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WHEN TOO FEW DECIDE
It’s a cold day in October and I’m normally spending the month or so, in my winter home, in warmer climates. This week I was called back to the capital because the country is in a crisis, the Caribbean Crisis.. Tonight I’m working well into the night at my desk. I was deep in thought while reviewing the latest intelligence reports and surveillance pictures. My concentration was interrupted by a knock on my office door.
“Come”
I was met by a young sergeant with closely cropped hair.
“Sir, the president’s helicopter just landed outside, I will be back to alert you when they are ready”, Sir
He stood at formal attention using proper military protocol until I dismissed him with a salute. Good clean cut kid, I thought to myself. He will do well in the army. As he left, I just stared at the door for a moment, I found myself reminiscing back to the time when I was his age. Back then I was just as gun-ho, ready to make a name for myself. Things seemed so much simpler back then, I was so proud to serve my country. Now, over the course of 30 years I have worked my way up from the son of a factory worker to the highest ranking general in the Army. Only in this great country is such a thing possible.
Those were glorious days, and I fought with bravery and honor in many campaigns in foreign lands with my men. My responsibilities were great, but they were few. I thought of only my men, my country, and then myself. In those days I was at ease wearing my battle dress uniform and combat boots.
I must admit that over the years, life as a soldier and a commander has tempered my views. I have lost too much, and have resolved too few conflicts. I think that war both hardens and changes a man. Even the battles I thought I had won, now seem hollow when I consider the costs. Time and history have blurred the edges of what seemed so clear in the past. In years past I felt war was the final answer, the true resolution of any conflict. Now, after many battles, I know it to be a temporary solution at best.
Even today, after all these years, I still consider myself a simple soldier. I now sometimes fill the role of a diplomat or a politician, but I am really just an old soldier, doing his duty. Today I wear shiny shoes and a smart looking uniform, complete with so much brass and colored ribbons, but a part of me still wants to be back there fighting with my men. The decisions seemed so much clearer back then, I could trust my instincts. It was easy to tell who were your friends and who was your enemy.
But, I guess that work is for younger men and at my age I must serve where the country needs me. Instead of being out in the field I find myself in this office, deep beneath the streets of the capital. This is a place that few in the country will ever see or know about. Deep inside the bowels of this government building I work, signing papers and giving orders to men, I will never see.
Another knock at the door..“General”, they are ready for you now.” The council has voted and they are at a stale mate, they need your vote.
I sigh deeply as I get up from my desk and walk down the narrow hallway to the planning room. As I enter the room I stop and salute the men already gathered there. The president sits at the head of the table, right next to a few government leaders I don’t recognize. Also at the table is the head of the navy and air force. The mood is somber. I look briefly into each of their eyes, to determine which ones have voted for war and which ones have voted for diplomacy, but their faces are well practiced and hard, they give no clue.
After a few second s of silence the president quietly speaks. “Gentlemen, we are at the brink of war. You have all read the intelligence reports; I believe it is time we make a decision. No one wants war, our people do not want war, but we also can not afford to be perceived as weak. I don’t believe we can afford to be the ones to blink first; our national security and our pride is also at stake. As the greatest nation on the face of this earth and one of the last remaining super powers, it is our obligation to react to this situation. Our allies and the world are watching, our cause is true and just. We must send a clear message. We also must assume that our counterparts across the sea have already made their decision. Our troops, bombers, submarines, and missiles are all on standby, awaiting our decision. General, as commander of the Army, your vote will break the tie one way or the other.”
The room falls silent as I ponder the choice before me. Seconds tick by that feel like hours as I feel the weight of the decision I now must make. How strange that the fate our country and that of the world, has fallen on the back of a tired old solider. How can so few of us decide the fate of so many. Who would actually win a war when both sides have the capability to insure total mutual destruction?
“The men in this room have known me for many years. You know that I believe in dealing from a position of strength. I’m sure that most of you will assume that I will vote for war, but I am tired of war. Our country is great and I am a warrior, but there can be no valor or victory in this. By my estimation we could be only minutes or hours away from a nuclear catastrophe. This one time, let us trust in their humanity. Let history proclaim us as the greatest nation, the nation of peace. I vote we stand down and give diplomacy a chance. The world will know by our actions that we have prevented a nuclear war”
After a few moments of careful thought our leader had decided. “Then, it has been decided, Comrades. I wonder if the world will ever know just how close to the edge we came tonight. Hand me the Red Phone…Hello President Kennedy, this is President Khrushchev. We have decided, in the interest of peace, to immediately begin disassembling our military hardware on the island of Cuba and to stand down our forces, if you agree to do the same. We ask you guarantee the U.S. will not invade Cuba and that you remove your missiles near our border in Turkey.
Thank you Mr. President…we shall speak again soon.”
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