tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34329725246849250032024-03-08T04:28:12.863-08:00Task Force Intrepidsimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-57941391478351708802012-08-09T08:44:00.000-07:002012-08-09T08:44:02.460-07:00Change in website !As of today, all of my new content relating to Military History, my Task Force Intrepid Novels will be posted on www.taskforceintrepid.com . If you are here due to the novels, I thank you for reading them and you can look forward to sequels this fall. Things are heating up as a writer. I have written for SOFREP.com in the past and will be releasing another series on the Rhodesian SAS soon. <br />
<br />
Also, please look through this blog as it contains many interesting articles related to Rhodesia and its Bush War. Have a great day. Dan Tharp www.taskforceintrepid.comsimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-53032823610158384962012-05-10T14:15:00.000-07:002012-05-10T14:15:07.528-07:00God and the RLI ....A tremendous post about a chaplain in the RLI posted by Mark Adams. It originally was posted in Cheetah in 1980. I will be blogging and writing some articles on the RLI in the upcoming weeks and months<br />
<br />
“Come on Padre, how come you are talking to us about God when we have to go out and kill’?”<br />
<br />
By Major (The Rev) Bill Blakeway <br />
<br />
“Padre, do you want to go on Fire Force.” That question put to me by Lt Col Pat Armstrong, then O.C. of Support Commando, started my understanding and appreciation of what the RLI was all about. <br />
<br />
I nearly had a heart attack when I looked at the stick board that evening and saw there in first wave, stop one - Padre! It was quite a serious stick - Cpl ‘Dutch’ de Klerk, ‘Ticky’ Millet, ‘Buzzard’ Dalgerous and yours truly. Fortunately, the only contact we made that day was with ‘Buff Beans’. But I shall never forget the almost paralysing fear as the chopper circled the target area. For me the moment of truth. I have recalled that “heavy war story” because that experience helped me to know something of what the members of the Battalion had to go through every time the siren went off. I don’t think it is possible for a Padre to begin to communicate with the Troopie unless he has been frightened with him. <br />
<br />
My association with the Battalion started during 1974, whilst I was still a T.A. Right from the beginning, to me, there was something “special” about the Unit. It also became clear to me that there was a tremendous pride in the Unit by its members and like all regular army units, it was a “closed shop” to anyone on the outside. 1 soon realised that 1 would have to become a regular if I was to stand any hope of being accepted. It was during the first half of 1976 that the Chaplain General said “You are now officially Chaplain to the RLI get on and know them.” <br />
<br />
It would take far more than this article and would be impossible to recall and record everything I would like to of these last six years. The Padre’s Hour for instance. You know that exciting period during the week when most of the ouens catch up on their gonk! I recall a few anxious moments when difficult questions have come up, like . . “Come on Padre, how come you are talking to us about God when we have to go out and kill’?” If anyone thinks there is an easy answer to that one - good luck. All I could do was to help the troopie to see that the country had the right to both rule and defend itself, and that the Christian had a moral obligation to be involved in both. I would also like to say that during the whole of my association with the Battalion, I have not come across one man who claimed categorically that he is an atheist. They might not have been Church-goers, but they accepted the fact that there was “someone up there” looking after them. <br />
<br />
My trips to the bush to visit the different Commandos - few Chaplains had the privileges that I had in this respect. To be accepted as part of the Unit. I remember incidents like Forbes Border Post with 2 Commando, hot extraction demonstration with 3 Commando - with me hanging from that bar and the chopper circling a couple of hundred feet up - when I could have been back home sitting having tea with the old ladies of the Church! Being one of six sticks, total 24, and being told by the O.C. that 75 to 100 enemy had been sighted - I didn’t stop shaking for an hour. <br />
<br />
The occasional patrol clinging hopefully to the promises of the Log Enslins and Charlie Warrens of: “Dont worry, Padre, we will look after you.” Another moment that aged me twenty years was when the present CO Lt-Col Aust was 2IC. We were discussing the various para courses and he said: “Do you want to be para-trained?” As I was still stumbling over my answer he picked up the phone, spoke to the para school and asked them if the Padre could get on a course. I sat completely speechless as I heard him say: “Right, thanks, — three weeks’ time.” Once again, however, what a privilege to be accepted as one who has jumped with the Battalion - even if they were only fun jumps. <br />
<br />
There have been the sad times …. having to go and visit N.O.K. of members of the Battalion and giving them the one message they were dreading. The happy times at the get-togethers and marriages. The proud moments. There is no doubt that to me, personally, the supreme moment of pride was on the 1st February, 1979 when the Statue of the Troopie was unveiled. To have been part of that magnificent ceremony will always be the most treasured memory that I will have. <br />
<br />
And who of those who were there will ever be able to forget the Memorial Service on 12th September, 1979, and the funeral service for Major Bruce Snelgar, held at the foot of the statue. Or that final Wreath-Laying. Possibly there will be those who will read this and say “the Padre’s being carried away again.” All I know is that those who have served in the Battalion will know exactly what I am saying. They will understand the fierce feeling of pride that the men in the Unit, and its achievement, coupled with the memory of those of their number who did not return from the op area. <br />
As the Padre remembers, he would also like to say “Thank You”. Thank you to the men of the green and silver, for your professionalism as soldiers, for your courage, for your loyalty to the cause for which you fought. And I thank you for your personal friendship. <br />
<br />
Remember this, we’re going to be in that number when the SAINTS GO MARCHING IN! <br />
<br />
From the October 1980 Cheetah magazine.<br />simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-26756667282402489452012-05-07T11:55:00.001-07:002012-05-07T11:56:55.979-07:00Coey- We Will Remember Pt. 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;">Coey managed to stay on with the SAS in spite of his orders to stand down and even went on another External to Mozambique, which caused the Major to initiate an opportunity to get rid of Coey. He demanded that he choose a different regiment or corps within the week. During this time, he proably reached his lowest point while in Africa. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;">He continued writing and published another article for Mr. Brown. He decided to take this proverbial 'slap in the face' as an opportunity to learn something new. It also prompted him to apply for a discharge from the Army entirely. In the end, he remained resolute to stay with the cause that had brought him to Africa. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;"> After a lengthy interview he was given the option of attending Medics Course in Bulawayo which was six months and would allow him to advance in rank to a full Corporal. In his journal, he wrote that he would be reposted to a combat outfit. Hopefully the RLI in Salisbury. </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;"><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">Even though he enjoyed the education he was receiving, he wrote, "My inability to completely submit to organization has caused me much grief and embarrassment because, sometimes, I think too much of myself, istead of having confidence in those in authority over me. I have made mistakes, and they been my own fault. I cannot blame it on bad luck or circumstances. I hope I can redeem myself before leaving the Army, <i color="initial" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- ">somehow....."