“Yes he did. So as I take it, we can drop a lot of dumb bombs and a few of the more high tech, but the big stuff will have to wait.”
“That’s exactly right, Mister President. I have pilots behind the throttles and these older planes are not fly-by-wire. I’ll need to train them a little, but we will give more than we take.”
The President smiled at the man. He was really enjoying this. Then he turned to the last two men at the table. “Ok, I have a Marine Corps, and Air Force, and a Coast Guard. What about my Army and Navy?”
Both men knew their days were numbered by the way he asked the question. The Army general answered first. “Mister President, I have troops that can go anywhere, but I won’t send them into combat without the proper support. All my helos are down except for the ones in Europe and the Middle East. The tanks are electronically controlled and supported. My communications gear is non-existent and things like handheld missiles are worthless. Even the Paladins are computer guided. My suppliers say they are trying to get some boards made up as spares, but that takes a lot of time. Then I need to retrofit the machines so they won’t be affected by EMP again. We are talking months for the parts, then gearing up, training, all that needs to be done to be ready — eight months at the earliest.”
The President almost scowled at the man. Then he turned to the admiral. “And the Navy?”
The admiral had already been dreading this one. The word quickly came back to him on how the President handed Granger his head in Norfolk. Now it was his turn. He took a deep breath. “My ships are sitting inport unable to start or barely able to move. The radars are down, the combat systems are down, and there are no parts that work. If we did get them fixed, and another burst happened, the sailors would be stranded on their own ships. At best, I can field a carrier without planes, a few cruisers and destroyers. I can throw in four old destroyers brought up from some South American country or another, but they are worthless in modern warfare. I still say we need to build while we fix to be ready for anything that comes up.”
The President sighed. “Well, as I said, that’s not good enough. While you gentlemen have been planning on this big party, a few people have been getting some work done. I am here to tell you our enemy is North Korea. I just found out for sure last night. From the briefing I got this morning from the CIA, it looks like they have also initiated ground operations and have crossed the DMZ. Our forces are currently falling back. This little shit of a nation has effectively kicked us in the balls and a couple of you are willing to let him do it until worse happens. Well, not on my watch.”
The President looked at all the men. “We are not going to let this country kill our people, practically destroy our livelihood, and take over an ally because the timing isn’t right or we want to make things perfect. Gentlemen, this nation is going into harm’s way and I need leaders, not politicians. General, Admiral, you are relieved. I will contact your reliefs personally. Thank you for your service.”
The two men rose from their seats and exited the room. The rest of the men paled slightly but maintained their composure. Once the dismissed officers had left the President spoke again.
“Gentlemen, I didn’t like doing that, but I can’t let someone’s ambition or laziness jeopardize this country. I need people who are fast on their feet and can make competent decisions. Do any of you know Admiral Johnson or General Bradley?”
General Black sat back and laughed. “I know both. Johnson is a wiry son of a bitch that gets things done. He got to where he is by being smart,” he chucked. “And choosing someone from Omar’s family is better than a political move. He and I were the ones that thought up the exercises four years ago when we effectively beat the blue forces. He’s smart, crafty, and one mean son of a bitch when he’s pissed off. I can’t think of two better guys.”
Foote agreed. “Bradley worked with me on a project a few years ago. He knows how to lead people and get things done. I’ve never actually worked with Johnson, but I have always heard good things. I doubt you will have much start up time with either of them.”
“Then I will call after this meeting. In the mean time, what can we get short term to Korea?”
“I think it’s up to me,” Foote said. We have men and equipment in Okinawa, Guam, and a few other areas nearby. I have a few B-1s available. Let’s cut orders to transport by best available means all the troops, equipment, and ammo we can to South Korea ASAP. I can fly over the orders, but getting the things moved is something else,” he said.
“Let my staff wrestle with that part,” Black said. “Let me see how many people we are talking about and how much stuff. I’ll get back to you tomorrow afternoon on what we come up with,” he said.
“Good enough. Just remember we need to keep those guys going until we really can get our guys there,” the President urged.
“While we’re on the subject, what exactly did you mean when you said you had some things going on?” Black asked.
The President grinned. “As of this morning, within three months, one 8-inch and one 6-inch gun cruiser, about fourteen destroyers,” he paused for a special effect, “and about seven battleships.”
Black sucked in a breath. “God, I’ve died and gone to heaven. Now I won’t worry about putting my guys on a beach. Whose idea was that?”
“Hammond.”
“I like him. Can I have him when you’re done?”
The President laughed. “All in good time, General. Thank you all for coming in. We have a good start here. Let’s make it better,” he said. The men left the room to start a process that would continue for the next several months.
General Claire Richardson was a busy woman. Upon arrival in Memphis she immediately toured the area to see how much had been done since she had left. It hadn’t been that much, but it was a start.
Within 24 hours the four evacuation areas had been set up with tents and services. Makeshift hospitals were erected and the doctors began their work. Luckily, local physicians were rounded up and lent their help. Triage centers were the first stop for everyone who walked into a camp. Once a diagnosis was made the individual and family were moved into their respective treatment areas. Those not needing treatment were sent to huge tent cities and given work to do. Most of the time this work was either helping move people or to clean up rubble that was not radioactive. The sickest of the people were moved into the university dorms where they could have a stable, clean environment and more dedicated care. In a few days the worst cases were removed to larger centers by train. People wanting to move somewhere to be with relatives were allowed on departing trains or to travel on the roads (if they had an operating car). Most stayed.
By the end of the first week, more than 475,000 people had been evacuated or were in shelters. The medical units were operating and the sick responding to treatment. Those who were well were asked to help start cleaning up the city. They started going through neighborhoods block by block, clearing rubble and hauling it off to landfills. In areas of radiation, federal teams went in with special suits to wash down the materials until the hazard passed, then haul the materials into a central location. Unfortunately, the radiation wouldn’t go away for a few thousand years. Plans were made for putting all the radioactive rubble in the center of what was downtown Memphis and covering it with a concrete dome.
Richardson entered the “Carolinian” railroad car that had been her home and office for the past three weeks. After pulling the curtain on the window, she kicked off her shoes and took off her uniform coat. She had just settled into one of the arm chairs when the telephone rang. It never ends, she thought as she picked up the receiver.