All hail Liberia, hail!

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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

(thanks duffers5)

March 15th, 1962

It's 7pm. I'm in my office staring out the window, trying to make sense of the tragedy.

Today is a national holiday, Roberts' birthday. Joseph Jenkins Roberts was the first (and 7th) president of Liberia. We celebrate his birthday much like the Americans do with Washington. The holiday not only commemorates Roberts' birth, but it celebrates Liberia being the first republic in the history of Africa. It is about freedom, democracy, and the human spirit's unending quest for justice against the enslavers of any people, regardless of their race.

Annually, on this date, our government pays for all public school children in Liberia to come to Capital Hill and learn about democracy and the Liberian ideals. School buses cram into streets, marketplaces, and anywhere they can find parking. Local merchants understand and actually welcome them. Partially for patriotic reasons, partially because children get hungry and have money to buy Coca-Cola and other treats that the teachers let them have "just this once".

Today started out as another excitement-filled Roberts' Day of smiling faces, small fingers pointing at marble columns and statues, and little voices singing the national anthem, "All Hail Liberia, Hail!" That is, until the brown sedan appeared.

A brown sedan, with the Venezuelan flag crudely painted on the doors, drove headlong into a row of parked school buses fortunate to find empty spaces near Capital Hill to offload children. The driver had packed his car with barrels of gasoline and it burst into flames upon impact. Within seconds, the flammable material exploded, engulfing four of the buses in an inferno. Only one had been emptied of its tiny inhabitants.

The body count, 9 hours later, stands at 83 children, 6 adults. The banquet hall downstairs has been converted to a make-shift trauma information center. Terrified parents are rushing in to find out any information they can and if their child was fortunate enough to not be in one of the buses. Another hall is for the parents who received the worst news they could ever imagine. Asatu and Aya are down there, in that room, helping and consoling as best they can. Even at 16, Aya has taken over and is coordinating the staff to bring refreshments, chairs, and tissues. Lots of tissues. She has contacted grief specialists and has given them offices in the north wing to meet with the grieving and help on a one-on-one basis.

As Maria knocks on the already-open door to my office, I nod to let her step in. The stadium incident a while back produced information that a group loyal to the late Juan Vincent Gomez has made it a mission to attack our country. Maria and her team have thwarted all their attempts to bring their terror to our nation. Until today. Like other nations, we have decided to call them "terrorists". It seems fitting. The Venezuelan government has denied any involvement and says the new government has nothing to do with these attacks. There has been one odd detail in all the attacks, including this one. Each time a letter or sign has been mailed to, or draped upon, the doorstep to my executive mansion. Today's lies on my desk now. A home-made Liberian flag with four words painted across it in what looks like blood: "give us the whore!"

"Mr. President, as per your request, the district is on high alert and capital buildings and offices are closed until further notice."

"Thank you, Maria." Turning, I make eye contact with the female chief of security. "Maria," pointing at the hideous excuse for my country's flag, "who is the woman they are after?"

After a long pause, broken eye contact, and then reestablished eye contact, she takes a deep breath and says, "It's me. They want me."

"What? Why?"

"After Williams and the plot to kill you in Takpoima got in the papers, the country knew my name and that I am your chief of security. it was just a matter of time before these people realized I was here."

"What did you do? I know you once said Tnarg helped your father in Belize. Is this related to that?"

She nodded. "My father was Diego Espinoza. He met my mother at the university of Caracas. Her name was Juanita. She was from Honduras."

I notice Maria uses the past tense with both her parents. "Was?"

Another nod. "President Gomez was a cruel leader in Venezuela. Most of the world knew him as a great man that turned the country around and made it rich through petroleum exports. But he was a vicious despot. He never married, but had numerous mistresses. Some consensual, most of them not. Some say he had over 80 children spread across South and Central America."

"A group of students, my parents among them, led a revolt against Gomez. In 1928, they stormed his palace and took control, hoping to find him there. They had missed him by just hours. He had spies and informants everywhere. EVERYWHERE. My father and mother were identified afterwards on campus, and were brought to Gomez along with dozens of other students that were part of the uprising. Gomez...forced my father to watch as he raped my mother. He then castrated my father and threw my parents out onto the street in front of his palace. To my knowledge, none of the other students made it out alive."

I interrupt, "If Diego was castrated, then your father is..."

"MY FATHER...(calming down) was Diego Espinoza. Yes, Gomez supplied the genetic material, but my father loved me as his own. He cherished me and my mother."

"I'm sorry, Maria. That was tactless and insensitive. Please forgive me."

"Thank you, Edwin." She looks at the flag on my desk as she continues the story. "My father, after 6 years of trying to put the past behind him, tried to assassinate Gomez on the streets of Caracas. My mother and I sat with him at an outdoor cafe on that morning. I remember my mother pleading with him not to, that she was afraid she would lose him forever. He wouldn't listen and told her to meet him back at the house, packed and ready to leave for her parents' house in Honduras. Then he walked out into the busy street and disappeared."