</i><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;"><i><br /></i></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "> He finished his medics course in July of 1974 and got his wish to be posted back to the RLI. He was posted in an operational area around Mt. Darwin dealing with injuries sustained by the troops in the field. He found it to be a comfortable place where he could write and get stamps but the boredom began to get to him. He wanted to be on the sharp end of the spear. He proposed to the CO that he wanted to go out and act as a medic and infantryman. He had both skills and the CO approved his request.</div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "> He joined the sticks going out on callouts. It was here that he had a chance to treat his first onsite battle casualties. One on operation he spent the night in a krall attending to some civilian casualties awaiting a casevac the next morning.<br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "> Terrorist activity increased during this time around Mt. Darwin and his skills as a medic and soldier were put to use. He noted that having a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_0" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; ">combat medic</span> in the line increased the confidence and morale of the troopies. Coey began to regain his sense of purpose and vigor that had brought him to Rhodesia. He writes "Its important for me to remain a combat soldier and a specialist medic, because only then will some people listen to you when you attempt to explain the bigger issues; of such, the battle for Rhodesia is only one." And, "I feel that I have found my historical role here, and once that is finished, I dont know what I'll do...."<br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "> After some R&R he went back but was again posted to HQ. He again asked for a different posting, hopefully permanent in terms of his duties. Many people implored him to look at his duties as a medic and non combatant as a blessing but he would hear none of it. "<i color="initial" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- ">I have an inner peace because I trust God to look after my safety, even if I get drilled one day. I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that I achieved my pupose in this country, and that I gave all I could. It is important to do this even though others may betray you."</i><br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><i><br /></i></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><i style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> <span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">There was trepidation at granting his request due to the lack of trained medics at the time. He believed in doing this that it would improve the morale and respect of the Medical Corps. A Commando Medic. He cited the use of the<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">USMC</span> and their use of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_2" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">Corpsman</span> in the ranks of the rifle company. A medic who acted in a combatant role would serve a dual purpose of being able to fight as well as a better chance of saving valuable troops by responding on the spot.</span><br /></i></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><i><br /></i></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "> Permission was granted for this experiment and he returned to Mt. Darwin as an unattached medic. He would go on whatever fire-force operation was called up. In December of that year, the tempo increased and he was on almost continuous duty. The RLI was racking up kills with few casualties of its own. Coey had a close call when one of the choppers he was on was came under fire with the pilot being shot. Fortunately, the co pilot put the bird down without further injury.<br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "><br /></div><div color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- "> Coey spent Christmas in Salisbury which he admitted was very 'lonely' but remained motivated. He recounts that his performance in Fire Force was enough to have most medics retrained with the capability to act as medic and infantryman. In influencing the Army, he felt that he was expunging the humiliation that had come with his dismissal from the SAS.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> During the following months he rotated in and out of Mr. Darwin and the Zambezi Valley. With renewed pride and resoluteness, he decided to apply for citizenship as a Rhodesian. In June, he was granted citizenship and also applied for a new passport as a dual citizen. "What a chuckle, filling out those papers under a portrait of Henry Kissinger !" He was now firmly commited to finishing his military service and looked forward to possibly staying on in Rhodesia permanently.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Rotations continued, forever chasing down the terrs, sometimes coming up dry and others, heavy clashes. By this time he has participated in close to 60 Fire Force missions and had established himself in the RLI as a solid trooper and capable medic. The tone of Coey's letters home and journal entries became less longing and more stable as he had finally found his place, contributing to the destruction of terrorists and rendering aid to his wounded soldiers. It seemed that Coey was finally content that he was carrying out the 'historical mission' for his life that he had spent the last 3 years trying to find.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> <b style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_3" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">The Last Battle</span></b><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><b style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;"> <span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-weight: normal; color:initial;">On July 19th 1975, Two Commando was posted as Mt. Darwin for Fire Force duties. 7-Troop was designated the 'first wave'. They would be <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_4" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">first responders</span> to any call outs for support to patrols who had made contact in the bush. As the Commando Medic, Coey was assigned to Lt. Du Plooy's stick which acted as command and control. </span><br /></b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> A TA unit had been ambushed that morning by approximately six terrs. The TA's returned fire, killing two but the rest broke contact and ran. These soldiers began to track and regain contact but had no success. As 7 Troop was not called out as a result but a request for trackers was fulfilled. Coey went with them to be on scene if they regained contact.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> Trackers began to pick up spoor and then 7-Troop was called in for backup as it wasn't known if the terrs were returning to a larger group. The tracks led them in to a dense, overgrown river bed known as a denga. With several curves in the river, it was a perfect defensive position to lay up an ambush as soldiers rounded a bend.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> Moving in on the terrs, three members of the combined troops were shot, two fatally, one had his legs shredded. They hunkered down and awaited reinforcements due to the fact that they could neither spot the terrs nor their strength. Lt. Du Pooly arrived on the scene with Coey shortly after. With the possibility of saving the life of the third wounded man, John Alan Coey slid down into the river bed and approached his fallen comrades. Unknown to either Coey or the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_5" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; ">Lieutenant</span>, terrs were directly underneath the insertion point. Coey was shot twice. Once through the head and a second one through the ankle. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1264284004_6" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">The Lieutenant</span> was also wounded.