The Unawriter's Lair

The Ghost of Belleau Wood

Earlier this month, I finished up my tenth book. Shadow of the Sword, co-authored with Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Workman, is the story of Jeremiah's experiences in Fallujah and his struggle with PTSD after he came home from Iraq. He served in 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines in the weapon's company during his time in country.

Two Mondays ago, at 3:00 AM, I sent the manuscript off to Random House. It was the end of a marathon effort that saw me holed up in my office for over a month as we worked to complete it by the deadline.

After waking up later that morning, I decided to go for a drive. Over the past month, I've been fortunate to reconnect with an old friend from California, and I wanted to take some photos of our county for her and show her the beauty inherent in our little corner of Oregon.

I threw the top down and headed out west, looking for photo opportunities. Out in King's Valley, the clouds started to close in, and for a bit it looked like it might rain on the GXP. To outrun the weather, I turned north and ran up 223 looking for something to catch my eye.

Just short of Dallas, I ran across a cemetery I'd never seen before. Back in grad school, I surveyed just about every cemetery in the Eugene area, looking for Civil War veterans. That project led to an enduring interest in old cemeteries, so I turned around and popped in. Right away, it was clear that a number of veterans were buried in this place. GAR headstones stand out with their distinctive style.

I wandered among the rows of headstones and found many interesting stories. There were several Civil War vets, including a Confederate who had served in an Arkansas Regiment that had seen action all over the West.

Then I found Thomas Bennett's headstone. When I looked it over, my jaw just fell open. He served in the 5th Marine Regiment at Belleau Wood. His date of death corresponded with the last day of that battle in 1918.

The manuscript I'd just turned in focused on the 5th Marines, and at the beginning of the book we wrote about Belleau Wood.

What are the odds? Here in this little country cemetery rests a marine who helped stop the last major German offensive of World War I, who belonged to a unit I just finished writing about only a few hours before this encounter? There had to be a reason for this chance discovery.

I stood there and snapped a few photos of his headstone and resolved to write about the Battle of Belleau Wood in more detail sometime in the future. Maybe someday, I'll uncover how Thomas was killed in action.

In the meantime, I walked away from the cemetery sobered and honored. Here lay a veteran whose story remains unwritten, probably lost forever to future generations. It made me feel that much more fortunate to be able to do what I do now. Jeremiah's book will not just speak of his experiences, but the experiences of his generation of American warrior. What an opportunity to be a part of something like that.

Jeremiah, did I forget to thank you today for that chance? Well, just know I'm thankful every day. You are my brother.

The Night the BC Shot Me

I have to admit that it has taken me a long time to connect the term BC with LTC Bill Edwards. When I was in New Orleans, the BC was LTC Hendrickson. He commanded 2-162 through the entire story I wrote up in The Devil's Sandbox. When LTC Hendrickson moved on to the Regional Training Institute, LTC Tanguy took over as the BC for 2-162.

BC, by the way, stands for Battalion Commander. I know, it is sometimes confusing, as it can also stand for Bradley Commander.

For awhile, I think I was in denial after I heard the news that LTC Hendrickson had retired. My relationship with Colonel Hendrickson had gone from writer-subject to something much more significant over the course of the Devil's Sandbox. I found much in him to learn from and admire. Hendrickson played things very close to the vest and tried to mask his emotions, but anyone who wanted to look could see how he felt about his men and the responsibility he bore for them. I wonder sometimes if it wore him out. The truth is, after being with him in New Orleans, I would do anything Colonel Hendrickson asked of me.

As a result, I felt a little disloyal trying to connect with LTC Edwards. I know, that's illogical, but tough. Writers are artists, too, which gives us license to be emotional.  As a result, for the last year I've tried to avoid LTC Edwards as much as possible. In my heart, I don't think I was ready to accept the fact that Hendrickson was really gone.

