Walgreens to snub Vets in 2012

The national pharmacy and general merchandise chain Walgreens is giving veterans and their families the middle finger instead of a salute come 2012.

If you are on Tricare you will have to pay the full amount for your prescription and then complete paperwork to be reimbursed by your insurance if you get your prescription filled at Walgreens.

Really?

Yes.

Why snub the Vets?

It’s all about money.

This is one of the hidden costs of going to war and pretending we are not at war.  We don’t ration.  We don’t retool industry to win wars.  We try to make them invisible to the general public.

Those who have loved ones in combat zones feel the impact of the war.

Those who lose loved ones feel the impact of the war.

Businesses, well it is business as usual.  That means it is all about the bottom line.

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t think we need a law to compel Walgreens to respect those who provided them safe haven to pursue profit.

I don’t like laws that make us do things we should do out of honor or respect.

No laws, please.

But I won’t be shopping at Walgreens.

I will speak their language—the language of currency.

I once sent all my photo work to Walgreens.  That’s over.

They occasionally have some vitamins on sale.  You know, the buy one get one free or buy one get one half-off.  They still make plenty of profit even during the sales.

No more vitamins from Walgreens.

I usually drop a couple hundred bucks a year on cold and flu medicines, ankle wraps, Band-Aids, and other similar items.  Walmart also carries these.  Come to think of it, so do many small town, mom and pop pharmacies that are struggling to get by.  Perhaps this will work out well for them.

Will my lost revenue mean anything to Walgreen’s bottom line?

Probably not much.

If all the men and women in the armed forces, retirees, and their families decided not to patronize this establishment that would make some difference, but surely Walgreens has already factored this in and will make up the difference by sales to other customers.

If Americans as a whole decided that this was not acceptable, that would wake up the money changers at Walgreen’s headquarters.

The problem is that when the general public does not feel the impact of the nation at war, there is no appreciation for those in uniform.  We clap at the airports when a serviceman gets off an airplane, but will we forgo the convenience of just dropping in for a couple items and continue filling the coffers of Walgreens executives?

We tell the young woman returning from overseas that we appreciate her service, but do we appreciated it enough to send Walgreens a message?

Sadly, most don’t.

That’s the cost of being at war and pretending you are not at war.  You get to keep your comfort zone and don’t have to consider the consequences.

Walgreens can do what they want.  They will just do it without my money.

That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.   

Thomas Paine

In God is our Trust--straight from the National Anthem

We often learn theology from our music.  Perhaps that’s not the best way, but it is the way that sticks with us.  Who among us cannot call upon a verse or two from Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, When Peace Like a River, or Just As I Am in a moment of need.

Biblical reading and exegesis might be the better tools, but it is our music that we carry with us.

So too is the case for our patriotic music.  There isn’t too much new on the patriotic scene lately.  An occasional country and western artist will take a shot at it.  Nothing really compares to The Star Spangled Banner. 

We normally just sing the first verse of this at official gatherings and sporting events, but we would be well served to invest a full five minutes and sing or at least listen to all 4 verses.

The first verse begins and ends with a question. 

The first question is to those engaged in the battle for freedom in the American Colonies.  Can you see our flag on this new morning after the night long battle?

The second question is asked to each succeeding generation.  Does that Star Spangled Banner still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?  Have we preserved what was so nobly fought for?

The remaining verses offer no greater question.  Instead they include affirmations of patriots who have trusted their grand experiment to an almighty God.

The Star Spangled Banner

By Francis Scott Key 1814

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,

A home and a country should leave us no more!

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Gaddaffi Captured!

Gaddaffi Captured!

Or Qaddafi killed.

Or Gaddaffi surfaces in Yemen.

Or Muammar Gaddaffi still at large.

These are the headlines many are waiting for as they watch the 24 hour news stations.

None of these are the main story line in Libya.

What is?

That regime change will have come from within with support from western powers and the concurrence of the Arab League.

Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan where regime change was produced by external, mainly U.S. forces; Libya is a case study in a true popular movement in the Middle East.  This is what President George H. W. Bush had hope for in Iraq at the end of the first Gulf War.

While entry into this conflict further eroded the liberty of all Americans; Libyans are tasting an opportunity to engage in self rule, and perhaps even some form of democracy.  This was a movement that began with the Libyan people.

Statesmen from around the globe should be more focused on offering assistance on an as requested basis.  Supporting nations should be reserved, but responsive when the requests are presented.  That is, let’s not be pushy, but let’s be on time once the new government needs help being the new government.

The United States needed a little help from France in the Revolutionary War, but this continental revolt was surely an American affair.  Likewise, what is happening in Libya is home grown change.  Let’s see how this goes if we stay in the background and only help when asked.

There is one more to add to the list of Gaffaffi possibilities.  Gaddaffi counter attacks!  We have the luxury of looking to the future.  In Libya, these makeshift militiamen still have a fight to finish.

Let he who is without an American Flag cast out the first thought...What?

I received the following email about a dozen times today.  What should I think?

ABC News Joins Obama - Bans American Flag Lapel Pins

           Barbara Walters said that this was going to hurt ABC bad. As you know, she works for ABC.

                    YESTERDAY THE BRASS AT ABC NEWS ISSUED ORDERS FORBIDDING REPORTERS TO WEAR LAPEL PIN AMERICAN FLAGS OR OTHER PATRIOTIC INSIGNIA. THEIR  REASONING WAS THAT ABC  SHOULD REMAIN NEUTRAL ABOUT 'CAUSES'.

           SINCE WHEN IS PATRIOTISM TO BE DISCOURAGED?

           I URGE YOU TO BOYCOTT ABC AND ITS SPONSORS AND AFFILIATES.   WE ARE SLOWLY LOSING EVERYTHING OUR COUNTRY STANDS FOR AND

           EVERYTHING OUR MEN AND WOMEN FOUGHT AND DIED TO PRESERVE!  PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY AS YOU CAN.

           THIS HAS BEEN VERIFIED THROUGH:

           http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/abcflag.htm

           THIS ONE NEEDS TO BE CIRCULATED...QUICKLY

What should I think?

I think that I should think before forwarding this.  It is one of those emails that once again plays upon ignorance and emotion.

What?  A Marine and a pastor who won’t immediately jump on the Obama-Free Press Bashing Band Wagon:  Who’d a thunk it?

First, ABC news did not join Barrack Obama in any campaign.  This lumping together of somewhat similar actions into a Presidential-Free Press Consortium or Conspiracy is what has put otherwise good hearted Americans at the bottom of the garbage heap of critical thinking.

Next, the press is patriotic when it seems the least patriotic.  It is the watchdog of government.  The watchdog has been tamed, taught tricks, and otherwise manipulated by greed, hunger for power and prominence, and other corrupting factors over the years; but it is still the best we have.

The press poses an interesting paradox. 

The very government that the free press must be critical of is the same government charged to protect its rights to be critical.  No free press would want the very instrument of its protection to succumb to any force—internal or external—that would remove this protection.

It is a delicate balance that exists only in controversy. 

The press and the government charged to provide for the common defense so that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States remains intact must be frequently at odds.  There is nothing unpatriotic about that.

You may or may not like our current president.  That’s your prerogative.

You may or may not like ABC news.  That’s your prerogative.

Your reasonable act of patriotism is to thank God and thank two centuries worth of selfless Americans that you can disagree with your political leaders and have a free press to be upset with.

Think more.

Bash each other less.

Put others before self.

That will move us more towards patriotism than forwarding another email.

Click like, forward the link to this article to 10,000 of your most intimate friends, and hold your breath until you pass out; or not!

Wear your lapel pin if you like.  Mine has both the National Ensign and the Marine Corps Colors.

Let’s just agree to think before we forward.

Reserve Training for Active Forces

                          I first copyrighted this article in 1989, almost ten years before I had ever heard of Lateral Thinking, but this idea was the direct result of an arising provocation.  That provocation is that we should train our active forces like our reserves.  Taken at face value, this proposal should be rejected as ridiculous.  When used as a tool to get off of the main track of thinking, it produced what I believe to be a very workable and productive idea which I was able to implement selectively in the remainder of my active duty career.

RESERVE TRAINING FOR ACTIVE FORCES

Every year thousands of Marine reservists conduct approximately two weeks of active duty training.  In addition to being an essential part of their service obligation  such active duty periods are the focus of an entire year's training.  For several months prior to the active duty dates much shorter weekend training periods (drills) are conducted to bring the unit's skill level to a point where the two week training period can be maximized.  At this point, some of you have already classified this introduction and its author as the master of the obvious.  Of course this is how the reserve program works--one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer, but before we dismiss the entire reserve establishment as a manpower pool that trains so infrequently as to earn them the label "weekend warriors" we must first ask the singular question:  How much training can a unit get in one weekend?  When asked rhetorically only to dismiss the viability of employing reserve forces in a future conflict, we do not get an answer.  When this question is examined in detail; however, the best kept secret of the Marine Corps Reserve is revealed to the benefit of all leaders who recognize time as one of our most valuable training resources.  Training during a reserve drill weekend is the epitome of time management and as such should be incorporated into the training schedules of active duty forces.

A drill weekend for active forces?  Perhaps you think that weekly urinalysis screening for the author would be more appropriate.  Before we dismiss the idea altogether. let's look at what goes into such a weekend. Drill dates are normally promulgated by an annual training plan. This is mandated by the fact that our reserve Marines must find some livelihood to sustain them for the majority of the year and they must appease their employers with "advance notice."  By providing this notice to employers. we have also provided such notice to the Marines and their leaders.  What active duty unit can you think of that can tell you with a reasonable degree of certainty what training they will conduct 10 or 11 months from now.  By identifying training dates and the training objectives to        accompany them, unit leaders have ample time to focus their efforts upon making each drill weekend as productive as possible.  While an unannounced test of a reserve unit's mobilization readiness may alter this schedule or the objectives for a given drill, over 90 percent of the scheduled training will likely be conducted exactly as forecast.  This is not to dismiss the benefits of maintaining an operational tempo which often precludes such advanced, accurate planning.  The routine (if such a word can ever be used in an active duty unit) of successfully managing all of the administrative, operational, logistical, and house keeping functions required to keep a unit viable on a daily basis often produces the best training in command and staff operations which the Marine Corps has to offer.  The price of maintaining such an operational tempo is often the loss of focus.  This is where we can learn from our reserve establishment.

A "drill" does not simply materialize as a successful training evolution, and advance notice does not in itself constitute preparation. The keys to a successful drill are the advance identification of training objectives, advance preparation of all key personnel, and the advance preparation of all training areas.  It is the  reserve unit leaders and the unit's Inspector-Instructor Staff which share these self-imposed taskings.  A weapons shoot or live fire exercise, while it may look good on a training plan, is not a training objective.  Objectives must be more tangible.  They must be specific enough that they can be translated into unit missions.  A training objective for part of a drill weekend might be a platoon single envelopment of a known enemy position. Conditions further delineating this training objective, such as during hours of reduced visibility, in a contaminated environment, or with MILES gear can be added based upon what the commander wants to accomplish.  If it is not specifically stated by the commander or deduced by his junior leaders it is not a training objective.  If the training objective of the commander is to evaluate the issue and receipt of combat orders, the platoon single envelopment may only be a graphic aid to this evaluation. Specific objectives communicated well in advance of the training dates are all important.