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> Over the next few hours, the attempts of the RLI to dislodge the terrs were unsuccessful as the roots and foliage were thick enough to stop grenades from penetrating their hiding spot and nearly impossible to get a view of the location. The SAS was called in as darkness came to use their night sights. Around midnight the terrs broke contact and ran. It was only then that the bodies of the RLI soldiers were retrieved from the river bed. It has been a bad day for the RLI. </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Fingers were pointed and soldiers lost. David Armstrong says of this contact, "The riverbed contact was the worst single event of my three years with 2 Commando and the only one in which the terrorists got the better of us................"<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "> John Alan Coey a citizen of both America and Rhodesia was laid to rest with full military honors. Coey had come to Rhodesia to fight the evils of communism, to preserve the dying off of western civilization and fulfill what he repeatedly called his 'historical mission in life'. In many ways, he fought other battles along the way but remained true to his convictions whatever the price. Many can point out the futility of his death. They can say that it was a worthless cause and that sacrifice was in vain. I think not. Those few guardians of the good in this world can look to his life and death and know they are in good company.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><dl style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>They went with songs to the battle, they were young.</i></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.</i></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,</i></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>They fell with their faces to the foe.</i></dd></dl><dl style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:</i></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.</i></dd></dl><dl style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; "><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>At the going down of the sun and in the morning,</i></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; "><i>We will remember them.</i></dd></dl></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><br /></div></span></div>simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-46701909592479862532012-05-07T11:54:00.000-07:002012-05-07T11:54:01.229-07:00The Crippled Eagles Pt. 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">Part 2</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> Coey arrived in South Africa and made his way to Salisbury swore into the Rhodesian Army. He was immediately put into the RLI's 19 week basic training that would introduce him to the Rhodesian Army and begin his journey. He was struck by the differences of the training and mostly the discipline that was a marked contrast to his time with the Marine Corps. He took to it well and understood it to be integral to the type of warfare that they were to be engaged in. </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">During that time he met many foreigners. In particular he met with another Marine who had deserted and fled to Rhodesia. He was none to impressed and felt he had enlisted for the wrong reasons and another Combat veteran of the Vietnam war whom he felt more synergy with. </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">The weeks passed and he performed well enough to be considered for SAS selection. He was excited at this prospect as he felt it would help him get to the sharp end of the spear and engage the enemy. 5 of the fifteen made it through his course and he then proceeded for the next six months on to specialist training. He was the third American to join the ranks and only two remained. The other having deserted back to the states.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> At this time he had contact with a Mr. Brown , a journalist in South Africa. He submitted articles to him and was pleased that they were to be published starting with his 'Protest'. In many of the articles that were published he explained his world view on the reasons Rhodesia was fighting its war, those whom he felt were the true enemies of freedom and democracy and even some problems he felt the Rhodesian Government were not handling properly. Although this gave him some notoriety it didn't bode well overall for his standing in the army.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> Foreigners were welcome to the cause but were also targets of suspicion. The Rhodesians were well aware of their precarious standing with the US and Britain since the declaration of independence as a British colony and the rising support of African nationalism in the halls of US power. Many instances of CIA incursions into the country didn't help the trust factor of Americans being brought into secretive units. He however finished his training and was a full member of the SAS. <br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> In September of 1972, he found himself at a crossroads and began to express his disappointment on issues agreed upon by British Delegates and Ian Smith.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> -Unimpeded progress of Black Majority rule<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> -Stationing of foreign troops<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> -An increase of parliamentary seats by nationalists<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> -Coupling the Rhodesian dollar to the Pound<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> He felt that these things were the exact opposite of the cause of independence and preservation of Western Civilization and that nationalism was simply a route for Communism to take over. His commitment vascillated but he pressed on in hopes of fighting off the Red Hoard.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> When he was posted to his unit he found it hard to bond with the troopers. With front line units, it requires a certain mindset. Those living the lifestyle of possibly dying often live their lives on the edge in their free time to escape the stress. The old adage of 'you don't send choir boys to fight a war' rang especially true. Coey was a teetoaler and his mates might have taken his disinterest in the things young soldiers love as an afront. </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">He however did manage to perform well enough to go for Officer's Selection, which he was most excited about. His internal angst at a perfect ideology and an army that performed it caused some reluctance that was noted by the officers board. "You take life too seriously and you must project your personality and withdraw from your shell".<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> He continued on but was dismissed from the course for academic and temperament issues. He began to realize that some of his views were considered subversive to the morale of the Rhodesian Army. His articles had reached the ears of people in charge and it was deemed best not to have an officer making any contrary statements to official stances within its ranks. He was rotated back to the SAS and began aggressive patrols searching out terr camps. He determined he would not be deterred and not falter on his personal beliefs. He enjoyed this but was still not meshing with the men of the SAS.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> Things came to a head in December of 1973 when his Major said he would no longer be going on patrols and his jump pay revoked. He stated that Coey ' just wasn't worth it '. It was a great humiliation that cause him to consider applying for a discharge but instead chose to go to the RLI.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> Coey reassesed his purpose and goals and wrote this.<br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "> <i>My purpose in coming to Rhodesia has been to fulfill my Christian duty of opposing Communism in two ways. First is to focus attention on the Conspiracy by refusing to be its pawn and by writing to expose it. The second is to actively fight Commuist inpsired terrorism in Africa by Military service.</i></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><i></i><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><i><span style="font-style: normal; ">Even though he had become a victim of his own ideology in the SAS and Officers course he was about to embark on what he felt to be his real mission and put actions behind his convictions.</span><br /></i></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ">More to come........</div><div><br /></div></span>simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-17590878437102466912012-04-10T15:46:00.000-07:002012-04-10T15:46:05.829-07:00PRIMAL Unleashed by Jack SilkstoneI have just finished and reviewed Jack Silkstones PRIMAL UNLEASHED. awsome work<br />
