Almost two months after we successfully took Creole, High Command already started planning another attack. For the two months we didn’t have any orders, we built up Creole into a super FOB and established a good footing in the hills North-East of Creole.
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Capturing Creole was told to be one of the vital stepping stones to capturing Louisiana. After capturing it, I and others discovered it really wasn’t that important. For all the men that we lost in the short amount of time we were on the beach, Creole was just not worth it.
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Creole was in our sector, Bravo-L Sector. To the West of us was Alpha-L Sector, Cameron, and to the East was Charlie-L Sector, Grand Chenier. Creole was the first town we would encounter, but certainly not the last.
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After the invasion, Creole became an example of victory, heroism, and NCC bravery. A plaque was built in the town’s square with all of the soldiers who died on Creole Beach. Our beach was the highest percentage of NCC deaths. Taking Creole didn’t quite matter to our dead or mortally wounded. The burial site we made also became a staple of the NCC, loss, sorrow, and goddamned good men.
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Other beach sections were successful in taking them and had less casualties, probably because they had a smaller landing force.
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In early September, an official NCC Frontline had been formed in Louisiana. It started in Cameron and ended around Grand Chenier. Charlie Sector was cut off from the rest of the invasion. Intelligence learned after the initial forces landed that the TUC purposely flooded low ground areas in between every other coastal town, making it harder to launch a coordinated attack. The bridges connecting Charlie Sector to our Sector were blown away and the man-made, strategically placed river was too deep to cross and too wide to use a BridgeBuilder tank. The TUC used similar, alternate, strategies during the Kentucky/Indiana Invasion. They built a dam upstream and drained a part of the river, moving their men and tanks across.
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We were the most northern section of the Front, meaning we got hit a lot. In just a month there were fifty-six casualties, most of whom were new troops from basic.
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We spent our days building trenches and transporting artillery shells to the Batteries in the hills we captured. The Batteries were using over two hundred shells a day to keep the TUC back from the front. The constant bombardment kept the TUC from building a frontline right across ours. Instead, they retreated to towns and villages farther away.
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Our next order was to take a vital fortified hill South of Lake Charles, taking it would start Phase 2 of OP Gulf Club, which meant Lake Charles would be up for grabs.
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The hill was named Hill B-502. Tent organized us in the church-which had turned to the operating center and got ready for a briefing. He told us, “alright eyes up ears open. Hill B-502 is said to be a ‘soft-target’. We’ll hit them tomorrow early morning. It’s a steep bitch. 330mm cannons are positioned on the top. Our armor can’t assault Lake Charles until those cannons are taken care of. Alpha Killer Division will strike from the North, on the sloped side. We’ll be heading up with Scroll Division on the steeper side. Expect MGs, LATs, and a few ground troops. Once we take this, it will be a straight shot to Lake Charles. Any questions?”
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Que raised his hand, “Sargneant, what's the status of our air support?”
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He nodded, “good question. Ass and air won’t be with us on this one. We got a few batteries of arti to help us out. They’re already dialed in so hell-fire is just one call away. Any more? Good. Let’s pack our bags and head out ASAP.”
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I left the church and met Daniel in the armory-which was an old bar-and stood beside him. Daniel and I had grown closer over the few weeks we were stuck together. He taught me alot, like how to lethally use my shovel and how to use my bayonet more effectively by shooting my target after stabbing it to pull out quicker.
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Daniel couldn’t hold a conversation, and I never intended to have a long discussion on our home lives. Either way, Daniel put up with me and showed me a few tricks on staying alive.
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I asked the quartermaster for more ammunition and grenades. He slid them across the counter and said, “go get’em boys.”
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Daniel and I walked out the door and waited for an Abrams to drive past us. He looked at me and asked, “what’s your thoughts?”
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“On what?”
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The Abrams chugged past us, turning down the end of the street and driving to other tanks. Daniel and I walked across the street, “on the mission. I know you’re not scared of an opinion.”
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“I think we need air support. We’ll have it at Phase Two right?”
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“Hopefully. All I want is some goddamn rest.”
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“We might get it after we take this hill. Command might see our victory as a ticket home.”
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“The only ride home we’re getting is a body bag.”
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“Don’t say that.”
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“Just trying to be optimistic.”
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“I don’t think you know what that means.”
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“Yeah, I do.”
