Blueman

By Jerry Brumbelow

Blueman is the radio call sign for a young Special Ops soldier. The fictional story follows him from Basic training, through several adventures and various training environments. It follows Bluemans interactions with people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 26, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462802531

Jerry Brumbelow

Mr. Brumbelow was born in East Texas. He graduated from Fair Park High School in Shreveport, LA and college from the Univ. of Maryland. He served 6 years in the Army in Military Intelligence with the 18th Airborne in North Carolina, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan. He also was attached to the US Dept. of State in Honduras, China, and Germany. He served as a civilian advisor to the US He retired from the National Security Agency as a computer scientist, and is currently employed by the Anne Arundel County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. He is a member of the American Legion Post # 7 of Annapolis, MD

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Copyright © 2009 by Jerry Brumbelow.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

PART I

Infantry

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

PART II

Aviation

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 46

CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 48

CHAPTER 49

CHAPTER 50

CHAPTER 51

CHAPTER 52

CHAPTER 53

CHAPTER 54

CHAPTER 55

CHAPTER 56

CHAPTER 57

CHAPTER 58

CHAPTER 59

CHAPTER 60

CHAPTER 61

CHAPTER 62

CHAPTER 63

CHAPTER 64

CHAPTER 65

CHAPTER 66

CHAPTER 67

CHAPTER 68

CHAPTER 69

A fictional account, of a fictional character,

created while putting real miles on a tread mill.

Editing by Janet M. & Maryann B.

bless them.

PROLOGUE

John Blue grew up in Gueydan, Louisiana, a very small town in the southwest part of the state; the Parish was mostly open range and marsh area. There were always people with horses and guns. The marsh areas of the Parish were some of the best duck hunting areas in Louisiana, with plenty of hunting camps and lots of bayous for fishing.

A large percentage of the population of Gueydan was Cajun and Catholics; it also had four Baptist families. The Blue family was Baptist, but totally accepted in the community. John was not afraid of hard work; he had been working with his grandfather and father since he was seven years old. Both of them were in the construction business, building houses and small buildings. John started out picking up scrap lumber on the jobs and delivering nails to the carpenters. By the age of 13, he was working as an apprentice carpenter.

In high school, John made average grades, and ran track. His specialty was distance events, like two mile runs, and cross-country events. During the school year, from about the sixth grade, he delivered the morning paper seven days a week, and worked in construction on weekends and summer vacations.

John was personable and liked by all the little old ladies. He was always available to them to do small chores and carry packages for them.

During the fall seasons, John developed his shooting skill. He would go out just before sunset to hunt duck or quail and dove. Since none of these targets were setting on the ground waiting to be shot, but flying and dodging about, it was much more difficult to shoot them. Over the years, John developed a natural ability to hit moving targets.

By the time he was a senior in high school; John was just over six foot tall and had a strong muscled body. He loved to run long distances.

During the winter months of John’s senior year, when the construction business was very slow due to the weather, John and his father built a small two person airplane. They started with the metal tubular frame, ran the cables, put wooden cross pieces in the wings, and covered all of this with fabric. At the same time, they rebuilt a 65-horse-power engine for the airplane. When the spring came, the two of them got flying lessons from Shirley Smith, one of the local crop dusters. Being taught to fly by a man who was a crop duster had some very interesting moments, one learned what an airplane would and would not do.

During high school, John Blue worked as a carpenter for his father and saved enough money to attend Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He went a little wild the first year, enjoying all the parties and girls; after two semesters, his scholastic grades were only at the C and D level. He did fairly well in French, but this was because he could practice with all of the Cajun guys and gals at school.

He decided after those first two semesters that it was obvious he was probably wasting his time and hard-earned money. He had been in the ROTC program during his first year in college and had enjoyed it. He had learned to march, the manual of arms, how to prepare uniforms, and pass inspections. The classes in military history were very interesting, and he began to consider a career in the military.

During the summer break, he worked in construction and took a math course at night school. He did well, but it was only one course and he was back at home in Gueydan, a good 100 miles away from New Orleans, and the party atmosphere. Blue decided it was time to talk to the Army recruiter and see what the U.S. Army had to offer.