Well, that bit me in the butt in August. I had asked both Captain Jones and Major Reese, the battalion XO, if I could come up to Idaho and embed with the battalion during the three weeks at Gowen Field. But I didn't ask LTC Edwards, who was rightfully cheesed off that some middle-aged dufus civilian had showed up on his FOB in a dust-covered Solstice.

The good news, though, was that it gave me a chance to really meet the new BC and see what kind of leader and man he is. Over the past two months, I've seen some telling things.

First, the BC has a brain the size of Neptune. He's probably sneezed out more brain cells than most people ever have in their craniums, myself included. Nothing escapes him. He sees everything, and has this meticulous, analytical mind that can break down every action into sub-components. Then he'll digest what each little piece did right or wrong and lay out in a candid manner at the After Action Reviews. He has god-level situational awareness and can keep track of a million little details simultaneously.

He's also a very quiet and reserved man. This unnerves me a little, as I'm obnoxious, loud and generally consider silence between two sentient individuals to be both awkward and a waste of time.

Okay, now you have all the background for this exceptionally cool little vignette from Rilea this past weekend.

I was working on a react-to-direct fire lane out in the woods by the lake that runs along the edge of the MOUT range. All day long, red ants had been stinging my butt and probing the depths of my underwear for food. Given the fact that I hadn't changed since Thursday, it was an even bet that they'd find something down there.

But I digress. We worked well past dark Friday night. Basically, once an hour or so, Lt. Cotton and SFC Hudson would send down a new platoon, mounted in Humvees, to run past me and my crew from the 973rd. We'd then engage them with blank-firing 9mm pistols and upgraded airsoft AK-47's. Actually, for this evening, I had an RPK that my wife gave me for my birthday.

Another digression: Coolest wife...EVER.

So it's dark, and I'm hunkered down behind the RPK along the crest of a small hill. I've got a great field of fire and decide to engage the second Humvee in the column. This go-round was very important to everyone on the lane, as I had seen LTC Edwards show up to ride along with the next platoon.

I got my guys together and told them to bring their A-game. We needed to impress the BC so that the 973rd can continue to be the 2-162's OPFOR. Also, I'd heard the BC was on something of a warpath because some of the men were not in the full and proper uniform for the weekend. This included IBA's, webbing, etc. I don't know what it all included, but not everyone had everything, so the BC had been irked. I wanted to give him something he could be proud of and see the sort of usefulness the 973rd can provide.

Well, they mounted up and came after us. As the column rolled into sight, I triggered off a few blank rounds. The Humvees stopped and the men dismounted while the gunners laid down suppressing fire. I started shooting the RPK, walking fire across the Humvees and the dismounts.

Then I look down at the base of the hill and see a tall soldier with his weapon pointed right at me. No way I could deny it. I was toast. He had me cold. So I died and laid there, face down in the sandy soil.

A minute later, the tall soldier led two more up to the crest of the hill and secured my corpse. He called out, "This is Edwards! I've got one enemy KIA!"

I looked up from my face-planted position and saw the BC looming over me. A lieutenant colonel had just smoked a simulated insurgent. Now, I know this is just training and anyone can show bravery in such a situation, but it was still something else to see the BC had just dismounted and assaulted a machine gun position. What's more, he won.

The best leaders are officers willing to share the risks with their men. The great ones led from the front whenever possible. Joshua Chamberlain knew this. Patton knew this. MacArthur demonstrated this time after time during his combat career in World War I. Lieutenant Colonel Hendrickson set the example in 2004-05 when he would frequently lead patrols. "BC on point! Again..." is something I heard in New Orleans from the ranks.

So this little moment in the woods revealed a side of the LTC Edwards I had not seen before. He's a tiger--aggressive and spirited. It was good to see, and I couldn't help but beam as I walked back to the After Action Review. When I arrived and stepped beside the BC, he looked over at me with a wide grin on his face, "My, John, that's a big gun you have there...." I had the RPK slung across my front and burst out laughing. Then I told him that he'd just killed me, and his grin got even bigger. When it was my turn to give the OPFOR's side of the After Action Review, the first thing I said was that the BC killed me--and secured my body. Both firsts for anyone in the 973rd. The entire platoon got a good laugh out of that. As he walked toward the next station, the BC paused, turned around and complimented Lt. Cotton for running a good lane. We all walked a little taller after that.