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We met Timothy and Que near a hollowed building. Timothy drank a cup of coffee and Que cleaned his SR-25. Timothy asked us, “you know Lukas is coming back?”
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Daniel chuckled, “a day before we take the hill? Seems lucky.”
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“Yeah. Apparently we’ll be getting Fresh Boots too.”
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Unlike the hills North of us, Hill B-502 was lightly defended according to our drone images. The hill posed a more offensive threat than a defensive difficulty.
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I sat with Timothy and Que while Daniel shit in one of the many craters. Timothy nudged me, “better get your pre-battle shit in.”
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I nodded, grabbing a roll of toilet paper and emptying my tank. While doing so, I saw a convoy arrive from the beach. There were about sixteen trucks, two MRAPs, and three Bradleys.
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I joined my team at the convoy and waited to see Lukas’ face. He stepped down from the truck and Timothy quickly rushed him for a hug. Timothy wrapped his arms around Lukas’ neck and started to cry, revealing a soft spot no one ever saw before. Daniel shook Lukas’ hand and Que nodded at him. Lukas looked at me and asked, “you’re still kicking?”
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I nodded, “yeah. Nice to see you again.”
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“Nice to see you too Kid. Y‘all wanna see something cool?”
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Lukas rolled up his pants leg to show us his scar he received from the beach. There was one hole on his upper front thigh, and a larger hole on his lower rear thigh. He chuckled, “a beaut ain’t she?”
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Timothy nodded, “yeah man. You’re gonna get all the good-looking girls in LC for sure.”
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“Me and Andre both are. Speaking of that handsome bastard, where is he?”
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Daniel cleared his throat and laid his hand on Lukas’ shoulder. Timothy said somberly, “he went down with the others.”
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Lukas sniffled, wiped his nose, and asked, “how bad?”
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Daniel told him, “don’t worry. I was there the entire time.”
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“Okay, good. I’m sure he was happy to go beside you.”
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Que asked Lukas, “you know what we’re doing tomorrow?”
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Lukas nodded with a small smile, “yeah. Heard it on the ship over here. Assaulting a small hill? Right?”
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“Ain’t nothing small ‘bout it.”
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Timothy continued, “we took some hills East of here. Got arti set up and they’re ready to blow it away. We just have to destroy the cannons on top.”
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“And that leads us to LC?”
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“Yep.”
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“Cool. Well let me get my bags dumped and I’ll see y'all later.”
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We parted ways and met some of the Fresh Boots with Tent. Tent gave them a rundown on the mission and told them what he expected from them, something we all got once. Tent continued to say they were filling big shoes, and needed to use teamwork to stick out as an individual. In the end, he talked about us and what we did to get here. Tent mentioned me clearing a house by myself, then taking a church, falling from it, and getting back up. He also brought up a time when I used an enemy’s rifle after expending all my ammunition. He talked about our bravery, sacrifices, and said words I would have never thought of saying for myself. Tent lifted our morale up. If we could take Creole Beach, the hills around Crole, and Creole, we could do anything.
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I met the Fresh Boots after Tent’s briefing. There was Simon Draxter, a young farm-boy from Georgia. Conner Hunter was a recruit from Wilmington, he was our new second medic. Anthony Flupe was our new second radioman from Florida. Xander Marshall was Que’s new spotter.
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We didn’t get many new recruits. Some Divisions needed more units or they would become a small squad. Around 1430, we gathered our gear and headed towards the hill on foot.
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At about 1600, the hill came into view. It was massive. Towering into the sky and wielding massive anti-tank cannons. Simon gasped, “we’re heading up that thing?”
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Timothy chuckled, “don’t be scared. Rogers and I took out three bunkers by ourselves. Not any difference here.”
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We walked into an old factory and set up for the remainder of the day. While everyone else was setting up, Daniel and I searched the deserted building.
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I opened a steel door to a large room filled with hanging carcasses. The smell was atrocious, hitting me in the nose like a train at full speed. Daniel recoiled, covering his face. He coughed, “must be a meat locker.”
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I used my sleeve to shield my nose and walked through the meat locker. I didn’t find anything so I turned back. Daniel and I then continued to the second floor, since the first floor was completely stripped of any machinery. The floor was barren with only a few wires and plugs sticking out of the ground.
