[right][h2][b][i]The Needle’s Eye[/i][/b][/h2][/right][hr]
Mount Mansfield, the highest elevation in Vermont at 4,393 feet above sea level overlooked the Needle’s Eye just east of Underhill, Vermont. The Needle’s Eye is actually a pass formed by two ridgelines south of Mount Mansfield. The hunting lodge where the group was meeting was located several hundred meters below the pass itself, closer to the Butler Lodge Trailhead. Four-wheel drive vehicles were necessary to arrive safely at the lodge.

As vehicles moved closer to the lodge, they fell under the watchful eye of an American M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and an eagle-eyed Marksman from the Third Ranger Battalion armed with a 7.62mm Enhanced Battle Rifle or Mark 14. A soldier from the Third Ranger Battalion stopped each vehicle to ask the occupants a few questions simply to confirm they were in the proper place. The soldier was dressed in the current Army Combat Uniform (ACU) wearing an Assault Vest, webbed belt and tan colored beret pulled tightly down the right side of his head. The 3rd Ranger Battalion flash and 75th Ranger regimental crest emblazoned upon the front face. The soldier had an M4 Carbine slung across his left shoulder across his chest, with the rifle hanging under his right arm, pulled to the rear to appear as though it was attached to his back.

Once the NCO authorized the occupants to continue along the road, they were directed to move an additional two hundred yards, where they would arrive at an opening to park their vehicle and then walk another hundred yards to the lodge at the base of The Needle’s Eye.

Ben Giguere was just as surprised as everyone else in the SUV when the Ranger NCO stepped from behind a tree, his arm extended in the traditional method to get a vehicle to stop. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” The Sergeant awaited a response. Once the NCO was satisfied with the initial responses, he stated, "I will ask a few questions simply to confirm you are indeed patriotic Americans."

“Name the US Senator from Vermont who ran for President in 2016.” The Sergeant had a prepared list of questions for each party that attempted access. The questions were designed so that someone from Vermont, not just the United States would know the answers. Some questions were easier than others.
[i]“Name both NFL Teams that have won the most Super Bowls in NFL history.”
“Which team is known for overcoming the largest deficit in Super Bowl History and how many points was this deficit?”
“Which Quarterback in the NFL is considered the Greatest of All Time?”
“Who is the Greatest American hockey player of all time?”[/i]

Ben listened to the conversation from the front seat knowing the answers to each question. But Joe and Danny seemed to have the situation well in hand. Once the Ranger NCO was satisfied, he directed the driver forward.

Upon their approach to the lodge, they spotted Master Sergeant Tyus Morse, the large African American from Rhode Island. He was dressed in ACUs with Assault vest similar the Ranger. MSG Morse wore the recognizable green beret with the green flash and SF crest denoting the 10th Special Forces Group. Upon his back was strapped an FN SCAR-H 17 battle rifle chambered in 7.62mm. The senior NCO also wore a tactical holster for his an FNX-45 Tactical handgun.

“Greetings gentlemen!” his deep voice boomed as the Vermont men approached. He shook each of their hands with a warm smile, ushering them inside. “I would like to introduce you to a few people. At a large table on the right side of room sat ten people dressed very similarly to Danny, Joe, Ben and Preston. MSG Morse introduced the group to Peter Couture of Burlington; Donald Tremblay of Bolton and Ray Gagne of Essex along with the others from their respective groups.

“These three gentlemen each lead a group of fighters like you with roughly five to eight people prepared to fight alongside you. The four groups, you all represent will form a platoon. I am the platoon leader and Sergeant First Class Park is the Platoon Sergeant. After Captain Stewart’s presentation you will each be given a mission. I will get together with everyone and go over the plan. Any of you know your way around explosives?”

Ben and Preston took a seat at the table behind Mr. Couture, Mr. Tremblay and Mr. Gagne. The group waited for the rest of the guests to file into the room and take seats. It was another fifteen minutes before they got started.