<br />
I am a writer and reader of all things military. Fiction, non Fiction, memoir down to field manuals on WW2 artillery pieces. I was fortunate enough to make the authors acquaintance through a couple of chats before I read the book. There are many people who have jumped on the Hadji hunting bandwagon due to the GWOT and some are great, others just trying to cash in on the current subject of the day.<br />
<br />
I am a natural skeptic and even as a self published author, I find the quality of self published authors to be very low. But the idea behind the book intrigued me. I had always wondered what could happen if elite operators from the worlds special forces ever banded together for operations out from under the cloak of a nation state. I had often thought a rogue special forces unit would become tremendous bank robbers.:)<br />
<br />
The book opens shortly into a scene near and dear to me as a writer and person. Issues in Africa. I was gratified immensely by Bishop dealing some justice and flipping the bird to the UN. One thing that makes this book successful is it is user friendly. If you have ever been bogged down in a Clancy diatribe about a firing pin on some exotic rifle or the programming logic behind a super duper computer, you will feel my pain in wondering 'OK, does this mean anything to the story?'<br />
<br />
Mr. Silkstone has made his book user friendly by adding search functions for equipment and other things that allow you to pop right up to the pertinent information to set the scene without interrupting the flow of the story. This is a simple yet revolutionary thing to do with Ebooks. Well played, sir.<br />
<br />
The story is written in increments that are easily digested but in no way cuts into the depth of the story. Two teams operate under an incredibly run and conceptualized nerve center to dig up the past and bring us into the future. The book flows as well as the SEAL team that flowed into the compound to take out Osama Bin Laden. This writer has the goods of any other mainstream publisher. I wont give away any more of the plot line. For the price, I'll let you get your money's worth 10x over. I have a heads up from his website on the plot for the next adventure and I CANT WAIT.<br />
<br />
D.R. Tharp Author of Task Force Intrepid:The Gold of Katanga and TFI Highway to Hell.<br />
http://www.amazon.com/PRIMAL-Unleashed-ebook/dp/B005VG3ATQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334097630&sr=1-1simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-23144955942974629042012-04-07T08:35:00.002-07:002012-04-07T08:35:53.417-07:00It's FREEA reminder that April 7-8 ( today and tomorrow - NOT SPAMMING, Just want to remind people ) I will be giving away copies of my new Novella, Task Force Intrepid-Highway to Hell. If you enjoy Action Adventure, Military Fiction, Mercenaries, Rebels, Brutal Dictators and wondered what fighting in Africa might be like, you will get it all in a compact, balls to the wall Novella. Starring Willem Kruger, The Rhodesian God of War. <br />
<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Task-Force-Intrepid-Highway-ebook/dp/B007QFZXB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333742696&sr=8-1simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-67831048940987618662012-04-04T13:33:00.000-07:002012-04-04T13:33:21.240-07:00Highway to Hell FREE April 7 and 8Get on board and get your FREE copy of the new Novella. <br />
<br />
<br />
Task Force Intrepid is the exciting new series chronicalling the new geneartion of warfare led by Professional Soldiers. Men who fight for their food, shunning the world of 9 to 5. For many, it’s the only life they have ever known. Set across Africa’s chaotic rebel uprisings and wars for profit, South African Willem Kruger leads his men into battle. This band of warriors does the work that no one else can or will do. <br />
<br />
After the first in the trilogy, Task Force Intrepid: The Gold of Katanga, this new set of Novellas look deep into the past of Willem Kruger. From the battlefields of Rhodesia and Angola to the constantly changing regimes of West Africa, the past comes alive with little known wars and uprisings and characters that will literally keep you up at night.<br />
<br />
In Highway To Hell, the year is 2003 and the worlds attention is focused on Afghanistan and Iraq. In the West African country of Liberia, Charles Taylor has been raping and plundering to the point that the United States has demanded his departure from the country to face his War Crimes. Holding tightly to his base of power in Monrovia, a Rebel group has control of two thirds of the country and is crying for help to finish Taylor off. <br />
<br />
With the American public not interested in setting foot in another war, especially one in Africa, Security and Logistics Enterprises, Worldwide is offered a contract by Bentz Exploration to provide Security for their mining operation in Northern Liberia. With deep and long connections to power players in the U.S. Government, it’s clear that there is one man perfectly suited to provide Security to Bentz by helping the Rebels organize a push south from Tubmanburg and into Monrovia. <br />
<br />
Appearing to be an easy job for Kruger and his associates, things quickly turn for the worse. With three decades of war under his belt, a little kink in the plans opens up an opportunity to drive headlong down the Highway to Hell.<br />
<br />
<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Task-Force-Intrepid-Highway-ebook/dp/B007QFZXB8/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333569447&sr=1-6simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-46583443482384980842012-03-12T15:10:00.000-07:002012-03-12T15:10:43.664-07:00Prologue to TFI-Highway to HellIn a matter of days, this novella, recalling the past missions of Willem Kruger and other members of Task Force Intrepid will be released for free for 30 days. You will be able to gain access to both The Gold of Katanga and Highway to Hell on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Enjoy<br />
<br />
<br />
Rhodesia 1979<br />
Operational Area Hurricane<br />
<br />
Trooper Willem Kruger loaded into the Alouette Mk-III Helicopter alongside three other men, a machine gunner, carrying a FN MAG and 400 rounds of ammunition, a stop commander with a radio and another Trooper armed with the FN FAL battle rifle like himself. <br />
They lifted off the ground along with three other helicopters carrying identical formations. These soldiers would be part of the first wave of men reacting to a call out against Communist Terrorists invading the borders of Rhodesia. The remaining 16 men would be dropped from a DC-3 they called the Dak. <br />
The call had been sent from a concealed Out Post manned by Reconnaissance Specialists from the Selous Scouts. The insurgency against the Rhodesian people was intensifying each and every day with hordes of ‘gooks’ infiltrating across the borders. <br />
“Nothing to it, Oke. Trust your training and follow our lead,” the powerfully built machine gunner said to Kruger. The men in the chopper knew that Kruger was a new guy and 17 years of age. The vengeance that had pushed him so hard through training was now tempered by the reality of it all. This was his first Fire Force Mission.<br />
The Fire Force would use vertical envelopment on a band of terrorists by locating and encircling the enemy, pushing them into stop groups who would end the lives of men intent on rousting Rhodesia from the Government and giving it to Robert Mugabe. It was a tried and true method that maximized the ability of an outnumbered force to cut down a numerically superior force. <br />
