[h3]Casualties[/h3][hr]

When the rangers started attacking the Burlington Airfield, the Northwest Communications Center started to frantically take in calls on dispatch and send out orders to State Troopers that essentially kept them out of harm's way. One trooper in a car meant lots of coverage, but in a situation involving air attacks and heavy weaponry, they were out of their league. The veterans among them knew this. When they ran into suppressive fire, they decided to stay damned well suppressed, finding cover and staying in it. A patrol rifle wasn't going to do much against the fury of aimed, automatic weapons fire from the guerrilla units providing security for the Rangers.

And there weren't a lot of Vermont State Troopers that wanted to get killed messing with Special Forces-led guerrillas or US Army Rangers.

Dan saw the glow in the distance, and the tracers sparking in the sky, as well as the fireball in the air and knew what was happening. Casualties. 

They were out of his mind as he and Park stacked up against the door. He was wearing a ski mask just like some sort of PIRA shooter in Belfast, and was loaded down with load bearing equipment over his jacket, but otherwise was wearing civilian attire. Not so the Sergeant, of course, because the point was to inspire State Troopers to surrender at the sight of a US uniform being worn by a legit Green Beret. The place was not a heavily built up fortification; it was essentially an aluminum sided double-wide surrounded by barbed wire fence -- they'd cut right through and crawled on in, thanks to the distraction of bigger things brewing in Burlington.

No one in the Green Mountain Boys wanted to shoot a Vermont State Trooper.

That's why they brought flashbangs.

There was a door to the state police communications center. He banged the door open and let Park throw in the flashbang. Dan made sure to tuck in one ear and close his eyes as they went off. It took seconds. Instinct took over as he moved in, checking the blind spot with his carbine sweeping the same place as his eyes, both open, tracking through the reticule mounted on the flat top. You didn't bring too many people into a place at first, because it required room to maneuver and shoot. 

There were two men in the immediate area, one was wearing khaki and green pants, and he got subdued. The other had camouflage fatigues and violet tabs on the collar, not that anyone bothered to look that close. He had a West German made assault rifle with a built in telescopic scope and that identified him as a foe; he was killed. Casualties. 

There'd be more of those, even as they expanded the breach into the facility. The orders were to not kill state troopers unnecessarily, but no one had use for low-rung Stasi types. Officers might be worth keeping alive, though Dan would prefer to eat the cyanide pill in their jackboots...