I got to spend a lot of time in the woods that night alone with my thoughts as we waited for the next platoon to come through. I dwelled on that moment and how the BC reacted and I considered what other field grade officers have done under similar circumstances in the four books I've written now on Iraq.

Conclusions? The Volunteers are in damned good hands.

News from Rilea

This past weekend, the Volunteers of 2-162 Infantry assembled at Camp Rilea for Individual Warrior Task training. Using squad-sized elements, the unit went over a wide variety of soldier tasks ranging from land navigation to reacting to sniper fire. It was a long, productive weekend that saw the men and women of the unit work at least one twenty hour day.

I was up there, leading the 973rd COB in support of the unit. I am home now, blisters almost healed, itchy bug bites peppering both arms. For me, it was one of the most meaningful weekends I've ever spent. First, I got to play a small role in an important weekend for the 2-162 by working on a react-to-mounted contact lane and giving the OPFOR's side of the AAR. Second, I witnessed a significant moment in the history of the 2-162.

Back in 2003, the Volunteers received their alert order while at annual training at Rilea. Lieutenant Colonel Hendrickson told his company commanders that the unit was heading for Iraq, and these captains then broke the news to the men. On Saturday, October 11, 2008, the Volunteers assembled on Rilea's parade ground as Alpha Company received its campaign streamer for the 04-05 deployment to the sand box. Lieuteant Colonel Bill Edwards, Volunteer Six, then handed out awards to some of the men and women who have distinguished themselves over the past several months. He then had the entire battalion break formation and sit down on the grassy slope at the edge of the starship barracks. When everyone found a seat, he stood in front of his men and women to tell them 2-162 would be heading to Iraq as an integrated unit. There had been rumors floating around that the Volunteers would be folded into 1-186 to plus up their companies. The BC laid out the timeline for the deployment and what the mission will be once they are in country. One company will be tasked with force protection while the other three run convoy escort missions around Baghdad.

The BC gave a heart-felt speech to the Volunteers. I sat on the sidelines, taking pictures and watching how his words affected the men and women. There were no cheers, no false bravado from the ranks. There are too many veterans of too many deployments now for that sort of stuff. Instead, I saw grim resolve. This is something they have to do, and they will do it, but from their expressions it was obvious they understand what this will do to their families, marriages and civilian lives. They have a very rough year ahead.

And then, the BC reached back into the best traditions of the National Guard and threw the floor open for questions. What followed looked almost like a town hall meeting in body armor. As the BC fielded questions and comments, it struck me just how uniquely American this moment was. How many armies have this sort of interplay between commander and the ranks? Certainly not the German Army, or the Japanese. What about the Romans? No way. We are a separate entity in history, and our military reflects the best values that form the foundation of our society.

When the meeting ended, the men grabbed their weapons and headed off to the training lanes again. I linked up with the 973rd on the parade ground and saw grim realization on my friends' faces. For us, it had just become real. These men and women we love and respect will soon be in harm's way. We walked back to our lanes more committed than ever to do anything possible to get them ready to go.

I reached my lane, which ran alongside the lake at Rilea. I kept thinking about Ken Leisten Sr. and Scott McCrae and I couldn't help but to choke up. They're going back. No change in the White House or chain of events in Iraq can stop this from happening now. I was sore and tired, and had been eating MRE's and donuts while wearing holes in my boots walking back and forth down this goddamned gravel road between iterations. None of that mattered. We just needed to do better, work harder, help impart the lessons that will help them stay alive when it hits the fan over there. If it were up to every member of the 973rd, not another contact team will visit an Oregon family.

But it isn't up to us. And I can't help but to rage against that.