To My Son: Book One

SHAWNSWANSON

Copyright©2021by Shawn Swanson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning,or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book,post itto awebsite, ordistributeitbyanyother meanswithoutpermission.

Firstedition

Thisisaworkoffiction.Unlessotherwiseindicated,allthenames,characters,businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’simagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living ordead,or actualevents is purely coincidental.

ToStrykerWilliamSwanson

AlwaysOutnumbered,NeverOutgunned…

CastleGatePMSC,Iraq2006

Contents

CHAPTER1:2040.Somuchhaschanged

CHAPTER2:JournalEntry:TOMYSONSTRYKER

CHAPTER3:JournalEntry:FIGHTINGSEASON

CHAPTER4:JournalEntry:GUNFIGHTER

CHAPTER5:JournalEntry:BALT,ONKILLING

CHAPTER6:JournalEntry:AWEAPONIZEDUNDERSTANDING

CHAPTER7:JournalEntry:AIRPORTRUN

CHAPTER8:JournalEntry:MR.LOPEZ

CHAPTER9:JournalEntry:AGEOLDPROBLEMS

CHAPTER10:JournalEntry:PRECISIONGUESSWORK

CHAPTER11:JournalEntry:LOITERINGDEATH

CHAPTER12:JournalEntry:NARCOFOSA

CHAPTER13:JournalEntry:CONTACTCONTACTCONTACT

CHAPTER14:JournalEntry:OLDPUEBLOSHERIFF

CHAPTER15:JournalEntry:TALENTSPOTTINGANDRECRUITMENT

CHAPTER16:JournalEntry:RANGERWRIGHTMAN

CHAPTER17:JournalEntry:.GOVANDTHETECHOLIGARCHS

CHAPTER18:JournalEntry:THEADVANCE

CHAPTER19:JournalEntry:THEBRAVE

CHAPTER20:JournalEntry:SICARRII

CHAPTER21:JournalEntry:AWARENESSTRAINING

CHAPTER22:JournalEntry:GANGSTERWARLORDS

CHAPTER23:JournalEntry:LEAD,FOLLOWorGETSTEPPEDON

CHAPTER24:JournalEntry:THEGRAMMARFOUNDINGUNFIGHTS

CHAPTER25:JournalEntry:WHATITTAKES

CHAPTER26:JournalEntry:FIGHTFORYOURFOOTHOLD

CHAPTER27:JournalEntry:EMBEDDED

CHAPTER28:JournalEntry:KNOCK,KNOCK

CHAPTER29:JournalEntry:SONSOFCONFLICT

CHAPTER30:JournalEntry:MAKE ITRAIN

CHAPTER31:JournalEntry:SETTLEDSCORES

APPENDIXA.

APPENDIXB.

GLOSSARY

CHAPTER1

2040.Somuchhaschanged…

…Changesinunderstanding

…Changesintechnology

…Changesinculture

…Changesineconomics

…Changesinlifestyle

…Changesinvalues

…Changesinidentity

…Changesinwarfare

…Instructuredandunstructuredpower.

Change continues to be the key driver promoting violence and the disintegration of long-standing social behaviors that promote societal order. Change has come to be the carpetlayingambassador ofthecriminalinsurgency weareexperiencingtoday in2040.

The United States looks less united and more like a balkanized set of tribal territoriessomeadapting to thenew business plan, somelessso.

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 that birthed the great nation states of our western worldmap today look more like stand-alone names dried in ink and less like centers of powerwith territories and meaningful boundaries. Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs)arereintroducing theirown dominantmapfilled with newterrain features.

Old threats are renewed, and new threats discovered daily. The world, as is, offers up itschaosas an opportunity for thosewilling to seeitassuch.

Things have become more complex and traditional nation state models are hardly keepingup. The Rule of Law has become a flexible term as a new set of regional actors’ chipawayatoncedominantpowercentersandlegalauthorities.Legitimacywanes.Acriminalinsurgency is hollowing outthestates.

TCOs matured from their own lessons learned. They learned that violence is its owncurrency,andtheStateapparatuscannotkeepupwithit.TCOslearnedthatmanymunicipalities and agencies would rather negotiate an uneasy peace and profit from TCOrelations than fight them head on. Slowly, communities saw their streets run by thecriminalelementwhilepoliceabdicatedauthorityincertainareasaltogether.Illicitenterprises flourished, criminal enforcers kept their own brand of ‘peace’ and profoundpolitical, economic, and social change became acceptable. Corruption became the ruleinstead of the exception. The State lost power and sway over more and more of itsterritories as syndicates, cartels and gangs accessed an unending army of the poor anddesperate willingtoactontheirbehalfandintheir owndesperate self-interest.

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 that birthed the great nation states of our western worldmap today look more like stand-alone names dried in ink and less like centers of powerwith territories and meaningful boundaries. Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs)arereintroducing theirown dominantmapfilled with newterrain features.

Old threats are renewed, and new threats discovered daily. The world, as is, offers up itschaosas an opportunity for thosewilling to seeitassuch.

Right and wrong are blurry in a world such as it is. If you break the baseline and becomenoticed, you better have a reason for being such an anomaly or have the strength tocompete against ruthless businessmen, corrupt officials and all the profiteers that wouldratherseeyou flatline.

Mightisright inthealleywaysoflifetoday.Prepareaccordingly.

