25th Mile (1) Mile 0 - Friday, August 20, 2004 It was 4:30pm Pacific Standard time, Clay had left work a little early to go home and start the weekend. He had just finished closing and locking his office and had ensured that all the paperwork was properly secured in the desk and office safe, and was now heading for the front door of the building lobby. Casually waving goodbye to Debbie his new secretary, he stepped out onto the hot asphalt of the company parking lot. While walking across the parking lot to his car, an old 1991 Isuzu Trooper II that his wife Karen was constantly after him to get rid of; he thought that finally after 6 years of hard work he was starting to see results from some of the high end computer applications development he did for a living. With several major contracts under his belt and new work commencing with the Homeland security department he had done well for a high school drop-out former active duty United States Marine, where he was assigned to the 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton, CA. He didn�t even bother to consider why he had difficulty bringing himself to say ex-Marine, he knew that there was no such thing as an X-Marine. Clay was a true walking contradiction, especially to the people at work, while it was true he was a high school drop-out, it was also true that he had obtained a Bachelors degree in Digital electronics, and no less than 12 college level certificates in business management. He had owned several businesses and at one time been the highest paid computer consultant in San Diego County. Reaching into the left front pocket of his neatly pressed khaki pants for his keys, Clay remembered that he was picking up the new exhaust system for the Trooper today �good thing that the parts store is on the way home�, he thought. Friday traffic was tough on I-15 these days and the 25 mile commute could take as long as two hours on a slow day. But today he could break up the traffic by stopping at the local 4-wheel drive warehouse off-road shop pick up the exhaust system, then shoot the breeze with the guys until traffic loosened up, then have a relatively easy drive home. Over the past three years Clay had spent quite a bit of time and money upgrading the Trooper. He drove it daily and it had close to 198,000 miles on it when he finally started upgrading it. The Trooper had originally been a quite plain 4x4 but it now looked like it was on steroids, Clay had a special affinity for the Trooper because it was narrow enough to drive in the numerous slot canyons located in the San Diego badlands and easy to work on. Much to his wife�s chagrin, Clay who didn�t believe in car payments had upgraded the Trooper thoroughly with all the upgrades done in cash. The trooper had been severely modified to rugadize it to where Clay thought it should be for the kind of offroad driving he liked to do. Being a man of lists, Clay mentally ticked off the modifications he had made to the Trooper. Drive-Train 1. 1978 Chevy1978 CHEVY TRUCK SMALL BLOCK 350 5.7L V-8 2. 1967 SM420 GRANNY LOW 4SPEED 1 TON MANUAL TRANSMISSION ( 7.05:1 1ST GEAR RATIO) 3. ADVANCE ADAPTORS SM420-DANA 300 (#50-9702) 4. 1984 JEEP DANA 300 TRANSFER CASE. 5. TERA LOW DANA 300 4:1 KIT & TERA HEAVY DUTY REAR OUTPUT SHAFT 6. CURRIE TWIN STICK SHIFTER FOR DANA 300 Suspension: 1. LIVE FRONT AXLE SWAP: DODGE DANA 60 FRONT 2. REAR AXLE SWAP: GM 14 BOLT, FULL FLOATING, 8 LUG, REAR DISK BRAKE CONVERSION 3. LEAF SPRUNG FRONT/REAR Wheels/Tires: 1. 16.5" x 8.25" MILITARY HUMVEE BEADLOCKS 2. MILITARY HUMVEE 2 PIECE RIMS W/ MAGNESIUM RUN FLATS 3. Tires: 39.5 X 15 x 16.5 SUPER SWAMPERS The Axel change and New Rims had added about 8� to the wheelbase, and with the installation of dual gas tanks the Trooper now could hold a total of 65 gal of fuel. The back passenger seat had been removed for weight reduction and Clay had build a custom gear bed that bolted into the rear cargo bed. The vehicle was without a doubt outfitted for heavier use than San Diego freeways, and was frankly a pain to drive in stop and go traffic. Unlocking the drivers side of the Trooper, Clay slid into the driver�s seat. Putting on the 5pt racing harness was a headache, but it hurt like heck to sit on. He wished he had never installed it. A regular lap belt was more than enough. He had not bothered enabling the electric and fuel kill switches so there was no need to disable them before starting the vehicle; however out of habit he checked them anyway. As he started the engine and listened to the powerful rumble of the 3.5L engine under the hood he looked pensively across the parking lot at his co-workers cars, there were several BMW�s and Mercedes Benzes with a sprinkling of Fords and Chevy�s none of them over 3 years old. He definitely owned the oldest car in the lot, but he comforted himself knowing that he did have one large advantage over the people who worked with and for him. As a previous business owner he knew the key to success was savings and long ago he vowed never to owe another man anything. That major financial decision meant, shopping at garage sales and eating rice and beans for several years, but he had no debt and his primary residence was unencumbered with a mortgage. After the house had been paid off the savings continued to the point they were able to purchase another house during a downturn in the real-estate market. As of today, while Clay�s co-workers and managers up and down the corporate food chain found themselves mired in debt from their excesses, he found himself sitting on over a million dollars in income producing