The Things We Do

[gipsy]

We sure are a bunch of bambi eaters around here.

[ydderf]

Thanks 223 for the moar. My preferred wild meat is moose. though I have eaten beaver muskrat and gibnut (a rodent similar to nutria). I am a meatatarian.

[223shootersc]

Hello MOAR hounds I will have the ending chapter to this saga maybe by the end of the week. It is much shorter than usual as this book in the authors head has had a change in scenario and will be the second book in the series it would seem.

On another note, I have just started a write of a book that has been in my head for many years and chapter one might be brought up this week. Please let me know what you think!

Thanks,

223shootersc

[gipsy]

Will do

[223shootersc]

MOAR hounds an ending and a beginning of the book. Hope you have enjoyed the ride and are looking for to the sequel. Please comment on the work!! Thanks all for being part of the journey.

Chapter 19

Three hectic days after Melvin met Major Bill ‘Sweet Willaim’ Woods aka Scooter and issued and invitation to him and his ‘Band of merry men’ back to his BOL things had changed at the Cudd Castle and that may have been the understatement of the century. That was according to Melvin Cudd the appointed leader and now Commander of the Cudd Circle or as it was now being called the Cudd Centurions. The new name was a gift along with many others from Peter McNamee. The retired Rear Admiral had been able to make two airdrops a day for the three days since Sweet William arrived. Each airdrop consisted of three separate C-130s delivering a full cargo load to the Castle. The plans brought in loads of bullets, beans, and Band-Aids. Making multiple deliveries of ordinance, weapons, gear, medical supplies and two loads of additional military personnel to the Castle. The first load was another ad hoc group of warriors that came from every United States military defense force. The list even included three boarding teams from Coast Guard Cutter Drug Interdiction vessels and later that same day three MH-60T Jayhawks with full crews including the Designated Marksmen and spotters from the Blackhawk based air-frames. The first group of soldiers that arrived had either parachuted into the Castle from one of the C-130s as part of their delivery. The second group or the remainder of the first group were brought in by MH-53 Pave Low helicopter that had been escorted by two Apache gunships that stayed as part of the package given to the Cudd Circle. Both groups arriving like clockwork within ten minutes of each other to the Castle as they had been told by the Admiral. That group of about forty-five warriors arrived on day two after the arrival of Sweet William and his ‘merry men’ as Melvin had dubbed the group to the Castle. The third day or night as it was would bring two platoons of Rangers HALO parachuting in from the sky and parts unknown.

The reason for the additional warriors, equipment, and ordinance was as Sweet William had announced on arrival was the “the Russians are coming” said in a fake old English accent trying to mimic Paul Revere and the message he had delivered back before the start of the American Revolution of the British were coming. Peter McNamee explained to Melvin and Jimmy that the Russian convoy had been on the other side of the world between rounding Madagascar and the tip of South Africa when the Russians turned loose the Bio weapon on the world. The group had been slow sailing towards the east coast of America and in his opinion waiting for the die off in America to land and attack. The two American submarines sent to destroy the fleet were met by heavy resistance from Russian anti-submarine helicopters and four Russian submarines. Two diesel and two nuclear powered vessels. The American boat Commanders and valiant crews had given the Russian convoy a run for its money. The Americans sinking all four of the Russian submarines and four of the convoy ships before being the last American submarine was destroyed by to the anti-submarine capabilities of the convoy. The best guess based on satellite images of the convoy was there were at least four RORO ships and three troop ships left in the fleet along with a destroyer and possibly the re-fitted Russian aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov. The original design had the carrier load out being eighteen Su-33 known as the Flanker-D and six Mig -29K Fulcrum-D multi-role fighter aircraft. The best analysis said that if the Russians could even get the Su-33 Fulcrum-D aircraft aboard they would only be good for one attack as there had not been any funding for the naval aircraft since the 1990s and no new planes had been developed to replace the Flanker-D jets to any of the analyst that had survived the initial Russian biological attacks. Pete McNamee told Melvin and Jimmy that he hoped the analyst were correct as America did not have much left in the way of aircraft to respond especially fighters as most of the fighter units had been hit hard by the Russians. Going on to say they had planes but fighter pilots were few and far between and it takes years to train a fighter pilot at the best of times. The Rear Admiral explained in vivid detail how it was just a small amount of time no more than four weeks till the Russians would be off-loading tanks and APCs along with Marines and Infantry on American soil. Going on to say that the satellites had just this week discovered that the Russians also had a second wave coming. It was not as big as the first and was probably additional supplies and replacement personnel for the invasion. The good news was that it would most likely be the last supplies coming from Mother Russia. The analyst did not rule out re-supply from Venezuela or pre-stored supplies from Cuba or one of the African countries.

