Warriors' Minds

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. It is good for everyone to examine your life, often in the quiet hours of the night when God dictates, and analyze thoughts. This happened last night as I thought of my many trips through Spain. Once, General Franco sitting in a box just above me at a bull fight in Madrid

In Hemingway's “The Sun Also Rises”, and in my experience, the Spanish Civil War marked a turn in European religious experience. My thoughts were rampant with the news that a monument was being built in Valencia to celebrate the lives of the martyrs who died there in 1936. At the Catholic Seminary, young men in their early 20's were taken to open graves, they kissed the ropes that bound them and as they were shot, shouted, “Long live Christ the King!”. Franco's executors had said to them, “We have nothing against you, it is the Catholic robes you wear”. This gives a new perspective to the Islamic enemies we are fighting, those willing to blow themselves up in religious zeal.

I was in the Yucatan in Mexico, met a man about my age who most of you would recognize because his picture was on many advertisements. He told me he came back to his homeland each year to visit the grave of his father, who, like the martyrs in Spain, was killed because of his faith. He said, “My father was forced to dig his own grave but onlookers said that, as he was shot and fell into the gave, he shouted “Long Live Christ the King!””. Do we actually have patriots or pilgrims of Christ persuaded to prove their love for God and country? The events of the past week, speaking of the second 9/11 at an army facility in this country, should cause every American to think about the enemy.

I was assigned to the Army hospital at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Young, inexperienced, having already been baptized by military superficial warfare, the doctor I was replacing said, “ This is the weirdest place you will ever encounter. I don't know what is going on here but it will come out some day”.

I noticed right away that many of the doctors, and others at the hospital, were unusual citizens. From the hospital commander, right on down, most were depleted, gaunt, shadows of human depravity. It occurs to me now, more so than at that time, that this remote army facility was probably being used by the government as a repatriation medical point for the CIA and God only knows who else. Professional refugees being brought in from Europe and Asia following WWII and the Korean conflict. There were only two schools of any significance on the post, the Woman's Army Corp Center and the Army Chemical Center. The mission of the hospital was just to care for the people of these schools. I noticed right away that there were many CIA and FBI people being processed at this hospital. Since I was part of the processing clinical review, I had to look in everyone's eyes, I saw and heard things which I let pass by. For instance, one of the ranking nurses, Colonel Kornfeld, was supposedly a refugee from the uprising in Hungary. The hospital commander was a German drunk medical officer by the name of Marx, his ex officer, another German drunk by the name of Correl, all the other ranking officers at the facility possessed German names. I am convinced that this remote hospital the nearest to Huntsville, Alabama was a part and parcel of Red Stone Arsenal...back then the rocket and missile knowledge facility of the country. One of my dentist friends, a German war survivor, was always being asked to talk with Europeans. The entire hospital was a galaxy of unbelievable intrigue. Frankly, I was glad to leave the place and to this day do not understand all the entanglements with the super secret areas of government, but one thing has not left my mind.

I was a young, brash, serious officer. I evidently caught the eye of a nurse who was a little older than me, but much more experienced in life. I do not flatter myself but I think she wanted to get an affair started with me. I let her know right away that I was a Christian and that my life revolved around my work at the hospital and my church (Parker Memorial Baptist, Anniston) in town. I fully believe there are people who do not have a conscience. If God wants you, he will make the necessary arrangements to get you. She evidently had so many problems with her life, enough to want to talk with me about her soul. I do not look like a priest, nor do I have a confessional booth, but she talked with me at length about her past life.

In Japan, following WWII, she was assigned by the CIA to be the whore of one of the commanders in the Japanese occupation. She lived with him in one of Tokyo's trendiest hotels. In other words, she was a domestic spy, a spy of our government, against and for, our government. She reported to the CIA or FBI about this general's entire lifestyle, everything he said and did. Obviously, things had developed so that she was assigned somewhere else and she was parked in this Army hospital's parking lot. I am convinced that this hospital was being used by secret government agencies to prepare foreign officers brought into this country for living among us... a sort of halfway house between former enemies, who had much to contribute to the country, and government agencies who needed their knowledge, or perhaps needed to use them in some other venture.

I have worked at other Army facilities and at no other place were there so many unusual characters. The truly Americanized officers and enlisted personnel, were either there on a short time basis (as this officer), or were misfits just waiting for retirement. I have tried to remember several “normal” people at the hospital (but remember this was 50 years ago). The only normal people I remember being employed there, male or female, were civil service. Remarks made to me by several of them, at one time or another (and I did not have enough abstract psychological training to understand their insinuations), went completely by me. After all, one does not seek problems...not in the military. Starting any type confusion, even to the writing of a political letter, will show up on your officer's efficiency report. This instrument used almost entirely in your promotions.

Books are being written and under the “Freedom of Information Act” CIA and FBI activity in warfare, and everything else, is being uncovered. If we had a true interrogating press, if journalism were a profession, many of the dalliances and extravagances of government would be revealed to the public working hard, sweating, trying to pay the bills. Perhaps fear of reprisal keeps many of us from making known inconsistencies and observations. It is not just our lives but our country which is at stake. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (John 4:18)