Blue went to the local recruiting office on a Saturday morning; there weren’t too many people around, either Army recruiters or civilians. He was greeted by a somewhat robust, as in overweight, sergeant. The Sergeant gave him a cup of coffee and asked about his background. He told him that he had finished one year of college, including a year of ROTC, in which he was in the Honor Company. If he went back to college next year, he would be promoted to Corporal.

The Sergeant gave him the standard entry test for the Army, which consisted of 100 questions. When the test was graded and Blue had missed only two questions, the Sergeant’s interest in him picked up. The Sergeant said that since his test scores were excellent, he could probably get training in any field that was of interest to him. The two men discussed several options, including military intelligence, language, and aviation.

Blue told the Sergeant that he thought that for his first enlistment, he would really like to go into an Infantry assignment. This would allow him the time to really see what the Army was like and learn the basic concepts of soldiering. Blue probably blew the Sergeant’s mind away; nobody asks to go to the Infantry!

The recruiting Sergeant suggested that if this was the path he wanted to take, he would try to arrange that after the first 12 weeks of basic training, he would try to get him a slot for Advanced Infantry Basic (AIB) school, which would last another 12 weeks. The AIB course would teach him the skills needed to function as an Infantry soldier. He also suggested that he might want to attend Airborne School after AIB.

The Sergeant said this path could best be followed by enlisting for one of the Airborne Divisions. The two divisions at the time were the 82nd and the 101st. He had read about each of these divisions while attending ROTC.

Blue decided that he would try for the 82nd Division the All American. The Sergeant got the paper work together and before leaving that Saturday morning, Blue had signed up for a 3-year enlistment, beginning a week later. The delay was to give him time to get his personal business taken care of, and for his friends to give him a good going away party.

PART I

Infantry

CHAPTER 1

A week later, Blue was on a bus headed for Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. The first night and the next two days he was in a holding company, where more than 120 men were issued uniforms and field gear, given more tests, and lectured on everything from A to Z. They also got their infamous haircuts that the services are so famous for. They didn’t get too much hair from Blue; his was already very short. After two days, the men were divided into groups of 60 men and sent to basic training companies, where they would spend the next 12 weeks.

Basic training was relatively easy for Blue. He had already been taught most of the military information from his year in ROTC, and having worked in construction, he was in decent shape physically. The hardest part was adapting to the environment, and living in close quarters with 59 other guys from all walks of life, and different experiences and cultures.

Basic training was an interesting experience, and after two weeks He was made a squad leader, and given the responsibility for 10 people. This meant he had to ensure that the ten people were where they were supposed to be at a given time, and to insure that they and their and areas were ready before the many inspections they had. Being squad leader was not really great, but it meant that when a detail was picked, he had to oversee the work, rather than doing it.

The big carrot that the training command put in front of the men was that the top scoring basic trainee might be promoted to Private First Class (PFC), the rank above Private, at the end of the 12 weeks. This sounded good, but there were no guarantees. Two of the other squad leaders had prior service which meant they were real competition.

In Blue’s squad he had a couple of real wise asses who were trying to get by with doing nothing. They mentioned that they were draftees and would be happy to be kicked out of the service and go home. He took the two (who were always screwing up) outside and told them how things were going to be. He did not threaten them; he just told them that if they did not shape up and do the minimum activities assigned to them, the following would happen: the Army would not kick them out and send them home; they would recycle them to the next class. Therefore, after 10 or 12 weeks of Basic, they would have to do it all over again. Blue told them that if they shaped up he would help them finish Basic training, and go on to the school they had signed up for. If they ended up going through Basic again he would not be there to hold their hand. To Blue it seemed like a good approach.

The two agreed that they did not want to go through all this chicken stuff for another 12 weeks. Blue did not know that he had been overheard by the training cadre while he gave this little lecture.

Acting/Corporal (A/C) Squad Leader Blue currently had the best test scores in military and field crafts, and was in the running for the PFC promotion, due to his being the top soldier in his current Basic Training class.