Once objectives have been identified, preparation to conduct training begins.  While classroom instruction is the least desirable method of training, an assessment of the unit's skill level must be made to determine if any such instruction is mandated before application and evaluation phases may commence.  If "classes" must be included in the schedule, instructors should be identified simultaneously.  The concept that every Marine should be taught by his own leaders--especially at the NCO level--holds true for reserve training as well as for regular units. Such a concept nurtures the mutual respect required between an NCO and his Marines, mandates technical expertise on the part of the instructing NCO, and enhances camaraderie.  On certain occasions, however! it may be beneficial to deviate from this philosophy.  Certain training requirements which may be low on a commander's priority list may. be best taught by a single instructor, thus permitting other leaders to focus upon those training objectives with a higher priority.  Such a deviation should be a conscious decision, and not one of convenience.  In either case, the early identification of Instructors provides ample opportunity for quality training preparation.

Additional preparations required include the scheduling of ranges and training areas, ammunition, chow, transportation, march routes, air requests, and numerous other details which collectively are labeled training support.  It is in this area that reserve training is truly unique, and it is the Inspector-Instructor Staff which provides reserve training with this exceptional characteristic.  Let's say that one of the company training objectives for a drill weekend is rifle requalification.  Instinctively, we visualize a training support checklist which includes a known distance range, ammunition, ear plugs, pre-fire inspections, range regulations, safety officers, safety vehicles and the like.  We know that target assignments must be made, coaches assigned, line and pitt NCOs assigned and other elements not only of qualification, but of establishing every working part of such a detail. This is where the unique character of the Inspector-Instructor Staff comes fully into play.  The staff ask, in addition to reinforcing and evaluating the marksmanship skills of the company, are their other training objectives which the commander wants to accomplish during this evolution, to wit:  Does he want to train his officers and noncommissioned officers how to run the range?  If the answer is yes, then range OICs and range safety officers must be assigned from the reserve unit.  The officer in charge of the range then ensures that continuous coordination is made with all external agencies, that specific taskings are promulgated, and that the entirety of the detail is supervised.  Faced often with only a range facility aboard a reserve installation, he must construct the detail from the ground up.  Such decisions frequently result in exceptionally beneficial experience for young officers and NCOs.  The pitfall most commonly associated with this course of action is that if preparations are not sufficiently thorough, Marines are left waiting to train.  The alternative to this course of action is to leave the task of range preparation in the hands of the Inspector-Instructor Staff.  This should be done when the training of a reserve leader to prepare and supervise a firing range is not a command objective, when that leader's expertise is required elsewhere, or when it is the objective of the command to focus upon exclusive training objectives.  The beauty of training in the reserves is that the two objectives are not mutually exclusive.  A reserve officer could be assigned as the Officer in Charge of requalification, and provided the resources of the Inspector-Instructor Staff   He could devise and coordinate his plans for the execution of training while using the Inspector-Instructor Staff as a sounding board.  Discrepancies could be identified and corrected well in advance of the training date, the Inspector-Instructor Staff could execute the support functions and the entire leadership of the reserve unit could focus upon their training objectives. 

Other preparations necessary for leaders involve knowing the overall game plan.  If a platoon leader or squad leader knows that the focus of training for a weekend drill is unit live fire and movement, but does not know that there is only one range which will support this training and that only one squad can train on the range at a given time; he will not be able to plan the most efficient use of his time.  If he knows that four other squads will run through the range before it is his turn and no other training is directed while he waits; then he can plan his own training schedule:  Focusing on preparing for the squad fire and movement, rehearsing signals and SOPs, or practicing other battle skills which he believes need work.  In addition to identifying the overall training plan, advance notice of administrative requirements must be promulgated.  If a unit leader knows that he has three Marines who must verify their record of emergency data and that his unit is one of the last to draw weapons, he can complete these administrative requirements while the rest of the unit prepares to go to the field.  A detailed plan for all weekend activities--not just training--will permit the small unit leader to better organize his time and create his own training opportunities. Such a preparatory effort manifests itself in numerous concurrent training activities during the execution phase.  The fielding of the Battle Drill Guide has greatly consolidated many of the doctrinal references which formerly required hours of research in preparation for training.  Once momentum is established in the area of concurrent training, junior leaders adopt the philosophy that if they encounter ten unscheduled minutes, they will take one minute to plan training for the next nine. 

The third area which makes for a successful training weekend is the advanced preparation of training areas.  How many times have you been the victim of arriving at a training area only to find out that as much of your "field time" will be spent in preparing to execute the training as will be used in its actual execution~  If the training objective is to negotiate obstacles and booby traps, such training aids should be in place upon your arrival.  Extensive use of well informed advance parties can make this a reality.  If the focus of training is on trench clearing techniques, trenches should be prepared before the arrival of the unit to be trained.  The entire concept of training must not only be clear to the unit leaders, but to all members of the advance party who must effect the necessary training aids.  During an ambitious training weekend (anything less would be a criminal waste of precious time) several advance parties may be necessary.  During such a weekend, leadership and manpower assets may be overextended if not carefully planned.  If there are simply not enough Marines to accomplish advance party tasks concurrently, they must be planned in succession.  A recent drill weekend involved a requalification detail for those Marine_s in a rifle company that had not qualified during the fiscal year.  An advance party emplaced all communication assets, targets, and an ammunition distribution point in advance of the main body.  As this was individual training, and the training which would follow was unit training, those Marines already qualified were designated the supporting attack and assigned to pitt details, coaching details, and most importantly additional advance parties.  The other weekend training objectives included the throwing of practice and live hand grenades, platoon live fire and movement, call for fire exercises for NCOs, squad infiltration through obstacles and booby traps, chemical agent identification, and concurrent training for individual squads based upon an evaluation administered during the previous month.  While qualification firing took place on one range, communication assets and ammunition were staged on others, a terrain model was constructed for use with the pneumatic mortar training device, and a booby trap course was emplaced.  By the time the shooters had finished policing their brass, other training areas and ranges were ready to be used.  Such preparation produces a hit the deck running attitude among the Marines to be trained.  Imagine moving to a new duty station and finding all of your household effects already moved into your new quarters just the way you             want them.  While such an analogy may not sit well at the TMO office, such first class treatment of your target training group results in first rate training. 

Before we relegate these procedures to the "great for reserves, but it won't work here" file, let's examine just what it would take to effect a "drill weekend" for active forces and what the benefits would actually be.  The first step is to schedule the drill.  Have we ever stopped to consider how many potential training opportunities have been lost simply because a commander or training officer didn't take the time to put pen to paper and formalize the idea.  By incorporating such an event into the quarterly training bulletin or Training Exercise Employment Plan (TEEP) of a unit, that unit has taken the first and most important step in resolving to accomplish the training. 

The next step is to identify the training to be accomplished and the target training group.  If a company wants to train or evaluate its squads, then the majority of the training support personnel could be provided from the company and Platoon headquarters.  If the training planned is for a larger unit, then additional assistance may be required. One source of personnel for training support would be from another unit. Let's examine this concept in an infantry battalion.  One company is scheduled for a drill weekend in a given month while another company from the same battalion is designated as the supporting unit.  This is not really a new concept! we use it tactically on a routine basis.  The  supporting company would perform many of the same tasks which the Inspector-Instructor Staff performs for a reserve unit.  During a three month period, each rifle company would be scheduled once for a drill weekend and once in support of a drill weekend (see schematic).  Other schedules could be implemented to incorporate the weapons company and the Headquarters and Service company into such a plan.

The support company would provide aggressors, evaluators, controllers~ range officers. and other personnel required to create this optimal training environment.  This unit would emplace obstacles, stage ammunition and other tasks which would detract from the "drilling" unit's focus on training.  The support company would also replace Marines from the drilling unit on mess duty guard duty, or other duties which would not permit them to participate in the company's training.  Such coordination would require command emphasis at least one level above the drilling unit.  The overall intent of the support company would be to free the drilling unit from all collateral commitments.

The benefit of such efforts must be obvious.  That which is so frequently lost among extensive concurrent commitments can be regained-- a focus on training.  I am sure that every commander can account for where his Marines are when his unit goes to the field for training, but how many of them are actually accounted for instead of in the field training.  How much training time is lost to actual preparation while Marines wait?  With the drill approach, a weekend focused on nothing but training for the entire company could become a reality.

Such an approach could best be conducted for combat units, but I am sure that variants could be incorporated for combat support units or base support units as well.  A certain amount of training time would be lost to those assigned support missions, but this is a very fair trade for a commensurate amount of quality training time.  Those assigned the training support for another unit will also acquire an insight as to what is required to support their own training.

There are those who will dismiss this idea as too taxing on their already over-committed Marines.  Another weekend in the field?  How many commitments can we handle at once?  The fact that most units are committed to the point where they can barely train a fragment of their force is not contested; indeed, it is the point of this argument.  The drill weekend concept simply designates one unit as the point of main effort and permits that commander to train all of his Marines--to provide them quality training, unhampered by mess duty  guard duty, working parties, and the other routine commitments which compete for the time of his Marines.  Time off--liberty--is easy.  It can be effected piecemeal and equitably under the cognizance of concerned leaders.  Getting an entire unit free from collateral commitments on the other hand is a monumental task and requires the support, perhaps the direction, of senior commanders.  The commander who cannot find the time to compensate his Marines for this additional weekend of training is not commanding, he is simply reacting to unprioritized commitments.  The drill weekend for active forces is a viable course of action which permits a commander to conduct quality training for his entire unit in an environment of competing commitments. 

The last ditch ar~ument of those who would contend that such an approach would not work for active forces is directed at the Inspector-Instructor Staffs assigned to each reserve unit.  The contention that such staffs only task is to support such training is totally unfounded. Inspector-Instructor Staffs have an operational tempo comparable to any unit in the Marine Corps and such a tempo is maintained in as many functional areas as a battalion or regimental staff contends with little or no depth of personnel.  Perhaps there was a time in which a Marine on such duty could bag his limit during hunting season or significantly lower his golf handicap, but such is not the case today.  If an Inspector-Instructor Staff can create such an optimal training environment (which it can and does), then it can be done elsewhere. 

The term "weekend"  is only incidentally attached to the word drill   If a unit wanted to implement this approach during the middle of a week, it would certainly be feasible; however, the weekend approach may still provide more opportunities for a unit to acquire ranges and facilities aboard certain bases.  Regardless of the days selected, the concept remains the same.  Isolate the unit scheduled for training from all concurrent duties through the employment of a supporting unit.  Once this is accomplished, the quality of training is limited only by the imagination of that unit's leaders.

