Kacey's Discovery

[Matt Wiser]

Kara's daughter finds her Mom's, well...private video collection. Damage control to prevent a major USAF scandal follows.


Kacey's Discovery



Thrace Residence, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, 1100 Hours Mountain Standard Time, 17 April 2011:



Cadet Third Class Kacey Thrace was in her room, working on a presentation for her AFROTC class at Utah State. She had been asked by her Aerospace Studies professor to give a presentation on her mom's service during the Third World War, and she had only been too happy to oblige. Her mother, Lt. Col. Kara Thrace, was a decorated veteran and triple ace of World War III, flying F-4s in the 335th TFS, and had also led the 390th TFS, the Wild Boars, in the Baja War the previous year. When Kacey had told her Mom about the project, Kara had only been too happy to oblige, letting Kacey use her old photo album, logbook, some stills from gun-camera footage, and even some home movies that had been shot on an old VHS camcorder.

When Kacey had watched the VHS tapes, she could see that people were trying to mug for the camera even though, a few minutes later, they were going out on combat missions, where things were deadly serious. Kacey recognized her Mom's old CO, then-Maj. Matt Wiser, now a full Colonel, and her Mom's current Wing Commander, then-Capt. Lisa Eichhorn. The two were now married, and the only husband-and-wife wing commanders in the tactical fighter community, though there was a similar pair in SAC, or so she had heard. One scene on the ramp, where fighter crews were clearly getting ready to go on a mission, gave her a laugh. Kacey heard her Mom's voice ask the two future Colonels, “Say hi for the camera,” and the response from the two was succinct.

“Hi for the camera,” both of them had replied.

Kacey had laughed, but some of the footage was serious, as it showed the ground crews at work, arming and fueling aircraft, while others showed crews briefing for a mission. One scene even had the wreck of an Su-17 Fitter that someone had shot down near Sheppard AFB, and not only were base fire-fighters at work, hosing down the still-smoldering wreckage, but the charred and shattered body of the pilot was still in what was left of the cockpit, and no one had bothered to cover up the body, unlike peacetime procedure. As she watched the footage, she thought that someone had paid the price for the Soviet Union's greatest mistake. A check of the date on the footage showed March 8, 1988. Still a long way to go to the Rio Grande, and a lot more would die on both sides in the process.

After she was finished with the tapes, Kacey boxed them back up and took them to the closet in her Mom's room where they had been kept. She put the box back, then noticed another box. Kacey didn't recognize the box, and checked it. There were some more videotapes, and she was puzzled. More? She thought. Hmm...better watch these before I copy them to DVD for the presentation, she decided. So Kacey took the box back to her room and opened the box. They were all labeled, with one saying “Oahu”, another said, “Cannon,” and others were marked with the other bases the 335th had been assigned to during the war. Curious, she took one that said, “Sheppard,” put the tape into the VCR, then hit PLAY.

The scene was inside of what appeared to be a supply shed, and the lighting was halfway decent, with a couple of camping lanterns providing some ambiance. There were two men, and a woman, all naked as the day they were born, and they were engaged in what one might call Bedroom Gymnastics, to use a phrase Colonel Eichhorn was known to use. “What the....?” Kacey said out loud. Did Mom loan the camcorder to somebody? Though she did know that her mom had hopped into the sack and shared the sheets quite a bit in those days, it couldn't be.....the sound wasn't that good, but was that Mom's voice? Then the woman got off one of the men, and turned around to face the camera. Sure enough.....oh, boy.....Kacey hit PAUSE, then thought for a moment. Yes, that was her, and doing what seemed to be her best Ginger Lynn imitation. Kacey knew her Mom had been a bit wild during the war, but had settled down after, and after she had been born, Mom had taken motherhood very seriously. But....Kacey shook her head. Well, now was as good a time as any. “MOM!”


Lieutenant Colonel Kara Thrace was in her kitchen, and in the process of raiding the fridge to decide on what to have for lunch, when she heard her daughter's call. Kara went to Kacey's room, and found her daughter standing there, in front of her TV, arms crossed in front of her chest, and the screen clearly showed one of Kara's old home movies-the ones she had hoped no one would find, or, failing that, if Kacey had found them, it would be a few years later, when she might be more....understanding. “Oh, no.”

“Mom,” Kacey said in a tone of voice that reminded Kara of when her daughter and Colonel Eichhorn had helped her get off the wagon-for good, a couple years earlier. It was the voice of command that anyone in the service would recognize. “What in the hey were you thinking?”

“We need to talk,” Kara said, sitting down on her daughter's bed. “I was hoping you wouldn't find these until you were a bit older.”

Kacey sat down next to her mom. “I know you were wild and crazy during the war, but this wild?” She gestured at the TV screen.

Mother nodded. “You had to have been there. I know, we were all young and foolish, and...”

“I know,” Kacey nodded. “'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow, they may not tell us from the rest of the airplane.' Still, Mom....”

“Yeah. I know,” Kara admitted. “One-night stands, and all that. Even a couple of serious relationships are all on these. Two guys, at separate times, I thought about seeing if they wanted things more....permanent, once the war was over. Both of them got killed, and I decided then not to have a serious relationship until after the war.”

Kacey looked at her mom. Boyfriends getting killed? “Care to talk about them?”

Kara nodded. “Cory Shaw was just before LONG RIFLE got going. He joined the 335th in March, after I became a flight lead, and he was in Don Van Loan's flight. Ex-RTU instructor, and he knew his business. We got along, and I guess we were dating, by the standards of the day. When there was a movie night, or a stand-down, we were seeing each other. Then two weeks before LONG RIFLE, Van Loan's flight went down to Brownwood, and intel said there weren't SA-11s there. Wrong. He and his GIB, Marc Lang, didn't get out.”

Kara's daughter nodded. “You never told me.”

“You never asked,” Kara replied. “Bob Prickett was the other. He joined us in December, '88. Same thing: got to know each other, dating, the whole bit. Got himself killed the following March, in a strike on Laughlin AFB.”

“And you went back to being wild and crazy,” Kacey finished.

“Yeah, I did,” Kara nodded. “And so....”

