the liquid on the ground was the fuel out of the saddle tanks. They told me to
take the Hummer and drive home, they be along with the home sections.
144
No more runnin' down the wrong road

Dancin' to a diff'rent drum
Can't you see what's goin' on
Deep inside your heart
Always searchin' for the real thing
Livin' like it's far away
Just leave all the madness in yesterday
You're holdin' the key
When you believe it
[Chorus:]
Shine sweet freedom
Shine your light on me
You are the magic
You're right where I wanna be
Oh sweet freedom carry me along
We'll keep the spirit alive on and on
We'll be dancin' in the moonlight

Smilin' with the risin' sun
Livin' like we've never done
Goin' all the way
Reachin' out to meet the changes
Touchin' every shining star
The light of tomorrow is right where we are
There's no turnin' back
From what I'm feeling
[Chorus]
Coz there'll be starlight all night

When we're close together
Share those feelings dancin' in your eyes
Tonight they're guiding us
Shinin' till the mornin' light
"Do you know how to fire that Ma Deuce?"
"Show me."
"If this thing, the bolt latch release, is up, you're in single shot and if it's down, you're in
full auto. It's ready to go, just press here to fire the thing."
"Maybe I'd better drive and you handle the machinegun, Gar."
145
"Sure, go for it. You do know the way, of course."
"Can’t you give me directions?"
"Uh, I can't hear you, I've gotten deafer."
"CAN'T YOU GIVE ME DIRECTIONS?"
"I can hear you now, but what about while we're driving and I have my head out the hole
there?"
"Ok, you drive."
"I thought so."
"How far is it?"
"90 miles. It will take me about 2 hours."
"2 hours! Can't you go faster than that?"
"Well, you see, I don't have a driver's license. And this is the first time I ever drove a
Hummer."
"Jesus H. Christ!"
"Yeah, he goes to my church too. Sit down and shut up and we'll be there in 90
minutes."
"Asshole."
"You remembered. God, have I ever missed you. Nobody has called me by my name
since '06. What happened to Robert?"
"Heart."
"His wife was Johnny?"
"Yeah, she went first."
"Sorry."
"He lived on borrowed time for 15 years."
"Is Sharon in Winslow?" Linda asked.
146
"Naw, dumped her for bimbo number one."
"You didn't!"
"Right, she'd have killed me if I tried that a second time."
"How did you get her to move?"
"Amy drove her crazy and I offered a Viking Mega Quilter. I scratched her back and then
bought a million guns."
"You would."
"Hey Ron, my rifle is bigger than your rifle."
"I have a .458 Winchester."
"I bought a Tac-50."
"Hey, what about my guns in Cedar Hill?"
"We get you settled in and then you can drive and I'll man the machinegun."
"How did you come out on your house in Palmdale?"
"$325,000."
"You're kidding."
"The neighbors put theirs on the market for $400,000."
"Do you have a home like the one we're going to get?"
"Smaller, about 1,500ft². How did you get through the fallout?"
"Found a basement with some canned goods in it."
"Figures, you fall into a pail of crap and come out smelling like a rose."
"Have you seen your pal Tony lately?"
"Bite your tongue."
"I warned you."
147
"You did. But I still have the HP 9000 LaserJet."
"I suppose all of your money is tied up in that Trust in Iowa?"
"Haven't heard from them since the war."
"You should have been safe there in Winslow."
"Someone nuked the airport but missed. What there was of a town is gone. The good
news is that the prison is gone too."
"Who are you paling around with these days?"
"Al Martinez. I call him Gunny. What ever happened to Clarence?"
"I have no idea. I stopped going to meetings and he never called anymore."
"In that case the 3rd Amigo is half Navajo and half Mexican."
"Is he a drunk too?"
"Nobody's perfect."
"Does that mean he is or isn't?"
"Isn't."
"How long do you have now, 11 years?"
"My new sobriety date is January 28, 2009, the day we came out of the shelter."
"Get drunk?"
"Had one drink."
"That's it?"
"Yep, Derek locked the booze up at my request."
"You're more honest than I would be over a single drink."
"I had a good teacher. I found a six pack of Coors and tried one. It smelled and tasted
like, I don't know, skunk piss."
148
"Did you swallow?"
"Spit it out."
"Doesn't count."
"Good, I didn't count it."
"Do we get a basement?"
"No, you get median dividers. I don't know that there are any nuclear weapons left."
"Have you reached anyone besides me?"
"You were the first. What were you using for an antenna, a coat hanger?"
"A CB antenna. They're 11 meters so I only used the 10-meter channel and the antenna
tuner."
"We're in Holbrook."
"What happened here, a nuke?"
"Took out the power plant. It's 33 miles to Winslow and another 5-6 miles to the ranch."
"You said Fort."
"You'll see."
"It that it?"
"That's the place."
"By God it IS a fort!"
"A Fort refers to a permanent Army location and a Camp to a temporary location."
"Have you named it?"
"Nope. The inside is about 178 acres and including the walls about 180."
"Where did you get the concrete?"
"You drove over it dozens of times Ron."
"You cut up the Interstate?"
149
"Might just as well, the bridge is down in Winslow."
"Shouldn't you have put the smooth sides out?"
"I told them, but nobody listens to me."
"What are all those trailers for?"
"Our Navajo cousins."
"Maybe you ought to call this place Fort Navajo."
"I'll ask Derek, he's in charge now. He was the highest ranking NCO from the vet's."
"But this is your place."
"Only 24 acres. They squared it up when they built the fort."
"8 tanks?"
"9, plus 1 Stryker, and a dozen M3 CFVs. The problem is we only have one HETS."
"What is a HETS?"
"Heavy Equipment Transporter System, the big tractor trailer rig carrying Derek's tank.
The HETS is required to transport, deploy and evacuate 70-ton payloads, primarily M-1
tanks, on highways and unimproved roads and cross-country. The HETS consists of the
M-1070 truck tractor and M-1000 semi-trailer. HETS has automatically steerable axles
and load leveling hydraulic suspension. The tractor has front and rear axle steering with
central tire inflation system and cab space for five crew members and the driver. They
only had 1,667 M1070 tractors and 1,503 M1000 trailers."
"Where are they?"
"Probably spread out all over the country."
"So you'd need 8 more?"
"More than that. Those M-3s are tracked vehicles and you can only get two of them on a
HETS. We'd need 15 altogether if we wanted to move out the entire Troop on a high-
way. In the desert, it wouldn't matter."
"Do you have plenty of spare parts?"
150
"I wasn't involved; I've been sitting here most of the time counting cars on the Inter-
state."
"The Interstate is closed."
"Right, I'm waiting to get to one. I counted slabs for a while, there, but I lost count."
"You need to get a life."
"I have a life, it's just boring. By the way, if you want to do laps, it's two miles around the
palisade of the fort."
"Do you do laps?"
"Sure, they put in a ramp for my ATV."
"You have an ATV? What kind?"
"It's a Polaris I call Salina."
"You don't have a horse?"
"Salina only goes as fast as I let her. Let's go in and join the wives, I'm sure Sharon has
coffee on."
"You have sweet and low?"
"Not the liquid, I thought you were dead."
"So, what happens next?"
"What do you mean?"
"Yellowstone, an earthquake, a tsunami, or maybe a tornado?"
"God, I hope not! We just had a global thermonuclear war! Hell, we've barely started
scavenging."
"Mutant Zombie Bikers?"
"Shh, I'll tell 1340cc you said that."
"Who's that?"
151
"The biker babe I know in Texas. A 1340cc engine is a 2-cylinder, 4-cycle, 45° V type
with 1340cc displacement."
"How do you know that?"
"I looked it up once."
"You don't have internet now, do you?"
"We don't have TV, radio, electricity, telephone, internet or anything else we don't steal."
"Strategic reallocation, Gar-Bear."
"That's what I said, That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet."
"Where'd you get that?"
"Preparations, part III, look it up."
"I never finished The Ark."
"I know."
"Did I tell you?"
"No, you lied and said you read it."
"I said I was reading it."
"Did you finish?"
"No."
"They don't waste time, do they?"
"Your house?"
"Yeah. Another day or two and they have it assembled."
"Those medians provide good support and they'll strap it in a few places. That achieves
the same effect as bolting the frame of a house to the slab. We get the water from a 6"
well and the water is filtered as soon as it comes out of the ground, thanks to you. You
were right; you can't drink the water around here. We have a 15,000 gallon water tank
152
and it gives us a little pressure. We have a large septic system with a 24 acre drain
field. Right now it's pasture, but they'll plow that up for garden come spring."
"How are you on supplies?"
"The cousins brought their own down from the Res. We had 10 1-year supplies from
Walton feed plus plenty of extras from the Costco in Prescott. Now let me fill you in
some of the attractions of this place. Fleataxi suggested I used small inexpensive wind
turbines and I put in 4 of those at 10w each. When there were just 3 houses, it was
plenty of electricity. I have a propane fueled Kohler genset that was rated for 50kw and
had 8,100 gallons of propane."
"They went to Tehachapi and brought back a big wind turbine. Then they hit Barstow,
Ft. Irwin and Navajo Depot. As you can see, we've been busy. Do you want to go to
Cedar Hill today?"
"We'll need a trailer."
"We have several. I get Gunny and Damon to go along with us to do the heavy lifting
and provide fire support should we need it. We have a semi if you'd rather use that."
"You've seen how much we have, better take the semi."
"You're right; I get a couple of the cousins to give us a hand. Maybe we'd better set it up
today and go tomorrow. Do you want a rifle?"
"I have a rifle."
"Not a cowboy gun, an M4/M203 or an M14 We have quite a few military .45s, too."
"I'll take the M14."
"Ok, I'll get you some ALICE gear. Do you want a .45?"
"I'll keep the .41 magnum."
"Ok. Say, where are your animals?"
"We boarded them in Durango. I assume they're ok, but the bill will be outrageous."
"I doubt that, they'll settle for the feed bill. We'll let Gunny handle the negotiations."
"I don't want any trouble."
"There won't be what would be a fair amount?"
153
"I've only got $350."
"Sounds fair to me. Take the guy one of those Colts you brought back from Tombstone
and some ammo. Can you spare a Winchester in the same caliber?"
"Yeah. You got any smokes?"
"What brand?"
"Camels, filter."
"Look in the well house and get some. That's the building over there with the galvanized
roof."
While Ron got the smokes, I got the load bearing gear, a pair of canteens, the rifle and
9 magazines and 4 magazine pouches. I took those, 4 grenades, and 400 rounds of
ammo. One nice feature of the M-14/M1A is that you can load the magazines by insert-
ing a loaded magazine and inserting the stripper clips into the grove. I talked to Damon
and Gunny and had them get the semi and a few extra people to load the furniture. I
figured Ron and I would take the lead with a Hummer.
"Where did you get the money to do all of this?"
"Remember, we started with 24 acres. We cleared over 200 grand on the house. The
land was only 20 grand. We managed to burn through it easy enough. When did you
buy the .458?"
"It was Robert's. I got the whole nine yards and we can reload if you have the compo-
nents. Robert had more guns than I did, I must have 50."
"Not counting the 6 boxes from Tombstone."
"Right."
"You can't grow enough grass to feed those horses. How do you do it?"
"They get grain from elevators and I have no idea where the baled hay comes from.
They don't tell me much and I mind my own business. Mama is happy making quilts and
I amuse myself looking for rattlesnakes."
"Kill many?"
"Saw one a couple of years ago. Didn't kill him, he had a rat in his mouth."
154
Maybe it's true what they say about it

Maybe we can't make the ends meet
Maybe we'll all have to do without it
Maybe this world's just incomplete
Still we all look for the truth in our lives

Searching from different sides
So hard living in a desperate world
But we all do the best that we can
[Chorus 1:]
Some people see a change
Some will remain the same
But all of them live their lives under the gun
Some see the road as clear
Some say the end is here
They say it's a hopeless fight, well I say I gotta try
Maybe there's too much to think about it

Maybe there ain't nothin' left to say
But if our time's really runnin' out
Then this is no time to run away
'cause we're destined to look for the truth in this life

Blinded by tearful eyes
If it's no use tryin' in a desperate world
Then tell me why was I born
[Chorus 2:]
Some people see a change
Some will remain the same
But all of them live their lives under the gun
Some see the road as clear
Some say the end is here
They say it's a hopeless fight, but I say I gotta try
Lonely-living too lonely

