The Loyal Nine (21 page)

Donald remembered the initial conversation well. It was a night in early August of 2012, soon after J.J.’s resignation from the VA. The Quinns invited him over for an afternoon of swimming and relaxation. Donald knew that J.J. enjoyed coming over to their home. He never married and did not have any children in his life. He simply adored the girls. Like any good uncle, J.J. would spoil the young ladies with age-appropriate gifts. On that day, the girls received mermaid swim fins. As the adults sat around the pool and talked, the little mermaids practiced their whale-tail splashes with their pink fins. J.J. had quipped,
Maybe they’ll let women become Navy SEALs by the time these two grow up.
Donald laughed to himself as Susan’s eyes got real big at the thought of her two precious pups becoming full-blown SEALs. Donald knew better.
Not on her watch
.

Donald broached the subject carefully, tying the concept into the current state of world affairs. At the time, the media was covering events in India. On July 31, 2012, India had experienced the largest power outage in world history. Generally, India’s power grid was deemed unreliable at best. On the 30
^th
, a circuit breaker tripped at one of its outlying power stations. Subsequently, this tripped the breakers of another transmission station nearby, and power failures cascaded down the grid until twenty-five percent of India’s population was in the dark—three hundred million people. India was in a drought due to the late arrival of their monsoon season. Extreme heat prevailed throughout the country, including in New Delhi. The twenty-three million residents of Delhi, packed in at a density of nearly thirteen thousand people per square mile, were without power for days. Bedlam emerged as the city remained in the throngs of a heat wave, and in the dark.

Donald brought up the hypothetical to Susan and J.J. about the possibility of a similar occurrence in the United States and the ramifications of a widespread power outage. This conversation led to the threats of cyberattacks and electromagnetic pulse weapons. The Mayan Apocalypse was even thrown into the mix. By the time the trio had finished discussing the various threats we face as humans, J.J. was the one suggesting the need for a preparedness plan. Donald remembered thinking to himself:
That’s how you introduce someone to prepping. You show them the real world threats and let them draw their own conclusions about the need to get prepared
.

By the end of the long day of swimming and conversations, the three agreed to meet again to discuss the concept in more detail. Donald provided J.J. with some homework consisting of the two preparedness books delivered to him by Susan while he was at FMC Devens. Donald and Susan agreed to discuss J.J.’s interest one more time with the group. They also wanted to put together a plan for J.J. as it related to the big picture.

The Quinns knew survival medicine was one of the most important elements of a preparedness plan. After the shit hit the fan, people would not have access to a doctor, much less a hospital. Available treatment would be scarce and required medications even scarcer. If someone became injured or sick, help would not be on the way. Today, injuries could vary from minor, such as a scratch, to major, like head or chest traumas. After the SHTF, a minor scratch could kill you. Drinking contaminated water could cause dysentery, dehydrate you and result in your death. Finally, safe disposal of the inevitable dead bodies was an important medical and hygiene issue.

Tonight, the Quinns hosted this get-together not only as a social gathering, but as one of the many preparedness meetings the three had held since 2012. Dr. J.J. Warren was their
Armageddon Medicine Man
.

Chapter 32

February 13, 2016

Brae Burn Country Club

West Newton, Massachusetts

Susan Lowell Quinn instructed the girls to give Uncle J.J. and his lady friend a hug together with a good night kiss before she led them upstairs to bed. Susan knew how impressionable girls were at this age and she worked tirelessly to instill manners in them as well as feelings of self-worth and confidence. Penny, who was ten, was at an age where she would learn to make positive choices about her own life and for others. Susan and Donald both strived to raise their daughters as young adults while avoiding the external social ills prevalent in today’s society. Only a parent could appreciate the fears of their beloved children taking a wrong path.

Susan was raised in a religious family, dedicated to the teachings of the bible. Dating back to the 1700s, the Lowells were practicing Christians and active in their church. The Lowells were notoriously independent throughout their history, hence their active involvement in the War for Independence. This also held true in their religious beliefs. While the Catholic Church dominated the religious landscape of Boston for centuries, Protestant Christian churches were established as early as 1592. Known as separatists or independents, the Congregationalists distinguished themselves from the more
in vogue
Presbyterians and were considered more progressive in many social reform movements, including abolitionism, suffrage and temperance.

By the time Susan’s great-great-grandfather Charles Russell Lowell became a Unitarian minister of the West Congregational Church in Boston, the Congregationalists were widely viewed as pioneers in allowing a laissez-faire approach to societal values in relation to the worship of God. Susan, while holding to these same Christian precepts, still feared that her children might be exposed to the unintended consequences of letting societal norms take their own course without interference or moral compass.

Determined to raise the girls as Christians, yet providing them a well-rounded childhood, Susan chose to expose them to adults as much as possible within their home. This evening was an important opportunity to introduce them to the horrors of war without the shocking images, online or in the media, that have jaded so many young people.

J.J.’s guest tonight was former Marine Second Lieutenant Sabina del Toro, who served in Iraq at the same time J.J. was stationed there. Sabs, as she preferred to be called, met J.J. at Joint Base Balad. She had been deployed to Iraq, and the thirty-two-member Marine platoon she commanded was assigned to the 6
^th
Marine Regiment under the 2
^nd
Marine Division based in Camp Lejeune. The 6
^th
was primarily a peacekeeping force deployed throughout the Sunni Anbar province, which included Fallujah, just west of Baghdad.

