OPERATION COLD DAWN - AFTER ACTION REPORT (31 JUL 2016 @ 0813 )

OPERATION COLD DAWN - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SSG Yusuf Hassan


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 1x Outsider, 2x Cyberdiscs, 4x Drones, 3x Floaters

o Friendly Forces
 - SSG Shousei "Lightning" Daiwa (Japan) - KIA
 - SGT Yusuf "Thunder" Hassan (Sudan)
 - SGT Anant "Rooftop" Dhalon (Pakistan)
 - SGT Beatrice "Preacher" Rydberg (Sweden)
 - CPL Simone "Tomahawk" Ribeiro (Brazil)
 - CPL Osazenomwan "Mental" Olufunke (Nigeria)
 - SPC Synclair Mallari (Phillipines)
 - SPC Caio de Abreu (Brazil)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to rural Oklahoma, United States, 31 JUL 2016 @ 0813 hrs, IOT exploit a crashed UFO site, and extract an X-Ray Captive.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

The UFO was splashed at 0403, and Central told SSG Daiwa to have his squad ready in the Skyranger by 0800. We touched down in Oklahoma by 0813, SSG Daiwa moved first, spotting three Floaters immediately. As soon as he called contact, I drew a bead on the first one, and put a laser beam through its head, while the rest of the squad found cover positions. SSG Daiwa took a shot and wounded another, then we waited for them to come to us. The first took to the air, firing a shot that singed SSG Daiwa's armor, while the second blasted off, coming down on our right flank. SGT Dhalon moved to flank the second Floater, destroying it with a close-range blast, while SSG Daiwa finished off the one he'd wounded, before he ordered the squad to come up on line.

Unfortunately, when CPL Olufunke moved up, he set off a Cyberdisc and its attendant Drones. The Drones moved toward us, drawing startled reaction shots from the squad; The drones were both winged, but not disabled. The Disc took a shot at CPL Olufunke, but he managed to hunker behind his cover and avoid injury, or worse. SSG Daiwa ordered us to focus fire on the Cyberdisc. CPL Olufunke lead off with a Shredder Rocket, killing one Drone, and shredding the Cyberdisc. SSG Daiwa moved to position to get a clean shot on the Disc, designating it for the rest of us, and damaging it severely. SGT Rydberg and I focused fire on the Disc, but as it had closed into defensive posture, we were unable to finish it off. Meanwhile, CPL Ribeiro took a shot of opportunity on the remaining Drone, and took it down. The Cyberdisc continued to focus on CPL Olufunke, so SPC de Abreu took advantage of this to move into range and kill it. While we dealt with that, SGT Dhalon took the opportunity to grab the meld canister to his immediate front.

SSG Daiwa directed the squad forward cautiously, until we had a good position on the UFO, encountering no resistance as we advanced. SSG Daiwa activated his stealth camo, and move directly up to look into the UFO, though he reported no X-Rays inside. No sooner than the squad had gotten into position, however, than the Outsider, a Cyberdisc and a Drone entered the UFO from behind, spotting the squad. Reaction fire took out the Drone immediately, and CPL Olufunke blew out the front wall, removing cover for the Outsider and the Disc. 

SSG Daiwa ordered us to focus on the Disc, as we wanted to capture the Outsider alive. SPC de Abreu tried to soften our targets with an AP grenade, but the Disc's armor appeared to absorb the blow, and the Outsider was only caught in the periphery. SSG Daiwa, CPL Ribeiro, SGT Rydberg and I pumped several rounds into the Cyberdisc, which succumbed to our massed fires, leaving only the Outsider. SSG Daiwa was shouting that we should soften the Outsider up before Dhalon attempted the capture when it moved up to the wreckage he was taking cover behind, and shot him point-blank in the head. 

De Abreu started screaming, and lobbed a grenade at the Outsider, knocking it down and destroying the wreckage. Realizing that someone had to try to salvage the mission, I started yelling over the comms that we had to take that bastard alive. I thought I was going to lose control of the situation, until Dhalon unholstered the Arc Thrower, and said that Vahlen would make that thing regret coming to this planet. Before the Outsider had recovered, I heard the agreement of everyone in the squad. Ribeiro drew her pistol and shot it straight in the chest, knocking it back down, while Dhalon moved up and fired the Arc Thrower at it. At first we thought it was down, but when it raised its plasma carbine toward Dhalon, I knew we'd lost this one, and put a shot through its head, and watched it dissolve in flickers of orange light. When the last Drone hovered into sight, it met the massed fires from the squad, and was nearly disintegrated.