After 10 weeks, A/C Blue was called in to his Commanding Officer’s office. He was asked if he would be willing to drop back to a class two weeks behind his, and take over a squad of misfits. The CO told Blue that he would really like these seven misfits to graduate. Not only for the Army’s sake, but their own. Blue told the CO that if this was the best way for him to serve the Army, then sure, he would try to do it.

Blue was moved to a new class, and took over as squad leader. His story was that he had been in the hospital, and was being recycled so he could graduate. His real job was to convince seven young recruits that they should get an attitude change toward graduating with their cycle, and move on to some military program for their next three years.

Three of the seven just wanted out of the Army and figured they would be fired and sent home. Two were just dumb and did not care what happened to them. One was an orphan, who had lived in an institution all his life, and after eight weeks still could not set up his uniform and barrack area. The seventh was a large young man with a chip on his shoulder, who thought everyone was out to get him.

Blue moved into the squad area and began to deal with the everyday problems. After two days of observing their constant fouling up of even the smallest details, and constant infractions of the rules, it was time to discuss Army procedures with them, and give them a new outlook on their future.

The company fell out for the first formation of the day to be marched off to some class. Blue called the special squad to attention, held them in position until the company moved out, and then marched them in the opposite direction. They marched until out of sight of the barracks, and then went to route step for another half mile. After getting out of view or hearing of the company, he halted the squad. Blue had the seven sit in a semi-circle facing him.

Blue told them what was going to happen to them. The Army wanted them to succeed, if not only for the Army’s success, but also for theirs. He then listed the various alternatives available to them:

1. If they did not pass and graduate from this 12-week Basic training, they would be re-cycled into another class, and start all over again for another 12 weeks. That was the best thing that could happen.

2. After three or four of these recycling sessions, they would go before a board in which they might or might not be kicked out, with, at best, an unable to adjust on their record, and at worst, a bad conduct discharge.

3. If they were sent home after six or seven months, they would go with the clothes they arrived in and still no hair and their record would be sent to their neighborhood recruiting officer. He would then use their name as an example in the neighborhood, and to all the new prospective recruits, as what colossal foul-ups they were.

4. More than likely, they would not be able to hold a job after this, because the word would be out that they couldn’t even make it in the Army. They might be able to get a job running numbers, but they would not be trusted. If any thing went wrong, they would be the first one looked at for causing it. It’s one thing to have the cops watching you, but would they really want the wise guys watching them.

5. If they thought that the Army would kick them out if they slugged an NCO or squad leader, they were mistaken. If they hit an NCO, they would be brought up on a Special Court-Martial and, after being found guilty, they would serve time in the stockade. This could be for anywhere from six months to four years. As stockade time does not count on your enlistment, after incarceration, they would be returned to this unit to start their 12 week session all over again. If they happen to think they could slug a fellow private, who was only acting as a squad leader, and get away with it, they might. They also might find themselves in the hospital with several broken bones, and a pair of large-sized swollen balls. The time in the hospital also does not count as good time. They would then be put in a new 12-week class, starting all over again.

6. The best way to prevent all this re-cycle bull would be to do what they have been taught, and not cause problems for any of the NCOs. As Blue tried to point out, this silly bull goes on for a period of 12 weeks, then they get out of here, and go on to the school they signed up for. Now the easiest thing for them to do would be to put up with the bull for three more weeks and put it all behind them. What they did, would be their choice.

Blue then had them fall in and he marched them back to the barracks area, and headed for the mess hall.

The next morning, Blue did the same thing, he marched his squad off in a different direction. This time they went to an area about 10 blocks away. When the squad reached an enclosure that was surrounded by a 15-foot-high double fence with concertina wire on top of it, they had arrived at the Post Stockade. Blue halted the squad, and was met by a very mean-looking Sergeant.

Sergeant Payne turned out to be the head NCO at the stockade. He spent the next 15 minutes explaining all of the procedures that they would be faced with as his prisoners. These included physical training every morning, including Sundays; being marched everywhere they went; and being on a work detail each morning till lunch. Lunch would be a box of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) that would be served to the prisoners wherever they happen to be working. Then after a 30-minute break, they would continue to work till late afternoon. At 5:00 PM, the prisoners would stand the Retreat formation, but were not allowed to salute, because they did not have that right as prisoners. After the evening meal, the prisoners would then go back to their barracks and clean it till 10:00 PM. At that time they would then have to be in bed.

