David Irons American Patriot

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

AUGUST, 1993

CHAPTER 1

Leadville, Colorado

CHAPTER 2

DALLAS

CHAPTER 3

THE CONTRACT

CHAPTER 4

DALLAS AT OAKLAND

CHAPTER 5

CARRIE LOU LOFLAND

CHAPTER 6

THE SEASON OPENER

CHAPTER 7

WASHINGTON AT DALLAS

CHAPTER 8

THE INTERVIEW

CHAPTER 9

DALLAS AT BUFFALO

CHAPTER 10

ABDUCTION

CHAPTER 11

THE RECEPTION

CHAPTER 12

THE STRANGER

CHAPTER 13

LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

CHAPTER 14

NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY

CHAPTER 15

A STARTLING MEETING

CHAPTER 16

THE ENGAGEMENT

CHAPTER 17

FEBRUARY, 1994

A NEW BEGINNING

CHAPTER XVIII

MEXICO

CHAPTER 19

THE SEARCH

CHAPTER 20

ORDWAY ENTERPRISES

CHAPTER 21

TERROR IN TURKEY

CHAPTER 22

BACK TO TURKEY

CHAPTER 23

RETURNING HOME

CHAPTER 24

MUSTER

CHAPTER 25

THE TRAP

CHAPTER 26

SATELLITES DOWN

CHAPTER 27

A DEADLY MISSION

CHAPTER 28

IMPENDING DANGER

CHAPTER 29

AFTERNOON AT THE RANCH

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To J L and Barbara Taylor, the best of friends, loyal Aggies and patriots themselves, who are committed to keeping America free from excessive government. You were the inspiration and the help that enabled me to write this book.

To my wonderful wife Frances who inspires me to keep on keeping on. I thank God for your sustaining love.

Thanks to my good friend, Don Avera, for his council and additions to the book.

Thanks to my friends Rich and Debbie Sievers for their advice concerning the book.

Thanks to the men and women of the U. S. Armed Forces who are stationed around the world to keep America free. We pray God’s blessing on you, that he will keep you safe and bring you back to your families. To those who have been wounded, we pray that God will heal you and give you peace.

AUGUST, 1993

CHAPTER 1

Leadville, Colorado

David Irons is a unique young man who attended Texas A&M University, where he set himself apart by becoming the first to graduate summa cum laude with a perfect 4.0 GPA in just three years. Tall, good looking, with an outgoing personality and an infectious smile, he is admired by all. His father is a prominent surgeon in Dallas, who is looking forward to having David in practice with him when he finishes medical school.

But David is not certain that he is cut out to be a doctor. He is dubious about spending the next seven years in medical school. However, he is uncertain as to what he should do as an occupation. His dream since junior high school has been to play football for the Dallas Cowboys, but he knows that his parents would never agree to that. And besides, he was mediocre at best while playing for A&M. There is no opportunity for him to play professional football. So David is conflicted, almost to the point of depression.

David had spent the past four days fishing in Colorado where his dad had taken him since he was a child. He had wrestled with himself, trying to determine what he would say to his mom and dad. He had already been accepted to the Baylor College of Medicine in Dallas. His parents had done their best to persuade him that it was the best thing for him. His father assured him that they would have a great time working together. He did not want to hurt them; to him they were the best, always there for him, always full of encouragement. He hated the thought of disappointing them, for he knew they would be greatly upset. He realized that they would want to know what he was planning to do, and he would have no answer to that.

This morning he began his drive back to Dallas for the second time. As he drove he began to think on the events of the past twelve hours. He had left the lake at sunset the evening before and had planned to drive a few hours before stopping for the night. He had not been out of his campsite more than fifteen minutes when his vehicle began to slide on the gravel road. He had taken a left turn too fast. Before he knew it, he had gone off the road and slammed into a tree. Disgusted at what he had done, he climbed out of his car to see the damage.

His car was a graduation gift from his dad and mom. They were very proud of him for what he had accomplished at Texas A&M. He appraised the damage, hoping he had not ruined a tire or something worse.

Sunlight was disappearing quickly, but he saw that his right fender had come to rest against the tree. He could not tell if there was any more damage until he had retrieved his flashlight. Then he saw that his fender had been mashed up against his tire. He tugged at the fender to see if there was any chance of moving it. No chance, it was too close to the tree. After further investigation he realized that his right wheel was not resting on ground. The car was resting on its frame at the edge of a creek bank.

