GWOT V - Civil Unrest
Jul. 5th, 2020 05:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drewkittyGWOT V - Civil Unrest
I have a large chunk of California border to secure. That's our mission.
So the first two times South Ops demanded that I send personnel to San Diego to assist in 'handling a civil disturbance', I of course ignored the requests. OK, I did cancel a leave to El Cajon. But we always have lots of work to do here. Checkpoints, patrols, border controls, truck inspection, you name it, the work goes on.
The third time, the demand was quite pointed.
So I took the alert platoon, advised my XO that her time to run the sector had arrived, and in the antiseptic language of the military, 'proceeded in good order' to the staging site at Del Mar Fairgrounds.
It immediately reminded me of the worst times of the Homeland occupation. Report to staging, go bust heads, return to your mission. And don't ask questions.
This is the California Fucking Republic!
The staging officer withered under my verbal tirade. Captain's bars, very useful.
We were scout-soldiers. We were not in the business of busting heads for the powers that be.
So in full gear, I led my platoon off mission and off script into the heart of the San Diego ghetto.
###
Roadblock, fucked up vehicles,. angry men with rifles and piles of brick.
"Halt!" called one.
I swung down from my seat and the machine-gunner muzzled the man.
"Would you fight my troops, sir?" I asked him.
He managed to shake his head no.
"Good. Why are you angry? What is this?"
We weren't going to push our way through the block. There wasn't anything we cared about on either side.
What we wanted to know - what I wanted to know - was why. Why were they holding a roadblock? Against who? For what reason or reasons?
Two hours later, we were still talking, and a crowd had gathered.
I was making a list of their grievances.
My medic was treating the wounded.
That is an obligation of the California Republic. That someone in Del Mar considered them rebels or insurgents was literally irrelevant. Hurt is hurt. Sick is sick.
Water didn't work. Food was scarce. Jobs were few and given out corruptly.
My supply sergeant got a mess hall going, with donated food and portion controls. I found the public works folks and they said they couldn't get near the valves, it was too dangerous. So we gave them an honor guard.
The jobs thing, I reported to the Provost Marshal's office.
It was too much for one day. So I took my platoon and our findings to the provost. Directly.
The provost's answer was very short.
"Do you know who the fuck I am?"
"Yes, sir. You are the military officer commanding the city of San Diego."
"Very good. Then by me you are ordered and directed. Go right back down there and keep doing what you are doing. Anyone below the rank of general who interferes, get me their name and ignore them. That's an order."
I saluted.
We did so.
###
There was one small piece of fighting.
Too angry to listen, too stupid to care.
I read the dispersal order. Identified myself and my unit, our mission, and that this was an unlawful roadblock, and we would use force "up to and including deadly force" to clear it.
Someone threw a brick in the middle, hitting our vehicle. Dents are dents.
Someone geared up to throw a brick just after I finished.
The machine gun burst was aimed low. It still broke their legs, and they bled out before my medic could get to them.
The roadblock immediately dispersed 'without further incident.'
###
We slept for three hours at the fairgrounds.
Then we were rotated to downtown.
Protesters. Demonstrators.
Paid professional agitators.
Didn't matter. We would talk to anyone. Use force to overcome resistance, only when needed. Deadly force only in self defense or defense of others, or after fair warning.
We weren't playing the game by the rules.
Our people, until proven otherwise.
Angry? They'd been through a lot, they has the right.
No justice? No peace?
We were damn short on both, and said so. But we gave what we had.
Then more troops from North Ops arrived and it was all over.
###
"Anti-corruption court martials in San Diego..." started the article...
I noted with satisfaction that the officer at staging was one of the accused.
I have a large chunk of California border to secure. That's our mission.
So the first two times South Ops demanded that I send personnel to San Diego to assist in 'handling a civil disturbance', I of course ignored the requests. OK, I did cancel a leave to El Cajon. But we always have lots of work to do here. Checkpoints, patrols, border controls, truck inspection, you name it, the work goes on.
The third time, the demand was quite pointed.
So I took the alert platoon, advised my XO that her time to run the sector had arrived, and in the antiseptic language of the military, 'proceeded in good order' to the staging site at Del Mar Fairgrounds.
It immediately reminded me of the worst times of the Homeland occupation. Report to staging, go bust heads, return to your mission. And don't ask questions.
This is the California Fucking Republic!
The staging officer withered under my verbal tirade. Captain's bars, very useful.
We were scout-soldiers. We were not in the business of busting heads for the powers that be.
So in full gear, I led my platoon off mission and off script into the heart of the San Diego ghetto.
###
Roadblock, fucked up vehicles,. angry men with rifles and piles of brick.
"Halt!" called one.
I swung down from my seat and the machine-gunner muzzled the man.
"Would you fight my troops, sir?" I asked him.
He managed to shake his head no.
"Good. Why are you angry? What is this?"
We weren't going to push our way through the block. There wasn't anything we cared about on either side.
What we wanted to know - what I wanted to know - was why. Why were they holding a roadblock? Against who? For what reason or reasons?
Two hours later, we were still talking, and a crowd had gathered.
I was making a list of their grievances.
My medic was treating the wounded.
That is an obligation of the California Republic. That someone in Del Mar considered them rebels or insurgents was literally irrelevant. Hurt is hurt. Sick is sick.
Water didn't work. Food was scarce. Jobs were few and given out corruptly.
My supply sergeant got a mess hall going, with donated food and portion controls. I found the public works folks and they said they couldn't get near the valves, it was too dangerous. So we gave them an honor guard.
The jobs thing, I reported to the Provost Marshal's office.
It was too much for one day. So I took my platoon and our findings to the provost. Directly.
The provost's answer was very short.
"Do you know who the fuck I am?"
"Yes, sir. You are the military officer commanding the city of San Diego."
"Very good. Then by me you are ordered and directed. Go right back down there and keep doing what you are doing. Anyone below the rank of general who interferes, get me their name and ignore them. That's an order."
I saluted.
We did so.
###
There was one small piece of fighting.
Too angry to listen, too stupid to care.
I read the dispersal order. Identified myself and my unit, our mission, and that this was an unlawful roadblock, and we would use force "up to and including deadly force" to clear it.
Someone threw a brick in the middle, hitting our vehicle. Dents are dents.
Someone geared up to throw a brick just after I finished.
The machine gun burst was aimed low. It still broke their legs, and they bled out before my medic could get to them.
The roadblock immediately dispersed 'without further incident.'
###
We slept for three hours at the fairgrounds.
Then we were rotated to downtown.
Protesters. Demonstrators.
Paid professional agitators.
Didn't matter. We would talk to anyone. Use force to overcome resistance, only when needed. Deadly force only in self defense or defense of others, or after fair warning.
We weren't playing the game by the rules.
Our people, until proven otherwise.
Angry? They'd been through a lot, they has the right.
No justice? No peace?
We were damn short on both, and said so. But we gave what we had.
Then more troops from North Ops arrived and it was all over.
###
"Anti-corruption court martials in San Diego..." started the article...
I noted with satisfaction that the officer at staging was one of the accused.
