“For our efforts to destroy the Taliban and aid a free Afghani government, that government and our Pakistani allies sheltered Osama bin Laden. For our efforts to free Iraq from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, we were rewarded with hostilities between Sunnis and Shiites in that country, and the rise of ISIS. We have sent billions in aid, both financially and militarily, to these countries. And what have we gotten in return? More violence visited upon our country.”
Compelling himself to speak slowly, the president continued in a measured voice. “Some members of the media, and some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, claim that America is the real problem. They say that we are arrogant; that our wealth, our freedom, and our capitalism are the issues. Those sages see America’s hubris, American hegemony, America the superpower, imposing its will unilaterally.”
Macklin allowed time for the message to be absorbed. “They caution the United States to extend an olive branch and negotiate. Well, a negotiation requires two reasonable and rational parties — parties that both want an end to the violence and destruction. But our enemies are neither reasonable nor rational. Our enemies want to see the complete destruction of the United States. That they even imagine that possibility is a sign of their true insanity.”
His voice grew colder. “History has taught us over and over that appeasement will only embolden terrorism. Appeasement sends a message of weakness, of lack of courage, of an unwillingness to be ‘all in.’
“I’m putting our enemies on notice, as well as some of our allies. There will be no more diplomatic efforts, no more conciliatory gestures. There will be only overwhelming responses designed to ensure that those responsible never have the opportunity to harm us again.”
Macklin paused again. “And when we cannot find the terrorists themselves, we will find their backers, be they nations or individuals. We will find from where their money comes and we will treat those sponsor countries or individuals as terrorists themselves. I say to those countries, some who are supposedly allies, if you have been smiling to our faces and stabbing us in the back, those days are over. The American people are not foolish, nor will we be taken for fools. I tell you again, clean your houses… or we will clean them for you.”
He waited a few seconds, letting that sink in in the minds of his audience. “We didn’t try to make friends with Adolf Hitler or Hirohito in World War Two. We didn’t try to appease the Soviets during the Cold War. And we sure as hell are not going to befriend terrorists. We’re going to crush them.”
Macklin smiled briefly. “America is already on the offense. We’re taking the fight to our enemies as I speak.”
The president allowed his statement to linger. “I will not blink. I will not be intimidated, and I will not be dissuaded from my responsibility to protect you, my fellow citizens.”
Then leaning forward, he said with passion, “We will prevail. Good night and God bless America.”
As the red light went off and the bright TV lights dimmed, the president stepped away from the podium and hugged his wife.
Embracing her, President Macklin’s thoughts turned to the conversation he’d had with his director of national intelligence and the men and women who would soon be in harm’s way because of his orders. Sending men and women to war was, without a doubt, the most difficult decision any president had to make. Some had made it for the wrong reasons. He knew that he had not.
— 5 —
Sitting in the dark at four in the morning, Lieutenant Commander Juan “Ricky” Ricardo suppressed a yawn as he fidgeted in the cockpit of his single-seater F/A-18E. A dim sickle moon cast a soft glow over the crowded, noisy flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, his home for the past six and a half months. Although officially called the “Super Hornet” because of the fighter jet’s evolutionary enhancements over the original Hornet, unofficially the F/A-18E and the “F” two-seater variant were often referred to as the “Rhino” in an effort to aid safe flight ops and avoid confusion in radio calls.
The massive ship gained speed, and its captain gave the order to turn into the strong wind. Twenty-foot swells crashed against the hull in explosions of white foam and mist that matched the rage Ricardo felt about the tragic attack on Truman. And, as a result, Vinson had been extended on station indefinitely, meaning Ricardo would once again miss his fiancée’s birthday, not to mention the one-year anniversary of their engagement.
He closed his eyes. His last video call with Jessie had not gone well. She wanted to set a date for their wedding and he couldn’t commit to one.
Ricardo sighed, remembering the JFK quote in his father’s study back in San Diego that had started him down this long and winding road: Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
And how’s that been working out for you?
The naval aviator tried to put Jessie out of his mind for now as he watched yellow-shirted aircraft directors orchestrating the flow of armed planes to the catapults.
With her aircraft parked only inches apart, Vinson’s pilots and flight-deck crews in their varying colored jerseys worked in close harmony, putting on a ballet of high-tech weaponry. Red jerseys for ordnancemen, repair parties, and firefighters. Blue for aircraft handlers. Yellow for catapult officers and flight-deck directors. Brown for plane captains. Purple for anyone handling fueling of jets between missions. And finally, white for LSOs — landing safety officers — safety personnel, and sighting teams, also known as “Snoopy” or “Big Eyes” teams.
Swirls of steam rose from the two bow catapults, mixing with the helmeted men and women shifting about the deck and bringing an ethereal feel to the early-morning launch.
The flight leader of two Super Hornet strike fighters from the “World Famous Golden Dragons” Strike Fighter Squadron 192, (VFA-192), Ricardo had earned his place in the cockpit and squadron through hard work and proving himself a superior pilot. He had been an instructor pilot in the F/A-18E fleet replacement squadron before joining Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2).
The carrier housed four strike fighter squadrons from CVW-2. Along with the Dragons’ twelve Super Hornets, it had twelve more belonging to the “Bounty Hunters” (VFA-2) and another dozen from the “Kestrels” (VFA-137), plus the Hornets from the “Blue Blasters” (VFA-34). At a price tag of almost one hundred million dollars each, plus all of the other support aircraft and helicopters, the aircraft of CVW-2 cost as much as the carrier itself.
Ricardo’s wingman in the two-plane section was Lieutenant Amanda “Diamond” Diamante. The daughter of an Iowa farmer, she had attended Annapolis and had become a first-generation aircraft carrier fighter pilot.
Being minorities in an otherwise Caucasian, male-dominated navy fighter squadron, she and Ricardo had formed a close bond. He had been one of her instructors when she’d attended Super Hornet transition training and knew she had the unique skills and natural instincts of an aerial warrior. Ricardo was on his third deployment with Vinson, and in addition to being proficient with the F/A-18E, he had undergone the transition training for the F-35C Lightning, the navy’s brand-new generation of stealth multi-role fighters. Amanda was on her second deployment and had also gone through the Lightning transition training at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
Ricardo sighed. Compared to the Lightning, his F/A-18E was starting to look dated, but the navy had been slow in getting the F-35C deployed across all carrier operations. And that meant that Ricardo, as well as Amanda and other F-35C-certified pilots had to remain flying Super Hornets for the time being.