From a General’s Perspective

We have seen recently quite a few newer players that are curious as to how the US/Canadian war came about and how it played out. Here’s a personal account, which doesnt represent anyone or anything else that I may be associated with. I am leaving out name’s of almost everyone, since I can’t remember everyone all the time. I surely do not nor will not forget those that I have both faced and sided with on the battlefield, but unfortunately my memory isnt what it once was. This was previously classified information in my eyes, and some of it remains that way. The parts you can’t read have been covered in black Sharpie.

Pre-Game

I awoke to a rather rude noise this morning. It was the third week of March, and for some reason I couldnt get back to sleep. Suddenly, the red light above the basement door started to light up. My heart jumped a little, in anticipation and fear at the same time. It meant that my secure SAT-line was ringing. I walked through the living room in my Quality 4 house and over to the basement door.

The house itself was nice, almost too nice. It was purchased with a lot of blood sweat and tears in mind. I could remember all the hard work and time I had spent creating structure where there was none, amassing resources and budgets, lobbying for support in every community I could find. Back in early January, I was charged with a large duty: I was expected to create organized Chaos. It was expected that the end result would strike fear into even the bravest men. I wasnt so sure of that, as great things have to begin somewhere, but usually the seeds of anything are much less noticeable than the end result. I knew that I would certainly not be around for the end result. I had been contemplating retirement from my post for some time, as my heart yearned for different things, beyond that which I already had control. Part of me didnt even want to answer this phone call, yet it was my duty. As any good soldier would, I began the descent into the secured basement fortress which was build specifically for Departmental purposes.

As I turned my COM-system on, there it read like a spotlight into a dark Russian night. One line, simply stated: We are going to war. Prepare your troops for an attack on Canada. My attention span was short, as my mind started to turn. Why would we attack Canada? We had briefly talked about it, as possible targets. What had happened that would create such a rash reaction? While I knew that I probably wouldnt have a complete answer for a day or two, I began thinking strategy. We were as unprepared as ever for a complete invasion, we would have to divide and conquer. First we had to procure hospitals, as all our local infirmaries were simply gift stores masquerading as hospitals. I contacted a good friend of mine, Joseph Salute, who ran the largest hospital producer in the US at the time (which still holds true). We had been talking a couple of weeks ago about stock that he was having a hard time getting rid of, so I reserved two. One was readily available and on the market. I asked him to remove it and contacted the current Mayor of St Paul as well as the President and requested funds. Within a day we had a hospital in St Paul which became our base of operations for the assault. I contacted our commanders for our mobile action teams, and proceeded to mobilize them and get them moved. We also knew that we needed more members for those teams, as they would be our main assault force. We readily recruited anyone who would join. They didnt know for what they were being mobilized, just location.

The message was simple: You’re being mobilized. Please move to St Paul and report to your commander.

All in all, I wondered what our troops thought of the situation. Eventually, we couldnt keep quiet that we were about to increase the population in a single city four hundred percent. Certainly someone would notice. We discusses the possibility, and soon our counts were high enough that we formed four divisions. Three were mobilized to St Paul and one to Albany. We decided it would better disguise our actions, and would concentrate our attacks on singling out their capital, Ontario, for final assault. We knew that once we took Winnipeg, our initial target, and Quebec that it would cripple their ability to react.

Pure speed, plain and simple. Attack in the night, take no prisoners, divide and conquer. Once we took those three provinces our units would then move in two directions. Albany to the East, One out of St Paul (the largest one) to the North, and Two to the West to conquer their remaining territories. Quick and simple. Initial agreements were made on one to two weeks to conquer the whole country.

Then the problems started to arise.

First Quarter

The problems with our war plans arose almost instantaneously. Our original date of proposal was pushed almost two weeks due to the National elections (originally scheduled March 28th, pushed to April 7th). It actually helped as membership into the Mobile Squads rose 30 percent during that time (rough estimate).

We awoke the morning of April 7th as any other morning. We had all been training diligently, awaiting this day. Finally, it arrived.

Surprisingly enough, there was another war declared that day as well. Pakistan had declared on China. Maybe that will take some of the attention off of us, I thought. Then I looked through some Canadian media, which I had been paying attention to for the last few weeks, and I was wrong. One simple article had appeared:

Canadians: Please report to the National forums for matters of National Security.

They were onto us, apparently. They had all seen our announcement, and were doing what they could to draw forces together. No matter, I thought. We had operatives for several weeks moving into Canada and buying all their resources. At final count, they hadnt a single moving ticket, gift, or weapon on their market. They would pop one in their occasionally, but it certainly wasnt enough to win a war. They didnt have enough time to organize a full defense.

As I turned the page in my paper, looking at the military section, I found something that was new: Canada was showing a Protection Pact with Sweden. When had this happened? I immediately fired up my Comsat system and messaged our President. If we were going to war, it could not be with Sweden. We were not nearly big enough in size, nor was I ignorant enough to think we’d last two days.

President Saikiliah immediately got to work. It turns out China had received most of the support internationally to fend off the Pakistani threat, and with Sweden’s support of Canada both President Saikiliah and God Emperor Brando decided to cancel their war proposals. To me, it was more of a let down, until Nave called me and told me that the Protection Pact was a mis-print.

Let me tell you how this angered me. It was like someone stole my firstborne child. We discussed the possibility of re-proposal, and the President decided to push forward with the invasion. All in all, it took three days, which were the longest in my eLife. I saw the population of Canada double in those three days. As I sat at my post in the Watchtower looking at the Canadian border to Winnipeg I saw more and more soldiers digging in for the long fight. This was going to last some time. The delay had cost us three weeks of planning, money spent, and orders sent out. It made the last three weeks of preparation useless. I got up from my comfortable armchair in the Watchtower and three my coffee across the room. General Lilac had to restrain me, otherwise I probably would have damaged expensive comms equipment. Esoom and Benn ran upstairs to figure out what was going on. All in all, we ended up completely regrouping. All commanders moved troops to different locations, and we ran around in circles for more than a day.