Kruger looked at the ground flying by, the chopper just whisking over the treetops and following the contours of the earth. The chopper pilot flashed his index finger to the men. “One minute.” One minute and he would be in contact. Drills and classrooms were a thing of the past for the time being. He was shaking so bad that he nearly lost his rifle. Focusing and bracing himself he grabbed the rifle tight and looked at the other men. The blank looks on their faces came from having done this dozens of times before. <br />
“There they are,” the machine gunner pointed out to the east. The Alouette landed in formation disgorging the troops who darted out and toward the enemy. They had caught them in a valley with trees and rocky outcrops. <br />
They were too far to start firing their rifles. The RLI demanded that each shot be accounted for and anyone who ran themselves dry without results would be subject to disciplinary action. The stick ran 50 meters to a clump of trees as the chopper lifted off. Rounds starting zinging over their heads. Willem went prone behind the cover of a tree.<br />
“Roger, Roger we have a visual,” the stick leader communicated with the K-car. The K-car was code for the Command and Kill chopper outfitted with dual 20mm cannons that would contain the Terrs until the Dak could drop their men. They would fly high enough to be able to see the movement of all the troops.<br />
“Watch this,” the machine gunner said to Willem. The main body of Terrs were about 200 meters ahead of them hiding in the foliage. Above them the K-car circled and began spitting devastating 20mm fire down on their heads. Willem could see bodies ripped apart and men falling everywhere. <br />
“Alright ouens, skirmish line!” a shout came from a Lieutenant. The 16 troopers spread out and moved forward taking well aimed shots at the scattering terrorists. Staying low and going prone if the rounds started getting close, the stick shot, moved and communicated as a cohesive death machine. In ones and twos, the terrorists died as the Rhodesian Light Infantry moved in bounds, from cover to cover. <br />
Willem shouldered his FN FAL and put his sights on a man who was aiming his AK-47 in his direction. He took to one knee as he felt the wind of bullets flying past him. At that moment there was only one thing in his mind. The primal desire to take revenge for the murder of his family. He drew a bead and slowly broke the trigger. His round went straight and true into the torso of the Terrorist. He stared for a moment. All of the movement and sounds of gunfire around were drowned out. It was just that simple, he thought. The power had changed. He was no longer a victim, he was a soldier.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-34939568917497535192012-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:002012-02-28T15:24:30.507-08:00Highway to HellI've been quiet lately, but I have a novella that I hope will be up within 3 weeks. Got a cover sorted and just finishing up the editing. It is a back story to our main character Willem Kruger and a job he did in Liberia in 2003. The best part for readers besides the story is that it will be absolutely free for 30 days. Stay tuned.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-71087409199249051312012-01-09T13:53:00.000-08:002012-01-09T13:53:11.603-08:00Article on the financing of Rebels and Criminal SyndicatesThis is a link to an article that briefly touches on how war is financed in the Eastern DRC. I hope to get more into depth about the Kivu provinces and the worldwide syndicate that works to plunder the DRC. It is a deep and long trail and these type of articles are a primer to go along with my Novel. <br />
<br />
http://allafrica.com/stories/201201031157.htmlsimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-68051998620185368192012-01-03T14:33:00.000-08:002012-01-03T14:33:59.863-08:00Red Letter Weekend for TFIBeing the first book I've published, I am experimenting with the market and audiences and finding a way to match up with people who would be my audience. I set a free promotion for Jan 2 for about 6 hours. I had to call a halt at around 200 downloads. The ticker continued the rest of the day and a review went up on Jack Murphy's Reflexive Fire www.reflexivefire.com<br />
<br />
Though I missed the profits on those books, I see a bright future for the cast of Task Force Intrepid. A novella should be out within 8 weeks, detailing one of Kruger's missions in 2003 in the Liberian Civil War. Tentatively titled, Hotel Liberia.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-39938956287645528472011-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:002011-12-24T10:50:35.900-08:00Jack Murphy's PROMIS: Vietnam is free right now !Take advantage of Jack's free PROMIS series to start you off on his barn burning stories of the life of a mercenary in the Golden Ages of the 60's-80's<br />
<br />
http://www.amazon.com/PROMIS-Vietnam-ebook/dp/B004RPTKD2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324752605&sr=8-1simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-68650991280439035152011-12-18T09:13:00.001-08:002011-12-18T09:13:38.216-08:005 star review on Amazon for TFII found this book through a tweet by Jack Murphy (@JackMurphyRGR) author of military fiction. As someone who reads military history, as well as military fiction and non-fiction, I loved it. I enjoyed the pace of the book and the development of the characters. I especially enjoyed reading the authors description of Africa and its own military history. I found it easy to picture the terrain, the people and especially the action with the fluid descriptions and believable dialogue. Knowing this is the first in a series helps because the backgrounds of some of the characters are pretty short but you won’t care. The men are pros and there ito do a job and the author delivers the action. I knew it was fiction but it reads like and account of commandos describing a mission that was anything but routinesimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-82023700391315002312011-12-14T07:34:00.000-08:002011-12-14T07:34:33.692-08:00Task Force Intrepid now Available on Amazon.comIts finally here.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Task-Force-Intrepid-Katanga-ebook/dp/B006LLWWLW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323876225&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Task-Force-Intrepid-Katanga-ebook/dp/B006LLWWLW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323876225&sr=1-1</a>simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-88249020647610572782011-12-09T09:59:00.001-08:002011-12-09T09:59:14.743-08:00Task Force Intrepid Volume 1 coming within daysThe first in my new Action Adventure / Military fiction series will be up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble soon.<br />
Product Description:<br />
<br />
Task Force Intrepid<br />
<br />
Warfare has changed. The days of the citizen-soldier have passed. Battles now rage with Professionals at the helm. The governments of the world waved the flag of patriotism to encourage men to fight for the interests of the world's Elite. Behind it all is the the battle for the Few. With the world's consumption of precious commodities, the lands that hold them are enveloped in chaos and carnage. Lawlessness reigns and business transactions are done at the business end of an AK-47. Military juntas paralyze the population, raping and plundering the innocents caught in the crossfire. When the Shareholders find their stocks dropping, the Economic Warriors turn to their Private Armies to fill the coffers.<br />
<br />
The Gold of Katanga<br />
<br />
Five men from South Africa, America, Australia and Ireland form a Rapid Reaction Force for the Private Military Company,<i> Security and Logistics, Worldwide.</i> When one of the world's major Mining Company loses two new Gold mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the call goes out for the best money can buy. Facing an unknown Rebel entity and Criminal Syndicate, they are dispatched to the war torn region to recover the mines and terminate the marauders. Each twist and turn challenges the Modern Professional Soldier's desire for money personal honor.<br />
<br />
