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Praetorium Honoris

Thursday, June 6, 2024

The Marines Land a Big One

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Chapman's cellphone rang shortly after she drove off of the DHS campus. The phone was connected to her car via Bluetooth, as she was driving she didn't look to see who it was, she just hit the button on her steering wheel to answer.

"Chapman."

"Beth, it's Alex Choe. We need an alternate meeting place, seems there's been a shooting on MLK, just down the street from 6Co. This is kind of a rough neighborhood, kiddo."

"Damn, I hadn't thought of that. Do you know The Roost over on Pennsylvania?"

"Yeah, good coffee. They still open?"

"They close at 10 PM, meet you there?"

"Sounds good."

Chapman was a little embarrassed. As she was on the law enforcement side of things at Homeland, she did have a badge and a gun. The neighborhood around 6Co was a little sketchy, but fairly safe for Anacostia. She realized that she was starting to think like a cop. She understood Choe's nervousness, especially as there had been a shooting nearby. She was frazzled by the events of the past few weeks, she needed to get her head on straight.


The black Chevrolet Suburban rolled up to the gate at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I. The two Marines on duty were in full riot gear, helmets, vests, and M4 carbines. They looked very alert and very professional. An onlooker might not notice that there were more Marines nearby, ready to reinforce the Marines at the gate. There was also a machine gun team on the upper floor of the building across the parking lot.

The Suburban wore the flag of a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, but it wasn't a standard Navy vehicle.

"Roll the damn window down, Adams. Perhaps the idiots didn't notice the flag!" Vice Admiral Washington was an impatient man at the best of times, this was not one of those times.

YN1¹ Clarisse Adams rolled her window down as one Marine approached her side of the vehicle, the other Marine positioned herself so she could watch the front and the right side of the Suburban.

"Petty Officer?" The Marine's voice was clipped and all business.

"Vice Admiral Washington to see the Commandant." She offered her ID card.

The Marine ignored it and looked into the back of the vehicle, "Both of you step out of the vehicle please."

The admiral blustered, "Look here, son ..."

"Now. Sir."

The two sailors got out of the Suburban, the admiral reached for his wallet.

"Keep your hands where I can see them, Sir."

"Now goddammit, I'm in a hurry and ..."

At that moment a Marine Gunnery Sergeant game through the gate, "What the Hell is going on out here Marines? Why is this piece of shit blocking my gate?" His voice boomed and could probably be heard in Maryland.

"Now look here, Gunny ..." the admiral tried to speak again.

"ID, Mister, NOW!"

While the first Marine covered the two sailors with his weapon, the admiral, with shaking hands", pulled out his wallet and tried to extract his ID. He dropped it. As he stooped to retrieve it, the Gunnery Sergeant's voice boomed out.

"FREEZE MISTER! Gentile, if this man makes any more sudden moves, I expect you to blow his damned head off. Petty Officer, pick up that ID for me."

Adams did as she was told and handed the big Marine the admiral's ID card. After perusing it he handed it to Lance Corporal Theodore Gentile, "Scan this for me."

The Marine did so and handed the card back to his Gunnery Sergeant, "It's legit Gunny, Vice Admiral Thomas David Washington, United States Navy."

Gunnery Sergeant Jack Ermey slipped the ID into a pocket in his trousers. "Admiral, come with me, Petty Officer, you can head back to wherever you came from."

Adams started to speak, then thought better of it and got back into the Suburban. Before she did, she snatched the admiral's flag and the Navy flag from their slots near the front bumper and tossed them into the front passenger seat.

Washington stood there, without saying a word and watched as his vehicle drove off.

"And how am I supposed to get back to my office, Marine?"

Ermey turned to the parking lot and bellowed, "CLARK, ROGERS! Get your nasty asses out here on the double!"

"I expect an answer, Marine ..." the admiral tried to make his voice sound ominous, but in reality he was frightened out of his mind, something was wrong here.

"Rogers, pat the admiral down, when you're done, cuff him and take him to the brig."

"Aye, Aye, Gunny!"

When the admiral was cuffed, Ermey leaned in and whispered in his ear, "The Commandant was taken into custody fifteen minutes ago. I was told to take into custody anyone coming to see him."

"Who? What?" the admiral stuttered.

"Homeland Security, General Hemingway has been charged with sedition. You're next buddy."

Ermey turned to Corporal Clark and Private Rogers, "Get this piece of shit out of here."

"Aye, Aye, Gunny!" the two barked in unison as they frogmarched the admiral towards the nearest building.

Ermey turned to the two Marines on the gate, "Gentile, Gutiérrez, outstanding work. Carry on."

Both turned smartly and took up their positions once more as Gunnery Sergeant Ermey walked back into the parking lot where he had a small podium set up for the watch commander, which tonight was him. He reached under the podium and pulled out a satellite phone, on which he pressed a single digit.

When the phone was answered on the other end, he said a single sentence, "Big squid is off the board," then he broke the connection. It was time to make his rounds.


