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Together Again - Buildup to a disaster
- Thread starter longbow
- Start date
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Thanks, Longbow.
I hope that things are going well for you and your wife. (Still praying)
today went well for her, she is resting
grunt soldier
Master
hope all is well sir. looking forward to any updates.
Copyright, Longbow Entertainment a Division of Upland Hills
Within a week, we could see green popping up in the black and gray fields.
The fires burned well past Dayton and the losses to property and supplies was beyond comprehension. Checker board patterns of green remain and still large developed areas did not get consumed in the fires depending on the wind direction or localized terrain. Young trees were lost, but mature trees just had a scorching of the bark. The protected areas around our homes have a thin layer of dust and ash coating everything. When the next rain comes, all that ash will be washed into the soil. The humidity has returned and it feels like a typical Indiana summer day. Each passing breeze or gust of wind smells of burnt wood and that smell is everywhere.
An instruction from Dayton, to keep the helicopters grounded, to save fuel was expected, but was killing our curiosity. Just taking a Blackhawk up for 30 minutes to survey the extent of the fire damage did not seem like a major issue, but it would have to wait.
Radio reports from other locations were all we had for “news”. The other entertainment was letting the chickens roam, and chase down the last few insects they have not found. The chickens also turned into great lawnmowers.
Chores were scheduled for early mornings and later in the day to keep us out of the heat of the day. First aid training to bring everyone up to an EMT rating was moving along. Interest was intense to learn these skills! Supplies were limited, but the knowledge was flowing. Within a few weeks, the entire group will be trained and they will take our knowledge to the neighbors around us.
The chow bell rang out four times, and everyone moved to the front to see what the returning patrol was going to share with everyone else. They left in clean clothing, but have returned covered in an even tone of ash gray. “Nothing but rusted scrap metal is in the burned out wood framed buildings. It is a scrap dealers dream in the burned zones. Metal covered or steel buildings are still standing and less might be lost than we thought even at our last meeting” said a one of the patrol members who was too dirty to identify. They went to the back to get cleaned up and help plan the next patrol for the three that would be leaving at sunrise. Most what they did in the meetings was cross of what homes and items in them were consumed by the fire. The trend was holding at about 80% of the buildings and contents were destroyed in the wild fire. The buildings that remained standing after the fire were the higher quality metal buildings, with just a few exceptions. The exceptions were wood framed buildings that had driveways circling them or had 50 to 100 feet separation from tall growth or limited landscaping around them. Until normal times return, those elements to reduce fire exposures will be incorporated into any new structures or site improvements.
Wildfires are sure to return, and return with a vengeance if anyone gets lazy about keeping the land in order. Priorities keep changing and expanding.
The group needs more people.
Within a week, we could see green popping up in the black and gray fields.
The fires burned well past Dayton and the losses to property and supplies was beyond comprehension. Checker board patterns of green remain and still large developed areas did not get consumed in the fires depending on the wind direction or localized terrain. Young trees were lost, but mature trees just had a scorching of the bark. The protected areas around our homes have a thin layer of dust and ash coating everything. When the next rain comes, all that ash will be washed into the soil. The humidity has returned and it feels like a typical Indiana summer day. Each passing breeze or gust of wind smells of burnt wood and that smell is everywhere.
An instruction from Dayton, to keep the helicopters grounded, to save fuel was expected, but was killing our curiosity. Just taking a Blackhawk up for 30 minutes to survey the extent of the fire damage did not seem like a major issue, but it would have to wait.
Radio reports from other locations were all we had for “news”. The other entertainment was letting the chickens roam, and chase down the last few insects they have not found. The chickens also turned into great lawnmowers.
Chores were scheduled for early mornings and later in the day to keep us out of the heat of the day. First aid training to bring everyone up to an EMT rating was moving along. Interest was intense to learn these skills! Supplies were limited, but the knowledge was flowing. Within a few weeks, the entire group will be trained and they will take our knowledge to the neighbors around us.
