Proud Legions by John Antal

Author:John Antal [Antal, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Imaginary wars and battles
Publisher: Novato, CA : Presidio Press
Published: 1999-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

10:10 A.M., 3 October, Team B (Bulldogs) assembly area, just south of the MPRC.

The vehicle commander stood up in the hatch and manned the .50-caliber machine gun. Alice Hamilton, sitting inside the dark armored personnel carrier, could see only the soldier's legs. She zipped up the flak jacket she was wearing and glanced at Paul. The cameraman was nestled in a heap in a corner of the APC, his eyes closed.

"I can't stand it anymore, Paul," she said. Her shoulder-length blond hair fell over her left shoulder as she reached for the door handle of the APC. "I've got to go outside."

Paul opened his eyes and shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"Nothing's happening right now," Alice said. "Besides, I have to go outside."

Paul waved his hand, exhausted from the terror of the past day.

Alice turned the long metal handle and pushed the door open. It clanged against the back of the vehicle. The vehicle commander bent down inside the APC and announced, "Ma'am, it's my orders to keep an eye on you. You aren't supposed to leave my APC."

Alice looked across the muddy, barren field and saw a vehicle pull up to a tank just within view. She saw Lieutenant Colonel Rodriguez exit the vehicle and walk over to the tank. A man stood in front of the tank and saluted Rodriguez. Another man climbed down from the turret of the tank to join the group.

"I must talk to your commander, Sergeant," Alice said to the solider inside the armored personnel carrier. "Colonel Rodriguez is right over there. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Before the sergeant could argue with her, she climbed out of the APC and slammed the door shut. Her once white tennis shoes, now smudged with dirt and mud, hit the rain-soaked ground. Struggling in the mud, she trudged over to Rodriguez.

"Al, any questions about what I want you to do?" Rodriguez asked Capt. Al Grey as they huddled over the map on the front slope of Grey's tank.

The captain pulled his trim black mustache as he considered the graphics on the map. "Sir, it'll take me fifteen minutes once you give me the word to be in position to counterattack north up Highway 43. It'll take me about eighteen minutes to counterattack up 325. Are you sure you want to counterattack an enemy brigade?"

"Yep, and you're just the man to lead the charge," Rodriguez said with a sly smile.

"Any artillery support?" asked Lieutenant Lopez, the third man in the group and Captain Grey's artillery support officer. "I sure would like to get into this fight."

"Not yet, Lopez," Rodriguez answered with a grin, "but we're working on it."

Captain Grey suddenly noticed Ms. Hamilton and motioned with a jerk of his head for Rodriguez to turn around.

"Colonel Rodriguez, I want to know when you're going to get me out of here," Alice demanded. "And I want my cell phone back."

"Why, Ms. Hamilton, I thought you wanted to report the news," Rodriguez replied sarcastically.

Suddenly two men rushed out of the fog as if they had just sprung out of the earth.

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