<div class="yiv1126593662MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div>simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-56969185875410336682011-11-07T14:44:00.001-08:002011-11-07T14:44:17.656-08:00Ronald Reagan and RhodesiaI was very privileged to speak with a 18 year veteran of the war in Rhodesia over the weekend who served in all its primary units including the SAS, RLI, Selous Scouts, etc. We discussed the politics of the final years of the war. The Carter Administration under whom 13 nations fell to Communism and Ronald Reagan's investigation into the Rhodesian question. It became known after the war was ended that Reagan had sent his own investigation team to Rhodesia to fully assess the elections and the transitional government, IE the Full and Free elections of Rhodesia.<br />
<br />
England and minions from the Carter Administration hurried the Lancaster House Agreements because they knew that ol' Ronnie would back any democratic government that was fighting Communism. He had determined that we would win the Cold War at each and every opportunity. I found a book called Reagan in his Own Words on Google books where he says<br />
<br />
Our government has refused to recognize the new Government of Rhodesia claiming it is bound by UN sanctions against that country..........It seems that we received a gentle warning from General Obasanjo, Ruler of Nigeria that more serious consequences might follow if we recognized Bishop Muzowera who has been elected Prime Minister of Rhodesia legally and Legitamately.......Rhodesia has taken great strides towards toward the kind of democratic values we have always endorsed.......But instead of holding out our hand of friendship we turn our back because of dictator of a country with no democratic values might make due without our oil ( imports )...<br />
<br />
http://books.google.com/books?id=CExclJtH1qYC&pg=PT56&lpg=PT56&dq=ronald+reagan+on+zimbabwe&source=bl&ots=YKGDk-2RBl&sig=7Tu8M2ufe1Xg5vvcV2flACiB_6A&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false<br />
<br />
It seems to me that the conservative Icon of American politics was planning on sending an expeditionary force to help Rhodesia secure its borders and stave off the Communist hordes. We need only to look at the results of Mugabe's reign to see that the war was not about White Power, it was about freedom and democracy. The Black Africans suffered more than anyone and still do to this day. The treachery of the Carter Administration and the British at this time gets more and more intricate every still.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-57656404472405854182011-10-24T14:31:00.001-07:002011-10-24T14:31:18.605-07:00An analysis of America's involvement in Africawww.Smallwarsjournal.com is a must website for people interested in the study of counter insurgency warfare. The following is a detailed account of the US's activities in Africa.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-united-states-and-the-lord%E2%80%99s-resistance-army">http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-united-states-and-the-lord%E2%80%99s-resistance-army</a>simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-82367785941807146352011-10-24T14:17:00.000-07:002011-10-24T14:23:14.231-07:00Fiction merging with RealityWith the announcement of the Obama Administration's sending spec-ops soldiers to Uganda to help track down and eradicate the Lords Resistance Army, I think they stole a piece of my work. Not really, but I support this endeavor by Obama ( once in a lifetime ) to help build stability in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa. They are but a small band of thugs but I think it makes more sense to send in capable advisers rather than continue to pour in 30 million dollars a year to Uganda with nothing to show for it. The lines between fiction and reality will be blurred in the Task Force Intrepid Series.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15317684">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15317684</a><br />
<br />
For more articles on war in Africa, particularly Rhodesia visit my other blog and go to the beginning where I analyzed the life of American/Rhodesian soldier John Coey.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theeagleswillgather.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=6">http://theeagleswillgather.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=6</a>simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-30410723214248633292011-10-10T11:37:00.000-07:002011-10-10T11:37:12.985-07:00The Cast pt. 5Blake McGee is an Irishman with an aristocratic upbringing but hasn't kept him from being a Man among men. He is currently the only member on the Team from the U.K. Coming from a long line of wealth, he was groomed to follow his father into investment banking. Boarded at the finest schools England had to offer for young men headed for great things, he participated in Polo and social event the mingled with blue blood on a constant basis. He never thought much of it till he went away to St. Andrews College and like most young people away from home, he 'found himself'. Off came the cuff links and his a suffocating neck tie. Always the athlete, he took up Boxing, Rugby and drinking. He found what he called his 'True Irish Side'.<br />
<br />
No slouch in Academics, he steered away from the dreary classes on economics and math after his first year when he discovered his love for Ancient History and the Classics. He soon employed a tutor on top of his regular classes to master Greek and Latin. He found adventure and passion reading the first historians of Greece and Rome. He shunned the philosophy of Aristotle for the History of Thucydides, Epaminodas, and the Boldness of none other than Julius Caesar. He believed that he could always follow his father's business but that he could only soldier as a youth. When he made the decision to join the Royal Marines, his father threatened to disown him and his mother wept.<br />
<br />
He however felt freer than he ever had, in spite of the constant military discipline, above and beyond for anyone wishing to be an officer in the Royal Marines. After his first two years of service he went through selection for the Special Boat Service. The most rigorous ordeal of his life, he made it and went on to command a troop. His first taste of action was in Africa during Operation Barrass. He inserted and reconned the area where British soldiers were being held in Sierra Leone. His first taste of Africa resulted in two Advisory missions to the Army of Botswana. His expertise in explosives was well noted and he also found himself doing humanitarian work in Cambodia doing de-mining work.<br />
<br />
In 2004 he was selected to join Britains new X Squadron, a mixture of the top performing SAS and SBS operators. The team was formed to hunt High Value Targets in all over the world. Their counter terrorism capabilities led them on secretive missions on 4 continents and left behind many would be threats to Britain's national security. From the Jungles of South America, the Savannah of Africa to the Sandbox of the Middleast, he had experienced things far beyond what he ever thought possible.<br />
<br />
After 13 years in the Royal Marines and its high operational tempo, he felt he needed a change. Through contacts of his father's associates, he began to get offers to design and train security personnel for business's worldwide in trouble spots. From South East Asia to the Oil Fields of Nigeria, he found more work and more money than he cared to handle.<br />
<br />
Through a chain of people, Blake's name came up to Jim Hadley, the owner of SLE. Hadley made the initial contact to McGee. Thinking that it was nothing more than a no name Security Company trying to find a down and out ex Special Forces soldier, Blake hung up on him. After talking with some of his contacts, he decided to talk more with this 'Mr. Hadley'. When the terms of his employment and pay became clear as well as the type of professional soldier he would be working with, he decided that he would rather go back to soldiering on his own terms rather than run a business and deal with extremely rich and demanding people.<br />
<br />
Now a key member of Task Force Intrepid he is back doing what he does best.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-76703154804232813492011-10-01T15:35:00.000-07:002011-10-01T15:35:03.909-07:00The Cast pt. 4Mike Simmons has a long and winding path to Security and Logistics Enterprises, Worldwide. A standout swimmer and wrestler in high school, he was headed towards a blue chip scholarship in Wrestling. Scouts from Iowa and Oklahoma began watching him as a sophomore and by his junior year were courting him. Everything changed in his senior year halfway through the wrestling season. His biggest supporters and fans, his parents, died in a car accident on a frozen Nebraska road. He pulled out of wrestling and stopped attending school regularly. The only comfort he found was in his girlfriend of two years. He moved in with her family and threw away the idea of going to college.<br />