Westboro Baptist prevails in Supreme Court. Messages of God is hate continue.

In the annals of American Liberty we can add another victory for free speech.  This victory stands upon such precedents as Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell.  Some will claim it is not only a victory for free speech but for religion as the prevailing party was actually the Westboro Baptist Church.  Yes, that is the church that holds protests at military funerals and has as its website godhatesfags.com.* 

The actual citation for the case is SNYDER v. PHELPS ET AL.; CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT; No. 09–751. Argued October 6, 2010—Decided March 2, 2011. 

Before we move too quickly to the celebration, let us consider the cost of this First Amendment victory.  Surely, the truest test of free speech is that the speech which is most distasteful to the majority is permitted along with that which causes little controversy or consternation. 

These protests at military funerals, specifically at the burial service for Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, seem to ignore the fact that only by the spilt blood of American patriots do we have the right to free speech.  Why target the grieving?  The bereaved family will not change the national policies or rewrite legislation that seems to offend this church. 

This is more than in bad taste.  It is unqualified cowardice.  It is the methodology of the bully.  It is to use a right designed to keep us free from tyranny and oppression as a tool of torment.  We must ask, to what end?

To aggravate matters, this was the work of a church.  How does a church proclaim God’s righteousness and love on Sunday, teach judge not lest you be judged on Wednesday evening, and then rally to harass the grieving family of a Marine killed in service to his country?  Of all organizations in the world, should not the church of which Jesus is the very cornerstone have the decency not to lash out at those who need mercy the most.

I agree with the court’s decision.  Free speech is one of our most vulnerable rights.  Justice Alito’s argument that “Allowing family members to have a few hours of peace without harassment does not undermine public debate” is compelling—very compelling, but it is insufficient in light of what is at stake.

It was not so long ago that the Obama administration declared that Fox News was not news media at all.  Granted, most people either love or hate Fox News, but they are still a news organization.  Excluding them by presidential edict would put other civil liberties on the chopping block forthwith.  

Likewise, the protesters who deprived the family of Lance Corporal Snyder a few moments of peace at a most vulnerable time are within the rights afforded them.  It seems that the very rights that preserve our liberty also preserve the right of a church to make a horse’s ass of itself.

It is this last item that offends me most as a pastor and as a Marine.  The same Amendment that grants freedom of speech also protects the free exercise of religion.  What is offensive is that this one church in search of a national spotlight has taken a gospel of peace and turned it into a diatribe of hate.

The dead Marine stayed true to his core values—honor, courage, and commitment.  Had the church done the same and brought a message of love one another into the national spotlight, we might actually be accused of being a Christian nation.  There doesn’t seem to be much chance of that today.  That is fruit to the Westboro church’s credit.

If you were accused of being a Marine, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Lance corporal Snyder:  Guilty as charged.

If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?  Westboro Baptist Church:  Acquitted.

Semper Fidelis                        Love one another

* I deliberately did not capitalize the word god in this web address.  The god this church worships is surely not the God of Abraham, God the Father, or the God who says he is love.  The website is full of god hates everything lists.  He surely cannot be the one who told us not to judge, lest we be judged.  If this church believes that they are worshiping the one true God, I pray that they uphold every pen stroke of the law, for they have surely forsaken God’s grace and mercy and appointed themselves judge of all.

Fair in an Unfair World - A screenplay about American Empire Building

A man (Bob Johnston) in a suit pumping gas into his SUV.  He holds the gas nozzle in the vehicle and pumps while he looks up to the station’s price sign.  It reads Premium Unleaded  99.  A second SUV pulls up the the pump behind Johnston’s.  Mike Cantell gets out dressed in slacks and a polo shirt.

Bob Johnston (looking down from the sign at the vehicle behind him):  Mike.  Mike Cantell?

Mike Cantell:  Bob!  Man is that really you?  What brings you to Houston?

Bob:  Took a job here.

Mike:  Doin’ what?

Bob:  Oil.  Got an easy desk job shuffling papers.  

Mike:  I thought you were doing the battalion commander bit with the 82^nd Airborne.

Bob:  I was, but when they offered early retirements—I couldn’t resist.  How about you?  You’re not in the Corps with that hair.

Mike:  No.  I took an early retirement too.  I’ve got family near here so…

Bob:  You took an oil company job too.

Mike:  Yeah.  The 9-5, plenty of time at home offer was tough to turn down.  When they call you and ask if you want to do very little for six figures a year, it’s real hard to say no.

Bob:  I figured they made the same offer to everyone.  I guess there is some loyalty in the business world.  You know it’s been over two years now.

Mike:  Those were two tough years, Bob.  I got a Battalion at Camp Lejeune, but couldn’t focus on what I was supposed to be doing.  It was what I wanted my whole career, and when I got it, I hated every minute of it.

Bob:  I know.  I was doing the things I always thought I would do with a battalion, but I just couldn’t stand in front of my soldiers any more and tell them they were defending a great nation--that the sacrifices they made were for freedom or democracy or any of that other stuff that used to make me stand tall when I heard the National Anthem. 

Mike:  Do you think it would have been better if…

Bob:  Didn’t we ask ourselves that a couple years ago?

Mike:  I can still remember a little of the cynical innocence I knew before it all happened.  I can remember standing on the top of Jabal Sanam and…

Switch to:

Jabal Sanam, elevation 142 meters above sea level.  Highest point in the Iraq-Kuwait DMZ.  A white Toyota Land Crusier with black UN letters and a blue UN flag climb the winding dirt road to the top.  Both military observers in the vehicle are unarmed and wearing blue berets.

Major Li (Peoples Republic of China):  Almost to the top. Thanks for letting me drive.

Major Johnston (US Army):  You’re doing fine, just relax.

Major Li:  Driving time is scarce enough in my country.  Getting to use 4 wheel drive on a climb like this is better than MSA.

Major Johnston:  You must not get to drive much.

Major Li:  When I return to China, I may be able to buy a small car, but China’s limited reliance on personal vehicles also means there aren’t as many good roads.  I could never afford a four-wheel drive.

Johnston (pointing):  Let’s take that spot right over there.

Li:  Looks like one of your Marine friends.

Johnston:  Mike Cantell.

Li:  Go ahead and have a national conversation with him.  I’ll talk to Commander Perez.

Johnston:  You make it sound like we’re discussing matters of grave national concern.  Major Cantell is from Texas.  He just calls it shooting the …well never mind, I don’t want to mix in any American slang into your near perfect English.

Li:  English is the official mission language.

Johnston (exiting the vehicle):  So the Brits remind me at every opportunity.

Cantell (walking out to meet Johnston in an area between the UN vehicles):  About time you got here Bob.

Johnston:  We’re 20 minutes early Jarhead.

Cantell:  I know, but Perez is driving me crazy to get down the hill.  He’s only got two weeks left here and can’t sit still for 5 minutes.

Johnston:  This observer stuff is for the birds.

Cantell:  Beats a desk job doesn’t it?

Johnston:  I don’t know anymore.  Every time I go back to KC for a couple days rest I just get ticked off and want to come back out.

Cantell:  I know.  Some Kuwaiti pulled up next to me last week, rolled down the window of his 2000 Chevy Caprice, and yelled Yankee go home.

Johnston:  That was original.  One of the many benefits of taking up temporary residence in Kuwait City.

Cantell:  What’d you hear on the contingency strength?

Johnston:  Looks like we’re holding at 12 Americans.  The other primary members are still providing 15, so it would look bad for us to reduce any more.  That’s the party line anyway.

Cantell:  We should be able to shoot the messenger every once in a while.  Just to keep up morale.

Johnston:  Well, see how this grabs you.  Were meeting with one of the Under Secretaries of State and two from Defense tomorrow—the entire contingent.

Cantell:  Not dress blues at ChiChi’s again?

Johnston:  No, at the prepositioning facility at Doha.  You can come as you are.  Besides, a lot of the ChiChi’s in the states have closed.  Be thankful for your Arabian Gulf blessings.

Cantell:  I’m supposed to visit the Iraqi regiment outside the DMZ tomorrow.  What time’s the meeting. 

Johnston:  The bigwigs don’t hit Kuwaiti International until 1400.  See if you can make your liaison visit in the morning.

Cantell:   One of the Russians is going with me as interpreter.  I love getting Russians up early.

Johnston:  The fine diplomacy skills of a Marine.  You still haven’t told anyone you speak Arabic.  Terrible waste of a fine vacation in Monterey.  

Cantell:  Orders are orders.  Listen, don’t speak.

Johnston (Looking at Cantell’s vehicle):  You’d better get down the hill.  It looks like Perez is going to wet his pants if you don’t go now.

Cantell (pointing west):  There’s a storm headed your way.

Johnston:  Tell me about it.  Wouldn’t want to leave a Marine out in the weather.  See you tomorrow night.

Johnston walks over to Perez and gives him a signal to get out of the driver’s seat.  Perez reluctantly obliges.

Perez:  You Americans think your run the place.  In Argentina you would not be so bossy.

Johnston:  Sorry, commander.  But as anxious as you are to get down that hill and back to your Argentina, I’m a little concerned that you wouldn’t use the road. 

Perez:  Pushy and humorous is OK.

Vehicle drives down the hill, leaving the other vehicle and two UN officers on the observation post.

U.S. Army base, Doha, Kuwait (Northwest suburb of Kuwait City).  Twelve U.S. Officers with UN patches are seated with three men and one woman in suits.  A meal has been provided in vat cans and the officers are serving themselves and eating in a picnic atmosphere.

Markus Wellington:  Gentlemen, please continue to fill your plates.  We’re going to keep this as informal as possible, but I would like to get some introductions out of the way.  And as your colonel says it’s OK to get right down to business, we’ll do just that.  I am Markus Wellington, usually just go by Mark.  I’m the Undersecretary of State and responsible to the Secretary for matters in this part of the world.  To my right, with the unusually small portions from the buffet is Jonas Mercury.  Jonas with the SecDef and he’s accompanied by Mr. Phillip Harm also with Defense.  Ms. Londa Applewood is from the Attorney General’s office.

Johnston (quietly to Cantell):  I told you they would get you for drawing lines in the sand like that.

Cantell gives Johnston a friendly elbow and both continue listening.

Two unidentified men bring out a dry erase board on wheels.  A sketch of Iraq and Kuwait with the DMZ along their borders is already sketched in.

Markus:  Right now you are probably thinking that someone in the State Department surely had a map he could have loaned me.

General laughter that resides quickly.

Markus rights in red dry erase marker  TOP SECRET  -- NOFORN

There is a general hush among the officers.

