Chain of Command: Chapter 2

12/12/2014

NOTES: Thanks for all your thoughtful comments yesterday. As I mentioned in a couple replies, your input is what makes this so effective. I won't go on and on today. I'd rather you got back to the story. Ramping up slowly...

(CAUTION: The following contains unedited material that may be unsuitable for the grammatically inclined)

Chapter 2

Quantico, Virginia
8:11am, December 4th

Cal Stokes waited as his host finished his phone call. The former Marine staff sergeant didn’t wait on many people. He was silent owner of Stokes Security International (SSI), a company founded by his now-deceased father. SSI provided expert former military to corporations and governments all over the world. He was also now the de-facto leader of The Jefferson Group. In the public eye, The Jefferson Group was a consultancy that provided a wide range of expertise ranging from network stability to personal security. Their real mission was only known to a handful of people.

Sanctioned by the President of the United States, Brandon Zimmer, the warriors of The Jefferson operated out of Charlottesville, Virginia, executing secret missions in the States and overseas. In short, they were President Zimmer’s black asset. Untraceable and highly effective.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Scott Winfield, hung up the phone and exhaled.

“Anything new, sir?” asked Cal. The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Douglas Ellwood had disappeared while in vacation two days before. Search parties were combing Lake Buena Vista, led by local NCIS agents.

Gen. Winfield nodded. “They found him.”

“He’s dead.”

Another slow nod.

“It looks like suicide.”

Cal’s stomach turned. He’d been the one to recommend that Gen. Ellwood not be allowed to go to Florida. But the commandant overruled him.

“You were right, Cal.”

The normally upright warrior looked deflated.

“You had no idea that he would do that, sir.”

“I should have. You did.”

Cal didn’t reply. Nearly a month earlier, at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball held at Marine Barracks 8th & I, Gen. Winfield and his good friend, Gen. McMillan, USMC, who also happened to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, informed Cal of a new threat to the Marine Corps. The punchline from Winfield had been simple. “We believe that come this time next year, there will no longer be a United States Marine Corps.”

At first Cal blamed the booze. The two generals had been at the sauce for hours. But as they outlined the situation, and asked for his assistance, he couldn’t help but believe them.

The Marine Corps had faced disbanding in the past, most recently in the early 20th century. But World War II and the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi had changed that. In fact, it was James Forrestal, the Secretary of the Navy, who’d said in 1945, “The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years.”

Apparently not.

It had been the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps himself who’d brought the danger to Winfield’s attention. Incredibly, Gen. Ellwood confessed to being an unwitting participant in the plot to slash the Marine Corps out of existence.

Now on loan to the commandant with the blessing of the president, Cal had pressed for an in-depth investigation. Gen. Winfield preferred a more cautious approach saying, “If General Ellwood was part of this, he will be held accountable. I don’t want to ruin his career if we don’t have to.”

Cal almost lost his patience at that point replying, “With respect, sir, the general has already admitted his guilt. Whether he knew what he was doing or not doesn’t change a thing. You brought me in to help, to take action. I recommend you let me and my team do what we do best.”
Now their key witness was dead. Cal didn’t have to tell the Commandant how much time they’d lost. Gen. Winfield knew.

“I never asked, sir, was General Ellwood a friend?”

“We knew each other, of course, but I wouldn’t say we were friends. My God, how could he do that with his family being so close, at Disney World for Christ’s sake!”

Cal had his opinions but he kept them to himself. Now wasn’t the time to besmirch the name of a Marine general.

After taking a few moments to gather his thoughts, Winfield said, “I know we talked about you putting on the uniform again, but I think we missed that window. Can you and your team do what’s needed without joining the ranks?”

Cal hadn’t thought much of the Commandant’s idea of he and his other former Marines going back in the Corps for the sake of the investigation. The Corps was too small. They knew too many people. They would be recognized. If there was a silver lining to Gen. Ellwood’s death it was that Cal wouldn’t have to pin on fake major’s bars.

“We can do it, sir.”

“Good. Now, how quickly can you get to Florida?”

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22 Comments

Laura

12/12/2014 02:44:14 am

Great foundation and background for us. Looking forward to seeing where you take us.

