From Book 1
What the Great Spirit has set in motion, we mere mortals must not tamper with. How many of you will follow me? How many will join my Army and help make the goals of the Great Spirit come to all our people?"
More than two hundred graduating students stood and pledged themselves to follow Army Colonel Tonho O'Brian Bennett as he assumed command of the Army of Arizona, soon to become the Arizona National Guard.
Chapter 1 - PACIFICATION
Colonel Toby John O'Brian Bennett believed that a happy population was a peaceful population and he set his troops to making better the lives of the people living in the southern territories of Arizona, known as New Chihuahua. His men continued to dig wells and build schools, clinics and houses for the people.
While observing the work his men were doing, he noticed a small boy picking through the refuse and trash, He was horrified to see the child pluck something from the trash and eat it.
He jumped from his horse and ran to the child, scooping him up in his arms. He tried speaking to the child in Spanish and the child only shook his head. The boy tried to respond in a language that sounded much like the language his Shaman Uncle had used, He knew very little of his ancestor's language as his Mother used it very seldom around the home when he was growing up.
He knew there were some Indians in his command and he sent his orderly in search of one who was of the same tribe as his Uncle Tonho. The orderly brought Corporal John Walking Leaf and, at the man's first words, the little boy's eyes lit up and he began to jabber excitedly.
Corporal Walking Leaf said, "Sir, this boy is from a local tribe and they have had nothing to eat for at least a week, Sir."
Colonel Toby Bennett's hair up stood on end.
He replied, "Quickly, find out where they are."
He continued, "ORDERLY, bring me Sergeant Beesom of the Quartermasters, immediately!"
While the Corporal was getting as much information as he could from the child, Sergeant Beesom had been warned by the Orderly and brought a small supply wagon loaded with food, cans of milk and bags of corn meal.
He rushed up to his Colonel, a bag of "boy food" in his arms. He handed the food to Corporal Walking Leaf and reported to Colonel Toby Bennett. They watched in amazement as the boy wolfed down two chicken sandwiches, an apple and a piece of apple spice cake, followed by two large cups of fresh milk!
The Corporal had found out where the boy's people were and, after Sergeant Beesom had loaded his wagon with as much food as he could lay his hands on in a hurry, they all followed Corporal Walking Leaf as he carried the child in his lap while riding his horse.
The child directed them through the giant boulders and around the low mountain that stood behind their encampment, to a clearing where there was a half dozen huts made from piled brush and grasses.
The little boy jumped down and ran to a young teen, with the Corporal translating, they learned the teen was the child's only living relative, his older brother.
All the people in the tiny village showed signs of severe starvation, and they made short work of Sergeant Beesom's wagon of food.
They brought the starving villagers around to the encampment, some of the Mexicans made rude remarks about useless Indians, but the look on Colonel Toby John Bennett's face shut them up right away. His face clouded up and he ordered the Quartermasters to get the Indians fed, NOW!
There were 12 Indians, none over the age of 20 years old.
They learned that their parents had all starved to death, reserving the food for their children. The Colonel was beside himself and he ordered the troops out, to locate any more Indians who were in trouble.
He then sent a messenger to his Uncle Tonho O'Brian, the Great Shaman, asking him to come at once.
Colonel Bennett set up his headquarters near the Indian encampment and started the cooks to prepare meals for the starving children.
He invited his new young friend, Young Squirrel, and his older brother, Blue Rock, to join him in the noon meal. Both youngsters ate like there was no tomorrow and then they began to nod off, their tummies were full. The young Colonel gently carried them to his own tent and laid them both on his own bedroll, telling his orderly to watch after them.
He sent for Captain Grey Hawk, his father's successor to the command of Company C.
When Captain Grey Hawk arrived, he told him, "Comb this area and find all the Indians who are hiding in these rocks. Bring them here and promise them that they will be fed and cared for."
The Captain saluted his Colonel and went to his horse, calling for his Adjutant and all his Sergeants. He detailed his Adjutant, First Lieutenant David Collins, to take half the Company and scour the rocks to the east, while he took the other half to search the wastelands to the north.
They were to complete their search in three days, then return with those who had been found. Both were to take a supply wagon filled with food and water.