A six-foot soldier with erect posture wearing no headgear, a perfectly shaved blonde high and tight haircut and sharp steel gray eyes. His cheeks hollowed forcing his cheek bones and pointed beak-like nose to be overly prominent. The man could have been thirty years of age and had an unmistakable professionalism about him; a command presence.

As the man reached the center of the room, the NCOs in the room all became quiet, focusing their attention on him. Their behavior guided the resistance fighters to imitate them. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is Captain Tom Stewart, I am the team commander for the NCOs who have met with your groups over the past few weeks.” Captain Stewart retained a professional military bearing that captured everyone’s attention in the room.

“Today, my staff and I will present you with a mission we will perform in just under forty-eight hours. I must say that I appreciate the efforts you are performing for your country. A foreign invader has taken over our country!” He exclaimed this statement allowing it to hang in the air for several seconds to get the full effect. “For several of us, loved ones have been taken away and killed or detained in prison cells, God only knows where. Because of your efforts we will strive diligently to eject this foreign invader from our country. You gentlemen are true patriots and have officially been named [i]The Green Mountain Boys[/i]. I truly hope you live up to the reputation of the original group of Vermont Volunteers who helped to fight another foreign power in the creation of our great nation.” Now if only Captain Tom Stewart of Boston, Massachusetts were named Ethan Allen instead.

“Before we begin the presentation, I wish to introduce my staff,” Captain Stewart continued, glancing over at the six men standing along the left wall of the room. Before he introduced them, he would introduce the men most of the resistance fighters had some familiarity with. “To my right is Chief Warrant Officer Edison Mills from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He is my right-hand man advising me on several matters in the conduct of our operations. He is the team Executive Officer or Second in Command.” Chief Mills raised his right hand to identify himself to the occupants of the room. The man, was relatively non-descript, standing at about 69” and weighing possibly 165 lbs. His brown eyes revealed a very focused serious individual.

“At the rear of the room is Master Sergeant Tyus Morse of Providence, Rhode Island. He is my left hand and a very valuable member of my team. Next to him is Sergeant First Class Brian Park of Boston, Massachusetts, my home town, Hua! Sergeant Park is our gun guy. If you have any issues with firearms or require additional training, he will see that you get it.” Captain Stewart introduced the rest of the team, SFC Sidana of Quincy, MA; SGT Metaxas of Portland, ME; SSG Khoury of Bridgeport, CT; SSG Chartier of Mansfield, MA; SFC Buhari of Lowell, MA; SGT Haddad of Worcester, MA; SGT Meyer of White River Junction, VT; and SGT Halverson of Concord, NH. Every two NCOs would serve as Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant for a similar group of four or five resistance cells or groups of 20 – 26 men per platoon.

After introducing his team, he then introduced the six men to his left. He pointed at the first man stating, “this is First Lieutenant Francisco Lopez, Company Executive Officer for A Company, Third Battalion, 75th Rangers.” The Lieutenant took a step forward, raised a hand in a waving gesture and returned to his position. Each of the NCOs with him performed the same act. “Next to him is Sergeant First Class Javier Jiminez, Operations Sergeant for A Company, 3rd Ranger battalion; Staff Sergeant Romeo Catalano, Sapper Liaison from the Ranger Regiment; Staff Sergeant Leopold Sokolov, Target Acquisition Specialist & Forward Air Controller and Specialist Srinivas, Radio Telephone Operator for Sergeant Sokolov.” All six of the soldiers wore the same tan colored beret with the Ranger flash and crest. Upon closer inspection, one might note the Sapper LNO, Forward Observer and his RTO wore the Regimental flash with the crest instead of the third battalion’s flash.

