George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 161

< Episode 160 >

While the United States grappled with the kudzu vine’s relentless spread across the Southeast, the Middle East continued to suffer from persistent terrorist attacks. For those living in the region, no country was entirely safe from terrorism.

It wasn’t as if nations outside the Middle East were immune either. Europe, too, faced its share of terrorist threats. The United States sometimes took a hardline approach, attempting to eradicate terrorist groups entirely, but even that wasn’t a foolproof solution. No country could claim to be completely free from terrorism.

Moreover, while the United States experienced relative freedom from Islamic terrorism originating in the Middle East, it remained highly vulnerable to gun violence perpetrated by its own citizens.

Just days prior, an incident occurred where an individual, shouting anti-police sentiments, opened fire on officers with an illegally modified automatic rifle. The perpetrator received a life sentence, but the two officers, posthumously promoted, could never return.

In any case, terrorist attacks, both large and small, occurred worldwide, but the Middle East remained the epicenter for the most frequent and large-scale incidents. The more secular a country’s values, the more often its oil pipelines were targeted by extremists, either blown up or outright stolen. Homemade bombs, capable of killing both people and animals, detonated near EU forces almost weekly.

The morale of the EU forces was plummeting, sustained only by rotating in fresh units through frequent handovers. The substantial profits derived from the Middle East were the driving force behind their continued presence. Europe had Brent crude oil, but it wasn’t enough to support the entire European region. They believed they had defeated the communist threat, but after shaking off the constraints of communism, Russia was rapidly industrializing and becoming an even more formidable power.

Even now, a simple declaration from Russia’s President Putin to “Shut off the gas valves immediately!” would plunge many countries into crisis. It was an absurd situation where a national emergency could arise, and a country’s fate could hang in the balance, simply because one nation controlled a vital resource.

It’s said that those who have tasted drugs cannot quit. If resources from the Middle East were cut off, Europe would suffer immensely. Therefore, the Middle East became a region they felt they could never abandon.

“What the hell!”

This is why EU forces were toiling away in the distant Middle East.

“What is that!”

And these particular soldiers were ‘legends.’ They were renowned for their aggressive tactics, personally demonstrating the spirit of *élan* [enthusiastic vigor and liveliness] to terrorists with their rifle butts and proving with their bayonets that the French Grand Army was not yet a thing of the past. However, their recklessness often led to them being left behind when everyone else rotated home.

They became counter-terrorism instructors in the Middle East. The effectiveness of their counter-terrorism efforts was debatable, but their performance was deemed worthy of recognition. They were pleased to receive the title of instructor and a promotion, but the higher-ups had effectively stationed them permanently in the Middle East.

“Where the hell did they get that?”

Today was designated for urban warfare training. Although labeled as training, they were essentially attacking a small-scale hideout, justifying it by claiming that there was no better training than actual combat. However, the definition of ‘small-scale’ was highly subjective.

What truly constituted small-scale? Did it simply refer to size? They failed to consider that small size didn’t necessarily equate to limited firepower.

As soon as movement was detected in the alley, a barrage of Qassam rockets rained down and exploded. Even attempting to traverse a building offered little safety, as booby traps were installed throughout. Up to this point, it merely seemed like an exceptionally well-prepared hideout. But then, unexpectedly, several water-cooled heavy machine guns, relics of World War I, opened fire in a crossfire pattern from the rooftop and the building’s interior, effectively preventing any approach to the hideout.

While such weapons were reportedly still in use in places like Somalia, no one expected to encounter them here. Furthermore, mortars were being launched intermittently, and instead of RPGs, Javelin missiles were being fired. These belonged to their British allies, not the American ones, and were classified as MANPADS [Man-Portable Air Defense Systems] due to their manual guidance.

The problem was the 2.74kg high-explosive warhead packed a significant punch. The Javelin, designed as an anti-aircraft weapon intended to shoot down fighter planes, obliterated the surrounding cover upon impact, forcing Jean-Pierre’s training unit to halt their advance and slowly retreat. However, even retreat was perilous, as they had to evade the heavy machine gun crossfire, leaving them trapped.

“Damn it! Those must be the ones they gave to the Mujahideen back then! You moronic, idiotic British bastards! All evil originates from that neighborhood!”

“I’ll take care of that, no matter what!”