Looking up at me, she continues. "As I sat there, scared because my mother was crying and not able to stand up, a young Russian lieutenant introduced himself. He had been sitting at the table next to us and had heard the whole conversation. My mother froze in fear and was afraid he would turn her in to the authorities. He told her not to worry, that nothing was going to happen to the 2 of us. He said we should not go back to our house because the soldiers would look there first. He convinced my mother to follow him to the Honduran embassy and told us to wait there, instead. My mother was a Honduran citizen and would be protected. He worked at the Russian embassy as a security officer and knew all the diplomatic laws. He said he would come back, hopefully with my father.

"You're talking about Tnarg, aren't you?"

She nods and smiles. "Yes, that was the first day I met him. He saved our lives. A few hours later, he and my father showed up at the embassy. The assassination attempt had failed and Tnarg had barely gotten my dad out of there in time during the commotion. When they reached the doors of the embassy, Tnarg was calm and matter-of-fact, but my father was very nervous. The embassy officials were suspicious and asked him why he wanted to meet with my mother and me. They would not let him into the embassy, so mother grabbed me and we left with him and Tnarg. The lieutenant took us to the Soviet embassy, paid a few people to look the other way, and kept us there until he was able to smuggle us out on a military flight to Belize, the city."

A long sigh. "Things were fine for a year. It was reported that Gomez had died in his sleep and a provincial government was patched together until a permanent executive branch could be established. Eleazar López Contreras, one of Gomez's cronies, assumed power in the interim. But he was in power long enough to send his oldest son to Belize and hunt down my parents. He found my father and shot him in plain sight of hundreds of people and then declared diplomatic immunity. My father survived but was in a hospital for 6 months. A week after we heard Contreras' son was killed in a freak industrial accident, Tnarg showed up at the hospital, paid all our medical bills, and gave us money to live on. My father was unable to work ever again. He died three years later."

"Two years after, a bastard son of Gomez, found my mother and I. As he strangled my mother, he told us it was pay back for our 'Russian mercenary' killing his father. Apparently, Gomez didn't die peacefully in his sleep. After the life was choked out of my mother, he turned to me and began to take off his pants. I was maybe 11 years old, I don't remember. When he finished with me, he put his clothes on and went to the front door. I had always been afraid of the gun my father had used to try to kill my biological dad. I knew where it was kept and always avoided it. Until that day. He never made it to his car. I missed four out of six shots fired, but the two that found their mark went through his throat and and left lung. I stood over his convulsing, tremoring body as he tried to speak. So much blood was coming out of his mouth, he couldn't form a word. After three or four gurgling spits of blood, he became still, just staring at me with a grotesque, painful expression on his miserable face." Maria is shaking now. I wonder if she has ever told anyone?

"Tnarg hid me in Brazil and arranged for me to be trained in covert tactics. He had risen to prominence in the Soviet system and had quite a few connections. I wanted to be a spy. I envied the strength I saw in him, and I wanted a chance to get revenge. I learned Portuguese, but whenever I became nervous, I would slip into Spanish. Tnarg warned me it would give me away."

I remembered, "That's why you said, 'buenos dias' to me when Yousef and I visited Vargas' palace!"

A smile. "Tnarg told me that morning I was going to meet you and that he was going to arrange for you to employ me in Liberia, secretly. I would be safe and never again have to look over my shoulder. The prospects of that made me very nervous."

The smile disappears. "Anyway, the rest of Gomez and Contreras' people, some still holding positions in the Venezuelan government, are wanting me returned to Caracas to answer for murder."

"Over my dead body, Maria. This has to stop. And not just because of you. I have nearly 100 grieving families downstairs that have had their hearts torn out of them. I am charged with the safety of my people, it is my first duty as president. So help me, I am going to bring this all down on the heads of those responsible. Even if it means isolating us from the rest of the world."

Walking to my desk, Maria says, "Major Tnarg hoped you would say that." Unrolling a map over the ludicrous home-made flag, I see the title, "Operation: Belize Revenge".
Gomez tyrant of the Andes.jpg
Operation Belize Revenge 1.0.jpg
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Last edited by Ricent1 on Jan 30 2015, edited 1 time in total.
Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

August 1962:

I have been made aware of a UN backroom tactic that will soon allow us to "pick a fight" with a nation with negligible consequences. We are hoping to hear details this week. This will allow the invasion of Venezuela to happen with minimal diplomatic ramifications.

I sent a patrol boat and supply ship to the waters off Caracas last month. They report an enormous Air Force made ready for defense of their homeland. The ship's captain reports squadrons so numerous that at times the sun was blotted out. He believes our presence was detected and that this was a show for our benefit.

General Nbote was not phased in the slightest. "This is good news for our landing troops. We will be able to fight in the shade." Not sure what he means, it's all Greek to me.

I have postponed the invasion until 15 more AA battalions have been created.

I am considering an alternate landing site as well. There is a stretch of jungle on the east coast bordered by rivers on either side. It is called the Delta Amacuro. It may be a location we can establish a beachhead and not be overrun. We have 4 bridge building engineers that can get us across when we are ready. I am proposing it to our military planners and Tnarg.

