Legacy

It is safe to say that such beloved characters as Walter Mitty and Baron Munchausen were read about and beloved by many.

Their fanciful adventures reflected the daydreams  and night dreams of many, many people, though most would never admit  to having such fanciful and wild aspirations, truth is, most of us do in one form or another. I for one will admit having some.  This story entitled “The General” is one of mine.  Some of the tenets in it may have some resemblance to characters played by Jack Benny, Danny Kaye, and Red Skelton.  Sorry about that, but it’s my weird fanciful and I’ll tell it like it is to me.

My name is Garvin Wilson, I’m now 74 years old, but the story transpires when I was 73 years old.

One day a knock on my door presented a surprise beyond anything one could have anticipated even in a wild dream.  I have some good ones.  Anyway, I opened the door an  I was greeted by two of the preverbal “Men In Black”.  There was a black limo in the driveway with government plates.  Awesome, spooky; I was almost ready to deny doing whatever they were there to get me for.

They asked if they could come in. I said Okay reluctantly with tongue in cheek.  I knew that my day was about to be ruined, certainly interrupted the TV movie I was watching.  They produced  genuine looking identification.  Apparently CIA operatives.

I took the Id’s they offered over to the window where there was sunlight and held them up to it.  I said well I guess you are legit.  They asked why I’d held their ID to the sunlight.  I said because if they had been opened and tampered with, they would show an oil slick like film in sunlight.  They said that’s right, where did you learn to do that.  I replied special investigation training in the service.  Don’t ask about that.  They said we won’t, but in your records there is no record of that. I said well being in your business you know as well as I do there is a lot never in the records that is not discussed.

They said that makes it weird that you were selected, because you may have been around the horn a time or two.  I said you will never know.  Then they presented me with a letter signed by the President, resplendent with the official seal.  It said I was needed to perform a service for my country and he would personally appreciate it if I would help, that the two gentlemen at my door would explain the details.

It started to get a bit far fetched, or at least far out.  They said that someone of my approximate age was needed to masquerade as a known dealer in weapons of mass destruction.  I said there must be thousands of willing people my age.  They said true, but none of them look like you, and you resemble the weapons dealer greatly.  You were picked after many hours of going through old military photo records and computer aging each one till we found one, that’s you, which should look like that weapons dealer.  You are a better match than we had even hoped for.

By now I was thinking good, goody gumdrop, I don’t think I like where this is going.  They said that the dealer by the name of Hans Grubner was captured along with the capsule intended for delivery to a major  terrorist cell.  That capsule contained a deadly virus.  They wanted me to make the drop that was supposed to occur in four weeks using a similar capsule with a phony but look a like vial in it.

They said that whoever makes the pickup will test the vial with a black light. The genuine virus should show pink.  A lot of thing show pink under a black light.  So what you will be carrying will not be deadly.  They won’t figure out its phony until after they get it to the headquarters.  Meanwhile the GPS device we have hidden in the stainless steel heavy capsule will allow us to find out where the entire group is and order swift air strikes to take them totally out.

Yes, it’s a very dangerous mission, you may not survive.  Even if you do, you may never discuss the details with any one, not even your wife.  I suppose it was good she was out shopping when those two operatives arrived.

I said there are complications to consider.  I’m diabetic and need medications daily.  They said no problem we will see you have the needed dosages with you.  Kept getting harder to beg off. I’m patriotic, but not all that ambulatory anymore, walk with a cane.  That they liked because the fellow I was supposed to pose as did also.

Okay, I thought one more ploy, I’ll make a condition they can’t possibly honor; then I’ll be off the hook.  I said that I was looking at all risk, and even if I succeed, no glory. Can’t tell about it.  So here’s the deal, if you can get me what I’m asking for, Okay, otherwise you will have to look elsewhere and give the President my regrets.

I said my service time was mostly Air Force, and I’d always thought wouldn’t it be nice if I were an Air Force Brigadier General.  Not greedy, just one star.  Ha! Ha! that should shut them up and make them go away.

God have mercy, they did the unexpected and said no problem, consider it done.  Then they added that was an excellent idea because it would make a great cover story to tell my unsuspecting wife.  The story would be I was being recalled for a temporary assignment as I had special trainings much needed at this time.  Training I’d never mentioned and still was not at liberty to.

Man, was I on the hook, no way or wriggling off.  They apparently had Presidential backing to the hilt.  Those two came prepared for everything.  They brought from their car a small case, from it they took all they needed to get my size right, even my shoe and hat.  They said that the uniform, along with proper military ID would be delivered in two days.  They took my picture for the ID.  They said now they had my sizes, they would also delivery a packed suitcase with clothing like the weapons dealer I would pose as would wear.  They left and I sat in my chair like a stunned ox, oblivious to what was on the TV.

I really wasn’t looking forward to telling my wife, I knew she’d flip out and wonder if I had a brain left.  I could only allude to recall what  happens in times of crisis and hoped I could let it go at that.

I decided I’d wait for the uniform to arrive, and she could get a gander at the black limo also.  That should help cement the story.

The uniform arrived, it was a perfect fit, I thought I looked pretty good.  My wife did also, but she wasted no time in making it known in no certain terms that she was not happy about any of it.  She was mad about the idea I’d kept secrets.  I had to choke that one down.  She went on for quite awhile about not being a widow prematurely, she said only a dummy would think such recall was an invitation to a tea party.  She had me there. But the die was cast.