“The Green Mountain Boys are supporting A Company, Third Battalion, 75th Rangers during their mission. The signal to initiate the [i]Burlington Raid[/i] will come immediately following their initiation of the airfield seizure of Burlington International Airport. Intelligence has confirmed that an over strength platoon of Staatssicherheitsdienst, State Security Service or more commonly known as the East German [i]Stasi[/i]. They are armed with Heckler & Koch assault rifles and handguns. The Soviets have positioned the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation and the 85th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments including eighteen MiG-31 Foxhounds, twenty-four Su-27 Flankers and eight Mi-24 Hind-D helicopters at this airport. The Rangers will seize the airfield and destroy all Soviet fighter aircraft on the ground there. Lieutenant Lopez will coordinate our activities with his Ranger Company. I would like for Lieutenant Lopez to brief you all on the Ranger’s plan for the airfield.” Captain Stewart looked at the Lieutenant and stepped back yielding the floor to the younger officer.

“As the Captain said, I am Lieutenant Lopez,” the 25-year old Mexican American stated. The man stood 69” tall and weighed about 200 Lbs with a muscular bulk in the chest, shoulders and upper arms. It was apparent the man was a weight lifter. “The soldiers you encountered on your drive in this morning make up our security element. They are a squad in one of the ranger platoons. My team will mark a Landing Zone (LZ) for five CH-47 Chinooks ferrying ten [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_Special_Operations_Vehicle]Ranger Special Operations Vehicles[/url], ten Kawasaki 250cc motorcycles and forty Rangers from A Company, Third Ranger Battalion. These vehicles will land at Jaycee Park off Patchen Road in Burlington, then race up White Street to assist in the seizure of BIA, a distance of roughly three quarters of a mile. The other half of my team will mark a Drop Zone on the Burlington International Airport. The remainder of the Company will be transported in a single C-17 Globemaster to conduct an airborne insertion upon the runways at BIA. Preceding our aircraft into the Northern Vermont Area of Operations by twenty minutes is a squadron F-22 Joint Strike Fighters out of Chanute Air Force Base in Eastern Illinois. There is also a flight of four A-10 Attack Aircraft which will conduct a strike on the airfield ten minutes prior to the airborne landings, then take up a loitering station over the Grand Isle in Lake Champlain prepared to react to any targets identified by Staff Sergeant Sokolov and Specialist Srinivas. Canada has allowed us to use their air space to move aircraft from the free zones of the United States into the Soviet Controlled areas of Eastern US. Once the airfield is secure, Combat Engineers or Sappers from the Ranger’s Special Troops Battalion will prepare explosives to destroy the sixty combat aircraft expected to be parked on the ground at BIA. While the RSOV platoon is cordoning off the airfield and the Sappers are destroying the aircraft, the two Ranger platoons will engage the East German technicians and police officers defending the base to prevent them from interfering with the mission of destroying enemy aircraft on the runway. Once this mission is complete, A Company will disappear into the Green Mountains in squad sized elements to assist you in your interdiction efforts in combatting the enemy. The Rangers will be called upon to perform missions from time to time and possibly be extracted by boat or helicopter at a future date and time to be determined.”

Lieutenant Lopez returned to the left side of the room allowing Captain Stewart to return to center stage. “Thank you, Lieutenant,” the Captain spoke to the Ranger XO looking at him as he took command of the room once again. “Now that you know what the Rangers are doing in Burlington, you may want to know what all of us are doing. As I have stated, your groups have been organized into five platoon-sized elements of twenty-five to thirty individuals per platoon lead by a pair of Special Forces NCOs. Each platoon will have a separate mission. Your NCOs are well briefed on their missions and they will share details with you later this afternoon. I will go over the scope of what the recently resurrected [i]Green Mountain Boys[/i] will be performing in less than two days. The raids are initiated by the distinctive sound of A-10 Thunderbolts strafing aircraft near the runway and dropping cratering charges. It will be unmistakable when you hear it. I promise you have never heard anything like this before. This is your cue to conduct your raids. Have your ambushes in position prior to the start time.”