Phase 1:
This will be an amphibious landing on the north end of the delta. Mechanized units will race towards the town of Tucupita and secure the airbase there. Preferably, with the least damage possible. Once it is up and running we will have a supply point.
Infantry will cover artillery, supply trucks and anti-aircraft units. When that wave of bombers show up, we need to be ready. It will be imperative to move them at least 16km inland to keep them out of range of the Venezuelan battleships' big guns. Artillery will move to the west of the delta to hold land units at bay that try to traverse the west river.

3 men, each who lost a loved one in the "Roberts' Day Maasacre", will pilot 3 PT boats north to a river choke point that empties into the Atlantic. They must buy our troops time to get inland, as Caracas' cruisers and battleships will be entering at that point. They know it is a suicide mission, but they are willing to make their deaths somehow right the injustice done to their families. The military has granted them honorary rank and provided basic training in the hit and run moves of PT boats.

Once the air strikes are neutralized, the ships are out of range, and the land units flee our artillery, we will proceed with Phase 2.

Phase 2:
Our remaining troop ships carrying bridging engineers, regular engineers, anti-tank units, and supply trucks will land on the delta east of the initial landing point. We will begin bridging the delta and continue to expand our hold on eastern Venezuela.

On a personal note, Eddie graduates from West Point next month. Unfortunately, this Vietnam thing is taking longer to be resolved than expected. Eddie will be a first lieutenant upon graduation and is now a member of the green berets. He will be deployed there under an "advisory role", though he says his platoon's unofficial orders are a bit more hands-on.
Phase 1 and 2.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

July, 1963:

Great news has come just in time. As Admiral Russ and General Nbote were overseeing the loading of troops and supplies onto ships to cross the Atlantic, word reached us of border dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana. I have made a call to Prime Minister Churchill and after several hours of discussion, England has agreed to a full transit treaty with Liberia. Winston sees the grave threat to democracy as the reason to allow us to utilize Guiana's ports and buy fuel for the ships. Well, that and the $544m in cash from our treasuries. There is always money to be made in war.

Our navy will be able to take on supplies in Georgetown and race back to Monrovia for Phase 3. We had to leave 4 armored divisions behind due to their weight. Once we have a foothold in the Delta Amacuro, and bridging units allow us to cross over to the mainland, the extra firepower of tanks and anti-tanks will help us flood past their outlying defenses and we can begin to close on Caracas. I have our pre-landing casualty lists and will compare them to the numbers after the initial battle.

Our state department has been secretly funding Venezuelan rebels and arming them for revolution. As our troop ships have refueled, thanks to the Brits, they have left British seas and are enroute to the narrow inlet that takes them to the landing sites.

Admiral Russ notified me hours ago that they are ready. I am calling the Venezuelan embassy here in Monrovia and informing them that a state of war exists between them and Liberia as of noon today. I await word from Nbote when the assault begins.
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

July 23, 1963:

Liberians are landing! The armored divisions that made the first trip captured the airstrip in Tucupita before sunset. The airstrip was in good shape and should be operational in 82 hours. AA and artillery units are traveling inland to escape the naval bombardment that is only hours away. The 3 brave men who piloted PT boats into the path of Caracas' gunships were sunk easily. Their lives will be honored here at home.

Infantry has escorted AA and artillery to the southwest and engineers are making their way to the airbase to speed repair and begin work on a barracks and supply depot. Supply trucks are bogging down in the wet mud a few km inland and may not escape the battleships' reach. Initial enemy air raids were turned back easily, but we know the enormous wave is coming. If we can't resupply them, we will be defenseless and things could go bad very quickly.

Phase 2 is going to start 24 hours earlier than planned so the our pontoon bridging units can move supply trucks inland to the AA batteries in time. Phase 1 vessels are heading to Guianan ports to refuel and steam to Monrovia to load armored reinforcements. The first Venezuelan warship has been sighted off the shores of the landing sight. Air raid horns are sounding now. Troops are entrenching and bracing for what is to come.

General Nbote is setting up a command post in Tucupita. Colonel Knibonu is leading the special forces to the north that will entrench inland and try to keep a counterattack from coming ashore. God be with them all.
Pre-phase 2.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

July, 31st:

Phase 2 has begun. Pontooning units head to the eastern edge of the smaller delta in order to bring supplies to entrenched units. Our AA and artillery teams have their hands full as land, air, and sea attacks have been relentless. Surprisingly, we have lower than expected casualties. Supply has begun to rise in the Delta Amacuro just days after the airstrip was repaired. We have munitions in steady supply to repel the bombers and encroaching APCs from Caracas.

General Nbote has electricity and decent field communications with the invasion forces as well as my office. He is upbeat and hopeful. Our navy is crossing the Atlantic again as our reinforcements are being readied to quickly load and head over to see their first action.
Phase 2 begins.jpg
Air war.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

August 12th:

The waves of bombers have stopped. Our AA have discouraged their relentless onslaught and Venezuelan air power is most-likely grounded in hangers somewhere undergoing massive repairs. Our boys ripped huge holes into their air strength as many squadrons would break off bombing runs once their strength dropped below 20% of squadron size.

