Stinger Operation Cyclone: Operation Cyclone

by Bill Fortin

Overview

Rick Fontain is back. The adventure begins with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1979. This was the same year that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Early in 1982 POTUS called for a plan of action to arm and finance the Afghan Freedom Fighters known as the Mujahideen. Operation Cyclone was the code name assigned to this project.

CIA Officer Mike Vickers, not a participant in this story, was solicited by Avrakotos to help design and roll out the blueprint to equip the Mujahideen. Included in this Covert Action program was the Stinger guided missile. This weapon system would be credited as the major factor in the Russian withdrawal in 1989.

General Gerald Bushman returns as the Director, Defense Intelligence Agency. Rick Fontain, who is now a Member, Technical Staff, of AT&T’s Bell Labs, is brought in for his expertise with the Stinger technology. His familiarity with the Russian gunship, the Mil Mi-24 is just icing on the cake.

Rick is re-united with his Redeye instructor, Andy Davis, and together they lay out a plan to kill buku Russian aircraft. However, the operation stalls in 1982 and does not move forward until Rick thwarts an assassination attempt on one Maalouf Torki bin Taisei. Mr. Taisei is a Malaysian government official. He is also the largest arms dealer on the Pacific Rim.

The KGB gets wind that the Pakistan ISI has agreed to support Operation Cyclone. Their attacks are fierce. However, the result is not what they expect. President Reagan issues a change to the original operation requirements. The gloves come off. Rick Fontain is told to do whatever it takes to get Stinger into the hands of the Afghan Freedom Fighters.

In 1985, Pakistan's President Zia finally OK’s the American plan to provide the Stinger technology to the Mujahideen. American Special Forces, the Green Beret and DELTA, are assigned to the training center at the ISI’s Ojhri Camp. The CIA’s LTC Jim Pezlola and CWO Gary Larson solicit the Mujahideen Command to provide students for the very first class of Stinger shooters.

Rick takes the graduating class into Afghanistan to the Russian airbase at Bagram. The rest, as they say, is history. Operation Cyclone may not have ended the Cold War, but it certainly weakened the Soviet Union’s resolve. So much so, that in 1993 it financially collapsed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780996478649
Publisher:	Cold War Publications, LLC
Publication date:	02/12/2018
Series:	A Cold War Adventure with Rick Fontain , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	430
Sales rank:	314,512
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Bill Fortin served in the United States Army, 3rd Armor Division, from April 1968 to the first part of 1970. In 2012 while transporting Redhawk, a Quarter horse, to a medical facility in Pennsylvania I had a flashback to 1970. The cause was the turnpike signage that pointed to the VA Hospital at Perryville. I knew at that moment that the exploits of Cold Warriors of 40 plus years passed had waited long enough to be told. The result was a novel entitled Redeye Fulda Cold. I had retired from Bell Labs in 2001, I'm currently the CEO of IBS, Inc., specializing in systems engineering. I have a Master's in the Management Sciences from the University of Baltimore. My wife Judy, a gaggle of Border Collies, and other 4 legged and featured companions reside in the rolling hills of Westminster, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xv Prologue xvii Part I Cold Was the War - 1985 1 Dubai 3 2 Elevator Etiquette 5 3 An Expert Opinion 13 4 Cognitive Dissonance 19 5 An Eagle's Nest 23 6 Hammad's Henchmen 27 7 Party Crashers 33 8 Amelia Jane 41 9 Green Light 45 10 A Fine Surprise 47 11 Ringtone 53 12 Paralleling the Landay Sin 55 13 A Buzzard's Fate 61 Part II Three Years Earlier - 1982 14 The Right Stuff. 67 15 The Perfect Cover 73 16 The Reunion 81 17 Homecoming 83 Part III Three Years Forward - 1986 18 Thirty Seconds After 107 19 Meeting the Management 111 20 Slightly Late 115 21 Guns & Bagels 127 22 Incognito 129 23 Betrayed 133 24 The Oval 143 25 Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport 147 26 Genting Highlands 153 Part IV The Ojhri Experience 27 A Kabul River Dam 163 28 Ojhri 165 29 Winds from the Cyclone 169 30 On the Tarmac 175 31 Arrows for the Quill 179 32 Inside the Cyclone 183 33 A General Khan Direction 187 34 Five Stars in Islamabad 191 42 Dance of Incompetence 229 43 After Glow 245 44 Top of the World 253 45 Coming Home 257 46 Andy's Notes 275 47 Packing for Success 283 48 The After Party 305 49 Fire on the Mountain 311 50 Inside the Cyclone 325 51 Observing the Rain 341 52 Fine Tuning 353 53 Scribing the Whirlwind 367 54 Foggy is the Bottom 379 55 The Best View in DC 387 56 Full Circle - Abu Dhabi Do 391 Characters, Places and Terms 405 Part V Standing in the Cyclone 35 Camping with Class 197 36 Andy's View 203 37 Range at Dargai 207 38 A Whole Lot of Sad 215 39 Strength in the Brim 217 40 Staying the Course 221 41 Understanding Evil 225  33 A General Khan Direction 187 34 Five Stars in Islamabad 191 42 Dance of Incompetence 229 43 After Glow 245 44 Top of the World 253 45 Coming Home 257 46 Andy's Notes 275 47 Packing for Success 283 48 The After Party 305 49 Fire on the Mountain 311 50 Inside the Cyclone 325 51 Observing the Rain 341 52 Fine Tuning 353 53 Scribing the Whirlwind 367 54 Foggy is the Bottom 379 55 The Best View in DC 387 56 Full Circle - Abu Dhabi Do 391 Characters, Places and Terms 405