Markus:  The president sent me on this little goodwill visit, not to draw sketches or make sure that you’re well fed; though we’ll do both.  He sent me to convey a message that we have a dilemma in supporting the United Nations effort here.  The Arab countries continue to raise the price of oil and the UN is seriously considering lifting the embargo on Iraq.  While this might appear to significantly increase the oil supply to the western world, and a corresponding drop in prices; our intel sources tell us that Iraq has brokered a deal with Saudi, Iran, and yes Kuwait to limit their exports to levels that keep prices high for everyone.  In fact, it appears that Saudi Arabia will even assist Iraq in rebuilding part of its oil production infrastructure. 

Colonel Bill Noble (UN contingent commander):  You said Kuwait as well.

Markus:  Yes.  The same Kuwait that abandon their own country only to have us give it back to them.

Bill:  Is this a viable alliance…consortium…arrangement for these countries?

Markus:  We believe that it is not only viable, but that the Kuwaitis prefer it to the current arrangement.  It seems they are losing standing in the Arab world as an “American Puppet.”

Commander Jeffrey Dalton, USN, UN Observer:  We do get the evil eye quite a bit when we’re in Kuwait City.  So much for saving their butts…

Markus:  Commander, the despising attitude that you receive is but the tip of the iceberg.  The Emir of Kuwait was expected to announce his request for withdrawal of all U.S. Forces by the end of next month.

Bill:  Was?

Markus:  Yes, was.  We worked something of a deal of our own.  We will execute a major exercise in Kuwait in three months with our Maritime Prepositioned Forces and then withdraw them along with the Army forces here at Doha.

Bill:  And then?

Markus:  Watch the Iraqi Army roll south through Kuwait into Saudi Arabia.

There is a considerable amount of grumbling among the officers.

Captain Roger Ballistere, USAF, UN Observer:  Just give it up!

Jonas Mercury:  Captain Ballistere.  A man whose name is well known throughout the SecDef’s office.

Numerous officers call out:  E F, E F, E F!

Londa Applewood:  Did I miss something.

Jonas:  Only the near evacuation of Kuwait City about 8 months ago.

Londa:  What?

Jonas:  It seems that young Captain Ballistere needed a modem connection for his notebook computer and on one of his trips from the DMZ to Kuwait City he stopped in one of the most trafficked computer stores in the city.  Accompanied by since departed, Captain Martin, the two entered the store in search of the equipment and were greeted by a friendly Kuwaiti merchant seated among several other Kuwaitis.  Normally, a “How are things” greeting would be accompanied by a “fine, thank you; under control, A OK, or some response of little value beyond the conversational reply.

Londa:  I take it there was more than the…

Jonas:  Oh yes, much more.  Our good Roger Ballistere replies with a harmless, “Is your gas tank full?”  The entire office of about 18-20 Kuwaitis fell silent and all eyes and ears turned to the good captain, who replied only, “Mine is.”  Now you might wonder how some DOD desk jockey like me gets a first hand account of such an incident.  It seems that after Captain E.F. Hutton’s computer store stopover, he and Captain Martin proceeded to the UN Headquarters in Umm Qasr, where they proceeded to tell, and re-tell their E.F. Hutton story.  Meanwhile back in the real world, our satellites pick up massive congestion along the Fahaheel highway heading into Saudi, and,  And!  We get a call from the state department that just received a call from the Emir’s palace, that the Emir was about to evacuate to the UAE and wanted to know if the U.S. Air Force would give him escort.  Of course by this time, State is up to their ass in alligators with calls from Saudi.  Of course in Umm Qasr, our two Captains are up to about their 4^th beer and ready to call it a night, that is until Colonel Bill Noble comes into the UNIKOM club and grabs these two by the stacking swivel for a hasty outdoor conference.  Did I forget to mention that this was Colonel Noble’s second day as Contingent commander?

The entire room is in an uproar of laughter.

Londa:  This is a crock of ….

Jonas (holding his hand up to finish his story, and also having trouble keeping a straight face):  And the real kicker here, also the answer to what you were certainly going to ask, is that the news media never picked up the story, and the Emir and the Saudi’s later denied their requests for help and repeated inquiries. 

Londa:  I don’t believe a word of it.  The Emir would be furious.

Jonas:  Furious he was, but composed enough to realize that if he fled the country on a rumor—especially when he never checked with his military commanders—that he would invite more political turmoil than he was ready for.

Londa:  I’m sure there was disciplinary action for the captain.

Jonas:  Yes, befitting the crime.  He was awarded the call sign E F.

Londa:  You’re kidding.  For an international incident!

Jonas:  You said yourself you never heard about it.  Not keeping up on current events Londa?  Seriously, there was nothing to discipline.  The Kuwaiti over-reaction was totally disproportionate to the Captain’s sarcasm, but not unrelated to our visit.  I’ll remind you that everything discussed tonight is top secret and not to be discussed again anywhere except in secure meetings called by your contingent commander or myself.  Mark, will you continue with your brief.

Markus:  By order of the president, your service as UN Observers is terminated effective at 2400 hours this evening.  Now through some administrative glitch, we will forget to inform the UN for a few months and it is of course not your duty to inform them.  You are all a part of Operation Hutton….not too many captains get an op named for them…at least while their alive.  Jonas, the concept please.

Jonas:  We have established certain connections in the Republican Guards that are willing to assist in the overthrow of Saddam with our guarantee that the U.S. will support a military republic in Iraq.  Our prepositioning exercise will appear routine except that the back load of the prepo ships will be only with equipment requiring depot level maintenance.  The remainder of the equipment and forces will be staged in hide positions along the coast road.  The road will be closed to all civilian and UN traffic.  The locals and the UN won’t like this, but will probably accept it when we accidentally uncover some chemical munitions abandon by the Iraqis during our exercise.  The U.S. will of course define a containment area, post local warnings as to any possible airborne drift, and proceed to decontaminate the area.  We will turn over some disarmed munitions with the Iraqi markings and throw in a few dead goats for good measure.  Kuwaiti police posts in the area will be evacuated and all access to the area will be guarded by Marines in gas masks and chemical over garments.  Our reports will be such to keep flight patterns far enough away to avoid any significant detection without enhanced optics.  The troops here at Doha are the only ones out of the loop.  When they hear the chemical alarms, they will be dawning their protective gear for real.  That should take care of any opsec breaches we have here, and hopefully turn them in our favor.

Bill:  And then?

Jonas:  Colonel, we will watch the Iraqi Army cross the DMZ, proceed at high speed down the Basara highway to Kuwait City and continue into Saudi Arabia.

Jeffrey Dalton:  I though we we’re overthrowing Saddam.

Jonas:  We are, and if this goes well, we’ll take a few gratuities with us.  Gentlemen, the loyalty of the Saudi and Kuwaiti government to our intervention in 1990 was about a million barrels of oil.  After that point, there has been a steady decline of loyalty to the point of animosity.  Some of you fought here in 90 and 91 or maybe flew missions in the assorted strikes in the years after that.  Do not be fooled.  This area is vital to the national interest of the United States.  Not because of democracy.  Hell, we put the Emir back into his country knowing full well that he would only seek to strengthen the monarchy.  Our interest here is oil.  If you can’t live with that reality, say so now and you can be repatriated back home without any prejudice whatsoever. Anyone?

No replies. 

Jonas:  Very well.  The Iraqi attack will follow the Emir’s announcement of the departure of U.S. Forces.  The King of Saudi will make a similar announcement concerning withdrawal of U.S. forces from Dahran.  Both countries will of course heighten their own security somewhat, but as they believe their oil consortium is not known to us, they will really not be looking for an attack from Saddam.  Of course, Saddam doesn’t know his forces are going to attack either.  Both Kuwait and Saudi will of course make appeals to the U.S. to restore the integrity of their countries, but we will express to them how vulnerable we are after withdrawing.  They will make concessions—concessions that involve an extended military stay, one that they do not know will result in the loss of their sovereignty.  We will evict the invading arming from Kuwait and Saudi once again.  This time we just don’t intend to give the country back to its current owners….at least not right away.  The transition back to local rule could take twenty, maybe twenty-five years.

Bill:  You still haven’t addressed Saddam.  He’s a survivor.

Jonas:  That he is.  He survives at the expense of his subordinates.  This last round of executions has the military so giddy, that even the most competent don’t want to command one of his armies.  Finally, however, our allies in his army have risen to prominent enough positions that we can act.  Saddam has been patient and so have we.  We have two generals and three more senior officers in Northern Iraq committed to the overthrow of Saddam.  Likewise, the commander, deputy, and some of the colonels of the Republican Guards near Basara are ready for a change.  None of them will accept a conquered Iraq or heavy civilian casualties, but they know that to survive this coup, Saddam must die.  Phillip, the operational overview please.

Phillip (at the dry erase board):  Gentlemen, at D-Day minus two, the Republican Guards will conduct major exercises just 10 kilometers north of the DMZ.  This will cause the UN to give some extra attention to those forces.  By that same time, we will have just over 150,000 soldiers prepositioned in Southeast Turkey, some as part of an exercise turnover and others recently arrived after completing Bright Star.  We promised the Turkish government that we would cease our military exercises for two years in exchange for one major exercise while our forces were already in the area.  They were willing to negotiate, and we settled on a four-year abstinence from exercises and awarded the Turks some pretty big support contracts for our exercise.  They’re expecting to make some big bucks on us, but we pretty much we got exactly what we wanted out of them—the throughput of a very large land force without public outcry.  Carrier and Marine Expeditionary units afloat have had their turnover schedules adjusted so both will be in the AO at the same time.  That’s six carrier battle groups and six Marine Expeditionary units in striking range of Bagdad or Riyad, all without a link to any world crisis.

Bill:  There’s still a lot of wild cards in this.

Jonas:  There are, but we have one distinct advantage.  We will have diplomats visiting with both the Emir of Kuwait and King of Saudi discussing the withdrawal of the final elements of U.S. Forces, and of course asking for some monetary contribution to our inordinate expense incurred thus far in positioning forces to protect the two countries and then in withdrawing them.    Our people will be in a position to help these two leaders interpret these invasion events.

Bill:  And if Saddam does have terrorists ready to strike in the U.S. as he says he does?

Londa:  We are in the second month of a five month process of shifting law enforcement taskings to an 80% focus on terrorist threats.  We may miss a drug bust or bank robbery somewhere, get a few claims for invasion of privacy, but come D-1, we will move to arrest on every lead that we have.

Jonas:  We have also scheduled home armory training for 65% of the country’s National Guard Units for two weeks beginning D-3.  By chance, they will all run anti-terrorist exercises on D-Day.  And we have among us, twenty of the best military observers in the UNIKOM mission.  Most of whom have been called pushy, overbearing, or similar descriptive terms.  These are the same officers that get handed the tasks that cannot be handled with the usual good enough for the UN effort.

Major Cantell (very sarcastically):  You don’t think the UN sets standards to strive for?

Jonas:  I’m sure they are just what a Marine strives for Mike.  I was wondering when I would hear something from you.  Your instructions to listen and not speak were just in the Arabic language.