Kathy Andresen

12/12/2014 02:46:33 am

Yesterday, I was thinking how difficult it would be for Cal and boys to go under cover in uniform even though I liked the idea. Good call!
Can't wait until I can read more. Happy typing.

Jerry Lovett

12/12/2014 03:14:49 am

Good start already. Can hardly wait for next episode to see where it goes.

alice kinch

12/12/2014 03:44:33 am

Definitely holds my interest. Can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter.

Jim Guthrie

12/12/2014 03:59:32 am

I have to agree with Ms. Andreson, regarding Cal's return to the Corps under a real/fake uniform investigation. I do believe that Cal &Co., can handle it without having to put on a uniform.

Just so you know, this book looks to one of the best books out there!

G. Younger

12/12/2014 04:16:29 am

This is interesting. I can't imagine why ANYONE would want to disband a part of our military, and for that matter, could. Could Congress simply just say...okay, no more Navy? I will have to read up on this concept.
Regardless, a terrific chapter.

Don Hoffman

12/12/2014 11:11:25 am

Congress controls the funding...period. If they defund a program it stops in its tracks. It works the same way with a branch of the Service. The Congress passed the National Security Act of 1947, which created the Department of Defense. The Congress can also defund a whole branch if it so chose. In 2010 then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates made waves when he ordered the Pentagon to take a hard look at the Marines to determine what, if any role they would play in the future of warfare.

“All of the military services have been challenged to find the right balance between preserving what is unique and valuable in their traditions, while at the same time making the changes necessary to win the wars we are in and prepare for the likely future threats in the years and decades to come,” he said. “Looking ahead, I do think it is proper to ask whether large-scale amphibious landings along the lines of Inchon [the Marine’s invasion of the Korea peninsula in 1950] are feasible.”

The review, which was completed in 2011, recommended the Marines shrink the size of their force dramatically and make other cuts that would lessen their strength. But the review did little to quiet speculation among the defense and policy community in Washington. There are lingering questions about the future of the Marines, with some suggesting that their missions are better conducted by the Army, Navy and Special Forces. “They’re a service in search of mission,” said Gordon Adams, an American University professor and defense budget expert.

Because of this lack of mission and ongoing budget pressures, the Marines are becoming an endangered branch. In the age of DOD austerity, they represent low-hanging fruit that could easily be picked from the Pentagon’s tree.

FATE IN THE HANDS OF THE NAVY
The Marines, while considered a separate branch of the military, are actually part of the Navy. They’re often referred to as the “infantry of the Navy.”

“The Marines don’t have a separate fiscal existence. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Navy,” Adams said.

The Marines are funded through two different mechanisms. For 2014, President Obama has proposed a Marine operations and maintenance budget of $6.2 billion, slight increase from the $5.9 billion it received last year. This money is given directly to the Marines.

But the Navy has authority over the Marine’s personnel budget–expected to be $12.9 billion in 2014. This means that Navy brass can decide how it pays to train, house, feed and maintain readiness of the troops.

CGC

12/12/2014 12:59:02 pm

And Don hits the sledgehammer on the proverbial nail's head. There is no guarantee that the Marine Corps will last. THAT is what we need to flesh out in this novel. What is the Marine Corps "unique" mission, and why should it survive. A tough question posed to die-hard Marines. Maybe together we can answer this question for the foreseeable future.

Judy Stone

12/12/2014 05:42:57 am

Great start. I agree with Jim Guthrie that Cal and his team can handle it without putting on the uniform.

Mark Sweeney

12/12/2014 07:26:38 am

Chapters 1 and 2 are a great start to what's shaping up to be another great Cal and Co. book. I also like Cal not going under cover in uniform but being the private special operator that he is. Keep up the great work!

Marsha

12/12/2014 08:44:59 am

Well, I thought the idea of Cal and the team going back in the Corps was a very interesting one and I have to admit, I was looking forward to seeing how it was handled. (Yes, I had some little scenarios floating in my little brain) However, I can see what the others are saying and reluctantly agree with them. I have no doubts that by the end of the book, you will have made the right decision.