The chow bell rang out four times, and everyone moved to the front to see what the returning patrol was going to share with everyone else. They left in clean clothing, but have returned covered in an even tone of ash gray. “Nothing but rusted scrap metal is in the burned out wood framed buildings. It is a scrap dealers dream in the burned zones. Metal covered or steel buildings are still standing and less might be lost than we thought even at our last meeting” said a one of the patrol members who was too dirty to identify. They went to the back to get cleaned up and help plan the next patrol for the three that would be leaving at sunrise. Most what they did in the meetings was cross of what homes and items in them were consumed by the fire. The trend was holding at about 80% of the buildings and contents were destroyed in the wild fire. The buildings that remained standing after the fire were the higher quality metal buildings, with just a few exceptions. The exceptions were wood framed buildings that had driveways circling them or had 50 to 100 feet separation from tall growth or limited landscaping around them. Until normal times return, those elements to reduce fire exposures will be incorporated into any new structures or site improvements.
Wildfires are sure to return, and return with a vengeance if anyone gets lazy about keeping the land in order. Priorities keep changing and expanding.
The group needs more people.
Copyright, Longbow Entertainment a Division of Upland Hills
Old skills are being relearned.
One of the buildings that didn’t burn had some hand wood working tools and several books on how to use them. The fires cleared out the brush around it and allowed the building to be discovered. It was woodworkers Christmas when the tools were brought back. The last two weeks everyone has been playing with the tools, and a few had to get stitched up from not paying attention to the new tools.
Using the tools brought out the skills in a few of us. Nothing big yet, but they have been able to repair some furniture and shape some wood sculptures. Several handles have been made to fix the broken mauls and sledge hammers that have snapped over the last year. Cassie is shaping a thumbhole stock for an old rifle that had a cracked stock. She has real talent.
The vote was to rebuild and repair the roads so that at least we could drive into what is left of town. The need for quick access over security has won out. The roads won’t be paved or even smooth gravel, but at least we won’t be restricted to bikes or walking. The first crew will head out in the morning and do a survey. If the freeze and the fires didn’t damage the construction equipment in town, we might be able to put the skid steers and mini excavators to work.
The dinner time patrol came back and said it is time to clean up the neighborhood. The van with the dead criminals is spooking them. About half the group headed down the road for the job. They took the tractor to get the van with the decayed bodies moved since no one was up for pushing it. It didn’t smell that bad from the outside, but no one really wanted to open the doors, and we thought it best to get it farther down the road. The tires were flat and we pulled it down the road on the rims and left it in a partial basement of a burned out house.
Darkness came and a late dinner was served. Cooked eggs, a chicken and corn bread was on the menu. Nothing was wasted and even the dogs liked the chicken bones.
Practical jokes were starting to get very complex. The childish ones were too easy to spot and everyone was at the ready. Tonight I get my revenge on the youngsters that thought it was funny to put a snake in my dresser. I don’t mind snakes, but I don’t enjoy finding them in my underwear drawer. I salvaged one of those sparky thing from a gas grill in put it in a small plastic tube. The push button is on the top and the wire contact is on the bottom. It fits in my hand, and I know for a fact they will feel it. I tried it on one of the pigs and it almost knocked the fence down after I shocked it.
“Two choppers are 10 minutes out”. Roger yelled while he was doing radio duty. He was beating on a pan to help wake up the few that didn’t hear him yell. The grandfather clock showed it was 2:15 am. That alone got the adrenalin flowing.
He tossed a smoke flare when the helicopter spotlight was on the landing area. Within two minutes the Chinooks were on the ground and the crews were shutting both of them down. Five minutes later a Blackhawk landed and pumped out the fuel from the winglet pylons into the fuel bladder. They restarted the Blackhawk, picked up the Chinook crews and left after giving us some new orders. They left the rear loading doors down and both were loaded with supplies. Everyone went back to bed and knew after breakfast they were going to help unload the helicopters.
Breakfast turned into a working meal for everyone. It was unusual that they wanted to know who was pregnant and could the others try to get pregnant. We laughed that they were pressing our duty to have more children. They were serious about making babies and the orders included time each day to make sure the effort would be successful. It was only a matter of time before posters started showing up that Uncle Sam wants you pregnant. If this was a Navy operation, the term hot bunking would have a very different meaning.