Is it too late
To turn it all around
[Chorus 2]
Someone's tryin'
155
Someone's cryin' out
While we live under the gun
Someone's livin'
Someone's givin' up
"Did you have any trouble getting through Gallup?"
"Brought some cousins. No, no trouble."
"Robert didn't like Indians."
"You told me. They're people just like the rest of us. It just irks me that we didn't do right
by them. We even paid the Japanese for being in the relocation camps, but I think the
only land we ever bought from the Indians was Manhattan Island. I think things have
come full circle, now the Native Americans will get most of their land back."
"I know several places you can get propane."
"That will help, but sooner or later, everything is going to wear out and where will we be
then?"
"About 6' under, partner; don't worry about it, the kids will find a way to get by. There are
more people out there than you might imagine. It's TEOCAWKI not TEOTW."
"How much propane can you get?"
"A few million gallons. You're going to have to come up with a transporter. We should
be able to find gasoline by emptying out service station tanks and terminals."
"Right and we can get PRI-G and PRI-D from marinas."
"What about fuel for those tanks?"
"JP-8, there's a lot of that on military bases and forts."
"We're here."
Ron got the set to load the household goods into the trailer and Gunny, he and I headed
to Durango to pick up Tango, Brita and Marta, the dogs, plus their cats. Tango is a pure
blooded German Sheppard. The other two are Miniature Schnauzer's. Gunny settled the
bill for a Winchester rifle, Colt revolver, leather and $200 cash. On the way back to Ce-
dar Hill, Gunny drove, I was the front passenger and Ron was in back with the dogs.
156
They were about half loaded when we got back. Damon was mostly supervising placing
the load so it wouldn't shift. We were tired and it was late. However, they persisted and
finished loading the truck. We talked it over and decided to return to Winslow rather
than sleep on the floor. I did my insulin fix and broke out an MRE Entrée. As long as I
didn't take the Xanax, I'd never get sleepy, the brain wouldn't shut off. After, I nibbled
and before we got home, I'd eaten the entire MRE.
Say what you like about an MRE, if you're hungry, it's not that bad of a meal. There are
enough calories in one MRE to sustain a person for 24 hours if he/she isn't working.
You really can't expect them to put gourmet meals in a plastic bag. My only complaint is
the short shelf life, 5 years under ideal conditions.
Despite all of the bad press, Halliburton's subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown and Root, lost a
billion dollars during Iraqi Freedom. KBR was the contractor who ran the chow hall
Derek ate in over there. His major complaint was that the dining room was usually
closed when they came in from missions. Even if they followed a military schedule, it
would have meant the chow hall was open 4 times a day. I blame many of the problems
on the media, just because Dick Cheney was the former CEO of Halliburton, there had
to be illicit profits attributed to KBR. Did they overcharge for fuel? They were transport-
ing it through a war zone. Every coin has 2 sides.
We most definitely had to find another Polaris ATV so Ron could go riding with me.
They found him one, a 2005 Sportsman Military Vehicle. That was a real ATV with: a
liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder Polaris Liberty 700 engine, independent long-travel rear
suspension, On-Demand All-Wheel Drive, electronically activated front and rear 2,500
lb. winches, heavy-duty flat racks, oversized D-rings, capacity: 450 lbs/204.1 kg., front
and rear fuel tanks: 8.75 gallon total capacity, run Flat Goodyear Mud Runner tires,
steel reinforced frame, racks and floorboards and dual tow hooks. They knew I'd get
po’d and brought two back. I gave mine to the kids to play with.
The next thing on the agenda was locating and salvaging abandoned semi-tractor trailer
rigs along the interstates. They went as far west as Needles and as far south on I-17 as
Phoenix. Generally, they'd just lower the wheels on the trailer, tow the tractor out of the
way and use one of the good tractors we had. When they got back, they'd bring the
trailer into the compound and sort through the contents. Anything we couldn't use was
collected into trailers that were set outside of the fort on the other side of the ditch. It
served as yet another layer of protection.
By spring, they had finished going west and south. Their next goal was to turn the pas-
ture and plant gardens. Someone came up with a bunch of used farm equipment and
they used it to put in the garden. I suppose it ran maybe 6 acres, I didn't measure. It
was about ¼ of the land that Sharon and I owned. They were taking the Stryker for pro-
tection on the trips, which continued through the summer of 2011. One day, they found
a trailer load of smokes from RJ Reynolds. Their brands include: Camels, Kools, Win-
ston, Salem, Doral, Pall Mall, Eclipse, Barclay, Lucky Strike, Belair, Misty, Tareyton,
Capri, Monarch, Vantage, Carlton, More, Viceroy, GPC and Now.
157
It was nothing short of a lifetime supply, one of those once in a lifetime, million-dollar
finds. They didn't get very far north on I-25 out of Albuquerque. In fact, they had a bit of
trouble there and decided they wouldn't go back. They had finally found another, much
larger, enclave of humanity. I think they were lucky they didn't get their butts shot off.
Many companies, it seems, had transported finished goods by rail to distribution centers
and from there via semi. The Stryker turned out not to be bullet-proof or the people in
Albuquerque had raided a few armories. I tried my best to keep myself informed on
what they were finding on their travels, BUT, I was told I didn't have a need to know.
Kiss my butt, this whole thing started out to be Sharon and my idea and now I didn't
need to know?
"How are you doing today, partner?"
"You know what; I'm going to live forever, just to piss them off. You seem to be doing
better, finally go on a low fat diet?"
"We ain't in Palmdale anymore Gar-Bear."
"I think the line was, Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
"Huh? Oh, Wizard of Oz."
"You'd better guard the movie collection with your life, partner. That's about the extent of
the entertainment we have here in this damned Fort. I'm bored. We ought to go on an
elephant hunt or something."
"I thought they decided to call it Fort Navajo."
"They did, but to me, it's just a damned fort. The really strange thing is that I wrote about
castles and forts in my stories. Now we have one and it's too constraining."
"We could take our ATVs and go hunt rattlesnakes. You knew you'd get old someday.
You and I ignored our elders and now it's our turn."
"I'm serious, how about we get a Hummer, a fuel trailer and go see some country?"
"Gary, get real. With all of the bombs and warheads that dropped on this country, most
of the roads are impassable. You have just about every boy toy you ever wanted and
then some. I'm too old for this crap. If you want an adventure, learn to ride a horse."
"Gunny, can you find me a horse to ride that won't take off on a dead run just because
I'm terrified?"
158
"Why would you want to ride a hose? We got you that fancy ATV to get around with."
"My pal Ronald sort of challenged me. Those horses are big and powerful and have al-
ways scared me. They seem to sense that and take advantage of me when I get on
one."
"Why don't you take some of those anti-anxiety pills you have before you get on the
horse? If you're all chilled out, you won't smell scared and once you get accustomed to
riding, you won't be frightened."
"I'll go take the pills, you find the right horse."
I took 1.5mg of Xanax and because I've taken it so long, it didn't seem to be having
much effect. I strapped on the Colts, got the Winchester and went to see what he'd
found for me to ride. It was a pinto mare. I didn't bother to ask if it had a name, I was
afraid he'd say, Salina. Gunny led the horse over to a mounting block and I eased my-
self into the saddle. He put my Winchester in the scabbard. He mounted up and we
rode the inner perimeter of the fort. He asked me if I wanted to try a short trot. A trot is
the gait of a horse or other four-footed animal, between a walk and a canter in speed, in
which diagonal pairs of legs move forward together. A canter is a smooth gait, especial-
ly of a horse, that is slower than a gallop but faster than a trot. A gallop is the natural
three-beat gait of a horse, faster than a canter, in which all four feet are off the ground
at the same time during each stride. The trot was bumpy so he moved it up to a canter. I
hung on and prayed. After a bit, he slowed down to the walk to cool the horses off.
"How are you doing?"
"My butt hurts, but I guess I'm ok."
"We'll do this again tomorrow and every day after that until you aren't frightened."
"You won't live THAT long."
"Sure I will. Eventually you get used to the horse and she will get used to you. And then,
we can quit tranquilizing you and the horse."
"What kind of tranquilizer did you give the horse?"
"Telazol, an injection."
"Cut the dose tomorrow and I will too. I wouldn't want to take that much Xanax, very of-
ten; I might get hooked on the higher dose. I think I might just go take a nap."
"Does it make you sleepy?"
159
"Not really, but it really does turn my brain off. I can probably sleep the rest of the day."
"Ok, shall we say 8am tomorrow?"
"Shall we say 11am? It takes a long time to wear off."
The next day I didn't take any pills and I wasn't quite as frightened. This went on for
about 2 weeks until I could actually ride, sort of. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I
would ever be a good rider and not a little frightened. I just called the horse, Horse. At
that time, it became Ronald MacDonald's turn to learn to ride. He was as timid as I had
been in the beginning, but I think he lied. You never could really tell because he was a
more accomplished liar than I was.
"Let's go, Hoss."
"I don't like being called that."
"I don't really care. You are going to ride every day for 2 weeks, just like I had to."
"Bull!"
"Bull, yourself. Every day for 2 weeks. After that we will be even. I'll ride with you, I need
the practice."
"What's your horse's name?"
"Horse, and let's not start any Abbott and Costello routine either."
"What is my horse's name?"
"Ask Gunny, I didn’t ask."
"Smartass."
"Kiss mine."
"I would, but it…"
"I know that one."
"You guys are…"
"Enough. Let's just ride and enjoy, if that is humanly possible."
Ron's horse's name was Thunder. The horse wasn't tranquilized and perhaps it should
have been; Ron can really cuss when he gets upset. You may have some of those lyrics
160
when we had TV, in Verizon commercials, the singer was Michael McDonald. I happen
to like music and movies. Maybe I'll find a red head.
My bottom end hurt so badly after 30 days in the saddle I could barely walk. What would
I have done if I had to ride a horse all day, every day? Gunny said I'd get used to it – he
was probably born on a horse.
"Are you done salvaging?"
"Hi, Dad. We are for now. Need something?"
"Do you have a pillow for that chair?"
"Hurt your back?"
"A little lower. Gunny talked me into learning to ride a horse after asshole challenged
me. After two weeks, he said I just needed practice, and I made Ron learn to ride. Of
Course, I had to ride with him for the practice. My butt hurts, my back hurts and my
Idon'tknow whatcha callit hurts."
"Do you have enough cigarettes?"
"I think I'll run out in the year 2075. Ron is in the same condition; he'll smoke the Camel
filters until they're gone then switch to Winston's."
"Did you see anyone out there besides those folks in Albuquerque?"
"We didn't go into Phoenix, so there could be people there."
"What about Flagstaff?"
"The airport was south of I-40 and most of the town is on the north side. As nearly as I
can tell, the strike was aimed at the airport, that's why I-40 is intact. They would have
gotten a pretty heavy dose of radiation; I'd imagine the residents headed north."
"How did you manage to go south on I-17 if they hit the airport?"
"MOPPed up, went like a bat out of hell."
"But I-17 goes right by the airport."
"We had to use and on and off ramps where the overpass was down. It wasn't easy, but
we did it. When we started to get close to Phoenix we started to run into trailers that had
been stripped. We pulled back rather than engage them."
161
"What happened in Albuquerque?"
"We went into town as slick as you please and all the way north to Raton. We found
those cigarettes northbound on I-25 about halfway between Santa Fe and Raton. Didn't
find any trucks north of there and came back though Albuquerque with the 2 trucks we
found. We made the I-40, I-25 intersection and went about a mile before they opened
up on us."
"Good thing the Stryker had run flat tires."
"We're going to have to replace the Stryker. I'd like to find some LAV-25s to do that,
they have a real gun."
"Where did they take them after Iraq?"
"I wish I knew. We didn't see any at Barstow."
"We didn't try Camp Pendleton. The Marines have around 400 of them and they have to
be somewhere."
"We didn't check 29 Palms or Yuma, there could be some there."
"29 Palms is the Corps equivalent to Ft. Irwin, Yuma is a proving ground."
"Either way, I guess we're going to California."
"Drop yer ***** and grab your socks, we're going to Cal-I-Forn-I-A."
"Why?"
"To get replacement for the Stryker; LAV-25s. It a light armored vehicle that the Marines
use. The advantages are that it's wheeled like a Stryker, amphibious, and uses the
same 25mm cannon those M3 CFVs use/"
"Would my ATV fit inside?"
"I won't know until we can measure the inside of one of them."
"Count me in."
"No cowboy guns. Take a military .45."
"How long will we be gone?"
162
"Until we get back."
"You haven't change a bit."
"Sure I have."
"Yeah, yeah? Name just one way you've changed."
"I can ride horses now."
"Excluding that."
"I shave, get dressed every day, wear a new cowboy hat and my gun is bigger than
yours. Tell Lyn a month or less."
"What are we eating?"
"Military ration trays."
"MREs?"
"No, these are group meals called Unitized Group Rations – A heat and serve, sort of
like a TV dinner."
"Do you have anything that isn't military?"
"You."
"They wouldn't take me because I was blind in one eye."
"Have you taken it out and showed it to anyone lately?"
"I only did that when I was drinking. I'd bet them I could turn my back and still keep an
eye on them"
Ron was right, we were too old for this stuff, but that didn't keep us from going. I think
we were both bored out of our minds. We had obviously expected violence to follow the
war – that why we spent months constructing a fort. In the past, few people even slowed
down when they passed by Winslow, unless they need gas or were Eagles fans. I had
been by Winslow dozens of times and never slowed down. I'd never stopped in Flagstaff
either, not even to get gas. I always got gas in Holbrook – for the car, not from the food.
For whatever reason we hadn't been attacked, perhaps the fort was too foreboding.
163
At that time we didn't know that the death toll in the US from WW III was closer to 90%.
Many were killed immediately, others by radiation poisoning and still others by disease.
There were others killed by marauding bands of people who would rather steal than try
and grow it. We were doing both, but we were not, I repeat were not, stealing directly
from anyone. The qualification for a Navajo family to move into the fort was simple; at
least one member of the family had to be a military veteran.
It wasn't at all a surprise, therefore, that the place turned into a military camp. A couple
of aircraft carrying CBUs would have wiped the whole place out in a single pass. We
were basically a couple of platoons, ergo a company, and a Company is commanded by
a Captain. As a result, Derek and Gunny received field promotions to LT, platoon lead-
er. I probably don't need to explain who was in charge of each platoon. When we recov-
ered the LAV-25s, we planned on creating a 3rd platoon. They were discussing who
would become the Company commander. I had downloaded a few of the Marine Corps
Field Manuals. I can report that when I printed them out, Gunny was most grateful. He
told me that more than made up for the riding lessons.
We should have expected the high death toll and we hadn't. We should have expected
the end of the world, for that matter. Most of the 20,000 plus nukes had been used. Did I
tell you it got cold? The first clue should have been the inability to raise anyone on the
ham radio. The second clue should have been the absence of any government or fed-
eral troops out helping people. The third clue should have been the absence of the me-
dia. This was the story of a lifetime! We were able to go where we wanted and do what
we wanted with no interference, except for what happened in Albuquerque.
Then next thing you know, Clarence will show up and this will become another 3 amigos
adventure. Not. We had to divide our weapons between China and later Russia. To-
gether, China and Russia had more weapons than we had. Both countries sent most of
their weapons our way, or so it would later prove. It defies human nature to live in a
vacuum, even if it is nothing more than an information vacuum. If you want peace, you
prepare for war, or restated, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Gunny went through the Navajo vet's and found enough Marines familiar with a LAV-25
that we could at least get them home, assuming we found them. He told me that we
were going to need to recruit more people. I told him to tell Derek, the two of them
seemed to be running the show for now. We most definitely had to find a trained medi-
cal person, preferably a doctor. We had a hospital corpsman and an Army Medic but
with Ron's heart in the shape it was, even a doctor might not be enough. As long as I
had my meds, I kept the scale balanced. I had a shelf full of insulin in the refrigerator
and while it said expired; the slip inside the box contradicted that. It must still be good, I
kept having hypoglycemic events.
164
The greatest man I never knew