properties. Clay stopped day dreaming and began putting the Trooper in gear, as he tuned the radio into one of the local radio stations. The newsman was half way through what had become almost a daily routine the past two months, the commentary seemingly the same only the countries names changed every few days. 1000 people had died in flooding in Haiti over the past week and today Israel was on the Brink of War, yesterday Iran was on the Brink of war, and all this month India and Pakistan were at war. � with the likelihood of a nuclear confrontation was getting closer every day. In addition Mount Saint Helens was starting to leak lava and there had been numerous small earthquakes along the California coast. The announcer droned on; praising a new federally funded art project saying�. �There is a small amount of controversy surrounding federal funding over the depiction of the Virgin Mary, who some say was the mother of God, as she was presented to the citizens of New York City covered in elephant dung.� Clay, ignored the nod of approval the announcer gave the project both in his words and the inflection of his voice, and having many Catholic friends he knew the real controversy was not over funding but of respect and honor for a venerated figure of Christianity. Suddenly a verse his father made him memorize as a child leapt onto Clay�s lips for no apparent reason. It was written by Paul to the Galatians and went �Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.� As the newsman finished his announcement Clay found it very ironic when the familiar ballad song by REM �It�s the end of the world as you know it��� started to reverberate through the car over the now slightly muffled sound of the engine. In his heart; Clay knew that, simply stated; America had mocked God, and he wondered when God would exact his vengeance. As he left the parking lot Clay casually waved to several co-workers who were leaving at the same time, among them was Doug. Doug drove a new Corvette that was fast and expensive, and he was an intelligent hard charger; but Clay knew that Doug�s penchant for fast cars, fine foods and upscale housing was dooming him to a life of financial slavery, although Doug would be highly offended if Clay explained it like that, Clay figured it still was true. Everyone had to pay the piper at some point in time. They might make fun of him, but Clay suspected that most of them were jealous of the low-key lifestyle he led. Mile 3 The short drive to the I-15 freeway on-ramp was uneventful. However approaching the freeway, Clay knew that today was going to be a long commute; cars were backed up for miles. �Typical Friday� he thought, �good thing I�m not heading all the way home right away.� There was a cute blond in the convertible Cobra to his left that caught his attention for a short period, but remembering his marriage vows, he ignored her. Clay had traveled extensively since leaving home at the age of 14, had then landed in the Marine Corps at the age of 17. Still physically strong and ruggedly handsome at the age of 37 he swam, ran and surfed daily. Prior to his hitch in the Marine Corps he had spent three years working outdoors as a backpack and river guide. He had stayed in the Marine Corps for a little over five years, but after 6 of his friends were killed in combat during a �peace keeping mission� he soon became disillusioned with what he viewed as US entanglements with the United Nations, congressional and judicial meddling with the constitution, and an ever increasing loss of personal freedoms. It seemed that everyday the US was mired deeper and deeper in foreign entanglements that increased the likelihood of a national catastrophic failure either financially or extra-politically. Frankly he was sick of it, he was also sick of how many of his friends and neighbors seemed to be suffering under the delusion that everything was good in the world and what happened somewhere else would not affect them. As long as they had their six-pack of beer and cable television they were happy, they did not notice the now constant specter of warfare in the Middle East hanging over them like the sword of Damocles�, they did not notice and increasingly hostile and socialist Canada and a belligerent Mexico who was exporting Criminal Immigrants as fast as they could. They did not notice that the Currency of the US had been devalued %35-40%, and gas and consumer goods were at an all time high. With most consumer foods packed in smaller packaging (for ease of use) and sales, property and gas taxes in the stratosphere, The state leviathan continued to support itself, by standing on the backs of the citizens. They did not notice that at Ronald Reagan�s funeral service last year, the congressional Chaplain actually prayed for a bigger and better one world government. Saying; �empower all of us, Lord, to play our part in crumbling the walls of separation and in opening the gates to a globalized world.