War Stories 5

[ikar]

I had been assigned to Phantom Patrol, a small, very small part of Law Enforcement. Normally there were only 4-5 people assigned, but they had complete authority to roam wherever they wanted and carry whatever weapons and equipment they thought they might need. They were completely separated from the regular L.E. patrols and would only get called as an emergency backup for someone in trouble or if there was a large enough problem developing.

One night we were down on the beach checking the fence and the outdoor restaurant and theater. I could understand having a nice place to eat, and once in a while I would eat there. That's of course after payday, when I could afford the 5.00 it cost as a minimum.

The theater on the other hand, was something I never did understand. Who in their right mind would put a outdoor theater just a few hundred feet or so from the end of a active runway? But then, who would put a base on swampy land and not only have a river cutting it in half but with a small village in the center very close to the base clinic?

Anyway, we drove up to the theater and saw they were showing Airport, a fairly new movie, which in itself was a surprise. We decided to take a break for a couple minutes and watch, so I pulled unto a elevated piece of ground that helped to support the walls but gave us just enough view of the screen to see what was happening. As the next strike flight took off, the B-52s and tankers drowned out the movie. Just as they got to the point where the guy with the bomb locked himself in the bathroom, a call came from Defense Control on my frequency telling me to switch to theirs because a tower and bunker about 1/4 mile away had spotted movement just outside the fence and wanted assistance. Two jeeps a truck were on their way, and the sector armor was heading over to form a wedge with its two squads. I was to co-ordinate with track who took over as on scene commander. After things returned to normal, I drove back to the beach and the theater was empty was closed.

The next day I started asking people how the movie ended and always got the same answer, "I don't want to spoil it for you."

For the next several years I kept trying and always got the same answer. Finally, in 1977 the movie played on T.V. while my wife was in the hospital, so we watched it together.