-46-
“A riot? In the military? Surely you jest.”
“The natives are restless, Hannah. And when I say natives I’m not talking about the military. I’m talking about the citizens of San Antonio and Bexar County. We’ve sent people out weekly since this whole thing began. To feel the pulse of the community, if you will.
“The base populous has been on the side of the defendants from the beginning. Once word got out about what happened and how it happened, there’s been a general consensus that Colonel Wilcox and Colonel Medley got a raw deal. That General Mannix was just as culpable. And that he was being unreasonable in insisting on punishing two men who’d done something very stupid, but with the best intentions.
“We think that’s how the civilian population found out about the bunker, the breach, and the arrest of the colonels. The base population knew about it because many of them witnessed the whole thing. The word got out among them, and they were there. Hundreds of them, watching the wrecking ball break into the bunker. They thought Colonel Montgomery built it for himself and his cronies, and that they’d stocked it with food they stole from the civilian community.
“When they found out that wasn’t the case they were still upset because they knew the colonels were trying to right a perceived wrong. They thought Wilcox and Medley were being railroaded.
“Apparently some of them were so upset they spoke about what happened to their friends outside the fence line and news about what happened spread through San Antonio like wildfire.
“From getting out there and talking to community leaders we’ve gotten the distinct impression the civilians are going to cause some trouble.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
“I’ve heard rumors that any day now they’re going to blockade the base.”
“Blockade the base? What in heck does that mean?”
“A blockade is a naval tactic. It’s when they use ships to deny access to a certain port. Apparently some of the city’s citizens think that by applying a blockade of the base they can disrupt operations, and maybe even impact the court martial itself. And by doing so they can send a strong message to General Mannix that they think he’s crossed the line.”
“How would this blockade work, exactly?”
“We don’t know. The community leaders we’ve talked to aren’t willing to share that information, or don’t know themselves. The people who are supposed to be leading it are shrugging their shoulders and pretending not to know what we’re talking about.
“My guess is they’re going to use their cars to create a monster traffic jam. Military members who live off base won’t be able to get to work; those on base won’t be able to leave. We won’t be able to get resupply trucks in or out.”
And what about the Air Force people? What are they going to do? Mutiny?”
“No. They’re professional military members. They won’t mutiny and they won’t riot.
“If they do anything I expect them to protest the trial. You have to remember that even protesting is against the law for military members. It’s prohibited by the UCMJ.”
“But… that violates their free speech rights.”
“It’s a gray area, Hannah. The military likes to tell its people they have the same rights as any other American. Including first amendment rights. However, the military has the additional burden of having to maintain what it calls “good order and discipline.” You can’t fight a war without it.
“In order to maintain good order and discipline you sometimes have to curtail other freedoms. That’s why it’s okay for military members to carry protest signs as long as they’re not in uniform and not on base and not protesting military policies.
“But they cannot carry those same signs when someone might think they were protesting in a military capacity.”
“If they carried protest signs off base in civilian clothing they’re acting within the rights of an average citizen. But if they’re on base or in uniform they’ll likely be charged under Article 15 of the UCMJ.”
“Article 15?”
“Article 15 is used to punish minor offenses. An individual’s commanding officer is judge, jury and executioner, if you will.
“If he determines his airman committed the crime, for example, he decides the punishment and then sees it carried it. As I said, these are for minor offenses, and punishments typically aren’t severe. Just severe enough to teach the airman a lesson and make him think twice before doing it again.
“It may be extra duties, or restriction to quarters, or a fine.
“The problem is that even minor violations are an affront to good order and discipline. They can disrupt base operations even further at a time when we can least afford it.”
“How so?”
“Well, let’s say the citizens of San Antonio bring a hundred cars and park them all in front of our gates. And that two thousand of our people can’t get to work.
“We’re already short-manned by two thousand people. Then if a thousand airmen begin protesting on the base, our commanders are placed in a difficult position. They’ll be hesitant to punish them. If they punish them by restricting them to quarters then we’re even more short-handed. If they punish them by giving them extra duties it takes them away from their primary duties when they may be the only one left to perform such primary duties.
“But if the commanders choose not to punish them, or delays their punishment, others might think their friends got away with it and might start protesting as well.
“It could get quite ugly.”
Hannah thought for a moment, and then asked a question which had nothing to do with blockades, or protests, or civil unrest.
“David… I want to talk to General Mannix. Can you get me in to see him?”
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“Do you mind if I ask what you hope to accomplish?”
She chose her words carefully.
“Look. Obviously I’ve never met the man.
“But if he was the man entrusted to run the entire United States Air Force, he must be a pretty smart guy, right?