Political pressures in the United States had converted our soldiers to a neutered police force. The rules of engagement should have been renamed
rules of disengagement
. Yet Sabs and her platoon followed their orders and performed admirably. Sabs described Iraq and Fallujah in particular as a world where unidentified enemies lurked around every corner. It was impossible to determine a friendly from a hostile. After coalition forces advanced into Fallujah in ‘04, insurgents were either extinguished, fled or went into hiding in plain sight. It was important for the coalition forces to receive the assistance of the Iraqi people in flushing out hostiles. One of the methods employed was for the soldiers to endear themselves to the children by handing out candy, personal hygiene items and toys during their patrols. More and more, the children of Fallujah would walk away with smiles and pockets full of goodies, and their parents became more open to the United States-backed security forces. As the Sunni people turned against al-Qaeda, the insurgents became few and far between. Eventually, a more relaxed atmosphere prevailed in Fallujah. This proved to have deadly consequences.

Sabs was on a routine patrol with her platoon through an open-air market near sundown. A young girl and boy were standing near a fruit and vegetable stand. Sabs approached them and reached into her pockets, providing the two adorable kids some Tootsie Pops. All of the kids preferred the chocolate-flavored ones.

Sabs noticed a man park a car next to the produce stands and quickly walk across the street, looking nervously behind him. When he reached the other side, he ducked down behind a car and Sabs instantly knew the car was rigged with explosives. She shouted
BOMB
and hugged both children, falling to the dusty road on top of them.

The explosion ripped through the market, killing a dozen people and wounding another twenty-three—including Sabs. Half of the market was destroyed, and Anbar province was shaken to its core by the senseless act of violence.

Two days later, Sabs awoke in the level one trauma center at Joint Base Balad to the face of Dr. J.J. Warren, who had just amputated her left leg and left arm. J.J. leaned down to hear Sabs whisper
the kids
. J.J. was pleased to report her heroics saved the children’s lives.

Susan gave each of her daughters a proper tuck in their respective beds. They no longer shared the same room, but leaning against the banister, she could see them both through their doorways.
We live in perilous times. How can I protect our children from the evil that exists? Can’t I lock them in a room or wrap them in a bubble for the rest of their lives?

Susan prayed for her safety and thanked God for brave soldiers like Sabina del Toro.

Chapter 33

February 13, 2016

Undisclosed Location, Commerce Street

Las Vegas, Nevada

The banner hanging over the empty conference room read
Changing Fifty Thousand Lives
. Alberto DePetri remembered the early days of labor organization in Las Vegas—riddled with stories of organized crime. He studied the banner and contemplated its meaning. DePetri did not believe all of the sensationalist stories of the union’s rise to power here. He only cared about the results. If a union’s activities resulted in higher pay for its members,
so be it
.

DePetri had just issued orders to members of the Culinary Union 226 and volunteers from the Progressive Leadership Alliance. DePetri was a longtime official from the Teamsters Union in Chicago. He understood brass-knuckles politics. He had participated many times in
persuasive techniques
to convince a politician to see things the Teamsters’ way. He was also an expert in work slowdowns and stoppages.

DePetri received the call early that morning to fly to Las Vegas the same afternoon. He was instructed to take a jet chartered by their friends at the UAW, where he would be provided a package of materials explaining the nature of his trip. His job was simple—to coordinate chaos when the city lost power. In his forty-three years as a loyal member of the Teamsters, he had undertaken many tasks to advance the cause of their members. He rarely questioned his directives. This job was different.
Exactly how did they plan to turn off the lights?

A little over an hour ago, DePetri sent teams of trusted members of the CU 226 and handpicked partners from the other area community organizations throughout the city to high-profile hotels and casinos. Earlier in the day, with the assistance of CU 226 officials, all of the union reps in each of the major hotels were contacted and told to report to their on-site offices. They were told to watch for a signal—signs of trouble—and observe the activity within their location. If they determined that the business was maintaining an unsafe work environment, the union reps were instructed to notify all members on site to leave the premises immediately. Also, in the name of safety, the union members should encourage their fellow employees to immediately do the same. If any member of management attempted to intervene or protest, the union rep was to provide the business card of CU 226 president Ted Pappageorge.

DePetri was tasked with this assignment because of his exceptional organizational skills, background in disruptive labor practices, and utter disregard for the consequences of his actions. With just twenty-four hours’ notice, DePetri orchestrated the largest work stoppage in the history of American labor.

Chapter 34

February 13, 2016

Brae Burn Country Club

West Newton, Massachusetts

“I was volunteering during a military job fair last month at Gillette Stadium, sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. The folks at MassVetsAdvisor wanted someone to advise our vets about medical benefits and services available to them outside the VA system,” said J.J. “They have an excellent newsletter—
At Ease!
—which provides the latest information for vets who may need additional medical and mental services.”

Susan returned from tucking the girls into bed and joined the conversation. She gave Donald’s shoulders a squeeze. He reached up to her hand and they held each other for a moment. J.J. noticed the brief show of affection between the two and realized his life was empty without a
Susan
.

J.J. was nearing fifty years old and found himself contemplating life and his future. The anger over the atrocities of war and the lack of respect for the soldiers who did their duty had subsided. The Quinns helped him find his way through their mutual dedication to preparedness planning and subsequent introduction to this new family. The Wounded Warrior Project provided him an outlet to help his fellow soldiers cope with a difficult return home. Now, Sabs had come into his life and he was beginning to feel again. He continued.

“As Donald and Susan know, I have been pretty disheartened with the way our vets are treated both within the system and without,” said J.J. “I first became involved on a local level with the MassVets because I liked a one-stop-shopping outlet for soldiers who needed counseling and sought direction for resources to fill their needs.

“We all have a bumper sticker. You know, my kid is smarter than your kid in math.” This drew laughs from the two parents in the room. J.J. teased Susan about this because she drove a car with the peel-off stick figures in the back window and a similar bumper sticker about honor students.