The Rear Admiral’s reasoning for sending troops and equipment to the Cudd Circle was to use them as a fire break to hassle the Russians. The Cudd militia to fight and delay the Russian forces until the DOD could get their act together to fight the attacking Russian forces in a head-to-head battle for America’s Life and Liberty.

After the whirlwind of activity at the Castle and listening to numerous briefs from the Rear Admiral and Sweet William Melvin sitting out on the manufacturing facility now turned FBO’s outer fence line hoping to shoot a deer for some fresh meat. Melvin’s mind was in turmoil over the phantom illusion that he had held that the world would be back to normal in the near to immediate future. This illusion had been whisked away like a fart in a whirlwind and he was trying to get his head around two things the new world in which he lived. The first thing that baffled him was the fact that he had just been given the rank of full Colonel by what was left of the United States JSOC Commanded by Real Admiral Peter McNamee and he specifically placed in the USSOCOM operations command chain and made the Cudd Centurions a stand along entity in the chain.

The second thing that had him just as bothered was a more important question that needed answered was “Why me Lord”. That was why he was presently praying instead of hunting. Melvin was seeking GOD’s guidance, rod, strength, grace, and most of all his will to help him navigate the valley of death he found himself and his people walking headlong into for the common good of America. The one thing he new was that GOD had promised him and all that he would never let anything more than what they could handle be placed upon them. That promised grace brought a subtle smile to his mind that only GOD could see. His knowing that GOD had just answered his prayer and all would be good. He and his people would get through the coming time of war or they would meet on the other side and rejoice. Refreshed he thought of a phrase that a friend of a friend often said, “It Is Time To Go To Work”.

The End

[gipsy]

Thanks

[feralferret]

223shootersc, looking forward to the next story.

Thank you for an excellent tale.

[rep1270]

Great story. Thank you. Ralph

[sniper69]

223shootersc - thanks for another excellent story. And the phrase “It Is Time To Go To Work” gave me a smile this morning, as I recalled one of your other excellent stories.

[feralferret]

Yep, Twos would give his seal of approval.

[CountryGuy]

223-
Great story and I look forward to either the next volume or your next work.

I think the only things that sort of lost a few points for me on this story was how it played out as Melvin went from this hunting, country boy not real into guns during the time before MS who then starts shooting some 3 gun and then just a few weeks or months later he's a weapons and military tactics genius who has Delta force operators in awe of his tactics and taking his orders. To me, that was a bit of a stretch to far trying to make him a super hero. If he was the leader he was portrayed to be, then he would of set his ego aside, acknowledged he has not military or tactical experience and he would have asked for the Spec Ops step up and take control during those activities and actions.

Not trying to be negative as I greatly enjoyed the story and characters, just a few spots like that where I felt the reality/ credibility fell thru a bit compared to where it could have possibly went.

Just trying to give constructive comments as you previously asked.

[223shootersc]

Dec 3, 2023 19:42:57 GMT -6 CountryGuy said:

223-
Great story and I look forward to either the next volume or your next work.

I think the only things that sort of lost a few points for me on this story was how it played out as Melvin went from this hunting, country boy not real into guns during the time before MS who then starts shooting some 3 gun and then just a few weeks or months later he's a weapons and military tactics genius who has Delta force operators in awe of his tactics and taking his orders. To me, that was a bit of a stretch to far trying to make him a super hero. If he was the leader he was portrayed to be, then he would of set his ego aside, acknowledged he has not military or tactical experience and he would have asked for the Spec Ops step up and take control during those activities and actions.