There are some chuckles among the officers and Cantell draws some rather strange looks from all but Bob Johnston.

Jonas continues:  You 12 will generate the crux of the intelligence that UNIKOM and ultimately the UN will need to condemn the Iraqi action.  I’m sure there will be some collateral benefit to convincing the Kuwaitis it’s time to bug out again. 

Phillip:  Major Cantell, anything unusual to report from your liaison visit to the Iraqi’s this morning?

Cantell:  There was a lot of extra maintenance on equipment and a lot of small unit drills.  We normally pick liaison days that have traditionally been slow days for the Iraqi units.  They were busy today.  The officers acted as if they weren’t, but they were busy and focused.

Phillip:  Good.  This will take every bit of logistics the Iraqis can muster, and some that we will throw in to help.  It is important that we allow the Iraqis to take Kuwait City nearly intact without any real resistance.  Your reports, our interpretations with the target governments, The six Hind-D helos we will turn over to General FaHaad on D-1, and 326 tons of dry ice dumped into the ocean from Jahra to Salmiya should tell the Kuwaitis which way to run.

Cantell:  A war with special effects.

Phillip:  That normally wouldn’t be that significant, but combined with all of the other factors, would induce terror in the most hardened of patriots. 

Johnston:  Die hards?

Phillip:  We don’t expect that many.  There was some resurgence in patriotism just after the war, but the country has pretty much returned to the complacency it loves so well.

Cantell:  Kuwaiti regular forces.

Phillip:  You can say that with a straight face, major?

Cantell:  I would expect 20, maybe 30% to stand and fight.

Phillip:  We’ve briefed the Iraqi commanders that 50% will fight.  The Republican Guards are still professional units.  They took their beatings from us in the war, but learned some good lessons and stuck to their core values.  We’ve also thrown in a couple high altitude air strikes to significantly favor the Iraqis.

Phillip drawing circles on the dry erase board where Kuwaiti defense positions are expected to be.

Phillip:   At H-1 on D Day, don’t be any where near hear….not if you want your eardrums intact.

Cantell:  So we’re going to paint a picture of a battlefield with our reports.  If all of the reports are from Americans, it’s going to be really suspect.

Phillip:  Stick to your normal UN procedures.  No two of the same nationality on patrol.  We’ll provide dust signatures far enough away that it will still be a blur with binos, unless you have the script.  Some of the officers on patrol with you will just not confirm the sighting.  Others will hate to appear incompetent and provide something close to what you come up with.

Cantell:  Dare we ask what we’re really seeing.

Phillip:  Four wheel drive vehicles with smoke generators and dragging lightweight blades to kick up extra sand.  They will normally operate in groups of three, and kick up enough sand for a company of tanks.  If the wind’s right, you can make that company a little bigger.  Disparity in reporting is a good thing.  And if you can get your patrol partners to put the reports in their own words and call them in, we’ll generate just a bit more fog for all to contend with.

Jonas:  Now the observation teams on Jabal Sanam will get the show of a lifetime.  Almost 80 percent of the Republican Guards will roll right down the Basra Highway through Safwan and into Kuwait City.  They will be proceeded by the 6 Hind D’s which will make an early call on the city, making sure to strafe the Emir’s palace.  An evacuation decree by the Emir will save a lot of fighting in the streets.  Even those with patriotic intentions will feel obliged to obey.

Johnston:  I just went to Dahran two weeks ago to pick up one of our guys coming back on a hop.  That road was a mess.

Jonas:  It appeared to be a mess.  We made sure that an American company had a very low bid on the road upgrade.  We paid them off and have had our guys there for six weeks.  It looks like a mess now, but come D-Day there will be 12 southbound lanes ready for evacuation.  We also have teams in country in Saudi, that will stop all northbound traffic at H-1 and switch all lanes in Saudi to southbound, at least all the way to Dahran.   

Johnston:  The ring roads could still bottle up before everyone got on Fahaheel highway.

Jonas:  There are six ring roads and once we pull the barricades and blow the sand off the ground level entry ramps, each ring road will have two lanes of it’s own to empty into. 

Johnston:  I wish your traffic guys would work the Magic games.  The only thing that gets out of the O-Rena fast are the Magic players—

Cantell:  They’re usually gone by the fourth quarter.  Like we haven’t heard that one before.

Johnston:  You seem to have covered the big bases, but there’s still going to be a lot of chaos you can’t account for.

Jonas:  We’re counting on chaos.  It will give more legitimacy to the Iraqi attack.  If it’s too clean, it will look like what it is?

Cantell:  Would that be a coup or conquest?

Markus:  A finer point to be sorted out in the history books.

Cantell:  End State?

Markus:   Split right down the meridian.  New Iraq gets everything west, and we take everything east—right down to Yemen.  The Iraqis control Mecca and Medina so we don’t start any religious conflict with a western conquest of those two cities.  They also get all of the coastline along the Red Sea.  Something that makes this especially enticing to them—unrestricted seaports.  

Bill:  I can see the Kuwaiti’s running, but the Saudi’s will likely put up a fight.

Jonas:  They have the ability to put up something of a fight, but based upon the current training state and very limited maintenance they have done on their vehicles over the past 6 months, at best they can stand off for 30 days without U.S. support.  We will continue to feed the Saudi’s the false intel generated by the UN observers—a picture of a force much larger than the one rolling towards Kuwait City, a force headed from Western Iraq towards Medina.   The Republican Guard also have 24 operation scuds with conventional warheads.  When their lead elements hit Kafji, we will supply their target acquisition folks with the precise coordinates of Saudi Command elements. 

Bill:  Are we keeping liaison people with their command elements.

Jonas:  No.  They will pull out at D-7, but instrument selected vehicles in the Saudi command elements.  We’ll still have a skeleton force in Dahran and keep and AWACs up at all times.  The AWACS will know where every Saudi command element is and can downlink the info in seconds. 

Bill:  What about U.S. – Iraqi firefights?

Jonas:  At D-1, we confirm off limits areas with General FaHaad.  He knows if he deviates, we’ll both lose. 

Bill:  And Russian Satelittes.

Jonas:  We have confirmed that they have been retask for almost 4 months now.  They are all looking north watching their own republics that may be looking to break away.  And we have a diplomatic backup plan there as well.

Bill:   You have done a lot of planning, but this thing could turn the wrong way at multiple points.

Markus:  Agreed.  And I need the help of your officers to find the flaws and recommend alternatives.  Your men know the area, the local forces, and the civil climate in the city.  Let’s take about a 15 minute break, and then I’d like to break into 4 groups to run the plan through the ringer.  When we reconvene, you’ll each have an operational packet in front of you.  These materials do not leave this room, except for what you commit to memory.  If you would please clear your own places, we will commence promptly in 15 minutes.

Jabal Sanam, Two UN vehicles on top of the hill for changeover.

D-4

Cantell walking with Johnston away from the other two observers in the vehicles.  An Indian and Norwegian officer are in the background with the vehicles.

Cantell:  Did you finish the new sector observation plan?

Johnston:  Yeah, we’ll have the patrols where we need them.  You can make sure that you’re here and the rest of the contingent will make sure they are on patrol at that time.  The 0645 patrol time helped.  Not too many of our UN brethren care much for the earlier patrols.  Did you conduct your liaison yesterday?

Cantell:  They looked good.  I didn’t see one vehicle that was down, and they had real security to the flanks and rear this time.  They’re focused. 

Johnston:  Any second thoughts on this thing?

Cantell:  Only about a million.  You talking execution or ethics?

Johnston:  Both, but more the latter.  I held a vehicle ID class two days ago and the only thing these guys could identify was in the Mercedes SL class.  The only thing on their minds is their last day in the DMZ and how soon they can leave the sector for a couple days in Kuwait City. 

Cantell:  I brought out those music videos that Jonas gave us last week and I think my whole patrol base is brain dead.  The Russians from Charlie 2 and 3 and November 4 came by on a visit yesterday and watched them for 8 hours straight. 

Johnston:  You’re quite the diplomat of decadence.

Cantell:  I gave them some tapes of true artistic value too.

Johnston:  You mean that stuff your sister tapes of CMT and mails to you.

Cantell:  Yes, the fine arts. 

Johnston:  Right….  I made a liaison visit to the southern sector two days ago.  Looks like all of our guys have worked themselves into the right patrols.

Cantell:  That could change if UNIKOM HQ orders everyone to withdraw once things heat up around Safwan.

Johnston:  Our guys at Sierra 1 and Sierra 4 have both rigged their fuse boxes on the patrol vehicles so that they will stall at the right observation post if needed.  I think we have covered as many bases as we can.

Cantell:  I’m sure we can paint a picture of three to four Iraqi divisions heading for Northwest Saudi.  I’m not so sure that there aren’t too many moving parts in the rest of this thing.

Johnston:  I guess I’m just as worried that they do have everything figured out.  If we pull this off are we soldiers or spies or what.

Cantell:  I think the term is imperialist.

Johnston:  The Soviets called us that for long enough.  I wasn’t comfortable with it then, and I’m not too sure I’m comfortable with it now.

Cantell:  I think we just a small cog with a front row seat.  This course of action was decided long before we were brought into the loop.

Johnston:  Still just doesn’t seem fair for some reason.

Cantell:  It’s an unfair world.

Johnston:  So you see this as fair in an unfair world?

Cantell:  I see this as multiple pay grades above this Marine’s decision making.

Johnston:  OK, let’s talk something closer to home.  Who are you partnered with for D-Day.

Cantell:  Major Li.  This is the first time up the hill here he hasn’t been with me.  None of the other observers will let him drive.  I think his broken English will be effective enough for the report.

Johnston:  And with you looking through the binos, there will be at least an extra regiment or so added to what’s really screaming down the highway.

Cantell:  About a decade ago we called this the highway of death.  You think they’ll call it the highway of deception this time?

Johnston:  Not if the big picture deception goes well.  The rest of the world won’t know what hit them and we’ll be pumping free oil to the States before you tour is up here.

Cantell:  You heard what Colonel Noble pulled off didn’t you.

Johnston:  I heard he scheduled a media tour for most of the Arab Networks to be heading from UNIKOM Headquarters to Central Sector Headquarters just before the DMZ is breached.

Cantell:  And he got the General to buy off on live TV feeds from the DMZ.

Johnston:  Yeah, the General’s been putting together quite the press briefing for these folks.  He doesn’t have a clue that anything he says will be preempted by a couple hundred tanks screaming by a dozen cameramen.

Cantell:  Oh well….

D-1

Quwayrat Adhbah (About 15 Kilometers into Iraq from the DMZ).  Sand Berms mark the perimeter to  a regimental headquarters.  A while Toyota Land Cruiser with UN markings drives up to an entryway.  The Iraqi sentries point to an area outside the berm, and the vehicles backs up, parks and two UN Observers get out.  They are Major Cantell (USMC) and Captain Marc Beauchamp (French Foreign Legion).

