Welcome to Battlefield AmericaWhen murderous bands of militiamen begin roaming the western United States and attacking government agencies, it will take a dedicated group of the nation's finest and toughest civilian airmen to put an end to the homegrown insurgency. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan vows to take to the skies to join the fight, but when his son, Bradley, also signs up, they find themselves caught in a deadly game against a shadowy opponent.When the stock markets crash and the U.S. economy falls into a crippling recession, everything changes for newly elected president Kenneth Phoenix. Politically exhausted from a bruising and divisive election, Phoenix must order a series of massive tax cuts and wipe out entire cabinet-level departments to reduce government spending. With reductions in education and transportation, an incapacitated National Guard, and the loss of public safety budgets, entire communities of armed citizens band together for survival and mutual protection. Against this dismal backdrop, a SWAT team is ambushed and radioactive materials are stolen by a group calling themselves the Knights of the True Republic. Is the battle against the government about to be taken to a new and deadlier level?In this time of crisis, a citizen organization rises to the task of protecting their fellow countrymen: the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the U.S. Air Force auxiliary. The Nevada Wing — led by retired Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan, his son, Bradley, and other volunteers — uses their military skills in the sky and on the ground to hunt down violent terrorists. But how will Patrick respond when extremists launch a catastrophic dirty bomb attack in Reno, spreading radiological fallout for miles? And when Bradley is caught in a deadly double-cross that jeopardizes the CAP, Patrick will have to fight to find out where his friends' loyalties lie: Are they with him and the CAP or with the terrorists?With A Time for Patriots, the New York Times bestselling master of the modern thriller Dale Brown brings the battle home to explore a terrifying possibility — the collapse of the American Republic.
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”