CHAPTER2

JournalEntry:TOMYSONSTRYKER

311800UDEC39

God, it’s hot still… Nick said as he adjusted his combat load sitting in the driver’s seatof the beat up Chevy Tahoe, we had just outfitted with chicken plates and hillbilly armorfor added protection. Most of the armor upgrades were made to the interior to keep theprofile as low as possible, but you could still tell it was not a normal soft skin SUV. Thereal giveaways were the back door windows being plated up from the exterior and thefreshly cut turret hatch that, if kept closed, did not really act as a fast giveaway but an up-armor job is an up-armor job, and it was the best we could do. The plates were solidquarter inch T1 steel and would stop most small arms rounds as well as a decent amountof frag’. It was not B7 level armor, but you could not fight out of those death traps likeyou could our Tahoes. We had a balance of speed, protection and firepower that could beleveragedto silencemostproblemsand man, werethereproblems.

Would you shut your pie hole Nick? I said tersely. You are writing again? he said.Yes, I replied…

Tomyson Stryker,

A great deal has happened since your birth and the America I grew up in is most certainlynottheAmericayouareinheriting.So,Iamcompilingthisjournalforyou.YourFatheris not rich. I have seen money come and go as well as many of my dreams for a future. Ihave little left to offer you in way of treasure and inheritance as this world and this nationhaschanged so muchfromthebounty that oncewas tosomething else.

What I do have that is precious are my observations, my experiences and my love for youandyourMother.YoubotharemyworldandwhatIstilltodayfightsohardtoprotect.I

hopeyoucanfindvalueinthefollowingpagesandpray youkeepthisjournalthroughoutyourdaysand referenceitas often as you seefit.

I love you Son,Dad

P.S.HappyNewYear

CHAPTER3

JournalEntry:FIGHTINGSEASON

010515UJAN40

NOGALES SECTOR. I remember a time when borders actually meant something, Baltsaid under his breath as he performed a quick weapons check of his Tavor X95 asALPHA6 prepped and departed Combat Outpost (COP) Geronimo. I remember when alot of shit mattered that does not anymore, like civility and progress. Fat chance of thatthese days, I screamed over the hard rock music blasting out of our ride as we passed outof the COP entrance checkpoint passing two towers where the barrels of two belt-fed240G machine guns could be seen ported and facing towards the main supply route COPGeronimosatalong.

Andy’s British accent cut through the high frequency radio at me, Get your head back inthe game Lunchbox. We had made trips out of front gates just like this in severaldifferent red zones across the globe working as Private Military Contractors (PMCs) inthe last 20 years. This time it was with Spear Group who picked up an open-endedcontract from what was left of the Arizona State Government seat back up in Phoenix. Iwould personally refer to the ‘contract’ more like a land borne version of a letter ofmarque and reprisal dispensed from a recognized authority, but these days legitimacy wasanincredibly flexibleterm.

Back in the Early 10's I always said we would end up like Mexico. Pinched in between acorrupt national government at the top who profited from their illicit partners at thebottom, and that is right where it all ended up. I hated being right, but the situation extantwas now how I made my living - protection details for select clients, convoy operationsfor big corporations and occasionally force protection in far flung places with a seriousneed for firepower and fighting skills. You see, America today looks a lot less like afunctioningrepublicandmorelikeahollowstatewiththosewithmoneyandpower

calling the shots like neo-feudal Lords and Ladies. Those without means lived in harshneighborhoods you could refer to as barrios or favelas where syndicates, gangs and cartelinterestsheldsway.Good peoplefacedamixofthreats andoppressionfromallsides.

We passed under an overpass fifteen minutes from our front gate where two decapitatedbodies swung from ropes, exsanguinated. It was a typical and all too common occurrence.These two crossed someone, somewhere, somehow, and now a message was being sent totheirfellowactorsandfamilies.FuckwiththeLopezCartelandyouwillendupinpieces,literally.Itwaswhathasbecomeknownas‘FightingSeason’hereintheSouthwest. January to the end of March, the Cartels and traffickers used the coolerweather to move people and product through the region and as always, they got in eachother’sway.

Stryker,

We operate in a fast-paced environment swirling with tremendous stressors and physicaldemandsbutweseemto gloss overjusthowdefined combatisbycognitiverigor.

When your job is protecting nouns, (persons, places and things) you have to prepare fortheworstandexpectcircumstancestogethyperviolent,suddenly.MyjobatSpearGroup is not only to take action on the targets available when the time comes, but also tomaintainmycognitiveengagementabouttheimmediatefrayandthepossiblestepstotake past the immediate problems as well. You have to always know where it is you areand where it isyou are going if you are ever going to lead yourself and otherswhencalled for. Always have a course of action. Do not allow yourself to become emotionallyhi-jacked at thepointof contactandfriction. Knowwhento employfirstand secondorderthinking and always haveabiasfor action.

The most decisive and important terrain you have available to you is inside the mind.Keep moving. Evolve the situation you are in. Win there and never end up on a cliff orbridgeto nowhere.

Dad

CHAPTER4

JournalEntry:GUNFIGHTER

081300UJAN40

Nick was built just like he dropped out of that old Spartan film we watched a hundredtimes about the Hot Gates at Thermopylae and almost everyone who met him couldenvision him screaming ‘Comeand Takeit!’ and he usually had the same impact onthose around him, but that was not the most impressive part of what Nick had to offer.Nick was a Pennsylvania boy who grew up around guns and the gun culture America wasso known for before the 2024 ban went into effect basically stripping Americans of theirright to bear arms; well, at least on paper. Americans are outlaws at heart. Nick is agunfighter’s kind of gunfighter. An outlaw leader, when need be, used to a hardscrabblelifeleading othersin moments ofnecessity, violence, anduncertainty.

Back in the early 2020’s, once the levers of power were in full grips, the single partygovernment compelled gun owners to sell back their weapons or face felony charges. RedFlag laws were instituted making due-process and the Fourth Amendment a thing of thepast. De Facto confiscation. It was all over the news, sensationalized