When Michael arrived at the Fort Benning Army Base he was treated with the same familiar basic training welcome that he had seen in the movies when he was younger. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy so he had prepared himself in advance that he could handle anything the Army had in store for him. He was assigned immediately to the Infantry One Station Unit Training OSUT. It is the combination of Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, Airborne School and a preparations course to help prepare for the SFAS course (Special Forces Assessment and Selection).
During the first few weeks of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection program there was a lot a marching, push-ups and sit-ups. As Michael got more into this training he found it to be even more physically and mentally demanding on his body. He went out on numerous long distance land navigation course both during the day and at night. He did obstacle course training, rope climbs, swimming exercises. He had to carry a pack that weighed between fifty five to eighty five pounds on his back every day. Sometimes it would be raining and other times it was so dark he didn’t know if they could find their way back to base. He was part of a twelve man team that had to move heavy telephone poles and other equipment. Not only did he have to go through all the physical demands but he had to take numerous psychological and other exams during this period of training. His daily training at SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course) started very early and usually ended very late. He soon took the attitude of the marathon runner that he was in it for the long haul and he had to take one day at a time. He was back up at 5:00 am and doing it all over again day after grueling day. Because he was constantly learning something it seemed like the time passed very quickly for him.
During Michaels long phase of training Doug decided to buy a sniper rifle and do some target shooting. He did some internet research and found that he could do target practice in the California desert. He found that target shooting is allowed on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The legal target shooting area is near Barstow, California. It was his responsibility to know the laws for the area where shooting was allowed. He knew he would never shoot on Private Land without the owner’s permission because he didn’t want some irate land Owner turning him in to the B.L.M. or having him arrested for being on their property. (21)
Doug thought it would be a good hobby for him to get into and since he hadn’t shot a weapon in almost forty years he wondered if he still had the ability to hit a target from a long distance.
Doug found out where the next big gun show was going to be held near his area. He found out that one was coming up in Reno, Nevada so he decided to take a six hour drive and go check it out. When he got to the show he walked around and looked at a lot of different weapons. After watching and talking to several gun dealers throughout the day, he finally went up to one of the gun dealers he thought was a shading looking character and very cautiously asked him, “If a person has enough cash where and how could he get a hard to get weapon?” This guy’s clothes didn’t seem to fit his body very well. Everything looked like it was going to fall off of him. He wore a baseball cap; his long blond hair was not combed and stuck out on the sides and back of his cap. He wore old boots that looked like they had never been shined with scuff marks on them. When he got in Doug’s face his breath just about knocked him over from the rancid garlic odor. Doug had to take a step back so he could catch his breath.
The gun dealer asked him what kind of weapon he was talking about and he explained the type model and everything he wanted. He looked at Doug with one eye shut and the wrinkles in his face deepened as he said, “A gun like that will cost you a lot of money with everything you want on it plus the ammunition.” He told the gun dealer he would give him the cash he needed if he could get the rifle and five hundred rounds of ammunition. Doug also asked for a pistol with a silencer and one hundred rounds of ammunition for it as well. He agreed to give him half the money down and the other half when he got the two weapons. The gun dealer’s face lightened up as he jokingly asked him, “What are you going to do with the guns, are you going to kill people? Doug just laughed and said that he had recently retired and wanted to go out to the desert and do some target shooting. The guy nodded his head “That sounds good to me, I’ll get the guns for you but it will take some time.” Doug somewhat reluctantly gave him the money and a phone number from a pay as you use phone. He wasn’t sure if he would ever hear from this guy again but he knew he had to take a chance.
Doug was just about to give up on the gun dealer after a month went by when he got a call. It was the gun dealer and he told him he had the rifle and the pistol and all the accessories he wanted. Doug took a sixteen hour drive into the desert of Utah where the guy wanted to meet. They met in the desert at an old abandoned service station a few hundred miles north of Reno, Nevada. He looked everything over and was satisfied so he gave the gun dealer the rest of the money. After he thanked the guy and left he was really excited he had gotten the rifle and pistol along with the case, night scope and ammunition for both weapons. He couldn’t wait to get to the desert and fire his new rifle and see if he still had the ability to hit targets.