“And so....what now?” Kacey asked. “We've got to do something about these tapes.” She was very serious, Kara could sense the tone in her voice. “Know anyone who can help?”

Kara looked at her daughter. “We both do. Colonel Wiser knows someone who can give us some advice.”

“Kelly Ray,” nodded Kacey. “She's a deputy sheriff in civilian life.” Lt. Col. Kelly Ray was Colonel Wiser's Operations Officer in the AF Reserve 419th TFW down at Hill AFB, when she wasn't a Bannock County, Idaho Deputy Sheriff.

“And her boyfriend, who's a CSI. They know Southern Idaho like the back of their hands.” Kara said. Both got up and went into the kitchen. There, Kara picked up her phone. “I'll call Colonel Wiser first.”

“Best if we go through him?”

“And Colonel Eichhorn, too,” Kara said as she called her old CO and her current one. “Come on, pickup, Colonel. Either one of you.”


Wing Commander's Residence, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho:


Colonel Lisa Eichhorn was in her kitchen, with her daughter Melanie and both were trying to decide on lunch. Melanie was on Spring Break from UCLA, where she was not only on the Women's Volleyball team, but was in her Sophomore year of AFROTC. Her father, though he had not gone to UCLA, had taught AFROTC for two years after the war, and had recommended the school when it was time. Their two older kids were in their Junior and Sophomore years at the AF Academy, and Melanie had decided to go her own way. Besides, UCLA had one of the best women's volleyball programs in the country, along with a very good AFROTC program, and that suited Melanie fine. Colonel Eichhorn had gone along, and it had been easy to convince her husband, Colonel Matt Wiser, to agree. And it was Melanie who picked up the phone.

“Hello? Oh, hi, Colonel. Sorry, habit. It's 'Kara' on weekends. What's up? You want to talk to Dad? Okay, I'll get him.”

“What is it?” Colonel Eichhorn asked.

“Kara wants to talk to Dad,” Melanie said. She went into the Living Room and found her dad, Colonel Wiser, sitting in front of the TV, watching a baseball game. “Dad? Kara's on the phone and she wants to talk.”

“What?” Colonel Wiser asked. His daughter tossed him the phone, and he picked it up. “Kara? Yeah, It's me. What's up? Kacey? Is she....OK, glad to hear. What?” There was a pause, and both mother and daughter heard him go on. “Oh, shit. Yeah, I know, you plead the Fifth on those several times, and I probably should've told you to be a little more discrete. You want what? Okay, I'll call her, and you will owe all of us. Yeah, another marker. All right, we'll be there, and I'll try and get Kelly over here. And Brad, too. Be there in a few. Bye.”

“What's with Kacey?” Colonel Eichhorn asked. “She all right?”

“She's fine,” Colonel Wiser said. “Hold onto your hats, because Kacey found her mom's, uh, 'private' video collection.”

Colonel Eichhorn groaned and put her palm to her forehead. “Oh, no.”

“Yep, and I probably should've pressed it during the war, but we had other things to worry about.”

Melanie looked at her Mom and Dad. “You mean Kara, well....videotaped her one-night stands?”

“Looks that way,” her Mom said. “Now what?”

Colonel Wiser looked at his wife and daughter. “Now we find a way to get rid of those tapes. And start thinking on how.” He pulled out his cell phone and found a number, then hit CALL.

“Who are you calling?”

“Kelly Ray,” Colonel Wiser said. “She knows southern Idaho like the back of her hand.” He heard the phone ring on the other end, then a familiar voice. “Guru?” That was his call sign. “Kelly. What's up?”

“Kelly, something's come up. How fast can you get Brad and come over to Mountain Home?” Brad Lovell was Kelly's boyfriend, and a CSI for the State of Idaho.

“Something wrong?” Kelly asked. “Was there a crash?”

“No, and no health emergency or anything like that,” Guru said. “Kacey found her mom's, well.....one-night stand video collection, so to speak.”

“Oh, boy,” the former POW said. “I've heard rumor, but nothing definite. Let me guess: you guys need some help in figuring out where and how to get rid of them.”

“Right you are,” Guru replied. “You and Brad will do a part in making sure this doesn't become a major Air Force scandal.”

“Wait one,” Kelly said. Guru could hear her calling her live-in boyfriend over. She talked for a few moments, then he heard her toss Brad her car keys. “We'll be there in three hours or so.”

“Okay, and Kara owes all of us.”

“She'd better.” Kelly said. “See you in a while.”

“We'll be at Kara's,” Guru said.

“On our way,” Kelly said, then she hung up.

“Kelly's coming,” Guru told his wife. “And Brad.”

“Good,” Colonel Eichhorn said. “Now to go over and give a talk to my current, and your former, and occasionally rambunctious subordinate.”

“Okay,” Guru said. “Melanie? Don't wait up. Looks like we'll be gone the rest of the day.”

“Not a problem,” said Melanie. “Mom? I've got an idea. If we were in L.A., we could charter a boat, take the tapes into the Santa Catalina Channel, which is really deep water, and deep-six them. How about doing the same here, only in the Great Salt Lake?”

Colonel Eichhorn looked at her daughter, then her husband. “Guru, I like it. Know anyone with a boat?”

“Not offhand,” Guru shook his head. “But, good idea. We'll think about it.”

“That we will,” his wife said. “Let's go.”



A few minutes later, both Colonels pulled up in Guru's 1969 Mercury Cougar convertible in front of Kara's house. Like all base housing, whether officer or enlisted, it lacked one thing that civilian homes in Mountain Home proper often had: a fireplace. All were heated by propane, so one way of disposing of the tapes was clearly out. The two Colonels got out, and Kara came out to meet them. “Kara,” Guru nodded.

“Guru,” Kara said. “And Goalie,” she added. 'Goalie' was Colonel Eichhorn's call sign. “Come on in.”

Both Colonels went in, and took off their leather AF flight jackets. “Kara,” Guru said. “As your old CO, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Not much, apparently,” Goalie said. “When did you start?”

“That Oahu beach party,” replied Kara. “Don't know why, but I thought a video of it was a good idea. Then things just....happened.”

