Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman

Chapter 795: Chapter 795: The War Begins

On March 19, the coalition forces led by the U.S. military issued the order to attack.

On March 20, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, and 82nd Airborne Division advanced toward Baghdad from the desert northwest of Kuwait.

In southeastern Iraq, the U.S. 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the British Expeditionary Force launched a pincer offensive.

These two forces constituted the main combat forces.

In addition, the United States had organized a Kurdish force to defeat the Iraqi troops in the north, while countless special operations were being conducted throughout Iraq to strike regular forces and sabotage strategic targets.

The mutant battalion belonged to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, but its organization did not follow the standard Marine Corps structure. Instead, it was an irregular reinforced battalion.

Its commander was an ordinary human, Lieutenant Colonel Ray Schoonover, who was quite capable when it came to commanding troops.

He wasn’t the sort of officer who sat in his office issuing orders to company commanders and then waited for the results.

Everyone could see the battalion commander moving around among the troops, and almost every mutant had shaken his hand and exchanged a few words with him.

Some mutants had even come to regard him as an object of devotion, constantly talking about serving their country and securing better treatment for mutants.

He was a seasoned military lifer, with actual combat experience as well.

At the very least, he’d already gotten this mutant battalion firmly under his control.

The mutant battalion had eight companies: a headquarters company, a weapons company, and six companies designated A through F, with roughly 1,900 personnel in total.

This was because all the mutant recruits who had enlisted during this period had been concentrated into the battalion.

Henry was assigned to D Company, which most people called Dog Company.

Its official military designation was Delta Company, although ”Delta” had more syllables and was generally only heard during standardized radio communications.

As far as Henry was concerned, the company commander’s presence was rather weak because his platoon leader was simply too forceful.

That man would have had no problem becoming a company commander himself if his seniority and rank had been sufficient.

Second Lieutenant Frank Castle wasn’t going so far as to interfere with other platoons and directly override the company commander’s authority.

But his interactions with the company commander were remarkably simple.

The company commander would tell him what needed to be accomplished, and Frank would handle the specific methods himself.

Normally, having a subordinate like that should make a commander’s life extremely easy.

However, Frank’s forceful personality made him unpopular with virtually all his superiors.

Whenever something was unreasonable, Frank would directly challenge it.

The virtue of obedience seemed almost nonexistent in him.

No wonder that after joining Lieutenant Colonel Ray Schoonover, he obediently stayed by his side.

There probably weren’t many other commanders willing to use him.

Yet serving under someone like Frank was actually very easy.

His orders were crystal clear, not to mention his extensive professional knowledge and tactical expertise.

After Henry had awakened in this strange military camp, the first person to speak to him had ultimately become his squad leader: Blair Proudstar.

As for the other soldiers in his squad, Henry hadn’t paid them much attention.

Their abilities simply weren’t remarkable enough to warrant it.

Either their abilities had too much of a windup and weren’t practical on a battlefield, or they were difficult to control, with their disadvantages more obvious than their strengths.

Others had abilities similar to Blair Proudstar’s, manifesting naturally in their everyday actions without needing to be deliberately activated.

The mutant battalion was positioned at the very front of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, serving as the vanguard of the army.

Because D Company had the trump card that was Frank Castle, it was being used as a reconnaissance company, making it the vanguard of the mutant battalion.

Frank’s platoon naturally went even farther forward.

And Henry’s squad was the vanguard of the vanguard.

Blair Proudstar’s ability was simply too well suited to the task.

He was also a capable hunter and tracker.

As a result, Blair’s squad was usually assigned as a reconnaissance squad, moving at the very front of the entire force.

Normally, a veteran senior NCO would accompany a unit performing this kind of mission.

But Blair Proudstar was a reenlistee, and Platoon Leader Frank Castle trusted him considerably, particularly when it came to command of the reconnaissance squad.

So the senior NCOs were assigned to keep an eye on the inexperienced new recruits elsewhere.

This reconnaissance squad was left under Blair Proudstar’s direct command.

Naturally, missions at the very front were rotated among the squads.

But everyone had their own measure of who performed best and who was the most useful.

In other words, apart from the satellites overhead, Henry’s squad would be the invading unit that penetrated deepest into Iraq.

As everyone advanced in a dispersed formation, Henry, the machine gunner walking beside his squad leader, carried the Stark Industries J-508 light machine gun and spoke between gasps.

A light machine gun, its ammunition, and his personal equipment weren’t exactly light.

”I thought the U.S. military had become fully motorized. I figured we’d all be riding in trucks and could drive straight into Baghdad in a single day.”

Blair said irritably, ”This is a reconnaissance mission. If there’s a trap up ahead and we don’t detect it, are we supposed to drive straight into it in our trucks? We wouldn’t even need much rifle fire. One RPG and we’d be blown sky-high.”

Someone chimed in to argue with him.

”But Blair, do we really need to be that careful? I have a cousin who fought in the Gulf War ten years ago. He was a Marine too. He won the war without even pulling the trigger once.”

”Fuck! How did that happen?”

”Most of the enemy had already been wiped out by the Air Force. He was a sniper. According to him, he got a mission to snipe an enemy officer. He found the target, lined up his scope, and was just about to pull the trigger when his superior officer called it off and ordered an airstrike instead.”

”Don’t tell me he didn’t kill a single enemy during the entire war?”

”Even worse. Most of the soldiers didn’t see a single enemy the whole war. My cousin was actually one of the lucky ones. At least he got to see someone through his scope.”

”Fuuuck!”

Everyone exclaimed in shock.

Blair naturally couldn’t let such talk go unchallenged.

”That was how the First Gulf War went. Who can guarantee that Iraq hasn’t learned its lessons over the past ten years?

”And the most dangerous thing in war isn’t having an enemy who’s too strong. It’s becoming complacent.

”Keep your eyes on the horizon. In terrain this open, you can’t even find proper cover. The person who spots the enemy first and has time to prepare is the winner.”

A crazy, mischievous mutant deliberately raised his voice and said, ”Yes, Mommy Blair.”

While everyone joked and horsed around on the ground, several fighter jets screamed overhead.

They looked as though they were preparing to fly deeper into Iraq on a mission.

Someone immediately raised his hands and cheered.

Blair hurriedly stopped them.

”Quiet! Don’t attract the pilots’ attention! Those idiots can’t tell whether the people on the ground are friendly or hostile.”

”How could that possibly happen?”

”We’re all wearing fucking desert camouflage uniforms. Do you think the people in the sky can distinguish all the tiny differences between them? This happened plenty of times during the last war.”

Blair spoke angrily.

”No way.”

”Hey, look! Two of those planes are circling back.”

”Hey, they’re flying lower and lower.”

”Motherfucker! Get down, get down! Henry, give me a hand!”

As Blair ordered everyone into position, he pulled a cloth bundle from his pack.

He tossed one corner toward Henry, then rolled over and spread the bundle open.

It was a very large American flag.

The planes overhead fired several bursts.

But as soon as the pilots saw the flag, they immediately stopped firing and split apart, climbing away in opposite directions.

”Fuck! Give me the radio. I’m going to chew out the Air Force. Oh, no—let Frank chew them out.”

One of the squad members cursed loudly.

Blair stood up and began rolling the flag back up.

”Forget it. Even if the platoon leader really does complain to the Air Force, all he’ll get is a few meaningless words in response. It’ll just waste time.

”Get up. We’re moving.”

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