Not trying to be negative as I greatly enjoyed the story and characters, just a few spots like that where I felt the reality/ credibility fell thru a bit compared to where it could have possibly went.

Just trying to give constructive comments as you previously asked.

I can agree to most of your comments and I appreciate the candor. I do know from experience that leaders are not made with training by Special Forces or the DOD they are born to lead men and women. The effect is called Command Presence many times the leader of an outfit or crew can be picked out from a hundred people working when there is no dress or work requirements that set them apart. I have seen it a hundred times where a person walks on a site or facility and just walks straight to the person in charge, no neon signs or nothing just Command presence. The service organizations even use this method to pick leaders they throw everyone in the grind and see who everyone follows if they lead the people and are successful as a group the leadership is noted.  If it happens on numerous occasions these people are made leaders, goes all the way from NCOs up to Generals has been the way in America since the Civil War. I think if you will go back and look Melvin very seldom fired a weapon just led and they were in awe of the way he lived and taught his nephew and niece and how they had learned the life lessons. Mayb it didn't come off like that but that was the way it was written or was tried to be written maybe unsuccessfully.

Thanks so much for the comments they are appreciated from a fine writer like yourself.

223shootersc

[NCWEBNUT]

In my years of work I've known a couple of folks like Melvin, the rascals could Rangle cats if they had to and had that command presence, could make any worker see the value in doing something for them without question.

[CountryGuy]

Dec 3, 2023 19:57:42 GMT -6 223shootersc said:

Dec 3, 2023 19:42:57 GMT -6 CountryGuy said:

223-
Great story and I look forward to either the next volume or your next work.

I think the only things that sort of lost a few points for me on this story was how it played out as Melvin went from this hunting, country boy not real into guns during the time before MS who then starts shooting some 3 gun and then just a few weeks or months later he's a weapons and military tactics genius who has Delta force operators in awe of his tactics and taking his orders. To me, that was a bit of a stretch to far trying to make him a super hero. If he was the leader he was portrayed to be, then he would of set his ego aside, acknowledged he has not military or tactical experience and he would have asked for the Spec Ops step up and take control during those activities and actions.

Not trying to be negative as I greatly enjoyed the story and characters, just a few spots like that where I felt the reality/ credibility fell thru a bit compared to where it could have possibly went.

Just trying to give constructive comments as you previously asked.

I can agree to most of your comments and I appreciate the candor. I do know from experience that leaders are not made with training by Special Forces or the DOD they are born to lead men and women. The effect is called Command Presence many times the leader of an outfit or crew can be picked out from a hundred people working when there is no dress or work requirements that set them apart. I have seen it a hundred times where a person walks on a site or facility and just walks straight to the person in charge, no neon signs or nothing just Command presence. The service organizations even use this method to pick leaders they throw everyone in the grind and see who everyone follows if they lead the people and are successful as a group the leadership is noted.  If it happens on numerous occasions these people are made leaders, goes all the way from NCOs up to Generals has been the way in America since the Civil War. I think if you will go back and look Melvin very seldom fired a weapon just led and they were in awe of the way he lived and taught his nephew and niece and how they had learned the life lessons. Mayb it didn't come off like that but that was the way it was written or was tried to be written maybe unsuccessfully.

Thanks so much for the comments they are appreciated from a fine writer like yourself.

223shootersc

I totally get command presence and I understood, I think where you were going, showing Melvin had such abilities and that good people tended to gather to him. I guess what I was picking up more where he seemed to have more military type radio lingo and things that lead me to think he would have needed more than a typical civilian would have.

On the overall, I totally agree and say you are correct that training, degrees, pedigree or title do not make a leader. The great ones are just naturals. Again, please don't think I was bashing the work, you put a boatload of time and thought into it and it showed in a great plot and character build throughout along with various support characters and side adventures that fed in all along the way.