When Doug got back home from Utah he made four wooden targets out of one inch plywood that were the size of a person from the waist up. He painted two of them black and two dark green. Once they were dry he put them in the trunk of his Mercedes along with his rifle, pistol and ammunition and early the next morning he headed for the desert. It was about a three hour and forty five minute drive from Visalia to the spot Doug had picked out to shoot his weapons. He packed a lunch in a small ice chest. He knew that where he was going there wouldn’t be any restaurants for miles. He found a place that was away from the main road with a mountain in the background. It was an isolated area but he still made sure there were no animals or people in his line of fire and that he wasn’t on private property before he started shooting at the targets.
The night before he left, he cleaned and set up his rifle, attached the tri-pod, scope and made sure everything was just right. Once at his destination he set up his targets at approximately two hundred yards, three hundred yards and five hundred yards, from his firing position. Although his hearing wasn’t as good as it used to be his eyesight was still very good, maybe even 20/20. He scoped in on his two hundred yard target and quietly let out his breath and slowly squeezed the trigger. It took him several shots to get used to the rifle but he loved how it felt. It was lightweight and easy to handle. When he was through shooting he walked to his targets. He had hit all three of the other targets within seven or eight inches of where he was aiming. For just a short moment he felt like he was back in Vietnam again and had gotten his first target.
Doug had lunch and spent a few more hours in the desert taking several shots at the targets trying to dial in a little closer. After reviewing the afternoon targets he could see that he was within a few inches of where he was aiming so he was happy. Thinking man, this rifle is amazing. I wish I would’ve had this in Nam. It gave him a great deal of pride and satisfaction knowing he still had the skill and ability to hit his targets from such long distances. It was a feeling he hadn’t had in years; the last time being a risky, yet successful surgery he had performed. When he got ready to leave he gathered up his targets and put everything in the trunk of his car and headed back to Visalia. On his way home he was thinking that since he enjoyed it so much he was going to try and do that trip at least once a month.
As soon as Michael received the news that he had made it through the ninety five week training program and would be graduating he called Doug and told him the graduation would be in a few weeks and he wanted him to come. Doug was very excited to hear from Michael and to learn that he had made it through all phases of the Special Forces Course. After he hung up the phone Doug immediately made arrangements with the Airlines and a Hotel. He was excited to be seeing Michael again. Even though he had talked to Michael on the phone on several occasions it w
asn’t the same as seeing him in person.
When he arrived at the airport, Michael greeted Doug with a huge bear hug. They both had big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes as they looked at each other. Doug just stared at him and said, “Man, I missed you.” Michael could hardly speak as emotion caught in his throat, “I missed you too grandpa.” They stood there hugging for a few seconds, just happy to see each other. Doug couldn’t believe how much more mature Michael looked. He now looked like a grown man and not so much like the young man he last remembered. For a short time his mind flashed back to the little boy that he had watched grow up. All those years flashed before Doug’s eyes in a split second, oh my God, where had all the time gone? If only his Mom, Dad and Shirley could see him now, they would all be very proud of him.
Doug had gotten a room at the local Holiday Inn hotel so after he retrieved his suitcase from the luggage carousel; he and Michael grabbed a cab and headed to the hotel. After he checked in he put his suitcase in the room and they went down to have dinner together in the hotel restaurant. They needed to talk, like the old times. While at dinner Michael was very excited about telling Doug all the different training he had received and the grueling tests he had gone through. Being an old soldier himself, Doug was very interested in what Michael had been learning. There was just so much that he and Michael had to talk about. Doug decided to share with Michael how he had spent the last ninety five weeks and started speaking to him in Arabic. He asked him where the ceremony was being held and Michael looked at him in complete shock. He knew he had been studying the Arabic language but didn’t have a clue how well he could understand and speak it. After a long pause he spoke back to Doug in Arabic and told him where and what time. They both just looked at each other then laughed and Michael said, “Wow! I can’t believe it. How did you do that?” He knew he shouldn’t be so surprised since he was so much like his Grandpa, once he decided to do something he gave it everything he had.