Every box had a sticker telling how to store and place the gear. The gear was not in the neat and organized storage containers that we had seen before. The gear was in a mix of cardboard boxes. They said it was to save weight and get more gear on the choppers, but several were grumbling they were running low on supplies. Dayton confirmed it was just to get more gear on the chopper, but whoever goes back to Dayton gets to send out feelers on the status of military supplies. Nothing really cool was in this load of gear, not even the grenade launchers raised an eyebrow. The gear was moved around and another inventory was taken. Stuff for our neighbors was sorted set aside for pickup or delivery as the patrols headed out.
The two new Chinooks were secured, tied down and put in field storage. Just for laughs, we even used some of the camo netting to hide them from the deer that might walk by. The completed checklists for shutting them down were left on the pilot seat the doors were closed. In a few weeks we will follow the checklist in reverse for it to be started up and used again. The data plates on both helicopters listed manufacture dates were three and four weeks after the major eruptions. A random check of the new gear and supplies showed packaging dates before and after the disaster. Several were only a few months old!
Old skills are being relearned.
One of the buildings that didn’t burn had some hand wood working tools and several books on how to use them. The fires cleared out the brush around it and allowed the building to be discovered. It was woodworkers Christmas when the tools were brought back. The last two weeks everyone has been playing with the tools, and a few had to get stitched up from not paying attention to the new tools.
Using the tools brought out the skills in a few of us. Nothing big yet, but they have been able to repair some furniture and shape some wood sculptures. Several handles have been made to fix the broken mauls and sledge hammers that have snapped over the last year. Cassie is shaping a thumbhole stock for an old rifle that had a cracked stock. She has real talent.
The vote was to rebuild and repair the roads so that at least we could drive into what is left of town. The need for quick access over security has won out. The roads won’t be paved or even smooth gravel, but at least we won’t be restricted to bikes or walking. The first crew will head out in the morning and do a survey. If the freeze and the fires didn’t damage the construction equipment in town, we might be able to put the skid steers and mini excavators to work.
The dinner time patrol came back and said it is time to clean up the neighborhood. The van with the dead criminals is spooking them. About half the group headed down the road for the job. They took the tractor to get the van with the decayed bodies moved since no one was up for pushing it. It didn’t smell that bad from the outside, but no one really wanted to open the doors, and we thought it best to get it farther down the road. The tires were flat and we pulled it down the road on the rims and left it in a partial basement of a burned out house.
Darkness came and a late dinner was served. Cooked eggs, a chicken and corn bread was on the menu. Nothing was wasted and even the dogs liked the chicken bones.
Practical jokes were starting to get very complex. The childish ones were too easy to spot and everyone was at the ready. Tonight I get my revenge on the youngsters that thought it was funny to put a snake in my dresser. I don’t mind snakes, but I don’t enjoy finding them in my underwear drawer. I salvaged one of those sparky thing from a gas grill in put it in a small plastic tube. The push button is on the top and the wire contact is on the bottom. It fits in my hand, and I know for a fact they will feel it. I tried it on one of the pigs and it almost knocked the fence down after I shocked it.
“Two choppers are 10 minutes out”. Roger yelled while he was doing radio duty. He was beating on a pan to help wake up the few that didn’t hear him yell. The grandfather clock showed it was 2:15 am. That alone got the adrenalin flowing.
He tossed a smoke flare when the helicopter spotlight was on the landing area. Within two minutes the Chinooks were on the ground and the crews were shutting both of them down. Five minutes later a Blackhawk landed and pumped out the fuel from the winglet pylons into the fuel bladder. They restarted the Blackhawk, picked up the Chinook crews and left after giving us some new orders. They left the rear loading doors down and both were loaded with supplies. Everyone went back to bed and knew after breakfast they were going to help unload the helicopters.
Breakfast turned into a working meal for everyone. It was unusual that they wanted to know who was pregnant and could the others try to get pregnant. We laughed that they were pressing our duty to have more children. They were serious about making babies and the orders included time each day to make sure the effort would be successful. It was only a matter of time before posters started showing up that Uncle Sam wants you pregnant. If this was a Navy operation, the term hot bunking would have a very different meaning.