Lived just down the hall
And every day we said hello
But never touched at all
He was in his paper
I was in my room
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon
The greatest man I never knew

Came home late every night
He never had too much to say
Too much was on his mind
I never really knew him
And now it seems so sad
Everything he gave to us took all he had
Then the days turned into years

And the memories to black and white
He grew cold like an old winter wind
Blowing across my life
The greatest words I never heard

I guess I'll never hear
The man I thought could never die
S'been dead almost a year
He was good at business
But there was business left to do
He never said he loved me
Guess he thought I knew
Reba has red hair. I have several of her CDs that I listen to when I have the chance.
The back of our Hummer had several cans of ammo for the Ma Deuce, rations, and our
duffle bags. Ron was driving and I had the passenger seat and was supposed to man
the machinegun if we needed it. The convoy consisted of several Hummers, mostly with
M240s or M2HBs; only one had an Mk-19. We had a supply truck, a tanker and the
HETS with one Abrams. Altogether, we numbered about 30. I think that Ron and I were
there mostly to observe and because we had cabin fever. We stopped at Navajo Depot
and topped off the vehicles and the tanker. The next stop was Barstow where they were
going to look one more time for any LAV-25s. They were probably going to load up on
any spare parts and 25mm ammo available.
165
BRAC 2005 had changed the functions of the 2 MCLBs. It was supposed to save mon-
ey, eventually. The government is inclined to fix the military to death. They found some
stuff in Barstow, but apparently not a lot. They didn't find any of the LAV-25s. Our next
stop was to the south at 29 Palms. We found 4 of the LAV-s there and sent them pack-
ing for home with instructions as to where they could find fuel.
Camp Pendleton was now nearly totally surrounded by housing tracts. I believe the Ma-
rine Corps might have moved it, but they need the ocean for amphibious training. We
didn’t waste a lot of time there, either. Once they located the vehicles they were ready
to head back to Fort Navajo.
"Hey, partner, how's about a detour?"
"Where do you want to go?"
"Palmdale."
"What are you, nuts?"
"Ron, I've robbed every gun store in the AV in my stories. It might be fun to actually do
it."
"What do you expect to find?"
"Probably not a whole lot. High Desert Storm and the Santa Fe Gun Galleria were too
close to Plant 42 to survive a strike against the plant. However, Jack First's old store in
Lancaster was a class III dealer. I would just like to have a look around."
Whatever they dropped on Palmdale must have been big. I'd managed to talk Ron into
going against his better judgment. Derek assigned the Hummer with the Mk-19 to ac-
company us. Several of the overpasses on I-14 were down and we had to take Sierra
Highway to get to Lancaster. Palmdale was quite the scene and so many streets were
closed we didn't dare to try and check out our old homes. We didn't see any people.
We made exactly one stop in Lancaster, the Gun Shop. It had been looted and there
wasn’t much there worth taking. I did manage to get 2 bandoleers that had been over-
looked. They held 12 gauge shotguns shells, 50 each. Apparently someone had sur-
vived long enough to loot the shop. We decided to go up to Mojave and pick up highway
58 and hopefully rejoin the convoy near Barstow. Just west of Barstow I managed to
reach Derek on the SINCGARS. They were moving slow and he suggested we wait for
him. I told him we'd be at the outlet on the south side of town seeing if we could find an-
ything worth stealing. We couldn't. I wanted to run up north of Barstow 8 miles to Peggy
Sue's Diner, but Ron put his foot down, on top of mine.
The convoy pulled in shortly thereafter and we fueled up the vehicles and headed
home. We should have told Linda 3 days, not 30. All of the destruction we had seen
166
gave me a creepy feeling. More than once I had the sensation we were being watched
but never saw a single living soul. Bodies, yes, more mummified than rotted. It wasn't
anything like I imagined it might be.
"Thank you for the detour, Ron. I should have listened to you, again. I wonder where all
of the survivors have gone."
"Maybe down into the mountains between LA and Palmdale."
"I have the creeps. 'Derek, Dad, are you running a rear guard?'"
"About a mile back."
"May I suggest that you have them drop back about 5 miles?"
"Why?"
"I have the creeps."
"Rog. Tail elements drop back about 3-4 miles."
I didn't need to explain that one to Derek. We often joked about my crystal ball. I didn't
have one, but I had, for a long time, kept myself abreast of the news. With no news an-
ymore, I had to rely on my gut and for some reason the hair was standing up on the
back of my neck. Perhaps I was just creeped out by what I'd seen. On the other hand…I
expect Derek must have heard that in my voice or he wouldn't have moved the rear
guard back.
Most of us have phobias. I don't like to climb and even in my later years was afraid of
the dark. Even being back home inside of a fortress didn't change that. I had always op-
erated under the assumption that you don't need to look for trouble. If you stay where
you are long enough, trouble will find you. We had an advantage in being in Arizona; it
was formerly an arid desert. These days, it wasn't nearly as arid because of the climate
change occasioned by the war. Basically, Carl Sagan's 2-dimensional model was right.
The equipment we were able to secure provided us with a sense of well-being. The fort
was large enough to accommodate far more people and grow more food. We didn't
have to leave the fort very often hence the sense of cabin fever that some of us occa-
sionally got. From that point on, most of the trips were hunting trips, looking for wild pigs
and range cattle. The seldom used farm equipment should last forever; we only planted
gardens and livestock feed for the horses and few cows we had come from salvaging.
We were now into the early spring of 2012 and it was planting season.
167
Seed beds were prepared, plants bought out from the various homes and the garden
started. My favorite veggie is green beans. Perhaps my second favorite is Mexicorn.
The list of what I don't like is about 4 times longer than the list of what I do like. I also
like frozen peas, lima beans occasionally and even sliced beets. I listed them in order of
preference. Most of those are very mild in flavor, and things with strong flavors, broccoli,
cauliflower, etc. weren't to my liking. I could probably live on round steak, boiled pota-
toes, green beans and gravy with jello for desert.
Because of all the people now residing inside the fort, Gunny had moved the range out-
side. Properly stored military ammo will keep for years; they were shooting ammo load-
ed for the M2 during WW II in Iraq, 60 years later. It wasn't crowded, but a ricochet
would be dangerous, especially with concrete walls. Because Ron and I had the ATVs,
we were made honorary Sergeants of the Guard. He had the 4pm to 8pm shift and I had
the 8pm to midnight shift. We didn't have a very big guard force, only 8 people on duty
at all times on the walls and 4 more on the ground. The wall guards were equipped with
night vision or binoculars as befit their situation.
Derek became the Company commander and Gunny his adjutant. Contrary to standard
military policy, Derek would command the tank platoon and Gunny the LAV-25 platoon.
A fellow named Red Cloud was in charge of the M-3 CFVs recon platoon. His legal
'white' name was Joe Simmons. (Red Cloud was the name of a famous Lakota (Sioux)
chief.) I can’t pronounce his name in Navajo. In fact about the only Spanish I had mas-
tered were my name and one profanity.
"When are we going hunting?"
"I don't like venison?"
"Cattle, dummy."
"I don't know, Ron, but we aren't going alone."
"Why not?"
"If we could find one and if we could kill it, we couldn't pick it up. They go around 1,000-
1,200 pounds. We'd have to ask one of the cousins to guide us and you don't like Indi-
ans."
"All the Indians I ever saw were either drunk or lazy no-goods."
"That's because the respectable members of the tribes were at work. I see some humor
in a drunk bad mouthing another drunk solely because he belongs to a different group."
168
While we had a full company, we didn't have one thing we really needed, artillery. If
some bad guys did show up and they had 155mm artillery or even the smaller 105mm
howitzers, they could blow the living crap out of the fort with our being totally unable to
reply. The range of that 120mm gun on the tanks was about 4,000 meters with conven-
tion ammo and 8,000 meters with the newer shells. Conversely, the M109A6 Paladin is
capable of firing up to four rounds per minute to ranges of 30 kilometers.
Then I remembered that most of the National Guard units in the Phoenix area were ar-
mor units.
"We need to go to Phoenix."
"What's in Phoenix we need?"
"About 6 each of the M109A6 Paladins and 6 of the M992A1 FAASVs."
"Artillery?"
"You damned right. Someone with just one of those cannons could stand off 13 miles or
so and kick the crap out of us."
"I don't know squat about artillery."
"Neither do I; I am of the opinion we'd better figure it out though."
"The next thing you're going to say is that we need MLRS units."
"I think that 3 of the M270A1 and 9 of the M970 would be enough, provided you had
plenty of reloads."
I didn't realize it at the time but what I was proposing was essentially a mechanized Bri-
gade minus the infantry and various supporting units. I made the suggestion and
dropped it. In order to have a full mechanized Brigade, we would need the Arty plus M-2
IFVs and several support units. My son was reasonably well versed in the new Brigade
structure the Army was adopting and realized that this would require planning, imple-
mentation, training and use up a whole lot of the space within our fort. However, he had
time on his side.
The equipment would do little good if they didn't have the people to man it and the muni-
tions the equipment required. Plus, we still lacked a doctor, dentist and nurses. I went
back to my guard duty and never brought the subject up again. I began to notice more
trailers being brought in, set up and hooked into the electrical, water and sewage sys-
tems. I assumed at first these were the people for the LAV-25s. When the number on
new trailers went over 50, I started nosing around.
"Partner, have you heard anybody say anything about all those new families?"
169
"No, but they aren't all Navajo, in fact, they aren't all Indians. I noticed that they're build-
ing more bunkers too. I thought we had enough ammo already for the next war."
"What are they putting in the bunkers?"
"Big shells of some kind, maybe about 6". They aren't cartridges, either, the powder is in
separate bags."
"He did listen."
"Who listened to what?"
"That sounds like 155mm artillery shells. I suggested to Derek that he add artillery and 3
MRLS launchers. You watch, every time they add a unit to this force, he'll get promoted
one more step until he's a Brigadier and Gunny is a full Colonel."
"What will that make us?"
"Old farts."
"What is a Brigade?"
"A US Army administrative and tactical unit composed of a headquarters unit, at least
one unit of infantry or armor or both, and designated support units. A brigade can be
commanded by a brigadier general or by a colonel. The primary mission of the brigade
is to deploy on short notice and destroy, capture, or repel enemy forces, using maneu-
ver and shock effect. Armored and mechanized brigades are organized to fight success-
ful engagements in conventional and various operations other than war (OOTW) activi-
ties. Brigades also conduct various OOTW activities, independently or as part of a joint
or multinational headquarters in peacetime and conflict environments. They are subor-
dinate commands of a division and corps and perform major tactical operations as part
of a division or corps operation. Brigade combat teams will be restructured into Brigade
Units of Action. Once transitioned, BUAs will enable greater capacity for rapid packag-
ing and responsive and sustained employment to support combatant commanders. The
transition to BUAs will also increase the brigade-equivalent forces available to meet
both enduring and emerging mission requirements."
"Huh?"
"It's sort like a complete miniature Army."
"How miniature?"
"In our case, several hundred."
170
"It's going to get so cramped up in here you won't be able to fart without 6 people com-
