Sky Masters Page 7

  CINCPAC's order. "A couple F-16s from here checking it out, maybe a P-3

  subchaser diverted to Zamboanga Airport or Bangoy Airport near Davao-er,

  sorry, they call it Samar International Airport now-to take some

  pictures. Apparently the Chinese feel our presence is threatening.

  CINCPAC agreed. No more flights within fifty miles."

  "A fitting end to a perfectly lousy day, " Stone said, straightening his

  uniform and heading toward the reviewing stand for the ceremony. Major

  General Richard "Rat" Stone was the commander of the now disbanded

  Thirteenth Air Force-the principal American air defense, air support,

  and logistics support organization in the Republic of the Philippines.

  General Stone-whose nickname was short for "Rat Killer" after a strafing

  run in his F-4 along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam had killed dozens

  of rats with 20-millimeter cannon fire-commanded the twenty different

  organizations from five major operating commands at Clark Air Base.

  Principal of all the organizations on his base was the Third Tactical

  Fighter Wing, composed ofF- 16 fighter-bombers and F-4G "Advanced Wild

  Weasel" electronic warfare and defense suppression fighters; and the

  6200th Tactical Fighter Training Group, who operated the various

  tactical training ranges and fighter weapons schools in the Philippines

  and who ran the seven annual "Cope Thunder" combat exercises to train

  American and allied pilots from all over the Pacific. The Third

  Tactical Fighter Wing, whose planes had the distinctive "PN" letters on

  the tail plus either the black "Peugeots" of the Third Tactical Fighter

  Squadron or the "Pair-O-Dice" of the Ninetieth Tactical Fighter

  Squadron, flew air-to-air and air-to-ground strike missions in support

  of American interests from Australia to Japan and from India to Hawaii.

  Clark Air Base had also been home to a very large Military Airlift

  Command contingent of C-130 Hercules transports, C-9 Nightingale flying

  hospitals, C- 12 Huron light transport shut tIes, and HH-53 Super Jolly

  and HH-3 Jolly Green Giant rescue and special-operations helicopters.

  The 374th Tactical Airlift Wing shuttled supplies and personnel all

  across the South Pacific and would, in wartime, deliver troops and

  supplies behind enemy lines. The Ninth Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron,

  the Twentieth Aeromedical Airlift Squadron, and the Thirty-first

  Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron all provided medical airlift

  support and would fly rescue missions over land or water to recover

  downed aircrews-these were the organizations that first welcomed the

  American prisoners of war from Vietnam in 1972. Clark also housed the

  353rd Special Operations Wing, whose MC-130E Combat Talon aircrews

  trained to fly psychological warfare, covert resupply, and other "black"

  missions all across the Pacific. The base also supported the other

  American and Filipino military installations, including Subic Bay Naval

  Station, Sangley Point Naval Station, Point San Miguel Air Force

  Station, Camp O'Donnell, Camp John Hay, Wallace Air Station, Mount

  Cabuyo, Mactan Airfield, and dozens of Philippine Coast Guard and

  National Guard bases. In essence, Clark Air Base had been a vital link

  to the Pacific and a major forward base for the United States and its

  allies since it opened in 1903. Now it was all being handed back to the

  Philippineshanded back to them during some of the most volatile and

  dangerous times in the country's history. Stone's gaze moved from his

  country's flag to the throngs of noisy protesters outside the perimeter

  fence less than a kilometer away. At least ten thousand protesters

  pressed against the barbed wire-topped fences, shouting anti-American

  slogans and tossing garbage over the brick wall; Stone had arranged

  armored personnel carriers every one hundred yards along the wall

  surrounding the base to counter just such a demonstration. The

  Americans inside those carriers were armed only with sidearms and

  tear-gas-grenade launchers, and the Filipino troops and riot police

  outside the gates had nothing more lethal than fat rubber bullets. They

  were being pelted by rocks and bottles so badly that the carrier's crews

  dared not poke their heads out or even open one of the thin eye-portals.

  The throngs could easily overrun them all if they were stirred up.

  Occasionally a shot could be heard ringing out over the din of the

  crowd. Stone realized that, after weeks of these protests, he no longer

  jumped when he heard the gunfire. The Thirteenth Air Force commander had

  aged far beyond his fifty years in just the last few months. Of no more

  than medium height, with close-cropped silver hair, piercing blue eyes,

  broad shoulders narrowing quickly to a trim waist, and thin racehorse

  ankles, Stone was a soft-spoken yet energetic fighter pilot who had

  risen through the ranks from a "ninetyday-wonder" Officer Training

  School pilot candidate during the Vietnam War to a two-star general and

  commander of a major military installation defending a principal

  democratic ally and guarding America's western flank. In the past year,

  however, he had found himself supervising a degrading, ignoble

  withdrawal from the base and the country he had learned to love so well.

