Friday, July 31, 2009

Clear and present danger - Reason unknown.

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B


City : Tikrit, Iraq - 100 miles Northwest of Baghdad. Home town and former strong hold of the 'allegedly' late Saddam Hussein.
General Population : Fast decreasing.
Armed forces in the City : Combined UN forces believed to be double the size of total city population.

UN forces ops are pre-warned of the hostile nature of the locals on assignment Tikrit. Alert Code Red on suicide bombers is active 24/7 in and around the city.

Friday : The day of Juma Prayers.
Time : 7:15 pm.


Privates Santiago, Anderson and Martinez were on Patrol duty on their military assigned MUV, having got their orders from their base Camp TI-21 that morning. Their vehicle was recently armed and mounted with a counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) that had the 3 privates feeling a bit safer out on hostile streets. (Counter-IED is a new technology that jams enemy radio signals making it impossible for hidden attackers to detonate explosives.)

Santiago lead the team of three. Their primary assignment - to make random checks on vehicles passing by for any suspicious movements or activities. They had on their backpack a list of men identified internationally as known and wanted terrorists on the run - both active and sleepers.

Active terrorist camps were being identified in Iraq and raided on continuous basis but it was the sleepers that held real trouble.

Therefore, the 2nd assignment for the privates was to click the photographs of the occupants of the vehicles if they looked suspicious in anyways whatsoever and do an immediate photo back-check with base for identification and clearance. This required them to be on alert their entire duty time.

An hour had passed and they were moving from place to place - their weapons on check and ready. Tikrit had a tendency of utilizing guerrilla warfare to the core. The Privates weren't taking any chances.

Time: 9:30 pm.
The privates stopped their vehicle and got out to do some barricade checking. Two barricades were put up and each vehicle stopped and checked. Private Anderson took the side of the road that had incoming traffic and the other 2 privates, the outgoing. Every vehicle stopped was assumed to be laden of weapons and occupants armed and dangerous. They parked their own MUV on the side of the road with Counter-IED on the ON mode.

Every vehicle they stopped, they had all it's occupants ordered out on gun point and their vehicle checked. This was routine and the soldiers did their job efficiently. Due apologies were mentioned if nothing was found and their identification was clean.

Private Anderson saw a red colored vehicle approach on his side of the road. He kept an eye on the vehicle to see if there's any sudden suspicious reaction from the occupants in the car. As the car closed in, he noticed the people inside.

It was a family. A man driving the vehicle, a woman by his side in the front and two good looking kids around 5 or 6 of age - both boys, in the back seat.

But, family or no family, the car was going to be checked. The vehicle was approaching at normal speed indicating nothing out of the ordinary. Privates Santiago and Martinez had not seen the vehicle yet. They were busy flagging and checking the vehicles coming from the other side of the road.

Anderson's side had only that one red car approaching. The car moved at a steady speed. But just as suddenly.....it stopped....at least 30 feet short of Anderson for reason unknown.

Anderson couldn't comprehend any usual reasons like a puncture or Tyre burst for the car to stop. Yet, the driver had seemingly decided to do just that.

"Uh oh...this is not good", Anderson thought. He got his hands on his assault rifle on instinct and aimed it at the vehicle. What he saw next confirmed the fact that he was right. This was definitely a problem car. He saw the driver and the woman get out from the front in a hurry and reach to the back of the car and then break into a sudden run in the opposite direction in a straight line.

They ran straight in such a fashion that the car sat directly in between Anderson and them. They were being cunningly smart and were avoiding being shot.

What Anderson didn't really understand was the reason for their sudden dash especially when their children were still in the vehicle. The two boys had confusion written all over their innocent faces.

Anderson shouted for the running couple to stop.
His shout got the attention of his mates - Martinez and Santiago. They let a car go by un-checked on their side and started immediately to reach Anderson. But Anderson had left his position. He was now walking briskly with his Assault Rifle - aim ready near his eyes, towards the red vehicle. He anticipated more trouble for some reason. His primary aim, though, was to get the children out of the car first.

