Colonel Luis Martin was relieved and a little anxious at finally reaching the military base called Fort Leonard Wood after a three hour ride from the airport in Utopias. The base was 157 miles southwest of the UAC capital in Missouri. He was relieved at making it back from the war in one piece. He was anxious to find out how hard it was on his family and friends to survive the past two years. He knew living conditions in the UAC were difficult, although not nearly as bad as conditions in other parts of the world.
“We made it home, Colonel!” Captain Jason Hood remarked from across the aisle, looking out the window of their transport vehicle as it rode past the front entrance guard gates.
“Yes, we did, Captain. It feels good to see normal farm land again without worrying about bullets flying near our heads.”
“Got that right. Didn’t you say you grew up on a farm in Mexico?”
“I did, but my family moved to Missouri when I was a boy. They still live in the area.”
“Do they know you’re back home?”
“Not yet. I told them I would call them when I arrived. How about you?”
“I called them when we landed at Utopias. I grew up on a farm too. My parents and two younger brothers still farm the land outside of town.”
“I remember you telling me that. Tell them I said hello.”
“Will do, Colonel. I’ll see you later at the briefing.”
Luis nodded his head as he prepared to leave the transport vehicle. It finally stopped just outside the main headquarters building in the center of the base. FLW housed almost 10,000 soldiers, most in training and combat military support. There were approximately 100,000 people who lived in the surrounding Wilderness Area, many in a farming capacity.
Fort Leonard Wood was one of the bigger military bases in the UAC. There were several more military bases scattered around the former U.S.A. country, but very few of them were as large as Fort Leonard Wood and the surrounding community. The base was roughly 95 square miles of rolling hills and Wilderness Area used for training and supporting military personnel. A small portion of the land was used for actual combat training. The UAC Army soldiers at the base remained under the command of General Bradley Clark.
Luis made his way to his temporary office inside headquarters. He would unpack his things and freshen up once he found out which officer apartment he was assigned on the base. Until then he had reports to finish and turn in to the general when he was done.
He turned on the TV in his office and found a local media channel. The news was all about the latest developments concerning The Plague Wars in Asia. India had surrendered to the Chinese Army and there were reports of several high level executions of government officials and military leaders, although the India President, Prime Minister and other popular leaders had been spared. Other news indicated that Premier Tung Wing was behind the killings and he was now preparing to invade other countries in Eastern and Western Europe, including Russia, as part of his grand scheme to control all of the Eastern Hemisphere as part of his so called Eurasia Federation.
By the time he finished his reports on the status of his troops and sent them to General Clark, he received details on his future living arrangements, collected his things and called for a ride to his new apartment. He had calls to make to family and friends that he was home and find out when they could get together. All he wanted now was a good night’s sleep, in a soft bed, in a warm and dry room with no gun shots to keep him awake. Tomorrow would be the start of a new day with a different set of problems to solve. He had no doubt he was up to the task after what he had already experienced overseas.
The next day began just as early as it always does in the army. Luis’s alarm went off at 5:30 in the morning. By the time he had shaved, showered, dressed and had breakfast, his comphone rang with a message. General Clark had called a general meeting for all officers above the grade of Captain to report at headquarters at 0700 hours. It appeared they would all get their new assignments sooner than he expected. Luis expected to be assigned to training new combat soldiers for his next mission overseas, which could occur as early as next year if the Plague Wars continued.
Luis hitched a ride from his apartment to headquarters and arrived five minutes early. The meeting room was already filling up. He recognized many of the officers standing around the coffee machine and decided to get a cup of coffee himself. He stood in line behind Major Susan Wells and Captain Jason Hood who seemed to be having a lively discussion.
“What are you two arguing about now?”
“Oh, hello, Colonel. I was trying to convince Captain Hood that the air here is more polluted than when we left two years ago. He says it’s not. What do you think?” Susan asked while filling her cup with coffee.