  It was deeply depressing. From a contingent of nearly eleven thousand

  men and women only twelve months earlier, Stone had assembled the last

  remaining two hundred American military personnel on the mall in front

  of the reviewing stand, to march one last time in parade. Although

  there were supposed to be ten persons from each of the twenty resident

  and tenant organizations on the base, Stone knew that most of the two

  hundred men and women who marched before him were security policemen,

  who had been hand-picked to ensure the safety of General Stone and the

  other Americans from Clark AB as they departed that day. Part of the

  reason for the huge demonstration outside the perimeter fence was the

  presence of the two Filipino men on the reviewing stand with Stone:

  Philippine President Arturo Mikaso, and First Vice President Daniel

  Teguina. Teguina had carried the cry for the Philippines to cut all

  ties with the West and to not renew the leases on American military

  bases. Unlike the refined and elderly Mikaso, Daniel Teguina liked to

  be in the public eye, and he carefully polished his image to reflect the

  young radical students and peasants that he believed he represented. He

  dressed in more colorful, contemporary clothes, dyed his hair to hide

  the gray, and liked to appear in nightclubs and at soccer matches. The

  National Democratic Front, despite reputed ties to the New People's

  Army, the organization that controlled the Communist-led Huk insurgents

  in the outlying provinces, flourished under the Mikaso-Teguina coalition

  government. Under Mikaso's strong popular leadership, the military

  threat to the government from the extremist Communist forces subsided,

  but the new, more radical voices in the government were harder to

  ignore. It didn't take long for a national referendum to be called

  after the 1994 elections, which forbade the President to extend t
he

  leases for American bases any further. The referendum passed by a

  narrow margin, and the United States was ordered to withdraw all

  permanent military forces from the Philippines and turn control of the

  installations to the Philippine government within six months. Second

  Vice President General Jose Trujillo Samar, who was not present at the

  ceremonies, shared the majority of Filipinos' distaste for American

  hegemony, and he fought hard for removal of the bases. Leaving, Rat

  Stone was out of a job. Over the slowly rising screaming and yelling

  from the protesters, the American airmen marched in front of the

  reviewing stand, formed into four groups of fifty, and were ordered to

  parade rest by Colonel Krieg, acting as the parade adjutant general.

  Surrounding the grassy mall were two sets of bleachers, where guests of

  the government and a few American family members and embassy personnel

  watched with long faces the lowering of the colors for the last time

  over Clark Air Base. Banks of photographers, television cameras, and

  reporters were clustered all around the reviewing stand to capture the

  ceremonies. While several network news companies were on hand, no live

  broadcast of the ceremony was permitted. General Stone had felt, and

  the Air Force concurred, that a live broadcast might cause widespread

  demonstrations all across the country. That was also the reason no

  high-level American politicians were on hand. The official transfer had

  been made in the safety of Washington, D.C., weeks ago. President Mikaso

  stepped forward to the podium as a taped trumpet call was played. The

  crowd began to cheer, and an appreciative ripple of applause issued from

  the bleachers. When the music stopped, Mikaso spoke in flawless

  English: "My friends and fellow Filipinos, we are here to mark a

  historic end, and a historic beginning, in the relations between the

  Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America. On this

  day of freedom and independence, we also mark a significant milestone in

  the future of the Philippines. "For over ninety years, we have relied on

  the courage, the generosity, and the strength of the people of the

  United States for our security. Such an arrangement has greatly

  benefited our country and all its people. For this, we will be

  eternally grateful. "But we have learned much over these long years. We

  have studied the sacred values of democracy and justice, and we have

  strived to become not just a dependency of our good friends in the

  United States, but a strong, trusted ally. We are here today to

  celebrate an important final stage of that education, as the people of

  the Philippines take the reins of authority of our national security

  responsibilities. We are thankful for the help from our American

  friends, and we gratefully recognize the sacrifices you have made to our

  security and prosperity. With your guidance and with God's help, we take

  the first great step toward being a genuine world power. . Mikaso spoke

  eloquently for several more minutes, and when he was done, appreciative

  applause made its way from the bleachers all the way out beyond the

  wall, over the crowds. The people clearly loved their President. But

  Teguina listened to the speech and Mikaso's praise for the United States

  with growing impatience and disgust. He loathed the Americans and had

  always resented their presence. As for Mikaso, he owed him nothing.

  He'd agreed to this hybrid coalition only after he'd realized he didn't

  have enough votes to win the presidency himself. As taped music was

  played over the PA system, Mikaso, Stone, and, reluctantly, Teguina,

  positioned themselves in front of a special set of three flagpoles

  behind the reviewing stands. An honor guard stepped onto the stand and

  positioned themselves around the flagpoles. As Mikaso placed a hand

  over his heart in tribute, the Philippine flag was lowered a few feet in

  respect. Then, as "Retreat" was played, the American flag was raised to

  the top of the staff, then slowly lowered. "Why is our flag lowered?"

