Chapter 14

2230 Command Staff Bunker Lillian Oaks

I would take the 0000 to 0300 shift, Starks 2200 to 0000, and Tiller 0300 to 0600. I informed the now BGen Fox of the Wappinger Nation Militia that if he spent the evening with his family my team would contact him if we needed him. I told my team before calling BGen Fox they had better call me First. He declined and stated he would be in the Command Center if needed.

Supply issued us Orange coats that had a substantial number Three with mine Three A, Starks Three B, and Tiller Three C. This let everyone know where our authority came from. MGen Pierce assigned each duty watch a Striker and driving team and I inspected the vehicle. PFC (Private First Class) Martin saluted me as I arrived, and I handed him my Silver Dollar. I did receive a little good natured, but respectful treatment from the Striker crew, a sign on the commander’s seat, One Day Wonders only.

Using my best stern face and trying not to laugh I said lose the sign, and it disappeared, but I was sure not destroyed. I know it would appear again later at another event and another time.

I informed the crew that we would go and view each returning patrol as the Flag representative and be prepared to be on the road all night with breaks for sleep, I hoped but would not guarantee it. I made a command suggestion (an Order) that the team could rotate one person off for sleep and My Team would cover anything the driving team needed assistance with. I knew the driving team would not ask for assistance, so I would make sure that Starks and Tiller would keep an eye on the Striker operation and would step in as needed.

I turned the driving team over to Starks, who Corporal Jameson saluted as Stark arrived, and she handed him her Silver Dollar. Bye and said good luck to all as I walked away. I had to laugh as I heard her say lose the sign. NCOs will never change, always testing New Officers until they prove themselves.

Starks and Till would prove themselves fully capable I was sure, I trained them.

In reaching the Command Center BGen Fox informed me that he would be in the center all night.

He would sleep after the 0000 convoy came in. He pointed me to a bunkroom and said Tillman is in room C and he had better be sleeping. I was to put myself in bunkroom B and do the same until 2345 when BGen Fox would wake me before getting himself an opportunity to get a little sleep. And that was an order, Go. I went and surprisingly I slept.

2345 Monday 23 January a knock on my door from a duty clerk announcing that it was 2345 and BGen Fox was requesting my presents. Time to earn my pay.

Tim

Even in the middle of a natural disaster where people are dying of exposure due to the lack of electricity to heat their homes, petty people in government must display their power and control. The New York State Adjutant General of the State National Guard under orders from the Governor of New York State. He had refused to recognize the National Guard Commissions for our people that we arranged through the National Guard Bureau, National Headquarters. Robert as the recognized Principle Chief of the Wappinger Nation by the Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs decided with Mrs.

Kariwase Twin Lakes Tall Elk Pierce and Nation Mother Mrs. Ruth Ann Harper Jackson. The Wappinger Nation would create, organize, and pay for our own Wappinger Nation Militia to function as the Wappinger Nation Volunteer Military Reserve. It would not be under the control of The New York State Adjutant General of the New York State National Guard or the Governor of New York.

The Governor also referred to our occupation of Wolverine Field, Wappinger Nation, and the building of our perimeter wall, an illegal occupation of land that belongs to the people of the State of New York by an overreaching Federal Government. The Wappinger Nation was a band of an instinct tribe of Indians, and we had no claim to the land or their lost heritage. The State of New York would be filing a Federal Lawsuit to evict us and allowing the State of New York to claim what belonged to the people of New York State.

We offered our services to POTUS for the remainder of the natural disaster, and he accepted our service. Congress has recognized our existence, but the legality of that acceptance was for the Federal Courts to decide. We also agreed to provide at no cost during the emergency the power generated from our Natural Gas Powerplant. It made up a significant part of the lost Solar and Wind Turbine power production that the state had invested so heavily in. Due to the inability of these systems to produce power in our current weather conditions there was a significant power shortage.

It was not enough to replace all the lost power and the New York State Government was cutting off power to sizable portion of the weather affected areas to keep power on in other areas. This was for the greater good of the most people. The urban areas their political base received power and the rural areas their opponent’s political base The Governor had the power shut down.

