American Jihad Rising

War creates unlikely heroes especially when there’s a 40 year gap between battles.
A deadly nuclear exchange between Iran and Israel leads to a global conflagration. The event triggers the emergence of thousands of world-wide terror sleeper terror cells that seize the opportunity to create chaos and death in the Western democracies.

Confusion and anarchy reign as ordinary Americans confront the previously unimaginable. Communications crumble, major cities are aflame, public utilities fall victim to electronic cyber-attacks, the police and other military institutions are forced to divert resources away from maintaining everyday law and order to cope with outbreaks of lawlessness.

One community, Chesapeake Heights outside of Annapolis, MD, develops a self-defense posture lead by combat veterans of three different conflicts. They are WAYNE FOLTZ (Vietnam), TOM BARTON (Grenada) and DOUG MCKENNA (Desert Storm). At first, forming a “militia” is anathema to many residents but as it becomes increasingly clear they’ve been left on their own and are now responsible for their survival, attitudes shift and a cohesive unit of fighters emerge.

The danger they face transforms from being some nebulous menace “out there” to flesh and blood marauders. First, it’s two MS-13 thugs, a scouting party, that murder one of the residents and, in return, are shot to death. Their bodies are no sooner disposed of when Wayne and his stepson JOSH ANDREWS encounter another scouting/raiding party and engage them in
a firefight. Wayne has artfully taught Josh the combat skills he acquired in Vietnam and they prevail but among this party are not only more Hispanic gangbangers but a man of Middle Eastern origins. What they’re facing is an unholy alliance between terrorists and vicious Hispanic gang members.

Less than 72 hours has elapsed between the appearance and elimination of two enemy scouting parties. It’s increasingly obvious that a larger force is loose in the region. Using information gathered from the body of the dead Arab, they determine the force’s approximate location and decide to launch a nighttime guerilla-style attack.

The attack catches elements of the enemy force totally off guard. They sustain heavy casualties and the community defenders uncover a massive weapons cache to which they help themselves. Before they can make their escape they are forced to engage an enemy rescue party alerted by their comrades who escaped the nighttime attack. In the course of making their escape they capture an enemy officer. They discover he is an American-born Muslim who has joined the war against his own countrymen.

An all-out conflict is inevitable. The Chesapeake Heights defenders learn from their captive that his company-size force has been seeking them out because they constitute the only pocket of resistance to their mission of conquering and subjugating the civilian population.

It is decided they will stand their ground and wait for the attack. Outnumbered nearly 3 to 1, they take their lead from Wayne and emulate the Viet Cong by lacing the area with booby traps and underground hiding places from which they can ambush the enemy. In an hours-long pitched battle the defenders endure heavy casualties but because of superior leadership, trickery and fierce determination, they eventually prevail and annihilate the enemy.

Sixteen months after the climactic battle, a semblance of civil order has been restored; enough so that the Foltz family celebrates Christmas. The highlight of the day is the dedication on community grounds of a cemetery built as the final resting place for those community members who died in the conflict. Wayne reflects that his service in Vietnam branded him as a pariah. His service in helping friends and family break the back of a terrorist army made him a hero. It took 40 plus years but Wayne is content because his life has come full circle.