The World of American Drama: From the Los Angeles Patrol

Chapter 1127 General Hammer
"It's not about saving the world, but about saving the West Coast, or more precisely, the greater San Francisco area." After Rossi got off a bulletproof extended Lincoln, he seemed to know what Jack was thinking and answered the question in his mind.

Jack took off his pressurized flight suit with the help of two ground staff, took the shirt and suit from Rossi and put them on. "What happened?"

Seeing his favorite student, Rossi's ugly expression finally eased a little. "The details are top secret at the moment. We'll talk about it when we get to the Pentagon. All I can tell you now is that Alcatraz Prison has reopened."

Sure enough, when Jack first met the "middle-aged Cage" Dr. Stanley Goosby, he had a vague ominous premonition, and this time it came true.

He also secretly investigated this famous prison opposite the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Unlike his previous life, this prison built on an island called "The Rock" was not officially closed until nearly 30 years ago.

In this prison known as Alcatraz, the most famous prisoner was Al Capone, the "Godfather" of the Chicago Mafia. He contracted syphilis, an incurable disease at the time, and died of complications from cerebral hemorrhage eight years after his release from prison.

This was Jack's first time in the Pentagon. In a long table conference room on an unknown floor underground, a group of generals with stars and badges and a few old guys in suits were sitting on both sides.

The expressions on everyone's faces were not very good, but compared to those old guys in suits, Jack saw a bit of gloating on the faces of the generals whose epaulettes had from 2 to 4 silver five-pointed stars.

The military ranks of the U.S. military, especially those of general officers, are very easy to recognize. Just count the stars. One silver star means brigadier general, two means major general, three means lieutenant general, and four means general.

Of course, there are also five-star generals with five stars in a circle, such as Marshal MacArthur (Big Fog) who likes to post various comments on the Chinese Internet. There are a total of ten five-star generals in American history, which are equivalent to marshals of other countries.

Among them, Raymond Spruance, a famous naval commander in World War II, was awarded the award posthumously.

So it’s not that the United States doesn’t have marshals. It’s just a misunderstanding caused by translation problems. Because the corresponding word for marshal in common perception is “Marshal”, it’s actually more appropriate to call it the supreme commander.

For example, the word "Marshal" does not appear in the title of the British Admiral, "Admiral of the Fleet".

This special translation of American military ranks is a common weakness of the Serbian literati, who have even created some magical fantasy stories for this purpose.

Such ridiculous statements as "respect for John Joseph Pershing should not be crossed", or "American culture emphasizes personal ability and contribution, and does not want to reflect this through a system of clear superiors and subordinates such as military ranks".

Rossi and Jack behind him should be the last group of people to arrive. When they saw the old man and the young man walk into the conference room, people on both sides of the long table looked at them in unison.

Jack didn't recognize most of these people, especially the generals from various branches of the military. He only had seen a few of them on TV and could call out their names.

For example, the bespectacled Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Al Kleiman, who is also an Army General, and the middle-aged lady who I once met, the Assistant Director of the FBI, Rossi's "Little Muffin" (Chapter 471).

Jack also recognized the old man sitting next to "Muffin" who looked much older than Rossi. He was Jim Womack, the current FBI director who had awarded Jack the Medal of Bravery.

The old man was over 60 years old. His yellow hair was somewhat sparse and gray, but he was not bald. His hair was combed meticulously, and there was a deep nasolabial fold on each side of his cheeks.

Under his coat was a black tuxedo with a loose bow tie, as if he had been dragged back from a party.

Not only did the chief nod slightly toward Rossi, but when he saw Jack standing behind him, he forced a smile on his grim old face, as if he was very familiar with this supervisory agent whom he had only met once.

In comparison, the smile of Assistant Director "Little Pancake" Auntie was much more sincere. She pointed towards the two chairs next to her, indicating that they should sit next to her.

"Welcome, gentlemen." Seeing Rossi and Jack take their seats, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Al Kleiman adjusted his glasses and began his opening remarks.

