Burnt Bridges and Loose Ends, Chapter 13, "The White House, UFOs, and Afghanistan revisited ..."
It was no alien spaceship. But still, the odds are staggering against what had just happened. 'Marine One', the President's helicopter that normally lands on the South Lawn at the White House, was attempting to land in the Rose Garden just outside the President's window in the Oval Office. Apparently, both a trainee pilot and co-pilot were practicing night takeoffs and landings and somehow got their bearings crossed. It was a one in a million mistake, and there will definitely be an investigation. They were apparently unsupervised. But this plot line will serve to help dig the author out of the hole he is quickly digging himself into by using this editorial gimmick for shock value as a bridge to move things along while keeping within the overall theme of the story.
(Author's Note: This Thomas Baker novel is largely based on true events. Some chapters are preordained with creative license in order to move the story along. This follows his 'Sunset Playland', 'Sweet Land of Liberty', 'Something for Nothing', and 'Exodus Afghanistan: A Personal Story' which is still an unresolved situation and an ongoing concern. All of these can be seen on this Linkedin web page, posted chapter by chapter in the "Articles" and "Activity" sections. Some names and places have been changed for privacy, personal protection, and national security)
The Secret Service immediately cleared the room and hustled the President off to a safe location within the White House. Baker, Hennessy, and George sat in wide-eyed silence on a bench in the hallway just outside the Oval Office, guarded by a Secret Service agent.
There was no harm done, but it certainly gave everyone a stir. The White House tried to keep the incident quiet, but it leaked out almost immediately, faster than Donald Trump can organize an insurrection. The morning news was all over it, speculating, and choking itself with rumors and misinformation, and of course on the Fox channel, dis-information. They were falling all over themselves with wild stories of sabotage, an assassination attempt, a Watergate-type theme, political shenanigan conspiracies, incompetence, drunken helicopter pilots, even that an actual UFO had landed in the Rose Garden. The media loved it, their advertisers loved it (ratings, baby!) the Republicans loved it, and most of all, America loved it. And, of course, the rest of the world, our allies and enemies alike, loved it.
Who didn't love it were the two Marine trainee pilots sitting in the brig awaiting their inquest proceedings.
Once things cooled down that evening, the President continued his meeting with George, Baker, and Hennessy in his residential upstairs White House office. They were all still stirred, but not shaken. In fact, once it was known what had happened, they all got a laugh about it. Kind of. But tomorrow's news blasts will surely cast a whole different light on this President, his presidency, and suggest an administration of incompetency.
The President spoke first, "Well, I'll have hell to pay tomorrow when this hits the news. It's going to make me look foolish, and the brunt of many jokes."
Hennessy piped up, "Yes, Mr. President, but jokes could be a good thing. They take the media heat off the more serious issues at hand. Like, for instance, this will give a whole new meaning to the term 'Send in the Marines!' "
George interrupted, saying, "Jokes aside, Mr. President, this could have been a real tragedy had that chopper crashed into the White House, and into the Oval Office. It's actually a credit to those pilots that they were able to abort without any further incident and land safely on the South Lawn ... at least that may be one way to spin this."
Hennessy said, "Yeah, good luck with that."
Baker suggested, "Mr. President, just let this play out. Thank goodness no one was hurt. Roll with the jokes that will be inevitable, and hope something else quickly comes along to attract attention. Like the actual UFO crisis we're in the middle of right now. Most of America will want to believe that the 'Marine One' mishap is just a cover up for a UFO incident at the White House anyway. Run with it. It'll run its course. Let the media wash this away, fools that they are.
The President agreed, "Yes, okay, let's get back to work. Before tonight's main attraction, not many people knew I was meeting with you three here tonight. I wanted it that way. I know and trust all of you. You have each demonstrated a loyalty and courage indicative of your true core selves ... and that's what I need right now.
" ... George, I know about you. I also know that 'George' is not your name. So, we'll leave it at that for now. But you held fast and true regarding Baker's friend Abbas and his brother's dire situation in Afghanistan. You broke ranks at the State Department and were reprimanded for explaining the situation and passing along information that gave that family hope and encouragement. You pointed them to the one man, Utah Senator Witt Bromley, who could have adjudicated the issue, but he refused to become involved. Shameful. Shame on him ...
... Tom, take your time on my VP offer. I want you to think seriously about it. I read your 'Exodus Afghanistan: A Personal Story' on your Linkedin web page (this page, in the 'features' section). It's a compelling and detailed account of what that man and his family have gone through, and the clear and present danger they are still in. The hard work that both you and Abbas, all three of you, have applied to that situation is admirable. The separation of powers built into our system has hobbled me to some degree, but I will look into this matter and get to the bottom of it. I promise you. And, Tom, I want to say again, your resiliency and bounce-back from your Vietnam experience shows an uncommon loyalty and love for this country ... anyone else would have caved in ... including me ...
... and Ray, your loyalty, courage, and fighting spirit are legend among your military peers. Not to mention your ability to connect with other people, and your connections with other people. You keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You are an invaluable asset to this team. You three work well together."
Baker speaks, "Thanks, Mr. President, especially with your support for Abbas's brother and family stuck in Afghanistan. This is such an injustice. It needs to be corrected. We have a tendency in this country to 'move on' after we've politically fouled something up leaving things hanging, leaving chaos and bodies in our rear view mirror ... like Vietnam, like Iraq, like Afghanistan. Abbas's brother and his family are innocent victims of this political fubar. The man is an American ally. He was a medic in the Afghan Army fighting side by side with U.S. troops against the Taliban, and saving lives. A true friend of America and bonafide hero. We simply cannot leave him and his family hanging and at the mercy of the Taliban. They need to be rescued. The State Department along with the top senator from Utah, Witt Bromley, need to account and be held responsible for their inaction, and for the fate of this man and his family.
(Baker, at one point, had suggested that Abbas have his attorneys file a lawsuit against the State Department for rejecting his brother’s immigration visa. Or even against Utah Senator Bromley himself for withholding information. He had a good case. The evidence was clear that they had no evidence to substantiate their claim that Farid Nuri “helped the Taliban.” However, the media exposure this could generate would expose Nuri and his family, and put them in further danger of retaliation from the Taliban "for helping the Americans" as they continue to live their lives in fear and hiding in Kabul)
... but we need to get after this UFO thing and nip it in the bud, or get to the bottom of it before it gets out of control, and before whoever is playing us, or whatever is being inflicted upon us does some serious harm."
Hennessy quips, "So, let's get to it ... before we have to Send in the Marines."
The President responds, "Amen."
They all laugh ...
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762