<br />
With a totally changed outlook on life, he decided to join the Navy. Like his father before him, he intended on becoming a Navy Seal. After graduation he married his high school sweetheart and moved to San Diego. With his background in swimming and PT scores, he secured a slot for BUD/S after he finished his A school as a Hospital Corpsman. The total immersion and suffering was bliss for him. Here his losses in life meant nothing. He was forging a new existence. On the last day of Hell Week, he broke an ankle during an evolution. Devastated and disgusted, he rejected the offer to roll over to a new class and took a billet as a FMF Corpsman. He quickly moved into Battalion Recon and after two years of service, made the cut for Force Reconnaisance.<br />
<br />
He had found a home in the Marine Corps and a new life. After 9/11 he found himself attached to a SEAL team in Afghanistan due to shortages of medics. He found that he enjoyed his role as a life taker and a life saver. Reattached to the Marine Corps for the invasion of Iraq, he found himself on as many Direct Action missions as Reconnaisance. During one of his short rotations home, his wife conceived and they had a son. He was torn but found his life's work crowding out his family.<br />
<br />
Once again back in Iraq in 2005 he knew his home life was falling apart. One day he sat down at the computer after a day that scented him with gunpowder and blood, he opened an e-mail that said, Dear Mike. His wife had found another man to be with. A Marine. He sat stunned, once again losing the only family he had. That day he lost his faith in God, Country, the Corps, the Navy and apple pie.<br />
<br />
Around that time, the Marine Corps were folding their Force companies into the newly created Marine Special Operations Command. They would be operating under Joint Special Operations Command. Huge political games ensued and he decided that his time in the Corps and the Navy was done. He would fight for himself alone.<br />
<br />
After his departure from the Navy in 2006 he easily found work with a PMC operating in Colombia hunting Naro-Terrorists. The pay was excellent and he found time to enjoy the nightlife of Bogota. On a mission that ended in the death of one of his teammates, he tracked the guerillas across the border into Venezuela, vowing that their small band would die. He counted his bullets and made sure that if captured, the last one was for himself. Exacting revenge, he wandered back across the border and into Juan Salvador who threatened to have him fired, expelled from Colombia and blackball him from working for any PMC, then Juan congratulated him and became his right hand man and soon an employee of SLE.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-90649393280715285892011-09-25T13:38:00.000-07:002011-09-25T13:38:43.142-07:00The Cast pt. 3Colin Taylor is the sole Australian on Task Force Intrepid. An extreme adrenaline junkie and extrovert, very little can rattle him. In his early 30's, he has the opposing qualities of the serious, attention to detail Special Air Service Regiment Operator and the footloose laid back 20 something surfer boy. Coming from Perth, Western Australia, there wasn't much to do besides surf, explore the outback and surf. He spent his summers with his mates travelling up and down the coast in 4x4 vehicles looking for the ultimate wave churning beach. Sometimes gone for weeks at a stretch, he developed a love for the outdoors and survival.<br />
<br />
After completing his schooling, he decided to join the Army and become a Digger. He chose the infantry over the high tech jobs he was offered due to his aptitude tests. After much protest by the recruiters, he won and began learning the skills of the infantryman. Australia offered some of the finest training ground in the world for desert and jungle warfare. After his initial tour, he decided that he wanted to take things to the extreme. Just like his search for perfection of the waves and living with nature, the SASR provided him all the adrenaline he could handle. His ability to do an activity over and over till it was impossible to make a mistake served him well.<br />
<br />
Though Australia is not known fo sticking its nose in the worlds business, his unit was deployed to Afghanistan shortly after the Americans first arrived. Specialists in Reconnaissance, the provided detailed information on suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban strongholds and passageways. Australians had proved their patience and ability in counter insurgency warfare from the Malayan Emergency to Vietnam. Though small in numbers in the Vietnam war, they had done more damage than American units the same size with fewer casualties. Rather than sending a battalion hacking through the jungle and walking into an ambush, they patiently patrolled and stalked their enemy. Gathering intel on their habits and supply, they were able to add precision blows to the enemy. A small sized unit could make contact with the enemy and then bring in reinforcements rather than the other way around.<br />
<br />
He spent up to 10 days at a time without resupply in hides watching the enemy and providing intel to the Americans. Due to their small numbers and a desire for American glory, they were treated as lowly partners and their work was put in the slush pile. The Americans paid dearly for their lack of attention to detail in Operation Anaconda. Colin and the other Australians were surprised when working with legendary American Special Forces whose idea of a good recon was a 48 hour hide and then calling for an evac.<br />
<br />
Near the end of their rotation, the SASR went aggro during Operation Anaconda and Colin's expertise in the Long Rifle was let loose and he began racking up kill after kill due to his patience and knowledge of the trails and habits of the Taliban.<br />
<br />
Once again in 2003 the Aussies sidled up with the Americans in the Invasion of Iraq. They were tasked with securing vital objectives in Western Iraq. In the tradition of the Long Range Desert Group, they marauded the barren land of Western Iraq in their souped up LRPV's. Once again, Colin was constantly on overwatch, dropping hostiles like indignant flies. The SASR packed it in after President Bush declared an end to hostilities and went back home.<br />
<br />
Colin's enlistment was up in 2005 and he desired to regain some of the freedom of his youth. Offers galore came in to do work in the world of PMC's. He could pick when and where he wanted to work. With the money being offered, he could work half of the year and surf the other half and start a path to retirement by the age of 45.<br />
<br />
Having never worked in Africa, he took on a contract in Liberia where he met Willem Kruger. Kruger noticed his keen sense of adventure tempered with extreme professionalism and invited him to work for SLE, Worldwide. His SASR training was second to no one and under the tutelage of men like Kruger and Salvo, he has become a key operator on Task Force Intrepid.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-90163228876128352412011-09-25T12:47:00.000-07:002011-09-25T12:47:02.058-07:00The Cast pt. 2Juan 'Salvo' Salvador is the enigmatic 2IC of Task Force Intrepid. Brought to America from Southern Mexico by his parents in the 1970's, he crossed the Rio Grande, holding his father's hand, who hoped for a better life in America. Living a life of secrets began early on. They made it to Houston to live with Family members while Mom and Dad worked low wage jobs and hoping to one day become Americans. He spoke no English and learned English the hard way. He had a cover story that went with him everywhere. The family got by living lies and buying false documents. Though the hardships were numerous, he fought on.<br />
<br />