“Okay.....” Guru nodded. “How many tapes are there?”

“About two dozen,” Kara said. “Kacey's got them.” She led the two Colonels Kacey's room, and found her daughter packing up the tapes. “Kacey? Colonel Wiser and Colonel Eichhorn are here.”

Kacey got up and hugged her surrogate Uncle and Aunt. “Guru! And Goalie!”

“How are you doing? It's always good to see you, even if today...” Guru said.

“Yeah,” Kacey said.

“Kacey, what were you doing?” Goalie asked.

“My Aerospace Studies Professor wants a presentation on Mom's service in the war, and she let me use her photo album, flight logs, some gun-camera, and her, well....legitimate home videos.”

Nodding, Goalie said, “And you found these by accident.” It wasn't a question.

'I did,” Kacey admitted. “I thought they were some tapes from the war, and they were, but....”

“Not the ones you were expecting.”

“No.”

Guru nodded, then picked up the remote and hit PLAY. He paused it almost immediately. “Now, Kara, I never thought you'd be the 335's counterpart to Ginger Lynn.” He turned to her. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“You know, Boss,” and Guru knew she still called him that. “Young and foolish.”

“We all were,” Goalie nodded agreement. She turned to her husband. “And where did you see Ginger Lynn?”

“Prewar. Homestead and Seymour-Johnson. 'Training films.'” Guru replied.

“What do you mean by 'training films?'” Kacey asked.

“Military slang for dirty movies,” Goalie said. “And yeah, I saw a few at Little Rock, back in the day. So...Kara? Any of these you want to keep?”

Kara nodded. “Just the Oahu beach house party.”

“Okay, that's one tape,” Goalie nodded. “That's manageable.”

“Three, actually.”

“THREE?” Both Guru and Goalie said at once.

“Three,” Kara said. “Three days and two nights.”

Both colonels looked at each other. “There's eighteen hours of debauchery on those?” Guru asked.

“Yeah,” Kara admitted. “Before you tear my head off, keep in mind that there were fourteen of us who were pissed off that we were stuck on the TransPac Ferry Run, and not doing what we were trained to do.”

“Okay, how wild?” Though Guru was wondering if he really wanted to know.

“Multiple partner wild,” Kara said. “And that's all I'll say.”

“All you need to say,” Goalie replied. “Okay, Kara? You can save those. But...put them somewhere where only you and Kacey know.”

“Will do,” Kara said. She went to the box and picked out the three tapes. “And then?”

“Kacey?” Goalie said. “You take the box.” She took the last tape out of the VCR and put it in the box. “Seal it with duct tape, and bring it into the living room.”

“Yes, Colonel,” Kacey said, recognizing the command tone Goalie's voice carried.

“Okay, Kara?” Guru picked it up. “Anyone on these tapes, that you know of, who made General rank? Either in the Air Force or the Marines?”

“To be honest, Guru?” Kara replied. “I just don't know.”

Both Colonels looked at each other. One other good reason to get rid of the tapes-permanently. “And this: how many of the guys on these tapes are dead?” Goalie asked.

Kara nodded. “There's more than a few, and you both knew two of them. Cory Shaw and Bob Prickett.”

Guru and Goalie nodded. They knew Kara had been dating, and after both had been shot down, it had been Guru's duty as Squadron CO to write the letters. “Yeah, we did,” Guru said. “Okay, then. Let's have a look at some maps, both online and paper, and we might find someplace to get rid of these. One way or another, these tapes will never see the light of day. EVER.”


Three hours later, those inside the house heard a car pull up. Kacey went to the living room window and looked outside. “Kelly's here.”

Kara went to the front door and noticed Kelly Ray's dark green Olds 442, and both Kelly and Brad getting out. Kelly was in her USAF flight suit, though Brad was in civilian clothes. “Kelly, Brad? Glad you could get here.”

“Glad to help,” Kelly said. “Just wish it was a more....pleasant trip.”

“And you owe us gas money and dinner,” Brad added.

“You got it,” Kara said. “Come on in. Guru and Goalie are inside. We've kicked around some ideas.”

Brad nodded. “And some more better than others.”

“You've got that right.”


Kara led them in, and found Guru, Goalie, and Kacey sitting by the coffee table in the living room, going over some maps, while Kacey was also checking her laptop and Google Earth. “Hey, guys. Reinforcements have arrived.”

“Kelly,” Guru said, standing. “And Brad. Just wish you guys were here under better circumstances.”

“Yeah, but....a marker we can use down the road is always good to have,” Kelly said. “Hi, Kacey.”

“Kelly!” Kacey got up and hugged Kelly. The ROTC cadet always enjoyed Kelly's company, and looked up to her as a role model. Anyone who came out of Castro's POW prisons like Kelly did......

“Good to see you, Kacey,” Kelly said. “You know Brad.”

“Sure do,” Kacey said, giving Brad a hug. “Sorry I had a lot to do with this.”

“Well, someone would've found them sooner or later, and it's probably good that it was you,” Brad said. “Okay, you've probably got some ideas on how to get rid of these.”

“We do,” Goalie said. “All involve either burning, burying, or deep-sixing them.”

Guru nodded. “And all have pluses and minuses.”

“They do,” said Kara.

“Let's see what you've got, Colonels.” Brad told them, all business now.


Over a late lunch, ideas were proposed, discarded, then brought back.

“What about burying them? Just go onto some BLM land, dig a nice deep hole, and that's that,” Kacey asked.

“Good idea, and go someplace where nobody goes,” Guru said. “Lots of BLM land around. Northwest of the base, and more once you're clear of the Snake River south of here.”

“One problem,” Brad said. “Somebody might see you, and I'm not talking a rancher or a off-roader. You do know who else uses BLM land?”

“Oh, crap,” Goalie said. “And we've forgotten all about those guys. The 569th.”

“SAC,” Kara remembered. “Missile convoys.”

“Yep,” Guru said. “569th Strategic Missile Squadron. Thirty-two MGM-134 Minuteman IV ICBMs. Half of which are always off base at any one time.”

“Right you are,” Brad nodded. “And that means four TELs, a support track, a command track, and several Peacekeeper armored cars and several more LAV-25s. Not to mention lots of people with automatic weapons.”