“And if he was selected from the heads of the other military branches to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, there must be a reason, right? The president thought he was a smart guy or he wouldn’t have nominated him. The Senate thought he was capable or they wouldn’t have confirmed him. So he must be a thoughtful and reasonable man, right?”
Captain Wright chewed on his words a bit before answering. Hannah got the impression he didn’t want to say something about his commanding general which might get him into trouble.
After much meditation, he decided the safe answer to her question might be a question of his own.
“Um… you haven’t actually met General Mannix, have you?”
“I thought you Air Force officers spoke frankly.”
“Okay, Hannah. You want frank, here it is. General Mannix is a pompous, self-serving…”
He stopped there, knowing he’d crossed a line.
“That’s okay, David. I already suspected as much. Still, he wouldn’t hold the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs unless he was capable of making some very difficult decisions.
“Maybe I can convince him he’s out of line. Maybe I can show him he’s not seeing the big picture on this one. Maybe I can show him he’s a…”
She smiled broadly before continuing.
“Maybe can show him he’s a pompous, self-serving…”
Captain Wright couldn’t help but smile.
It was half-hearted, but it was there.
“After all,” she continued, “I’m a civilian. I can be much more frank with him than you can. If he’s a jerk who’s pouting and acting like a four year old, I can tell him. You can’t.”
“But…”
“David, have you ever been a mother?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m serious. Have you ever been a mother?”
The strapping six foot tall man sitting acr
oss the desk from her didn’t know quite how to answer.
She let him off the hook by saying, “I’ll take that as a no. I didn’t think so.
“See, here’s the thing, David. Sometimes men misbehave. Sometimes they behave like little boys. Sometimes they act like spoiled brats.”
The Captain wasn’t sure whether he was being insulted himself, or if she was leading to a broader point.
As an experienced courtroom litigator, though, he was well aware that sometimes a rambling witness took awhile to get to where he was going. And that often it was worth the wait.
So he let her ramble.
“Oh, it’s not your fault, necessarily,” she continued. “As men, I mean. As men, you’re just not as mature or capable of handling difficult or complex situations as we women are.
“Mothers, especially, are very adept at handling difficult circumstances, and at dealing with problem children.
“As I see it, your general is behaving as a small child would when someone came along and took one of his toys.
“As I see it, your general took great pride in building his bunker and crawling inside of it. Just as my son Markie takes great pride when he builds a tower of blocks.
“I remember one afternoon when Markie was about four, and he sat back and admired his tower of blocks, and his cousin Amy came along and took the one off the top. And she ran away giggling, thinking it was funny.
“Markie didn’t think it was so funny. He got very angry. He yelled and stomped his feet and used some words I most definitely didn’t approve of.
“I went to Amy and made her bring back the block and apologize, but Markie was still angry.
“I had to sit him down and tell him he was behaving badly. And that once Amy brought back the block his tower was as good as new. And that no harm was done.
“Your general is behaving in exactly the same way. He was so proud of the little bunker he built and was so happy when he was able to crawl inside of it.
“Then the colonels came along and made him come out of it.
“Once everything was figured out, though, he was able to go back inside, and everything was okay again. No harm was done.
“What is that sports term you men like to use? Something about a foul or something?”
“No harm, no foul?”
“Exactly, Captain Wright. No harm, no foul. In the end, no harm was done. Nobody got hurt when the colonels broke into the bunker. General Mannix reacted like somebody died or something.
“Sometimes when boys behave badly they need their mother’s guidance. They need to be told to straighten up and to stop acting like a spoiled brat. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Um… I guess. Sure.”
“And because we all know that men are just little boys with bigger shoes and better toys, the same applies to them as well. Would you agree to that?”
At this point Captain Wright wasn’t quite sure what to make of the woman seated in front of him.
But he was sure of one thing. He darned sure wasn’t going to argue with her.
“Um… I guess. Sure.”
“I assume he didn’t take his own mother into his bunker with him?”
“Um… I’m pretty sure his mother is dead.”
“Then I’ll have to do. How do I get in there to see him?”
-48-
Captain Wright felt as though he was a young lad, being forced to do something he didn’t want to do by his mother.
But he took solace in knowing it was General Mannix and not himself who was to incur her full wrath.
He was just the means she needed to gain a visit with the general.
“I’ll try to help you get in to see him,” he tried to explain. “But you understand it won’t be easy.”
“Why not?”
“Well, because a man of that stature… well, he picks and chooses who he sees. If he doesn’t want to see someone, there’s no way to force him to.”
“So… he’s sort of like the Queen of England.”
“I guess so. If you say so.”
“Even the Queen of England grants an audience to peasants occasionally. If it strikes her fancy, I mean. Am I right?”
