Chapter 12
Lt. van der Ness announced the corporal to the room. He saluted the panel and they, in turn, returned the gesture. After everyone had taken their seats, Major Morris was once again the first to initiate the interview.
“Welcome Corporal Williams, I am pleased that you applied for this task force, and I would like to commend you on a truly impressive resume. An Army Ranger, Special Forces, a previous member of the Night Force and a social services minor to boot. That’s an excellent show of service soldier! But tell me, beyond your resume, why should I put you on this task force instead of the other qualified candidates? What makes you the best choice for this team?”
The corporal was someone known for his unconventional answers. He was more of a doer than a talker, but now he had been given an opportunity to speak his mind. He looked around the room briefly, as he collected his thoughts and formulated his response.
“First and foremost, thank you for the compliment and the opportunity to be here today.” He paused once again. “Quite honestly Sir, I had the pleasure of meeting another applicant in the waiting room. He is one of our newest recruits and I know you can’t discuss his interview with me, but if he is going to be on this task force, I would be honored to serve alongside him as a mentor and a peer. If being a part of G.I.Joe has taught me anything, it’s that teamwork and loyalty are important. I’ve always strived to go above and beyond what others expect of me because I am my own biggest critic. Being able to work with my very capable brothers and sisters in arms to possibly put an end to the heartless drug cartels and the poisons they peddle would bring me a great deal of satisfaction.”
“And which candidate did you meet in the waiting area?”
“PFC Steven Kordos, I’ve heard about his exploits in Kenya and how Mainframe and some of the others threw a monkey wrench into Cobra’s plans for the region. The kid shows a lot of potentials. He reminds me of a younger version of myself, and I would be honored to be one of the Joes serving alongside him. If not on this task force then maybe on another one in the future.”
“Fair enough. Could you talk a bit more about the task at hand?”
“Certainly. Let’s be honest here and call a spade a spade. Illegal narcotics are bad news for everyone involved and need to be taken off the streets. The bad guys continue to use new and creative ways to get them into the hands of future addicts. I’ve dealt with many of these dealers over the years, and have found various ways to suppress their illegal activities. In addition, my experiences over the years as a social worker would enable me to develop a viable plan to provide help for all parties negatively affected by this horrible epidemic. What do you say major?”
“Well corporal, I have met with a handful of highly qualified candidates and several more interviews left to conduct today. I appreciate your enthusiasm and candor and will get back to you by the end of tomorrow. Thank you again for coming in and please exit through the side door.”
With that, the meeting concluded and all in attendance stood and saluted. Corporal Ross exited the room not really sure what to make of his interaction. Normally there was some type of positive reaction to his candor, but the major and general had left him questioning his responses.
The interviews were moving along at an acceptable rate. It was 1343 hours and only two interviews remained for the day. Major Morris had been concise with his notes and already had a pretty good idea of who he would be selecting, but he also knew that two other highly qualified applicants awaited his scrutiny. General Abernathy felt confident in the fact that he had provided Bulletproof with some of his finest operatives for selection and regardless of his final decisions, that each candidate would be a valuable asset in waging the war on drugs.
“Well major, who do we have left?”
The major flipped through the last two applications on the desk before responding.
“I’ve got Captain John Zullo and Sergeant First Class Christopher Groen. Both are impressive individuals and I would not want to leave them out of the selection process. I do however feel that I’m close to finalizing my task force.”
“I can have the Lieutenant inform them that our interviews are over when they arrive if you would rather end early.”
The general paused and waited for a reply.
“No sir, I requested each applicant come in for an interview and I intend to give each of them a fair shake. Keep in mind, I am allowed to select two reservists in addition to my core team, so if you’re offering them up for selection, I’m aiming to interview them!”
The final two Joe interviews were as prompt just like all the others had been. Captain Zullo and SFC Groen approached the interview room together. They had both known each other for several years and had partnered up for some exciting missions over the years. Both had spent time out of the country fighting terrorist organizations in South America and Africa. Captain Zullo had been selected as the field commander for Mission Brazil I and II, so dealing with illegal drug activity was nothing new to him.
