THE BRIGADE

the 205th brigade arrives at carefully from 28 cities in Minnesota Iowa and Wisconsin its units range from the oldest in the United States Army's to the newest the old guard is here and the 14th artillery the 17th infantry the 409 and the fort in the 33rd armor and the 4th CAV are represented there are engineers to build bridges searchlight companies to light them smoke companies to conceal there are military police military intelligence and military public information units an aviation company to fly the choppers and the gunships a support battalion to link them all together the brigade brings with it the battle-hardened veteran the decorated officer the army wise sergeant and the raw recruit the immediate mission will be to weld these units and these men into a cohesive mobile self-supported striking force to one man the mission is paramount for he must prove his units work barbour Arnold team brigadier general commanding the mission of this brigade is to move from our assembly area at this point and move into a mobile defense with preparation of launching attacks for the intelligence we have this information at this time we have to mechanize but i'am to our front they're located generally in these two areas we have two tank battalions that have been reported moving down this highway here life burned through the night orders are on the way the mission jackpine one in the war room at Corps headquarters East units of the brigade becomes a box or circle or flag or kill yer on the huge situation map radios crackle urgent command nerves tingle a pulse pounds the brigade free the garage will go to the field it will turn twisted metal into functional parts in the motorpool routine maintenance is now top priority emergency aid packs plasma bandages information tags and medications are moving down a hasty production line in the medical company the material the men the machines are moving on the mission field rep generators communication quiet and crated ammunition reaching a rendezvous at dawn second Platoon Charlie Company 4th battalion 33rd armor commanded by lieutenant Dale John worth a 26 year old officer trained at Fort Knox and rising through the ranks to a commission like many armored officers or tank commanders worth teaches tactics which take advantage of the tanks mobility firepower and brawn a tank has actual and psychological powers worth will use all of them in his mission clymer budget Niner this is glamour budget Niner do fire mission the artillery speed and power 1 10 model size plus 4 Bravo site plus for deflection 2732 quadrant 287 Center one round battery one round in a fake artillery units are trained to react instant truths receive a mission pull off the road train the howitzers on a target perhaps seven miles away umpires and evaluators marks or sheets adding to the pressure three rounds will be fired for record the air attacks have finished the shelling has died away the infantry will take the high ground the infantry wakes wept war-weary in the midst of God the infantry feels its belly churn in the moments before attack the infantry moves on foot in the driving rain or in the treacherous quiet of the sun-dappled would he is called a Dogface he carries his home upon his back marches through three pair of boots lives off the land sleeps where he can't from a brown box labeled Neil combat he is fair target from the concealed bunker the long-range guns the mortars and from the sky behind the hill the separate Infantry Brigade has infinite capabilities it can launch an armored spearhead command artillery feed and clothe itself establish its own communications and through its powerful generators liked an entire city combat engineers build bridges of every description their bridges carry tanks trucks equipment supplies and men the infantry is on the move raw firepower is not enough it must be mobile the 106 millimeter recoilless rifle meets such requirements it is jeep mountain it packs an armor-piercing punch from eighty five hundred yards the weapon is a massive 4.2 inch mortar mounted on the carrier or fired from the ground it will hurl its shell 6,000 yards with pinpoint accuracy number 2 deflection zero seven Niner five in its role as a self-supporting force the brigade must care for itself on the attack on the defense and in grim moments of tragedy it replies with intensively trained professionals in its medical company it responds to the urgent call with ambulance and helicopter time is precious the skilled corpsman will waste none of it their techniques are far advanced from those used in World War two and in curry and to the rear the surgeons are ready they will complete the business of saving life BTW and burly he commands a recon platoon Sheba william j first lieutenant 3rd infantry 26 ranger harriton his specialty is an old one forged behind rock walls and hedgerows sharpen in countless gullies and along a thousand Dusty Rhodes home in the jungles of Vietnam bill scheidler specialty is the quick kill ambush the citizen soldiers are going home and with them ratings which range from excellent to security the combat veteran the decorated officer the army wise sergeants and the raw recruits are moving with a perfect they carry freedoms flag as they have since conquered bridge they carry on the rich and hard-won traditions of breeds Hill and red beach one of cow pen and belleau wood of Utah and he'll 609 of the harm and of the rise in the weeks and months that follow they will continue to pray for if they are called again they must be ready these men of the brigade I you