The Rangers Are Coming (26 page)

              “When you talk about suffering 5 or 10 percent casualties, you always think it’s going to be someone else, but when the casualty is you or someone you know, the rate is 100 percent.  Part of me died when I lost Willis.”

              “We would like you to lead an honor guard to take him home for burial,” said Washington.

              “That would be very much appreciated, General,” said Robby, “I know his folks would be happy to know he didn’t die without cause.  What do we do?”

              “Arcadia has shown me the burial ceremony used in her times.  I think it’s a very moving and respectful last rite,” said Washington.

              “I would be honored if you will allow me to do the ceremony and speak at the funeral,” said Arcadia.

              “Thank you, Arcadia,” said Robby, “You being there would be a great tribute.”

              The honor guard turned out to be 20 of Willis’ platoon.  They were all, along with Robby, fitted for new uniforms.  General Washington said they were dress blues for special occasions.  “We’re not in combat here, so our fighting uniforms will be replaced by these.

              Robby had to admit he’d never seen such beautiful uniforms.  They were made up of blue coats and pants, with mirror bright black shoes, headgear that was sharp, round hats with a shining visor in the front.  The ranks of the soldiers were sewed on the sleeves in gold.  The nametags were outlined in white, and there were gold buttons on the collars that said “US Army.”  The decorations and awards of the soldiers were a blaze of color in rows above their left shirt pockets.  Starting at the right shoulder was a white length of braided cloth that looped down under the arm.  This, Robby was told was to symbolize that the men were all Rangers.

              With need for secrecy no longer necessary, Robby flew up to Concord in one of the Huey helicopters.  It was his sad duty to inform the Grant family of the death of their son, and to make arrangements for the funeral.  For this mission, he wore his combat fatigues, helmet, radio and he was armed with his M-4 sniper rifle and accompanying side arm of a 45 caliber automatic pistol.  For Robby, there was nothing new about this; except for the extra stripe, he now wore, signifying that he was a Sergeant First Class.  He remembered Sergeant Seacrest having such rank, clear back on the day he enlisted in Boston.

              The helicopter landed in the town square of Concord, and instantly drew a crowd.  The marvel of a flying vehicle only added to the legend and fame of the mysterious Rangers who had so soundly defeated the British and gave the colonies their independence.  The papers had been full of news about their exploits in expanding the country to include Canada and Central America.  Almost everyone had read the Declaration of Independence and the New Constitution, considering them to be among the most important documents ever written.

              Robby stepped out of the helicopter, and the crowd instantly stepped back.  The lethal reputation of the Rangers was well known.  He smiled at this and looked through the crowd for his own family.  He saw his mother first.  He took off his helmet and said, “Mother, is this the best greeting you can muster for your son?”

              “Robby!” she cried and ran forward to embrace him.  The rest of the people of Concord now were able to look beyond the uniform and see it was filled with one of their own.  Robby hugged his mother, and then his father, brothers and sisters.  He shook hands with the dozens of others who crushed in to greet him.

              “I’m sorry,” he said, I’m on official business.  He broke away from the crowd and separated the Grant family taking them off a distance to speak to them privately.  He sadly delivered the news of the death of their son. 

              Willis’ mother leaned against Robby and cried.  Robby did too.  He reached out to take the Grant family in his arms to console them.

              “How did he die, asked Willis’ father?

              “Very bravely, in combat, he was the leader of the unit we attacked on a very large installation.  You can be proud of Willis, Mr. Grant he was a credit to the Rangers and to the United States of America.”

              “Where is he,” asked his mother?”

              “At present he is being prepared for burial at Fort Independence in Virginia.  Tomorrow we’ll bring him home and formally lay him to rest in the village cemetery.”

              Robby turned to the crowd, now comprising the entire population of Concord.  “My friends, I am here with sad news.  Sergeant Willis Grant was killed in an operation of the Rangers, three days ago.  It is a terrible thing when a Ranger falls.  I would like to ask you permission to return Willis to Concord tomorrow for a formal burial, and I ask that all of you, who can, come to the ceremony.”