Doug went to the ceremony the next day. When they called Michael’s name as one of the graduates Doug couldn’t have been more proud of him. After the ceremony Michael came over to Doug he was all excited about graduating as he asked, “How did you like the ceremony, Grandpa?” Doug told him that he had really enjoyed it and how proud of him he was. While talking with each other, Michael was holding some papers in his hands that looked important. Doug looked down at them and said, “Orders?” Michael held them up and said, “I just received them a few minutes ago. They are the orders for my next duty station.” He went on to say that he was going to get a 30 day leave of absence and then he was being deployed to Afghanistan with his 12-man A Team. He knew that Doug wasn’t happy to hear about his order so he changed the subject real fast, “Hey, grandpa make sure you have some nice places for us to go eat when I get home.” Doug was sad and apprehensive about Michael going to Afghanistan, but managed a half-heartedly laugh as he said, “Don’t worry about that, we’ll find some great places.”
Doug was happy that Michael was coming home for thirty days but angry that the Army was sending him straight to Afghanistan to be part of the war. He had hoped Michael would be stationed some place closer to home, at least for a little while. He knew he was being a little selfish, but he wanted more time with his only grandchild. Michael told Doug that he would see him in a few days. The army had set up all the flight arrangements for him and he would be home as soon as he could get there. Doug could tell that Michael was ready for a break and was looking forward to coming home. They hugged, said their good byes and each said, “I love you,” to one another. He called a cab that took him to the airport and while on his way there he got the same old feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had when Michael first left to Fort Benning almost two years before.
It was early in the morning of Thursday, January 12, 2009 when Michael called Doug and told him he would be at the Fresno Airport around 4:00 p.m. When Michael stepped off the plane he was dressed out in his Army Green dress uniform and Doug thought again of how proud he was of him. They were both excited to see each other. When he opened the trunk of his Mercedes the target shooting boards where still there and Michael said, “Hey Grandpa, what’s this?” Doug grinned and proudly said, “I purchased a British sniper rifle with a scope and everything. I’ve been target shooting out in the desert near Barstow.” Michael turned his head and grinned back at Doug “That is really great Grandpa; maybe you and I can go to the desert and try it while I’m home.” As he threw his duffel bag in the trunk he said, “Let’s get out of here Grandpa; I’m ready to go home.”
On the way back to Visalia Michael asked him what else he had been doing since he had been gone. Doug told him, “I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy. Since you left I’ve been reading the Qur’an to find out everything I could about the Muslim religion. In between learning the Arabic and Farsi languages, I have been working out at the Lifestyle Center a few days a week and going to church on some Sundays.” They talked all the way home and the forty-five minute ride back to Visalia seemed like only fifteen minutes. Michael was excited to tell Doug more about what he had been doing and where he was going. Once home, he made some of Michael’s favorite sandwich’s with “the works” on the side. There were also chocolate chip cookies he had made for this special occasion. He poured him a large glass of milk and just sat there in silence, watching him eat. He was happy his grandson was home for a few weeks and he was going to cherish every minute of it.
Doug could tell Michael was getting tired as he yawned and said, “Man, I sure missed those cookies. I had forgotten how good your cookies are, Grandpa.” He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open as he asked Doug if he would mind if he took a nap for a few hours. All the excitement and adrenaline rush of being home had finally caught up with him. Doug started clearing the table, “I have your room all ready for you, just like you left it.” As he headed for the bedroom he replied, “Thanks Grandpa, I’ll see you a little later.” Doug said, “Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.”
The next morning, Doug had already been up a few hours by the time Michael came walking into the kitchen with his short hair all messy. He had made his favorite breakfast; fluffy pancakes smothered in butter, three “over easy” fried eggs, and a half pound of extra crispy bacon. Michael’s eyes widened, “I can’t wait to dig in. Thanks for the breakfast Grandpa!” Doug was pleased with himself as he laughed, “Don’t get too used to it, I’m not going to do it every day or else you’ll be waddling to your next duty station.” They both laughed as Michael reached for the syrup.
While at breakfast Michael asked him how his car was running. Doug said, “I drove it a few times a month down to the local Stop and Go Market, just to make sure it would be ready for you when you got home.” He had also purchased a nice cover for it so that it would be just like new when Michael saw it again. Michael’s eyes widened with happiness as he said, “How would you feel about us going for a little drive after I take a shower and see how it is running?” Doug said, “That would be great! I’ll shower and meet you in the garage.” Michael got in the car and said, “Why don’t we take it for a drive around town and I can see what has changed in the past two years?” After driving around town for a few hours Michael had finally seen everything they headed back home.