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Daniel opened a door to an office and shined his flashlight inside. He shook his head and moved on to the next one, which was empty as well. The last one contained a decayed body, who had a bullet hole in his head.
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With the inside secure, Daniel and I sat with our Division. At 2100, Scroll Division showed up and sat with this. Artillery rained down on the hill for the next four hours. After an hour break, it continued for another three hours. At 0430, we geared up and headed for the hill.
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On our way there, a windy rain swept over us. The rain felt like bullets, landing on our shoulders with heavy taps. As the thunder roared with the sounds of artillery shells exploding, the sky turned an orange glow. We got to the base of the hill and Scroll Division started moving up.
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The hill went straight up in certain areas with no cover except rocks and hollowed tree trunks. There were a few craters, but too deep to climb out of. The hill inclined a few feet before shooting straight up near the top. This made a perfect hilltop.
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I dropped to one knee and checked my pack for any loose items that would hinder my movements. All of a sudden, the rain stopped. I looked up at the appearing sun to see a rainbow beginning to form.
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I stood up in amazement. I couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful piece of light. Plumes of smoke filled the sky with a dark complexture. The rainbow lit the horizon with wonderful, vibrant colors.
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Daniel grabbed onto my back collar and pulled me towards the ground. When he did, a hail of bullets tore through the air which I had been standing in. Daniel dragged me into cover underneath a wall of MG fire. I caught a glimpse of the hill to my right. Scroll Division was getting ripped apart.
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Two men were trying to pull someone into cover but were blown away by an AT shell. One man tried setting his M249 but got hit by a bullet. He tumbled down the hill, hitting each and every rock on his way down. A group of Rangers were pushing an MG nest when the nest quickly swept across them, killing all of them by nearly ripping them in half.
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Daniel twisted my head around, “you hit?”
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I shook my head, “no I’m fine.”
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A headless body fell beside me. I looked at it’s nametag to see ‘Draxter’. I rolled the body away and looked over our rock. There were three MG nests with two AT guns in the middle. All three MG nests were firing down on our guys and the guns were as well. The emplacements were concealed by nets and fortified by sandbags and tree trunks. One nest swept it’s machine gun over our rock, ripping a large piece of it off. I quickly ducked back down to see Xander on the ground suffocating.
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He held his arm up towards us, calling out for help. He gasped and groaned. Xander was shot in the chest. William tried crawling out to him, but Timothy grabbed his shoulders and shoved him into cover. Xander wiggled towards us. A burst of MG fire blew Xander’s upper body into pink mist.
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William shouted, “you bastards! Give us a fucking chance! You goddamn bastards!”
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Tent yelled, “calm down!”
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William exclaimed, “we don’t do that! We don’t do that shit Sergeant!”
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Tent yelled back, “we do! We do William!”
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I crawled over to Zach and he asked me, “how you doin Rogers?”
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I nodded, “dandy.”
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Zach spoke into his phone, “Baseplate Zero-One. This is Devil Dog Division, we’ve received heavy fire from Hill… standby-” He looked at me, “where the fuck are we?”
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I told him, “Hill B-502.”
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“Okay… we’ve received heavy fire from Hill B-502. Need immediate HE rounds on grid letter Bravo-Zulu-Echo-Delta. How confirm?”
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I propped my rifle on the rock above Zach and shot at the closest MG nest. The machine gunner quickly turned his weapon towards me. I ducked down before I could get shot. Zach nodded, “roger Baseplate. Out.”
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Zach called out, “two minutes! Everyone, two minutes!”
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Even though the batteries were already aimed at Hill B-502, it took the shells almost two minutes to travel from the barrel to the hill. The two minutes felt like two hours. Once that time had elapsed, a rain of steel came down on the hill top.
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I curled up with Zach, waiting for the artillery to cease. It was a sixteen shot barrage. Sixteen shots in one small place. Once it did, I heard someone yell, “let’s go get the bastards!”
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I helped Zach up and we charged towards the closest MG nest. I shot into the camouflage netting while Zach primed a grenade. Once he pulled the pin, I stepped back and he tossed it in. The grenade exploded and Zach fired into the nest.
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Daniel and Timothy attempted to take out one of the AT guns. Timothy was shot in the arm before getting shot in the chest. He stumbled, but then carried on to get shot in the head. Timothy flung back, sliding down the slope.