Vin

12/12/2014 01:03:12 pm

The Corps is a relatively small community and, although first enlistment Marines may not know a lot of Marines from other areas, 'lifers' have been around and tend to know each other or at least have someone in common between them. A return to uniform as a cover was fraught with potential and real problems just because the limited population of its career members.

I was a Surface Sonar Technician and got out of the Navy after 12 years as a Chief (E-7). I was out for 7 years and then returned to the Navy but because I was out so long I had to take a bump down to First Class Petty Officer (E-6). Surface Sonar is a small community and career Surface Sonar Techs is even smaller. To give you an idea how small, after I returned to the Navy after 7 years my direct supervisor at my first duty station was a Chief Petty Officer (E-7) who had been a 3rd Class Petty Officer (E-4) in my Sonar Gang before I got out the first time. His direct supervisor was a Senior Chief (E-8) who had been a 2nd Class Petty Officer (E-5) who worked for me, and my Master Chief (E-9) had been a 1st Class Petty Officer (E-6) at the same time I was. There was a Warrant Officer and four other Sonar Techs on that base when I first returned to the Navy who I knew during my first 12 years. Every one of these sailors knew when I got out. Now the Marine Corps is a lot larger than the Sonar community in the Navy but I think this gives some idea of the potential for running into someone from your past and why Cooper made a good decision when he decided to keep them out of uniform if the story is to have some basis in reality. In life there was no way this would work.

Cooper, I still don't like your short chapters but the story itself is moving along well already. That first chapter sure hit home. Some things I hope to see explained before the end of the story:
1) If the Assistant Commandant had already confessed, what made him choose suicide instead of helping the Commandant save the Corps?
2) Why did he choose Disney World to end his life? There has to be some hidden significance in the location.
3) Is this really an effort from within the Corps or is it driven from outside and the AC just got wrapped up in it before he knew what was going on? I find it hard to believe it is going to be an internal attempt.

12/12/2014 10:58:33 am

Carlos,

Cal is coming into his own as a leader and the Command staff will be well served in letting him approach this in the manner he sees fit. He and the "team" have the contacts and the ability to burrow into this problem and find a solution. After all, they do live by those immortal words..."Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome".

Sue conger

12/12/2014 11:27:02 am

'In' vacation sh/be 'on'. Otherwise it's still compelling if short
.

12/12/2014 01:37:10 pm

Don, you did a great job of explaining things and thank you. Carlos, I also like you comments as well.

Some more food for thought...with all the drawdown in all branches if the military there are many hard decisions and paths for all the branches to face. There are many mixed feeling going on but the in that I keep hearing from other military members is that it is not good for the United States. Challenges all the way around and I think the Marines feel it mire strongly because they are a smaller force but also a specialized close knit family which the other branches lack. Sorry for rambling.

12/12/2014 11:29:10 pm

Thanks Don and Carlos for the explanation. Everything is clearer. My big brother, a Marine vet, has always told me that Marines do what the other branches can't and even if they could, wouldn't. Of course, no bias in his heart!!

Minnie

12/12/2014 11:50:02 pm

Excellent chapter! The threat coming from inside the corps is all too real. Glad that the boys don't have to expose themselves by going back but it saddens me that cal has to deal with yet another death that he could have prevented if bureaucracy hadn't stopped him.

Sandy K

12/13/2014 10:21:39 am

Excellent start. I don't want to see the Corp lose funding. In our world, we need the Corp more than ever. Cal will have to get to the bottom of this quickly.

CaryLory link

12/13/2014 10:40:44 am

Great story. I am enlightened by the story as it progresses but more so by the intelligent and informative comments.

Divchief

12/15/2014 12:44:02 am

Chapter 1 disappeared from my emails! Can I get it again?
Thanks

12/15/2014 02:47:09 am

http://www.corpsjustice.com/novels-live/chain-of-command-chapter-1

Jean Zook

12/15/2014 06:31:19 am

Okay this is intense and it really scares me, I cannot imagine the United States without the MARINES. Because we are a small intimate family the idea of it being destroyed scares me more then anything. I do see how the Corps is constantly overturning the leaders because they represent a threat to those who do not have a clue what they are doing. In losing the generation that understood war, spies and the necessity of extreme measures to keep America safe ugh I hope this doesn't happen.. But keep going!

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