“Nobody messes with those guys,” Goalie said. “Off-roaders have had encounters with them, and the Combat Security people don't mess around. If you encounter a convoy off any kind of state or county road? The CSPs will detain you, and search your vehicle.”

Kelly and Brad both nodded. “Something we don't need, “ Kelly said.

“No,” Brad agreed. “So that's out. What about deep-sixing them? The CJ Strike Reservoir's not that far off.”

“Good idea. It beats giving the tapes to you two and getting rid of them in the American Falls Reservoir,” Kara said. “Can we get a boat?”

“Rent one, maybe?” Kacey wondered.

“Or get one from the Base Recreation Office,” Goalie said. “Do it at night, when there's hardly anyone on the lake, and nobody sees you.”

“Public fishing access, but yeah,” Brad said.

“There's a few other spots. Kind of unofficial parking spots, but I know people who do fish there. And I've been there once-remember the prison break back in September?” Kelly asked.

Heads nodded at that. Four convicts had escaped from the Idaho State Prison, stolen a SUV, and had eventually gone cross-country as the dragnet had closed. Idaho State Highway Patrol, county sheriffs from a dozen Idaho counties, even the FBI, had been on the manhunt. “And you were on the search,” Kara nodded.

“Yep. Found two of 'em who were only happy to go back to the joint when their gas ran out and they couldn't hoof it cross country. One ran into a missile convoy and the CSPs held him for us. And the other? Drowned in the Snake River trying to wade across.”

“I like it,” Brad said. “Hardly anyone this time of year fishes at night, but there are some, and no one would see the box.”

“We've got tomorrow off, so if a 'fishing trip' is called for,” Kelly nodded, as a grin formed. “We can do it.”

“So what's the next option?”

“Burning, as I hoped,” Goalie said. “But no one has a fireplace on base, and burn barrels are a no-no. Base reg.”

Both Guru and Brad looked at the Wing Commander. “One of your regs?” Brad wanted to know.

“No,” she replied. “Just before we were assigned here, they had some problems with those. Couple of burn barrels got tipped over, started a couple of grass fires. Oh, nothing big, just a few acres. But the last straw was the Deputy Base CO having a backyard burn barrel to burn leaves. Got tipped over, and the fire wound up burning his garage. The CO then issued an order: no burn barrels. And FYI, I just run the Gunfighters. The Air Base Group? Separate chain of command.”

“Okay....” Guru nodded. “I could give Jody Tucker a call.” Capt. Jody Tucker was Kelly Ray's WSO, but in civilian life, flew Gulfstreams for his Dad's air charter company. “His brother Curt does some of the chopper flying. The aerial shots during the Salt Lake Olympics? NBC hired them to do some of that.”

“Can you trust him?” Brad asked.

“Curt?” Kelly replied. “Easy. He's also an Apache driver with 1-211 ATK down at Salt Lake IAP.”

“Utah Army Guard,” noted Brad. “You guys work together?”

Kelly nodded. “We do CSAR exercises with them, and the Gunfighters do as well, so, yeah.”

“Still, one person outside the loop...” Brad noted.

Several other ideas were kicked around, and were shelved. Then Goalie had an idea. “Folks, we've been getting this wrong. And breaking the KISS principle. There's a place only ten miles northwest of here that we can use. To both burn and bury the tapes.”

“And that is?” Kara asked.

“Back in the '60s, when this was a SAC base, they had a B-47 wing and a Titan missile squadron-the same one that uses Minuteman IV now. There were plans to put a pair of Nike SAM sites here, but the plan was canceled after the site surveys were done. People from the base go there to target shoot with their privately owned weapons. Especially automatic ones. And folks also have a nice picnic or barbeque after.”

A smile came over Brad's face, and Guru's as well. “I like it, “ Guru said. “If anyone sees a fire, they'll assume it's a campfire. And we bury what's left.”

“So do I,” Brad nodded agreement. “This is public land?”

“It is. BLM owns it, and before you ask, if a missile convoy comes? We just tell them we're from the base, did some target shooting, and are having a cookout,” Goalie said.

“Same thing if we encounter a County SO Deputy,” Kelly nodded. “Let's do it.”

Guru had a grin on his face. “Let's get it done. Kara? You and Goalie take Kacey, get your Tahoe, and head to Wal-Mart in Mountain Home. Get some practice targets at the sporting goods section, along with what we'll need for a nice little barbeque. I'll go home, get our rifles, change cars to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, tell Melanie she can come if she wants, and bring the tapes.”

“Good,” Goalie said. “Kelly? You and Brad expect to stay overnight?”

“It did occur to us,” Kelly replied. “We did pack for an overnighter.”

“Okay....you two go over to the Base Lodge and check in. You two can stay there since you're reservists. Guru will pick you up.”

“Sounds good,” Brad nodded. “Okay, when you're shopping? Get something we can use as an accelerant. And what kind of firearms are you bringing?”

“My AKMS that I brought out of Colorado, and Goalie's CAR-15,” Guru replied. “And our Colt 1911s. Melanie can shoot either one.”

“Okay, then. Kara?”

“I've got my M-16 and SiG-Sauer 226, both from the war. And I did give Kacey an M-16 for her last birthday,” Kara replied.

“Good,” Brad said. “Let's get this going.”


The rest was anticlimactic. After their respective trips, everyone met at the turnoff to where the Nike site was supposed to be. The actual impromptu shooting range was located where, had the Nike site been built, would have been the command area and housing, with the launcher site itself a mile to the northwest While Guru and Brad took turns digging, the girls either shot, or got dinner going. When they were finished digging-and they had dug a nice, deep hole for the box, and piled up quite a bit of sagebrush on top, both diggers came back. “It's done,” Guru said. “All we need to do is light it.”

“First we eat,” Brad nodded. “And what's for dinner?”

“We got some rotisserie chickens, cole slaw, baked beans, and salad,” Goalie said. “And bottled ice tea or lemonade,” Goalie said.

“Enough talk,” Guru said. “Let's eat. Then we need some trigger time.”

“When do we light the fire?” Kara wanted to know.