Editorial Reviews

Rick Fontain is back... A Cold War adventure that peers inside the exploits of Senator Charlie Wilson and CIA's Task Force Chief Gust Avrakotos. Strange bedfellows they were... their alliance proved to be one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the CIA. Stinger: Operation Cyclone centers on the results of these efforts. The adventure begins with the election of Ronald Regan in 1979. This was the same year that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Early in 1982 POTUS called for a plan of action to arm and finance the Jihadi warriors known as the Mujahideen. Operation Cyclone was the code name assigned to this project. CIA Officer Mike Vickers, not a participant in this story, was solicited by Avrakotos to help design and roll out the blueprint to equip the Mujahideen. Included in this Covert Action program was the Stinger guided missile. This weapon system would be credited as the major factor in the Russian withdraw in 1989. General Gerald Bushman returns as the Director, Defense Intelligence Agency. Rick Fontain, who was now a Member, Technical Staff of AT&T's Bell Labs, is brought in for his expertise with the Stinger technology. His familiarity with the Russian gunship, the Mil Mi24 was just icing on the cake. Rick is re-united with his Redeye instructor, Andy Davis, and together they would lay out a plan to kill buku Russian aircraft. However, the operation stalls in 1982 and would not move forward until Rick thwarts an assignation attempt on one, Maalouf Torki bin Taisei. Mr. Taisei is a Malaysian government official. He is also the largest arms dealer on the Pacific Rim. The KGB gets wind that the Pakistan ISI has agreed to support Operation Cyclone. Their attacks are fierce. However, the result was not what they expected. President Regan issued a change to the original operation requirements. The gloves were to come off. Rick Fontain is told to do whatever it takes to get Stinger into the hands of the Afghan Freedom Fighters. In 1985 President Zia finally OK's the American plan to provide the Stinger technology to the Mujahideen. American Special Forces, the Green Beret and DELTA, were assigned to the training center at the ISI's Ojhri Camp. CIA's, LTC Jim Pezlola and CWO Gary Larson, solicit the Mujahideen Command to provide students for the very first class of Stinger shooters. Rick takes the graduating class into Afghanistan to the Russian airbase at Bagram. The rest... as they say... is history. Operation Cyclone may not have ended the Cold War, but it certainly had weakened the Soviet Union's resolve. So much so... that in 1993 it financially collapsed.

From the Publisher