GWOT VI - Entreaty

GWOT VI - Entreaty


From: Major 18, Army of the California Republic, commanding the California Detachment of the United Nations North American Peacekeeping Detachment [in Iowa]

To: General, Armies of the Church of God [in Iowa]

CC:

Commanding General, California Expeditionary Forces

Commanding General, Army of the California Republic

Governor of California

Governor of Iowa

Commandant, Iowa State Police

Commanding General, Iowa State National Guard

Commanding General, United Nations North American Peacekeeping Detachment

miscellaneous affiliated and non-affiliated armed organizations in Iowa [see list at end of document, Appendix B]

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society

Red Cross, Iowa Chapter

Medicos Sin Fronteres, North American Section

Order of the Red Lion [California national aid society]

mayors of Council Bluff and Davenport, Iowa

North American news media

General:

I am writing to you fully authorized by my government to treat with you. I have heard claims that I am a 'rogue' i.e. exceeding my lawful authority in these matters. If you have any further doubts, please contact either the Governor of California or the Governor of Iowa, as I am here at the former's orders and the latter's specific invitation.

As we both know, a state of war and of widespread lawlessness exists in much of Iowa as of today. The proximal cause was the destruction of the refugee encampment at Rodeo Gulch in which over four hundred refugees are confirmed to have been murdered by elements of the Midland church militia. I have accordingly as a lawful act of reprisal destroyed the Midland church buildings, as televised over your own Church network.

I am indifferent to the basic causes of this conflict - that the Church rejects the right of non-Christians to live among you. Now that the Armies of the Church of God are in the field, you have both the privileges and the obligations of the lawful combatant. In particular, you now have the legal right to expel undesirable persons from the territory over which you can exert military control. I will not dispute this with you - that is a task for the Governor of Iowa, and perhaps the Americans.

My task in Iowa is to prevent the mass murder of anyone, but especially the refugees whom you are attempting to expel.

I am informed today that a quasi-militia force attacked another refugee encampment and killed over two hundred refugees at that location. I personally met the casevac which brought a few of the wounded children to our field hospital, and saw the blood running from the truck's bed. The quasi-militia force was destroyed; we hung the survivors for violation of the laws of war. Only barbarians make war on children.

I am also informed that forces under your command attacked a refugee encampment in battalion strength and were repulsed by less than a platoon of California Republic soldiers, reinforced by refugee militia. I regret that you took substantial losses in this attack. We will repatriate the prisoners we took as soon as possible.

California Republic soldiers and refugee militia under our operational control have committed a number of warlike acts throughout Iowa in the last two days. These necessary and lawful operations of war have included the destruction of fuel facilities, supplies, buildings housing public records, rolling stock (especially buses), the closure of much of Iowa's airspace to prevent air attacks against refugees, and the destruction as well as the mining of bridges, highways, roads, and railway yards.

When we have been forced to conclude that a church is primarily being used for warlike purposes, such as fiery sermons advocating genocide, we have classified that church as a lawful military target. I encourage the people of Iowa to take note. If you attend Sunday worship at a site used for military operations, you accept the risk of becoming a collateral casualty of military operations in turn.

I regret the loss of life, including civilian loss of life, in these military operations. However, the advantage gained in keeping genocidal forces from moving quickly and killing more refugees fully justified these actions.

I encourage the people of the State of Iowa to avoid becoming involved in military operations in any way. Avoid us; we will avoid you as much as our operations permit.

In order to protect human life and to ease the process which you are embarked upon, General, to wit, the removal of non-affiliated refugees from Iowa, I propose the following demilitarized zones:

-- a north-south highway, to be selected by you from among the three alternatives in Appendix A
-- an intersecting east-west highway, also to be selected by you from among the five alternatives in Appendix A
-- an aid station and safety zone, one half mile in radius, at the intersection of the two roads selected, to be used only in transit to stabilize wounded and rest refugees before they move on

I propose that both highways and the intersection be treated as fully demilitarized, i.e. that they will be used only by unarmed noncombatant refugees and unarmed humanitarian aid societies, and that any cargoes consist solely of food, water and medical supplies.

It should go without saying that any attack on unarmed noncombatants anywhere in Iowa is a heinous war crime. But I am asking you to pledge and further to encourage others that these corridors will be a haven for all noncombatants - and that these corridors will also dramatically simplify your own medical logistics, allowing your injured militia fighters to be rapidly and safely taken to Davenport hospitals.

