[Read Chapter 2: Deep Into Enemy Territory]
Before I returned to "Camp Edgewater" I would need to do some recruiting. Local talk radio would be my advertising, a call to the afternoon host asking for volunteers. Would this produce results, or am I the only one who is willing to take on this mission?
I returned to "Camp Edgewater" to hold my ground. I was being verbally assaulted by the aging hippies, who were now actually keeping some distance between us, when I heard footsteps approaching from my six. I turned around to see a small squad sized element on a direct approach. They were armed... is this it? Is this how I'm going down?
The new element drew their weapons... signs supporting our troops... nice... some backup had arrived! The enemy went into a state of disarray. The recruiting effort paid off.
The reinforcements are locals who heard the call to arms on the radio, and support the movement. Mel, Mark,Vickie, and MaryAnn assembled into an "on line assault" formation. Our line held for the duration of the battle, and we formed a cohesive unit. Mel's son was in Iraq at the time, and they were proud to enlist with Operation Peace On You. As Mark so eloquently put it... "We must get rid of the liberal supporters of defeat, and run them out of our city".
Our next incursion into "Camp Edgewater" was accentuated by an encounter with Tom. Tom is the most local of locals. He lives on a boat at the Dunedin Marina, About 100 meters behind the CP (Command Post) at Camp Edgewater. Tom has a story of his own to tell about the enemy and his first meeting with our unit. I will let Tom tell you in his own words in the comments link for this post. Tom has been a solid fixture in our unit, ready to debate the most agitating of our enemy resistance... "Danny".
What can we say about Danny? Well, for starters, he is well rehearsed in the art of annoyance. Danny's tired rhetoric is always on display. "American troops are torturers, murderers, and rapists." These sentiments are being espoused at the same time that he his telling us that he is a Vietnam veteran ( chapter 2 of this blog has already covered this ploy) and that his son is now serving in Kuwait. I have to doubt these statements, as he has cited that his son was in the Navy, then later cites that his son is in the Army. Knowing that this is merely propaganda, I lobbed a grenade in his direction... "has your son got a chance to rape anybody, yet?". This shut him up... for a minute. The battle will continue.
[Read Chapter 4: Is This War Legal?]
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2 comments:
Ah. . . Danny. "War is...!" On one of my outings with OPOY, Danny was going off on the "bogus evidence that sent us to war." I was on the verge of saying, "Remember the Maine! To Hell with Spain!" When he brought it up! I nearly lost it! I was going to sarcastically bring it up but he beat me to the punch and he was serious! I've seen people make connections to Vietnam with this war, but never the Spanish-American war! That's creativity!
The following is Tom's story of joining the unit. Thanks for the contribution, buddy! See ya wednesday!
I live aboard my boat at the Dunedin Municipal Marina. It was this that put me in the way of meeting Captain America , and involving myself in Operation Peace On You. The other thing that you have to know about me is that I am legally blind. This will help to explain both why it took me so long to know what was going on with the Peace Corner, and why I was half inclined to flatten Captain the first time I met him.
I had distantly noticed that there were an abnormal number of horn blasts and toots late of a Wednesday afternoon long before I inquired of friends, and learned of the group of anti war activists that demonstrated on the corner of Alternate 19 and Main Street . Indeed, they had been doing so for some time.
I am one of those people who will talk to anyone about anything, in hopes of either improving my knowledge, or persuading the other of his or her folly. I had and have very definite, if abstruse, views on the war in Iraq , but they boil down to strong support. Still, you never knew, and maybe there was someone wiser than myself out there on Wednesday’s who could either improve my knowledge or change my point of view.
I shouldn’t have worried. On the first occasion when I approached the line of demonstrators, and heard the usual tired, cliché remarks, I could but shake my head. Still, I was there, and would engage. I shouldn’t have bothered. Not only was I answered with slogans, but when I applied logic to these, I was threatened and finally told that I was, “dismissed”, this by an ancient who must have been either a Latin teacher or librarian in a previous incarnation. I took a resolve that day. If no one would stand against these empty headed light weights, I’d at least try.
I was otherwise engaged for a week or two, but when next I had late Wednesday afternoon free, I returned. I’d try one last time to start a dialogue. I hadn’t been able to arrange a sign yet. My print management skills are not extensive.
What did I see as I approached Alternate? Standing on what looked like a ladder was a shape in blue, holding up a sign and a right side up American flag. As yet, all the flags I had seen the protesters holding had been upside down ones. As I drew near, I could see that the man in question was wearing a super hero costume of some sort. My knowledge of the comics is limited, but as he turned to his left, something rang a bell. Here was Captain America , one of the great original supporters of the American way.
I stopped dead. This was too much. If this, expletive deleted, was here protesting the war using a unique symbol of this country’s greatness, we were going to have words, and not reasonable ones. I was inclined to snatch him off the ladder to get him at eye level, but common sense, which isn’t, by the way, took charge at the last, and I spoke him civilly.
What did his sign say? When Captain told me that it said “SUPPORT THE TROOPS, SUPPORT THE WAR”, I felt the tension go out of me, to be replaced by a warm feeling of comradeship. Here at last was someone with whom I could stand. And so I have for a year and a half.
USA !
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