SGT Dhalon checked on SSG Daiwa, but he could only confirm what we already knew. A quick sweep through the UFO revealed no more resistance, and we called the recovery team to come in and salvage the wreckage.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Massed Fires
 - Threat prioritization

o Improve: 
 - Longer engagement range
 - Equipment that actually performs its function

Salat al-Janazah (21 JUN 2016)

[Author's Note: This story directly follows OPERATION DEMON HYMN despite being published after OPERATION COLD HYMN; Due to real life issues, and the sensitive subject matter in this story, it took much longer to write than it should have.
Also note that this is a work of fiction, written by a Christian and an American. I have solicited advice from muslim acquaintances, but this is pretty much entirely the result of internet research. No disrespect is intended if I have not gotten any details right. I hope to show honor to any and all muslim troopers who adhere to the rightful teachings of the Prophet, and to those who fight the good fight to defend their fellow man, no matter what their creed or beliefs.]

It was another somber night in the XCOM HQ.

The Skyranger, bearing the remains of SGT Khadem had just departed for Egypt, where he would be interred with all proper ceremony by his family. The barracks and the common areas were full, but quiet, as they always were following the death of a comrade. Unlike the previous times, there remained a small group in the hangar.

-

CPL Jared Houston looked around at the others. CPL Ramli, SPC Safar and PFC Benhassi were known to him, but not exceptionally well, but they all shared the same faith. When Khadem's death had been reported, SGT Hassan had requested Houston to visit in the medbay, where he'd asked him to prepare for funeral rites for Khadem. Jared had agreed immediately, though he was only a somewhat recent convert to Islam. He was the ranking person of the islamic faith, and XCOM had no chaplains. The Skyranger was inbound with the squad and SGT Khadem's remains, so he got to work.

Between his copy of the Qur’an and the internet to fill in the blanks, Jared got a passable understanding of funeral rites. Once he was done, he hesitantly approached CPL Ramli, who was also from Egypt, with his plans. She was surprised to be consulted, but she agreed that, under the circumstances, with such a mixed lot of islamic faithful, that following some of the general muslim funeral rites would be best. The he went to Bradford, to request the remains be given to his brothers and sister for preparation, before being sent home.

The Skyranger was vectoring in for a landing when the word came back from the Commander. With no chaplain on staff, it seemed appropriate that Khadem be honored as best as he could be by his fellow troopers, though their time would be limited, in order to get him home to his family as expeditiously as possible. CPL Houston asked Central Officer Bradford to relay their gratitude, and that it would be enough.

When the Skyranger landed, they discovered that SPC Dhalon had been wounded, and would not be able to join them. He, like SGT Hassan, would be stuck in medbay. This left the task of preparing SGT Khadem's body to the four of them.

Houston, Safar and Benhassi had prayed and performed their ablutions to become wudhu prior to the Skyranger's arrival, so CPL Ramli escorted the medics who brought the corpse to them. They did not have the necessary herbs to make sidr or camphor water, a problem that Bradford said they'd try to fix for the future, so they'd opted just to do the three cleansings with pure water drawn up from the natural reservoirs beneath the XCOM HQ.

Khadem's body was mostly untouched, except for his head. He'd taken the plasma blast above his left eye, and most of his head on that side was gone, and the burns marred much of the rest of his face. The only grace was that the heat had completely cauterized the wound. Houston had helped guide the medics in placing the body with the feet facing northeast, toward Mecca. Once they had left, and CPL Ramli had stepped outside, they carefully stripped the body, placing a folden linen bedsheet over the lower belly to upper legs, and then began the ghusl mayyit.

Later, after the body had been enshrouded in a kafan improvised from bedsheets, they'd finally taken SGT Khadem's body back to the hangar. Jared prayed that their efforts would be acceptable to the family, and would be sure to push the issue of proper funeral preparations in the future. Still, though it had not been the same as might have happened in a primarily islamic nation, Houston felt that SGT Khadem would be satisfied with the honor paid to him by his brothers and sister.