“Dark,” Brad said. “You guys bring something to get it going?”

“Charcoal lighter fluid.”

“Good. Guru's got some road flares in his SUV. I'll pour the whole can of fluid on the box, then light it with a flare. It'll burn, and burn hot.”

After the meal, the guys got in their trigger time. Though it had been a while since Guru had shot his AKM, it quickly came back. And Brad was very familiar with the weapon, as he had one that had Korean markings on it, mounted on his and Kelly's living room wall. “Yours still shoots?” Guru asked Brad.

“It does, but I haven't taken it out in a while. Maybe I'd better do something about that.”

“You'd better,” Kelly said. “Haven't shot that one in a while. Guru, you've got an AK-74, right?”

“On my office wall at Hill,” nodded Guru. “Found that one on U.S. 287 in North Texas.”

“Oh? Just lying by the side of the road?” Brad wanted to know.

“Nope. Northbound lane of 287 south of Childress. The Army hadn't cleared the highway of wreckage yet, and this MP Sergeant and his people who came by wondered what a bunch of Air Force people were doing, looking around at this road full of blasted and burned junk. We told him that we had flown some of the strikes against the convoy, and he said, “Sir, you guys brought hell down on the bastards.”

“We did,” Goalie added. “You name it, we dropped it or fired it, apart from nukes. Napalm, CBUs, Mark-82s, M-117s, Mark-84s, Mavericks, even laser bombs.”

Brad nodded. He'd seen his share of carnage after the Air Force or the RCAF had blasted Soviets or North Koreans, or after the 116th had rolled through an enemy position. “Where'd you find the rifle?”

“Next to a BTR, which kind, I don't know, but it had a turret. Anyway, there were several bodies about ten to twenty feet away, and each one had an AK-74. Picked up one for Goalie, and one for myself.”

Goalie nodded, then said, “And we weren't the only souvenir hunters. Army, some Marines, even locals. Ran into a guy with this beat-up jeep from the '60s, and he had four AK-74s in the back. Asked him what he wanted with four AK rifles.”

Curious, Melanie asked, “What'd the guy say, Mom?”

“He wanted one rifle for himself, one for his wife, another for his son-and he said he was glad his boy wouldn't grow up under a Commie Jackboot-and one for his daughter. And he got teary eyed when he mentioned her.”

“She was missing?”

“No, in the Navy prewar. Her last letter came a week before it started, and he was hoping she was okay. She was stationed at Pearl Harbor, the guy told us.” Goalie said.

“What about EOD?” Brad asked.

Guru nodded. “They'd been there, or the MP people would've chased us out. And the bodies? Don't know, and frankly, don't care.”

“Better for everybody if they'd stayed home,” Goalie said.


When sundown came, it was time. Brad did what he said he would do, and lit the fire. As the fire blazed, and blazed hot, someone got the idea to swap war stories. “Brad, you were on the Montana-Alberta border, right?” Kacey asked. “What was that like?”

“Well, we were like the guys who fought in Italy in WW II. Only we knew it was a secondary theater, compared to the war down south,” Brad nodded. “Outpost war in a lot of places.”

“Fighting on the prairie in winter had to be no fun,” Guru nodded.

“Not as bad as in the Rockies,” replied Brad. “But you didn't have to worry about North Koreans.”

“How bad were they?” Goalie asked. “Heard some nasty stuff about those guys.”

“They were nasty, no bones about it. When they attacked, they put everything into it. And unless they were ordered to, they didn't want to be bothered with prisoners.”

“And when you had to counterattack?” Kara asked.

“They were just like the Japanese in World War II: defend to the death and no retreat. Mostly,” Brad nodded. “But there were times, where if you managed to cut them off? They would surrender. But only after they had literally fired their last round.”

“Not like in the Mountains,” Guru said. “The guerrillas I was with had a 'no prisoners' policy. Case in point: We got hit by Mi-24s one day, two of 'em. They did a couple of gun and rocket passes, killed a few people. One of the guerrillas grabbed an SA-7 and took a shot. Got one of the Hinds, and after it crashed, people ran to the crash site. They saw the pilot climb out and try and get his gunner out. One of the guerrillas shot him in the stomach with a 30.06 and left him to bleed out. The gunner? Another guerrilla drew a Bowie Knife and slit the guy's throat.”

“Ouch!” Kacey winced, and so did Melanie, though she had heard the story before.

“Big ouch,” Goalie said. “Flying into Denver during the siege was no fun. Remember, I was a C-130 nav before going to F-4s. Some nights? Hardly anyone shot at you. Others? Must've been like that over Berlin at night, because there would be a lot of flak. Missiles, too.”

“What'd you see flying?” Kelly asked. This was one part of the war that she had only read about, as she had been a flight instructor at Columbus AFB in Mississippi on T-38s before going to F-4s, and then her time in Cuba....

'”You name it, I saw it,” Goalie said. “Saw a C-5 once, and C-141s maybe a half-dozen times. Those were strategic assets, and they had their business going to the UK and Japan. Plenty of C-130s, but also C-123s and C-7s reactivated from AMARC, Boeing 707 and DC-8 freighters, even a 747F once. The oldest I saw? Where they got these, I have no idea, but there were a few C-119s and C-124s, and at least one C-46 and two C-47s.”

“C-47s?”

“Yeah, and those guys had no modern nav aids, by 1980s standard. However many DFCs or Air Medals they got? Flying into and out of Denver by the seat of their pants, and delivering the cargo, they earned each and every one,” said Goalie. “Somebody needs to do a definitive book about the Denver Airlift, I'll say it right now.”

“Maybe someone is, Mom,” Melanie said. “We just haven't heard about it yet.”

“I'd read it,” Guru said as he got up to check the fire. Yes, the box had burned, and most of the tapes were melted slag, but he threw some more sagebrush on the flames to make sure. “Kara?”

Kara grinned. “Don't think I've told Brad, but.....I was in the 335 all of an hour when I had my first kill.”

“What?” Brad said, dumbfounded. “How'd that happen?”

