Posted: May 22, 08 7:01pm
I'm sure we have all experienced things that others in TBD haven't. Just thought I'd throw up one of my unique experiences and see if it brings out others.
I was on my 10 th year in the US Army but had just made Warrant Officer, WO-1, or wobbly one as the other officers refered to W-1s. It was my first assignment and I was on my way to a remote outpost in the mountains of Turkey. I was traveling by myself and after flying from Istanbul to Ankara, I was to catch a plane to Samsun. Samsun is a Turkish town on the Black Sea. There was a small US Air Force and NATO Base there. When I got off the plane I looked around, expecting to see someone in US Military uniform there to greet the brand new Warrant. No one. After franticly wandering around for a few minutes. I found an Airman who was at the terminal to pick up mail but who knew nothing about my arrival. He said for some reason he was the only one they let leave base that morning. He was to pick up the mail that came in on the same plane as I, and return to base. He pointed to a bus and said that if I got on it a driver would show up after while and take me to the base. So I got on the bus. There were a number of Turkish people wandering around and casting mean glances at me and the bus. The driver showed up and took me to the base. I spoke no turkish and the driver made no attempt at conversation. When we arrived at the front gate, there was a crowd of turkish people milling about, obviously angry about something. I was told to go straight to the Officer Quarters and stay there. I did. The guy in charge there told me that he only had one open room and someone from the American Embassy and the Ranking US Officer in Turkey were on there way to Samsun, So he would put me up but I would probably have to move to some other place soon. A little later I got a call to report to the Base Commanders Office. I was then told what was going on. NATO Bases in countries belonging to The North atlantic Treaty organization fly the flags of the countries who have troops on the Base and the flag of the host country. The NATO flag is flown above the others and the others are all flown at equal height just lower than the NATO flag. The night before my arrival someone had lowered the Turkish Flag, Cut the crescent and star out of the flag and then run it back up the flag pole. The local people were outraged. They were demanding justice. They were on the verge of riot. Everyone on Base was under orders not to leave their posts.The Base Commander at Samsun had talked to the Base Commander at the small site where I was headed and they both had talked to the Turkish Military representative in the area. They had all agreed that since I was not present when the act occurred there was no reason that I could not leave the area.
Now here is the problem; How to get me out without the local people thinking that I am the one who did the dastardly deed and riping me limb from limb? The solution was; there was a back gate that was rarely used. they would put me in a four wheel drive vehicle with a Turkish driver and we would go out the back gate down a creek bed up the side of a hill and onto the gravel road that runs 130 mile through the mountains along the Black Sea to the next town. Sinope,Turkey.
I said "fine where do I get my M-16? they said the Status-of- Forces Agreement precludes Foreign military from carrying weapons in Turkey.
They said, "don't let the driver stop until you get to Sinope. I ask "does he speak any English? No. We started the journey. The trip itself is a whole nother story.
what would you do? what would you say?
Open for comments. What stories do you have?