Lieutenant Collins saluted his Captain and headed off with two platoons of soldiers. They traveled slowly, not wanting to damage the supply wagon in the rough terrain.
He sent scouts out, ahead of the platoons, comprised of Indians of various dialects, to call in the wary local Indians.
Almost immediately, hungry children peeked from around the rocks hoping that these strangers spoke the truth, that they had food and water for them. The few surviving adults were more cautious, but, when they saw their children being handed food and cups of water, they, also, came out of hiding.
They told the translators of being hounded and chased by the local Mexican people, their crops stolen and their homes smashed.
By the end of the end of the second day, they had collected twenty adults and over one hundred children!
The supply wagon was getting nearly empty, so Lieutenant Collins decided to return to the main camp the next morning.
Meanwhile, Captain Grey Hawk did much the same.
They came upon a narrow canyon that showed signs of many footprints in the sand, heading into the canyon. They turned into the canyon and had to lead their horses as it was too narrow for them to ride.
They left the wagon and a few troopers at the mouth of the canyon while they packed food and water into the narrow defile. They discovered the ruins of a small village near a spring that had old logs and boulders tumbled in it to poison the water.
Captain Grey Hawk had his scouts call out, in their own native languages, that they brought food and water and that the soldiers would care for anyone who was still there.
A couple of small children poked their heads from behind a large rock, Captain Grey Hawk and several of his soldiers held food out and cups of water. The children came running. So powerful was their thirst, the soldiers had to bring buckets of water to satisfy the children's thirst.
The amount of food it took to fill the children was alarming, and more children began to filter out of the rocks.
The children told the scouts that all their parents had been killed and that they had not eaten in four suns.
Some of the children had tried drinking from the spring and had gotten sick. The scouts asked, "Where! Where are the sick children?" An older boy pointed to the rocks behind them and the scout ran to the rocks, shouting to the Captain that they were going after children suffering from poisoned water!
Captain Grey Hawk grabbed the medic and they both ran, following the scouts.
They found the scouts giving the sickened children water from their own canteens, there was not much the medic could do for them, just pray the children would recover.
Other troopers followed them into the rocks and they gave up their canteens for the children and several returned to the supply wagon for bread and other soft food for the children to eat.
They remained there for two days, nursing the children back from the threshold of death, they had saved them all!
The soldiers put the weakest children in the supply wagon and they set the rest of them in their saddles while they led their horses back to the camp. They had gathered sixty children and buried the children's parents before they left.
Shaman Tonho O'Brian arrived and his nephew, Colonel Toby John Bennett apprised him of what they had found. The Shaman asked for a Horse Company to assist him and he began a systematic search of all the canyons in the area.
More and more families were led out of the desolate canyons, many were children only, their parents had saved the food and water for them and had lost their own lives doing so.
Young Colonel Bennett was at a loss as to what to do with the multitude of children they had saved, so he sent a trooper as a messenger back to Kingdom Ranch, where his Mother, Maria O'Brian Bennett, was staying, asking her advice.
Two weeks later, her answer arrived, a dozen covered wagons driven by Ranch Cowboys and his Mother riding a huge palomino stallion.
As she dismounted the huge horse, she handed the reins to her son, saying, "You forgot your graduation gift!"
He had done so purposely, as he didn't want to outshine his officers. He knew he would not get away with it a second time, so he thanked his Mother, then he took her to see the children.
Maria O'Brien Bennett was appalled that she could count the ribs on the children at twenty paces!
The Cowboys she had brought were long used to the O'Brian Family and their concern towards abandoned children, they started gathering up the littlest ones and cuddling them in their arms.
More than one old, grizzled Cowboy had tears running down his face as they held those most pitiful members of the human race.
The little children did not know what to make of these huge men who were picking them up and crying, but they instinctively knew they would not hurt them. The Cowboys took them to the wagons that were filled with blankets and soft clothing of all sizes for the children. They gave the children a quick bath in buckets of water and dressed them in soft clothing that would not irritate their abused bodies.
They even had some clothing for the few adults who had been saved.
Maria took charge of the cooks and huge cauldrons of soft cornmeal mush, soft-boiled eggs, and cups of milk were passed out to each child, along with fresh fruits and vegetables for the older children. In but a week's time, the children had begun to lose the haggard, starved child look and they had begun to play in the area of the wagons.