As he stood there pondering his situation, he realized he was standing in a small creek bed. There was little water in the creek, but with his flashlight he could see there was water above the soles of his tennis shoes. He looked up and down the road to see if there were any signs of traffic--- maybe the faint glow of headlights coming from either direction. No such luck, he thought, and his attention was back on his car.

Considering his plight, he thought he might be able to raise his car enough to push it sideways and get the wheel back on solid ground. He got his jack and placed it where it would enable him to raise his car enough to push it sideways. Just a foot or so might enable him to get the wheel on something solid. He went to work. Soon he grew tired of bending over and decided to get on his knees. He felt the cold water on his legs and the rocks cutting into his knees. He realized he would not be able to stay in this position long. He had no shovel, so he used his tire iron to dig.

He had little success. The mud in the creek did not provide a solid base for the jack. The weight of the vehicle was too much. He had been on his knees for over an hour. Finally he got up to stretch his back. He looked at his knees with his flashlight and could see cuts made by the rocks. His knees were bleeding. Checking his watch, he realized he had been at this for over two hours. He was exhausted. Realizing he was not going to get back on the road without some help, which he would have to find in the morning, he climbed into his car, got some blankets and his pillow and collapsed. His knees ached, and his back was killing him. He was quickly sound asleep.

The morning sun shone brightly into David’s rear window. He awoke and looked at his watch, thinking that he had been asleep longer than planned. He sat up and looked around, getting his bearings. He felt rested and was surprised that he had been asleep for only five hours. Slowly he crawled out of his car and stood there looking at his predicament. Hoping for help he saw no sign of traffic on the road.

He decided to give it another try before walking back to the campground for help. He put his back against his car door, bent his knees, and grabbed the bottom of the door with both hands. He pushed hard with his legs, hoping to raise the vehicle enough to slide it back on the road bed. He was astonished when the car slid easily up on the road. He stood there momentarily, not believing what he had done.

Walking all the way around the car, he saw that it was clear of any obstructions. Then he remembered that the fender had been mashed against the tire. He grabbed the fender and pulled. It moved easily back near its original position! Again he could not believe his eyes. What was going on? What was different? How could he have accomplished in two minutes what he could not accomplish the night before in a period of two hours? He figured he must have really been tired last night.

Feeling relieved, he climbed into his car and headed for Leadville. He needed something to eat and some coffee before continuing to Dallas. As he drove, he continued to wonder how he had been able to get the car out of the creek bed and onto the road. He could not understand it.

Stopping at the first convenience store, he checked the price of gas and noticed that there was a pay before pumping sign. He walked into the store.

As he approached the counter, he saw a man talking to the cashier. The man had his back to David. He walked up behind the man to wait his turn. Suddenly the man turned and pointed a gun at David’s forehead. He could see the fear in the eyes of the cashier as he looked past the gunman. Before David could think, he had grabbed the hand with the gun and grabbed the gunman by his throat, throwing him through the door of a drink cooler. The gunman slowly sank to bottom of the cooler as dozens of cold drinks crashed on his head and chest.

David stood over him, fist clenched, ready for any response. Again he was astonished at what he had just done. He had never been a violent person and never had been involved in a fight. What made him attack the gunman in an instant? He stood over the man wondering how he could have reacted so quickly. When the cashier put his hand on David’s shoulder, he jumped with surprise, ready for anything else that might happen.

When he realized that the old man standing next to him was the cashier, he relaxed and asked the man to call the police. The cashier responded immediately, as David checked the gunman to see if he was breathing. He was.

The sheriff is on the way. He should be here soon! Thank you, young man, for what you did! I was certain he was going to kill me. He has been in here and caused trouble before. So, I thank you again. My name is Albert Torres, what is yours?

My name is David.

Just then a sheriff’s car, with its blue and red lights flashing, pulled into the drive. A deputy got out of the car and was into the shop quickly. The deputy knew Albert Torres and introduced himself to David. After forty-five minutes of going over what happened, the deputy told David that he was free to go but that they would be in touch with him in a few days. The deputy told him he might be called upon to be a witness at the trial of the gunman. David said goodbye to Mr. Torres, and after filling his car with gasoline, climbed back in, ready to continue the trip to Dallas for the second time that morning.

As he started his vehicle, he sat back to relax for the first time in the last hour and began to think about what he had been through. He had never done anything like this in his lifetime. He had taken on an armed man who had threatened to kill him. And what he did to the man was incomparable to anything he had ever done.