These procedures went on seven days a week, with no breaks. Any infractions of any of the rules would be met with additional time added onto the prisoner’s sentence. A/C Blue thanked Sergeant Payne for his explanation, and then marched his squad back to the barracks area. Once back in the Company area, Blue told the squad, that they now knew the alternatives, and could decide which way they would finish up the last three weeks of training.

Three weeks later, the Commanding Officer called A/C Blue into his office and presented him with orders promoting him to PFC. The CO was very happy that six of the seven misfits had shaped up and completed their training. The only one not to graduate was the young soldier who had grown up in the orphanage. He had really tried, and the Army recycled him to another group just starting the Basic Training course. This time though the NCOs were told to help him learn the skills he needed.

CHAPTER 2

After a weekend off, PFC Blue started the Advanced Infantry Basic (AIB) course for another 12 weeks. This course was also given at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. There was a lot less hollering and threats than during the Basic course, and most of the training was in squad and individual skills. There was also much more weapons practice and firing range time. The course delivered the basic Infantry skills at the Squad level, and did them repetitiously. The operation of squad-level vehicles and heavy machine guns were presented as an orientation. Also, a lot of practice using the correct procedures for radios was stressed. The 12-week course went relatively quick, and the student class had most Saturday afternoons and Sundays off.

After graduation from the AIB course, PFC Blue went to Fort Benning, Georgia for the three week course of Parachute Training. This course had more guys yelling at you and getting in your face. Their major punishment for any supposed infraction of their rules was 20 to 50 push ups. During the first week, the class must have run 20 to 30 miles a day, while also doing at least 500 push ups each day. The second week included more training on how to land, Platform Landing Falls (PLF), but the running and the pushups were still a big part of the physical training. By the third week, there was less physical activity and the class started making the required five parachute jumps needed to graduate.

It had been a tough three weeks, but the Saturday morning parade and the award of those shiny ‘Silver Wings,’ made the effort worth while.

PFC Blue’s assignment after finishing the Airborne Course (Jump School) would be to the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, he trained with a company for four months. There would be unit practices at the various Squad, Platoon, and Company levels. Occasionally, there would even be a parachute jump of the entire Battalion. The first jump with your unit was known as a pay jump. Until you made this jump, the other paratroopers did not even think of you as jump-qualified. This was the first jump after finishing the course at Fort Benning, and signified that now you were a real paratrooper. Also, this was when you started drawing the extra $50 per month Jump Pay.

After four months with the unit, Blue was promoted to the E-4 rank of Corporal, and made an Assistant Squad Leader. After another month of catching every job that could be down loaded to a very junior NCO, Blue was called into the orderly room to see the 1st Sergeant

It seems one of the company Sergeant’s, who was slated to go to Ranger School, had broken his leg during a parachute jump two days before.

The 1st Sergeant asked Blue if he wanted to try and go in the sergeant’s place. Blue thought this was a godsend; otherwise there would probably not be another chance for at least six months to a year. Blue jumped at the opportunity.

Blue was on his way back to Fort Benning within two days. He arrived at the Ranger training facility and was given a bed in the barracks and told that the course would be starting in two days. In the mean time, they advised him to keep a low profile and don’t get in any trouble. Blue took this to mean that he should not go across the river to Phoenix City, Alabama. This was not a problem. Blue figured he should get as much sleep ahead of time as possible. He knew for the next 12 weeks, that sleep was going to be at a premium. As it turned out, he was right, they did not get more than three hours at any time for the next 12 weeks.

The course was very challenging, both physically and mentally, and with the sleep deprivation and spending most of the time in the field, to say it was tough would be the understatement of the year. But the class taught a lot of useful techniques and worked on a lot of problems, using whatever materials that were available. By the end of the course, Blue had developed a lot of skills, and felt he was much more capable as a soldier.

