Strike Force Zulu - Chapter 5: 06:30 March 31st

The base was humming with activity. At all of the various unit staging grounds, most soldiers stood in formation in their physical training clothes, their daily activities just about to start. The sound of Reveille began playing, blaring from every loudspeaker across the base, and everyone stopped what they were doing and saluted in the direction of the base’s flag. As soon as the day officially began those who were in formations began their PT and those assigned to other duties went about them.

Sergeant First Class Manuel Rodriguez, looked around the staging area he was in after dropping his salute before shouting, “Mount up!”

At his command, the close to fifty soldiers standing in the staging area piled into their armored vehicles. Hopping into the Tank Commander’s (TC’s) spot of the M1126 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), which is also known as a Stryker, he directed the driver, Specialist Peterson, to take the middle positon of the platoon’s column. Around them, the other platoons of the company were doing the same thing. Pressing the transmit key and speaking into his mike, Rodriguez said, “Alright boys and girls, I’m sure the Old Man is going to say something soon, but before that remember, this is the first combined unit live fire of the year. Keep all weapons unloaded and magazines in their proper places; and yes, THAT does include you gun bunnies in the back.”

He was about to continue speaking, but a squelch across the main company channel cut him off, “To all IFVs, Charlie Six here, Move Out. Fall in behind Bravo Company.”

No sooner than the command had been given the three platoons of Charlie Company, as well as the Company command element’s vehicles began rolling. Rodriguez kept his eyes peeled. This was his first big movement since he had become the platoon sergeant. It was actually a full brigade movement, containing both live fire exercises and a field exercise lasting well over a week. The OPTEMPO was picking up around the world, and the base commander wanted the three brigades to be ready to deploy anywhere, anytime. Thus he had informed the Brigade commanders that they would do a rotational schedule of training lasting a week and half each.

Additionally, the units would interface with Tenth Group SOTF teams and aviation assets from Butts Army Airfield located here on Fort Carson. There were also rumors that some of the local Nasty Guard units (a colorful term for National Guard units found amongst the Active duty troops) might actually be joining them as well in a few days. Of course, the weekend warriors would not be joining them until it was the weekend Rodriguez thought. There was a reason they were called weekend warriors after all. Considering all of this, the Sergeant was still worried. There were a lot of ways this could go wrong, while he trusted the guys and girls in his platoon, he could not say the same thing for the other platoons in his company. Let alone, the other companies within the battalion, the other battalions and assorted units in the brigade. All it took was one mistake, one idiot, and someone was going to get hurt.

Keeping his professional paranoia to himself, he settled in for the ride to the range. It was going to be a long exercise.

************** AUTHOR’S NOTE ******************

Sorry all, this is too long for the supposed “500 words” that is provided to the authors by WebNovel/Qidan. Maybe the Chinese translation? Moving on…

To any crunchies, tankers, pole dogs, sparkies, and everyone else out there I might offend by not having the correct terminology for the differing groups (which is pretty much all of you), please just accept the suck. I am an Aviation REMF, not some Fobbit or Pogue. I never bothered paying attention to you ants on the ground anyway. Well, other than laughing my ass off when I touched you before you got the anti-static pole applied correctly during a sling load… So yeah it might be FUBAR, but is still SNAFU.

So Hooah and all that, now move on.

Feel free to provide constructive criticism on terms, slang, etc. keeping in mind I reserve the right to conduct a wall to wall counseling session.

And no, you cannot DX the author for a newer, better one. The one you were issued is still in full, functional order as was intended by the Brass, may they oxidize and rot in Hell.