David didn’t have a clue about what striking the queen’s fancy meant. On the one hand it sounded a bit… naughty. On the other hand, Hannah was starting to scare him.
“I guess. Actually, I don’t know. I don’t understand what you mean.”
“It means that if I can pique his curiosity he might see me just to find out what I’m all about.”
“Oh. Okay. But I still don’t know what you want me to do.”
“Just get me in to see him. If his secretary or adjutant or company clerk or whoever else asks what it’s all about, just tell them to tell the general I need to see him to save him from himself.”
Now Captain Wright was totally confused.
He was starting to wonder whether Hannah was slightly deranged.
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when you passed out?”
“David, I promise you I’m no threat to you or to the general. But I think I can talk some sense into him by appealing to his good nature.”
“I’m not sure he has one.”
“Just get me in there to see him. Let me try. Okay?”
“Let me see what I can do.”
-49-
Mayor Al Petrie gazed out the window of his hospital room.
He’d just finished his mandated walk around the ward, and was getting ready to crawl back into bed, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
“Ouch,” the voice said. “My eyes are burning.”
Al turned to see Debbie, the former paramedic from the mine who came along to help care for him.
He was about to ask her what she was talking about but figured it out when she said, “Here. Let me help you with that.”
His hospital gown, which opened at the back and tied at the neck and waist, had become undone.
She grabbed both of the waist ties and reconnected them.
“Oh, damn it,” he mumbled. “I just walked five laps around the ward with my butt hanging out.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Debbie countered. “Most of the other patients are in their rooms. The nurses are professionals. They’ve seen lots of tushies before. As for me, I could have lived the rest of my life without seeing your big ole butt, but I suppose I’ll recover from the trauma in time.”
She smiled.
The two had never met before she agreed to come along to help care for him. But they’d become fast friends.
It was Debbie who was typically there to keep him company in the middle of the night, when most of the others were sound asleep.
Both suffered from insomnia. Both were born and raised in Dallas, and both went to the same elementary school, though several years apart.
Lifelong friendships had started on much less.
Al said, “Hey, come here a minute, will you? Look out the window.”
She said “I just sat down, and you want me to get back up again?”
“I just want your opinion on something.”
She walked to his side and peered out.
“That person, walking this way in the street down there. See them?”
“Yes.”
“Is that Hannah? That’s the same direction she went a couple of hours ago.”
“I don’t know, maybe. They do kinda walk like Hannah, though it’s too far away to tell if it’s a man or a woman. I figured Hannah was at her hotel room resting.”
“No. She was here with me until a couple of hours ago, said she had a mission to go on and left. I watched her walk away a few minutes later. She’s a mysterious woman.
“She seemed to be carrying a lot of guilt on her shoulders.”
“Yes. There was an incident at the base a few months back. A couple of high ranking Air Force officers acted on some information she gave them.
“It turned out the information was wrong, and they got in a lot of
trouble for acting on it. They were arrested for it, and Hannah feels a lot of guilt for it. Wherever she went and whoever she talked to, it’s probably connected to that incident.”
“Think she’ll be okay?”
“Hannah? Oh, yeah. She’s tough as nails. One of the toughest women I’ve ever known. She’ll be fine.”
He changed the subject.
“See that wooded area, right there across the road that rings the hospital?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“The only broken bone I’ve ever suffered in my life was in those woods.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. You see, before this base was renamed Joint Base Lackland, it was Lackland Air Force Base. The only base the Air Force has ever used to conduct its basic training.”
“Really?”
“Yep. And that’s where the obstacle course is located. Basic trainees have to complete the obstacle course or they can’t graduate.
“Well, normally they have to. But I was an exception to the rule.”
“Because you broke your leg?”
“Yep. I was climbing up a fifty foot tower made of logs and lost my grip.
“Usually if a guy was injured in basic training they held him back and let him heal, then let him graduate with another class.
“They made an exception of me, figuring there was no need in extending my basic training stay for eight weeks. They went ahead and let me graduate. Then they sent me to a base in Hawaii.”
“Well, I have two things to say about that. Number one, I think it would have been wiser just to finish the course than to suffer a broken leg to get out of doing it.
“And second, how did you manage an assignment to Hawaii, of all places? I’ll bet the Air Force had people who tried for years to get a chance to go to Hawaii and never made it there.”
“I didn’t fall on purpose, smart aleck. I told you I lost my grip. Trying to get around on crutches for eight weeks was a major pain in the butt. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
“As for getting the assignment to Hawaii, I was just lucky. I was a lowly airman basic, with no stripes on my sleeve. But even a great place like Hawaii needs lowly airmen to do things like empty the trash cans and sweep the floors. The officers sure weren’t gonna do it.”
A Perilous Journey Page 15