After the 12 week Ranger course, Blue received his gold and black Ranger tab. He then returned to Fort Bragg and rejoined his unit. As luck would have it, when he arrived back at Fort Bragg he found that his Battalion had been alerted to go to Iraq. Within two weeks, Blue was over at Pope Air Force Base (AFB), which is on the Fort Bragg reservation, getting on a C141, and flying to Iraq. It was an extremely long flight and did not have all the creature comforts of a civilian flight, but the entire company was together when they arrived.

CHAPTER 3

The first three months in Iraq went fairly fast. It was an adjustment from North Carolina: not the heat, but the lack of humidity. It was imperative that the soldiers drink as much water as possible. The daily patrols in the streets of Baghdad city were usually very dull, but it was always necessary to keep up a vigil. They never knew when a car or person coming toward them might be carrying an explosive device. Most of the people treated the soldiers as a neutral entity. They were neither friendly nor hostile. The kids always wanted gum or chocolate.

It was very difficult to maintain a high state of awareness, until the day the soldiers had to view the results of a bomb or ambush. Each day they were constantly reminded of the dangers by their Officers and NCOs.

In their fourth month in country, the Platoon leader took a patrol of two squads on a walk. They patrolled through a new neighborhood that had been quiet for the last five to six months, and was considered somewhat safe. By this time, Blue was the assistant squad leader for the 2nd squad. The Lieutenant (LT) led the patrol with the 1st squad behind him, then the Platoon Sergeant, followed by the 2nd squad.

The 2nd squad leader had been called up to Regimental command that day, so Blue was in charge of the squad. His position was as last man in the formation, to keep an eye on the rear.

After about an hour into the patrol, the lead elements rounded a corner and were moving down a long straight street with walls on both sides. All of a sudden, hostile incoming fire broke out.

The Lieutenant was wounded, as were three of the 1st squad accompanying him. As the platoon moved up to offer fire support, they came under fire from a different side. Two of the men with him were wounded as was the Platoon Sergeant.

Blue, as leader of the 2nd squad, sent five men forward to aid the platoon. He then gathered the remaining four men from his squad and went up the other side of the right wall, in a flanking movement. When they got about 20 yards past where the Lieutenant was penned down, Blue stopped the small group.

His instructions to the men were that each would toss a grenade over the wall at the same time, and duck their heads. Once the five grenades went off, the five-man group would charge through the gate.

The plan was for one man to go to the left, and one to the right. The other three would go straight through the gate and engage the enemy.

All five men threw their grenades, ducked down, and waited for the explosions. As the final grenade sounded, Blue led the group of men through the gateway and into the street on the other side of the wall. There were ten bodies on the ground, five-men wandering in a daze, and two still firing their machine gun at the penned-down Americans.

After 30 seconds and quite a bit of automatic weapons fire there was no live enemy still capable of resistance. Down the street, the medic and the other 2nd squad soldiers moved forward to take care of the 1st squad’s wounded. The four men with CPL Blue checked the dead and wounded hostiles for papers and additional weapons. They then gathered up the dropped weapons and the machine gun. By this time a roving mounted patrol had gotten a radio message from the Lieutenant, and responded to backup the patrol. Blue reported to the roving patrol Lieutenant and had his men put the collected weapons in the vehicles.

After the medics treated the wounded and had the five men evacuated, someone in the 2nd squad noticed that CPL Blue had a hole in his pants leg, and the material seem to be turning a dark black. For the first time, Blue realized he had taken a round through his leg. There was no pain, and the bullet had obviously not hit anything vital. Another ‘Humvee’ vehicle was put in service as an ambulance to take Blue to the field hospital.

After getting the bullet hole cleaned and patched up, CPL Blue was sent back to his unit. He had been told to stay off the leg for the next few days. After getting back to the company, CPL Blue was told to report to the commanding officer’s tent. The CO asked Blue what had occurred at the ambush. Relating the facts, Blue said, he saw the Lieutenant go down, and the 1st squad penned down by the machine gun. He had just entered the street and had seen a secondary passage-way on the right side of the street. He split his forces, with five men to provide cover fire for the 1st squad, and the other four men to flank the machine gun. Once the flankers got to the hostiles area, they