Every battle typically carries with it one mistake. Caracas has made a large one. With ground forces unable to traverse the jungle swiftly to our west flank, merchant marines have tried to deliver counter attacks to land on our north shore. Apparently, British influence in the chain of islands to our north have refused passage to these naval deliveries. They are forced to run the narrow channel between us and Trinidad. So narrow, we have moved tanks to the beaches and wait for them to try to turn hard to port in order to line up for amphibious landing on the beach. Our tanks are so close to them as they round the elbow, they can blast holes into their hulls. The delivery ships are sunk within minutes of rounding the corner. So many, one after one, have been sunk that the merchant sailors are having to begin to avoid partially-sunken vessels that are beginning to stack upon one another. This slows them down even more and makes the target practice that much easier. It is great for morale and is keeping our casualties to a minimum. I look at the updated numbers and can't believe our good fortune. The only negative is that Venezuela has replaced nearly every casualty with new troops. Even after 70,000 casualties of war, they still can muster 130,000 soldiers. We are no closer to shrinking their combat size than we were a month ago. However, they have only one land and one naval fabrication plant. Sooner or later, production and reserves can't keep up with heavy losses. However, Sekou knows we must continue to attack. Allowing them time to repair and train fresh troops only put ours at a greater risk. Our men are tired, but resilient. The new reinforcements are fresh and will spearhead the next stage of expansion.

We have started building a port on the south end of the delta so that we can land and load machinery and personnel. We are also bridging from the lower end of the delta onto the strip of land to the south which is also separated from the main Venezuelan land mass. It has one road across it and we hope to storm that bridge once we have the road just south of the airstrip finished. If we capture that strategic point, we can essentially steal half of their land mass.

Nearly a dozen hydroelectric dams are on this lower land mass. Capturing them will add an added burden to Caracas. Perhaps we can get their government to capitulate without having to enter Caracas.
new casualty totals.jpg
One bridge connecting north to south.jpg
North and South Venezuela larger view.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

September 22:

After another month of land and air assaults, our forces have been holding on to the delta and resupplying. Engineers built a bridge to cross into the south and head for the one bridge over the Orinoco river near Ciudad Guiana. But enemy forces overwhelmed our scout teams and captured the bridge and used it to try and overrun the airbase. General Nbote brought every artillery unit we had on the delta and brought them in range of the bridge and opened fire. We turned back the counter invasion but destroyed the bridge in the process. We are starting 2 bridges now that run parallel. The thinking is they will both be adjacent to a single spot that Venezuelan forces would have to fight from. This gives us twice the active fighting capability and we can stage artillery and AA just behind the front to ward off the attack while this time firing past the bridge onto the shore beyond.

Intelligence has reported an interesting development. Suddenly the enemy's forces have dropped dramatically. Until now they have hovered around 130,000. Just today, however, that number has dropped to right around 100,000.

Our best guess is that the armada we turned back has caravaned back to Caracas for repairs and troops have reverted back to reserve status while vehicles and munitions are retrofitted and/or repaired.

This may give us a brief window to sprint to the Orinoco with minimal resistance. If we can capture and hold the bridge outside of Ciudad Guiana, we can essentially cut the Venezuelan government off from half its land mass. Infantry can then mop up the small villages and we will wrest control over the hydro plants and some industrial areas. It also gives us a long front to find the ideal crossing point, or points, when we move towards the capital. We know that with only one land fab, the enemy can't keep up in vehicle replacement. We will continue to bleed off their forces until they can no longer swell their mobile forces back up again. Our ratio of kills to losses is still around 10:1. We can drive them to their knees with those kinds of numbers.

Our bridges are still thirty days from completion. We still have 2 pontoon bridging units left. 2 were destroyed a few months ago when we tried to cross the delta. We must gamble and try to break into open land before their mechanized units are moving again. Their active air power has grown thin and we are seeing mostly older, less powerful fighters now and they mostly just buzz over quickly and then disappear. All indications seem to be pointing to right now. Tensions are high, but Nbote's troops are tired of being cooped up on the delta and are ready for a real open-field battle. Let's see just exactly the kind of fight they are up against.
10to1_kill_ratio.jpg
battle of attrition.jpg
counter attack.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

November 1st, 1963:

"My dear fellow Liberians..." Always a great start to these weekly radio addresses. "In this time of war against those responsible for the barbaric attack against the children of this country on Roberts' birthday, I am pleased to give a major update on our military's progress."

Fortunately, most Liberians don't have televisions yet. I would have to worry about so many other aspects of these speeches if they were televised. "General Nbote has informed me that our troops have reached the Orinoco and have cut off Caracas' only route to the southern half of Venezuela. Infantry, led by Colonel Knibonu, are driving south to secure the towns and villages that lay south of the river. Venezuela will soon have lost half the land it had before." The useless half. All the industry and population lies above the Orinoco, but the people are desperate for good news. This offensive has taken far longer than we expected. Caracas has continued to resupply with reserves and equipment until just this last week. "Venezuelan forces have dropped below 60,000 for the first time. This is less than half of their total troop strength they had when we first landed on Venezuelan soil. They are sending older aircraft to attack from the air. Land units are older and consist largely of motorcycle scouts and early artillery. The best of their forces are either destroyed or have retreated back to the capital to guard those clinging to power."