“Hey Claymore, if you and I get on this team it will be just like old times. Remember our field assignments in Argentina and later on in Venezuela, hunting down Mortal and de’Aco? Those were some crazy times. I can still see the faces of those poor, scared peasants when they realized that we had finally liberated them from their oppressors.”
“Those were some difficult and rewarding times, but I think this mission might hit a little closer to home. I did some research on Major Morris and his outfit. They have been operating up and down the eastern seaboard, as far west as Chicago and Michigan and as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Many of those states over the last few years have become some of the largest suppliers of both medical and illegal opioid drugs. This drug war will be taking place right here on our doorsteps! And I, like you, old friend, definitely see the need to be amongst the ranks that help our country win! So good luck amigo, let’s do this.”
The two gave each other a firm handshake and a clap on the shoulders before finally entering the interview room. Upon entering, they were greeted by the somewhat monotone voice of the receptionist, Lieutenant van der Ness.
“Name and appointment time gentlemen.”
“Captain John Zullo 1400 hours ma’am. And this is Sergeant First Class Christopher Groen 1430 hours.” The secretary looked up at the two briefly and acknowledged the two.
“Thank you, sirs, if you could take a seat, I’ll inform the interview board of your arrival.” With that, she pressed the intercom button on her desk. “Sirs, Captain Zullo and SFC Groen are here.”
The voice on the other end of the intercom took only a second to reply.
“Thank you Lieutenant, we’ll let you know when we’re ready for them.”
The two seated gentlemen recognized the voice of General Tomahawk and gave each other a reassuring nod.
“Well, we know this is a serious assignment if the General is involved in the interviews. He could very easily have assigned this to Flint or Duke, but the fact that General Hawk is in there, just puts the exclamation point on this task force for me.”
Tracker had always been a bit dramatic outside of combat, and got great pleasure from over analyzing situations from time to time.
“Oh come on John! you’re not even the least bit unnerved by this?”
The army veteran scoffed a bit at his friend’s question.
“Really Chris? You have to stop looking into things so deeply, the general is involved because he’s the one who presented the task force to us and went through the initial screening process. This task force is no more or less important than any other created by the G.I.Joe team in recent years. You know the drill. If Uncle Sam sees a need to get us involved, it’s definitely not anything insignificant.” The two shared a knowing nod as the intercom buzzed on the receptionist’s desk.
“Lieutenant, could you please escort Captain Zullo in?”
“At once sir.” As she released her finger from the button, she looked up at the captain who was already standing. “That’s our que. Come with me sir.”
“Good luck buddy. I’ll catch up with you later on in the mess hall.” Tracker watched as his good friend walked through the doorway into the interview room.
“I present Captain John Zullo.” The three men exchanged a salute and then took their seats as the receptionist closed the door behind her.
Bulletproof was wearing his dark sunglasses as he leaned forward to address the candidate.
“So, Captain Zullo, multiple international tours. Many dealing with unscrupulous characters and equally offensive dealings. Your service detail is nothing short of impressive, but so has every other officer’s record been thus far. Could you tell me why you feel you are more qualified to be a member of this task force than all the others who have been through here thus far?”
“Well first off, thank you for recognizing my service and for considering me for this task force, but far be it from me Sir, to think that I am better than the other men and women I have served with on my missions. I may have a little more experience in countries outside of the U.S., but that only gives me an edge. I still rely highly on my team members for backup, ideas and all around support. No man is an island, nor is any soldier.”
Major Morris, continued leaning forward throughout the entire response. He didn’t want extreme ego on this task force, he wanted men and women with a strong work ethic, but also ones who valued their team and their contributions. He nodded and placed a star next to the captain’s name.
“Have you done a lot of single missions captain?” Although the narcotics officer already knew the response from reading the dossier.
