He called in his staff, introduced JR, and read the governor’s letter aloud. “I have been relieved by Major General JR Hays.” He and his staff saluted JR. JR returned the salute.
Then Twilley turned to a colonel. “Major General Hays will need a uniform. Until he can get some greens, get him some camos. I’ll give him my stars.” And he took them off right there and pinned them on JR’s collar. Meanwhile, Major General Gentry, the officer in command of the Texas Air Guard, came into the room and was introduced. He read Governor Hays’ order and saluted. JR saluted him back.
Twilley took a few moments to shake the hands of every officer on the staff, then he put a photo of his wife, son, and daughter that sat on his desk under his arm and walked out of the room.
“Let’s go somewhere that we can sit down,” JR said. “Do y’all have a conference room?”
“Sure do, sir. Follow me.”
When everyone was sitting down with pads of paper and pens handy, JR got to it. “Ladies and gentlemen, you know all about the Declaration of Independence. The people of Texas, acting through their elected representatives, have declared themselves a free, independent republic. Our job is to build a military that can and will defend the Republic of Texas against all enemies. The governor has asked me to lead the military effort. Yes, I’m Jack Hays’ cousin. I grew up in west Texas, graduated from West Point, and spent twenty years as an infantry officer in the United States Army. I fought in Kosovo, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan before I retired from that army. I’m proud of my service, and I am very proud Jack asked me to lead Texas’ military in a fight for freedom.
“I understand the emotional muddle many of you find yourselves in. Many of my closest friends still wear United States uniforms. They will do their duty as they see it, as I will mine.
“Still, I want you to understand the depth of my commitment. I am absolutely committed to the Texas cause. One of my kinsmen, Captain Jack Hays, was the very first captain of the Texas Rangers. Hays men have fought, bled, and sometimes died fighting for Texas, for the Confederacy, and for the United States in world wars and police actions. As a soldier, I was fully prepared to give my life for my country in every place I fought, just as I am now fully prepared to give my life for the Republic of Texas if God demands it of me. I expect no less from every one of you.”
He surveyed the audience, tried to gauge their mood. He concluded most of them were with him, which was more than he hoped for.
“Every one of us in this room swore an oath to defend freedom. Every one of us swore to defend the United States Constitution. But our Constitution, and the United States as we knew it, no longer exist. They’ve been hijacked by a power-mad tyrant bent on transforming America into a socialist dictatorship. The people of Texas have chosen not to be a party to the destruction of their liberties. And since freedom is never free, we are going to have to pay for ours.”
A murmur of approval swept through the room.
Heartened, JR said, “Our first job is figuring out how many soldiers we have. I want the National Guard troops individually polled today. I intend to muster everyone in the Guard into full-time Texas service. I know every guardsman has agreed to that in his enlistment papers or officer’s commission, but we need to be realistic. We’re going to have a civil war. If you can’t in good conscience defend Texas against other Americans in Barry Soetoro’s army, please excuse yourself right now and no questions will be asked. If you can’t in good conscience take the risk because of your family obligations — again, fine, leave now and no questions will be asked. The rest of us need to get ready.”
One captain in the rear of the room got up and left. The door closed behind him.
“Adjutant, take this down. Everyone who stays will be sworn into Texas service with this oath: ‘I swear to support and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Texas against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to obey the orders of the officers appointed over me, so help me God.’ Make a lot of copies. Administer the oath before a Texas flag, with the oath-taker standing at attention with his right hand raised. Afterward, the oath-taker will sign a hard copy of the oath that will remain in his service record. Anyone accused of violating the oath will be tried by court-martial, and if found guilty, will be imprisoned or shot. Any questions?”
There were none.
“Okay, let’s get at it. Chief of staff, have a list prepared of every United States military installation in the state, all of ’em. We’ll divide up the list and take as many troops with us as we can find, go to the CO of every installation this afternoon or as soon as we can get there, and ask for the formal surrender of the base with all its weapons, ammo, and equipment. Prepare a short paragraph for the COs to sign.
“Our policy is this: Every person in Barry Soetoro’s federal service who wishes to leave Texas will be allowed to take his family and personal possessions, no weapons or military gear of any kind, and depart Texas expeditiously. East, west, or north, no questions asked. Any man or woman in federal service, officer or enlisted, who wishes to serve the Republic of Texas will be mustered in by taking the oath and signing it. Enlisted will serve for four years, or until sooner discharged or our legislature decides otherwise. Officers serve at the pleasure of the governor. Time in service and pay grade will transfer directly. Any questions?”
“These folks who want to join us — the feds will probably list them as deserters.”
“That is not a question, but I’ll comment on that point anyway. The feds are going to do whatever they want, and that’s sort of a fact of nature. Anyone in federal service wishing to join the Texas Guard by taking the oath will be allowed to do so; in fact, they will be encouraged to do so. We need all of the soldiers we can get. Civilian volunteers will be enlisted after a physical and an abbreviated background check. No crazy people, felons, dope addicts, or congenital idiots.”
“We have our share of idiots now,” someone remarked. “We don’t need any more.”
JR laughed and the tension was broken. He clapped his hands once and said, “Break out the sidearms and ammunition. I want every officer armed.” After a few more housekeeping details, he said, “We don’t know how much time Barry Soetoro will give us, so let’s get at it, people.”
As the staff dribbled out, JR and Elvin Gentry moved chairs together at the end of one table. “Call me JR,” the newest general said. “Will the air guard stick?”
“Most of them,” Gentry replied.
“What do you have in the way of airplanes, and where are they?”
Gentry told him. A reconnaissance wing equipped with Predator drones, an airlift wing flying C-130 Hercules planes, and a fighter wing flying F-16s stationed at Kelley Field at the joint base in San Antonio, Lackland. There was an air reserve C-5 outfit there too.
“We’re going to need those fighters PDQ. How about you sending someone down there this morning to make sure we keep them?”
“Yes, sir. The air reserve also has a wing of F-16s at the Joint Base in Fort Worth, the old NAS Dallas.”
“And doesn’t the air force have a wing of B-1Bs over at Dyess in Abilene?”
“They do. Plus some more Hercs.”
“We need them too. Fact is, we need every military asset we can lay hands on. We’ve got to grab everything we can reach before it is sabotaged or flown or driven out of state. We have to turn it over to loyal people.”
Gentry nodded his understanding.