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Daniel chucked a grenade through a slot in the gun's armor. The grenade exploded, sending an arm into the sky. He charged over the gun, shooting the crew members. I moved up to another MG nest and cleared it.
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We were only halfway up the hill. There were a few rocks but nothing to cover our advance. I moved to the nearest rock and turned back to see Daniel and Zach running towards me. Daniel slammed into the ground and reloaded his rifle. He asked me, “you good?”
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I nodded, “they got Timothy.”
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“And Conner.”
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Zach chuckled, “fuck me. What are we supposed to do?”
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Que and Tent joined us at the rock, laying at my feet because there wasn’t much room. Que shot his rifle and Tent reloaded his. Tent asked, “Sanders. Get on the horn and find out where the hell Alpha Killer is.”
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Zach nodded, reporting our status to Alpha Killer on the other side of the hill. Tent looked over the rock and told us, “okay. There’s two bunkers, one on the right one down the middle. We gotta get on the side of the hill and flank them. Looks like they got MG60s and fucking LAT guns in there. Rogers, Marsh, sneak up on the right and take out that right flank. We’ll storm in when you clear it out.”
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Daniels told Tent, “they got Tim Sarge.”
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Tent looked like he was trying to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. His hand began to shake and he began to tighten his face. Tent rattled his head, “go kill those fuckers boys.”
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Daniel and I moved around to the right side of the hill, which was much steeper than our original path. We walked sideways on the hill. I slipped a few times, as did Daniel. We found a small dried creekbed. We used the rocks in the creekbed to help us up. While we were doing so, some pebbles fell to my feet from the top. I looked up to see a Confederate soldier propping his rifle on a stump, facing left.
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Instead of shooting him and giving away our position, I slowly moved up to his back. I grabbed onto his shoulders and shoved him into the dirt. I then unsheathed my knife and stabbed it into his armpit. He grabbed onto my arm and said, “no… please.”
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I sliced my knife up, breaking the steel of my knife off.
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I got up and moved to the bunker door. It was opened, so I walked in with Daniel behind me. He stayed close to me. The bunker had winding walls and a confusing interior. I eventually found myself in a room with four MG gunners. I put two shots in each of their backs and then moved to the nearest door.
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It was a long hallway with a door at the end and a few rooms. A soldier came out of one of the rooms, holding a MG60. I quickly dispatched him with two chest shots. Another one came out with a rifle. Daniel and I shot him two times. When we walked over the bodies, we shot them again. The door opened and I saw a blue uniformed soldier. I lowered my rifle, satisfied to see a friendly face. He waved at us, “come on! We got them now!”
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Daniel and I followed the Ranger to the left bunker. There was a lowered bunker in the center, with a hatch as a door. Two Rangers were watching the hatch. A Confederate, dressed in what looked like an Officer uniform, opened the hatch with his hands up. One Ranger shot him in the face.
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The Ranger leading us got hit in the leg. He fell over himself, but I quickly stepped over him to shield him. I saw the shooter in a gap in the left side bunker. I shot him and turned to see if the Ranger was alright. The shot went right through his leg. He shooed me off, “I’m fine keep going!”
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I nodded, flicking my fingers at Daniel. We moved to the door, but it was closed and locked. Tent ran to us and said, “good job boys. That fucking wall took forever to climb.”
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Daniel primed a grenade and tossed it into the bunker gap. The grenade exploded, sending screams and pleas for medics shortly afterwards. William grabbed the Ranger who got shot in the leg and dragged him to safety. Lukas loaded a flashbang grenade into his M203 and shot the grenade through the gap. If we couldn’t get inside, we could make them come outside.
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Tent twisted the top off a smoke grenade and tossed it through the gap. Daniel tossed another frag grenade. Lukas fired a HE grenade. I guarded the door in case they came out fighting. Tent tossed another smoke grenade in.
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I could hear multiple soldiers coughing and gagging inside. Smoke plumed through the cracks in the door and streamed out of the gap. Someone started banging on the other side of the door, “help us! Help us! We surrender!”
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He screamed in agony and pain, crying for his mother. Someone just like me. A human. Who was a son. Who had a mother, like I did. How could I be at war with someone who was just like me? What about his anxious mother, who was as anxious as mine. He was a son, as I was. He wore a uniform and he carried a rifle, as I did. I shot at him he shot at me. For what?
