This is the log of AC-130U 06. Recording action and events during Operation Cleanup.
I have been informed that I cannot record any information or personal opinions of the events that occurred January 14th, 2017 at 2100 hours. I am permitted to record private notes to myself in my personal journal so long as they are kept off the log. I am required to record that new crew have been chosen for the operation and I am to record their names, duties, and designations.
1. Halberd, James T. : Captain, operation control and supervisor.
2. Moriarty, Grant A. : First lieutenant, Radar crew.
3. Bach, Thomas G. : Second lieutenant, Radar crew.
4. Haim, Byron F. : Technical Sergeant, Pilot.
5. Jacobs, William T. : Senior Airman, Pilot.
6. Wilcox, Jacob Y. : Airman First Class, 125mm Gunner.
7. Hanson, Jeffrey M. : Airman First Class, 40mm Gunner.
8. Weaver, Jason R. : Airman First Class, 25mm Gunner.
9. Maxon, Eric K. : Airman, Standby,
10. Crater, Jonathan D. : Airman, Standby.
11. Rainer, Chris H. : Airman First Class, Logger.
12. Rimmer, Harold K. : Staff Sergeant, Communications.
01/16/2017
12:30 : Crew ready for takeoff. Successful takeoff. En route to objective.
12:45 : Communications are haywire. Situation has gotten worse. Delta has been deployed inside the city.
13:30 : Escort Helos around AC-130U 06 Scorpio. To "prevent" a down.
13:35 : Arrived at Target Zone. Beginning sweep of perimeter.
13:50 : Clearing...Potentially hostile civilian helicopter, looks to be media. Waiting for orders.
13:55 : Command wants us to engage civilian chopper...quickly reverses decision. Command plans to fire ground missiles at chopper under guise of hostile OpFor with Platoon 05.
14:00 : Chopper brought down. Command orders us to fire on Platoon 05. 40mm cannon fired, all targets eliminated.
14:20 : Team One questions command on what happened with Platoon 05. Command reports that they were hit by a hostile chopper. Team One's Lead expresses disbelief.
14:30 : Team One grows more uneasy and breaches perimeter. Ordered by command to head back, they arrive at location of Platoon 05 with support from AH-1 017 and AH-1 015. Command orders to return to base.
14:40 : Recon reports Team One is investigating. Team one breaks comms. Demands to know why high-power rounds hit the ground. Command reports as misses on the Chopper. Makes imperative that Team One has disobeyed orders and breached perimeter. Orders AC-130U 06 to keep watch.
14:45 : Team One hits communications again. Reports that evidently, Chopper was Civilian Media and brought down with a handheld RPG. AH-1 017 fires weapons at AC-130U 06. AC-130U 06 sustains damages and deploys flares to divert rockets fired. Command orders AC-130U 06 and AH-64's 014, 056, and 005 to fire upon Team One.
(Personal Note. Shitstorm. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. This is bad..why the fuck did we do this...)
14:46 : AC-130U Sustains further damages from ground-to-air fire. Integrity at 75% percent, returning fire. One engine down, still able to operate on remaining three.
(Personal Note: This is shit...the shit...)
14:47 : AC-130U 06 destroys several vehicles, neutralizing an estimated 20+ threats. AH-64's fire upon ground forces, neutralizing remaining vehicles and some foot soldiers. Screams heard through comms. Team One's leader breaks off comms.
(Personal Note: Can hear men on the comms screaming. About their legs...their bodies...crying for their mothers...crying out to God...screaming...others yelling at each other to move, and I can hear the shells hit in the background. I can't keep doing this.)
14:54 : Remainder of Team One begins retreating back to their designated point. Command orders units to pursue. Radar crew of AC-130U 06 takes note that several infected groups and hostile OpFor are leaving the city. Command ignores report and orders AC-130U 06 to focus on Rogue Team One.
15:00 : All targets eliminated. Comms open up again, but silence. Team One's commander informs us that we are doing the wrong thing here. Command jams signal and breaks Comms. Orders AC-130U 06 to move back to perimeter breach where the infected crowds and OpFor are running.
15:05 : OpFor have engaged both infected and troops from Team Two at Fifth Perimeter. Three-way attack, the infected crowds are large. Firing 25mm's at Infected and OpFor to reduce risk of hitting Team Two until Command informs us to do otherwise.
(Personal Note: Even if they did, Fuck them. I'm not doing this again. FUCK IT. FUCK IT.)
15:10 : OpFor have breached security perimeter and Infected are pouring out.
(I can hear Team Two screaming over their mics. This isn't happening. If we hadn't gone after Team One, if we hadn't brought down that chopper...FUCK....Gotta focus.)
15:12 : Captain Halberd advises to fire upon the entire location with 125mm Howitzer. Met with general disdain. He does not make the call and order.
