American Meltdown: Book Two of The Economic Collapse Chronicles Read Free Page A

That is why you ’re here.  Today we’ll be working on information relay procedures, gear checks and some general combat techniques. After today, you’ll only be training with either your individual companies or, in most cases, your platoons.
    “I felt it was necessary for us to all come together this one time to see each other and be encouraged by knowing the number of men committed to this effort. In general, however, gatherings of this size will draw unnecessary attention. You ’re all aware of the need for discretion. Even here in Eastern Kentucky, there are some among us that are loyal to the tyrants who have hijacked our nation. Those of us who have been in the militia for some time now affectionately refer to the loyalist as Tories. The moniker comes from the Revolutionary War. Tories were those loyal to the crown."
    Johnson continued speaking for about an hour explaining the protocol for reporting intelligence, measuring progress, and receiving orders. He spoke briefly about the minimum requirements for weapons and provisions for packs. He went on to give some advice about keeping a low profile.
    Johnson said, “Try utilizing a bivouac whenever possible as most of the tents I see around the camp range in color from bright orange to sky blue. They aren't the most tactically advantageous forms of shelter. When you are moving discretely through the country and have to shelter overnight, you can use the overhang of a cliff or build a shelter out of branches and leaves laid over a fallen tree to maintain a low profile.”
     
    After the meeting the men broke for lunch. Wes, Adam and Matt worked together to get a fire going before they ate. Matt shared a bit of his meatloaf with Wes and Adam.
    "Is this from that deer I shot?" Wes asked.
    "It's mixed," Matt said.
    "With what?" Wes inquired.
    "It's mostly that deer you shot," Matt said.
    "And what else?" Adam could tell Matt was trying to be evasive and that caused him to wonder as well.
    "Possum," Matt said.
    Adam’s eyes opened wide. He had just taken a rather large mouthful of the delectable meat loaf.
    Wesley looked at the meal in front of him for a minute, then decided to give it a try. "Not bad," he said.
    After the initial shock wore off, Adam said, "Actually, it's really good. But why did you put possum in it?"
    "The deer meat is a little too lean for meatloaf. Possum is a good source of fat. I put a good amount of Worcestershire sauce in it to bring all the flavors together," Matt said with a wink.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 2
     
     
    "Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all."
    -George Washington
     
     
    Matt woke up just before dawn. He was freezing. He had done all he could to stay warm, but he was still shivering. He hated the thought of getting out of the sleeping bag. The night before, he had used hot rocks to get his tent warm. He had put several larger rocks in the camp fire to get them red hot. He built a small platform of rocks inside his tent to act as a hearth. He used large sticks like oversized chop sticks to transfer the rocks from the fire pit to the hearth in his tent. The hearth kept the hot rocks from melting the bottom of the tent which was made of plastic. The hot rocks worked well for a while. When he had first gotten into the tent it was toasty and warm. As the rocks cooled, the tent became frigid again.
    Matt said to himself , “There is no use fighting it. I better get up and start moving to get some body heat going.”
                  Matt did thirty pushups in the tent to get his internal temperature up. He put his boots and coat on, got out of the tent and started a fire. He placed a pot of water over the fire for coffee and got back in the tent to do another set of pushups. Outside there was not much of a breeze, but it still felt warmer in the tent. By the time the coffee was ready,