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I reached out to grab the handle, but it seared my hand. It must have been three hundred degrees in there. It was already a hundred without willie pete.
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While the bunker inhabitants suffocated with screams and cries for help, we focused our attention on the underground bunker. There was one hatch with four vents. While Tent and Scroll’s Master Sergeant were trying to form an entry plan through the hatch, I pointed at two of the vents and asked, “why don’t we just toss frags down?”
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Tent shrugged his shoulders at the Master Sergeant, who nodded, “that’s a plan.”
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We tossed frag, flash, smoke, and HE grenades through the vents. With each muffled explosion, we heard someone fall or yell. Eventually, the hatch opened. The Master Sergeant drew his handgun and aimed at the Confederate officer. The officer held his hands up, “please. My men. They need aid.”
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He nodded, jerking his handgun to the side, “get out.”
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Six soldiers along with the officer came out. The officer pleaded at the Master Sergeants feet, “please don’t kill us. My men aren’t murderers.”
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The Master Sergeant lined the soldiers and shot them each in the back of the head. The officer watched in shock, as did everyone else.
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Tent looked away, covering his mouth. I couldn’t look away but I sure as hell wanted to. Tent sighed, “shit.”
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I walked to his side where I saw three cannons. They were fake. Just large tree logs modeled to look like cannons. Daniel chuckled, “what the fuck?”
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Tent shook his head, “there’s another point for military intelligence.”
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The Master Sergeant then shot the officer.
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I looked around for Zach, but couldn’t find him. I walked along the steepest part of the hill where bodies were piled up. It looked like they were trying to climb over but got shot in the process. I saw a dead Ranger with a radio pack on his back. I trembled in fear, it was Zach. I grabbed onto his collar and lifted him up.
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His face was shot in, but it was Zach. I could tell by his lush blonde hair. I put him down and sighed, “I’m sorry buddy.”
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Tent patted my shoulder, “you okay?”
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I nodded, “what the fuck we take this hill for?”
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“Orders Rogers. We have to follow our orders.”
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“Fuck our orders. Is it even worth it?”
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“It is. High Command knows well. Their orders will help us in the long run.”
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All of a sudden, the sounds of whistling filled the silence. I looked up in the sky to see trails of artillery shells coming towards us. Tent stepped back and yelled, “everyone take cover!”
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Tent picked me up and guided me towards the right side bunker. As we were running towards the bunker, artillery started exploding around us. One shell landed square in a wounded Rangers lap. Another exploded in between two Rangers. I ran into the bunker with Tent behind me. Daniel and William were already inside with a few other Rangers. William was treating some of the Rangers who were wounded.
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We sat and waited for the artillery to cease. I covered my ears, trying to muffle the horrific sounds of screaming shells and explosions. When the artillery ended, Tent looked around at us. He asked, “everyone okay?”
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Daniel shouted, “who the fuck fired that?”
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Someone else asked, “was that friendly?”
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Tent said, “everyone calm down. Anybody got a radio?”
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A Ranger came up to Tent and handed him his radio-phone. Tent asked into the phone, “who the hell fired on us? We have secured Hill B-502. I say again, there are friendlies on Hill B-502.”
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He gave the phone back and ran outside the bunker. I followed him. When I went outside, smoke filled the area and there were bodies all over the ground. I approached a nearby legless Ranger and wrapped a tourniquet around his upper thigh. He grabbed onto my side and said, “please man. Tell my girl, tell my girl I didn’t go out like this!”
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I told him, “you’re gonna tell her yourself.”
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William kneeled across from me and started applying salt and bandages to his missing leg. I saw Rangers come up the sloped side. Tent got in one of their faces and started yelling, but I couldn’t hear him over the screams of our men.
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William shook his head, “this whole thing was FF.”
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We had just been hit by friendly artillery? FF meant Friendly-Fire, but then again, they weren’t very friendly if they were trying to kill us.
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We spent the rest of the day cleaning up our wounded and bagging the dead for burial. Tent didn’t want to bury our men right where they were killed from friendly fire.
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I looked out over Lake Charles. The city was massive. A bridge cut the city in half and there were multiple large factories on the other side of the river. If we were going to attack Lake Charles, we would need a lot better intel.
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