plaining."
"It isn't exactly what I had in mind, Ron, but it will greatly enhance security."
"Security from what Gar-Bear? I-40 is closed and we haven't seen hide or hair from an-
yone."
"I never completely shook that creepy feeling I got in California."
"You turned as white as a ghost."
"From the time we left Pendleton until we hit the Arizona state line at Needles, I couldn’t
shake it either."
"How much longer before they have this Brigade fully organized?"
"I'll ask Derek."
Derek was now sporting the silver leafs of a Lt. Colonel and Gunny the gold leafs of a
major. I didn't even bother to ask about that, but it did support my contention that they
were putting together a Brigade.
"So Colonel, when do we get the Arty and the M-2s"
"We've located the Artillery in Phoenix and some Bradley IFVs at Navajo Depot. All we
have to do is move in the vehicles, reloads for the MRLS launchers and expand our In-
fantry contingent."
"Ron said he thought the bunkers with the 155mm ammo were about full."
"They are. We found a couple of retired Marines who were previously with the artillery
and they will be in charge of that. We have a motor pool set up and the Hummer Ron
and you use is available for the two of you 24/7. We replaced the Ma Deuce with a
M240, but you will have an escort anytime you leave the fort."
"What else is new?"
"We have scouts east of Flagstaff and near Holbrook. Both Al and I agree with your as-
sessment that someone is watching us. We planted an extra-large garden this year in
anticipation of having more people. We also secured and Damon installed a PA system
that covers the entire fort. We'll use a claxon for General Quarters and a bell for All
Clear. I need to use your printer to print the handouts of instructions."
171
"Use it any time; I have several cases of paper and some extra toner cartridges. Where
are Ron and my posts?"
"We want you to go to your shelter."
"No fricking way boy."
"We're also constructing an underground shelter for the families of people in our unit."
"Did they teach you all this stuff in NCO school?"
"I wish. We have several higher ranking retired Sergeants. They run the military any-
way. I want you to know one thing, we didn't promote ourselves, the troops elected us to
the positions we now hold."
"When are they going to make you the General?"
"We already elected 2 Generals. Do you have and BDUs?"
"Nope."
"Both you and Ron need to draw some, General."
"No more cowboy guns, huh?"
"Why not, Patton wore them."
Sometimes I love that boy and other times I love that boy. It turns out they were short of
those black sew on stars so Ron and I were Brigadiers. That was a real pain in the butt,
every time someone saluted, we had to return the salute. They also had one hell of a
time getting uniforms to fit us; most soldiers aren't short and fat or fatter. I carefully ex-
plained to Ron what I could remember about the rules pertaining to the military salute,
which I simplified into salute back. I had never before worn a military helmet. In Air
Force boot camp, we wore pith helmets most of the time.
They had some kind of new helmet, the ACH and Dragon Skin, which contrary to the
reports in the paper has passed the Air Force tests with flying colors. While the Corps
and the Army were using improved versions of Interceptor, our scavengers had located
a supply of the now standard issue Air Force Dragon Skin. Ron wore his .41 magnum
and I had my pair of Colts. The ranks were totally honorary, Derek and Gunny were re-
ally in charge and both Ron and I knew it. Derek would invite us to meetings and outline
a plan. He'd follow that with, Suggestions, Generals? we in turn would reply something
like, Sounds good to me, unless we saw one of the old Noncoms shaking his head.
Then, one of us would ask, something like, What do you think Sergeant Major?
172
What would occur would usually be a discussion wherein the NCO would express any
reservations he had based on his experience and any changes the plan required would
be made or studied. Ron and I were careful not to offer any suggestions, we weren't
about to bite our feet off at the knees. Ron knew about propane and I knew how to wire
instrumentation to a rocket motor, the less we said the better. Hell, I hadn’t written a
check since 2003.
Finally, with the temperatures low and snow all the way down to our level, we got a call
of the radio from the Holbrook scouts. The oncoming force was large, very large and the
3 men estimated anywhere for 600 to 1,500 people coming our way from the east. They
stayed as long as they dared and headed to Winslow. Derek recalled the scouts from
east of Flagstaff. The PA system was used to announce the pending action and the var-
ious units moved into position. Eight of the tanks were already in place surrounding the
center hill created to allow them to see over the walls. The 6 artillery units were placed 3
on either side, facing I-40 but capable of being moved quickly. The M-3 CFVs were
placed to cover the gates and pour fire though them if necessary.
The plan had been carefully worked out and the various units could cover all of the 4
sides. The infantry forces manned the walls and some of the Hummers were driven up
the now widened ramp to permit use of the machineguns. As quickly as the scouts
poured in, the gates were secured and they wouldn't be easily breeched. The klaxon
sounded for General Quarters, but I believe by that time everyone was at his/her post.
Sons joined fathers, wives joined husbands and only the children and the older women
were in the communal shelter. Ron and I so wanted to help but we were literally escort-
ed to our shelter and forced to enter.
Up and down the parapet, commands were given to hold fire. The signal to open fire
would come when the klaxon was silenced. Derek and Gunny were in the command
center and when they got a report from an observer, they cut the klaxon. In the following
moments, all hell broke loose. Firing over the tops of the discarded semi-trailers, a cur-
tain of lead and steel struck the attackers. The proper term is fusillade. That meant one
thing when you had musket loaders, but our people were armed with main battle rifles
and assault rifles. Our people maintained fire discipline and only shot when they had a
target.
The thousands of human hours expended in the months it took to construct Fort Navajo
were fully recovered within a matter of minutes. This enemy didn't have tanks or artil-
lery. The largest weapons we located were heavy machineguns, partially set up. We
were at least, homeowners protecting their property and at most a militia. There weren't
any survivors outside of the walls. Firing continued until someone thought to ring the
bell over the PA system.
It wasn't glorious. The attackers were simply desperate people unable to cope for them-
selves. When they had exhausted the supplies in Albuquerque, they made a choice and
173
moved west on I-40. They came in school buses, city buses and anything they could get
to run. Most were armed either with hunting rifles or weapons stolen from armories or
Kirtland AFB. Most were emaciated and many appeared to be ill. We didn't escape un-
scathed. We had 20 some killed and over 100 wounded, the attackers had fired first and
continue to fire at the parapet until they fell. Statistically, our initial fatalities were less
than 0.2% and our wounded about 8%. Of those 100+ wounded 20 some died from their
wounds because we still didn't have a doctor. By final count, our fatalities amounted to
0.45%. And, every one of those people had a name and loved ones.
In the aftermath, a mass grave was dug south of I-40 and the attackers interred in a
common grave with but a single marker that bore the date: October 3, 2012.
Immediately following a convoy headed to Phoenix. It included all of our tanks and half
of LAVs, including the LAV-25s, M-2s and M-3s and about half of our remaining troops.
When they returned several days later, they had a semi filled with medical supplies and
equipment, 2 doctors, a dentist, an optometrist and 8 nurses. I asked Derek how they
managed to get the medical people to move. He muttered something about the Godfa-
ther.
Ron and I introduced ourselves to the people and asked what persuaded them to come
to Winslow. They all told the same story; supplies were taken from a destroyed hospital
and a couple of medical suppliers. They were offered a home, food and reasonable
wages. They were all volunteers. They immediately pitched in and tended to our re-
maining wounded, preventing several more from dying.
"How do you intend to pay them?"
"We found some gold dealers in Phoenix. We decided to set an arbitrary value for silver
at $25 an ounce and gold at 50 times that ($1,250). We're returning to Phoenix for more
supplies; see you in about a week."
Before I could even a second question they were gone. This trip, they took all of the
LAV-25s, a fuel trailer and 3 empty semis. When they returned, they had a total of 8
semis and one thing more, gold and silver, lots of it, giving us the basis for a basic
economy.
What did we learn? The trailers were too high and needed to be tipped over on their
sides; the design of the parapet need to be revised; and, we needed to get everyone's
blood types and set up a database so we could draw blood for the wounded. Beyond
that, we needed a better way to handling enemy bodies that created less exposure and
less handling. On the day we saw four contrails in the sky in military formation, we con-
cluded we need some kind of air defense, probably Stinger missiles. We also need the
means to mill wheat and corn to produce larger volumes of flour and corn meals. And
finally, we needed a clearer fire zone; we had to remove all the brush and shrubs for
1,000' around the entire fort. More than anything else, we needed air support, be it Ma-
174
rine Corps Cobras or Army Apaches, plus air crews, ground crews and a maintenance
shop. We needed M982 Excalibur shells for the 155mm artillery.
175
I remember it all very well lookin' back

It was the summer I turned eighteen
We lived in a one room, rundown shack
On the outskirts of New Orleans
We didn't have money for food or rent
To say the least we were hard pressed
Then Mama spent every last penny we had
To buy me a dancin' dress
Mama washed and combed and curled my hair

And she painted my eyes and lips then I stepped into a satin'
dancin' dress that had a split on the side clean up to my hip
It was red velvet trim and it fit me good
Standin' back from the lookin' glass
There stood a woman where a half grown kid had stood
She said here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down
Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down
Mama dabbled a little bit of perfume on my neck

And she kissed my cheek
Then I saw the tears wellin' up in her troubled eyes
When she started to speak
She looked at a pitiful shack
And then she looked at me and took a ragged breath
She said your Pa's run off and I'm real sick
And the baby's gonna starve to death
She handed me a heart shaped locket that said

"To thine own self be true"
And I shivered as I watched a roach crawl across
The toe of my high heeled shoe
It sounded like somebody else that was talkin'
Askin' Mama what do I do
She said be nice to the gentlemen Fancy
And they'll be nice to you
She said here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down
Lord forgive me for what I do, but if you want out
Well it's up to you
Now don't let me down you better start movin' uptown
Well, that was the last time I saw my Ma

The night I left that rickety shack
176
The welfare people came and took the baby
Mama died and I ain't been back
But the wheels of fate had started to turn

And for me there was no way out
And it wasn't very long 'til I knew exactly
What my Mama'd been talkin' about
I knew what I had to do but I made myself this

solemn vow That I's gonna be a lady someday
Though I didn't know when or how
I couldn't see spending the rest of my life
With my head hung down in shame you know
I might have been born just plain white trash
But Fancy was my name

It wasn't long after that benevolent man

Took me off the street
And one week later I was pourin' his tea
In a five room hotel suite
I charmed a king, congressman

And an occasional aristocrat
Then I got me a Georgia mansion
In an elegant New York townhouse flat
And I ain't done bad
Now in this world there's a lot of self-righteous hypocrites

That would call me bad
And criticize Mama for turning me out
No matter how little we had
But though I ain't had to worry 'bout nothin'