Santiago and Martinez reached where Anderson was a minute back. From their new position they could see the car with the boys inside, Anderson rushing towards it and also the couple running in the distance. This definitely looked disastrous.

Santiago was known to be the most alert among the 3. He was also known to be a street-smart soldier with impeccable survival instincts. Santiago's brain took on the situation in a second and his instinct came to fore like a blast.

By this time, however, Anderson had broken into a run towards the car, armed with his fire-ready rifle. It wouldn't take more than a minute for him to reach it.

Time was not a luxury here. Santiago had had an instinct and his brain computed on what had the highest possibility of happening here. And if his instinct was going to be right, time was almost lost. There was only one chance and Santiago took it.

He shouted his command to Anderson on the top of his voice, from where he was, in the most threatening way he could - "SOLDIER, STOP !! Don't move an inch." Anderson heard it and stopped dead on his tracks. But even before he could turn to see Santiago and understand the reason to have been given this command, he heard another command the very next instant - "GET DOWN. NOW !!".

Soldiers are taught to act on the spur, more-so on such tense situations. When you hear such commands, you don't think, you DO. If you don't, you die. Period. This was survival basics. Anderson immediately jumped as far away from the vehicle as possible and threw himself to the ground in a large thud.

As Anderson was throwing himself to the ground, so were Santiago and Martinez. It had been barely a second since the soldiers had got themselves to the ground when THE CAR BLEW UP in a terrifying huge blast.

It was blown away to smithereens. The burning door of the car went high in the air and landed directly on Anderson's left leg and he shouted in pain.

Martinez got up, picked up the sand on the side of the road and rushed to Anderson and threw it on his burning leg. Santiago was already on his side getting the fire out from Anderson's burning pants.

This time Martinez heard Santiago. "Get those bastards", he said. Martinez turned to look at Santiago and saw the fiercest look of his team leader he had ever seen. The next instant saw Martinez running towards their MUV, starting it up and driving at break neck speed towards the running couple who had by now gained quite some distance.

Day : Saturday.
Time : 03:59 am.
Location: Base Camp TI-21.


Sergent Major R. Hamilton sat on his chair and read Private Santiago's detailed report on the events of the evening. The summary was presented quite clearly.

Terrorist vehicle make : Fiat mini.
Vehicle color : Red.
Vehicle Occupants : Four. Single male adult, age around 40. Single female adult, age around 30, 2 children, both male, age around 6.

Casualty : 4 dead, 1 injured. All vehicle occupants dead. Adult male shot by Private Martinez. Adult female dead due to Cyanide consumption. Both male children blown in vehicle blast. Private Anderson suffered burns on his left leg. Burn percentage - 80. Currently hospitalized in base.

Terrorist Identification : Both adult bodies identified on Pentagon database of the internationally wanted.
Reason for attack : Unknown.
Assumed target of terrorist vehicle: Base camp TI-21.
Counter-IED assumed no role in the saving of private Anderson's life. Private Martinez and me are ready for another day.

End of Report.


Major R. Hamilton kept the report on the table, sipped his tea without any expressions and whispered to himself in controlled anger, "Fucking hell, We aren't going that easy. Bring it on !!"



Clear and present message:
To the authorities of the world : Stop uniform terrorism.
To the people who take up arms : Stop killing Innocent people.
To the people of the world : Accept and follow the age-old religion - Peace.



(The above is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any character or situation is purely coincidental. The photos are for representation purposes only.)

59 Spoke their mind: yep, makes a difference !!

ARUNA said...

Ohhh gosh Andy its tooo long to read now!!!!!! But i guess i'm the first again....hurrayyyyyy!!!!!!!!!

ARUNA said...

thanks for considering my request and posting something new! will come back soon to read!

Anshu said...

i agree wid aruna..its too long ,will read later and come back.

Razzer said...

Hurray..Aruna. Ur first again. Lolz. Ur on hatrick. Just one more.

Razzer said...

See I posted something new when u said it.

OK, I knw it's kinda long but I believe in details. Besides, generally speaking for good content of any blog- if the content of the write up is good, the length only adds to it's interest and at one point of time, you may even hear urself say, "Over?? so soon??"