"Last night, General Francis Hammer led a group of brave and sturdy commandos in disguise of a security inspection, and openly and without bloodshed removed fifteen E21 VX gas missiles from the San Francisco Naval Ammunition Depot.

In the process, one of his men was killed.

This afternoon, General Hammer and his loyal commando team occupied Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco, imprisoned a total of 81 hostages, including tourists and tour guides who visited the island, and aimed the VX gas missiles at the San Francisco Bay area.

These are photos of General Hammer in Iraq when he was only a major.”

As the admiral spoke, a frontal photo of a sturdy Marine appeared on the screen that occupied the entire wall at one end of the conference table. He was holding an M16 and had a cloth band around his forehead, looking like a Rambo.

The guy sitting opposite Admiral Al Kleiman, who also wore glasses, could be said to be the only "young man" present besides Jack, and he might not even be 40 years old.

He was flipping through the documents in his hand, clicking his tongue, "He carried out many missions in Operation Desert Storm, and experienced many battles such as the First and Second Gulf Wars, the Kosovo War, and the Afghanistan War.

Three Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, and the Navy Medal of Honor? Holy crap, this guy is a hero!"

The Purple Heart can be regarded as the highest level combat medal in the United States, although it is not very high in the current U.S. military medal system and can be obtained by ordinary soldiers.

But the receipt of every Purple Heart Medal means that its owner has had a close encounter with the god of death. If you are lucky, you will have the opportunity to wear it on your chest, but if you are unlucky, you can only receive it through relatives and friends.

The Silver Star Medal is a universal cross-service medal, and its value is much higher than the Purple Heart. For example, if an Air Force pilot becomes an air combat ace (shooting down a total of five or more enemy aircraft), he will be considered to have met the requirements for awarding the Silver Star Medal.

As for the Medal of Honor, it is regarded as the highest-level military medal in the United States. So far, no more than 4000 soldiers have received this medal, and nearly a quarter of them were awarded posthumously.

Considering that the United States has only been at peace for 21 years since its founding, the value of this medal is evident.

The Medal of Honor is awarded by Congress and must be presented personally by the President, who serves as the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces. It is also the only medal that cannot be legally bought and sold. Even for non-recipients of the medal, it is illegal for them to wear it in public.

There are three types of Medals of Honor: Navy, Army and Air Force. Brigadier General Hammer was once a Marine "Marine", so he should have received a Navy Medal of Honor.

John Basilone, the "machine gun master" who was said to have killed hundreds of Japanese devils single-handedly during World War II, once received a similar medal.

So strictly speaking, Brigadier General Hammer is not just a war hero, but also a legend.

Apparently, Admiral Al Kleiman agreed with Jack on this point. "I think it would be more accurate to call him a 'legend', Mr. Sinclair."

"But his 'heroic deeds' now have to include kidnapping and extortion." The middle-aged man called Mr. Sinclair quipped in a frivolous tone, still looking down at the documents in his hand.

However, before he could continue, he was interrupted by the Admiral. The old man pulled down his glasses and looked directly at him from above the lenses with a hint of murderous intent.

"Mr. Sinclair, General Hammer is a man bathed in glory." The rest of the middle-aged man's words were blocked, his expression froze on his face, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, but he dared not say another word.

At this moment, the phone rang, breaking the brief awkwardness. An adjutant picked up the red phone on the table, listened for a moment, then covered the microphone and looked at Admiral Al Kleiman.

"General, it's him."

The old man threw a piece of gum into his mouth, chewed it quickly for a while, and then ordered, "Put it in."

Everyone looked at the big screen in unison, and what they saw was a thick cigar that had just been lit and was held between two thin lips.

His chin was clean-shaven, but because the distance was so close, the blue stubble could still be seen.

As the face on the screen slowly moved back, Admiral Al Kleiman also spoke, and his tone even carried a hint of relief and joy of meeting an old friend again.

"Frank, it's me, Al Kleiman."