Marc:  We’ve never been asked to park out here before.

Cantell:  Dismount points around headquarters sites are good practice.

Marc:  Agreed, but when’s the last time we saw good practices around here.  These guys were so bored last time we were out here they couldn’t muster the motivation to stand up and check our ID’s.  They just sat around a little stove drinking tea and waved us in.

Cantell:  Well keep your eyes open.  We’ll talk about what we observe on the way back.

Cantell and Beauchamp walk to the sentries and present their blue ID cards.  The sentries salute and one speaks to a junior in Arabic, then turns to the two UN officers.

Sentry:  This soldier will escort you to the commander’s tent now.  He has been ordered to escort you back here after your visit.  Please permit us our formalities today.

The sentry salutes.  The two UN officers return the salute and follow the soldier into the camp.

D-Day, Jabal Sanam, 0710 hours

Three UN vehicles parked on top of the hill.  Johnston and Cantell have walked away from the group.

Johnston:  I didn’t hear from you yesterday.

Cantell:  As per the plan.  Silence means delivery completed.

Johnston:  Did Beauchamp suspect anything.

Cantell:  No.  The papers were in the pack of cigarettes I gave Colonel Hussein.  He took them to General FaHaad while Beauchamp and I had tea.

Johnston:  Any relation to Saddam?

Cantell:  No.  Hussein’s pretty common.

Johnston:  Did Beauchamp suspect anything.

Cantell:  No.  He knows that we can’t offer the Iraqi commanders the return hospitality of a visit to our headquarters in the DMZ.  Cigarettes are pretty much SOP for return of hospitality.  His eyes were taking everything else in though.

Johnston:  Yeah, I read his report before it went up to UNIKOM headquarters.  We sent it unedited.

Cantell:  Well the CMO’s reaction was predictable.  Shoot off a message to UN headquarters in New York and move his media briefing to Jabal Sanam.  Do you think he knows how to get here?

Johnston:  He can follow the line of vehicles full of boot lickers.

Cantell:  Nice term.  It’s good to see that your Ranger training gave you a kindler, gentler vocabulary. 

Major Li (walking up from patrol vehicle):  Major Cantell, Chief Military Observer departing Umm Qasr.

Cantell:  Thanks Li.  You had better get the vehicle turned around now.  Once that parade of vehicles gets here it will be a real circus getting out of here.

Li departs to move the vehicle.

Johnston:  You think they’ll make it up here in time?

Cantell:  It will be close.

Emir’s Palace.  Markus Wellington is meeting with two of the Emir’s ministers.

Markus:  No, we are not insisting on payment.  If it is Allah’s will that you reimburse us for the cost of our defense of your country and the expense of our withdrawal, then we would be most pleased.  We will not insist.

Defense Minister Mohammad Saad:  I will convey your request to the Emir.

Financial Minister Ahmed Mubar:  Mr. Wellington, please join our staff for breakfast while Saad confers with the Emir.

Markus:  Thank you very much.  I am hungry this morning.

Mubar and Markus exit the rooom.

Jabal Sanam, 0746.  Major Li is seated in the UN vehicle manning the radio and looking generally North.  Major Cantell is a few meters from the vehicle looking East.  Major Johnston and his vehicle have departed.  One other UN vehicle will an advanced party from the CMO’s staff are on Jabal Sanam setting up briefing charts.  The wind is blowing the charts down and the observers keep putting them back up and look for rocks to brace them. 

Major Wanabeese (Kenyan Army, UN observer with general’s staff):  You two come here and help us.

Cantell (talking while looking through binos):  Sorry.  Our mission is to observe.

Major Wanabeese:  I work directly for the CMO and order you to help.

Cantell:  And I work for my sector commander who told me to come up here and observe, not play staff pogue.  Have the CMO call him if you want to change our tasking.

Major Wanabeese:  You American’s shouldn’t be so arrogant now that you have been kicked out of Kuwait.  I’ll tell the CMO as soon as he gets here you refused to help!

Cantell:  Li, I can see vehicles approaching from the East.  Seven, no eight land cruisers and a truck.  I hope they don’t think they are bringing that truck up here.

Major Li (excited):  Major Cantell!  Major Cantell!  To the North.

Cantell turns slowly to his left and brings the binoculars back up to his eyes.

Cantell (turning north, still looking through binos):  Major Li.  Please get out an incident report.

Major Li:  Got it!

Cantell:  I’m picking up something coming out of the dust.  Are you ready to write.

Major Li:  Ready!

Cantell:  I have 8, no now 14 tanks.  Make those T-80’s passing between Charlie 1 and November 3 right down the Basara Highway.

Major Li:  OK, you call it in Cantell.

Cantell:  Go ahead Li.  Your English is fine and I need to keep my eyes open.

Major Wanbeesee and Lieutenant Colonel Akbar (Indian Army, UN observer) are still fighting putting their charts up in the wind.  The wind is winning.  They are oblivious to Cantell and Li’s activities.

Lieutenant Colonel Akbar (yelling while holding a flip chart):  Major!  I direct you to come assist me immediately!

Cantell (chuckling to himself):  Sorry colonel.  I’m a little busy.

Akbar starts walking towards Cantell in a rage.

Akbar:  I am Lieutenant Colonel and you are Major.  You will follow my orders!

Cantell (ignoring Akbar):  Li, you finished with that report?

Major Li:  Yes, but UHQ says to authenticate.  What do they want.

Cantell:  They don’t want to believe it.  Tell them they have no authentication procedures and get ready to send another report.

Major Li:  Roger.

Cantell:  Good pronunciation Li.

Major Li:  Thank you, but I think you are too much joking when we might be attacked.

Cantell:  I’m always in a good mood when I get to piss off staff pogues.  Incident Report number 2.  Ready to go Li.

Major Li:  Ready.

Cantell:  Twenty-four T-72 tanks and 36 BMPs now entering DMZ.  First reinforced company of tanks entering Safwan.  Send that I’ll and look to see if anyone else is on the way.

Major Li:  Sending now.

Lieutenant Colonel Akbar (now in Cantells face):  You will come now and help me or I will have your colonel repatriate you.

Cantell (pushing Akbar back to an arm’s distance):  I’m at little busy now sir.  But thanks for your offer to get me back to the states.

Akbar is furious and turns to Major Li.

Akbar:  Major Li, come help us now!

Major Li:  I am most sorry colonel Akbar, but I must finish this IncRep.

Akbar:  IncRep!  What Indicent do you have to report.

Cantell:  Back off colonel and let him call it in.

Akbar:  I am senior here!  I will decide who calls in IncReps.  What are you reporting?

Akbar grabs Major Li’s notebook.  Li stops transmitting and looks to Cantell for direction.

Cantell:  Let him call it in.

Akbar:  Tanks.  What tanks.

Cantell:  How about those over there.  Major Li, standby for Increp number 3.

Akbar is stunned and Major Lee cautiously takes his notebook back from him.

Major Li:  Ready, Mike.

Cantell:  Third group of vehicles is 42 BMPs followed by some towed artillery.  I can’t make out the caliber of the gun.  Looks like two groups of 8 howitzers though.  Send that and I’ll keep looking.

Akbar:  Give me your binos major. 

Cantell:  Sir, this is my personal gear.  Please get yours from your vehicle.

Akbar:  We don’t have any.

Cantell (raising his binos back to his face):  Strange.  I thought the UNIKOM SOP was for all vehicles to have one set of UN issued binos.

Akbar:  Then I must commandeer your personal binos.

Cantell:  Why don’t you just use the UN binos in our vehicle.

Akbar:  I’ll need to use your radio too.  Ours is broken.

Cantell:  You don’t get out much do you colonel.

Akbar:  Major Li.  Give me the binos!  Quickly!

Cantell (looking through binos—that show two Hind-D helos flying nap of the ear directly towards them):  Why don’t you call this one in colonel?  You won’t need binos for it.

Cantell points directly north.  Akbar steps away from the vehicle and starts looking north.  Cantell steps close to the vehicle and kneels down.

Cantell (quietly to Li):  Hold on to everything that’s not tied down.

Akbar:  What!  I don’t see anything.  Major!  I’m tired of your disrespe…..

Two Hind-D helos fly a few meters over the top of Jabal Sanam.  The briefing charts are caught up in the wind and dust and blown off the top of the hill.  Akbar is blown to the ground by the wind.  The wind quickly stops as the helos continue south. 

Cantell:  You want to call that one in colonel.

Akbar:  Why didn’t you tell me they were helos?

Cantell:  You’re the senior officer.

Akbar:  Major Li.  Report 2 unidentified helos.

Major Li:  Sir, those were Hind-D’s.

Akbar:  I couldn’t identify them.

Cantell:  They were Hind-D’s.

Akbar:  I didn’t get a good look at them.

Cantell (almost laughing out loud):  You couldn’t be any closer to them without being a passenger.

Akbar:  You will show me proper respect!

Cantell (looking East through binos):  Yes sir.  Li.  You know the procedure.  Call in the report as disputed.  Give your UN ID number and mine confirming Hind-D sighting.  Give LtCol Akbar’s ID as uncertain.

Akbar:  That’s unidentified.

Cantell:  Whatever you say.  You ID number sir.

Akbar:  Just report those without me.

Cantell:  You know we can’t ignore a dissenting report.  Your number sir?

Akbar:  2119.

Cantell:  You want to take a shot at identifying those two helos to our east or those two to our west.

Akbar ducks, then realizes the helos are some distance off.

Akbar:  You identify them.

Cantell (very sarcastically):  Aye, Aye Sir.  Would you mind picking up our binos and reporting on that next group of vehicles entering the DMZ.

Camera zooms out from the top of Jabal Sanam to multiple dust clouds north of the DMZ heading south for the Basara Highway towards Kuwait City.

Several UN vehicles (Toyota Land Cruisers) stopped bumper to bumper a few meters from the Basara highway.  General Uf Hal, Pakistan Army, the CMO (chief military observer) is in the 3^rd vehicle.  Colonel Noble is the driver, and two other officers are in the back seat.   Focus in on the general’s vehicle.  First looking out the front windshield at two other UN vehicles to the front with tanks and armored personnel carriers zooming by.  Camera crews are dismounting from the vehicles and taking up positions to film.  The general’s vehicle has three radios all of which are calling in reports.

Colonel Noble (turning to the two officers in the back seat):  Get you butts out of here and tell the other vehicles to spread out and take cover off the road.

General Uf Hal:  Do we turn around?

Colonel Noble:  We’ve been sitting here for 10 minutes.  If they wanted to target us, we gave them plenty of opportunities.

General Uf Hal:  I need to talk to headquarters.

Colonel Noble:  We’ll have to break into the reports.  Do you want to do that?

General Uf Hal:  No not yet.  Let me first compose my thoughts.