I only hope you like this post. :-)

Razzer said...

Hey Anshu, thanx. Read it and tell me wot u think of it. Sorry for it being a bit lengthy but I'm sure u'll like it. :-)

Razzer said...

Hey Rak.....U said the right words. Lol.
Inspired - absolutely.

If u've read it, tell me if I did justice to the narration part of it.

10V said...

Interesting read...Nice buildup on the story...but needs a purpose...

Dont mind.

Enjoy

Razzer said...

Thanx Tanvi. U might wanna read the end of the post again though. You shud find a purpose this time. :-)

Imp's Mom said...

Its always the innocent who get caught up in the middle... don't they!

nice read :-)

and wht do u knw... it was abt "private" ... lol

Sakshi said...

Interesting read coming from a cute clown (ok the cute was for rhyming purpose). Yeah I too believe in the religion of peace..Sigh!

Btw is this war story inspired and hinted at certain G3 members?

Razzer said...

Its always the innocent who get caught in the middle. Yep.

Thanx. Is this post a bit of a strong read for G3 or out of context? I wonder.

Razzer said...

Uh...'Ms still havent figured ur name yet'..aka..Sexy..what does 'cute' rhyme with?? lolz.

Hey....finally someone cud understand the purpose. Cant u imagine me as one of the privates searching all u guys?? Haha.

workhard said...

Hey Andy.. This is a really really nice post.. I thought it was long but when i started reading it.. Man its good...

Love the message u have here..

I am totally a peaceful Person..:)

ARUNA said...

that's scary, i hate violence....i really pity the poor kids whose death became inevitable so soon! I feel so sad yaa, pls dont post serious things, it wont suit ur blog. Let ur next post b filled with a lot of humor!!!

Razzer said...

Thanx Wookie. I think a good read over-shadows the length of a write up. Thats why the post got a big elongated.

You are a peaceful person ? May I correct u here?/ U r a Piece-ful person. Lol.

Razzer said...

Hey Aruna, everybody hates violence. Wot to do man, life is such sometimes.

Serious things dont suit my blog, eh??? Lol. Ok then consider this one an experiment of sorts.

Ok next post, Im 'cooking' up something different. ;-)

Self- Proclaimed Shoe Addict said...

believe it or not i actually said "over? already?" i loved it! i love fiction and stories and this really hit the spot on a saturday work day! keep up the good work! i totally love it and i agree with the age ol' religion! "PEACE"

Razzer said...

Hey, Thanx Megs. "Over?Already?" Wota compliment.
I'll do more of such then sometime.

Thanx ya.

Sakshi said...

Keep your wandering...oops wondering brain to urself ok? G3 is keeping their dignity and taking a 2 day silence for such a wonderful post..reminder the POST not the AUTHOR!!

Razzer said...

Heyy heyyy...No silence allowed. This is a No Silence Zone. Infact silence is soon gonna be fined. So there.

Talk talk talk.... Screaaaaaam if that's ur calling !!

PurpleHeart said...

From an intriguing puzzle to stuff that holds serious thoughts, whoooaaa !! The post is a push to think. The world can do away with war. The future definitely should believe more in the strength of goodness than in the power of guns ! Well written!

Razzer said...

Hey Purrrrrple.....U seem to know a lot about wot goes on here. R u spyin' on me? WHO ARE YOU?? FAST. Tell me...NOW !!!


Lolz.....relax..Kidding. Haha. That's my stupid, ignorable kinda humor. Thanx for the compliment. Had it in my head for sometime and I finally put it down in words. Glad u liked it.

ARUNA said...

See Andy bcoz of ur sob sob sad post the whole g3 has become dull!!!!!Do some damage control yaa!

Razzer said...

Lol. Aruna actually, I knew this was going to be a post quite different in taste than my other ones. And I had more or less expected limited but worthwhile comments on this one.

Hey but, I hv maintained, the quality of comments matter to me more than quantity.

In every post of mine..the real related post comments r over by 40 or something and then we all have pillow fights. Lol. WOt fun.

Sakshi said...