For nigh on fifteen years
I can still hear the desperation in my poor
Mama's voice ringin' in my ear
She said, here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down
Lord, forgive me for what I do
But if you want out well it's up to you
Now don't let me down
You Mama's gonna help you uptown
177
I guess she did
A pair of portable classrooms was turned into a medical clinic and a hospital. Homes
were located for our new medical staff as was furniture and clothing. They weren't real
happy when they were dragged to the range and taught to use rifles and handguns.
They claimed they'd never use them. Some crusty old Noncom told them to never say
never. Our definition of non-combatant was someone too old or too small to pick up a
weapon. For want of a better name, our troops became known as the Diné (Navajo) Mi-
litia.
The Stingers proved to be far easier to come by than combat aircraft. We ended up with
4 M1097 Avengers and a large number of the man-portable Singers. The missiles were
FAF, IFF enabled. Damon was able to disengage the IFF feature. Without an aviation
unit, our militia was primarily a defensive unit.
The winter of 2012-13 allowed the folks to make the necessary improvements to our de-
fenses. They also erected a greenhouse out of wood and plastic sheeting to start gar-
den plants in.
Question: If you have a dry moat, how do you get the vehicles in and out of the fort?
Answer: M60 AVLB. The Marines had more bridges than carriers. We borrowed a
bridge and used half of it on each side of the fort. It was modified and is hinged, allow-
ing it to be retracted (drawbridge).
Question: How are you old farts feeling?
Answer: Much better now that I'm above the rank of E-4, even if it is honorary. Ron
hates saluting so we don't wear the BDUs very often.
Question: If you filled the space between the walls full of adobe sand, is a parapet ade-
quate?
Answer: We only filled it up to the 6' level, giving everyone 4' of protection. The major
flaw with the design was that we didn't allow for weapons mounts. At installation, the
blocks they cemented on were 2ft square and 2' apart. They added machine gun
mounts and permanently installed machineguns. Putting Hummers on the wall was a
very bad idea.
Question: If you had gaps in the walls for the gates, how could Ron and you make laps
around the fort?"
178
Answer: There were elevated bridges above the gates spanning the 24' between the
front and back sections of the fort's walls. They had a weight limit of ~5,000 pounds and
you didn't want to use them if the fort was under fire.
Question: Are Ron and you as ornery as you seem to be?
Answer: You've only seen our good sides. We're a couple of nasty SOBs. Brenda's boy-
friend beat her up and Ron drove to Ft. Smith just to track him down and shoot him. I
don't like to fight, but I do love guns. I consider your whole body to be the target, front,
back and sides. I never take a knife to a gunfight although I might take a gun to a knife
fight. Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark? The infamous scene in which Indy shoots a
marauding and flamboyant swordsman was not in the original script. Harrison Ford was
supposed to use his whip to get the swords out of his attacker's hands, but the food poi-
soning he and the rest of the crew had gotten made him too sick to perform the stunt.
After several unsuccessful tries, someone made the off-handed remark, "Why doesn't
he just shoot him and get it done and over with?" Steven Spielberg immediately took up
the idea and the scene was successfully filmed.
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
Ron seemed to think we'd won that battle on October 12, 2012. I didn't agree, we'd pre-
vailed, but in a country with 90% of its population dead, everyone lost. They had col-
lected the weapons and ammo, cleaned and stored them. We could easily run across a
group that could use them.
What do I have in common with William Shatner? I changed the conditions of the test. I
got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose. – Then you never faced that
situation. Faced death. – I don't believe in the no-win scenario. There are, however, sit-
uations where everyone loses, for example, WW III.
Movies are fake and documentaries are real. Right? Not exactly, both are heavily edit-
ed. Rarely have we seen the actual effects of a nuclear weapon. Yes, we saw Hiroshi-
ma and Nagasaki, but those were relatively small atom bombs, 15 – 20kT. A 5mT hy-
drogen bomb is ~250 times more powerful. Even if we allow for a geometrical increase
as opposed to a linear increase, a 5mT weapon does a lot of damage. Our largest cur-
rent nuclear weapon was the B-83 bomb, capable of 1.2mT. I'm not opposed to having
them; I'm opposed to using them, especially in the wake of WW III.
You know about the M65 cannon, right? 280mm. This 47 ton gun (aka Atomic Annie)
was transported by two tractors. The drivers of the vehicles communicated with each
other by means of a built-in telephone system. It proved to be a highly mobile weapons
system and adaptable to most road conditions. It fired a 550 pound projectile and had
an approximate range of 20 miles. Six years after the development of strategic atomic
179
weapons, this road-transportable cannon gave a tactical atomic capability to US land
forces.
Dwight David Eisenhower took the oath of office on Tuesday, January 20, 1953. It was
the most elaborate inaugural pageant ever held. About 22,000 service men and women
and 5,000 civilians were in the parade, which included 50 state and organization floats
costing $100,000. There were also 65 musical units, 350 horses, 3 elephants, an Alas-
kan dog team, and the 280-millimeter atomic cannon.
The first atomic cannon went into service in 1952, and was deactivated in 1963.
Throughout the 1950s, the Army deployed nuclear cannons to Europe even though they
were obsolete as soon as they arrived. Guarded by infantry platoons, these guns were
hauled around the forests on trucks to keep the Soviets from guessing their location.
Weighing 83 tons, the cannon could not be airlifted and took two tractors to move its
road-bound bulk. It was a glamorous weapon to be sure, but it did not fit into the Pen-
tomic structure of the Army, and it siphoned off precious funding that the Army desper-
ately needed for modernization. Twenty were manufactured; eight appear to have sur-
vived the Cold War and are on public display today.
The projectiles were the W9 T-124 280mm AFAP with a yield of 15kT. The W9 was a
very dirty warhead. The largest nuclear weapon we ever built was the B-41 (Mk-41) high
yield strategic thermonuclear bomb at 25mT (dirty). It was carried by the B-52. Early
production of the Mk-41 Mod 0 bomb began in September 1960; by June 1962, approx-
imately 500 units had been manufactured. These weapons were retired between No-
vember 1963 and July 1976 as the more-versatile Mk-53 (9mT – 340 built) replaced
them in the stockpile. They were assembled in Burlington, Iowa. The Mk-53 was the ba-
sis of the W-53 Titan II warhead. 65 W-53 were subsequently dismantled. We maintain
the Mk-53s in our Strategic hedge stockpile. The Mk-53s were replaced by the B-61
Mod 11. I wondered why they kept the B-52s around.
For all practical purposes Navajo Deport was our remote storage location. This was the
year I would turn 70. I was using the wheelchair more and didn't walk too far, relying on
the ATV most of the time. Ron was 2 years my senior and I'd give him maybe 3 more
years, whereas I planned to live until I died.
They were patrolling constantly now, in hopes of finding people. We didn't care who
they were, as long as they were friendly. If they had managed to live 3 years in a post-
apocalyptic world they probably had some things we didn't and vice versa. For the most
part, western literature and cinema on the apocalypse or in a post-apocalyptic setting
tend to follow American mores, with the exception of British apocalyptic fiction. While
American and Western apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction tend to emphasize the
fantastic, with the possibility of world-ending meteor collisions, mutants, and jury-rigged
vehicles roaming a desolate countryside, British fiction is more pessimistic in tone.
180
Post-apocalyptic literature was not as widespread in Communist countries as the gov-
ernment prohibited depictions of the nation’s falling apart. However, some depictions of
similar-themed science fiction did make it past government censors, such as Andrei
Tarkovsky Stalker, made during Russia's Soviet era, which features the bombed-out
landscape and survival-based motives of its characters and was inspired in part by the
1957 accident at the Mayak nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. Recently, Wang Lixiong's
Yellow Peril was banned in the PRC because of its depiction of the collapse of the Chi-
nese Communist party, but has been widely pirated and distributed in the country.
Due to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in its modern past, Japanese
popular culture is rife with apocalyptic themes. Much of Japan's manga and anime is
loaded with apocalyptic imagery.
The use of post-apocalyptic contexts in movies and the typical accompanying imagery,
such as endless deserts or damaged cityscapes, clothing made of leather and animal
skin, and marauding gangs of bandits, is now common and the subject of frequent par-
ody.
The number of apocalyptic-themed B-movies in the 1980s and 1990s has been attribut-
ed to film producers on post-apocalyptic films working around their low production
budgets by renting scrap yards, unused factories, and abandoned buildings, saving
them the cost of constructing sets. As a result, many films that would have been reject-
ed by major studios on the basis of script or concept ended up being made, while others
stories were adapted to a post-apocalyptic setting following the success of the Mad Max
series.
Some apocalyptic stories have been criticized as implausible or as scaremongering

propaganda.
Ok, fine, please explain all of the destruction that surrounds us. It didn't really matter if
the UK, Europe and other places were or weren't hit, there was a million (billion?) tons
of radioactive fallout in the air that circled the globe with the prevailing winds. If that
weren't bad enough, Carl Sagan was right! Europe hadn't been out of the mini ice-age
all that long to begin with, it ended during the 19th century. Winter had most definitely
moved south.
I began to suspect the climate change was serious when we began to get snow in the
fall of 2010. I didn't say anything because I didn't have anything to prove. Carl Sagan
didn't care, he was dead. Most of our electronics worked because they had been shel-
tered or shielded. There was only one possible explanation for the lack of radio traffic,
an atmospheric condition in the beginning and people dying after. It was then that we
began to discuss the possibility that the death toll exceeded 100 million in earnest.
Gunny had been the first to suggest 250 million dead.
181
I began to suspect his guess was low. When we found Ron and Linda, the two of us
talked about it and Ron was more inclined to believe 100 million. With the passage of
time, he began to adopt our view. We didn't know that the actual figure was ~270 million
in the US alone. The population of the US had been ~30 million in 1860 and ~40 million
in 1870, despite the Civil War. In 1860, we had about half as many states. None of that
considered the fact that on October 12, 2012, the population took a significant de-
crease.
On TB2K, the story Shatter depicts a nation with a severally falling population due to
war, disease and geological events. Anything is possible and probability doesn’t mean
squat when someone deals you a pat royal flush. Neither does it mean that your next
hand won't be another pat royal flush, regardless of the odds. From my viewpoint, we're
just stupid enough to actually use those weapons regardless of the consequences.
Three Mile Island was a fluke until Chernobyl. Remember Napoleon, he fought several
and lost 3 wars. The first was the Egyptian campaign, the second the invasion of Rus-
sian and the third ended with his final defeat at Waterloo.
Finding survivors wasn't Mission Impossible. Getting them to trust us enough to work
with them was. This is where Ron and I came into the picture. A pair of 70-year-old
Generals didn't appear to present much of a threat, despite their revolvers. They
shouldn't have laughed; I could clear leather in ~ ½ second, if the tie down was loose. A
typical conversation went like this:
"Who are you?"
"Generals Ott and Brown."
"Who are you with?"
"The 7th Calvary, also known as the Diné Militia."
"What do you want?"
"To be friends."
"Aren't the two of you a little over the hill?"
"Which hill? We're from near Winslow. Do you mean San Francisco Peaks?"
"Are you alone?"
"More or less."
"Which is it?"
182
"We only bought a platoon of tanks and 8 LAV-25s."
"Yeah right, you're probably looking for a handout."
"Want to see our tanks?"
"You don't have any tanks, what kind of a fool do you think I am?"
"Derek, our friend wants to see the tanks."
"Son-of-a-bitch!" Or something similar, generally followed when we showed off our boy
toys. The tanks were buttoned up and we'd allow them a few free shots if they really
wanted to know they were real. Then the LAV-25s would pull up and the free shots were
over. Most of the time, when faced by 4 tanks and 8 LAVs, the folks offered to negoti-
ate. The 120mm cannons were loaded with one round of canister, allowing for a further
demonstration, if necessary. So far, it hadn't been. At the proper range, the canister
round could pretty well destroy a house. It would look like the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building, after.
Where did Ron and I fit in? Remember the John Wayne movie where he played Lt. (j.g.)
'Rusty' Ryan? Donna Reed was in that one. (They Were Expendable – 1945) On Janu-
ary 14, 1986, less than two weeks before her 65th birthday, she died of pancreatic can-
cer in Beverly Hills, California. Grover Asmus, her husband, created the Donna Reed
Foundation for the Performing Arts in her hometown of Denison (Iowa). The foundation
helps others who desire a career in the arts. Donna never forgot her roots. She was still
a farm girl at heart. "Forty pictures I was in and all I remember is, What kind of bra will
you be wearing today, honey? That was always the area of big decision - from the neck
to the navel." If you really must know: 34B-24-34 in 1955.
Most of the towns that had survivors were small towns, little dots on the map that most
people overlooked. Larger cities, like Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff generally suc-
cumbed to infighting over the scant resources or illness. We didn't because we hadn't
associated with anyone immediately after the war. Generally deaths associated with ill-
ness after an event like that are due to a lack of potable water and the cramped condi-
tions the survivors find themselves in.
I've already told you more than I know on most subjects so don't be looking for a lot of
links. Besides, with the internet down, you couldn't use them anyway, unless this story
had been written, say in 2006. This is just to entertain me but I have no objections to
sharing. Rule no. 1 is you can't have much of a story if you kill all of your characters off.
Rule no. 2 is you can only tell the same story so many times. I looked and couldn't find
any zombies; although some of the new folks sort of acted that way.
183
If you've convinced yourself that Thou shall not steal applies in a situation like this, good
luck. You'd better have a lot of gold and silver and guns. Gold and silver to buy things,
providing someone will sell them to you, and guns to keep your gold and silver. Always
make sure to tell them it's you last coin and never tell them where you live.
Unlike the characters in my Trilogy set in Kearny County, Kansas, we weren't in favor of
venturing out just to see what there was to see. If the Mexicans want the southwestern
US, they can have it, it's mostly destroyed anyway. If those MS-13 gangsters survived,
we have a present for them, but I'm dead certain they won't like it. If they want to come
to Arizona and mess with our new friends, they should be aware that since we helped
them a little, they're far better armed and most probably better nourished. They also
have a SINCGARS radio set to frequency 1500 and can call for help.
We finally had enough HETS to move all of our equipment and while the Diné Militia is a
small Brigade, what we lack in size, we more than make up for in our rules of engage-
ment, which are simple, shoot first and ask questions later. Do not fire unless fired up-
on, might make a great line in a movie, but we haven't signed any conventions. We
even prefer hollow points and or soft points when we do reload. Plain old lead is good
too, but it fouls the barrels. We will probably end up using wheel weights and I've heard
bad things about them.
"All the bull waste about W/W alloy is mostly that. W/W alloys clean up very well and I
have never found a batch of W/W alloy that really cast bad or give problems. Some
batches more difficult than others.
"W/W alloy harness will be all over the map depending how hot you run your mold and
how rapidly you cool the alloy. It is all in consistency in your casting technique.
"I've seen W/W hardness from 11.5 or 12 air cooled to 31 bhn when water quenched
correctly. Even cooling them in front of a fan will increase their hardness to sometimes
15 or 16 bhn. Casting in cold conditions with a fan blowing on them will get them up to
19 or 20 bhn. (Brinell Hardness Numbers: Aluminum 15, Copper 35.)
"Just remember consistency in casting will bring consistent hardness although most
time no two bullets will test the same hardness. Even in the same batch they will be
fluctuations but consistency will keep the fluctuations to a minimum.
"In other words get some W/W's and don't worry about petty things. There are more im-
portant things to worry about."
"The rule now is DON'T USE BATTERY PLATES. Apparently they have a lead/calcium
mixture that cause very toxic vapor when melted."
184
If you want to duplicate those silicone or Teflon coated bullets that punch through level
IIa vests, cast you bullets out of pure zinc. You may have trouble casting them, but if
you can manage to get a bullet, it will go through the vest like a hot knife through butter.
Never mind the fact that they're almost impossible to cast, experiment with different
sized molds. Note to self: A JBT isn't a Jello-based treat, it's a Jack booted thug.
In time long gone by, when wars ended, we had parades. I think that changed in the
1960's when the parades were replaced by spit. You get drafted, you raise your right
hand and repeat after him to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies,
foreign and domestic. After that, you follow orders and you get lucky and don't get your
butt shot off by some guy named Charlie. After 365 days in Hell, you come home to get
– spit upon. There is a place for war protesters, shall we say 600 fathoms? Not even a
submarine can stand that kind of pressure. I liked First Blood because John Rambo said
what a lot of us were thinking.
I watched the other movies just to see the knives. I even bought the knockoffs. They
great as long as you remember they are a knife and not a pry bar. I have been criticized
for buying them because they weren't the real thing. Pictures of the real knives are at
that website. I could never afford them and because both edges are sharpened and
ERK outlaws them. You can own them but can't carry them.
Did you know that the Navajo and the Apache speak a similar language? The Navajo
are closely related to the Apache, and the Navajo language along with other Apache
languages make up the Southern Athabaskan language family. It sort of makes sense;
the two largest Reservations in Arizona are the Navajo and Apache Reservations. I've
searched but can't learn which parachute battalion Geronimo belonged to. Perhaps he
belonged to the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 509th Infantry, stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
They are the army's dedicated opposing forces (OPFOR). Also known as Geronimos,
they hold the reputation as the army's most hated unit. The 509th is the oldest and most
decorated paratroop battalion in the United States Army.
Or maybe I like Indians because of a song. Jørgen Ingmann recorded Apache in 1961,
which charted at #4 in Canada and #2 in the US. In my mind, that ranks right up there
with Rhapsody in Blue and Bolero in terms of the emotion it generates in me. I would
hate to have to single out a single vocalist as number 1. If I did, it would have to be the
man who Elvis Presley called "the greatest singer in the world" and Barry Gibb called
the "Voice of God." Will Jennings (who wrote My Heart Will Go On – Titanic) said, called
him a "poet, a songwriter, a vision," after working with him and co-writing Wild Hearts.
Bob Dylan said, He sang his compositions in three or four octaves that made you want
to drive your car over a cliff. He sang like a professional criminal. … His voice could jar
a corpse; always leave you muttering to yourself something like, Man, I don't believe it.
His songs had songs within songs. [He] was deadly serious–no pollywog and no fledg-
ling juvenile. There wasn't anything else on the radio like him. He was born April 23,
1936 in Vernon, Texas.
185
When Johnny comes marching home again,

Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer, the boys will shout,
The ladies they will all turn out,
And we'll all be there,
When Johnny comes marching home.

Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah!
With drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With drums and guns and guns and drums
The enemy nearly slew ye,
Darling John, it's been so long,
Johnny I hardly knew ye.
Tis glad I am to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo

Tis glad I am to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
Tis glad I am to see ye home
My darling John, so pale and worn
So low in check, so high in bone
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Where are your eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo

Where are your eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your eyes that were so mild
186
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ye run from me and the child
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.

Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo

Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
Ye haven't an arm, and ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo

Ye haven't an arm, and ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, and ye haven't a leg
Ye're an eyeless, boneless, chickenless egg
And Ye'll have to put with a bowl to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah!
When Johnny comes marching home
That song was recorded by the Chad Mitchell Trio. It is based on the Irish traditional an-
ti-war and anti-recruiting song. The original had the same melody as 'When Johnny
Comes Marching Home'.
I said:
Derek,
187
Every day I read about more people getting killed in Iraq. This situation over there ap-
pears to be going downhill. I'm sorry, but I can't help worrying about all of our troops
over there.
Talk is that we will be out of there by 12-31-07. ABC had footage of IEDs exploding and
they give just the briefest idea of what it must be like over there.
There is a town named Hell in Michigan and they are getting ready to celebrate 6-6-06.
Any progress on getting your story published?
I haven't written earlier because it is getting very difficult to put together anything that
makes much sense.
Love,
Dad
He replied:
Al-Zarqawi is dead, so you can sleep a little better at night, Dad. ABC has no clue: they
just put together what they wanted you to see. I don't even watch anything but FOX
News anymore.
Hell is celebrating 666? Who knew?
Currently up to Chapter 10 in the rewrites. Will send some chapters for you to peruse
soon.
Why are you having problems with coherent thoughts, Dad? Honestly, you worry about
me? I just gotta keep talking to God, and I'll be OK; you must have a dedicated T3 con-
nection to Him.
Do I want to leave ERK? Does a man dying of thirst want a drink of water?
Depending where you look for information, Arizona has 15 counties and 108 communi-
ties. I used that list because it was the longest. With that in mind, our job wasn't as hard
as it may have sounded when I told you we were checking the small towns. One of the
towns was a ghost town, a second was unincorporated and a third was a census desig-
nated area. Now, if we were in a state like Iowa, we'd be dealing with 99 counties and
999 communities. The 2000 census gave the population as 5,130,632 and it was esti-
mated at 5,939,292 in 2005. The Phoenix metropolitan area accounted for 3.9 million of
the population and Tucson another million. Flagstaff came in around 50 thousand. If my
math is right, that means that the other million were spread out all over the state.
188
Twenty-three tribes call Arizona home. According to 2003 US Census estimates, Arizo-
na has the second highest number (and the 6th highest percentage) of Native Ameri-
cans of any state in the Union. 286,680 reportedly live in Arizona, representing more
than 10% of the country's total Indian population of 2,752,158. Only California has more
Indians than Arizona, and Arizona has slightly more Indians than Oklahoma. As of 2000,
74.1% of Arizona residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 19.5% speak
Spanish. Navajo is the third most spoken language at 1.9%, followed by other Native
North American languages at 0.6% and German at 0.5%. The largest ancestry group
was Mexican.
Figured you need some perspective on what we were trying to do. You couldn’t assume
that all of the Indians lived on the reservations. The 2000 census reported 298,215
Navajos living throughout the United States, of which 173,987 were living within the
Navajo Nation boundaries. 131,166 lived in Arizona. 17,512 of these lived in Maricopa
County, which includes the city of Phoenix. Therefore, according to the 2000 census
131,166 ÷ 283,680 = 46% of the Indians were Navajo. Can Sharon pick 'em or not?
Here a little more perspective:
About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Mari-

