The world has changed. Only a generation ago the term "political correctness" (PC) did not exist. What was acceptable a quarter of a century ago is considered taboo today and visa versa. A half a century ago the world was almost completely different, different in the way people saw things, accepted or not accepted views and actions. Many accepted behaviors of that time would land you in jail today, and many accepted behaviors today would have landed you in jail back in the day! If you are 30 or even 40 something, you would not remember those days. If you are north of 50, then you should definitely remember a very different world, unless your memory has failed you!
Many years ago, back in the day when I was in high school and lived on Okinawa, I first became interested in Special Forces through my direct contact with some of its members. The 1st Special Forces Group was formed on Okinawa in 1957 in what was then called Camp Sukiran. I lived miles away, down south in Camp Chinen. Some of you who were on Okinawa may remember Camp Chinen, pronounced "Shee-nen" although it was often mispronounced and called "Chee-nen."
Camp Chinen was an isolated installation with a "lower base" that was made up of mostly administrative buildings, etc., and the "upper base" which was the housing area. Often, small groups of Special Forces soldiers would come to Camp Chinen for various training, everything from language to weapons and other classified esoteric subjects. They were a quiet and serious group, very professional, who kept to themselves and were only seen when they were taking a break outside of the classroom building. As a teenager, I was very impressed with their bearing and behavior. There was none of that adolescent bravado often seen in young Marines or Army Paratroopers and Army Rangers. They were quiet and "professional," a slogan that is used to this day to describe the Special Forces, "The Quiet Professionals."
In those days, when I couldn't get away from Camp Chinen to go to one of the teen clubs, I used to go to our small bowling alley. I did not bowl, but as I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, I was friends with the Okinawan (he was actually Japanese from naichi, mainland) manager of the bowling alley. He had a fascinating background and I used to enjoy chatting with him whenever I visited him. The bowling alley was located in the part of the lower base where the camp dispensary and various classroom buildings were situated, the other side of the Gym. Often, when I walked past those classroom buildings to get to the bowling alley, I would see Special Forces soldier sitting or stretched out on the lawn outside of the classroom on their break. They would be smoking and quietly talking amongst each other. It took me a while to work up the courage to strike up a conversation with them.
One day I stopped and started to chat with some of them. I asked questions about the Special Forces. How difficult was it to get in? What qualification did I need? I asked all sorts of questions. Most of them seemed to be amused, others simply ignored me. One guy in particular was very helpful and I engaged him in conversation whenever I spotted them taking a break.
Jack was a young Staff Sergeant E-6, very friendly, and gave me all the answers to the best of his ability. Jack told me that he was from New Mexico, from Santa Fe. He was not a Hispanic, but spoke fluent Spanish for he grew up among Hispanics. Often he would exchange barbs with one of the other soldiers who was a Hispanic. Despite the fact that my Spanish was minimal at the time, it wasn't hard to tell that the language they were using was not the kind that you would use in mixed company.
Jack was a big help and gave me a lot of information about the Special Forces which fueled my desire to join the outfit even more! I never did ask them what language they were learning, and they didn't volunteer the information. But I assumed it was some Asian language. It would have been highly unlikely for them to be learning a European language on Okinawa! I saw Jack quite often for the next couple of weeks, then apparently they finished their language study, for they no longer came, instead, another group appeared after a while.
I didn't see Jack after that. I left Okinawa and later enlisted in the Army and volunteered for the Special Forces. About a year after I finished my training and was assigned to the 7th group, I ran into Jack unexpectedly at the Main NCO club in Fort Bragg. Jack was now a Sergeant First Class E-7 and he was assigned to the 6th Special Forces Group. He seemed genuinely pleased to see me and we chatted for some time before parting. That was the last time I saw Jack. I knew that he was not married and had a reputation for being a real "gung-ho" soldier. Everyone said he would make Sergeant Major in no time! My good friend Doc Barnes (I did two separate blogs on Doc earlier) knew Jack and told me that he was a "good man" but had a blind spot when it came to America. Doc did not dispense with compliments easily.
About a decade later, long after I left the Special Forces and was a civilian, I caught a news bit on TV that a former Special Forces soldier was arrested for attempting to assassinate an Arab diplomat. That former Special Forces soldier was Jack, the guy I knew from Camp Chinen! I was stunned. I researched and read more articles about the incident. It appeared that Jack was hired by someone posing as a CIA officer to take out this Arab diplomat who was known to be involved with terrorists. Jack being the gung-ho type that he was, took the "contract" and attempted to take out the Arab diplomat. Apparently the plot was uncovered before Jack could carry it out and he was arrested.
At the time I was in contact with my friend Doc Barnes and he filled me in on the details. Apparently Jack was involved in the infamous "Phoenix Program" in Vietnam, a CIA sponsored assassination and kidnapping program directed at VC cadre. Jack was among the Special Forces members who were in that program and he was booted out of the service for his part. When the "Phoenix Program" was first hatched and Special Forces soldiers were approached to volunteer, many became leery of this "mission." Many thought that what the program called for was probably illegal and so refused to join. Jack on the other hand, was so gung-ho, he would do anything that was supposedly for the good of the country. So he volunteered for the program and ended up getting kicked out of the Army and his beloved Special Forces.
He found himself back stateside with no job, no skills that he could use in civilian life. He kicked around in various menial jobs for several years, until one day he was approached by a former CIA Case Officer who posed as an active CIA officer! Jack knew this man from the "Phoenix Program" but did not know that he too had been booted out for his involvement. The man, apparently represented some private interest group, although he told Jack that he was still with the CIA and hiring on the U.S. government's behalf. Jack believed him and signed on. He was, after all, a patriot and if his country wanted him to do this, he would have done it without pay!
The whole thing fell apart when somehow the FBI and local Law Enforcement got wind of it. Jack was arrested on his way to carry out the "mission." He became the fall guy, the bad egg, the ex-Special Forces guy gone bad, etc. With the strong anti-Vietnam War sentiment still in existence, it didn't take long for Jack's involvement with the "Phoenix Program" to surface. He was painted by the media as the all-around bad guy. He was quickly tried and put in prison for 25 years. However, things didn't stop there. Some of Jack's old friends got together and pooled their resources to hire a good lawyer who went to bat for him. The lawyer dug up documentation proving that Jack was duped, that there was indeed a man who misrepresented himself as a CIA officer, and Jack thought he was carrying out a "mission" for his country!
After the way the media vilified Jack, there was hardly a whimper when the lawyer managed to have Jack released. Although he was still considered a felon, because by his own admission he was going to carry out the act, he was no longer considered guilty of a terror act or assassination attempt. Strange how our system works. Don't know what happened to Jack after that. I sure hope he doesn't fall for another one of those, "do this for your country" deals! Jack was just too blind when it came to serving his country. Anything for America! That was what he lived by and no doubt will take to his grave, if he hasn't already left this earth!
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