Chapter 41

"What did you say, Kittrick? What's this crap about Major? If you are saying what I think you are, you can shove that Army Rank Shit."

"Well, Marshal, it was decided that with all your experience and know how, that would be a suitable rank for you until this is all over."

"Well, Colonel, I am not in your Army and you can't force me to accept nor draft me. There is a copy of the Martial Laws posted and I have read it and memorized it. You can do certain things, but drafting people to join the Military is not in it anywhere. You need to stop trying to force me to do things I refuse to do. I think you have enough problems in your own house without trying to recruit people who just aren't interested. I will take care of this town until they decide different, then I will go to my place and hunker down 'till all this shit blows over or at least you service types have a handle on it. Peters, I think you need to clue the Colonel in on how I feel about officers."

I decided now would be a good time for a cup of coffee before I lost my temper and ended up arrested. "I suggest you all discuss this while I take a break. I am leaving before I go completely off on someone." I didn't say another word, just left, trying to keep from slamming the door as I went out. I grabbed a fresh cup and sat down; trying to figure out why in the hell the Colonel would try to draft me. Hell, I was almost 63 and not in the best of health so he had to have a hidden agenda. Then it hit me, he probably planned on me doing the work to straighten out his little playground before it got completely away from him and they sent someone else in to take command. Well, I had news for him, it was his problem not mine. I had been forced into taking charge here and it still rankled a little since I just wanted to enjoy the few years I probably had left. Instead, here I was, trying to keep a town alive and safe until someone could get organized enough to start rebuilding. I wasn't stupid and I knew it wouldn't be done in my lifetime, what with all the people who had died and been changed, but someone needed to start doing what was best for everyone.

(Meanwhile, back in the meeting room, it was not going well for Kittrick.)

Peters: Boy you sure screwed the pooch on that one, Colonel. You just tried to commit suicide by trying to force Sarge to do something. Colonel, he hates officers more than he hates anything else in this world. Sure he will speak and show you respect, but in order to become friends with him you have to earn it. I did two tours in Nam with him and although we care a lot for each other, he always kept his distance. The only people, other than his team members, that he was ever close to was his wife and kids before they were killed in a mortar attack. You do not want to know what he did to the VC who killed them. He tracked the whole bunch to their hideout and took them out, one by one. It took him two months but he got them all. He did it all by himself; we didn't even know he was gone and his own team couldn't find him. When he came back, he never said a word about it to anyone. I found out because his second got him drunk and finally got him to talk about it. Even though we are closer than brothers, he still scares the hell out of me.

Kittrick: How the hell was I supposed to know he hated officers? Other than a few disagreements, we seemed to get along. I know I am up a creek without his help on what's going on at the fort. Besides, he seems to have good people here and they would know what to do if he left for awhile.

Zeke: I have sat here and listened to your idiocy as long as I can, Kittrick. If you try to take Thom out of here you will have a riot on your hands, and the people in this town wouldn't hesitate to hang you from the flag pole out front. I know because I would be leading them. I did my service time in Korea and even with all I went through, I have learned more from him than I did my own commanders. Most of us old timers accepted him as our leader when you appointed him, even though he hadn't lived here that long. With everything that's happened so far, it was the best choice we ever made. Barry here is damned good with the people and getting it all organized, but Thom is the one with experience in open warfare and that's all we have seen here so far. During the attack last night, we all learned how someone with experience can save all of us. Those men would have gone through us like rain through a sieve if Thom hadn't been there. How many battles have you been in or have you even ever served in combat?

Kittrick: No, I was never in actual combat. I kept volunteering, but they turned me down because the commander was grooming me to take his place when he retired. Until Barry handed me these tags, I didn't even know I had a problem at the fort. I was hoping to turn the Marshal loose and let him do what was needed to stop this crap. I admit I am way out of my league and out of ideas on how to handle this. If we have a mutiny on our hands, I don't know who I can trust or even work with to stop it. Ft. Bragg had a similar problem, but after the commander there executed several leaders, it is under control. Peters came from there and he brought some ideas from their commander, but I have twice as many men as they had to handle. Now I find out one company is in the middle of it and it makes me wonder how many more are involved. I have some good people I trust that work with me, but this is something that is beyond anything I ever encountered before.