              There were general outbursts of grief among the villagers.  “As you all know, Willis was my oldest friend.  He and I fought together for the independence of America, and his loss is greater than I can bear.”

              One of the soldiers on the helicopter jumped out with a long bag that held Robby’s uniform, his pack, and his rifle, and brought it over to him.  “With your permission, First Sergeant, we are ready to depart.”

              “Permission granted,” said Robby, “Thanks for the ride.”

              “It’s the least we can do for the man who saved so many of our lives and is a hero of the Rangers,” said the Corporal.  He jumped back aboard the helicopter and soon it lifted and was gone over the trees.

              Robby turned back to the villagers of Concord.  “I know that you have many, many questions.  Some of them I can answer, some I cannot.  However, I am willing to tell you what I know, if you are interested in listening to me for a few minutes.

              The fact that the entire village sat down on the village green made it clear they were willing to listen to Robby for as long as he wanted to talk.

              “Five years ago, a secret group of American patriots, who had anticipated the coming war with the British over the question of Independence of the Colonies, ran an ad in the papers everywhere, saying they were organizing a grand exploration of the lands to the west and were recruiting young men for the adventure.  This was a deception, to prevent the British from becoming suspicious of our true intentions.  Willis and I were accepted as recruits and went to a special installation in Virginia, called Fort Independence.  There we were intensely trained.  We received a very comprehensive education and now all of us have graduate degrees that are recognized at Harvard, so, along with my rank, I am also Doctor Pierce with a degree in politics, history, and sociology.”

              “But education was only the beginning of our training.  We were part of what has become the Ranger Brigade, which as you already know, is the best army in the world.  I am not at liberty to disclose our exact numbers, but you would be surprised to know how few of us there really are.”

              “Our modern battle tactics and superior weapons made us more than a match for the British.”  He held up his M-4 Sniper rifle, “This is my weapon.  I won’t demonstrate its use now, but let me just say that I can hit a target from a mile away.”

              “As you have read in the papers, the new United States has a constitution that is based on the belief that government exists by the consent of the people.  This is a concept, which is unique in the entire world.  Basic rights are given to you by our new constitution.  We believe these rights are those of all men and are given to us by God, who is our ultimate authority.”

              “I know you have also read in the papers mostly garbled and confused reports about the use of the Rangers to expand the actual size of America and the creation of states under the new national government.  The papers simply do not understand the scope of Ranger operations.  How could they? The truth is such a stretch of the mind that it’s incomprehensible to most people.”

              “Here is the actual truth.  At the present time, the United States of America comprises the entire North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.  We have absorbed Canada into our union.  We are currently doing the same in Mexico, Central America, and all of the islands of the Caribbean.  We have defeated not only the British, but also the combined strength of the French and Spanish fleets and forces stationed in North America.  We are now the largest country in the world.  Very soon, we will invite immigrants from all countries to fill the empty lands by giving them land of their own.  We’ll also begin to produce a long list of goods and products which we will sell to any nation that wishes to buy them, or trade things we need for our own purposes.”

              “Here is the most important thing that I am going to say today.  We are a Christian nation.  We believe in the power of God and life, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins.  We live our lives in this manner, with the Holy Spirit in each man and each woman, regardless of race or sex, or national origin, guiding us to eternity through faith, not works.  The United States will remain the most powerful nation on Earth; however, we seek no further conquests of land or people beyond what we now have.  We are neutral in the affairs of all other countries.  We offer fair trade with all nations, but will not interfere with their governments or how they govern their own people in anyway.”

