Before responding, Sergeant Lightfoot lifted his right arm and looked at his watch. “I think,” he stated deliberately as he lowered his arm, “that it’s time we get on with this inventory, ma’am.”

Not sure if his concern was motivated by his dedication to duty or simply a desire to dodge the question, Nancy nodded. “Yes, Sergeant. You’re right.” Standing up, she lifted her clipboard off the ammo box it had been sitting on and looked down the long list of DODAC numbers and the names of various munitions they represented that still needed to be counted. “Okay, we’re finished with the caliber .50,” she stated more to herself than her detail. “We don’t have enough time to do the 5.56 ball, but there’s no reason why we can’t do the 7.62mm four-in-one link and still finish before your evening formation. What do you think, Sergeant Lightfoot?”

Without a hint of expression, the sergeant nodded. “Well, ma’am, you’re the colonel. If you say that’s what we’re going to do, then by God, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Without any further thought of GO Thomas, the FBI, the Idaho Six, or anything outside the confines of the musty ammo bunk, Nancy Kozak and the tiny detail of National Guard soldiers went about their duties.

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8

FORT CARSON, COLORADO • OCTOBER 15TH

One of the duties Major Brad Underwood was charged with was knowing where the key members of the division’s command group were at all times. As the secretary to the general staff for the 4th Armored Division he maintained their schedules and how they could be reached, whether they were on the post or off. While there were many within the 4th AD who considered themselves to be essential, his list was restricted to Major General Scott Dixon, the division commander; Brigadier General Frederick Ivey, the assistant division commander; Colonel Bob Felden, the Chief of Staff; and Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Brown, the division G3. Since the names of the brigade commanders didn’t appear anywhere on Underwood’s officer evaluation report, they didn’t make the cut.

Tall, clean cut, and displaying a confidence that bordered on arrogance, Underwood was an infantryman by training and a staff officer by nature. He looked and carried himself in much the same manner as his contemporaries who made a living off the daily crap game known as Wall Street or bought and sold power and influence in the crowded corridors of the Capitol building as lobbyists.