“Theater indoctrination ride,” Kara said. “Guru and Goalie take me and my new WSO, Brainiac, down to Las Cruces, then we were heading up north along the Rio Grande when two MiG-23s came calling.”

“How'd it go?”

“Simple,” Kara nodded. “We tangled, they died.”

Guru added, “They did. And this wasn't even a real combat mission. First flight in the squadron, and she gets a kill. Nobody else in the 335th could say that.”

“Anyone else claim that?” Kelly asked.

“We've checked,” Goalie said. “You're in the F-4 Phantom Association, and we put the word out on their message board. A couple of Marines say the same thing, and some RAF guy who flew up in Canada also qualifies. He didn't get a fast-mover, but got a Hind.”

“A kill's a kill,” Melanie pointed out.

“It is,” Kara admitted. “How about you, Kelly?”

The ex-POW nodded. “Well...since my combat time was all of a month before getting shot down.....I had three kills before that, and number one was a MiG-21R with escort on a recon of the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. I was wing on my CO, and we jumped these guys over South Florida. He went after the escorts, and they scattered. Then he tells me 'Press to engage, I'll cover,' so I go after the recon bird. Got tone and fired a Sidewinder. Flies up the guy's tailpipe and explodes. That was bad for him. Next was worse: he ejected, and landed in the cooling pond of the nuke plant.”

“How could that be worse?” Kacey wanted to know.

“Because in that cooling pond were a thousand or so Crocodiles. They had taken over the pond as sort of their own private hot tub. Found out the next day that when the DOE guards got to the pond, all they found were the parts the Crocs didn't like,” said Kelly, a grim smile on her face.

“Really bad day,” Guru observed.

“Better him than me,” Kelly noted. “But, three weeks later....”

“Your turn,” said Brad.

Kelly nodded. “That it was. First of many....” They knew her stories of being a POW in Cuba, being familiar with her book and the movie. “The best day, of course, was release day, but the best days in captivity? That truck ride across the island.”

“And that what? A week in a village because the truck broke down?” Melanie asked.

“It was,” Kelly nodded. “But when we got to Holguin.....back to the same old brutality.”


Soon, they checked on the fire. All of the tapes had burned to melted slag, and if anyone had ever dug them up, it would be impossible to recover what was on them. “Looks like they're done for good,” Kara noted. “I really should've done this a long time ago.”

“What's past is past,” Guru noted. “We can't change it, no matter what. Just make sure nobody ever talks about these ever again.”

“Amen,” Goalie said. “Let's get the trash we can burn in there, let it go, then we bury this stuff.”


They had finished burning the burnables, and had started to fill in the hole when headlights appeared on the road, and they were coming from the north. The lights soon revealed an Elmore County Sheriff's Ford Excursion patrol SUV. The vehicle came to a stop, and a male deputy came out and came over to the party. “Evening, folks. You all from the base?”

“We are,” Goalie said. She identified herself as the CO of the 366th, and ID'd everyone else. “What's up, Deputy?”

“Just saw the lights and wanted to check things out. You guys have some target practice and a barbeque?”

“Something like that,” Kelly said. She showed him her Bannock County SO ID. “What can we do for you?”

“You guys cleaning up?” The deputy asked. “Clean up your shell casings?”

Goalie nodded. “Did that first thing. Just finishing up on the barbeque pit.”

The deputy nodded. “Good thing, Colonel. Now, maybe you might tell me what I saw just before dark. About twenty miles north of here, near the County Line. Came across a missile convoy.”

“What's so special about that?”

“Ma'am, saw them pull off the road, and I was maybe a half-mile away. Then I saw the security guys form a circle around the launchers, and all their vehicles had guns pointed out. Next thing, I hear three blasts on a horn, and they start to raise the missiles from the launchers. Looked like they were getting ready to fire,” the deputy said. “And I thought, 'Holy shit, they're getting ready to do it.'.”

“Go on,” Guru said. “I think I know what you saw.”

“Well, I'm wondering why there's nothing on the radio, then they sounded the horn again. They lowered the missiles back onto the launchers, the security guys get back in their vehicles. They get back on the road, in road formation, and they head off to the west.” The deputy looked at the two bird Colonels. “Was that what I think it was?”

The two full Colonels looked at each other and grinned. “Deputy,” Goalie said. “You just saw SAC at work. Not that many civilians get to see a missile launch drill.”

“Did you call your dispatch?” Kelly asked.

“Yeah, just to let the other deputies know. Let me guess: those people don't advertise much about where they go,” the deputy said.

“Not with those mobile missiles,” Goalie nodded. “You were in the right place at the right time.”

“Okay, Colonel. Now I know what I'm seeing, and I can pass that on to the Sheriff, so that other deputies know. “ The deputy looked at her. “Is this classified?”

Goalie shook her head. “No, it's not.”

“They've been on enough documentaries on military tech that people know what goes on. In broad terms, anyway,” Guru added. “Just be glad they weren't on any heightened alert. They might have sent some security troops to check you out.”

“Happy thought,” the deputy said. “Okay, thanks for the info, Colonels. You all have a good evening, and a safe trip back to the base.”

“Thanks, deputy. And will do,” Goalie said


After the deputy left, the Colonels went back, and found Brad, Kacey, and Melanie making a final check. “Anything we missed?” Guru asked.

“Don't think so,” Brad said. “We've cleaned up the casings. Everything we could burn did burn, and the rest of the trash is coming out. Can't do anything about tire tracks, but then again, there were a whole bunch here when we arrived. It's supposed to rain in a couple of days, so that'll take care of those.” He glanced at the receding tailights. “What'd the deputy have to say?”

Guru and Goalie told him.

“A missile convoy doing a launch drill?” Melanie said “That would've been something to see,” and Kacey nodded. For both AFROTC Cadets, that would have been a thrill.

“The deputy didn't think that way,” Kelly replied. “He thought he was seeing them get ready to launch. And we all know what that means.” And heads nodded at that.

“Yeah,” Guru said. “Let's get back to the base. We all need to turn in. You two leaving first thing?” he asked Kelly and Brad.

“Probably not,” Kelly replied. “We'll probably sleep in.”

