Just south of the narrow and most western region of Oklahoma, which is commonly and appropriately referred to as the panhandle, there is a portion of Texas that represents its most northern reaches. Although square in shape as opposed to elongated, that specific region of Texas is also often referred to as the panhandle. The nearly flat land throughout the majority of the area is dotted with dozens of small towns and crisscrossed roadways, while the focal point of the population resides within or around the city of Amarillo.

Throughout recent times the United States had maintained a minimal military presence within the area when compared to other regions of Texas, with none of the respective installations being considered as hugely significant. Then in following that lead, the Republic of Texas had not seen the need of investing any capital to establish a defensive presence of their own in the panhandle once the United States had vacated the facilities. Consequently the mostly wide open expanse could be viewed as a relatively easy target for incursion, and an excellent place for the United States to create a necessary diversion.

Although the political arena between the United States and Texas had not reached a level of total mistrust, there had been overtures by Ambassador Pearson which helped to create increased tension. One such overture was that of informing the American Secretary of State during their February meeting that a tariff would be imposed upon all commercial vehicles passing from one point in the United States to another through the Republic of Texas. He also stated that a similar obligation would be imposed on freight deliveries of any kind bound for a destination within Texas, but an opportunity for those truckers to receive reimbursement would exist. In those instances the mandated tariff would be collected upon entry into Texas, but if the commercial vehicle then exited the republic by use of the same entry point, a full reimbursement would be provided.

Much to the dismay of President Harwell those conditions of passage were enacted as intended on the first day of April, and many of those attempting to enter Texas with loads of merchandise learned quickly that it was no joke. The ensuing weeks created a tremendous financial impact upon those companies who required the use of commercial trucking for business purposes throughout the southern portion of the United States, with alternative and affordable options not always readily available. Interstate-10, 20, and 40 all stretched from one side of Texas to the other in an east to west configuration, while a few others entered the republic from the north. Each of those high volume routes became even more preferred by commercial trucking throughout the winter months, as they typically received far less snow or icy conditions when compared to more northern interstates. Based on that established pattern, the general consensus was that through the use of the high tariffs, or that of another less savory option, Texas would be able to squeeze the financial bottom line of an increasing number of United States based companies.

With complete understanding of that unfavorable prospect, a fragment of the master plan for incursion upon Texas by United States covert forces called for a diversion with added benefit. With the strike set for Monday the twenty-ninth of May, a date which during the current calendar year coincided with the Memorial Day Holiday, the intent was to create havoc within the panhandle with a large enough compliment of special operations forces so that it could not be ignored. If successful, those forces would temporarily cut off a lucrative financial stream for Texas, and in the process, hopefully draw some of her military forces to the region from other locations.

The first step of the plan to establish temporary free passage for all commercial trucking along Interstate-40 was to expediently seize control of both entry points into the republic. Because eliminating the civilian traffic without causing alarm was also necessary, the success of the endeavor would be crucial. The combined factors of an early morning hour and that it would be attempted on a holiday which Texas still recognized as legitimate were working in their favor, but a secondary ruse beyond that of the intended diversion would be required in order to accomplish the goal.

Through the use of federal agents posing as New Mexico or Oklahoma Highway Patrol personnel, check points were set up at the nearest interstate exit to the border. Beginning at midnight and continuing for the next two hours, they stopped all traffic with the exception of a few dozen big rigs which contained teams of Army Rangers and special operations units. Then in a coordinated effort at each of the two entrance points, the driver of a lead truck roughly ten minutes ahead of a convoy stated his desire to hire a Tillman tractor for the crossing as he spoke with the border guard. After each truck had moved forward to the designated spot for the transfer, the troops within sprang out when the rear doors opened to surprise the guards and seize control of the border crossing facilities. With no other civilian traffic to move through, the team then quickly policed each respective entry point to make it appear as if nothing had happened.