Any reasonable mechanism for verification and enforcement of this DMZ is acceptable, including deployment of non-California UN troops, Iowa National Guard or State Police, etc. I am even willing to consider joint patrols of your forces and mine, but such trust would need to be earned.

Obviously this will speed the removal of the refugees from Iowa in full compliance with the laws of land warfare, if you choose to accept this offer.

I call your attention to an obligation of the combatant: the Lieber Code and the Geneva Conventions as well as the ordinary laws of war.

This is not an offer. This is a demand.

You must educate your officers, your troops, and your auxiliaries and adherents on the basic obligations of the combatant.

Your forces may fight combatants, armed refugees and bandits. I pledge that in this war, all California Republic forces will fight in uniform, except during a lawful ruse of war as provided by the laws of war. Where possible, armed refugee auxiliaries will be distinguished by an armband, when possible with the stenciled letter "G." But armed persons who are hors de combat, or successfully surrender, must be detained and not murdered.

Your forces may take into custody anyone of peculiar danger to you, which I would imagine to you includes any refugees. But having done so, they must water, feed and make an effort to clothe and shelter them, during their removal from Iowa.

You may not, in particular, deprive them of water, starve them, force march them to exhaustion, mistreat them, torture them, rape them or kill them.

Further war crimes committed by your forces endanger your own status as well as their status. If I am forced to the conviction that all Church of God soldiers are unlawful combatants, I will have to take harsh measures.

This could include, but is not limited to:

-- refusal to permit Army of God soldiers to surrender on the field
-- reprisal attacks on churches and, if you attack my designated hospitals and medical personnel, Army of God aligned medical facilities
-- field execution by hanging of Army of God or other Xtian militia soldiers caught in the act of genocide
-- designation of particular of your officers as war criminals, with Interpol red notices issued and permanent taskings of Bear Force special operations groups to taking them into custody, even after the present war has otherwise ended
-- as an extreme measure, if these others fail, the deliberate destruction, with minimal warning to permit hasty evacuations, of entire Iowa towns

Again, and with emphasis, California Republic forces are indifferent to the ultimate outcome of the conflict between the Churches and the refugees. If they are conceded territory in Iowa or are forced into neighboring states, that is no concern of ours.

I warn you as a combatant, however, that the refugees have started their own militias and are training their own soldiers and officers to resist you. "As you reap, so shall you sow."

I also warn you that you are in rebellion against the state of Iowa. "Render under Caesar what is Caesar's. Render under God what is God's." I know that individual Iowa National Guard and State Police officers and units have changed their allegiance to you. I also know that there have been counter-mutinies and fighting among such forces. I do not know if Iowa will ask for American help, or if asking, if it will be granted. But you may want to consider that you have a lot more problems than just the refugees, especially if Iowa loyalist forces and/or the Americans impose blockade. You may soon find yourself feeding your own people using the demilitarized corridors, if you agree to that proposal - and starving if you do not.

This letter is carried to you under flag of truce by Chaplain Roy, a Godly Christian man who as a chaplain is a noncombatant, and also holds a commission as a California Republic officer. He is fully trained in the laws of war and the obligations of a parlimentaire. You may send him back if you wish; I need him. But I would prefer that he stay with you and be a liasion between your forces and mine. Obviously he is not a spy and he will make no communication that you do not authorize. However, if you need to consult with someone as to the lawfulness of an action before you take it, I beg that you will use him as a resource. He is also a qualified "train the trainer" for the laws of war, to spread this knowledge within your forces if you so choose.

If you fail to respect his status as a noncombatant, or any harm comes to him before his return to California control, I will take ALL of the actions outlined above as 'harsh measures.' If you or yours would harm Chaplain Roy, you are a barbarian and the only way to carry out my mission will become the physical destruction of the entire Church of God and the execution of every officer, priest and adherent. Guard him with your life.

A final word to some few people of the State of Iowa. Just because there is war, does not mean there is not law. One of my first acts on arriving in this state was to hang three men for rape. I have plenty of rope, and I know how to use it. Commit crimes in the field and you fall under military law, not civil, and I have no prisons or jails. Choose wisely.

Given under my hand at Camp Golf, Iowa

[signed]

Major 18

GWOT VI - Witness

GWOT VI - Witness

I'd sent six two-person scout teams on motorcycles to the refugee camps we couldn't reach in time.

They had orders to:

1) warn the refugees

2) observe from a safe distance what Xtian forces did when they arrived

I suppose I should not be surprised that some of them chose to exceed their orders.

Perhaps I should have been more explicit with respect to what they were not permitted to do.