  Teguina whispered, as if to himself. When no one paid him any attention,

  he raised his voice: "I ask, why is the Philippine flag lowered first? I

  do not understand "Silence, Mr. Teguina, " Mikaso whispered. "Raise

  the Philippine flag back to the top of the staff, , " he said, his voice

  now carrying clearly over the music. "It is disrespectful for any

  national flag to be lowered in such a way. "We are paying honor to the

  Americans-"

  "Bah!" Teguina spat. "They are foreigners returning home, nothing

  more." But he fell silent as the American flag was lowered and the

  honor guard began folding it into the distinctive triangle. When the

  flag was folded, the honor guard passed it to General Stone, who stepped

  to Arturo Mikaso, saluted, and presented it to him. "With thanks from a

  grateful nation, Mr. President, " Stone said. Mikaso smiled. "It will

  be kept in a place of honor in the capital, General Stone, as a symbol

  of our friendship and fidelity."

  "Thank you, sir." At that, the two men looked skyward as a gentle roar

  of jet engines began to be heard. Flying over the base and directly down

  the mall over the reviewing stand were four flights of four F-4 Phantom

  fighters, followed by a flight of three B-52 bombers, all no more than

  two thousand feet above ground-and everyone could clearly see the twelve

  Harpoon antiship missiles hanging off the wings of each B-52. The

  audience in the bleachers applauded and cheered; the crowd outside the

  gate was restlessly cheering and shouting at the impressive display. But

  Daniel Teguina decided he had had enough. This... this American love

  feast was too much for a native Filipino. He pushed past Stone and

  Mikaso and quickly low ered the Philippine flag from its pole, unclipped

  it, and reattached it to the empty center pole where the American flag

  had just been removed. "What in God's name are you doing, Teguina?"

  Mikaso shouted over the roar of the planes. Teguina ordered one of his

  bodyguards to raise the Philippine flag. He turned, glaring at Stone,

  and said, "We are not going to defer to Americans any longer. This is

  our land, our skies, our countryand our flag!" As the flag traveled up

  the pole, Stone heard one of the most chilling sounds he'd ever

  experienced-the screams of fury, anger and, ultimately, jubilation

  coming from the thousands outside the gates. As the Philippine flag

  reached the top of the pole, the screams reached a deafening, roaring

  crescendo. Teguina and Stone stared long and hard at each other, while

  President Mikaso began babbling apologies for his First Vice President's

  behavior. Thus ended the American presence in the Philippines. After

  the ceremonies quickly ended, Rat Stone made his way to the air terminal

  to supervise the final departure-he still preferred not to call it an

  evacuation-of American military personnel from Clark Air Base. He

  couldn't shake the feeling deep in his gut that this cessation of mutual

  defense arrangements had happened too quickly, too abruptly. The

  skirmish just last week in the S
pratly Islands was still fresh in his

  mind. And so was the look in Daniel Teguina's eyes... it chilled him

  to the bone. No, Rat Stone decided, this would not be the last time he

  would see the Philippines. ... The question was when. HIGH TECHNOLOGY

  AEROSPACE WEAPONS CENTER (HAWC), NEVADA MONDAY, 13 JUNE 1994, 0715 HOURS

  LOCAL "Tell me this is a joke, sir, " Lieutenant Colonel Patrick

  McLanahan said to Brigadier General John Ormack, "andwith all due

  respect, of course-I'll beat your face in." John Ormack, the deputy

  commander of the High Technology Aerospace Weapons Center-nicknamed

  HAWC, the Air Force's secret flight-test research center that was a part

  of the Dreamland complex-didn't have to look at the wide grin on

  McLanahan's face to know that he wasn't seriously threatening bodily

  harm to anyone. He could tell by McLanahan's voice, wavering with pure

  excitement, that the thirty-nine-year-old radar navigator and

  flight-test project officer was genuinely thrilled. They were standing

  in front of the newest, most high-tech aircraft in the world, the B-2

  stealth bomber. And best of all, for the next several months, this

  B-2-nicknamed the "Black Knight"belonged to him. "No joke, Patrick, "

  Ormack said, putting an arm around McLanahan's broad shoulders. "Don't

  ask me how he did it, but General Elliott got one of the first B-2A test

  articles assigned to Dreamland. That's one nice thing about being

  director of HAWC-Elliott gets to pull strings. This one has been

  stripped down quite a bit, but it's a fully operational modelthis was

  the bomber that launched the first SRAM-II attack missile a few months

  back."

  "But they just made the B-2 operational, " McLanahan pointed out. "They

  don't have that many B-2s out there-just one squadron, the 393rd,

  right?" Ormack nodded. "What are we doing with one?" McLanahan asked.

  "Knowing Elliott, he put the squeeze on Systems Command to begin more

  advanced weapons tests on the B-2, in case they begin full-scale

  deployment. Air Force stopped deployment, as you know, because of

  budget cutbacks-but, as we both know, General Elliott's projects aren't

  under public scrutiny." Ormack went on. "He was pushing the shift from

  nuclear to conventional warfighting strategy to Congress, just as Air