"They were able to destroy the bridge linking north to south. Our engineers are currently building 3 separate bridge locations for when our push to Caracas commences. The Venezuelans are not without allies, however. Spanish and West German mechanized battalions have resisted us. I have reached out to their Presidents and have asked that they stand down. Their commitments to the Caracas regime compels them to help. Neither West Germany nor Spain have any intentions of war with Liberia, for now." Secretly, Bern and Madrid have told me that they are hoping we dispose of the current regime and colonize with a leader more open to trade with Europe. I mean to oblige. Their half-hearted show of resistance is to gain them public approval with the Venezuelans after the war is over.

"I ask the people of Liberia to please remain patient. We have foregone an all out assault to the north so as to minimize casualties. Both for Liberian, as well as civilian lives in Venezuela. The people of Venezuela are not the enemy, and President Mendez knows that his citizenry deplores the actions of those in his administration responsible for the massacre in Monrovia earlier this year. We shall liberate the people of Venezuela and allow a democratic leader to restore civility and freedom to their nation. We are hoping that Javier Mendez relinquishes power before the bloody, house-to-house fighting takes place in their capital. But know this, we will do whatever is necessary to make sure the events that took place on Capital Hill this year never happen again. Every despicable, cowardly act against Liberian citizens, here or abroad, will be answered with justice. You have my word on that. Thank you for letting me be your President during these times. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those lost on Roberts' Birthday. Good night, Liberia."

The red light light on the radio transmitter goes off and the station manager gives me the hand across the throat gesture that we are off the air. I sit back, take a deep breath, and find myself wondering what I will be saying in my next national address.
Southern mop up.jpg
Latest numbers.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

January 3rd, 1964:

After nearly 2 months of infantry and mechanized battalions slugging their way northwest, General Nbote has entered Caracas and taken the capital as his forward command post. Mendez and his cabinet have fled west to a town named Maracaibo. It sits on the western side of a bay that will force our troops to travel hundreds of kilometers with thinly-strung supply lines. We are dispatching troop ships to drop amphibious units on the coast of Maracaibo to save us time. Supply trucks will accompany in case capturing the new capital takes longer than a week.

Italian "neutral" units have fired on our rear units that have been left unprotected. I have personally called Rome and demanded that they cease hostilities. I have asked LBJ in the US to use his influence to add to the pressure on Italy. He made no guarantees as Italy's government has been very unstable as of late and the country is ripe for revolution. Also, the US is still reeling from the death of JFK. Just 2 months ago he was shot in his limo by an assassin in Dallas. Terrible thing. The investigation has been handled poorly. The killer was gunned down while being moved, so little or no information was retrieved from him. There are unanswered questions and things that don't fit or make sense. The death of a nation's leader, especially a popular one, never makes sense.

We are scrambling to repair oil fields and power plants. Once Mendez surrenders, we will classify Venezuela as a colony to minimize rebellion. An ocean between us and them will make annexation risky. If we can get all their industry up and running before we allow them colonial rule, we can collect surplus goods and not wait upon their rebuilding efforts.

We started this war being outnumbered nearly 5 to 3, with no air power and limited naval resources. The delta we landed on bought us the necessary time to create supply networks and begin slow and steady advances. Many of our troops have the experience and success to receive bronze star status. They are notably faster, smarter, and more aggressive than units who have seen less combat. When this is all over, these troops will return to Liberia as we begin to look to our neighboring lands and possible advancements on our continent.

I hope by the end of this month, Venezuela will be flying its flag below ours. I am considering a new position for Nbote if he is done with war and the horrors he has seen. I will ask him to be my vice-president. I trust him and need his methodical mind helping me with domestic affairs as inflation has been on the rise again and I fear our ability to compete globally is in jeopardy.

Of course, a long vacation is in store for Sekou. He has earned it. After he is celebrated once again for his military victory, I plan to give him 6 months to rest and relax. A second bungalow has been built next to Tnarg's. It's smaller, but Nbote still has not found a wife. Maybe a good home-cooked meal from an attractive Liberian woman will make him forget all about military rations being eaten out of tin, ration kits. Never the prima donna, Sekou ate what his men ate, and forced his staff and platoon leaders to do the same. They say God loves the infantry. That may be true, but our infantry loves their General.
capital moved.jpg
Caracus falls.jpg
Pushing towards the capital.jpg
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Ricent1
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

February, 1964:

Mendez surrenders! As troops were being loaded for an amphibious assault, we got the call from Mendez himself. He is on a flight to Argentina where he has been granted asylum. I will not pursue war crimes against him, but an international court will be combing through records left in military offices here in hopes to find names of those who were still loyal to Juan Vincent Gomez.

The Venezuelan leader has surrendered the entire military and has turned all weapons and support material over to us. Our available fighting battalions have risen from 206 to over 500! The most precious of the windfall has been the addition of air units. A significant number of fighters, bombers, and transports are now at our disposal. No helicopters, but we will take what we can get.

I have set into place the colony's new leader. Her name is Erika Iglesias. She is the cousin of Maria and her last remaining relative on Maria's mother's side. Maria will be leaving Monrovia and assisting her cousin in the rebuilding of her homeland. There was no way I could keep her here when her heart has always been there. She will work closely with our ambassador to keep me informed of issues that arise. I wish her well.