Goalie thought for a minute. “Okay, let's get together for lunch at the Officers' Club. Say, around Noon tomorrow. Depending on my flight schedule and Kara's,”

“Food's better there than in the Officers' Mess anyway,” Guru quipped.

“And Kara's buying,” Goalie said firmly.

Kara had a sheepish expression on her face. “Say no more,” she said.

“All right, let's get going.”

Everyone got in the SUVs, and they headed back to the base.


Wing Commanders' Residence, Mountain Home AFB, ID; 1130 Hours Mountain Standard Time, 18 April 2011:


Colonel Wiser and his daughter were in their driveway, giving the Colonel's Jeep Grand Cherokee a good wash. Even without yesterday's trip, it needed one anyway. Besides, with a storm coming, the old superstition about washing a car bringing rain couldn't hurt. “Want to bet Kara told Kacey to wash their Tahoe?”

“No bet, Dad,” Melanie replied, as she did the windows. “How'd Kara get to work?”

“Mom took her,” Guru said as he went over the job. “Looks good. Finish up the windows, Melanie. We'll leave it here, and I'll take my car over to the Officers' Club.”

“Still getting together for lunch?”

“Yeah. Kelly and Brad are heading back to Pocatello.”

“Glad to see them, even if it was for...this, Dad. Only one thing bad about yesterday's.....events,” his daughter said.

“What?”

Melanie told him. “Missing out on seeing that launch drill.” she said, voice tinged with disappointment.

“Not too many people get to see that in the field,” Guru said. “Even if that deputy was crapping in his pants when he saw the missiles get raised to launch position.”

“Might see a test launch at Vandenberg,” Melanie said. “ROTC Summer Camp is there this year.”

“You never know,” her father said. “Anyway, one thing about yesterday: Kara's got a much easier path to O-6.”

Melanie nodded. “And Mom wants Kara to succeed her as CO of the Gunfighters. She's said that a lot. Just like you wanting Kelly to take your place at the 419.” The 419th TFW was Colonel Wiser's command down at Hill, and was the only AF Reserve unit flying F-15Es.

“Kara's Mom's protege', and you can say that Kelly's mine. Wouldn't have it any other way.” Guru said. He surveyed the SUV and its now-clean exterior. “Good job. Okay, I'll get changed, then get going.”


A few minutes later, dressed in his flight suit, he came into the living room, and found Melanie watching a softball game on ESPNU. Guru gave his daughter a peck on the cheek. “See you later.”

“Okay, Dad. Have a good time, and say hi to Kara, Kelly, and Brad for me.”

“Will do.”


Guru pulled up into the Officers' Club parking lot, and found a familiar Olds 442 convertible parked. Kelly and Brad were here, then. He got out and headed into the Dining Area of the Club, and noticed them sitting at a table. They waved him over, and Guru had a grin on his face as he came over. “You two look happy this morning, since it's still morning.”

“Had a good night's sleep,” Brad said. “But before and after...”

“We engaged, in, well, some bedroom gymnastics,” Kelly smiled. “Something about hotel beds, so....”

“Say no more,” said Guru. “Goalie and I have done the same. So....any thoughts on yesterday?”

Kelly nodded. “Makes you wonder. You had Kara, so what about other squadrons?”

“Perish the thought,” Guru replied. He thought for a minute. “But you're probably right. Then there's that all-female Army chopper unit.”

“Cobra Girls,” Brad said. “Heard a lot of stuff about them, even up north. Rumor had it they were coming up after the cease-fire on the Rio Grande.”

“How wild were they?” Kelly asked. “I've read a book their CO wrote a few years ago. Forty percent casualties is what she said they took in two years.”

Guru nodded. “That's about it. I had a classmate who flew HH-3s and they were co-located with this outfit for a while. They flew and fought hard, and partied harder. Bev Lynne told me that the Air Force people were the most.....restrained at their unit parties when they were off the line.”

The waitress came over, and all three ordered ice tea, then as she left, Goalie and Kara came in. “Well, that was an interesting morning,” Goalie said. “Singapore AF again.”

“They defending or attacking?” Guru asked.

“Defending,” Kara said. “Next up is a simulated Scud hunt.”

“Using a missile convoy as Scud stand-ins,” Goalie added. “We do that all the time.”

Brad looked at the four Colonels. “Wouldn't SAC have something to say about that?”

“They don't mind, as long as we stay above a certain altitude. Everything's scored electronically, and we use captive carry Mavericks for the most part. If we want to do a more realistic Scud Hunt? We go down to the Hill Range or Nellis.”

The waitress came back, and everyone ordered lunch. As they ate, talk shifted to shop to the previous day. “Well, Kara?” Kelly asked. “Lesson learned?”

“Lesson well learned,” replied Kara. “I should've gotten rid of those a long time ago. Especially when Kacey got old enough to look around.”

“But...things got in the way,” Guru said. It wasn't a question, by his tone of voice.

Kara nodded. “Yeah. Moving from base to base, accumulating more stuff, and well....things also came up.”

“And it got put on the back burner,” said Brad, in between bites of French Dip. “Not a surprise there.”

Kara looked at him. “No. Just glad it was Kacey who found them and not someone else.”

Goalie nodded. “You're right on that. And now, Kara's path to O-6 looks a lot smoother than it did yesterday. She's still got at least a year to go before that board convenes. And no guarantees.”

“She'd then have one more chance, then it's put in for retirement,” Guru added. “If it doesn't come.”

Brad nodded, then looked at Kelly. “You've got a ways to go, right?”

“Yeah. I had a few years out of uniform before I joined the 419th, so....” Kelly said. She then changed the subject. “Saw this on CNN: 'Fidel' got arraigned today.”

“The sicko who tortured you in Havana?” Kara asked. “Same guy from Hanoi, right?”

The ex-POW nodded. “Just taking a while. They had to go with Raoul's trial, then the wartime head of the DGI, and a few others. Now it's his turn.”

“How do you feel?” Guru asked.

“Can't wait,” Kelly said. “He's got a lot to answer for.” For a moment, memories of the tortures she had suffered in Cuba came back.

“You've waited a long time, and now....” Goalie said. “You'll get your day in court.”