Every box had a sticker telling how to store and place the gear. The gear was not in the neat and organized storage containers that we had seen before. The gear was in a mix of cardboard boxes. They said it was to save weight and get more gear on the choppers, but several were grumbling they were running low on supplies. Dayton confirmed it was just to get more gear on the chopper, but whoever goes back to Dayton gets to send out feelers on the status of military supplies. Nothing really cool was in this load of gear, not even the grenade launchers raised an eyebrow. The gear was moved around and another inventory was taken. Stuff for our neighbors was sorted set aside for pickup or delivery as the patrols headed out.
The two new Chinooks were secured, tied down and put in field storage. Just for laughs, we even used some of the camo netting to hide them from the deer that might walk by. The completed checklists for shutting them down were left on the pilot seat the doors were closed. In a few weeks we will follow the checklist in reverse for it to be started up and used again. The data plates on both helicopters listed manufacture dates were three and four weeks after the major eruptions. A random check of the new gear and supplies showed packaging dates before and after the disaster. Several were only a few months old!
Copyright, Longbow Entertainment a Division of Upland Hills
The kid soldiers headed out on the first unsupervised patrol. Two boys’ ages 10 and 12 and one girl age 11 looked like they could take on the world. Two hours from now, they will be at the LP on the four lane road north of town. Three moms waved goodbye to them all. They will check in by radio every thirty minutes.
Everyone works, things are at a fast pace between training, trying to grow food and tending to the animals. Shooting guns and blowing up stuff will never get old, but we get so little trigger time. Everyone got to play with the mortars, but we don’t have enough to really practice. We are just going to have to walk rounds in if we need to use them in anger. AT-4 are more fun and they are not near as heavy!
Daily contact with the neighbors has changed the feel of day to day life. Before, it was shelter in place and any unknown outsider is a threat. The toddlers are healthy and a handful. Babysitting is a fast track to some great batter goods. The crying of newborns in this group is not too far away. Nothing wrong with late winter or spring babies, at least it will not be too hot for the mothers.
“We have reached the LP” was heard on the radio and three moms left the radio room somewhat less concerned. “Have they left yet?” one of the boys said on the radio and a quick “yes” was returned.
“Two dead bodies are over on the far side of the road, both are swollen and some birds are picking at them, what are our orders?”
Roger responded, “stay at your LP and watch for others, repeat, stay at the OP.”
“Both have slashed throats and are in handcuffs. I see movement in the distant tree line.”
If anyone else was able to hear the radio broadcasts, they would never guess the ages of the soldiers!
700 feet from the kid soldiers, four adults rested in the shade. They all stopped cold at the tree line when they saw the two dead bodies in the road. They were wearing the same clothing as the two missing group members, but jeans and short sleeve shirts all look the same when they are soaked in dried blood. They would wait thirty minutes before venturing out and towards town. They had a good thing going about 30 miles north, before the fire. They survived food shortages, dangerous neighbors and the deadly cold. They spent weeks stockpiling firewood next to the cabin for the upcoming winter. The high piles of firewood also would help stop bullets from hitting the cabin. It was as good as sand bags and could be burned to cook and heat the cabin.
Three young kids perished in the fire and they lost most of the stockpiled gear when the cabin in the woods burned to the ground from the forest fire. That loss has been almost too much for the team to handle. Having a backup stockpile was not even something worth considering. Things had been so calm; they even locked up the guns in the gun safe. The guns were consumed in the fire only a two hunting knives were pulled from the smoking ashes.
The only gear they had was the contents of the two bug out bags in the cars. Without that, they all would have perished. Wild plants, snared game and found canned food had kept them alive to this point. 15 hours ago, things got worse, they crossed paths with some hikers that killed the two out in the road. They gave their lives so the others could get away.
“Movement” came over the radio.