That was the sign the Cowboys were waiting for, out came bats and a couple of baseballs. As soon as the noon meal was cleared away, there were two baseball games being started.
Most of the Indian boys had no idea what baseball was, but there were plenty of Cowboys and soldiers ready to teach them.
Maria and her crew of Cowboys stayed two weeks before they loaded all the children up in the wagons to be transported back to Kingdom Ranch, where the old barracks and bunk rooms had been refurbished and made ready for their arrival.
The soldiers were sad to see their charges depart and many of them vowed they were going to find their "little buddies" when they returned to Camp Home Base.
Chapter 2 - SETTLEMENT
Colonel Toby John O'Brian Bennett and his troops continued their survey of the new territories of New Chihuahua and Lower Rio Grande.
They had more than doubled the land area of Arizona and it came with more than just people. There were large herds of cattle and horses, rich farmlands and mines. All of which, had lain dormant under the threat of the bandits.
The troopers continued to build schools, dig wells and assist the people in rebuilding their lives. Many had hidden in caves and old mines to escape the bandits and were, at first, wary of these strangers from the north. But, many of the troopers were of Mexican descent or Indians, like themselves and "El Coronel" never hesitated to get down off his magnificent palomino horse and walk among them.
The local people were astounded that he was Indian himself and the troopers of all races were proud to serve under him, despite his obvious youth.
Colonel Bennett left troops to remain in the area to provide security as well as intelligence.
He began his trek eastward towards the boot of Texas. Much of Texas was made uninhabitable by the bombs from the short war, as it was beginning to be called. It happened in his Grandfather's time and it would be many centuries before the radiation would become low enough to even explore the land.
Without farming and constant pumping, the Rio Grande River had returned to its former flows and farmers were beginning to move into the new territory along the Rio Grande.
They traveled along the new border with the old Mexico, it was mostly abandoned towns and a few ramshackle farms. Here and there, a farmer was trying to raise cattle, but, without power for irrigation, there would be little pasturage for the cattle.
They finally met the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, near La Pesca, the southern border of their new territory. The beaches were pristine white sand with no people, except for a few struggling fishermen.
He left a squad or two of soldiers wherever they encountered a cluster of homes or a small village. Each Squad Sergeant had a radio and could contact headquarters at any time.
It was Colonel Toby John Bennett's plan to establish a Force Headquarters at Florence when he returned, and build a communication system that would link all his troops together. For now, the headquarters remained at Kingdom Ranch.
After they had spent some time resting the soldiers and their horses at a small cove along the coast, Colonel Bennett ordered his troops to return westward, along the banks of the Rio Grande, until it turned north.
The radiation levels were too great for safety as they neared the old city of El Paso, so they veered to the west. They would skirt Big Bend and then cut across the Chihuahua Desert and enter Arizona at Nogales.
They had picked up a few more children, mostly young teens, who asked if they could come with the soldiers. Some were Mexican boys and some were Indian boys, but they all had one desire, to make something of themselves.
The boys made themselves useful around the camp and spent time every day learning English. Captain Grey Hawk had his eye on several of them to join his Company C.
In the Sonora Mountains, they encountered their first group of Bandits. As a battle, it was not much, the troopers made short work of them and those who were not killed outright, they hanged.
The bandits had been terrorizing the people that lived there and had killed many of the men. They had carried off the younger women to be used as slaves and many of the children had lost both their parents.
Angry troopers raided the Bandit encampment and burned it to the ground. Of the women who had been carried off, they found only bodies. They hanged those bandits who had survived and left them in the trees to warn others that banditry does not pay.
The children without parents or families who were willing to take them in, were put in the freight wagons for the long trip back to Kingdom Ranch.
Like other children before them, they became favorites of the soldiers. Colonel Toby John Bennett said nothing when he saw young children sitting up front on the soldier's saddles.
As they passed Cananea, they saw dust and smoke coming from the old smelter stacks at the copper mine. Captain Grey Hawk detailed a Squad to go investigate.
Sergeant Tall Tree was in charge and he radioed back that there were several dozen families there, trying to restart the old copper mine and smelter.