“I was undercover infiltrating an alleged drug cartel in South America for close to a year. My mission was to gain their trust and to get close to the hombres in charge. I am fluent in many hispanic languages and I looked the part. It took me three months to infiltrate, another two months to become part of the distribution and after proving myself there, I finally was brought in to meet the individual known as Mortal. What we uncovered went far beyond just drug trafficking. This South American terrorist organization known as “Los Muertos” was funding government coups, gunrunning and was known on occasion to dabble in human trafficking. The rest of the mission is ‘classified’ Sir as there are still operatives working in the area to keep some of the younger upstarts from moving in and taking over the organization.”
“Well, I appreciate you sharing that with me, and I am quite aware of the group you spoke of. I will be making my decisions by the close of business today. It was a pleasure to meet with you. One other question, how did you get out?”
“With all due respect Sir, I never said I did.” The three then rose for salutes and the captain exited the room. Bulletproof escorted him to the door and called out to the final candidate.
“SFC Groen?” the navy S.E.A.L stood and nodded. “Please come with me Sir.”
The two entered the room and Major Morris once again took his place behind the interview desk with the general. After salutes, the trio sat.
“SFC Groen, may I be the first to commend you on your outstanding military career. You caught the eye of the G.I.Joe team at a young age and have been excelling ever since. We’ll have to discuss how you were able to track down Snake Eyes and Spirit in basic training some time, but that’s not why you’re here. So I’ll cut right to the chase. Why do you think you are better than all the other candidates we’ve interviewed today?” The major had once again left his sunglasses on for this interview.
The Navy S.E.A.L. seemed quite unintimidated and his facial features gave him the appearance of an extreme badass, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the major was pleasantly surprised by his true demeanor.
“I thank you for giving me the opportunity to be considered for this task force, and anytime you want we can talk about my second run on the indoctrination course.” He winked and smiled at the panel which was also quite unexpected. “In regards to your overall question Sir, I have to be honest. If it weren’t for my teammates challenging me, I wouldn’t be half the soldier I am today. They have continued to push me into being the best that I can be. So, I guess what I’m saying is, if you are selecting a team composed of the best that G.I.Joe has to offer, I want to be a part of it because together we will continue to hone our skills and be the best drug elimination force ever!”
Major Morris seemed satisfied by the response and the overall personality of the candidate.
“Well, I’m glad that your fellow Joes have been so instrumental in your growth as a military operative. I will be discussing all the candidates with General Hawk and making my final decisions by the end of business today. It was an honor to meet you sir.”
“Wait, that’s it? That’s the entire interview?”
“Is there something wrong SFC?” the general now spoke.
“No, not at all sir, but I was anticipating a little more rigorous vetting process is all.” the S.E.A.L was respectful in his reply.
“The major has gathered all the information he feels he needs, and will be in contact soon. If we require any additional information, you will be the first to know.” SFC Groen seemed hardly defeated by the rebuke and instead, stood up to salute the selection board. To which they returned the motion.
“If you ever want to get the lowdown on how I was able to track down the Joe’s resident ninja and Native American tracker, just let me know. It’s a great story.”
“Thank you SFC, I’ll keep that in mind.” and with the major’s response, the candidate turned and exited the room.
“Well, who do we have left? I imagine Corporal Jason Faria is still on your list to be interviewed.”
The major sorted through his notes and produced one additional dossier. “Well sir, you are good. Corporal Faria is on my list, but I was informed that he was called out on assignment early this morning. It appears he was needed in his hometown of Detroit for a covert ops assignment. Between you me and the wall, he was automatically on the team due to his service in Russia and Central America. In fact, I have worked with Corporal Faria in the past, and he is already a trusted asset.”
“So then I guess what you’re saying is that you’re ready for a late lunch/early dinner. I was thinking of ordering a pizza and some buffalo wings.” The major smiled at the offer.
“That sounds like a great idea, and it will give us some time to go over the candidates once more, although I have a good feeling about my selections. Can you have them send extra blue cheese dressing with the wings?”
“Absolutely.” General Hawk buzzed his receptionist to have her place the order. “In the meantime, do you mind if I have a look at your notes?” The major slid his folder over to the general for review.
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