copa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued
pink boxer shorts.
On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk
beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. Many
were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped
down to their pink socks.
"It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzo't, an inmate who has lived in the
tents for 1½ years. "It's inhumane."
Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making
his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic.
He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120° in Iraq and our soldiers are
living in tents too, and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths."
According to Derek, the temperatures in Iraq reached 120° at 10am and into the high
130s by midafternoon.
189
Do you still want to criticize me about liking Sheriffs? I think perhaps the only state with
more liberal gun laws than Arizona is Alaska. It didn't really matter; we had a copy of the
Constitution with the first 10 Amendments. The Diné Militia, being necessary to the se-
curity of a free Arizona, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be in-
fringed. Kind of has a ring to it, doesn't it? If we weren't well regulated nobody was and
the last time I looked, Arizona was the 48th state.
We started to add bows and arrows to our weapons collection, who knew when this
would end and we might become a nation again. We also planned to stop in Ventura the
next time we went to ERK and load up on spears, tomahawks and knives at Cold Steel.
I figured I was destined to never own the knife I really wanted, the Randall Model 2
"Fighting Stiletto" with a 8" blade. I once had the opportunity to hold one, I'm sure that
was a close as I'd ever come. Effective 3-1-06, Randall limited orders to one knife per
household per quarter. Their backlog of orders was over 4 years and they were taking
orders for delivery in 2011.
Randall has a select dealer network consisting of some 50 dealers. If you can find one
and he has what you want, buy it. Otherwise, you can order it and put down a $50 de-
posit which will lock in the price of the knife, but not speed delivery. It's only my opinion,
but I think they're some of the best knives made.
"Where are we going next?"
"Prescott."
"Suits me, they have 2 Costco stores."
"Which have, by this time, probably been picked clean."
"All I want is a case of Bic lighters."
"What no beans and rice?"
"Don't knock it, most of the people of the world live on rice; and beans are full of protein
and methane."
"All they carried was pinto beans."
"I know, isn't it great, Sharon hates them."
There was another reason Prescott was famous. It was the site of merchant Sam Hill's
hardware store, famous for its extensive stock in its downtown location and out of town
warehouse, and made memorable by the question that became part of the US vernacu-
lar: "Where in the Sam Hill did you get that?" Now you know too.
190
"We'd work one direction for a while, regroup and try a different direction. Old Ron and I
were getting' pretty good at being targets. I can't tell you how many times he said,
"Here's comes the good part, we get to show off the tanks." It would be just our luck that
while the Diné Militia was off saving Arizona those ERKs that gave me the creepy feel-
ing would show up and attack either us or the fort. Doc said when my ulcers got to
bothering me take 2 Prevacid a day. (Try getting sub Part D to pay for that!)
We couldn't move all the people we found to the fort, it was only about 180 acres. We
did, however, give them weapons and ammo if they need them and some of the beans
and rice to tide them over. This was Arizona and most of the people in the rural part of
the state didn't need any firearms. I learned something new in Prescott.
Prescott is home to the historical area known as "Whiskey Row", up until 1956 a notori-
ous red-light district. Whiskey Row runs north and south on N. Montezuma between
Gurley and E. Goodwin St., directly west of the county courthouse. The row has been
the home of the St. Michael's Hotel and the Palace Hotel since the late 1800's along
with more colorful purveyors of night-life. This block was also the site of merchant Sam
Hill's hardware store, famous for its extensive stock in its downtown location and out of
town warehouse, and made memorable by the question that became part of the US
vernacular: "Where in the Sam Hill did you get that?"
Brigham Young sent Mormons to Arizona in the mid-to-late 19th century. They founded
Mesa, Snowflake, Heber, Safford and other towns. They also settled in the Phoenix Val-
ley (or "Valley of the Sun"), Tempe and Prescott, among other areas.
A party was constantly on the road trying to locate people. We used the same system
the US Navy used on their subs, Gold and Blue crews, and a useful adaptation that re-
duced the wear and tear on the equipment. Ron and I had finally retired, hopefully for
the last time. He was getting more frequent chest pains and my feet hurt so badly by
now I could barely walk.
His bypass dated back to April of '92. His doctor had declined to perform a second one
and it was now ~21 years old. One of these nights, he was going to go to bed and not
wake up in the morning. I almost think I would have traded places with him because
when your feet hurt, you hurt all over. There are some kinds of pain that there is no
treatment for, most especially these days.
"You look like crap."
"That's the pot calling the kettle black, Gar-Bear."
"I know, I looked into the mirror and didn't recognize myself."
191
"The bad part is that I feel worse than I look."
"Did you talk to the Doc?"
"He just said what I've been hearing all of my life, live life one day at a time."
"Derek says that they've contacted about 90 communities and all of the tribes. He also
said that they thought they’d go north and try Utah next."
"Salt Lake will probably be wiped out."
"I agree, but there aren't many likely targets in the southern half of the state."
"Do Gunny and he consider Arizona complete?"
"With the communities we contacted and helped however we could, they can carry on in
their local areas."
"We didn't really do all that much."
"We didn't have much to give, Ron. Everyone got a little food, a little seed and a few
weapons. I heard that some of them had enough people to start their own militias. I also
understand that they ran off copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. That is the
basic law of the land and they can adjust it as needed to suit their particular circum-
stance."
"I'll be honest; I never thought this would happen."
"Probably 80% of our population never thought it would happen. That isn't the same as
could happen. As far back as Eisenhower, the country began preparing for the possibil-
ity. That's what the basis for the interstate highway plan, transportation in the case of
war. Maybe MacArthur and LeMay were right. Maybe we should have wiped out the
Chinese when we could. During the Korean War, there weren't many nations with the
bomb. The Russians only had a few and they didn't test an H-bomb until 1955. You
know, as a kid, the prospect of a nuclear war almost kept me up nights."
"It all about politics and the military, pal. I remember them talking about the military in-
dustrial complex. Then, it was the Arms Race. Later it became Defense Contractors.
Hell, they make defense systems so complicated and expensive, we can't afford them.
How many B-2 bombers did they build? How many F-22 Raptors did we end up with?"
"It's the Pygmalion effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy. The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the
beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the
original false conception come true. If men define situations as real, they are real in their
consequences."
192
"Did you learn that in school?"
"Yeah, the school of hard knocks. There are so many examples. Take for instance the
politician who opens his mouth and makes a statement that results in a change of his
attitude. We claimed to be the most powerful nation on the earth for so long, we finally
believed it. And, I believe, that led us to be willing to use our power to accomplish politi-
cal agendas."
"You have a 50-50 chance, you know."
"Of what?"
"Of being right about that, either you are or you aren't."
"Or, somewhere in between."
"According to the 1998 ACIP recommendations for measles, mumps, and rubella
(MMR) vaccine, for routine vaccination, a first dose of MMR vaccine is recommended at
ages 12 - 15 months and a second dose at ages 4 - 6 years," the guidelines state. "Two
doses of MMR vaccine also are recommended for students attending colleges and other
post–high school institutions. However, documentation of mumps immunity through
vaccination has consisted of only 1 dose of mumps-containing vaccine for all designat-
ed groups, including health-care workers."
Smoke, smoke, smoke those cigarettes, you have to die from something. I've never had
the MMR vaccine, but I have had measles, mumps and German measles (rubella). I
hope I'm immune; I'd hate to have them again. Excuse me while I cough myself to
death. I switched to Kool’s because the Marlboro's made me cough and the Kool’s
soothed my throat and lungs. So when the doc asked me if I'd quit smoking, I told him
no, I switched to Kool’s. You should have seen the look that got me. The attendance at
AA meetings really dropped when they came up with no smoking meetings.
"Did you ever buy any of the Army Field Manuals?"
"Ron, I'm surprised, you'd ask. The answer is no because I didn't have to. While Derek
was over there trying to get his butt shot off, I had a problem with my Army Knowledge
Online account. I told him and he got it fixed. In the meantime I found out that all of the
Army and Marine Field Manuals were Online. I copied what I wanted of the marine Field
Manuals and when the AKO account was fixed, went online and started downloading
pdf files. Every once in a while the FM would be classified and I couldn't download it. I
copied the table of contents into a Word document and converted it to a pdf file. The
first day I started, I got up to FM 2-22.31."
193
"What's that about?"
"The 40mm Grenade Launcher M203. That list was 18 pages long and I got the first 3
pages plus on the very first day. I don't have enough paper or toner to print 'em out.
They won't even fit on a CD; I'd have to burn a DVD or possibly two."
"What good are they?"
"Since the war when we lost TV, I had to have something to read. Give me a couple
more years and I'll have worked my way through all of them."
"Do you know any more now than you knew before?"
"Not really, but with this trick memory of mine and the Table of Contents, I can look up
everything you ever wanted to know. For example, I have the FM on the M109A6 Pala-
din plus the FM that tells you how to use the 25mm cannon on the M-2s and M-3s."
"How much paper would it take?"
"I don't really know maybe 10 cases and 2 toner cartridges. Anyway, after I got them all
downloaded, I tried to figure out what I couldn't download and went to Global Security
and either downloaded the pdf files or copied the HTML files into word and converted
them to pdf files. I think I have at least 90% of the Army Field Manuals."
"How long did it take?"
"A week at AKO and a several days at Global Security."
"Was it really worth it?"
"Who knows? The first time one of those FMs on my computer helps us to solve a prob-
lem; it might very well turn out to be worth the effort."
Ron grimaced and reached into his pocket. He extracted a small bottle of pills and put
one under his tongue. He didn't explain, but he really didn't have to. I'd seen him take
nitro before when he didn't think anyone was looking. He'd suffered from angina for as
long as I had known him. As far back as late '05 or early '06, his doctor refused to do
anymore balloon angioplasties. There had been some talk of a stent, but I didn't ask him
if he'd had it done. A stent is a small, coiled wire-mesh tube that can be inserted into a
blood vessel and expanded using a small balloon during a procedure called angioplasty.
A stent is used to open a narrowed or clotted blood vessel, most often an artery in the
heart. Newer stents are coated with a medication to more effectively prevent restenosis.
194
About a week later, I'd stayed up late and slept in. Around 9am, Derek shook me
awake.
"Hey, I was really sleeping. Why did you wake me?"
"I have some bad news, Dad. Ron Brown had a heart problem last night while he was
sleeping and quietly passed away. I'm sorry."
"Hand me my robe, please, and let's get a cup of coffee so I can wake up. I can't really
say I'm surprised, I saw him taking nitro last week."
"The doctor said that gadget he had implanted couldn't help him."
"That was a combination pacemaker/defibrillator. He's had that since 2005. Regular
pacemakers usually last 4-8 years, but biventricular pacemakers that are combined with
an ICD and do not tend to last as long (about 2-4 years). I don't know when he had it
checked last. Hell, maybe he had a dead battery or a bad connection. Anyone say what
was planned?"
"We can't do embalming and about the best we can do for a coffin is a plain pine box. I
suppose they'll have the funeral tomorrow."
"He wouldn't want any speeches, probably just a simple prayer service and burial. I'll
suggest that to Linda."
"She asked me if I knew where we could get a metal coffin."
"Not much point to that Derek, unless you embalm the body. Maybe they can dress the
box up a little with some wood trim and stain it to look like mahogany."
"I'll see to that. Do you want an honor guard?"
"Just as pallbearers. He wasn't really military and probably wouldn't appreciate it. I'll
ask. Get out of here so I can get cleaned up and go see her."
I took care of my morning routine and went to see Linda with Sharon. She was upset,
but she said that they had been expecting this. I filled her in on the wooden coffin and
asked about an honor guard. She said a simple Christian prayer service was what he
wanted and no eulogy because he'd told his story 1,000 times. Since Derek was the re-
ally religious member of the family and we didn't have a minister, I asked him to do the
prayer service. It also got me to thinking. I had always wanted cremation, but there
wasn't a crematory and I wasn't a Viking. I suppose that meant I'd better pick out spots
for Sharon and me to use when the time came.
195
I don't like funerals, especially military funerals. They're ok right up to the 21-gun salute
and the bugler blowing Taps. That part gives me the creeps. First you have the 3 vol-
leys of 7 guns and then the mournful music. While there are no official lyrics, and the
original version was purely instrumental, there have been several later lyrics added. The
most common form is:
Fading light dims the sight

And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar drawing nigh,
Falls the night.
Day is done, gone the sun

From the lake, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.
Then goodnight, peaceful night;