Colonel Bennett was very interested in any possibility of restarting copper production, so he ordered the column to turn towards the smelter. He wanted to investigate what the miners had accomplished and to let them know that his troopers would protect them from marauding bandits.
He found the mine power plant had been restarted as there were a few natural gas wells to the north that they had been able to repair and that was fueling the operation.
They had just completed their first casting; the copper ingots were still warm from the furnace.
The man acting as foreman apologized, he said, "Mi Coronel, the copper has much sulfur in it yet, we must work on that. It will come sir, we know how to do it."
They left two squads of soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Billy Collins there as protection, along with another radio and two machine guns, with plenty of ammunition.
Copper was too valuable a commodity to be allowed to fall into the bandits' hands.
As they continued across the desert, they heard a desperate call on the radio, it was Sergeant Nobel Jones, "Sir, we are being attacked by bandits, Lieutenant Collins has the machine gun keeping them pinned down. They were watching from the hills behind Cananea until you left. They have not captured the mine or smelter yet, but we are hard-pressed to keep them out!"
Colonel Bennett wheeled his troops around and they raced back the way they had come, trailing the slower wagons behind them.
They fell upon the bandits from the rear, none survived.
The smelter and mine were just too important, Colonel Bennett ordered the troopers to remain there while Company B was mustered and sent out to relieve them.
While they were waiting for their relief, the soldiers built a new schoolhouse and repaired many of the homes that the miners and their families were living in. They even repaired the electric system and the homes had electric lighting once again, the first town in all of Arizona to have its electric power restored!
Once Company B had arrived and had taken over guarding the smelter and mine, Lieutenant Collins and his troopers rejoined Company C and they again headed for Nogales.
They had added a few more boys to their collection and Colonel Toby John Bennett had a pretty good idea of what the boys were whispering about. He would spring his "solution" on them as soon as they got back to Kingdom Ranch.
He, however, had not considered Sergeant Carl Thomas. Carl was a leftover from the old American Marine Corps. He probably was well past retirement age, but he refused to answer all questions concerning his age.
He had been approached by a young Indian teen and his baby brother. The teen, Leaping Claw, begged the old sergeant to take them to the place where El Coronel lived.
He asked the child, "Does the Colonel know this?"
The teen replied, "No, Senor, but El Coronel, he has no hijos (sons). We will be his hijos, he saved us and fed us and we would be his forever."
Sergeant Carl put the boys in his supply wagon and said nothing about them to anyone.
Chapter 3 - RETURN HOME
They returned home through the small village of Nogales, they were only about one hundred miles from their destination. Even the horses picked up their pace, as if they could smell their home stables.
They stopped in Tucson to wash up and curry the horses. The soldiers all put on their last clean uniforms and polished their buttons and boots. They swept the trash out of the wagons and had all the children bathe and comb their hair.
It was a proud force that rode into Kingdom Ranch as all their families were standing under the old desert sycamore trees watching them come home. It was all Maria Patricia O'Brian Bennett could do not to run to her son and hug him fiercely.
Tonho stood on the porch watching his son command his troop, his pride was nearly pushing holes in his chest. His twenty-two-year-old son, a Colonel, Commanding all of Arizona's troops, was just getting off his horse when his Mother could stand it no longer and she ran over to him and grabbed his shoulders kissing him upon the cheek.
All the troopers clapped and yelled in appreciation!
He reported to his Father, the Arizona Secretary of Defense, and said, "Sir, the mission has been accomplished without casualties. The border is secure, our people are safe and Cananea Mine and Smelter are in operation, SIR!"
Tonho thought for a moment and then just grabbed his young son and hugged him, protocol be damned.
A teen boy came up to Colonel Bennett and whispered, "Now, sir?"
Colonel Bennett smiled and replied, "Yes."
The young man faced the soldiers and yelled, "PROVISIONAL CADET BATTALION, FALL IN!"
Young teens came running from all directions, both boys and girls. They formed up into two companies and their leaders reported to the first young man, "ALL PRESENT, SIR."
The teen did an about-face and reported, "COLONEL BENNETT, SIR, ALL PRESENT, SIR."
Young Colonel Toby John Bennett did an about-face and saluted his Father, "MR. SECRETARY, I PRESENT TO YOU THE FIRST PROVISIONAL CADET BATTALION. DO YOU WISH TO INSPECT, SIR?"