As the camera on the opposite side zoomed out, Jack finally saw the full appearance of General Hammer.

His cheeks were thin and slightly sunken, and his hairline almost reached the top of his head, but because he had a crew cut commonly seen in soldiers, he looked very energetic.

The graying temples and the fine crow's feet at the corners of his eyes showed that he was no longer young, but his sharp eyes reminded Jack of a word: eagle-like eyes and wolf-like gaze.

This is a tough soldier who has come all the way from the hell of blood and fire.

"Hi, Al." General Hammer seemed to be very familiar with this four-star admiral. He took a puff of his cigar and then exhaled the smoke, and greeted him in a very familiar manner, "Long time no see, how are you doing recently?"

"I don't know, Frank, what do you think? All the gentlemen and ladies here are very worried." Admiral Al Kleiman chewed gum quickly while speaking and made an introduction gesture to the people around him.

"Then let me get straight to the point." General Hammer obviously had no intention of reminiscing with his old friend.

"A total of 83 Amphibious Reconnaissance Group soldiers under my command died for their country without being recognized, including 47 in the Himalayas and Macau alone."

"The southern border of Seris and 'Macau'?" A discordant voice suddenly interrupted the speech. It was still the middle-aged man called Mr. Sinclair.

"We have never acknowledged having a military presence there."

"Who's talking there? Identify yourself!" General Hammer's originally calm tone suddenly became irritable. He was obviously very dissatisfied with being interrupted.

Jack glanced at Rossi, and the old agent gave him a wry smile and silently mouthed the word "politician".

However, Jack did not need to guess the specific identity of this middle-aged man, because he directly stated it next, even with a slightly smug tone.

"Hayden Sinclair, Assistant to the President and Director of Communications in the White House Office of Staff."

There was a harsh sound of a chair rubbing against the ground from the other side of the video phone. General Hammer stood up suddenly and put his face close to the camera again.

"How old are you, Director Sinclair?"

"I'm 33 years old." The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses, trying to show his calmness.

At the same time, FBI Director Jim Womack, who was looking at him from the other side, had the word "idiot" written all over his eyes.

General Hammer’s voice was full of disdain, “Well, Director Sinclair, I forgive your stupidity and ignorance.

Because ten years ago when you were a jerk smoking a dick and sleeping with chicks in your frat, me and my guys went to Macau with the help of the CIA to try and take out the leaker, and we lost 16 of our guys that time.

So, Al, why don't you get some tape over here and put it over Director Sinclair's mouth, he's wasting my time."

Seeing that a certain politician-bureaucrat from the White House looked visibly disheartened and finally stopped talking, Admiral Al Kleiman also adjusted his glasses.

"You may go on, Frank."

"Remember Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War? Those amazing shots of CNN reporting that the guns were hitting targets with lasers as I led my soldiers on the ground.

After the war, 20 of my brothers stayed in Baghdad forever.

But all the sacrifices, all the dead, some were listed as missing because their bodies could not be found, and some simply did not even have a military funeral because of the so-called military presence that politicians did not acknowledge.

General Hammer's deep narration echoed throughout the underground conference room. This time everyone remained silent and no one interrupted.

“Now, I have decided not to tolerate this situation any longer. You will transfer one billion dollars from the Red Sea Trading Company to the account I designate, and the families of all 83 soldiers will receive 1000 million dollars as compensation.

Have I made my intentions clear enough?"

Feeling as if he had accidentally heard some incredible information, Jack raised one hand to half cover his face and whispered to Rossi, "Are you sure I won't be silenced after I leave that door?"

In response, Rossi smiled bitterly and shook his head. Even FBI Director Jim Womack looked at Admiral Al Kleiman with surprise, whose expression became somewhat embarrassed.

"What is this Red Sea Trading Company he's talking about?"

The voice was a little loud and General Hammer happened to hear it. Or maybe Jack's boss had asked the question on purpose because he didn't think anyone on his side would answer the question.

(End of this chapter)