While in the course of that action, the commanding officers from each unit made contact via satellite phone with the American facilities which were located roughly one-hundred yards away on the opposite side of the interstate. Then upon meeting with the supervising border agents, they informed them that until otherwise notified they were to keep quiet about the seizure of their mirror facility while also maintaining normal operating procedures at their own.

Within those brief encounters there was another topic of discussion. As there was more than one-hundred seventy miles of interstate stretching across the panhandle and through the city of Amarillo, it was understood that there was no real hope or intent of securing it all. However a dent could be made in that distance, and with the borders under the temporary control of special operations units, any commercial trucking could pass freely from New Mexico to Oklahoma or vice versa until Texas responded.

By the time that had been conveyed and understood, the convoys of double trailer rigs had arrived at each crossing from the checkpoints a few miles back. A handful of men were left behind to monitor each crossing for the possibility of any stray civilian vehicles, while each special operations unit that had policed the area climbed back into their trailer rig to lead their convoy into Texas. Moving toward each other from opposite sides of the republic, the plan was to cut off access to the interstate for several miles. They would not attempt such a maneuver in or near Amarillo, as there would not only be too much traffic to easily contain, but the location would be far too deep into Texas to ensure any measure of safety or success. Therefore distance parameters had been previously set, with the hope that each would get enough attention so as to be reported to authorities within Texas.

From the Oklahoma border the trucks drove fifteen miles to the west where Highway-83 met up with Interstate-40 at the town of Shamrock. While in route, two double trailer rigs at the tail end of the line peeled off at any exit from the interstate to perform the task of blocking the corresponding entrance ramps. In each instance one rig would back into position before disconnecting the second trailer as it spanned the width of the westbound onramp. Then it would back into a parallel position and uncouple the front trailer from the tractor. As that was being done men from the other truck would slash all the tires of each uncoupled trailer to ensure they could not be easily removed from their blocking positions. Once that had been accomplished, the tractor would pull onto the eastbound onramp ahead of the second double rig where the procedure would be duplicated. The second tractor would be cut off from an entrance to the eastbound lanes, so it would drive back up the exit ramp from the westbound lanes of the empty interstate and return to Oklahoma.

The final location where the procedure was performed was at the exit barely to the east of Shamrock, but it had one notable exception. While the truck in the lead continued on toward Amarillo and eventually New Mexico, the last of the double rigs in the convoy peeled away. However unlike the others at exits between its position and Oklahoma, that truck would not block the westbound entrance. Instead it curled under the interstate to block the eastbound ramp before the tractor returned to the westbound exit and headed in the wrong direction along the interstate at high speed.

On the New Mexico side the task was grander in scale, although it was handled in nearly identical fashion. However instead of covering fifteen miles of interstate, that larger convoy ventured thirty-five miles into Texas. Ending at a point just to the west of the junction with Highway-385 at Vega, they had successfully blocked each of the east and westbound entrances onto the interstate.

As the last of the respective drivers headed back to New Mexico at high speed, he knew that the impact of those obstructions on both sides of the panhandle could take several hours to manifest. But he also understood that they would undoubtedly occur soon after civilians from remote regions reported the inability to access Interstate-40 for their various needs. At that point local law enforcement personnel would surely be called to assess the situation, and then in response to their own visual confirmation, would probably attempt to contact the border crossing facilities to discern if anything unusual had transpired. Posing as border guards, members of the special operations units who had secured the facilities would then claim that everything was in order. Upon realizing that the situation could be a massive revolt from various trucking companies, local law enforcement would contact a higher authority in the hope that military assistance would be offered.

For those within the information loop in Washington D.C. and the units at the border crossings, it was understood that a military reprisal from the Republic of Texas would come. It was hoped that forces for that intent would be deployed from their closest strongholds of either Abilene or Wichita Falls, as regaining control of Interstate-40 would be of paramount importance to them. Regardless of what would transpire from that reprisal, the mission would be considered a success if two things were accomplished. First was the intended diversion of forces, while the second being that of instilling a belief that the United States had not been the cause for the troubles along Interstate-40.