Shelters and support were also lacking from the State Government in the rural areas, and we were providing all the support we could. We were currently housing Six-Thousand-Seven-Hundred-Twenty- Nine weather/no power related guests on our property. More were arriving each hour with or following our road clearing patrols. The patrols we had made up from units from the U S Army’s 3rd Calvary with support from the 20th Engineer Brigade.

The whole Operation Flash Igloo was a FEMA operation under the command of Carl Jeffers a Deputy Director of FEMA Operations and run from Wolverine Field Wappinger Nation.

As my assistant Captain Lillian Oaks arrived, I waved her to a seat and a cup of coffee. I reviewed the operations of our Patrols and how each patrol was bringing in greater numbers of guests for us. As expected, the number of Frost Bite and Hypothermia victims was increasing. We did have Six DOAs brought in by our 2200 to 0000 Patrol. Despite our medical personnels best efforts, they were too far gone when our patrol found them.

I informed her that she should wake me before the start of her 0400 patrol welcoming duties at the Medical Center. Colonel Yeadon of the 20th Engineer Brigade was the U S Army Duty Operations Officer, and our Major Frost Jeter was the Command Center Duty Officer. Use them if she needed to or wake me if there is trouble. She acknowledged and repeated the other duty officers and positions. Then wished me a peaceful sleep period as we exchanged salutes, and I walked out the door.

A bang on the door and a Sir it is 0345 was my call to get up. I washed my face and straightened my uniform before I walked out the door. A man in handcuffs was sitting in a chair and on seeing me shouted that we had falsely detained him and demanded that I release him immediately. He yelled that he would sue everyone involved with his false arrest, racial profiling, and denying him his civil rights.

Again, demanding I release him immediately.

Lillian handed me a charge sheet, witness statements, and the Body Camera recordings of all Seven of our staff members involved in the incident. Jaden Allen Moses with One count assault on shelter staff, One count of resisting Arrest, Six counts of threatening shelter staff, One count of destruction of shelter property. On his arrival at One of our shelters he demanded that because he was an Executive Assistant to a State Representative. He rated a single occupancy room with a real bed and not a cot placed in the open Aircraft Hangar floor. The Shelter Director told him the cot or nothing, he threw the cot at the Shelter Director Dr. Norman Shell hitting her and cutting her arm. The cot did not seriously hurt her, and she returned to duty after Dr. Moose-Throe examined her. After the staff subdued him, he threatened them with bodily harm. Lillian then stated that the duties from the Detention Center were on their way to get him. I reviewed the Body Camera footage and agreed with the charges and if it were up to me add more charges to him. As I finished, One of the Federal Marshals and Two Military Police entered the Command Center. On seeing the detained man Two Military Police went to him.

I handed the charge sheet and a copy of the video evidence to the Federal Marshal. The Body Cameras showed our security gave him his Miranda Warning at the time of arrest. The Federal Marshal repeated to him his Miranda Warning. Then informed him that due to the Governor’s declaration of Marshal Law the charges were under Federal Statutes. His arraignment would be in the morning when the Federal Judge arrived at his courtroom.

As The Federal Marshal hauled him away, he again stated who he worked for and if you knew what was good for yourselves, you would release him immediately. We would all face charges of false arrest, racial profiling, and denying him his civil rights. His boss would see that you would go to jail for his mistreatment by all you white people.

When I asked why she did not wake me. Lillian replied no need, She managed it like the other Three. Again, handing me the charge sheets, witness statements, and the Body Camera recordings of our people involved in the incidents. A husband and wife who demanded that their precious little registered Pomeranian, La Emperor. He was best in class at the Westminster Dog Show and does not stay in a crate as he is claustrophobic. They needed a private room for him and them. On orders to put him in a crate or leave they refused and tried to bribe the Center Director Olivella Tweed with cash. Olivella told them to put him in a crate, or she would have her people do it, they complied. Then said I want to see your supervisor now. I arrived on the scene, and they attempted to bribe me. I had them arrested.

The Third case involved a person who smuggled alcohol and marijuana into the shelter. The shelter staff caught him trying to sell it to other guests. The Medical Center examined him, and they found him to be under the influence of controlled substances. When the Medical Center releases him from medical observation, the Federal Court will arraign him for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.