Luis liked Susan and knew she was a very intelligent and talented officer, so he answered respectfully, “I believe you’re right as usual, Major. Everything has gotten worse over the last two years according to the media I heard on TV last night. I expect we’ll hear all about it shortly from the general.”
Susan shook her head in agreement at Jason saying, “I told you so, Captain. The world’s still in a mess and we’re knee deep in it.”
Jason just shrugged his shoulders and poured his own coffee. Once Luis filled his cup, all three of them found seats in the front row and waited for General Clark to start the meeting.
General Clark walked past them to the podium at the front of the meeting room. He looked well rested, but his head had more gray hair and his face looked hardened from too many battles in too many wars. Clark looked around the room from his podium. He waited for the officers to find seats and stop talking before speaking. “Welcome everyone back to FLW. It’s been two years since most of us deployed overseas. Thankfully, most of us returned safely. Those that did not will forever be remembered as true soldiers who fought for peace and justice in this world and their sacrifices will not be forgotten.
“I called this meeting to let all of you know what our duties will be while we’re home. There’s a lot to do and little time to do it in. Before I begin, General Mitchell called to tell me what a great job we all did the last two years serving overseas as part of the World Federation Peacekeeper troops.”
The general was interrupted by loud cheering, foot stomping and yells of Hooah!
“I want to second that as well. Thank you soldiers for your service to our country! Make sure you pass this message to your troops after this meeting.
“I know things didn’t turn out like we wanted in India, but we did our best for the World Federation as Peacekeepers. We can’t win them all, especially against the Chinese in Asia, but the war is not over. We still have allies that need our help in Europe. We will prevail in the end!
“Now, as to our official duties while we stay at this base. First: President Carlos has instructed all military bases in the UAC to provide support and protection to all citizens that live in the Wilderness Areas. Support includes food and medical services as needed. As to protection, this is in response to the many reports of civil disturbances from right-wing, ultraconservative militant groups that have sprung up all over the country. We will aid the local police and National Guard troops when called upon.
“Second: General Mitchell has instructed this base to provide heavy equipment and transport services at all secret underground bunker construction sites in our state. This is a priority program for the UAC government. All underground bunker sites must be completed by the end of the year 2098. The reason for this is Top Secret and information on the status and location of these sites is on a need to know basis only.
“Third: The Wilderness Areas are home to hundreds of thousands of citizens that are struggling to survive in these extreme Climate Crisis conditions. It is essential that all hydroelectric power plants be maintained and serviced by the UAC military and private companies as needed. We have responsibility for our state and this includes the Lake of the Ozark waterways.
“Fourth and final duty: We must continue to train our soldiers for the possibility of war, either overseas or on our own territories. The Plague Wars are still being fought in many countries overseas and the World Federation is doing its best to try and stop them. However, the future of the WF is uncertain and the threat from China and the Eurasia Federation is growing greater each day. We must be ready to meet that threat when the president calls.
“That’s all I have to say at this meeting. I will be calling some of you individually to discuss these duties in more detail. Let me know if there are any questions you have or if you need to talk to me personally. My office door is always open. You are dismissed!”
Luis stood up with the rest of the officers in the room as soon as General Clark left the podium and walked out the door. He turned to Jason and Susan and said, “Well, I guess we’ll all get our assignments soon.”
“I hope I get to train soldiers. I hear we have new armored vehicles and weapons we can use for fighting that really pack a punch,” Jason said excitedly.
“I would like to know more about those secret underground bunkers. We don’t need them in case of nuclear war anymore since the WF banned nuclear weapons. The government must think things are going to get so bad we’ll all have to live underground in the future?” Susan said.
“We’ll find out soon enough. For now, I’m planning to see my family while we have time off. Let’s meet tonight at the bar in town for a drink. We can discuss all of this later.”
That seemed acceptable to all of them as they left the meeting room. Whatever happens, Luis knew the next few months were certainly going to be full of surprises.