###

Camp 28

… arrived to find that the camp had been overrun by Xtian militia associated with the 7th Protestant movement. Could not closely approach due to active killing operations. Documented the events for future war crimes prosecution... forced to break contact by enemy patrols.

###

Camp 29

… staged in the divide to the west while my partner approached the camp. His plan was to instruct the refugees to flee, and lead a small sacrificial rear guard.

(Further investigation determined that the team had flipped a coin, and that the winner had then chosen to take the rear guard position.)

About an hour later, Xtian Army of God forces arrived in their characteristic pickup trucks. I observed as he and seven armed refugees fought for about ten minutes then were overrun and killed. This bought time for about two hundred other refugees to scatter in all directions. The Army of God forces laagered and did not pursue. Ninety minutes after that, two unarmed medium helicopters arrived empty and left fully loaded with Xtian wounded. Even though they did not display medevac markings, I decided not to engage them out of an abundance of caution. At least twenty bodies were loaded aboard the two helicopters; at least a few of them dead...

###

Camp 30

… staged at a nearby vantage point on the reverse side of a military crest. My partner had brought with him a take-down pool pole to which a California flag and a white flag had been attached. After warning the refugees, who promptly scattered, he took up a position out on the main road with his flag, waving it at all passing traffic.

Xtian scout forces saw him and his flag, paused for about a minute, and engaged him with medium machine gun fire. He fell or took cover; I do not know if he was hit. When after a pause of a few minutes they closely approached, he waved the flag again and they opened fire again. I could clearly distinguish both the California flag and the white flag from my position; I have no doubt that they could see that he was attempting to signal them under a flag of truce.

After they opened fire the second time, he tossed the flag down and then threw a grenade, slightly damaging one scout vehicle, and I saw him killed shortly afterwards…

###

Camp 31

Both of us remonstrated repeatedly with the refugee camp leader. She stated that she would be staying and would encourage her adherents to do the same. Violence never solves anything, she asserted strongly, and asked us to leave, which we did.

We observed the arrival of Xtian militia in force about two hours later.

The refugee camp leader walked towards them and was taken prisoner... numerous violations of the Geneva Conventions and the UCMJ … about twenty minutes later, they finished by cutting her throat and tossed her body aside. The refugees then ran in a straight line away from the Xtian militia and were immediately overrun and gunned down.

In violation of our orders, we engaged the dismounted militia with rifle fire, wounding several, and attempted to break contact when they pursued. My partner had a flat tire and had to abandon his motorcycle. I was not in a position to loop back and pick him up, although I attempted to do so repeatedly. My last sight of him was that he was closely engaged with the militia, firing his pistol with his off hand...

###

Camp 32

The team radioed in that they had reached the camp and that there was a dust cloud approaching from the east, enemy forces in indeterminate numbers. This was their last contact with California Control.

One month after the conflict ended, forensics teams determined that a mass killing took place at this location.

The bodies of two California Republic scout soldiers were found among the refugee dead. Both had been wounded a number of times by both gunfire and shrapnel and either had run out of ammunition for their rifles, or had their ammunition taken from them after death. Their pistols were not found on them. One had a tourniquet fastened around their left leg. Nothing further is known about how they died.

###

Camp 33

As we had arranged, I watched from a safe distance as he staffed an improvised security control point made with two wrecked vehicles, a fallen tree stripped down to a pole with a folding hand saw, and a hand-held STOP sign military taped to the pole.

The refugees were still packing to flee when Xtian militia forces approached the SCP in ordinary convoy line.

My partner had stated that his intent was to tell the approaching forces face-to-face that these refugees were under the protection of the United Nations and the California Republic, and that in order to do so he would have his rifle concealed nearby but not in his hands.

He approached the passenger side of the lead vehicle, a gun jeep, and had conversation with the person seated in that location.

He then shook his head, once, and was repeatedly shot by the machine gunner.

The passenger in the gun jeep got out, walked over to and lifted the pole, and was killed in the resulting explosion. The gun jeep was also damaged, and had to be pushed out of the way by the truck behind.

They then approached the refugees, gathered them into a circle, stripped them of hand-carried personal effects, and apparently ordered them to walk west as a group towards Nebraska.

As best I could determine from my distant vantage point, no refugees were shot or otherwise harmed.

About an hour later, I snuck back and recovered my partner's personal effects. The tactical situation did not permit me to bury him or to recover his remains, so I dragged him under one of the wrecked vehicles.

###

It is our finding that the two-person scout teams sent forward to Camps 28 through 33 conducted themselves in the highest traditions of the California Republic.

All, living and deceased, are awarded the Bear Cross.