“That will be worth the wait,” Kelly nodded. “And you've got one of the star witnesses right here.”

Heads nodded at that.


A few minutes later, Goalie checked her watch. “Time flies, and it's time for us to do the same.” She nodded to Kara, and both got up.

“Where you headed?” Guru asked. “Or can you say?”

“Low-level navigation mission,” his wife replied. “And we work in that Scud Hunt. If anyone down on the Great Salt Lake or by Wendover sees us, they get to hear the sound of freedom.” She turned to Kara. “Pay Brad and Kelly, then pay the bill.”

Kara nodded, took out her wallet, and paid what she owed the two, then went to pay the bill.

“Just to avoid any future...expeditions of this sort,” Kelly said. “She have a boyfriend?”

“Not here, but when she came back from leave last fall?” Goalie asked. “She had a nice tan, some nice presents for Kacey, and some nice things to say about somebody. She wouldn't say who, but she met the guy when we were down in Baja, and he has a condo on the beach in either La Paz or Cabo San Lucas. Spent a week there, then she met some of her ROTC classmates, and they did a Panama Canal cruise from L.A.” Goalie turned, and saw Kara wave. “Time to go. Safe trip back, you two, and I'll see you later,” She told Guru.

“Fly safe,” Guru said to his wife.

“Always,” Goalie said. 'See you.” Then she and Kara headed on out.

Kelly looked at Brad. “Time to be hitting the road,” she said.

'”Yeah,” her boyfriend nodded, then he stood up. “Colonel, thanks for the.....interesting weekend. You coming by our neck of the woods anytime soon?”

Guru nodded. “A couple of weeks. Idaho State's AFROTC detachment wants me to come by and give a talk. I'll see you guys then. Next reserve weekend's the second one in May. As you know.”

Both Kelly and Brad nodded. All three then headed out the door when a siren sounded, and this was base-wide. “What's going on?” Brad asked.

Guru's cell phone rang. He checked the number, and it was Goalie's office number. “Hey. What's up? Okay....I'll tell 'em. Stay safe when you're flying. Love you.” He then killed the call. “Missile convoy. They're leaving the base. And nobody allowed on or off base until the convoy clears the main gate.”

“SAC doesn't kid around,” Kelly said. “Same thing at Hill.”

“How long?” Brad asked. He'd never been around a missile convoy on base.

“Thirty minutes,” Guru said. “Come on. Nobody's going anywhere for a half-hour. The coffee or ice tea is on me.” He led the two back into the Officers' Club.


Thrace Residence, Mountain Home AFB, ID; 30 April 2011, 2000 Hours Mountain Standard Time:


Lieutenant Colonel Kara Thrace was in the shower, washing off three days' worth of dirt and grime. And yet, she was pleased. Kacey's presentation had gone well, and though there was only two more weeks until Finals, Kacey's AFROTC professors wanted Kara to come down and give a talk. Especially for the graduating seniors, who were getting their commissions as Second Lieutenants, and going into the Air Force. She remembered her own graduation, down at Auburn, and grimaced. There had been eighteen cadets in her graduating class, and of those eighteen, six were dead. All had been killed in the war, and two more were still on the MIA list.

Kara had just come back from a three-day CSAR Field Training Exercise, and was glad to be home. Kacey would be home after Finals, then ROTC Summer Camp would have her away for four weeks. Soon, she'd have to decide on flight training, and whether to put in for fighters. Kara knew her daughter wanted fighters, but was leaning multiengine. Whatever Kacey decided, Kara would support her, though much to her disgust, there were attempts by various fighter communities to recruit Kacey for specific aircraft. When they heard that, even Kacey's surrogate Aunts and Uncles were not pleased. She had a loathing in particular for an ANG F-20 driver, who was a Senator in his day job, who was trying hard to recruit Kacey into F-20s, even showing up at Mountain Home once and offering Kacey a backseat ride in a two-seater. Kacey had accepted the ride, but was noncommittal, much to her mother's relief.

Kara got out of the shower and dried off. Then she put on a bathrobe, and went into her bedroom, then the kitchen. She fixed herself a glass of ice tea, then went back into her room. Kara went to her nightstand, and in a drawer, found a DVD-ROM that was tucked inside an old copy of People magazine. She took the DVD from the case, opened her player, and inserted it. Then she jumped onto her bed, and didn't care a whit that the robe had opened and come loose. Kara leaned back in bed, sipped some tea, then found the remote and hit PLAY.

As the images came on the screen, Kara grinned, then hit the PAUSE button. She was on the screen, in her birthday suit. Then Kara hit PLAY, and another figure came into the screen. A familiar one from the time the 335th had spent at Sheppard, and, as things turned out, one who became well-liked. This person had challenged Kara to some Pool, where honors had been even, but at poker.....that individual had lost, and wound up owing Kara. So....the other person got into the same outfit as Kara. The two embraced, and then Kara hit PAUSE again. She grinned, sipped some more tea, then said out loud as she hit PLAY again, and the action resumed...….When the DVD ended, with only those two on the DVD, she stopped it, took it out, and returned the DVD to its hiding place. She had another DVD of those days, with that AF Special Operator, who some said was just as much a nymphomaniac as Kara was. Soon, though, she would copy the beach party to DVD, then get rid of those three tapes. She then watched some TV, then found herself getting sleepy. Kara got out of the robe, into bed, and turned off the light. Before going to sleep, she grinned, and muttered to herself, “Ms. Wendt? You were good that night.....” then Kara fell asleep.

[jemhouston]

Some legends are true. Others are understated.

[Wolfman]

Some legends are true. Others are understated.

And some should never see the light of day…

[jemhouston]

Some legends are true. Others are understated.

And some should never see the light of day…

There are two warehouses for those.

[Wolfman]

Some legends are true. Others are understated.

And some should never see the light of day…

There are two warehouses for those.

The problem with that is that they could still find their way into the light of day…

[jemhouston]

Warehouse 13, seven miles from Univille, SD. https://warehouse13.fandom.com/wiki/War ... rsion%20of


The warehouse in Area 51 where the Ark of the Covenant is stored.

[Wolfman]

Okay, the Area 51 warehouse might be appropriate…