Second Quarter

The International support that Canada received during the war was overwhelming. Sweden, France, Portugal, Spain, and quite a few independant fighters flew in. The war began on a Friday morning. We all went to war, and soon found how hard it was initially to take land. The Canadian forces were dug in well, and their defenses were held tight. American troops standing side by side with foreign troops of our own looked over the border, almost as if we were looking into a mirror. The blank stares on our faces told the story. We were carrying out orders we knew came from other places, fighting battles that couldnt be won.

Then something else happened: Our hospitals were due to heal our troops, something in which we had a clear advantage over the Canadians in. Each soldier was set to receive a checkup once per day. When we reported for our physicals after battle, and began receiving medication, we found that our nurses and doctors had been replaced my machines. We immediately began using those machines countless times. We had a mission after all, myself included. I needed to lead by example, and lead my troops into battle. When it was discovered that those robots had been cruel plants and were mistakenly installed in our new Q3 hospital in Honolulu, they were immediately removed and our nurses and doctors were sent home while they retrofitted the hospital the way it should have been. Immediately, I reported my findings to President Saikiliah and we took hold of 9 provinces. I was put on immediate suspension of duty while the investigation took place. I went home and relaxed, heading communication operations on inactive duty. At least I was allowed to do my part in that area. The more I sat in the basement of my house, communicating from a distance the more I realized that this was not what I wanted for myself. As desolate as the battlefield was, it was a crowded room compared to the empty basement I now occupied.

Third Quarter

Canada retook those 9 territories in a planned ceasefire, and opened our Northern States for attack. During that time another Ceasefire was called, and all fighting was stopped for well over a week. Things were awkward in the respect that verbally we all fought over who was more Patriotic than the other, and why yet none of us could prove it on the battlefield. Media flurry, and an estimated 100 articles in a 2 day span over the reemergence of the war occured when talks ceased. I was reinstated the minute our homes were open for attack, and remained until the final days of the war. I had had enough. I was tired, growing more weary by the moment. The troops I had fought with bravery and courage, as did the Canadian forces. They were all to be commended but I could no longer keep my eyes open in that Watchtower (which I had moved to Honolulu) and delegate, distribute, and coordinate. I was replaced by Benn Dover, and immediately went on R and R. Our efforts were ruined on several ends. The President started negotiations for peace while we bled carrying out the orders we were given. Many of us stayed on the front lines while we had no business in doing so. Dissention started amongst the troops who wanted to go back to their lives.

Fourth Quarter

Here, we draw attention to Nave’s last stand. In the last day of the war, the Canadian forces were focusing on Manitoba, the only territory we still had control over. They expressed no official desire for control over US Territory by force, and Nave was determined to use Manitoba as collateral. Nave personally went through soldier after Canadian soldier in those front lines, fighting well over 40 times on the final day. He spent more time ensuring Canada’s wellness overall was as poor as ours to make sure that treaty was signed. Eventually Faltnor gave in, and a treaty was signed. It was during this process that the talk of an Independant Hawaii came about. There was a large press conference in the open air and balmy weather by Korbin King, and his Lieutenant Platonic as to their disagreements with official US policies and actions during the war. There began the outcry for change.

Soldiers began moving home, disobeying orders, treasonous by definition, noble by suggestion. Once I resigned, I officially became just another citizen and could finally express my own opinions, although we must all remember that hindsight will always be 20/20. It is the job of any leader to make the correct decision as he or she sees it, and not the popular one. All in all, it’s a delicate balance as to how things are run. It must be for the people, but better defined as in their best interests. Canada managed to retake all their territories and stopped attacking US soil. The war officially ended with the signing of a treaty by both Presidents. With the signing of a treaty, I had several of my former mates over for celebration. It was a grand evening, with it ending as we raised our glasses to the end of one chapter, and the beginning of another. From there, we decided we were going to refocus our energies on domestic issues, and rebuilding what was lost. Store fronts had been destroyed, homes obliterated, there was work to be done.

Post Game Press Conference

All in all there was much that happened during the war efforts. Both sides of battle used foreign troops to supplement their numbers, along with extreme Patriotism to fight for what they believed. I was taught that an enlisted man never thinks, only does. Thats how our armed forces were made up, and while they certainly can improve you can’t say that seeds were sown to show success. Success stories came to the forefront of people that took opportunity and siezed the day. They were and still are the reason I see the US as having the potential to lead the world in many aspects. Personally, I can say that there are many Canadian men and women that I would stand shoulder to shoulder with on the battlefield because of the courage and bravery they showed during the conflict. In a short three days they managed to organize a counterdefense and worldwide relief efforts both on a domestic and International level. Certainly, our hats are off to them for that.

As for us, while there are still progressions to be made, we certainly have come along way in both the eyes of others and our own opinions as to who we really are. We are not a country that wishes to be involved in every crisis and situation in the world. We are a country that minds our own, takes care of our friends, and needs to allow the problems of others to be worked out by them until they become problems of our own. On an International scale, we certainly are not the first phone call to make when calling for help, but we have the capabilities to be that. We just need to tweak our systems to do so. Change is constant, and with those changes we need to adapt to them to be successful.

Editors Note: This is not an attempt to bash anyone, anything, or whatnot. It is a simple first person account of things. If you have your own, then I would encourage you to record it for history purposes.

Thanks

Dishmcds
Vice President of the United States

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