Raymond, now a corporal, combined his last remaining magazine with his FAMAS rifle and spoke with unwavering determination. Blood, unseen even during the *élan* attacks, now streamed down his cheek.

“Do you want to go out bravely and die miserably?”

A sane person would try to dissuade this overly excited idiot. Additional troops and air support were en route, and once the air support arrived, those damn terrorists would be finished.

“No. I’ve seen blood now.”

That was his compelling reason. Moreover, the fact that the person who should have stopped him wasn’t exactly sane himself was truly unfortunate.

“You stupid bastard. Take this.”

The instructor, now the squad leader, tossed him two magazines taped together with electrical tape. They weren’t just taped together, but a double magazine taped together vertically.

“You sons of bitches!”

Raymond caught the magazine, a brief moment of satisfaction crossing his face, before grabbing his rifle and charging forward, weaving between the remaining cover in the alley. Miraculously, he wasn’t hit by a single bullet. Perhaps the accuracy was poor due to the guns’ age.

“But why aren’t these bastards sending support?”

Jordanian airspace. A transport plane was en route to support the Israeli ‘élans training unit.’ A squadron of fighter planes was already escorting the transport plane.

“Here’s what I think. The biggest problem in politics is ‘bias.’ They say extremes meet, right? Even the Nazis were far-right. So, anything moderate is the best.”

“Do you realize that you’re just saying you’re irresponsibly acting like a bat, not choosing anything and sticking to the strong side, right? Moderation isn’t always right. People need to choose at least. If you don’t make decisions, it will eventually lead to the birth of people like Hitler. Got it?”

“Oh, so that’s why the leader of the National Front is acting up like that?”

The National Front was a far-right political party in France. They were patriotic, conservative, and generally opposed to foreign influence. They were particularly critical of Islamic refugees, resembling a group similar to the American president, George W. Bush, in their willingness to disregard consequences and aggressively pursue anything they disliked. This stance garnered them strong support from socially marginalized groups.

The problem was that many of their uncompromising statements were quite dangerous. For example, the leader of the National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, was a white supremacist seemingly transported from the 19th century, who boldly asserted that races were not equal.

At the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, he openly advocated excluding black and Arab players from the national team, insisting that whites should lead, and even requested the national team coach to comply. He glorified imperialism and would later trivialize the Nazi Holocaust.

These actions ultimately led to his expulsion from the political arena. In any case, any sane person would have refrained from speaking out, given the National Front’s leader’s views.

“It’s not like moderation is always okay either. Don’t you know the poem by Martin Niemöller?”

A poem criticizing those who remained indifferent as the Nazis systematically removed obstacles to their power. A poem about how, after the Nazis targeted the communists, social democrats, and trade unionists, there was no one left to help him when they came for him.

“That’s a poem about political indifference, not a poem about moderation.”

“What’s the difference? They claim to listen to both sides rationally and use a process of elimination, but ultimately, they just jump on the bandwagon based on political expediency. That’s the current state of moderation.”

With this, silence descended upon the transport plane. They realized that this political debate would only lead to division. Still, they seemed to have achieved their goal of passing the time, as almost an hour had elapsed.

“Starboard! There’s a problem on the starboard!”

“Yeah. That starboard is a problem.”

“No! Damn it, starboard! The starboard is on fire right now!”

With the recent surge in Islamic immigration, right-wing sentiments had gained traction. As people began to experience tangible negative consequences, they naturally gravitated towards supporting right-wing ideologies. However, they didn’t desire a resurgence of Nazism or fascism, so they only supported policies like deportation or immigration restrictions.

“Not that starboard, you idiot! Our plane is on fire!”

As he turned his head towards the starboard side, muttering, ‘No way,’ he saw the engine spewing flames and black smoke. The sight was so surreal that he needed a moment to process reality.

“Huh? Uh oh! Fire! Fire! The starboard wing of the plane is on fire!”

“What the hell! What is our captain doing?”

Soon, as they felt the plane gradually losing altitude, some soldiers even forced their way into the cockpit.

“What the hell! The captain and co-pilot have fainted!”

Meanwhile, back at the hideout suppression site.

“Wow, no way. He’s breaking through.”

Without any support, the unit he commanded once again performed a miracle. Another chapter has been added to the legend of the end-of-the-century soldier, Jean-Pierre.