When they arrived home, Michael went to the outside building and saw that Doug had made the room into a little workshop but the weights, stationary bike and treadmill were still there. The covered fishing boat was at the other end of the building. Michael went over and rubbed the hull as he said, “It’s too bad it’s winter, we could’ve taken the boat out for the day.” He was still unsure what he was going to do with the rest of the days he had left before he was deployed to Afghanistan. He knew he was going to spend as much time with his grandpa as he possibly could.
Doug and Michael managed to spend a large portion of the remaining twenty eight days together enj
oying each other’s company. Their time together would prove to be priceless for Doug. They went to lunch at some of the new restaurants in town that had opened up while Michael was gone. They went to a few movies and sometimes Michael invited some of his friends to join them for dinner or a movie.
Michael was becoming a little nervous and edgy about going to Afghanistan. Doug could tell he needed to have a long talk with him before he left. After breakfast he sat him down to find out what he knew about Afghanistan and the people of that country. Michael began telling him he thought there were around ten thousand Special Forces in Afghanistan. He said they were up made of different components of the military; some are Navy Seals, Army Special Forces, and Army Rangers. He told him he knew that al-Qaeda, Hamas and Jihad were the major groups of terrorist extremist organizations that want to wage a holy war or have an armed struggle to defeat everyone that is not a believer in the Islamic religion. He said he believed their ultimate goal is to have an Islamic empire across the face of Earth. He looked at Doug and said, “Thank God Grandpa, that only a small segment of the Muslim population feel that way.” Doug knew all the things he was telling him were true because of all the research he had done regarding the Muslims and the radical Muslim terrorists. He also knew about the Jihad terrorist organizations operating in America.
Michael hadn’t shaved since he came home on leave. He was told that growing facial hair and wearing local clothing is one of the ways the Green Berets blend in among the locals along the Pakistan Border in Afghanistan. He told Doug that the Green Berets in Afghanistan are called the “Bearded Bastards” by the insurgents that prowl the steep mountains and narrow valleys of the remote area near Chamkani, Afghanistan. It is supposed to be a place where conventional forces usually can’t go. He told Doug his team’s job would be to train locals to take up the fight against the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other insurgents in Afghanistan.
According to what Michael had been told by his commanding officers, Special Forces in Afghanistan have boosted security in areas once held by the Taliban. They were getting increased cooperation from locals to repel the insurgents. The generals stressed that, “The local defense forces in thousands of rural villages where most Afghans live are the key to defeating the Taliban and other militant groups.” This was what the Special Forces believed and were trained to do. The efforts require an understanding of tribal customs and village politics. It is a challenge to get local leaders to stand up and volunteer their sons and brothers to be armed Afghan fighters or policemen against the Taliban. Not all the villages will accept the local protection the Special Forces offer because they face retaliatory attacks from the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. In a lot of the villages the Green Berets have a good relationship with the locals and the people inform them right away when and where the insurgents plant I.E.D.s or where and when the Taliban enters a village. (12)
Michael wondered what was going to happen to these people once the United States military pulls out of Afghanistan. He said he believed that even when conventional forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan the role of the Special Forces will continue there. He said, “To tell you the truth Grandpa, I’m concerned about the unknown, but looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead for me.”
Even though Doug had his own opinion of the war, its people, and American politics, he looked Michael in the eyes and said, “I have never been more proud of you for doing what you wanted to do in becoming a Special Forces Soldier. I know you will do a great job in what you were trained to do.” He didn’t want tell Michael that he was more than just scared for his safety, he was terrified of him going to Afghanistan. He couldn’t bear the thought of his grandson being killed by a Muslim terrorist organization in Afghanistan. At the same time he wasn’t going to try and discourage Michael by telling him how he really felt about his deployment. He knew there was no turning back for him at that point. He just told him to try and be careful and keep in touch by email or phone.
The next day Michael had everything packed and ready to go. Doug was sad to see him leave but didn’t let him know just how sad he really was. He drove him to the airport and waited with him until he boarded the plane. The last thing they said to each other in person as they hugged was, “I love you.” As the plane flew off Doug watched it until it was out of sight and again had that familiar sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. This time it was different, he was watching his grandson head to the hostile lands of Afghanistan thousands of miles from home. He wasn’t sure if he would ever see Michael alive again. The drive back to Visalia was nothing less than pure agony for him. He had horrible thoughts of Michael being killed that kept flashing through his head.
* * *
Chapter 7 – Michael’s in Afghanistan