The young people were too serious for Tonho O'Brian Bennett not to inspect them, he followed his son, Colonel Toby John Bennett through the ranks to meet two hundred new Arizona Cadets.
After the ceremonies, Toby John and Able Collins shook hands, saying, "Done and Done!" They looked on in pride and the new cadets mingled with the crowd.
More than one veteran trooper had tears in his eyes and a number of them were at the Magistrate's Court the next day with adoption requests. In less than a month's time, there were over one hundred adoptions approved and no child was left without a loving home.
Colonel Toby John Bennett was tired, he stumbled towards his tent that his orderly had set up and was standing there with a plate of supper and an ear-to-ear grin on his face. When Toby John asked the Corporal what was going on, the Corporal replied, "Sergeant Carl Thomas, sir"
The Corporal handed Toby John the heaping plate and departed at a fast walk.
Toby started to open his tent, carrying a plate of food that would have fed a whole squad. He nearly dropped the plate when he discovered two Indian boys, one a teen and the other barely walking, sitting on his bedroll, their round, solemn eyes looking right at him.
The older boy said, "We choose you to be our Papa!"
So it was that the Commanding Officer of the Army of Arizona, barely out of his teens himself, became the proud father of Leaping Claw and Willow Tree Bennett!
The school was mobbed with children who wanted to learn "proper" English and it was amazing how the troopers' language and word skills improved!
It was Colonel Toby John Bennett's desire to remove the Military Headquarters from Kingdom Ranch and relocate it to the nearby town of Florence. There just was not enough room at the ranch for his soldiers and a working ranch. He asked his Father to present it to the State Legislature and it was approved overwhelmingly.
It took nearly a year to make the move; the old town of Florence was practically in ruins. They renovated the old high school for an Administration Building and they built new barracks at the old airport.
Slowly, warehouses, storerooms, officer's housing and training grounds were built and Florence was resurrected as Fort Florence. Even the Cadets were given an area, for some of them, the Cadet Battalion was their only home and family and those were frequently seen entering the Colonel's home for supper.
The Army of Arizona was enlarged to four Battalions plus the Cadet Battalion and Toby John was invited by his Father to attend a meeting at the Governor's House in Phoenix.
Much of Phoenix was in ruins, the result of bombs that were dropped during the war. There were still pockets of dangerous radioactivity, but the area near Mesa remained safe enough to resume the state's business there.
The two men took the train to Phoenix, his Father was dressed in a neat business suit and Toby John was in his dress uniform. They had a pleasant lunch with the Governor and Lt. Governor and then they stood around talking for a few minutes.
An aide stuck his head in the door and said to the Governor, "We are ready, sir."
Tonho smiled and led his son out the door.
There was a large crowd and also the Entire Cadet Battalion standing there at attention. Poor Toby John was flummoxed, "Eeer, what's going on?" He asked his father.
Just then, Cadet Colonel Ortega Juarez commanded, "CADETS, HAND,...SALUTE!"
A band that Toby John did not even know they had, began playing the "ruffles and flourishes" and Governor Nelson stepped up to the microphone, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Officers of the Government, Members of our Proud Military. It is with great pride that I make this presentation. Colonel Toby John O'Brian Bennett, front and center."
Toby John did as he was ordered, still wondering what was going on.
He nearly fainted when the Governor removed the Eagles from his shoulders and his Father pinned shiny, silver stars in their place.
The Governor announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Government, Officers and Soldiers, I present to you, BRIGADIER GENERAL TOBY JOHN O'BRIAN BENNETT!"
The crowd went wild and the Cadets broke ranks to shake his hand. General Bennett was still protesting when Cadet Colonel Rudolfo Ortega Juarez led him to a line of tables under the trees, where the Cadets had set up a reception for the man that each and every one of them loved.
All the Cabinet Officers congratulated him and the Governor asked, "Well General, are you ready to consolidate our two Mexican Counties of Arizona?"
TBC
Next, General Bennett will preside over the consolidation of the new counties of Arizona, and set up a protection force that will ensure the bandits do not grab the copper and trace metals produced at Cananea, nor will they be allowed to steal the produce of the farms of New Chihuahua and he will see to it all their people are kept safe.