McLelland - The Indomitable Patriot: Fertig, the Guerrilla General: Volume 1

THE INDOMITABLE PATRIOT:

Fertig, the Guerrilla General

Carl McLelland

Carl McLelland

Copyright 2015 Carl McLelland

All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1512025623

ISBN-13: 978-1512025620

The Indomitable Patriot: Fertig, the Guerrilla General 2015 by Carl McLelland. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Amazon Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition

Cover Photograph Erasmo Doc Riojas, USN SEAL Team Two, ret

Internal Photograph Carl McLelland

Also published by Carl McLelland

LADELL: Ghost of The Allen House

BROKEN CONTROLLER: An Air Traffic Controllers Story

Five Lives of Ladell: Changing Her Past

SPENSER: A Very Special Love Story

Unlucky At Love

LADELL: The Final Chapter

This book is dedicated to a most interesting person that I met in a most unusual manner. He is an educator, an author in his own right, and he lives in a haunted house. We first met via email after I read his book about the house and its resident spirits. In time we became the best of friends while he and I shared perceptions and information about the unseen guests he shares his home with.

The following summer he and I performed a paranormal investigation in the house. Afterward, through clairaudience one of the resident spirits began badgering me to write her story. I was not a writer and discussed that shortcoming with him. He laughed, and then volunteered to serve as my writing coach. Im certain he had no idea of the challenge he presented for himself, but he prevailed in his efforts and I was ultimately successful. In the balance I discovered a new avocation that I truly enjoyed: writing.

As time progressed and I continued writing, he continued his unrelenting drive to advance my education and writing skills. I ultimately began cutting the apron strings; continuing on my own until I was no longer seeking his help and guidance on a daily basis.

I can only hope I have met his expectations.

This book is dedicated to:

Mark Spencer

Monticello, Arkansas

Thank you, my friend

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank three individuals who provided significant technical advice for this book: Commander Robert J. Thomas, USN retired; Master Chief Petty Officer Tommy Cox, USN retired and Colonel Kent Graham, U.S. Army retired.

Commander Thomas spent his career as a member of SEAL Team Two. He provided insight and proofread some of the weapons and guerrilla fighting scenes in the book.

Not only is Thomas a Distinguished Expert and Presidents Match marksman with both rifle and pistol, his skill and heroism on the battlefield remains undaunted. He was recommended for the Medal of Honor (politically downgraded to a Navy Cross) for his brave actions in saving the lives of several of his comrades at the battle of Ha Tien in Vietnam.

Master Chief Cox spent his naval career under the water, serving in a classified position aboard submarines. Cox proofread and edited the submarine scenes in the book.

Colonel Graham spent his career as an aviator, and as a linguist in classified positions. Graham provided back story insight and proofread many of the military scenes in the book to insure their technical accuracy.

In an interesting twist of fate, it was Colonel Graham who flew the rescue helicopter at the battle of Ha Tien, saving the lives of Commander Thomas and his men. Thomas, after defending his ground position for nearly an hour armed only with a handgun, took over the machine gun from Grahams injured door gunner as they lifted off, suppressing enemy fire. Had it not been for the actions of the other, neither would have survived that day.

I am honored to call each of these gentlemen Friend. Our nation is a safer place because of their dedication and service.

Carl McLelland

U.S. Army, 1967-70

DakTo, Republic of Vietnam, 1968-69

FORWARD

This book is a work of fiction. It is based upon historical facts. Recognizable individuals named in the book, such as General Douglas MacArthur, Wendell Fertig, Admiral Chester Nimitz, Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, Doctor William Friedman, etc. were actual people and I have made every attempt to accurately portray them in their actual life roles.

Other named individuals, such as Roger Nash, Evelyn Pinkert, Major William Griffin, etal, are purely fictitious and any resemblance or association with any person, living or dead is purely coincidental.

I have included several historically accurate facts throughout the book to establish the books back story. Those sections are printed in Times New Roman font, different from the bulk of the story.

What is accurate about the story and became my motivation to write it, is the fact that (then) Lieutenant Colonel Wendell Fertig refused to surrender to the Japanese when the Philippines fell in the early stages of World War II. Colonel Fertig went into the hills, where he was joined by hordes of former Philippino scouts. They motivated him to organize a guerrilla Army and fight the Japanese. They fought the enemy whenever they had the tactical advantage to be victorious.

About the time the fictitious Sergeant Baker joined Fertigs force, a cache of old electronic parts and a movie projector from a burned out theater were recovered. The actual person represented by Baker was an amateur radio operator before the war. He constructed a crude radio transmitter and made contact with U.S. naval communications. Although military communication stations in Australia received his first transmissions they were ignored, thinking it was a ploy by the Japanese.

One enterprising naval communications specialist, portrayed by the fictitious Roger Nash did in fact establish contact with Fertigs Army. This led to intervention by the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) and the stage was set to provide military arms and material to Fertig.

Fertig, believing the Philippinos would not follow a mere Lieutenant Colonel, assumed the rank of Brigadier General, and maintained that rank although General MacArthur refused to recognize him as a flag officer.

The main battle scene written about in the book is a fictional accounting of an actual battle that did occur, involving between sixty and one hundred thousand of the enemy and no more than ten thousand of Fertigs forces. The result of that battle did result in a state of dtente between Fertigs forces and the enemy. This freed Fertig to broaden his attacks to adjacent islands.

It is reported that when General MacArthur walked up the beach at Leyte on 20 October, 1944, he was greeted by a force of twenty thousand of Fertigs Army.

Although Wendell Fertig held a reserve commission with the Army Corps of Engineers and as such was not considered a member of the Army combat arms (Infantry, Armor or Artillery), the fact remains he demonstrated unique and unprecedented skills in fighting an Infantry battle.

Fertig was recalled to active duty for the Korean War and worked in the psychological warfare branch in the Pentagon. He was instrumental in developing the psychological warfare center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Many consider Wendell Fertig to be the father of the United States Army Special Forces. He certainly perfected many of their doctrines and standards, without the guidance and expertise of other experts, in the jungles of the Philippines.

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In early December, 1941 the Japanese attacked the United States on several fronts: the Hawaiian Islands, Midway and Wake Islands, and the Philippines. The attack on Midway came as the Japanese retreated from the Pearl Harbor attack. Their plans called for a massive attack later. The Japanese bombed Wake Island with planes flying from airfields in the Marshall Islands. They returned to the island with naval and ground forces, seizing the island on 23 December, 1941.