� And more importantly they had not noticed that they had reaped the results of tolerating a culture of perversity. Sodomy and sexual sin was accepted in every corner of America and it was now a hate crime to condemn immoral behavior. And more importantly people did not notice that a country that was founded as a representative republic had been morphed by constitutional abuse into a quasi democratic/socialist state, far surpassing the founding fathers fear of a mobocracy. Several years ago in one tragic event on a Tuesday, February 12, 1991 at 09:34hrs Clay had learned in 6 hours under intense enemy fire that bad things happen to good people, and or no reason life and freedom could be snatched away from those who deserved it most. But he also learned that only people who fought for liberty and freedom kept it, and Liberty and Freedom were to valuable to be left in the hands of the politicians, bureaucrats or Governmental agencies of any type. While he had earned a handful of now slowly tarnishing medals for 10 minutes of bloody and grisly work with a bayonet and rifle, over time the faces of his friends had faded and the scars had healed. But what burned bright then; and brighter now was the desire for liberty and freedom. It was a year after that defining moment in his life that he made a vow to himself to never take Liberty and Freedom for granted. After taking that vow he returned from the gulf and it was like a veil had been lifted from his eyes. Everywhere he looked he saw that the people of America had traded liberty and freedom for promised safety. It saddened him but he never forgot the vow and because of that vow he started his preparations for the future that year. After several years of study and deep soul searching he began to realize that the world in general was a foul and evil place, and as a Christian who had accepted Christ into his heart when he was young and studied the Bible daily he could not ignore the warning signs of a world and country in serious trouble. With his past combat experience and formidable business acumen, Clay knew something was going to break and when it did he wanted to be able to keep his family and those around him alive. Since his epiphany years ago, Clay continued to study history and geopolitical conditions, both past and present. In addition Clay had made very effort to be prepared in all aspects of life. His preparedness had grown from a large pantry and a shotgun to financial preparedness as he obtained a college degree and studied Economics and World History even more extensively. Then as always he made friends, friends who were independent thinkers and saw the threat to liberty and the nation on the horizon. This loosely knit community of iconoclasts came from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. They had met weekly for several years, talking and planning for the future. All individualists, organizing this informal group was like herding earthworms. But under the tutelage of Clay and a former Force Recon leader named Jimmie Howard , they achieved a mostly unsteady semblance of order and organization in their little community. Clay had met Jimmie long ago, and they had both saved each others life several times, The first time was when Jimmie�s quick thinking saved Clay�s squad from being slaughtered by couple dozen tangos armed with RPG�s. The most recent was when Jimmie, after being mustered out of Force Recon in 1994, became an alcoholic and with Clay�s help sobered up. Clay believed that had the USMC let Jimmie stay in as Recon, he would never have started drinking to the extent he did. But at that time all Recon/FR were considered secondary MOS�s, this meant that you could not spend your entire career with the unit, instead serving 2-3 year tours. Jimmie, had managed to the surprise of all to stay in FR 7 years, a dubious record of sorts. Clay thought back to when he first met Jimmie. It was during the gulf war and hostile fire was coming down so heavy Clay would not have cared if they were wearing Minnie Mouse uniforms when they came to assist. Clay�s team and 3 other Force Recon teams had been combined for a direct assault on a building that held a local �militia leader�. They had went in with 4 teams (16 men) as the security element for a building assault. The building assault required a 70� fast robe insertion, when the last man missed the robe and fell to the ground unconscious, bleeding from the mouth and ears. The team�s continued was forced to continue on with the mission, successfully taking the building � before coming to the aid of their fallen comrade. By the time the building was secure they began taking fire from all directions from hostile crowds. The extraction time was still 1 hour away., when RPG rounds started raining down on them from the rooftops. Returning fire, Clay threw smoke and moved his team by bounds to a defensive position 200yards across from the objective. Once in a defensive position snipers were placed on the roof and they were able to keep the Zeks off their backs using a combination of fragmentation grenades, suppressing fire and the snipers. Ammo was reaching critical levels and the extraction time was 30minutes away, Clay could see death staring his team in the face, when suddenly out of the blue a Bradley whipped around the corner, and over the sidewalk to provide cover for them. Driving the Bradley was Jimmie, and his team. The 20mm cleared the crowds with ease and soon the streets were empty. 30minutes later Clay giving a sitrep back at the secondary evac point, then back to base. Two days later Clay ran into Jimmie later and bought him a drink at the E-club to say thanks. They started talking, and after 14 or so years they were still going strong. Always a voracious reader Clay had a collection of over 2000 books that now had grown by � to include financial and world history texts. The more he read the more he realized that being prepared was not something one should do, it was something one had to do. Using written plans, based on painstaking research and detailed planning he documented where he wanted to be in a year regarding his families physical and financial preparedness.
Copyright © 2004 Firsttime Story |