Bill Aspinall put his phone away, the Secretary of the Interior, John Nakagawa, poked his head out of the tent, "I'm surprised you get any reception out here, Bill."

"Satellite phone, John. The fish are about done I think, hope you're hungry. Big day tomorrow I think."

Nakagawa nodded, "One down?"

"Four to go."


As Choe drank his coffee, Chapman briefed him. When she was done, he shook his head.

"How high does the conspiracy go?"

"All the way to the President."

"Seriously?"

"Yes Sir, no one thinks the VP is in on it though, he's too stupid to keep a secret. But some of the House leadership is in on it, as are a number of Senators."

"And you got this information from where?"

"I can't say, Cap'n, you know the rules. But we have multiple sources." They didn't but Choe didn't need to know that, perhaps if he thought they had corroboration from multiple sources, he wouldn't try to figure things out. Chapman knew that he was one of the smartest people she knew.

Choe whispered, "I'll bet Johansen is a source."

"Don't ever say that again, Sir. You never know who's listening."

Choe nodded. That's when he noticed a man sitting across the room from them. Polo shirt, dark sport jacket, and khakis. If that wasn't a Fed, he'd eat his shoes.

He must have given off some clue as Chapman looked at him, smiled and said, "Yup."




¹ Yeoman 1st Class

30 comments:

  1. The "good guys" win? Time will tell.

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  2. Hooo boy! Hooo boy! He said as he hopped rom one foot to the other.............. :)

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  3. Cue actio musica, Baah, baaaah, BAAAAHHH....

    One pizzle, or more, gone, one more exposed? Your dramatis personae are getting more and more interesting. I'm likely overthinking it, but I'm still hearing a rattle after 8 layers of the Матрёшка (nesting doll).


    "Marine Gunnery Sergeant game through the gate, "What the Hell is going on out here Marines? "

    I don't care what the others are wearing, I saw Gunny (ironically) Ermey marching through that gate in his Class As, razor sharp creases, shoes polished to shame a mirror, campaign hat perched rakishly forward on top of his high and tight, and lightning bolts coming from his eyes. But, what game is HE playing?

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    Replies
    1. Nothing ironic about the choice of the name Ermey, that name, for those who know, instantly conjures a picture of a squared away Marine.

      Word to the wise, Gunny doesn't play games.

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  4. Minor correction: Gunnys I knew did play games. Be very sure you're their side.

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  5. The irony was that at "Marine Gunnery Sergeant" I instantly saw him, I hadn't gotten down to the name, just POOF! that image was in my head.

    "Gunny doesn't play games." Hmmmm....a hint? Foreshadowing?
    Now you have me thinking that Gunny is behind everything, and is manipulating everyone.

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  6. I checked out the source for the top picture...there is so much to see in DC!
    I'd think the Marine guard would address the driver (and anyone else) as "Petty officer" rather than by their rate.

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    Replies
    1. Probably, but perhaps that Marine had served aboard ship at some point.

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  7. Ooh Rah!
    Outstanding character name, obviously not from the random name generator!
    JB

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  8. Story is more like a chess game than a growing crescendo at this point- big chess piece getting taken out early in what I hope is a long game.

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    1. Still early, a piece with a big rank, for sure, but an important piece? That remains to be seen,

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    2. If he's a pawn, this really is getting interesting!!!

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    3. Well, everyone in DC thinks they're important. Most of them are really pawns.

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  9. I like the story, but confusing as heck.
    Not too nit-pick, but shouldn't it be Y1C? Is the character an E-6 or E-7? In either case the rating would be YN1 or YNC. Keep up the great writing.
    IS1 (Ret)

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    Replies
    1. It does have many facets and is confusing, intentionally, I'm trying to make it like real life. (When, if ever, are things simple?)

      Thank you for the correction, it looked funny when I wrote it but couldn't put my finger on it. As soon as you said "Don't you mean YN1?" it hit me. All three kids went through NAVY ROTC at the same school (Holy Cross) and their admin was a Yeoman 1st Class, who they always referred to as the "YN1."

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    2. A YN1 or any rate under Chief would be addressed as "Petty officer", if they were an E7 or above it would be Chief, Senior Chief or Master Chief. If they were retired and went to a different military base the guard at the gate would address them as Petty Officer, even at an Air Force base.
      The story is confusing, yes life can be too but this is a story.

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    3. I fixed that, she is now addressed as "Petty Officer" in the story. I think I watched too many Star Trek episodes with fond remembrances of Yeoman Rand.

      Thanks, Rob.

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  10. Wow! Something picked up speed.

    I suddenly get the fishing story...

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    Replies
    1. What seemed like a red herring (pun intended) was not. 😎

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  11. Oooookaaaay... Welp, that's a lot to digest.

    Are you gonna write about El Presidente and the Congress Critters being arrested?

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  12. the fog of not-yet-war starts to clear...
    huge conspiracy...
    no wonder someone spilled the beans
    probability of someone leaking info is related to square of the number of persons involved

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    Replies
    1. Roger that on the probability of a leak, too many people, too many mouths to talk. Old saying, "Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead."

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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