Then in his senior year of high school, 1986, the inspiring President Ronald Reagan declared amnesty for illegal aliens. The family waited in lines for days to get their documents from INS. They no longer lived the lie. The first thing that Salvo did after becoming a Legal Permanent Resident was walk into a US Army recruiting office. He wanted to show his appreciation and dedication to his country. It was all he knew. He was determined to become an Airborne Ranger. With his superior athletic ability and raw determination to prove that he loved his country he dedicated himself to the Army on duty and off.<br />
<br />
He saw action in Panama, Desert Storm, and Somalia. Moving up the chain he volunteered to for the Special Forces. With his language abilities and aptitude for all things military, he found his calling in life. He was heavily utilized as an advisor to the growing war against Narco Terrorism in Colombia and other South American countries. He was encouraged to try out for the elite of the elite. Delta Force.<br />
<br />
He became part of a compartmentalized section of Delta whose sole purpose was to hunt down and kill Drug Lords and their associates all over the world. The mountains and jungles of South America became his home for 10 years. Often times working out of uniform, he risked it all to take down enemies of the United States.<br />
<br />
After his retirement in 2006 he was offered a position as an officer in the CIA's Special Activites Division. Still mindful of his family, he decided that it was more lucrative to join the world of Private Military Companies. A company called Security and Logistics Enterprises recruited him to continue his services to the Government of Colombia for training and hunting Narco Terrorists and Left Wing guerrillas like FARC. This job allowed him more freedom and alot more money than being on the US governments payroll.<br />
<br />
Although in his 40's, Salvo, is married to his work half of the year and the other half is spent breaking the hearts of Latino women worldwide. He is as comfortable in a club as he is chasing armed men through the jungle.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-74376579202011035362011-09-10T11:21:00.000-07:002011-09-15T14:40:23.416-07:00The CastWillem Kruger is the consummate Professional Soldier. Of Boer stock, he comes from a long line of military tradition. When his father returned to South Africa after World War Two, he married and moved his young family to Rhodesia and began farming. Willem grew up on the farm and spent most of his free time in the bush tracking animals and hunting. He learned the Art of Tracking from one of his father's Shona employees.<br />
<br />
Rhodesia began to enter a time of travails after declaring independence from Britain. Communist insurgents backed by China and Russia started to invade the country in a Chimurenga, a Shona word for Revolutionary Struggle. At the helm of this struggle were the tyrant's Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. They believed that they were to reclaim the land and its wealth from the white colonists. Rhodesia's wealth resided in its agricultural wealth. They were the breadbasket of Africa. First priority for the Terrorists was the Farmer. Attacks on quiet, productive Farmers spread through the country. Soon, the Kruger's became victims. The Terr's attacked and murdered Willem's family. It was only happenstance that Willem escaped. He had went to visit relatives in Salisbury. At sixteen years of age, his life was forever altered.<br />
<br />
With revenge in his heart he joined the Rhodesian Army with his uncles permission. At seventeen, he graduated the School of Infantry and was posted to a Commando unit, participating in Fire Force operations in the last two years of the war. Still just a boy, he earned the respect of the men around him. Once the United States and Great Britain had handed the reins of power to Robert Mugabe, he left for South Africa like many other Rhodesians.<br />
<br />
The South African Army accepted him with open arms and he became earned a commission and a place in the 44th Parachute Brigade, fighting the war against the communists in Angola. His combat record and aggressiveness in the field caught many peoples attention. He refused to be promoted to a staff position in order to be in the field with his men. He was recruited to try out for another unit. The Recces were the eyes and ears of the Army. They penetrated deep into enemy held territory and often times took Direct Action. They could never rely on air power because of the distance away from the front lines. He resigned his commission when the New South Africa began slashing personnel from special forces units.<br />
<br />
Disgusted with politicians he resigned his commission and tried policing for a short while. Finding that policing was not for him, he resigned. Shortly thereafter the constant changing tides of Africa presented him with an opportunity to Soldier again. He entered the world of Private Military Companies. Working in Angola and Sierra Leone, he was able to put his years of training into a righteous cause and earn a substantial amount of money.<br />
<br />
After the dissolution of the outfit he worked for he remained in Sierra Leone doing more work for the government. Here he met his future wife in a refugee camp for the UN. She was revolted by the idea that he might be a mercenary as much as he was revolted by the United Nations. Both coming from Farming families, they found some common ground and a romance evolved into marraige.<br />
<br />
Fed up with War and endless corruption and conflict in Africa, he immigrated to the United States with his wife and new son. They bought her fathers farm in Kansas. He had no fear of his land being overrun with Terrorists and took on a new phase of his life.<br />
<br />
9/11 changed the world forever. Struggling to pay the bills on a small family farm, men like him were more in demand than ever. A company called Security and Logistics Enterprises contacted him with work that he was more than qualified for. A month's work would secure the farm for a year. He struggled with returning to his profession, as he had found peace and contentment.<br />
<br />
Yet, with the tools of his trade, he can make the world a better place and earn money doing what few men could. Willem Kruger is the ultimate Professional Soldier.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3432972524684925003.post-74568841259402430952011-09-08T16:33:00.000-07:002011-09-08T16:33:27.507-07:00The Gold of KatangaThe Gold of Katanga is the first in a series of Military/Men's Adventure novels that deal with the shadowy world of Private Militaries. Deep in the Heart of Africa lies the darkness and war torn nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The epicenter of the of untold mineral wealth and war on a scale not seen since World War Two, anything goes. From the Billionaire investors who mine its riches to the small warlords hell bent on killing, raping and savaging anything in their way.<br />
<br />
It is here that Katanga Resources finds new deposits of Gold. With the world currency devaluing by the day, Gold is perhaps the most coveted mineral that Warlords can easily trade for weapons and more power. An unknown Rebel Group has seized two new mines owned by KR, Inc. They show no mercy and kill to the last man. Along with the seizures of the mines, this group has kidnapped a group of missionaries and doctors hoping for a large ransom.<br />
<br />
The Congolese Army, corrupt and ineffectual with a President not interested in the fates of two small mines and a few westerners will not commit to putting down the Rebels. The UN is drawing down and has no interest in going on the offensive.<br />
<br />
With no other alternative, KR, Inc. turn to Security and Logistics Enterprises, Worldwide. A Private Military Company that works in Hot Spots that angels fear to tread. A contract is set to recover the mines and a bonus will be paid for the rescue of the missionaries. SLE's compartmentalized High Risk Unit is called for the job. A unique group of warriors who specialize in Africa and South America take the fight to the Rebels with the skill and professionalism that only comes with a lifetime of experience.<br />
<br />
Going to war against an unknown entity, they are pushed to their limit as soldiers and as men. Not for the faint of heart, join Task Force Intrepid in their inaugural mission to deliver justice with Speed, Aggression and Violence of Action.simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145301392411631022noreply@blogger.com0