Sunday Mission
It was a drizzly winter day. Most people stayed indoors, but 4 men had a mission to accomplish. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, or in this case, the guilty.
Each man knew the mission would be hard, and there was no telling when they would return to the base camp. Silently they prepared for departure. Each one packed enough food for a week, and warm clothes to survive in the harsh winter temperatures. Their mission would take them far out in into the wilderness and they had no one to rely on but themselves.
The gear they packed into the 2.5 ton, 1986 army truck was specific to their mission. Stealth would be required rather than force. When everything was ready, recon team Alpha loaded up and headed out into enemy territory.
At first the going was easy. The snow on the mountain pass had begun to melt into a slush. This helped to reduce the noise from the truck. The pouring rain also helped mask the noise.
Joe drove while Dave navigated. Sometimes Dave had to stand on the driver’s kickboard and tell Joe when the truck was getting too close to the edge. A two hundred cliff to the left demanded care be taken on this narrow pass. Ryan and “Bulldog” Sam rode in the bed of the truck, awaiting their turn for action. They were not worried at all about running off the cliff because Joe was a trusty driver. They had been in situations like this before.
As they traveled further up the mountain, the rain turned to snow. The temperatures decreased, and Ryan and Bulldog put on extra clothes for warmth. The truck began to have difficulty on the road, and the snow chains were tested to the max. While those in the cab enjoyed a relatively smooth ride, the two in the back had it rough. The truck bounced up and down so much Ryan and Bulldog had to stand up and hold onto what they could to avoid being knocked about everywhere.
Going went slower and slower until finally the truck came to a standstill. It was effectively stuck in the snow. But this was expected, and this is why the men had packed shovels. When they had dug enough snow that the truck could advance again, they loaded back in and started up the mountain once more.
But after this point the stops became more and more frequent. The truck would only move 20 feet or so before more digging was required. Ryan and Bulldog eventually started walking beside or behind the truck with shovels in hand. Every time the truck was stuck, they would rush to the front and start shoveling snow.
And so the hours passed. It became a race with time, as the hour of darkness was approaching. The snow on the side of the road was waist deep or deeper. It became deeper as the men shoveled the snow drifts out of the road, if it could even be called a road at this point. In some places the men digging in the road could not see over the piles of snow to the side. But this did not stop them, and they plodded on.
The men knew they would fail this mission if they could not move faster. At any moment an enemy scout might spot them and they would be trapped. And with every inch further along the road, their chance of getting caught increased.
Then it happened. The wheels of the truck caught in the snow and jerked to the right. The steering wheel whipped around several times and caught Joe’s hand. AAAAAAAHHH! A scream of pain shot through the air. Joe’s thumb was broken. Unfortunately the men did not have a medic with them, so they had to send Joe back. They radioed down to the base camp for someone to bring another vehicle as far up the road as they could to meet Joe.
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But the mission was not yet complete. The three men left knew they had to go on. They continued moving the truck forward, inches at a time. The fear of the enemy hung heavy on each of the three men left and they worked as fast as they could.
Now darkness was setting in, and they had to turn on the truck’s headlamps. This only increased the chance of them being discovered. In desperation, Bulldog began to work in a frenzy. He worked his way up the road ahead of the truck clearing as much snow as he could. Sometimes the truck’s wheels would sink low into the snow and the truck would be suspended on its axles. Ryan kept his shovel close to the truck to lend assistance when this happened.
But they seemed to be getting nowhere, and the deadline for turnaround was approaching. Yet the road was too narrow to turn the truck around, so they had to keep going. In a burst of momentum the truck roared up the section of road Bulldog had cleared. The men felt like cheering. But then disaster struck.
The back end of the truck slipped off the track and swung the truck around till it was almost perpendicular to the road. Then the engine coughed and died. Despite Dave’s best efforts after restarting the truck, the truck would not budge. Tired Bulldog and Ryan both agreed that there was no way the truck would go anywhere without more help. They quickly discussed the situation, and Dave made a decision. “We have to turn back. I will radio to tell them we are on the way.”
But unfortunately they were not able to communicate with the base camp. This left the men in a dilemma. Stuck, without a vehicle in enemy territory. It was now very dark, and the cold air penetrated the clothes of everyone.
Dave, the highest ranking officer of the group barked out orders. “On the double, men. We have to catch up with Joe before he rendezvous with the medic. If not, we will have to hike all the way out ourselves.”
So they set off at a trot. But it readily became apparent that Dave was slowing the group down. He was having trouble running on the icy snow with all their gear. Ryan stopped and called a meeting. He suggested that they send a man ahead while the other two keep on at a slower pace. This was agreed to, and Bulldog started off again. Once he met with Joe and the medic, he would keep them from leaving until Dave and Ryan showed up. At least that was the idea.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, and indeed it was, all the men arrived safely back at base. Joe was able to get medical attention, and he ended up not needed surgery. However, he was out of commission for a while.