              “Tomorrow, we will lay our brother Willis Grant to rest.  An honor guard of Rangers will conduct the ceremony at the gravesite.  There will also be speeches, not from me; I have already told you all you need to know.  You will hear from none other than our Commander in Chief, himself, General George Washington, and you will hear from one other person, whom none of you know, but is considered by every Ranger to be the heart and soul of our consciences and who has led us spiritually all these years.  I wish I could tell you what a singular honor you’re receiving by her presence, just believe me when I tell you that it is so.  Her name is Arcadia, and her name is on the lips of every Ranger each time he steps into harm’s way.  If George Washington is the Father of our Country, she is the Mother.”

              Robby glanced at his watch.  “I think I have spoken long enough and given you plenty to think about.  Our burial ceremony begins at 2 PM tomorrow.  I’ll see you all then.”

              He walked over to his family and they all walked off toward the Pierce home.  His younger brothers and sisters fought over who would carry Robby’s bag and uniform cover.  Robby’s father put his arm around his son’s shoulder.  “There have been some changes since you were last here.  That marvelous improvement you gave us for wagons has made our wagons the most popular in all of New England.  We have bought more land and put up a building to make wagons to keep up with the demand.  I have over a dozen men working for me.  They’re very happy.  They make a good wage and support their own families very well.”

              “Keep it that way, father, and you’ll never have any labor problems.”

              Just then, Robby’s radio came to life, “Crystal Palace to Hawkeye, do you read?”

Robby paused while his family looked on and spoke into the radio, “Hawkeye to Crystal Palace, Go.”

              “Papa Grizzly here Hawkeye, are we all set for the ceremony tomorrow?”

              “Roger, Papa Grizzly, I gave the village the approved information, and set the ceremony for 14:00.  You can adjust your schedule for preparations to that.”

              “Well done, Hawkeye.  See you tomorrow, Papa Grizzly, out.”

              “What in the world was that,” asked Robby’s father.

              “See this little clear strip,” said Robby?  He took off his helmet and showed his family the compact radio that was built into it.  “With this, I can speak to anyone in the brigade, including the headquarters, which that was, or anyplace in the country.  If you want to know how it works, I can’t tell you.  I understand the principal, but how the message is transmitted, I don’t know.”

              “You used strange language,” said Jonathan Pierce.  What was it all about?”

              “Nobody in the world has this kind of communications equipment, so we could just talk to each other in plain language.  However, there will come a day when this kind of equipment is common, so we’ve adopted the use of code from the beginning.”

              “So what were you saying?”

              “Just that I arrived, spoke to the people and confirmed the time for the ceremony for tomorrow.  I’m afraid I can’t tell you anymore.”

              “I don’t believe you can shoot that musket of yours accurately over a mile,” said Robby’s older brother.

              “Do you have a small bag of gunpowder?”

              “I’m sure I do,” said his brother.

              “Do you see that post across the village green, which marks the entrance to the village how far away would you say that was?”

              “Fully a mile,” said his brother.

              “Since you want the demonstration, take the bag of gunpowder and go set in on top of the post.  Then back off at least 20 feet, I wouldn’t want you to get scorched,” smiled Robby.

              The whole family watched as Robby’s brother grabbed a rather large bag of gunpowder and went sprinting off to the city limit’s post.  While he was doing that, Robby pulled the M-4 out of its case, got himself a block of wood, and tossed a handful of dirt into the air.  Then he turned some nobs on his weapon and lay down on the ground with the rifle on the block of wood.

              By this time, Robby’s brother had reached the post and set the bag of gunpowder on top of it.  He backed away a few feet.  “He’s going to be sorry he didn’t get further away,” said Robby as he sighted through the scope at the target.  He pulled a large cartridge with a red tip on it from his belt, opened the breach of the weapon, and inserted the round.

              He lay still for a moment and then fired.  It made a big noise that made everyone jump.  However, nobody jumped faster than Robby’s brother who scampered away, pounding his pants when the bag of gunpowder blew up in a flash of light and fire.  The noise of the explosion reached them a second or so later.