General Nbote will leave a significant percentage of our military there, including all aviation, since we have no aircraft carriers as of yet. We start production of our first this month and expect completion sometime around next year at this time. All battle-hardened, experienced divisions will return first home to see their friends and families. They will be kept on alert and ready to deploy on a moment's notice. Since the Venezuelan war began, another half dozen African nations have gained independence. Most of them are not ready and are ill-equipped for self rule. Nature abhors a vacuum, and I see problems arising very quickly in some of these new countries. We need to be fully armed if the worst should happen.
erika iglesias.jpg
conquered.jpg
over 500 fighting units under our control.jpg
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GreenGoblin
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Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by GreenGoblin »

Really good, keep it up!
Ricent1
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Posts: 110
Joined: Jan 15 2014
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Location: Sebastian, Florida

Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

August 12th, 1964:

Secretary of State Dean Rusk and his entourage have just left my conference room. I have just turned 60 and the visit was under the guise of birthday wishes. The truth is, the US needs oil and Venezuela is gushing crude. Our treasury is growing about $150M a day, almost all of it surplus oil. President Johnson needs secure oil suppliers and is looking to us. I have agreed to send the Americans half our surplus. They are promising discounted deals on technology and the sharing of intelligence. I didn't tell Rusk about Tnarg. I figure the more sources of information, the better.

As I make my way back to my office, I glance up at the 20 foot high painting of Yousef. I miss my old friend. His daughter is 12 now and I see her riding her bicycle home from school occasionally when I am working from home. I need to have her and her mother over for dinner. What kind of brother-in-law am I? It's been months since I have spent any time with them. Asatu spends a couple of afternoons with them, but the war kept me at the office around the clock. Now, I may finally have time to enjoy friends and relatives.

Sekou is standing outside my office door. "Mr. Vice President, I thought I ordered you to take 6 months off! What are you doing here a month early? Should I drag you before a Senate sub-committee and begin an investigation for insubordination?" I chuckle at my quick wit.

Mr. Nbote tries to force a smile, then it quickly dissipates. Something is wrong.

"Mr. President. Please step into your office." He opens the door for me and I see several men and Asatu waiting for me. She is sitting near my desk. The men are all standing. They turn and nod their heads in respect.

The farthest to my left is Philip Jennings, my new chief of security. After racing down the hill with Knibonu during the Williams assassination attempt, he has proven to be a loyal friend and trusted adviser. His face is grim and shows a mixture of fear, anger, and sorrow. I feel a shiver of cold down my back. Now I know something is wrong.

I glance at Asatu. She is nervous and I can tell she has been waiting to hear some sort of news and that I am here to be told along with her.

Next to Jennings is Major Tnarg. He is in front of my desk holding a strange military helmet in his hands. An elongated pair of goggles are attached with a leather strap and are locked in place above the rim on its front. I have never seen anything like it.

At Tnarg's left is a short, young oriental man, not more than 21 or so. Just a lad, but his eyes reveal a youth stolen by hardship. They are eyes that assess, evaluate, plan, and execute quickly. As if his life has hinged on it in the past.

Finally, next to the man in a boy's body, is a face I remember, but not the name. He is older, maybe by a decade or so. Then it hits me.

"Lt. "Ice Bucket" Puckett? Is that you? I didn't recognize you without your uniform."

Ralph smiles and steps forward, extending his hand. As we shake hands, he says, "It's Major now, Mr. President. It's good to see you again. I heard about Yousef, I'm sorry."

"Major Puckett. Well, it HAS been a while. Gentlemen, there seems to be an elephant in the room and my wife and I do not know its name. Would someone like to inform us?"

Nbote rests his hand on my shoulder. "Edwin, you should sit down." Sekou has never called me by my first name.

I walk over to Asatu and sit beside her behind my desk. She holds my hand. It is clammy and sweaty. She's scared.

Tnarg, unemotional and calculating, sets the helmet on the desk in front of me. "Mr. President, Major Puckett and I have very specific information that is not known to anyone outside this room. Even the Secretary of State you just met with."

Staring at the helmet, I say calmly, "Go on." Asatu's hand squeezes harder.

After a calculating moment, a rehearsed soliloquy begins. "1st lieutenant Edwin Barclay Jr. was captured by the North Vietnamese less than 72 hours ago. His capture is in response to the incident in the Gulf of Tonkin 10 days ago. A quasi state of war exists between the US and the North Vietnamese. Your son's regiment was ambushed by Vietcong near Thon Cam Lo. His regiment suffered heavy losses. Those who survived were captured. We have intel that, as of 36 hours ago, your son is still alive and is being held at a power plant north of Hanoi. The plant carries the nickname, "Dirty Bird", because of the black industrial dust everywhere and poor living conditions. The North Vietnamese will be informing President Johnson within the week that US P.O.W.'s are being held there. They hope this will discourage bombing of the electrical plant by American forces."

He continues, "We have captured a North Vietnamese patrol boat. It is in Monrovia Harbor right now. This is Pham Lanh. He grew up in Hanoi, knows the area, and wants to see the communists ousted from his homeland. He will be our guide." Pham Lanh bows and smiles at me. I nod and bow back to him.

