Memoirs of a Company Man

[reaper239]

i've hit a bit of writers block with The Survivor, so i decided to switch gears and work on another story that i've had rattling around my brain for a while. so let me start off by saying that this is a work of fiction, the people and events depicted here are fictitous and any similarity to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. but it would be cool. so i'm going to start off with an ever expanding glossary of terms so people won't get lost.

Glossary:
The Symphony of Destruction: song and lyrics by Megadeth
The Company: slang for CIA
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency
1SG: 1st Sergeant
Q course: qualification course
Green Beanies: slang for Green Berets
Secret Squirrel: slang for Special Forces
SFG: Special Forces Group
SFC: Sergeant First Class
ODA: Operational Detachment Alpha
MAJ: Major
LTC: Liutenant Colonel
1st SFOD-D: 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta
USSOC: United States Special Operations Command
MARSOC: Marine Special Operations Command/ note: they call it the Marine Special Operations Command, but they still fall under USSOC
Hard Targets: enemies who have some form of cover. whether that's a hard surface to hide behind, or a hostage, they are hard to take down without unacceptable losses.
"Time"... Mark: lets operatives synchronize time peices. saying the time to set it to and then mark tells everyone when to start their watches again.
"But sir, that's Charlie's point" "CHARLIE DON'T SURF": line from apocalypse now
Haaji: slang for a middle eastern man
ATACS: Advanced Tactical Camo System
Mess: Mess Hall
DiFac: dining facility
ricky-tick: quickly
GP Medium: General Purpose mid sized tent
SSG: Staff Sergeant
TSgt: Technical Sergeant
SMSgt: Senior Master Sergeant
TACP: Tactical Air Control Party
GySgt: Gunnery Sergeant
MSgt: Master Sergeant
CPO: Chief Petty Officer
SCPO: Senior Chief Petty Officer
SEAL: Sea, Air, Land Team
I'm your Huckleberry: line from Tombstone
CQB: Close Quarters Battle
PDW: Personal Defense Weapon
PTT: Push To Talk
GMV: Ground Mobility Vehicle, a suped up High Mobility Multi Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)
CLU: Command Launch Unit the base unit for the Javelin Missile system
Time is a Luxury: Quote from Enemy at the Gates
AO: Area of Operations
Guardrail: Multi sensor airborne intelligence gathering suite
HVT: High Value Target
Well That was Pretty Ninja: Quote from Medal Of Honor Video Game
mm: Millimeter
203/M203: Rifle Mounted Grenade Launcher
FOB: Forward Operating Base
Thoughts of Us: Line from the monologue of Aldo Raine in Inglorious Basterds
HALO: High Altitude Low Opening
DZ: Drop Zone
Butter Bars: Slang for Lieutenant
SME: Subject Matter Expert

Just like the pied piper
Led rats through the street
Dance like a marionette
Swaying to

The Symphony of Destruction

I fear this title may be somewhat misleading: I didn’t actually come up through the CIA. I am US Army 1SG John Welsh. I joined the Army when I was 18 with ranger school in my contract. I was a dirt eater, a ground pounder; I marched with the Queen of Battle: I was infantry. And after two years of kicking in doors, leading the way, and getting my metal tested like few others, I was given the opportunity to audition for the Green Berets.

I tackled the Q course in one go. Getting a shot at the green beanies at such a young age was not unheard of, but that coupled with my excellent performance in selection and the Q course made me a rising star in the Green Berets, and someone the higher ups felt they needed to keep an eye on.

My first duty station as a secret squirrel was with the 5th SFG, and after a couple years there I moved on to the 10th SFG. I never stopped learning along the way: in the 5th I learned Pashto and airborne assault techniques, in the 10th I learned German and urban warfare. From the 10th I moved to the 3rd SFG where I learned Somali and the finer points of working with Indigenous Forces. After 7 years in special forces I was 27, had attained the rank of SFC and was the Senior Special Forces Medic of ODA 395.

We had just come back from a mission in Zambia where I’d broken my leg: we faced off with a Chinese special forces team and showed them why we were the best in the world, but I got cocky and made a mistake. My best friend at the time and comrade, Devil Driver, saved my life, but it still cost me two months of action. I went up to New York to see some family just before I returned to active duty and when I got back I was called to see MAJ Tomlin, the commander of the 3rd.

When I arrived in his office, there was another man there. He was introduced as LTC Henson and asked me if I wanted to join the Unit: Delta Force. Officially 1st SFOD-D, Delta Force was another piece of USSOC, like the SEALs, or MARSOC, or the Green Berets, they were just more secretive. I jumped at the chance to join the elite of the elites. So after selection and Delta training, I spent another three years doing the do in back alleys across the world. The CIA didn’t come into the picture until my last mission with the Delta’s.