David was as passive an ex-football player as one could find. So what had gotten into him? What had changed in him? It was the beginning of a different David Irons, as he was soon to realize. Slipping his car into gear he started toward Dallas. He estimated he would get there about seven that evening, assuming another exciting venture didn’t happen along the way.

As he drove, his thoughts went back to the years he had spent at A&M. Playing football for the Aggies was special to him. However, he was disappointed he had not been the player he wanted to be. He so much wanted to be a part of a special team. He had wanted the Aggies to win a conference championship. A national championship would have been even better. He worked hard to excel as a player for A&M, but no matter how hard he tried, he failed at it.

On the other hand, achieving good grades was easy for him. He was number one in his class, with little effort. Why couldn’t it have been a little more equal? Why couldn’t he have been just a good student and a great football player? Then he would be able to play in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys might have drafted him, which is what he had dreamed of since he was in junior high.

He knew now that it was just a dream. Being a successful surgeon, like his dad, would not be so bad, would it? He could still be an asset to A&M. He could still support the team and the school.

As he drove, he made up his mind to do just that. He would support Texas A&M in the best way his could. In fact, when he got to thinking about it, A&M would be the organization to get most of his support. He would miss the spirit that was so much a part of A&M. No other school seemed to have the spirit and the sense of loyalty that was evident with the Aggie students and former students. As he drove, he realized that he was feeling somewhat sad and even lonely. He made himself think about getting home and into medical school. He knew he had to grow up sometime. Now was the time to get started.

Was it fate that had placed him on that deserted mountain road? David had no way of knowing his future and the effect he would have on the nation within a short period of time.

CHAPTER 2

DALLAS

David turned right onto Preston Road, drove to Beverly Drive and took another right. He pulled in front of the home of his life long friend, Scotty Morgan. And there in the front yard was Scotty and his dad, Scot Morgan, playing catch with a football. Scot Morgan was the wide receiver coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Scotty and David had been friends since grade school. Both families lived in Highland Park. David and Scotty had played football together at A&M. Playing catch was almost a weekly event in the lives of the two friends.

Scotty smiled as David pulled to the curb. And when David stepped out of the car, Scotty yelled,

Hey Irons, let’s see what you’ve got.

Well this was always expected. Scotty loved to see David run, trying to catch up to one of his passes. Scotty could throw a football seventy-five yards in the air and he enjoyed making David chase after one.

David stepped into the street, ready for the game. Scotty threw the ball down the middle of the street and watched as it sailed over David’s head. David turned and leaped after the ball, and stood waiting for it as it dropped softly into his hands. Scotty had thrown the football about seventy yards and he was shocked to see David standing there waiting for it. David smiled to himself as he caught the ball, but wondered how he had been able to catch up to it before it hit the pavement.

David turned and threw the ball on a rope, seventy yards. Scotty flinched as the ball stung his hands. He turned to his dad.

Did you see that? How did he catch up to that ball? And how did he get it all the way back to me? He has never been able to throw a football over forty or fifty yards!

I saw it. The pass was one thing, but the speed he showed catching up to it was unbelievable! He has never been able to run like that! Is that really David? he said in a half joking way? About that time Mrs. Morgan stepped out of the front door.

I see that David has arrived, so dinner will be ready in five minutes. You fellows need to get washed up.

As they were walking into the house Scot Morgan put his arm around David.

You look as if you have been working out pretty steady.

Well not since we left A&M. I guess it has been two months or more.

What do you think, Scotty, doesn’t he look like he has added some muscle?

Yeah, you really do David. I noticed it before dad said anything. In fact, you look as if you don’t have an ounce of fat on you. What do you weigh now?

Well I have not weighed in a couple of months. The last time I weighed it was right at 220.

Well you look great, Scot Morgan said. Are you still planning on coming to the practice field with Scotty in the morning?

Yes sir, I wouldn’t miss it!

Dinner at the Morgan home was something special. Mrs. Morgan had always been a good cook. And everything she had this evening was great with David. He loved her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. And the coconut cream pie was his favorite.

The next morning Scotty and David finished breakfast by 8:00 AM. Scot Morgan had already left for the Cowboy’s practice field at Valley Ranch. When the boys arrived at the field the security guard waved Scotty through the gate as if he was a regular player. David and Scotty had always wanted to play for the Cowboys. However, neither of them had what it takes to compete with the caliber of players the Cowboys had. They usually had a roster filled with more than their share of top, quality players, especially since Jimmy Johnson had become the head coach and put in charge of player personnel.