Captain Stewart used a flip chart with large sheets of paper to help explain the mission and intent of the Green Mountain Boys. “Our largest threat to the Ranger’s operation will be the Vermont State Police and local law enforcement. We don’t believe that a majority of the native, American police officers are loyal to the Soviets. It would be understandable that they feigned loyalty to prevent death or imprisonment. Therefore, if you encounter the local cops, make an effort not to kill them. This part of the operation can get pretty dicey for all of you.”

Captain Stewart flipped a page on the chart pack to reveal a hand drawn map of the Burlington Area. Meaningless marks were scribbled over the black lines representing streets and various structures in Burlington, specifically around the airport. Captain Stewart pointed to the airport with a laser pointer, “Obviously this is where the Rangers will be operating.” Then he highlighted the park less than a mile west of the airport, “and the Landing Zone where the Ranger’s vehicles will land.” Next, he highlighted several different police buildings. “Our biggest threat to the Ranger’s mission are local and state law enforcement agencies. We believe the Soviets, or more appropriately, the East Germans have either replaced American cops with East German Stasi or some other Eastern European group. It will be your job to isolate the Airport by attacking each of these police stations simultaneously. I am aware police have officers in patrol cars, but if they cannot communicate with one another, they become isolated and lonely. When you are on patrol, the one comfort you have is knowing a brother is there to back you up. Remove the communications and you are alone. Besides, we believe the officers on patrol will not want to stop anyone from removing the Soviets or their East German puppets.”

“Master Sergeant Morse,” The Captain looked at his Team Chief. “Your platoon will target the Vermont State Police barracks in Williston. This station contains the Northern Vermont Communications Center. All radio traffic coming from patrol cars in the Burlington region is bounced off the communications equipment at the Williston barracks and retransmitted all over Northern Vermont in order for the proper unit to receive its messages. This is a vital communications node and must be eliminated as soon as possible. Master Sergeant Morse has a plan to take down this commo node by establishing two ambushes, one near the exit ramp from I-89 and the second at the intersection of Route 2A and the nearby shopping mall entrances. Two squads will enter the building with the intent to destroy the communications equipment at the building and to eliminate anyone who does not belong. Anyone who chooses to stand their ground and fight back, should be eliminated. Exercise discretion. There is no need to harm police officers who would rather not work for the Soviets.”

“Sergeant First Class Sidana’s platoon will conduct a similar raid on the South Burlington Police Department on Gregory Drive with the same Rules of Engagement or ROE. Plan for ambush sites to isolate the building as necessary.”

“Staff Sergeant Chartier’s platoon will conduct a raid on Chittendon County Sheriff’s Office on Ethan Allen Drive. Notice your proximity to the airport. The Rangers will be very close to your objective.”

“Sergeant First Class Buhari’s platoon will conduct a raid on the Burlington Police Station on North Ave near Battery Park and Sergeant Halverson’s Platoon will conduct a raid on the US Marshall’s Office on Pearl Street. I want both of these last two platoons to establish ambush sites isolating the two buildings. Buhari’s Platoon should be prepared to reinforce Halverson’s platoon if necessary. Ambush teams should be prepared to reinforce either of the two raiding teams. Beware of the proximity of your teams to one another. You are both down town and have the opportunity to support one another directly. Insure these two teams coordinate with another before leaving today.”

Captain Stewart concluded his briefing then stated, “In case you were wondering, there are similar raids like this one happening all over New England and up and down the East Coast. Georgia has a much larger, organized group and are hitting several establishments in the Atlanta and Savanah areas. Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire has been repurposed by the Russians and will be hit just like we are hitting BIA. Manchester-Boston Airport in New Hampshire will receive the same treatment. B Company of the 3rd Rangers are hitting Manchester Boston and C Company of the 3rd Rangers are hitting Pease AFB. US Navy Seals are hitting Coast Guard targets along the coast in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. This will be one massive guerrilla raid conducted upon our invaders up and down the Eastern Seaboard. We are going to break up into our small groups now. If you have any questions, please address them to your assigned NCOs. Thank you very much for coming. Your nation appreciates everything you are doing for them. God Bless!”