Till the light of the dawn shineth bright.
God is near, do not fear,
Friend, Goodnight.
I was grateful to be spared that. Ron and I went back to October of '92, almost 21 years.
For most of that time, he'd been my best friend (not counting my wife). She should out-
live me, she's 4 years younger. And, for all of her ailments, none are particularly seri-
ous. A little controlled hypertension, a thyroid med and an antidepressant. We hadn't
had drug insurance for her before and hadn't been able to afford the Avandia. We had it
now and she took the same dose that I did, 4mg, BID. That totally controlled her mild
diabetes. We also had moved her Prozac dose to 40mg.
For me, having Derek back from Iraq had allowed me to reduce my Zoloft back to 50mg.
Having Ron show up when he did, didn't leave the friendship hanging. The blessings
are there if you're willing to look for them. My paranoia over the state of the world had
persuaded me to spend our money on the shelter and energy independence. Finally
much of the research I'd done to lend credence to my fiction gave me a tremendous da-
tabase of useful information on my computer. And that gave me value to the Diné Mili-
tia.
Damon's background in electronics had proven to be very valuable. He could keep all of
our comm gear up and running. His bipolar disorder preceded his service in the Navy
but it had gone unnoticed until one day when he was accused of gundecking the repair
of a piece of comm gear. It was an intermittent failure that all of the ETs and been una-
ble to locate and repair, him included. He was the last person to sign off on the equip-
ment and shortly after it was reinstalled, it failed again. When a Chief accused him of
gundecking he lost it and went after him. He was discharged from the Navy for a mental
196
condition. He was then and is now a very good electronics technician. The good part
was that he eventually filed for a service connected disability and all of the records back
up his claim, not that it mattered now.
The reason the records backed up his claim was that I tried to talk him into the subma-
rine service. He applied and they gave him the extensive psychological evaluations they
give before they let you look at a sub. For whatever reason, probably that million dollar
education, they rejected him for submarine service but kept him in the Navy. After the
incident with the Chief, they pulled his records and started the paperwork. That is how it
happened. That's was also Amy's diagnosis.
Someone made a simple marker for Ron's grave that said:
Ronald S. Brown
1941 – 2013
Husband, Father, Friend
I took Derek aside later and showed him the information available on my Hard Disc
Drive. He showed up later with a box of blank DVDs and asked me to make him copies
of all of the Documents in the My Documents folder. He had some free time and
watched while I started to burn the DVDs.
"Are you planning on dying too?"
"Not that I'm aware of but I wanted you to know the information I'd assembled. We’re
clear on my possessions aren't we? You get all of the firearms except that Nazi .32.
When Sharon is gone, that's yours too. You should probably divide our possessions
among the four of you. You are welcome to my computer, large printer and office sup-
plies for the Militia. I only have one Laredoan fast draw rig so you and Damon can de-
cide who it fits best. You take the Ruger Vaqueros and give him the Colts. Those
Rugers are built on the Blackhawk frame and will handle the Buffalo Bore ammo. I
picked up an extra .45 Colt Winchester rifle so give that one to him and you take the
one I bought."
"I have 2 ATVs and you can have that military model; it's older, but better suited for your
militia related tasks. I written it all down and put copies in envelopes in my small fire
safe. The combination is the first 2nd through 9th digits of my SSN and if you can't find it
I wrote it on the bottom of my center desk drawer in whiteout (84-50-28-20). Let Sharon
take whatever pills she wants from my medical supplies and give the remainder to the
clinic. Damon has Rambo III and you can take First Blood for Mary and later Joshua.
Those are the highlights. When Sharon is gone, move Lorrie into our house. There are
several other things I've written down, but can't recall right now. Questions?"
"I can't think of any but I really don't want to talk about this."
197
"Derek, I'm 70 years old and won't live forever."
"I'll miss you."
"Thank you, but don't dig the grave just yet. Oh, what would you think if I gave the Tac-
50 to Gunny?"
"He's good with it. It's yours so do what you want."
"I haven't made up my mind, yet. If I decide he should have it, I give it to him before I'm
gone. What about the trip to Ventura"
"We can go anytime, have you made a list?"
"Yes, but you may not find everything I wrote down. I'll dig it out for you. You're going to
think I'm crazy, but we have an uncertain future. Have you given any thought to possibly
building a large day room where everyone can get together for celebrations, watching
movies and the like?"
"Do you think we need one?"
"It might be a good idea. You can locate a popcorn machine, restaurant equipment and
really deck it out. I'd recommend building it directly above that community shelter. I read
somewhere that they had finally come up with a new engine for the Abrams tanks so
you might want to track those down. They are a newer version the turbine they devel-
oped to the Crusader system. Hey, we're done with the copy. That was fast, I'd never
used it before."
Ron's passing left a hole, indeed, a very large hole. Any fun there'd been in simply sur-
viving the global thermonuclear war was gone. I suppose I was feeling sorry for myself
and not counting my blessings. I thought back to what he and I had seen in the Ante-
lope Valley and shuddered, it could have been us.
Fort Navajo was filling up. It was a trailer park for soldiers who all brought their equip-
ment home with them. I cruised around the parapet watching what was going on down
below. I heard the whine of the Skil saws, nails being hammered, a building coming to-
gether where none had existed before. It was the same size as the communal shelter, a
simple one-story building with a few windows. It would become our assembly center,
church and recreation area. I recalled some of my stories where The Three Amigos held
court, but couldn't remember what I'd called our hideaways.
It had taken much longer than I thought it would to download those FM. When I started
in on the Medical Manuals, I could get part of the manual downloaded and the computer
198
would lock up. Patience, the much needed virtue I needed when that happened was
that I seemed to be totally lacking in. And now, I needed something to get my mind off
everything that had happened since September 26, 2008. I suppose I could finish read-
ing the Field Manuals I started but never finished. It really didn't seem important; I'd just
forget it all by tomorrow.
There was a benefit to having a failing memory, someone would irritate me and a few
minutes later I couldn't remember why I was mad. Another benefit of being up in my
years was that I wouldn't be around to see what became of the country and the world.
Perhaps I'd been too optimistic in my stories, my main characters seem to come out ok
and end up rich. It was logical because they were always prepared for the end of civili-
zation. Nobody could be that prepared; only Bill Gates had the money to do that.
Aside from the fact of where his home was located, he and his family were very well
prepared with part of their home being earth sheltered. But then, he had $150 million
tied up in the home on Lake Washington. The Gates home is a modern design in the
Pacific lodge style, with classic features such as a large private library with a domed
reading room. The house occupied 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) on a 5.15 acre lot.
Garage space and outbuildings occupied an additional 16,000 square feet. Wiki said it
had eight bedrooms and four building levels. They hadn't said what it cost, but it was
assessed at $125 million. Do you suppose Bill bought his food from Walton Feed? I
can't picture him eating an MRE or picking up a rifle to defend his family.
We hadn't been prepared as well as I would have preferred, although we did have the
shelter and some food, 10 one year deluxe supplies for 14 people. I thought we had a
good location, but there was an airport in Winslow that could handle military aircraft,
making nowheresville a target. Those data I occasionally gave in my stories about the
effect of a 1mT ground burst always talked about how long it would take to return to be-
ing safe by US peacetime standards. That was far lower than what you could live with,
104mR per hour.
Ground bursts were useful to destroy a runway, but you needed an air burst to destroy a
city. If you made a dirty bomb there would be some fallout even from an air burst. The
reason that a dirty bomb was preferable was that a clean bomb (warhead) had less
power. A tactical nuke could be small and clean, permitting soldiers or Marines to enter
the area much earlier. If your purpose was to deny access to an area, a ground burst
using a dirty bomb was far better. The bombs we used on Japan were relatively small at
20kT but they were dirty air bursts.
"How many people have you fellas located, Derek?"
"Excluding the Indians, about 35,000."
"Is there any way to project how many people survived in this country from that?"
199
"I don't see how, Dad. It's worse than anyone thought. We didn't see anyone in Califor-
nia all the times we went there salvaging. I don't see how Arizona represents anything.
All we've been able to conclude so far is that the large cities were hit along with airports
capable of support military aircraft."
"When are you planning on going to Utah?"
"That's on hold for now. Why, do you want to go with us?"
"If I wouldn't be in the way, I sure would."
"You know people in Utah?"
"Some of the Squirrels lived there. I only know their handles, not their names. I was in
Salt Lake City many times; I would like to see it again."
"It won't look like you remember it."
"Still, I would like to go."
"Do you feel up to it; you've been awfully distracted lately."
"I miss Ron. Sharon is busy making quilts for Christmas presents and that doesn't really
interest me. I tried reading some of the Field manuals I have but lost interest."
"What Field Manuals?"
"When you were in Iraq, I went to AKO and downloaded all I could. Then I went to
Global Security and got as many more as I could. There must be over a hundred."
"What do you have them on?"
"The Paladin, TOW missiles, Patriot missile system and the Bradley fighting vehicles
plus some of the Marine Corps Field Manuals. I have an 18 page list, but not all of the
books on the list."
"Did you print them out?"
"No. I'll show you where they are on the computer and you can select what you want to
print out. It will take more paper and toner than I have to print them all."
"I'll scrounge up toner and paper, how much do you need?"
"The toner cartridge is good for about 30,000 copies or 6 cases of paper. I told Ron it
would take at least 10 cases of paper."
200
"Where would I find a toner cartridge?"
"I have no idea; most office supply places didn’t carry them because of the price."
"Expensive?"
"Close to $300. It's a C8543X. You could get them from HP for $270 plus tax and ship-
ping. The genuine HP cartridges give you more copies because it has some kind of
smart technology."
"How often do you need to put in a maintenance pack?"
"About every 600,000 copies. For home use, once or twice in a lifetime."
"Why did you buy the monster printer?"
"I screwed up. I became enchanted with the 50 pages per minute output and automatic
duplexer. So, I goosed the memory to 384 MB and added a 5 GB HDD. It must finally
be broken in, it doesn't jam very often. After I bought it, they cut the price in half."
"If that's the only stupid thing you did, you were lucky."
"I wish; it was more like a pattern. If I had a pocketful of money, I'd probably still be do-
ing it."
"What would you buy?"
"I don't know; anything that tickled my fancy. If I could have anything I wanted at the
moment it would be a Randall made knife."
"Which one?"
"The Model 2 Fighting Stiletto with an 8" blade."
"A knife? That's all you'd want?"
"It has more to do with getting something I've wanted since the sixties than anything
else. I wanted the M1A for a very long time before I ever had one. The same goes for
that .50 caliber, but I didn't have to wait as long for that. There are more expensive
knives, it's not about what it costs, you know. I'd have settled for a Gerber at one time,
but didn't have the money for that either, it would have cut into my drinking money."
"But you have the drinking out of your system, right?"
"No. That's why I asked you to lock up my liquor."
201
"Why did you buy it?"
"To have it. I did ok for a while, but then the world ended and I said screw it."
"Did you tell Ron?"
"I had to, you're only as sick as your secrets."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing, what could he say? He'd gotten within 3 days of 5 years once before he said
screw it. He drank, it killed him and when they revived him and did the heart surgery, he
never drank again."
"So he understood?"
"Every admitted alcoholic understands. The typical reaction is, There, but for the grace
of God, go I."
"Would you do it again?"
"If I said no, I'd be lying. So, I'll say maybe, it would depend on the circumstances. My
saving grace might be I know what it does to me. On the other hand I might not care.
I've been living on borrowed time for a while now and these past few years have been
most revealing. I figured on China, but thought Russia knew better."
"You said you saw contrails."
"I did, it must have been a military formation. I hope they were ours."
Once the crops were in, the Brigade was split into 2 elements and one stayed in Wins-
low to protect the fort and the rest of us headed for Utah. When we got on I-15 and I
persuaded them to stop at the gas station in Beaver. I explained that the guy used to
sell popcorn in 50 pound bags from a trailer he kept parked there. It had been nearly 20
years, but some things never change. We broke the lock off the trailer and took all of the
popcorn he had, 200 pounds. We checked and his storage tanks were empty. Although
I had both my ALICE gear and my western style firearms, I was nothing more than an
observer riding in the back seat of one of the Hummers.
There wasn't a lot to see along the I-15 corridor until we got about halfway up the state.
Not until you get to Nephi, at least. From there on into Salt Lake City, we started to see
the devastation. Whoever it was must have aimed a couple of MIRV'd missiles at the
airport and downtown Salt Lake City. The last time I'd been to SLC, the Jazz were play-
202
ing in the Salt Palace. They must have built a new sports arena, Delta Center. The Salt
Palace didn't look the same, I assume they tore it down and replaced it. It was hard to
tell from the ruins. We had run into people south of Salt Lake and they seemed friendly
enough. Of course, we made our intentions clear; we were trying to get a handle on
survivors.
If I recall correctly, the Mormons had some wars of their own. They must have won; they
had the whole state to themselves. I remember a friend in Des Moines who called the
Mormons a cult. He was a fundamentalist Baptist; it was sort of like the pot calling the
kettle black. Those folks who had survived were doing pretty well. About as close as we
got to a survivor count was, 'a fair number'. They were gracious enough, but it seemed
plain that they'd be happier if we were somewhere else. We packed up and headed
home, having never gotten beyond first names.
We were certain that if people in Arizona and Utah had survived, there had to be others.
I just sat in the back seat of the Hummer and listened, not because I didn't have any-
thing to say, but because nobody seemed interested. As a child, I was told that children
were to be seen and not heard. It seems when you get old enough, the same thing ap-
plies, or was it only me? If they decided to go anywhere else, I was going to stay home.
Ron and I had 'our' song that we sung just to clown around, I'm sure you've heard it be-
fore:
Chorus:
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
Cause I get better lookin' each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin' the best that I can!
I used to have a girlfriend

But I guess she just couldn't compete
With all of these love-starved women
Who keep clamoring at my feet
Well I could probably find me another
But I guess they're all in awe of me
Who cares? I never get lonesome
Cause I treasure my own company.
Ohhhhhh.....
(chorus)
203
I guess you could say I'm a loner
A cowboy outlaw, tough and proud
Well, I could have lotsa friends if I wanted,
But then I wouldn't stand out from the crowd
Some folks say that I'm "egotistical",
Hell, I don't even know what that means!
I guess it has something to do with the way
That I fill out my skin-tight blue jeans
All we ever sang was the chorus; it was all we could remember. Back in the '60s, I sort
of liked the war protest songs, especially those of Peter, Paul and Mary. Who among
you didn't want to drive his Chevy to the Levee? I couldn't, I never owned a Chevy.
I stay up late the first night we got home. I can't remember what I was dreaming of when
my dream was interrupted. Standing inside a blinding bright box of light was my partner,
Ron. He was saying something and I struggled to listen. "Hey Gar-Bear, they have AA
in heaven too, and you're the featured speaker tonight."
© 2011, Gary F. Ott
204

PAW Fiction - Tired Old Man (Gary D Ott) - Earthquake

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PAW Fiction - Tired Old Man (Gary D Ott) - Earthquake

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Fort Navajo – Chapter 1

China's military modernization program also includes Russian-built Sovremenny-2 guid-

BEIJING, February 20 (2005) – The Chinese government is rebuffing a joint statement

The small arms of both countries are online.

"Are you asking for my opinion or commiseration?"

"Do you really want to move?"

"Is that what it is?"

"I'd bet my life on it."

"Don’t take too long, the housing market is softening."

"Ok, I have my misgivings, but let's do it."

"Did you decide where to move to?"

"I still have to go back and finish my time in the sandbox."

"Do you really need the wheelchair?"

"I didn't when I got it, but I do now."

"Are you on oxygen too?"

"Only when I catch cold."

"So what do you have emphysema or chronic bronchitis?"

"They find out when they do the autopsy."

"Are you going to rent a lot or buy acreage?"

"What does your house need?"

"You knew Mary bought a .30-30?"

"She wrote me."

"I'm getting a FAL."

"They cost more."

"I'll make up the difference; it's only about $300."

"Planning on converting it to full auto?"

"I thought you were against full auto."

"My being in Iraq changed that."

"How about Mary and you move to Arizona?"

"Love you too."

"Have you decided where we're moving?"

"Ok, that's closer to Flagstaff."

"Authorized retailers of Springfield Armory rifles."

"What do they sell?"

"We'll have to go to Flagstaff then."

"To buy real guns."

"You're going to buy a M1A rifle even if it kills you."

"Uh-huh, what else?"

"And what else?"

Well, I'm a runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load,

Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

Well, I'm a runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load,

"One each Winchester model 94 Legacy in the .45 Colt."

"You're on a roll, what else?"

"Mossberg 590A1 with a 20" barrel and a magazine extension in 12-gauge."

"Let me guess, Winchester model 9422 in .22LR."

"You'll be dead then."

"What's it going to take for me to be able to buy them?"

"Don’t you want some guns too?"

"One thing more."

"Ok, what else?"

"I get the master bedroom as my quilting room."

"Agreed, I'm used to sleeping in a tiny room."

"Why do you want a 10-liter machine?"

"So, tell me, what's everything you want cost?"

"Where in the name of God have you been?"

"Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona."

"It's an Eagles song."

"I know the song, where are you?"

"Where the song says, come and visit."

"Yeah. Did you buy the FAL rifle?"

"Yep. Did you buy the M1A?"

"Where are you really?"

"What do you have for ammo?"