Tnarg pauses to allow it to sink in. Asatu is stunned and tears are welling up in her eyes. I am numb, or in shock, so I ask, "What...what do we do?"

Major Puckett steps towards us. "Sir, we are planning a rescue mission for your son and the rest of his regiment. His CO and XCO were killed in the ambush and we believe he is the last officer among those captured. Major Tnarg and I are going to lead two commando squads up the Red River to the power plant and liberate those Americans."

I blurt out, "All right, when do we leave?" The men all look at one another. All of them except Tnarg, who looks me right in the eyes, sizing me up.

My vice president speaks up nervously, "Uh, Mr. President. This is a job best left to younger men. You are the president and should stay here where you can be protected. Am I right, Jennings?"

Philip nods, "Yes sir, you are." Then to me, "Mr. President, I can not effectively protect you in the Far East. I don't know the first thing about these jungles or this brand of jungle warfare. Besides, the country needs you here right now with the whole Sierra Leone problem."

Sierra Leone seems to be taking an increasingly aggressive stance toward us. Border crossings have been halted and our ambassador is being locked out of monthly meetings between African diplomats and President Yoweri al Homa. The capital of Freetown and its police department have been detaining, and sometimes arresting, Liberian citizens. It is becoming quite troubling and it needs to be addressed on a global stage. But that will need to wait.

"Do I need to remind you all that that is my son out there? Nbote, you will govern in my absence. Don't think that just because you are a vice president you can sit around and do nothing. Tnarg, I am going, and that's final."

"I figured as much." Pointing to the helmet on my desk. "Try it on and see if it fits. It's equipped with night vision goggles. They amplify the slightest light, even the starlight on a cloudy night. The technology has been around since WWII, although bulkier and heavier then. You will stay on the boat and be an extra set of eyes to help our escape. That's how you can help, sir. Anything else will simply slow us down and put your son at risk."

He's right. I agree to the terms and we each pack a bag for the long trip by sea.

I spend the last night with Asatu and we talk of Eddie's childhood. Asatu and I will tell Aya in the morning before I leave. We don't know our son's condition now, but Tnarg shows us a photo that Lanh took almost 3 days ago. It's Eddie all right, and he's alive. Lanh says they were dressed in order to make it seem they were being cared for. He says it is a ploy and that unspeakable things are happening to soldiers. I asked him not to give me details.

In the morning I hug and say goodbye to Aya and Asatu. They ask that I have Eddie call them from the boat as soon as we can. I tell them I will as soon as it is safe to.

As I approach the harbor, I gaze at our ship, flying the North Vietnamese colors. Just how exactly did Tnarg capture this thing and get it all the way here? Nothing Tnarg does surprises me anymore. Jennings boards with me and will stay by my side until we return to this port, in this ship.

I only hope that when it returns it will be carrying more occupants than what we started with.
boarding stolen north vietnamese patrol boat.jpg
PNV-57E night vision goggles.jpg
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Ricent1
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Posts: 110
Joined: Jan 15 2014
Human: Yes
Location: Sebastian, Florida

Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

September 5th:

After 3 weeks at sea, hugging coastlines of Africa and Asia, we are only 200km southeast of Vinh, Vietnam. Tonight at midnight the two commando squads led by Puckett and Tnarg will land at the mouth of the Red River. I study the map Pham gave me that locates the prison camps in and around Hanoi. Intel reports the river is too dangerous as it is crawling with Soviet (who officially aren't involved) and North Vietnamese warships. Pham is dressed in Liberation Army clothing, but none of us look oriental, and only one crew member visible all the time will be suspicious. We take turns getting up and walking around with helmets, coats and anything else to disguise our ethnicity. We haven't been noticed in open water, but narrow waterways are a whole other story. I wonder if the new landing site was chosen due to me being on board and the heightened risk of losing a sitting national leader. If that is the case, no one has said anything. Puckett and Tnarg love a challenge, but they're not foolhardy either.

Our radio is shortwave and so we have been able to stay in touch with everyone back home. Nbote tells me that Sierra Leone is upping the ante and border incursions have begun. I told him to put the military on alert and draw troops to the border. Hearing the smile in his voice, he tells me they are already entrenched with infantry spanning the border and 14 mechanized units with supply trucks are on the road at the edge of Sierra Leone. Relations are at an all-time low with Freetown.

Agnetha has flown to Monrovia after Asatu gave her the news of Eddie's capture. I guess the wedding may have to be postponed. Hopefully, just postponed. Asatu says the girl is calm and strong. Aya and her are spending a lot of time talking. My daughter will make a great diplomat. She is a natural when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Asatu has been bringing eligible bachelors over for dinner, always under some new guise of "national interest". She is trying to marry Aya off. It's embarrassing. Aya is cordial and kind, but has yet to show interest in any of my wife's parade.

We will have to go to radio silence during the duration of the mission, but will contact Monrovia once we are back in international waters away from any pursuit craft.