Colonel Noble (Showing the general his map):  From what I can keep up with, this is what we have.

General Uf Hal takes the right half of the map as if the two are sharing a hymnal.  Colonel Noble takes his pen and shows the general symbology he has been placing on the map.

Colonel Noble:  From what I could pick up…and I know I missed some of it…At least a division’s worth of equipment has gone South along the Basra highway.  From the speed which they moved, I would guess they were Guards.

General Uf Hal:  Republican Guards?

Colonel Noble:  Yes General.  The reports from the Central and Southern Sectors seem to indicate a much larger force, four maybe more divisions, skirting the DMZ headed south.

General Uf Hal:  To Saudi or into Kuwait.

Colonel Noble:  Unknown, but there is no advantage to going so far west, just to get into Kuwait.

General Uf Hal:  I must assume the force is larger than we have seen.  Do we have any casualties.

Colonel Noble:  I know of no UN positions that have been fired on.

General Uf Hal:  I must talk with my COO.

Colonel Noble:  Sir the Chief Operations Officer is in Kuwait City taking a day off. 

General Uf Hal:  Who is his deputy?

Colonel Noble:   Lieutenant Colonel Quaynar.

General Uf Hal:  I cannot understand his English.  Colonel, do you have one of your officers at my headquarters that can draft a message.  My first communication with UN headquarters in New York must be as clear as possible—and it needs to go out in less than 20 minutes.

Col Noble (pulling out a cell phone):  I’ve got just the man, and if communications towers haven’t been knocked out, you can send you message without interrupting the incoming reports.  I recommend that we make this report effective 0900 hours and follow it later with an update.  We’ll never get anything out if we try to include every report that’s coming in now. (Now talking on the cell phone):  Peter.  I have a special request.  The CMO needs a message out to York ASAP.  You do the clerical work and then step on all the toes you need to, but get it out in 15 minutes.  Here’s the boss.

Noble hands the CMO the phone.  The thunder of 2000 pound bombs echos in the distance.

Switch to a highway setting with numerous barricades and a dozens street sweepers approaching the construction area.  Two trucks pull up and about 30 men jump out of them and start removing barricades and posting signs.  The street sweepers reveal on ramps to the Fahaheel Highway.  Signs are quickly mounted on existing supports.  The signs say Fahaheel Highway with Saudi Arabia directly underneath.  The signs are both in Arabic and English.

Emir’s palace.  Saad, Mubar, and Markus are all seated around a conference table.

Saad:  Mr. Wellington…

Markus:  Markus or Mark, please.

Saad:  Mark.  Please accept our most humble apologies.  The Emir has declined to reimburse your country for its expenses.  Please understand this is not to be taken as an insult, but it pleases the Emir for you know you that he considers it the choice of a country to maintain great armed forces or to negotiate it political conflicts.  You have elected to maintain a great army and its costs are your cost of doing business as a great nation.  Please take the Emir’s remarks with you to your Secretary and President.

Markus:  I will.  I wish that we could have parted a bit more cordially, but we will honor the Emir’s sovereignty.  Allah willing, you will prosper and …

The Emir bursts through the doors into the conference room.

Emir:  Where is my defense minister!

Saad:  I am here excellency.

Emir (pointing to Markus):  Leave us now!…..No remain!  What do you know of this!

Markus:  We were discussing…

Emir:  Of the attack!  The attack!

Saad:  Excellency, I know of no attack.

Emir:  If you’re thinking has caused this, then I will have your head.

Saad:  Excellency.  I do not know what you speak of.

Enter two Kuwaiti Air Force captains.

Captain:  Excuse me excellency.  I have the reports from…

The Emir snatches the reports from the Captain and both Captains leave the room.  Saad cautiously approaches the Emir.  The Emir thrusts the papers into Saad’s chest.

Emir:  Tell me is this true.

Saad:  It cannot be true.  It cannot!

Emir:  Do not tell me what I want to hear.  Tell me if I am betrayed.

Mubar moves to a TV on a corner stand in the conference room and turns it on to news of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.  The pictures are from the CMO’s convoy and show tank after tank screaming by the cameraman. 

A man enters through the doors and walks directly to the Emir with a portable phone.

Man:  The King of Saudi Arabia, Excellency.

The Emir takes the phone and walks away from the group talking in Arabic.  Saad rapidly looks through the papers as the rest of the group moves towards the TV.

Emir:  How soon before the forces are to the city limits.

Saad:  Thirty minutes for ground forces by my best estimate, excellency.

Two helos can be heard getting louder and louder.

Emir:  How long to get my family out of here.

Mubar (pointing to the TV screen that shows full but moving highways):  Excellency, the city is already evacuating.  We cannot get through that.

Emir:  How long to get my …

Large caliber machine guns rip through the Palace courtyard.  All hit the floor in the conference room.  Saad moves to cover the Emir with his body.  Firing stops and the helos are heard flying away.

Emir:  My helo.  Get it now.

The TV now shows huge clouds of mist rising from Kuwait harbor.

Mubar (pointing to the TV):  Gas!  Gas!

Saad (closing a cell phone):  Excellency, you aircraft is destroyed.  Our planes are burning on the runway.

Emir (looking at Markus):  You have American helicopters for your withdrawal.  I must have one.

Markus (opening cell phone):  Of course Excellency.  And your family?

Emir:  Yes, yes.  Bring as many as you can.  And I must talk to your president!

Markus (raising his hand to calm the emir):  Let me get you to safety first. (Now talking into the cell phone):  How long!  Not a minute later.  Move!

Emir:  You can save us.  How long? How long until it gets here?

Markus:  Excellency, I have three Sea Stallions in the air now.  The first will land in 4 minutes.  The others are two minutes behind them.  They can each take 25 people—20 with luggage.  I don’t know if you have time to pack though.  The helo pilot reports more Hind-D helos on the way.

Saad:  You have escort helo’s for our safety?

Markus:  There are only two in the area.  They are for the protection of our last withdrawing elements.

Emir:  They must protect us!  They must!

Markus:  Excellency.  I cannot turn my back on our own forces.  The withdrawal you demanded has made them too vulnerable.  They may already be destroyed.

Emir:  Mr. Wellington.  I call upon Allah and upon the greatness of your country to protect us now.  I will give you all that you see before you.  Save us now.

Markus:  As you wish Excellency. (Bringing the cell phone back up to speak):  Send the escorts……Yes, now!

Markus closes the phone.

Markus:  The first helo will be here in about 2 minutes.  You should proceed to the courtyard.  I don’t know how long they can sit there before the Hinds are back.  Go please.

Emir:  And you?

Markus:  I will go with the last one.  Go now, please!

D+2

TV News Anchors, Tom Sanyo and Karen Carruthers.  Maps of Southwest Asia and war video running in the background.

Tom:  Good Evening.  Tonight we continue to follow a story that has caught the entire world off guard.  Two days ago Iraqi forces launched a massive assault south through Kuwait with blitzkrieg speed and surprise.  This time it appears that the Iraqis learned their lessons from a decade ago and continued south into Saudi Arabia.  With U.S. Forces virtually withdrawn from the area, the Iraqi army and air force was nearly unopposed. Those forces which did stand and fight were decimated, first with extremely accurate air or artillery strikes followed by ground assaults only minutes afterwards.  Massive Saudi casualties were reported before the invading ground forces even crossed into the Kindom.  The errant scud missiles of the gulf war of the early 90’s found their targets almost without fault over the past two days.  Karen, what do you make of our U.S. Casualties.

Karen:  Well, Tom, I have to say that our casualties probably reflect our very limited military presence in the gulf region.  To date, and among all of this fighting, the only American casualties are two Navy seamen that were run off the road when they were returning from the U.S. Embassy to the Army base at Doha.  One broken arm and twelve stitches to the head. 

Tom:  From the reports we’ve been getting, those two were certainly headed against traffic.

Karen:  Yes they were.  And if there is any good fortune in this near instantaneous catastrophe, it is that several media crews were filming in the Iraq-Kuwait DMZ when the Iraqi forces broke through.  Without this little bit of warning, who knows how many civilians would have been brutally murdered in the streets of Kuwait.

Tom:  Well, we can’t assume that the same brutality we saw a decade ago would prevail again….

Karen:  Would you want to take that chance.

Tom:  No, I suppose not.  And in this case, the mass evacuation of Kuwait City was nothing short of a miracle. 

Karen:  And where have all of those people gone, now that the Iraqis have had considerable military success after attacking, well I guess we can say conquering, Kuwait?

Tom:  Many are just stranded on the highway a hundred miles into Saudi.  Literally, thousands of cars have been abandoned on the road.  The real mystery is the location of the two royal families.  Both the Emir and the Kings families have been reported as fleeing their palaces by aircraft on the first and second days of this crisis, but we have no reports where they may set up a government in exile…

Karen (holding one ear):  Tom, Tom…we have a report coming in from the defense department that Iraq has fired scud missiles near Diyarbakir, Turkey.  Yes, the Secretary of Defense has confirmed the launch and impact of some 14 scud missiles apparently with conventional warheads into Turkey. 

Tom:  We have U.S. Forces in Turkey at this time.  Do we know if they were the target?

Karen (looking around the studio):  That’s all I have.  We can only assume that there will be a DOD press conference sometime soon.

Tom:  Very soon I hope.  There was something of a comfort level in the gulf war with the regularity of military information that we were provided on almost an hourly basis.  This has now apparently moved beyond a war among Arab states and it’s hard to say what the Turkish or U.S. military response to this may be.

Zoom out to a TV screen mounted on a stand anchored to the wall near the corner of the office.

Four-star general:  I think we know what the response will be.  Our forces are already linked up with the Iraqi divisions in Northern Iraq.  They will lead us to Saddam’s Headquarters, then stand aside while we take care of the rest.

Secretary of State:  The president will make his announcement in one hour.

General:  By then we will have swept by Kirkuk and turn west.  Any official Iraqi statement?

Secretary of State:  Our agency guys told us he was ready to give a televised denial denouncing this as an American Plot, but changed his mind after the televised reports of his success.  Our guys say he’s playing along like he ordered the whole thing.

General:  Any indications that he might have know about it all along.

Secretary of State:  No.  That’s been a concern all along and we’re using every resource we have to keep tabs on that possibility.  And based upon your concerns, you have superior military presence at every critical point you requested.  If it does go sour, will still in a position of hold our own. 

General:  The royal families?

Secretary of State:  Ever hear of Green Hat Island?

General:  No. 

Secretary of State:  It’s about halfway between Diego Garcia and Amsterdam Island.

The general walks to a globe in the office and spins it to the waters between Africa and India.  The secretary walks over to the globe.

General:  It’s not on here.

Secretary:  Of course not (pointing to a location in the water).

General:  The trade winds don’t even blow through there!

Secretary:   It has nice accommodations for about 50 people, supported by four large generators and enough fuel to run them for 22 days.  Natural fresh water supply.