Well in two days it was Sunday, and I proudly donned my uniform and wore it to church.  Needless to say that turned a lot of heads and inside I puffed up a bit.  I think I really deserved that rank considering I was about to earn it the hard way.  In Sunday School the teacher hardly had time to give a lesson.  Too much chatter about “the General”, lots of questions that I couldn’t give much answers to passed, I’d been recalled for a temporary mission.

Aspects of my military past were asked about and I had to decline answers on that also.  My wife said it was a surprise to her also.  Someone said from their own military experience that no one of my age would ever be recalled unless the situation was dire and I had special abilities.  I couldn’t really discuss that either.  I did however with great sincerity ask everyone to pray for me and my return.  That implied something’s no doubt, but I wasn’t free to detail anything, never would be.

I had though I might have one more Sunday to parade my fine looking self around, but that didn’t happen.  The two Men in Black showed up the following Thursday, and it was time to go. I said my goodbyes to my wife and I knew we both hoped it wasn’t a final one.

I was briefed intensely and thoroughly for several days, until I was well aware of how to act and what to expect. I was also told that the usual payment method the buyers employed upon satisfactory receipt of goods was to make a fund transfer to what ever Swiss Bank account I named.  I was provided with an account number for that to complete transaction illusions.

I was helicopter lifted to an Air Craft Carrier, whose name I’m not allowed to mention.  Several days later I was off loaded onto a fifty foot yacht mocked up to closely resemble the one owned by the original weapons dealer.  It flew a Libyan flag.  It didn’t take long until we were a few miles off the Libyan Coast.

Of course the crew of the yacht were also CIA operatives, dressed as Libyan sailors.  Everything seemed to be going well enough and I would certainly be glad when it was over.  A small motor craft approached us and made proper communications.  Three persons of unknown nationality came on board.  As negotiations were near conclusion we were hit by a small air to ground missile.

Apparently the Libyan civil war was getting us mixed into things and a NATO plane spotting the Libyan flag decide to sink us on the way to bigger and better targets.  Well chaos followed and the three who had come on board grabbed me and the case with the capsule and hustled me onto their smaller motor craft.

They no doubt thought they were doing me a favor along with securing the case with the capsule.  At least two of the CIA operatives were killed in the missile strike.  The rest seemed to be manning the life boats as the yacht was sinking.

Obviously I’d rather have been in a life boat as opposed to being rescued by the buyer’s agents along with a phony capsule. My situation seemed to be getting very, very dire.  We arrived not in Libya, but on a small island about eight miles off its coast.  I knew as soon as they discovered the capsule was phony, I’d be dead, unless I could use the original weapons dealer’s reputation to beg off claiming I was fooled also.  Long shot, not much help even if it worked.  Why? Because once that capsule with the embedded GPS device stopped moving it would signal an air strike that would occur in two hours, three at best.  The island would be obliterated with everyone on it, which included me.  Not good, my life flashed before me.  I started a silent prayer with a great desperation.  I knew if I could get to the dock where the motor craft was, and unguarded, I might get out of there in time.

I needed a diversion to get everyone’s attention, and before the capsule under went a greater scrutiny.  Not much time to pull it off.  I was left to my own devices while wondering around on  a second story porch.  Now on this porch was a brazier with hot coals.  Used for roasting food, or just a custom, I didn’t know.  I noticed while looking over the rail for a way down that a room sticking out at the first floor level had a thatched roof.

Now it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that’s very flammable material.  The brazier was close to the rail. To hot to handle so I grabbed a chair and batted it over.  It wasn’t long before it was flaming good. That for reasons I couldn’t figure at the time really got everyone’s attention.  There were more people running with water buckets to douse it than you could count.

Meanwhile I hurried down the stairs on the other side and beat a hasty path to the dock.  I jumped in the motor craft and took off with all the speed I could get out of it.  I’d got maybe a quarter of a mile away heading to the Libyan coast when kablooey the whole place went up. Must have been one huge munitions cache.  I made it to the Libyan coast and found some of the Libyan rebels.  It took some talking to convince them I was American, but I finally did.  They let me borrow a cell phone and I called the fail safe number I’d memorized.

The other end was surprised to hear from me, they figured I’d either gone down with the yacht or went up with the island.  I asked for extraction and they said they have a chopper there within the hour.  They said they hadn’t made an air strike after all as satellite images made it unnecessary.

They asked if I had anything to do with the island blowing up.  I said I think I did, but had no idea I’d get such good results.

Well back stateside, I was privileged to make a side stop at the White House.  The President said, you have really earned your rank and more.  I am presenting to with this Distinguished Service Medal.  A General should have at least one medal, and you earned this one.  Sorry no fancy ceremonies with the press present, but we both no why.  I said I did.  The President said also I’d get my formal discharge papers in about a month, and he added by the way General that comes with a small pension. I said thank you.  That certainly didn’t hurt my feelings any.

Well back home know, wife delighted to see me as I was her.  Told her there was a time when I doubted I would.  But to let it go at that because I’m sworn to secrecy.  She noticed the medal and said nice.

I enjoyed parading my uniform and medal for a couple of weeks.  Then I put it away, figuring that once a year on Veterans Day, I might get it out and see if it still fits.