Since they had won the Super Bowl last year, the majority of Cowboy fans believed that they would do it again this year, assuming injuries remained at a minimum. Naturally an injury to a key player such as Troy Aikman or Emmett Smith could change things greatly. No one wanted to think about that. But the Cowboy coaching staff was always thinking and planning about what to do when a key player went down.

Scotty parked the car and both young men could hardly wait to get to the practice field, where the team was already half way through the morning session. When they got to where Scot Morgan and his receivers were working, Scot walked over to them.

Coach Morgan put his hand on David’s shoulder.

Could I get you to do a favor for me David?

Sure Mr. Morgan, just name it, David replied, always willing to be helpful. That was the kind of young man he was and Scot Morgan knew it and was counting on it this morning.

We have a new corner back. I was hoping that you could run a couple of pass patterns for me. I want to see what this young man has. Would you do it?

Well sure I’ll do it, but I don’t know how you could possibly learn anything with me running pass patterns.

Just do your best. That is all I want, OK?

OK!

Coach Morgan waived at a young player who responded immediately. When he came up beside Coach Morgan, Scot turned to David.

David this is Cecil Bailey. He is going to guard you on a couple of plays.

Cecil had been told about this before the practice started. He was ready for it. Coach Morgan had told Cecil that David had pretty good speed and they wanted to see how he could do against David. Cecil was a rookie with the Cowboys. He was expected to be the fastest Cowboy player in uniform this year.

What Scot Morgan really wanted, was to see if Cecil Bailey could stay with David. After seeing David the evening before, in front of his house, Scot wanted to know if there was anything to what he had seen when David caught Scotty’s pass with little effort. Scot had been waiting for David to arrive. He had told Jimmy Johnson, the head coach for the Cowboys, about what he had seen and he wanted Jimmy to keep an eye on the proceedings.

So now they would know. Scot told David the kind of pattern he wanted him to run. David thought this was rather silly, but he was ready to help. He took his stance. Cecil was lined up on his nose about two yards away. David could tell that Cecil was all business.

David felt pretty loose, not realizing that he was in his first tryout with the Dallas Cowboys. They were lined up on the 20-yard line. Coach Morgan called the signal and David faked a step to the outside, broke passed Cecil on his left, and streaked toward the opposite end zone. He caught the pass on the fifty yard line and passed the goal line in eight seconds, with Cecil trailing David by twenty yards.

David turned to face Coach Morgan back down the field and threw another rope to Scotty, who was standing next to his dad. In the distance Jimmy Johnson had been watching David’s every move. By the time David had jogged back to the group Coach Johnson had moved within twenty yards, but had his back turned so not to show any interest.

David was grinning from ear to ear when he got back to Coach Morgan. Not that he was particularly surprised at what had taken place, he figured that Cecil had tripped and fallen.

Good job David, Coach Morgan said. Now come over here. I want to get you and Cecil’s time in a forty-yard dash.

Sure Coach.

Scot Morgan moved down the field forty yards and stood there with his stopwatch in hand. Scotty Morgan called the count and fired the starting pistol. David and Cecil were out of their starting positions instantly, but it was David that flashed by Scot Morgan first as Scot recorded the time. Jimmy Johnson walked up to Coach Morgan to see what time David had recorded. The watch showed 4.11 seconds. Both coaches look at each other not believing what they had seen. Neither coach had ever seen or heard of anyone recording that time in the forty. They were shocked!

David walked back to where Scot Morgan was standing, and was surprised to see Coach Jimmy Johnson there looking at the stop watch. Scot Morgan asked David to line up again, that he wanted to get another time. David lined up again with Cecil and Scotty fired the starting gun for the second time. David’s time was recorded at 3.99 seconds, while wearing tennis shoes. Both coaches were startled beyond belief, but neither of them said anything about the times.

Jimmy Johnson grinned at David. Son, would you mind running one more for us?

Yes sir, as he trotted to where Scotty was standing.

What is going on? David asked Scotty.

I don’t know, maybe they can’t believe how slow you really are.

David took his stance one more time and Scotty fired the gun. David flashed by the two coaches as they both recorded the time on their watches. The time recorded was 3.97 seconds! Again they were shocked, standing there with their mouths open. They had just seen the three fastest times ever recorded in the forty-yard dash. Both men were just giddy as they discussed what they had seen. When David walked back to them they stood there looking at him as if they had seen a ghost, neither believing what they had seen and recorded on their watches. Finally Jimmy Johnson was able to speak.