-

The hangar doors close above, cutting off the dim twinkle of starlight, and leaving the four in darkness and silence. With no words exchanged, they turn and file out of the hangar, making their way through the corridors to the medbay, where Hassan and Dhalon await. It had been decided that, even though his body would not be present, that they would recite the Salat al-Janazah for themselves and their fallen brother. His face only betraying the slightest nervousness, Houston stepped forward, and his fellow troopers gathered around the two medical beds in front of him.

"Allahu Akbar," he began, then took a breath and continued. "B-ismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi..."

The prayer continued, with the other troopers murmuring and speaking at the appropriate moments. A few times, Jared caught hesitation and realized he must have done or said something incorrectly, but he pushed through it the best he could. It didn't take long before he felt the sting of tears, and the warmth of them upon his cheeks, but he didn't allow his voice to waver.

"Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatu-Allah", he intoned, bringing the prayer to an end and bowing his head for the final time. Peace and blessings of God be upon you, my brother. Finally wiped his eyes, and saw tears standing on the cheeks of the troopers gathered in front of him. The small smile from the bed-bound Hassan told him that he'd done well enough.

Brothers in Arms (02 MAR 2016)

"Donohue!"

Spencer Donohue stopped in the hall when he heard his name called from behind, and stepped back against the wall to allow others to pass as he looked for who was calling him.

It turned out to be PFC Hassan. Spencer nodded as Hassan caught up with him, and stepped back out into the hall, continuing his way to mess.

"What's up?" he asked the other man casually. "Want to join me for dinner?" Hassan nodded, but it was obvious he had something else in mind. Spencer kept his silence, let him come to it in his own time. Finally, he stopped, stepping into an intersecting corridor. Spencer joined him.

"I read your report," Hassan started. Spencer nodded, waiting for him to continue. "You left something out."

"Excuse me?" Spencer lifted a brow. Hassan raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"You didn't mention how I froze, when Jensen was hit." Hassan dropped his eyes as he spoke, shame evident in every line of his face, how he held his body. Spencer blinked, then before he could stop himself, he began to chuckle. Hassan flushed, visible even with his dark skin, in the darkened corridor and looked up, anger beginning to show in his eyes. 

"Man," Spencer said, pulling himself back to a more sober mien. "You're sweating that? I didn't leave it out. It just wasn't relevant."

"How is a soldier freezing in the middle of a firefight not relevant?" Hassan was still angry, and the grim amusement that Spencer couldn't hold back only fueled that. "Cowardice on the battlefield is always relevant. Soldiers die because of cowardly actions."

"Yusuf," Spencer started, then paused. "Can I call you Yusuf?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "You pulled yourself together and engaged the fucker that got Jensen. Hell, you somehow managed to take out two of them with one shot." He looked the Sudanese man squarely in the eyes. "Tell me," he said, "are those the actions of a coward?"

Hassan was silent for several moments. Behind him, Spencer could hear more troopers passing into the mess hall. Finally, the man looked up again, meeting his eyes.

"There is truth in what you say."

"Damned right there is," Spencer replied, chucking him on the shoulder. "Listen, you were right behind him when he fell. I'd probably have lost my shit too. It's combat, man. It happens."

"He was so still, when he fell from the truck. I thought he must have been dead already." Hassan lifted his face, staring off behind Spencer. Spencer felt that same empty feeling he had when Huisman had come over the radio. "I should have been able to save him."

"No," Spencer replied, feeling anger, a far more welcome feeling, flood into his mind. "No, that's not your fault. It was mine. I was placed in charge of the mission, God knows why. It was my responsibility to make sure we had what we needed. I failed Jensen, by not ensuring someone had brought a damned medkit."

"Now it is you who is too hard on himself," replied Hassan, placing a hand on Spencer's shoulder. "No one was prepared for what we faced. We barely had time to get weapons, let alone medical supplies." Spencer nodded, but not in agreement. He knew whose fault it was. "Brother," Hassan said, drawing Spencer's eyes to his, "I call you so, because we have stood shoulder to shoulder. You cannot change the past. You can only learn from it, and take those lessons into the future."

Spencer nodded again, then suddenly he laughed. Hassan was briefly startled, but then he showed his own broad grin.

"Damned if you aren't right," he said. "Come on, Yusuf. I hear that if you get to mess late, you have to eat the leftovers from the science labs."