OPERATION DRIVING JUSTICE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (27 AUG 2016 @ 1558)

OPERATION DRIVING JUSTICE - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SFC Leigh Fahey

SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 3x Thin Men, 8x Chryssalids, 3x Seekers, 2x Zombies

o Friendly Forces
 - SFC Leigh "B.A.M.F." Fahey (United States)
 - SSG Monica "Azrial" de Matos (Brazil)
 - SSG Lieselotte "Maschine" Faber (Germany)
 - SSG Rainhard "Ogre" Horn (Austria)
 - SSG Sylas "Fawkes" Maillet (Canada)
 - SSG Peter "The General" Van Doorn (United Nations)
 - SGT Ward "Shroud" Parsons (Australia)
 - SGT Simone "Tomahawk" Ribeiro (Brazil)

MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Montreal, Canada, 27 AUG 2016 @ 1558 hrs, IOT halt a Terror Mission in progress. 

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

The Mission Alert came in at 1520 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 1536, with boots down by 1558 hrs. As we approached the AO, I sent SGT Parsons ahead to get a better look, and he spotted three Thinnies moving to cover. Liesel provided overwatch, taking one of the Thinnies down with a headshot. Az moved to cover, then immediately reported contact, as a pod of Lids came charging up. Horn was ready though, and leveled 'em with a rocket, and Fawkes followed up with an AP 'nade to finish them off. The General cut loose on one of the Thinnies, but didn't manage to kill it, leaving it to Tomahawk, covering my six as I advanced, to put it down for the count. With most of the X-Rays down, I moved up to the first civilian and sent him packing toward the Skyranger.

The last Thinny hightailed it, but we didn't get a break, as another pair of 'Lids ran into sight, backed by a zombie. Az managed to wing the first Lid, send it staggering into my line of fire, where it went down hard. I heard another blaze from Maschine's snipe, and then she reported the walker was down. I was focused on the second 'Lid as it approached. I waited until I could see the slaver glistening on it's mandibles before I blew it's head clean off, then waved another nearby civilian to run for it.

In the brief respite that followed, I ordered everyone to advance, double-time. The slower we moved, the more civilians died, which we could clearly hear them doing. I took point, bursting into the store, and taking cover by the bookshelves, just as a pod of Chryssalids came careering toward me. I shot the lead monster point-blank as I backpedaled, yelling for backup. It kept coming, even after Parsons nailed it with a solid shot through the window, though it was obviously hurting. Just before it leapt at me, Horn managed to put it down with a third hit. As I got to cover, Monica winged the second 'Lid, and Fawkes tossed another AP grenade into their faces; Both were briefly stunned, but they kept moving. To make matters worse, I heard Tomahawk yelling about Seekers on our flank.

The General decided to make himself useful, and eliminated two of the Seekers. Meanwhile, the 'Lids decided to go after softer targets, one fleeing back inside the building, the other going after a civilian, just as the surviving Seeker went into stealth mode. Fawkes managed to slag the one Lid before it could reach the civilian, but the other was out of sight inside the building. Az ducked inside for a quick look, but didn't see it before I ordered her back out.

We needed to regroup, so I had everyone find cover, and check their weapons; Fortunately, as the Cryssalids burst out of the side of the building, and Tomahawk cut it down; A zombie, presumably a recent victim, followed immediately after, but The General blasted it off of its feet. When it tried to rise again, Az finished it off, and I moved toward the cowering civilian that had been the target of the recently dead 'Lids, and Shroud reported that he was taking to the rooftop for a better look. Everyone else regrouped and kept an eye out for the Seeker. When it finally appeared, trying to grab Maschine, it went down in a hail of laser fire. 

Based on SGT Parsons' motion-sensor report, we swept out to envelop the back room of the building. I ducked into the building, only to find a Thinny raising its weapon; I dodged through the doorway before it could fire, nearly crashed into a civilian, and swatted him out of the way, telling him to run. Everyone else came running on my report, while that coward-ass X-Ray decided to murder another unarmed civilian rather than coming out to play. Luckily, Van Doorn managed to get a good angle, and lit that fucker up before it could get back into cover.

We moved through the rest of the building, clearing all of the remaining civilians, and finding no more hostiles. We dropped the civilians off near a refugee camp that was forming outside of Montreal, and returned to base.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Aggressive advancement saved lives
 - Judicious use of explosives and cross-fire

o Improve:
 - More use of the motion sensors
 - Better awareness of our flanks