David, you have just run the three fastest times in the forty ever recorded. What was the fastest time you ever ran in the forty, before today? David thought for a moment.

I don’t really know. I was never considered one of the faster players when I was at A&M. No one paid any attention to my times. Oh, I think I ran a 4.6 one time.

David we are about to break for lunch. Would you like to have lunch with Coach Morgan and myself, Jimmy Johnson asked.

Yes sir, David replied.

Fine, Coach Morgan will show you where to go. We will get together in about thirty minutes. Is that alright with you?

Yes sir!

After Jimmy Johnson walked away Scotty walked up to where his dad and David were talking. Scot showed Scotty his stop watch, which indicated David’s last time in the forty.

Is that under four seconds? What is that time?

That is 3.97 seconds which, by the way, is the fastest time ever recorded in a forty-yard dash. Look at that David, you just ran the fastest forty-yard dash in history. In fact, you just ran the three fastest forty yard dashes ever recorded.

The three of them stood there looking at the watch and back and forth at each other.

I don’t know what to say, David said. Are you sure that is right?

"Coach Johnson and I got the same times. This cannot be a mistake. In fact, you beat Cecil by over five tenths of a second both times you ran with him. And we expected him to be the fastest Cowboy player on the team this year. Apparently you are the fastest man ever timed in the forty-yard dash, David. I know it is a shock to you, but it is a shock to all of us. We don’t know what to think right now. And you ran these times in your tennis shoes! No one runs forties in tennis shoes!

Scotty, Coach Johnson has asked David to have lunch with us. So I will see you at home this afternoon. We will talk more about this then. OK? I will bring David home with me

Sure Dad. I will see you after lunch, Irons.

"OK, I will catch up to you after lunch.

Well David, let’s go get ready. Would you like to take a shower? If so, I’ll get you some clean shorts, socks and underwear, along with some new sweats. What do you say?

Are you going to get cleaned up? If you are I will. If not, I’ll just stay as I am.

Well let’s take a quick shower and then we will have lunch.

David followed Coach Morgan into the Cowboy locker room. It was impressive to say the least. He had never been in the new locker room but Scotty had described it to him. They walked by the training area.

Here, let’s see what you weigh.David stepped on the scale and the needle stopped at 244 pounds.

Hey that isn’t right, I have never weighed that much.

Trust me David. These scales are checked every month. Weighing is a ritual here and these scales are accurate. You know, you are petty fast for a person weighing 244 pounds. Would you believe that the fastest man alive could weigh in at 244?

David was dumb founded at weighing 244 pounds and being called the fastest man alive. How could this be happening? He followed Coach Morgan into the locker room where he got a locker and clean clothes. He showered quickly not wanting to keep anyone waiting. He was waiting on the bench outside the shower facility when Coach Morgan walked out.

Are you hungry David?

I don’t know what I am right now. Nothing is as it was twenty four hours ago.

I know things are moving pretty fast right now. We’ll talk about that this evening when we get home, the coach remarked.

They walked together in silence to the Cowboy dining room. It was a large room with round tables that could hold six good sized men. David followed Coach Morgan to a corner of the room where Coach Jimmy Johnson was going over some papers. When Johnson saw them coming he got up to greet David with a handshake and a sincere welcome to the Cowboys training facility.

Are you hungry David?

I guess I could eat something.

Just then a waiter appeared at the table to take their orders. The Cowboys players were served from the training menu but the coaches ordered from a separate menu. David waited until both Coaches had ordered and then he ordered what Coach Morgan had ordered.

After they had placed their orders, Coach Johnson asked David if he had ever thought about playing for the Cowboys. David sat there with a sheepish grin on his face. Finally he answered the question.

I have always wanted to play for the Cowboys, but I realized during my freshman year at A&M that I did not have the ability to compete on this level.

Well wouldn’t you agree that anyone with your quickness and speed would be able to compete and add a lot to a team, asked Coach Johnson?

"Well, I never have been able to run like I did this morning, and I have no explanation for what I did out there. In fact the last twenty-four hours have been unreal for me. I have been able to do things that I have never done before. Why, I cannot tell you. I guess I am as surprised as you are, and I have no explanation as to what I did out there. It is unbelievable, except we