Tnarg says I should get some sleep, that tonight there won't be time. It is southeast Asia in September. I am dripping sweat constantly and my son is somewhere in hostile territory enduring God knows what. Yeah... I'll sleep like a baby.
200km southeast of Vinh.jpg
sf_prisons_hanoi.jpg
Sierra Leone relations failing.jpg
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Ricent1
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Posts: 110
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Location: Sebastian, Florida

Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

September 6th, 01:00 hours:

The two squads landed 40km south/southeast of Hanoi. They are surrounded by hostiles, but are as of yet, undetected. Jennings and I are guarding our escape craft. Jennings speaks in code with Tnarg and Puckett as they make their way inland.

The increased distance means they will have to rush to Dirty Bird before daybreak. On foot that is impossible, but Tnarg tells Philip that 20 minutes ago, he "negotiated" the use of an APC that is currently without its complement of infantry after "negotiations broke down" over the destination of said APC. I can only imagine the tactics of diplomacy.

They are following a road that runs to Hanoi. With Pham driving, and the rest of the team hidden in the APC, no attention has been raised. They are signing off and will contact us when they reach the power plant.

Trollers, fisherman, and gunboats seem to be endlessly chugging by us. We keep our bodies down as if we are asleep. Jennings has the lighter skin between the two of us, so he will be the one to motion to anyone that wants to check out what we are doing. Pham taught him a few Vietnamese phrases and obscenities to let a curious gunboat commander know that they are disturbing our sleep, and where that commander can go as well as what he can do when he gets there. Jennings practices the phrases on me constantly. He says it's for our safety. He seems to derive far too much pleasure shouting them at me, in my opinion. Perhaps he's due for a raise. I tell him that night his salary is being raised 20% and this combat pay will equal a 1/2 year's salary on top of that. He smiles, then continues practicing his phrases. Not as much intensity, though. The spit only spraying occasionally in my direction.
night landing unseen so far.jpg
Rescue team.jpg
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Ricent1
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Posts: 110
Joined: Jan 15 2014
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Location: Sebastian, Florida

Re: All hail Liberia, hail!

Post by Ricent1 »

06:00 hours

3 hours ago, Tnarg radioed in that they were at Dirty Bird and were setting up for tactical deployment.

2 hours later, with the sounds of gunfire in the background, a calm major Puckett requested that we rendezvous at a new coordinates due to roadblocks to our location.

Jennings risks being visible and pilots us to the new location: a secluded, dense jungle area with no beach at the far east of North Vietnam's border.

We barely reach the extraction point as we see a group of motorcycles driving like bats out of hell through the dense trees. 7 cycles total, each with 2 occupants. 14 men. Tnarg, Puckett, Pham and the 3 commandos that joined them plus 8 rescued POW's. My heart races as I wonder if one of them is Eddie.

No ships have been sighted for over 40 minutes, but we can see headlights through the trees of pursuit vehicles navigating thick undergrowth in the early dawn. Several of the jeeps ram into fallen logs or boulders in the heat of their pursuit. A few enemy motorcycles are able to continue the chase.

Jennings jumps to the rear of the ship and spins the 14.5 mm gun towards the jungle and lays down a spray of machine gun fire at the encroaching North Vietnamese. This slows them down and I see several of them dismounting and unloading tripod machine guns of their own.

Jennings aim is good, but there is so much underbrush and natural defenses that the enemy is quickly set and firing back at the boat. I am facedown on the deck trying to stay out of sight. I glance up at Jennings and yell one of his phrases back at him to break the fear and tension. He shoots me a smile and laughs just as a round pierces his helmet and my friend falls lifeless to the ground.

I have heard about how life reaches a slow-motion kind of progression at key moments in our time on this earth. Numb, I stand and race over to Jennings and realize immediately he's gone. Anger grips me and I stand up, against all the orders everyone on this boat for the last 3 weeks has given me, and grab the mounted gun and swing the barrel into the jungle.

Almost immediately after I begin shooting, the 7 cycles bust through the remaining foliage and Tnarg actually jumps his cycle right into the boat. The other six dump their cheap, run-down, Vietnamese 2-wheelers and leap into the getaway ship with us. Puckett is yelling at me to get down as he makes his way to me to relieve me at my post. I glance and see Tnarg removing a Chinese flag from his backpack and begins replaces the Vietnamese one on the ship. He says Chinese ships are never questioned by Ho Chi Minh's forces and that they generally avoid interaction.

The man who had ridden on the back of Tnarg's cycle, removes his camouflage hood from the jacket he was given by Tnarg, and turns toward me. It's Eddie. He looks in amazement that I am firing a lethal weapon at the very people that held him captive. Glancing every few seconds in his direction to see him, I try to smile. He waves both his hands in a "NO, NO, get down" -type sign. I let go of the gun as Puckett closes to within 3 steps of me. Suddenly, a bright flash takes all my vision and the hot, intense pain of 100 angry wasps strikes my chest.

I open my eyes to see Eddie and Tnarg crouched over me. Puckett's legs are straining just a few inches from my head as I can tell he is wheeling the gun back and forth and still firing. The major and my son look alarmed. It is the first time I have seen emotion on Tnarg's face. That can't be good.

"Eddie. My son."

"Father, lie still and try not to talk." Now I notice Pham is shoving cloth or bandages or something into my chest. It feels a world away.

"Eddie... Agnetha is home with Aya and your mother. They will be so happy to..."
taking fire.jpg
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NKR-2 Chaho gunboat.gif
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