15:13 : Survivors from Team Two retreating and scattered. OpFor scattered as well, heading into Forest. Infected pursuing. AH-64's have begun strafing runs on clear lines of infected, will not fire upon Team Two. Infected hordes still scattered, and Recon above picks up more crowds of infected pursuing civilians and OpFor out of First Perimeter. Command issues order to fire upon the entire location with 125mm Howitzer's. Captain does not engage crew, however.
(Personal Note: we're all thinking the same thing here. Are we going to have a repeat again?"
15:14 : Wilcox fires 125mm rounds down at the ground. Crew offers no response. Pilots circle around to make second pass. Team Two survivors screaming that they are taking "Friendly Fire" from "Our birds in the air."
15:15 : mass of threats eliminated, scattered forces still outlying. switching to 25mm.
15:23 : All targets eliminated, Second group of hostiles reaching fourth Perimeter. Focusing with AH-64's. Targets engaged.
15:25 : Targets eliminated effectively with 125mm. Remainder of targets eliminated with 25mm Equalizer.
(Personal Note: It never gets old, and you never get used to it.)
15:30 : Command orders all ground forces to pull back from the gate, and engages new procedures. Orders AC-130U 06 to remain on standby and carry out original orders until new orders are issued.
(Personal Note: just...Captain's starting to piss me off. He really can't keep his mouth shut about what's going on. He's trying to tell us we're doing the right thing, we're not.
We're getting paid. That's why we're here. We're getting paid, and we're being threatened with death if we don't.)
15:45 : AC-130U 06 circles around Third Perimeter again. Still on standby.
15:50 : Small group of infected spotted leaving first perimeter. AFC Hanson is uneasy and fires before they leave first perimeter. AFC Hanson is reprimanded by Captain Halberd for this. Officers still debating whether to report him to Command. AM Maxon takes over for Hanson.
15:55 : Hanson uneasy and is beginning to become irate. Cpt. Halberd makes note.
16:00 : Hanson becomes hostile. Begins to manifest traits of Davidson. Cpt. Halberd makes note and removes Hanson's weapons. Hanson punches Cpt. Halberd and is restrained by Radar crew. Cpt. Halberd determines that this will need to be reported to Command, and informs Hanson that on a mission like this, this could mean Hanson's Execution for assault of a superior officer.
(Personal Note: I'm getting sick of this. There's just nobody who can do this. I'd put Halberd on the gun and see if he can, Then again, I'm an airman enlistee and therefore am not entitled to have such opinions. Fuck that.)
16:05 : Hanson attempts to convince other crew to turn against Captain Halberd and Command. Attempts to convince that this is wrong and that we need to stop. Captain Halberd determines Hanson is an immediate threat to crew and has him restrained. Command is notified.
16:10 : Command reports that a summary martial must be made by the superior officer at the time. It cannot distract any essential crew from their duties at this time and direct action MUST be taken or those involved will all be reprimanded on return.
(Personal Note: This isn't protocol. This is bullshit. They want to keep us in the air, but they don't want to deal with this either. They)
16:20 : Captain Halberd discharges his sidearm into Airman First Class Jeffrey M. Hanson. Hanson's cerebrum is destroyed by a single shot and is pronounced KIA. Captain Halberd informs the crew that he, as commanding officer of the crew, has permission by command to do this, and he informs us that he is Intelligence assigned because of the actions of last night. Captain Halberd orders us to open the bay door. Obliged.
16:21 : Hanson is disposed of by being tossed out the bay. We are told not to speak of this event.
16:30 : Moriarty speaks to me about...radar issues.
(Personal Note: Moriarty grows uneasy. speaks to me at a whisper that we need to get rid of Halberd. I inform him we will be in world of shit if we do. He explains that if we keep it quiet, then we explain Halberd committed suicide after elimination of Hanson due to emotional guilt. We throw his body out at the the order of Moriarty, and thus First Lieutenant Moriarty takes command. I...agree. But I inform him the action will have to be logged, whatever he does. We will need to make up for time. He orders Rimmer to cut comms and he will tell me what to log.)
16:35 : Captain Halberd begins screaming about Hanson. That it was the wrong thing to do and he overreacted. Halberd is seen reaching for his sidearm. First Lieutenant Moriarty attempts to wretch the weapon from Halberd's hands but Halberd is able to get the gun close enough to his head to discharge it. Crew is silent. Moriarty is guilt-ridden.
16:36 : Superior Officer First Lieutenant Moriarty takes command of crew. Command is notified of the incident. Moriarty is advised to dispose of Captain Halberd's body and continue primary instructions. Moriarty obliges.
16:38 : Bay doors open and Captain Halberd's body is summarily disposed of. Making rounds again. Standby.
17:30 : Staff Sergeant Rimmer begins to rant about unintelligible things. Attempts are made to calm him down, but he grows hostile. He attempts to neutralize Moriarty with his sidearm.
17:35 : Rimmer is restrained by crew members and eliminated by First Lieutenant Moriarty. Command is informed. We are told by Command that the operation will follow different procedures which will be listed when we return to base. AC-130U 06 is ordered to return to base immediately.
18:30 : AC-130U 06 lands safely at base.