OK Andy for once your wish will be granted. G3 LISTEN no one will put comments now on this post. Andy wants only quality comments and he means indirectly that G3 was putting garbage here....grrrrrr

Razzer said...

Heyyyy that's such a damn rong interpretation, ok?? Ms smarty pants.
Garbage?? Amma, wot u sayin da? In that case I am pretty much included as well, no??

ARUNA said...

Yeah Sakshi i agree with you.....no more comments from our side! Its my revenge time too!

Wookie where r u....need ur help!!!!

Mr Smarty pants, by including yourself u r agreeing that it was all garbage......how can u do this to us Andy :(

Sakshi, huh u r right yaa.....we have no place here!!!!

Sakshi said...

Look who is talking..WOO where r u? Did you hear that? Andy says no wrong interpretations. I think Woo will answer that who has been interpreted quiet often wrongly by Andy Boy. I rest my comments here hmmmpf!

Razzer said...

Huh?? Ms Cake Maker.... I said IF a big IF.
U guys arent garbage ya..fuckkkk wot is this word now??

I didnt include myself..I mean..no ones included... shucks man.

Hey u hv more place than u can sit here..sit madam sit...RAJU.....madam ke liye cold drink la !!

Razzer said...

Yo ms 'I dont like Sexy'.....I said wrong not no rong. SIghh but does it matter now?

"I rest my comments..hmpph" HMMPH !!!

workhard said...

OMG!!!!

Andy u seem to be pissing off a lot of ppl here..

How dare u call our golden words Garbage.. U really need to be punished..



Aruna.. lemme know what u have in mind for revenge.. i ll back u up 100%

Sexy....Im in with you..

Lets deprive him of the so called 'Garbage'



BTW.. if u call our words 'garbage' then u 'The Garbage Man'

LOL...

See you on the next post!!!!

Razzer said...

Uh oh..here comes the G3 queen. I think Im being pissed upon.

Wookiee...baby....this blog aint no garbage...only a pee palace.

Get the relation??? U being a queen..this being a pee palace?? hee

Razzer said...

Ohhh yeaa Selfie..Now somebody's talkin. Im completely with u. but u sure? U gonna make a lotta enemies in the bargain.

Anshu said...

MASTER!!!! lemme know if u need any help.....


till then...u really used the word garbage for our words????? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

Anshu said...

BTW, Sorry,was lil busy last week...just read your post.serious stuff but interesting...didnt like the kids being killed in the bargain..just convincing myself that it cud have been jus dummies.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Andy boi - Just realized that I missed inserting the space in the links ....... I'm not sure how I should do it...... do please send me a note on how this needs to be done. My email ID is almost.sunday@gmail.com

Will greatly appreciate your help!

Thanks much!

R

Sakshi said...

Are Bhai itna SANATA kyun hai yaha?? someone was bombed badly? Anshuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu u called him MASTER?? Gal you will be disinfected and quarantined by G3!!!!

Razzer said...

Hi Rak, it's no big deal. I will.
This is the code for it.

http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/linking/_A_TARGET_95y98y108y97y110y107y.html

Simple.

Razzer said...

Anshu....MASTER??? WoW. I musta done somethin right. Lol.

SO ur calin me a master cuz u think ur a....slave or a genie?

In any case, I will treat u as a Genie. :-)

Sakshi..I quarantine Anshu in a secret place all for myself. Haha.

Razzer said...

Well, It was fiction, Anshu. But these kinda things do keep happening over in that part of the world.

Be glad u stay in a relatively progressive and a peaceful country. God bless India.

Razzer said...

Sexy....heel girl..HEEL. (Whip)

Follow Anshu's path. Call me MASTER. NOW. (whip whip)Lolz.

Razzer said...

Wot? Now Wookie, Anshu called me Master. And u saying Im garbage master.
So who u calling garbage now???? Oh my !!

Nehal said...

I agree wookie its garbage master
and here i was thinking of returning to the blogonation but Considering the garbage comment I prefer to keep silence till the next blog Bye MR. Garbage Master

1000 bucks for your thoughts?

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