A Time for Patriots

This novel is dedicated to the volunteers: the ones who support their communities and fellow citizens in thousands of different ways with no thought of remuneration. It is the ultimate gift to society: the gift of selfless service.

PATRICK MCLANAHAN, Lieutenant-General (retired), U.S. Air Force, and Mission Pilot, Civil Air Patrol (CAP)

ROB SPARA, CAP Lieutenant Colonel, Battle Mountain CAP Squadron Commander

DAVID BELLVILLE, CAP Captain, Squadron Vice Commander, Commander of Cadets, and Ground Team Leader

MICHAEL P. FITZGERALD, Ground Team Deputy Leader

BRADLEY JAMES MCLANAHAN, Cadet Captain, CAP

RON SPIVEY, Cadet First Lieutenant, Ground Team Member

RALPH MARKHAM, Cadet Technical Sergeant, Ground Team Member

LEO SLOTNICK, CAP Mission Scanner

JOHN DE CARTERET, CAP Mission Observer

KENNETH PHOENIX, President of the United States

ANN PAGE, Vice President of the United States

JOCELYN CAFFERY, Attorney General of the United States

JUSTIN FULLER, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

SPECIAL AGENT PHILIP CHASTAIN, FBI

SPECIAL AGENT CASSANDRA RENALDO, Department of Homeland Security

AGENT RANDOLPH SAVOY, FBI, Cybernetic Infantry Device (CID) Pilot

LIEUTENANT COLONEL JASON RICHTER, U.S. Army, CID Engineer and Pilot

CHARLIE TURLOCK, CID Engineer and Pilot

WAYNE MACOMBER, Tin Man Commando

BRIGADIER — GENERAL KURT “BUZZ ” GIVENS, Base Commander, Joint Air Base Battle Mountain

DARROW HORTON, Former Attorney General of the United States

TIMOTHY DOBSON, Central Intelligence Agency

JUDAH ANDORSEN, Nevada Rancher

REVEREND JEREMIAH PAULSON, Leader of the Knights of the True Republic

AGL— Above Ground Level

AN/UWQ-1— Avenger optionally manned mobile air defense unit

ARCHER— Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance — aerial imaging system used by the Civil Air Patrol that assists visual searches

ATC— Air Traffic Control

Avenger— mobile optionally manned air defense vehicle, carrying both Stinger surface-to-air heat-seeking missiles and a 20-millimeter Gatling gun

BAM— aviation identifier for Battle Mountain

C-57 Skytrain— advanced blended-wing transport plane

Cessna P21 °Centurion— single-engine pressurized light airplane

CFI— Certified Flight Instructor

C-Four-I— Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence

CID— Cybernetic Infantry Device, a large manned robot

DF— Direction Finding, following a radio beacon to its source

Dimenhydrinate— over-the-counter drug to relieve airsickness

ELT— Emergency Locator Transmitter, a radio beacon that activates after a crash to help locate an aircraft

ETA— Estimated Time of Arrival

EWO— Electronic Warfare Officer

FAA— Federal Aviation Administration

GA— General Aviation, dealing mostly with aircraft below twelve thousand pounds gross weight

GED— General Education Diploma

G-loads— Gravity forces, a measurement of how many times over or under the force of gravity is being exerted on a body

GPS— Global Positioning System, satellite navigation

Hazmat— hazardous materials

HRT— Hostage Rescue Team

IC— Incident Commander

IFR— Instrument Flight Rules

IMSAFE— Illness, Medicines, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion — a checklist to judge whether a crewmember is fit to fly

I-O— Input-Output

L-Per— a device used to home in on a radio beacon

Medevac— medical evacuation

MRE— Meals Ready to Eat

MSL— Mean Sea Level, the elevation above sea level

NextGen— Next Generation, a GPS-based air traffic control system

NORDO— No Radio, an aircraft that has lost its ability to communicate

NTSB— National Transportation Safety Board, a government agency that investigates accidents involving aircraft, cars, trains, etc.

OSI— Office of Special Investigations, the Air Force’s investigation agency

OTM— Other Than Mexicans, illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico

PDA— Personal Data Assistant

PETN— Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, a powerful high explosive

PIREPS— Pilot Reports, weather and flight condition reports given by pilots

PT— Physical Training

PTSD— Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

R&D— Research and Development

RDX— Research Department Explosive (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), a powerful high explosive

RPG— Rocket-Propelled Grenade

RQ-15 Sparrowhawk— unmanned reconnaissance aircraft

RTB— Return to Base

SAREX— Search and Rescue Exercise

Scopolamine— an antiairsickness drug

SIGMET— Significant Meteorological, a report of possibly hazardous weather conditions

SQTR— Specialty Qualification Training Record

Technicals— homemade attack vehicles

UAV— Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

VFR— Visual Flight Rules

VoIP— Voice over Internet Protocol, a way of using the Internet for voice communications

Wilco— “will comply”