Back at the LP, two of the group was watching the tree line and road for more movement, the other was watching the rear so no one could sneak up and hurt them. The kid soldiers could see two people in the woods watching the road and talking to others deeper in the woods. Seconds later, four adults were clear of the tree line and heading away from them. “No weapons, 4 adults with minimal gear, heading to town” snapped over the radio. “Observe and remain at the LP” was the response. The worn out group checked every car and truck on the road, found a few things and continued to walk in the grass or tree line to town.
Nightfall came, and no other human contact was observed. They rotated guard duty for the night and other than an Owl talking to them, nothing was seen or heard. Morning came, and two wild dogs were trying to pull off body parts from the bodies to take into the woods. The wind changed, and all three could already smell them. The sky was clear and the day was looking to be a hot one.
The kid soldiers headed out on the first unsupervised patrol. Two boys’ ages 10 and 12 and one girl age 11 looked like they could take on the world. Two hours from now, they will be at the LP on the four lane road north of town. Three moms waved goodbye to them all. They will check in by radio every thirty minutes.
Everyone works, things are at a fast pace between training, trying to grow food and tending to the animals. Shooting guns and blowing up stuff will never get old, but we get so little trigger time. Everyone got to play with the mortars, but we don’t have enough to really practice. We are just going to have to walk rounds in if we need to use them in anger. AT-4 are more fun and they are not near as heavy!
Daily contact with the neighbors has changed the feel of day to day life. Before, it was shelter in place and any unknown outsider is a threat. The toddlers are healthy and a handful. Babysitting is a fast track to some great batter goods. The crying of newborns in this group is not too far away. Nothing wrong with late winter or spring babies, at least it will not be too hot for the mothers.
“We have reached the LP” was heard on the radio and three moms left the radio room somewhat less concerned. “Have they left yet?” one of the boys said on the radio and a quick “yes” was returned.
“Two dead bodies are over on the far side of the road, both are swollen and some birds are picking at them, what are our orders?”
Roger responded, “stay at your LP and watch for others, repeat, stay at the OP.”
“Both have slashed throats and are in handcuffs. I see movement in the distant tree line.”
If anyone else was able to hear the radio broadcasts, they would never guess the ages of the soldiers!
700 feet from the kid soldiers, four adults rested in the shade. They all stopped cold at the tree line when they saw the two dead bodies in the road. They were wearing the same clothing as the two missing group members, but jeans and short sleeve shirts all look the same when they are soaked in dried blood. They would wait thirty minutes before venturing out and towards town. They had a good thing going about 30 miles north, before the fire. They survived food shortages, dangerous neighbors and the deadly cold. They spent weeks stockpiling firewood next to the cabin for the upcoming winter. The high piles of firewood also would help stop bullets from hitting the cabin. It was as good as sand bags and could be burned to cook and heat the cabin.
Three young kids perished in the fire and they lost most of the stockpiled gear when the cabin in the woods burned to the ground from the forest fire. That loss has been almost too much for the team to handle. Having a backup stockpile was not even something worth considering. Things had been so calm; they even locked up the guns in the gun safe. The guns were consumed in the fire only a two hunting knives were pulled from the smoking ashes.
The only gear they had was the contents of the two bug out bags in the cars. Without that, they all would have perished. Wild plants, snared game and found canned food had kept them alive to this point. 15 hours ago, things got worse, they crossed paths with some hikers that killed the two out in the road. They gave their lives so the others could get away.
“Movement” came over the radio.
Back at the LP, two of the group was watching the tree line and road for more movement, the other was watching the rear so no one could sneak up and hurt them. The kid soldiers could see two people in the woods watching the road and talking to others deeper in the woods. Seconds later, four adults were clear of the tree line and heading away from them. “No weapons, 4 adults with minimal gear, heading to town” snapped over the radio. “Observe and remain at the LP” was the response. The worn out group checked every car and truck on the road, found a few things and continued to walk in the grass or tree line to town.
Nightfall came, and no other human contact was observed. They rotated guard duty for the night and other than an Owl talking to them, nothing was seen or heard. Morning came, and two wild dogs were trying to pull off body parts from the bodies to take into the woods. The wind changed, and all three could already smell them. The sky was clear and the day was looking to be a hot one.
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