The doors explode open and a hurricane of activity comes screaming into the emergency room of Harborview Hospital. The doctor who was waiting outside is getting the patient’s stats from the paramedic who is rattling off a stream of information. Theresa, the nurse, was outside on a smoke break when they came in so she really doesn’t have anything to do since there are so many hands on the young man.
His hair is cropped short like he is right out of a Leave it to Beaver episode, he doesn’t look like he is old enough to drink, hell he barely looks old enough to shave. But there is something in his eyes, it is a determination. When she makes eye contact she can see his eyes pleading with her, she just isn’t sure what they are trying to say.
He keeps trying to talk but only gurgles up blood, his one arm that works keeps trying to remove the oxygen mask. The paramedic places it back over his mouth in a practiced motion. Clearly he has been trying to do this for a while. Most people who come in with gunshot wounds are more than happy to lay there and accept treatment. Especially when they have multiple gunshots wounds. Some even wail and moan, but this kid looks like he wants to get off the gurney and do something. Not run away like the criminals they get, but he clearly wants to go somewhere.
Theresa looks at him and asks, “what are you trying to say?”
She sees his hand limply try to reach behind him, so she stops him and checks in the area he is trying to go. Her hand returns with his wallet. She opens it and sees a picture of an older woman, maybe his mom.
“Do you want me to call her,” she asks.
Frustrated he grabs the picture and throws it aside. In a crowded hospital ER, he may never see that again. Now that she is no longer distracted by the picture he keeps pointing at the wallet.
What could be so important in the wallet? Undaunted Theresa keeps digging. Next she comes up with his military ID card. That explains the haircut. Again he grabs it and throws it aside. Military ID cards are very important from what she understands and it is bad to lose it. There must be something very important in that wallet is he is willing ot cast aside his ID card so casually.
When she picks out a white business card he grabs the wallet and throws it aside. Theresa looks at the card and sees him extend his thumb and pinky. “Yeah, hang loose,” the paramedic says.
With that the young solder collapses and she stops, watching him disappear into one of the trauma rooms. Not hang loose, that was the signal for “call me”. He wants her to make a phone call. On one side of the card is a couple phone numbers, on the other side is two words. She knows not what havoc she is going to unleash with one phone call.
“Rangers lead the way,” the voice says with the way he has been instructed to answer the phone in the headquarters, “Second Ranger Battalion, Sergeant Jordan speaking can I help you sir or ma’am?” Sometimes he throws in that it is an unssecure line, but it is late, it is a weekend and he is at that point where he doesn’t care. The Private on duty is playing Halo to pass the time on the 24 hour shift.
Private Diaz listens to the conversation in case he has to do something, but he has been at the unit less than a month and wouldn’t know what to do anyway. He sees the Sergeant cover the phone and say, “Another Rnagerette, this one is a nurse. She hooked up with some guy and is now calling CQ.”
“Yes ma’am when I see him I will tell him you called,” he states. Jordan has had to deal with his share of Rangerettes or ‘CQ Mary’s’. CQ Mary is the best, they are Ranger groupies nd if you play your cards right they will stop by and give you some stress relief. He is surprised when he is hung up on. “Bitch.”
When she dials the next number the answer is much less formal, and a lot more gruff.
“Life, limb, or eyesight?” the voice asks.
“What?”
“Is this a matter of life, limp or eyesight? If I am getting a call at this hour someone had better be about to lose their life, limp or eyesight, if not there will be very soon.”
Clearly he is not pleased, but the young kid seemed very insistent so Theresa pushes on. “Life I guess. There is a young man who came into Harborview Hospital with multiple GSW and handed me a card that says simply ‘Ranger Down’.”
With those tow words Sergeant Major Roc sits up straight, instantly awake. “Can you confirm that you said ‘Ranger Down’ and that this is serious?”
Theresa starts from the beginning, gives him a number to be reached at, and is hung up on. It isn’t rude, just curt and she can tell that this man is going to make things happen. She doesn’t know what those things are.
“Rangers lead the way this is Sergeant Jordan can I help you Sir or ma’am?”
“This is Command Sergeant Major Roc, Ranger down!”
Jordan sits up so fast in his chair he almost falls over, “Yes Sergeant Major!”
“Call everyone in, I will be in soon, I want the red cycle unit to be standing tall in formation when I get in. Anyone is Seattle needs to stay there and wait by a phone.”
“Yes Sergeant Major.”
“Oh and Sergeant Jordan, if you are ever that unprofessional to someone calling in again, I will personally end you, Hooah?” It isn’t a real question, and he hangs up before he gets an answer.
Sergeant Majors are Gods in the Army, no one questions them, and the Ranger Battalion is no different. While being a Battalion Sergeant Major can be like herding cats, being the senior enlisted man for Rangers is like herding tigers and getting them to do your bidding without question. CSM Roc is perfect for the job.
The Ranger Battalion becomes a flurry of activity. There is always a unit on “Red Cycle” that means that they can be anywhere in the world in eighteen hours. Shock troops. This time Bravo company is on Red Cycle which means that none of them can be more than an hour away, and have to check in all the time. They issue out pagers for those who want to leave the base. Since they can’t drink most don’t. Only those that have girlfriends off post or are from the local area.
Fortunately there is a phone tree for just such an emergency so the NCO on Staff Duty only has to make a few phone calls and sends the private to round up whoever is around. Jordan doesn’t know what is going on but this is big. In his time in the Ranger Batt he has never known of a Ranger Down situation, so he just does as he is told and calls everyone.
