Friendly Fire
The ones who demand a fair fight are
always the ones who weigh twice as much as you do. Does that sound
like a fair fight? Such John Wayne nonsense won't cut it when you
must survive the clutches of no-neck knuckleheads. Striking fear in future
enemies had to start in the present. The lessons I learned on the hard streets
of New Jersey paved my way in the military.
From day one after I landed at Clark
AB, Philippines to attend an intelligence briefing all I
heard about was marines beating up airmen at the local bars. No one could talk
about anything else. We were there to learn why communist rebels became
increasingly successful in killing regular Philippine soldiers by the
dozens. Yet the airmen were more afraid of American marines than Philippine
guerrilla assassins.
I knew what had to do--because I had
done it before. The bully won't be stopped by obeying his
rules. You must impose your own. A bat in the spokes of a bike tire
flipped a fool to the street. After hitting him five times with
the bat he never bothered me again. There was one kid as big as a
house. I had to throw his butt down a flight of stairs. Same result. Sowing
doubt in bad people is ultimately the best defense.
It was a few years since I tricked a
troublemaker into one my traps. The anticipation made me feel like a child
again. It wasn’t difficult to discover
the biggest bar reputed to have the most incidents. I went
out on a night just before it closed and spotted where the marines usually
congregated. And I also noted the legs on the tables and their position to
visualize my master plan. The next night was the first time in my life
I was celebrated for my violent antics. I truly felt appreciated
instead of merely feared.
I invited a bunch of guys who were also serving
on temporary assignments. I didn't dare ask the regulars since they were afraid
and would rather grab a few beers at the base bowling alley. I had a
plan. I just needed an audience. There were seven of us sitting near the marine
table. The waitress, God Bless her, tried to steer us to a table closer to the
entrance door. Likely she knew the troubles in the past. But I
insisted on the table nearest to the Marine group.
We barely began chugging our first beer before
the Marine table erupted in chants of "Chair Force, Chair Force."
Followed by other rude names and profanities. The guys wanted to ignore
these fools but this is what I was waiting for. I wanted
them to provoke us. I needed to justify what I was about to do. The Marines
liked to brag about how you must Improvise, adapt, and overcome in battle.
Thanks for the advice.
I sat closest to the Marine table and made my
move. I kicked the table leg out and swung it like a bat against the Marine
closest to me. His blood splattered across their table like a broken bottle of
ketchup. His nose shattered and immediately held his hands to
his face while I bat-bashed his rib cage. The jerk never had a chance. His
crew were so shocked by the event they didn't put up
a fight. And I didn't bother. My point was made.
We left that bar. I gave the waitress extra
money to fix the table. And we proceeded back to the base to party like it was
1999. The guys were impressed and celebrated my stance like I won the Olympics.
It's not every day an Airman beats up a Marine. I have nothing against
Marines-- I just detest bullies.
That began my temporary duty assignment in Clark
AB, Philippines, little did I know I would discover scandal and horror
amid a rebellion against a corrupt government. It would test my maturity and
morality at the age of 19. But there I learned I wanted to be in the
field and not behind a desk. Or worse by studying high-altitude
photographs with a microscope. All honorable pursuits. Yet I was a street
kid at heart and would rather mix it up with the bad guys.
No doubt there was a dark side to this behavior.
However, the good can't remain good if they sit
on their asses and do nothing. Confronting wrong is the only recipe
for change. In my book doing nothing is equivalent to acting
evil. I was not a middle-of-the-road man. Neutrality invites brutality. I
would step up again and again even if it killed
me. Strange philosophy when wanting to live life to its
fullest. But in this complicated world sometimes dancing on the
line of death is the only way to avoid moral decay.