General:  Communications?

Secretary:  For the protection of the families, there is no outbound communication with the outside world.  They are able to receive one channel which updates the news every two hours.  Of course the news is manufactured just down the road from here and the two families are our only viewing audience.

General:  Let me guess.  The war is going badly.

Secretary:  Something like that.  Digitally altered footage of almost every recognizable building in both countries attests to the same.  Total physical destruction of both countries, and tomorrow we air a message from Saddam in which he declares both the King and the Emir to be enemies of the Arab World.  He offers a reward of about one billion dollars for the head of either sovereign.  This is followed by more altered footage in which other Arab leaders decline to comment on our, I mean Saddam’s remarks.

General:  What about rescue from the sea?

Secretary:  Unlikely.  Of the six square miles of the island, there is not a foot of usable beach.  Some of the cliffs are less than 10 meters, but most are 25 meters or more.  The compound is in the center of the island.  This was an all air operation to set this place up.

General:  Food?

Secretary:  The first six days are catered feasts.  The caterers are of course from the agency, but fair cooks in their own right.

General:  And on the seventh day?

Secretary:  The royal families will awaken to find themselves alone on the island.  We have stored enough MREs there to last 50 people at least 6 years.  We figured that would be enough time to develop some basic agricultural and hunting skills. 

General:  That’s a lot of MRE’s.

Secretary:  And each meal is hand selected.

General:  You took the pork meals out of the cases?

Secretary:  Not exactly.  We have been taking the pork meals out when we ship to Muslim countries for years.  We seemed to have warehouses full of pork and rice.  So we…

General:  Took them all to the island.  I don’t know whether that’s cruel or poetic.

Secretary:  I would lean towards your latter selection.  It was on top of everything else, economical.  A fair solution wouldn’t you say, General.

General:  That’s a matter of perspective, I guess.

Secretary:  Come now general, the Roman conquerors used to drag the defeated through the streets of Rome and make them slaves.  I would say we are being a bit kinder in our empire building.

General:  You know that every empire the world has known has fallen.

Secretary:  Yes, and some day we may face the same fate.  But it is time to cast aside our illusions of influencing the world through our leadership.  The world understands force and commerce.

General:  And you consider this within the duties of you office.

Secretary:  Yes.  The world is unfair.  We have simply decided to adopt the rules of the world.

TV News studio.

Tom (turning towards the news camera from looking at a video to his rear):  That may have been the shortest presidential news conference on record.  If you missed it, and it’s quite possible that you did.  The president of the United States just announced that U.S. Marine Forces had landed in Kwuait and Saudi Arabia and that U.S. Army Forces had entered into Iraq from Turkey.  We have no further details about this conflict or the numbers of Americans involved, but from what the president didn’t say, my guess is we are going this alone.

Karen:  That’s my read on it too.  Not one mention of an alliance anywhere.  The French and British have both been out of Dahran for over a year now and apparently, the president is not going to wait to put together a coalition this time.

Tom:  That begs the question.  Does the United States have enough military might to forcibly project itself half way around the world without any real host nation support?   For more on that very question we now go to retired admiral James P. Monagle.  Admiral…

U.S. Embassy Kuwait.

Operation Hutton Control Center.

Jonas:  Good to see you back.  How was your delivery?

Markus:  On schedule.  We beat the Saudi royal family by two hours.  I’m sure there will be some heated discussions on room assignments.

Jonas:  While we work on the lesser tasks of dividing their former kingdoms.

Markus:  Somebody has to do the mundane jobs.

Marine radio operator:  Mr. Mercury.

Jonas:  We’ve been working in these tight quarters for long enough now.  Just call me Jonas.

Marine:  Yes sir, Mr. Mercury.  Message from ARFOR near Bagdad.

Jonas:  Read it.

Marine:  Spot report.  Prime target surrendered without a fight currently in custody with 9 family members.  ID confirmed.  This outcome not previously discussed.  Please advise soonest.

Jonas:  The old blowhard gave up without a fight.

Markus:  If he lives, the world will demand a trial.

Jonas:  Are you saying to kill Saddam and his family?  They surrendered.

Markus:  We can’t compromise the entire operation over this one turn of events.  Help me.

Enter Col Noble.

Col Noble:  This place looks like Camp Pendleton.  I’ve never seen so many Marines.

Jonas (pointing to a TV monitor):  You should see the Saudi border checkpoint.  There’s a reinforced battalion there just to keep the Kuwaitis out.

Markus:  Colonel.  I need some advice.  ARFOR has captured Saddam and his family.  We can’t let them talk to anyone?

Col Noble:  Your asking me if you should order him killed?

Markus:  And his family?

Col Noble:  I wouldn’t want to carry out that order.  No professional soldier would.  Kill him on the battlefield, that’s one thing.  Murder in cold blood.  Don’t ask ARFOR to carry out that order.

Jonas:  What if they fled the country?

Markus:  To where?  We only set up one sight.

Col Noble:  Not too many days ago, all three families were willing to share the same bed of prosperity.

Markus:  What about the Saddam propaganda we’re pumping in?

Jonas:  The island is six square miles isn’t it?

Markus:  Yes.

Col Noble:  Multiple LZ’s.

Markus:  Yes.

Jonas:  Beat’s killing them in cold blood.

Markus:  What will they do to each other?

Col Noble:  They will decide their own fates on an island of common exile.

Markus:  They will eventually learn we did this to them if they don’t kill each other first.

Jonas:  A logical conclusion.  They will have something in common to talk about other than how they will exploit us with the price of oil.  This is better than the alternatives.

Markus:  Sound fair to you Bill?

Col Noble:  Six months ago I would have said you were crazy.  Today, it sounds fair.

Markus:  Get the logistics moving.  Marine, prepare to draft a message:  Personal for Commander, ARFOR.

Full Screen that says Gulf War Update with heavy drum beat news theme music.

TV Studio.  Karen and Tom at their desks.

Karen:  Good Morning.  Breaking news from Southwest Asia and the State Department today.  In something of an unexpected turn of events, a provisional government in Iraq has indicated that Saddam Hussein has fled the country with close members of the ruling family.  No indication was given as to their location, but General Kamahr Hussein, apparently no relation to the fleeing dictator, stated that Iraq’s government was intact under his leadership and ready to discuss total cessation of hostilities with American Forces.  The current disposition of Iraqi and American Forces appears to be pretty much along the meridian that divides both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, with all of Kuwait clearly in American control.  Surprisingly, the U.S. State Department’s first reaction to this Iraqi announcement was to recognize the provisional government as legitimate and accept its offer to discuss a cease-fire.  Defense and State Department briefings are expected by mid-afternoon.

Tom:  That’s certainly good news, and much like the first gulf war, we just are not seeing the American casualties that some analysts projected.  In fact, with only 2 non-combat fatalities, and 40 or so injuries; this has been a near bloodless war thus far for our forces.

Karen:  We can only pray that things will continue on this course.  Those of you that remember the first gulf war can also remember how sickening it was to lose those 20 or 30 soldiers from the Scud attack so close to the end of the war.  I want to be optimistic, but I’m sure our military commanders still believe there is significant danger until this thing is really stabilized.

Tom:  I couldn’t agree more.  Our hopes and prayers are with every serviceman in harms way.  We will interrupt our regular gulf war coverage with any further developments, and don’t forget to join us for our regular world and national news at six where our lead story is how calm the U.S. oil companies have been through all of this.

Karen:  With all the time I’ve been spending here in the TV studio, I haven’t been able to visit too many gas stations, but it seems that we have seen no real hike in gas prices since the onset of hostilities in these oil rich countries.   Be sure to join us at six…

D+12

U.S. Embassy, Kuwait City

Operation Hutton Control Center

Jonas:  You wouldn’t believe the traffic into the Airport.  A 747 or C-5 every 10 minutes.

Markus:  The throughput’s the same or better down south.  Three more days and we will have our occupation force in place.

Jonas:  98 percent reservists.  That will be a first.

Markus:  We need the active forces freed up.

Col Noble:  You think somebody’s going to try something while everyone’s over here.

Markus (smiling):  I’m counting on it.

Marine radio operator:  Mr. Wellington.  Hard copy message from Defense Intelligence Agency.

Markus:  Aloud please.

Marine:  Satellite imagery confirms 8 mechanized and 4 motorized Russian divisions crossing into Iran. Intel current as of…..22 minutes ago sir.

Markus:  Don’t call me sir.

Marine:  Yes sir.

Markus:  You have to love these guys.

Col Noble:  What’s the deal this time.

Markus:  Short and sweet.  The Russians are mounting a legitimate attack.  The State Department will support their story that the Iranians threatened them with nuclear strikes and announce a non-interference policy. 

Col Noble:  Do the Iranians have nukes?

Markus:  Not ready to launch, but they would get there soon enough.  Iran will throw most of its armed forces against its North and Western borders and we will move across the Arabian Gulf and take our share.

Col Noble:  And that is?

Markus:  Roughly everything south of the 30^th parallel.

Col Noble:  I guess it’s hard to be an empire without controlling the Straits of Hormuz. 

Markus:  We get a fair take on the oil too. 

Col Noble (sarcastically):  Looks like the Russians are in the empire building business as well.  It’s hard to believe that they didn’t insist on Bandar Abbas.  Draw the Iranian forces away from us and pass up a warm weather port like that.

Markus:  During the cold war, we got to know one another.  We decided the world was a safer place with two super powers than it is today.  They are a patient people, and we’re throwing in some carrier-based airstrikes to help them out.  Besides there’s plenty of warm weather ports between Gwadar and Karachi.

Back to opening scene with Johnston in Suit and Cantell in slacks and a polo shirt at the gas station.

Bob:  That’s history, my friend, and we were part of it—for better or worse. 

Mike:  You know that last year the congress didn’t appropriate anything for a defense budget and the Republicans and Democrats agreed on a tax cut.  Did we change that.

Bob:  I think we did.  An entire defense budget paid out of oil revenues—and it looks like the profits are up for this year.

Mike:  What we did, what we were a part of, was it right? 

Bob:  I don’t know.  No, that’s not true, I do know.  It wasn’t right, but I think in a way it was fair.  It was fair in an unfair world.

Bob puts the gas nozzle back in the pump.  Zoom in on pump.  It reads:  Premium Gasoline, 93 Octane Rating.  Select preference, and there are five buttons below each with a service emblem on them:  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard.

Epilogue

War and conquest have been a staple of the human diet as long as sword and shield have moved together in formation.  Each combatant must grapple with his lot as a warrior and what it means to him.  To fight for right and freedom, to keep our honor clean, don’t tread on me, or just follow me, increase the heart rate and heighten the senses of a real fighting man.   And despite the battlefield courage and savvy of centuries of combatants, this illusion of earthly fairness and justice is necessary to every noble warrior, who should have to look directly in the face and ugliness of power.