*
Four hours
later the van rolled past a red brick sign that read, “CAMP LEJEUNE: HOME OF
EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN READINESS,” and stopped in front of the base’s main
gate. The man in the passenger seat stepped out of the van then opened the side
door. Two of the men in the back seat got out. They ordered us out and walked
us to the corrugated steel guard rail that surrounded the guard house in the
middle of the road.
We stepped over
knee high guardrails. A baby faced MP waited for us. He nodded to our escorts
and they turned and got back in the van.
“Move to the
front,” the MP said. He pointed past the red stop sign and extended red and
white gate crossing the road. “They’ll be up to get you soon.”
We moved to the
other side of the building. I leaned back against the brick exterior and stared
down the deserted tree lined street that led to the main base. Things hadn’t
changed much since the last time we were here. That was six months ago. Just
before our deployment to Iraq.
Bear leaned
over. “This garbage stinks.” He kicked one leg up, placing his heel against the
brick wall behind us. “Abbot should have met us out here.”
“I thought he
would,” I said. “He’s the reason we’re here, though, and not the island.”
“Think he knows
we’re here right now?”
“I hope so,
Bear. I honestly do.”
A dark sedan
approached from the base, slowed down and made a U-turn in front of the guard
station and stopped in the middle of the road, and then both front doors
opened.
“Turn around,”
an MP said as he emerged from the passenger side. “Hands on the wall.”
I turned to
Bear, rolled my eyes, then continued around to face the wall.
The MPs were on
us a few seconds later. They were cautious and calm. They didn’t shout or use
force with us.
“Just a
formality,” one of them said. “Nice and easy. Let’s get this over with.”
I didn’t resist
when they pulled my arms down behind me and handcuffed me. Neither did Bear. A
few minutes later we were in the backseat of their cruiser.
“Take us to
Colonel Abbot,” I said.
The driver
looked up and made eye contact with me in the rear-view mirror. “He’s not
here.”
My heart sank.
Abbot was our only contact on base.
“Know where he
is?”
The driver
shook his head.
“I’ll need to
get in touch with General Keller then.”
“You realize
you’re detained, don’t you?” the other MP said.
I exhaled and
shrugged.
“Just take it
easy. You guys will be settled in soon.”
I kept hope up
that they were taking us to the barracks and putting us up for the night. But
the further we drove, the more I knew that wasn’t going to happen. The car
finally stopped in front of the brig. The MPs got out. The back doors swung
open.
“What are we
being held for?” I asked.
“Not our
concern,” the MP said while pulling me out of the car by my elbow.
I pulled back.
“Let’s not go
down that route. OK, Noble?”
I eased up,
swung my legs out of the vehicle and planted my feet on the ground. The MP pulled
me up and dragged me over to where Bear and his MP escort waited by a door that
led inside the brig.
“Let’s go,” the
MP said.
He led me
through the door into the building. We walked down a wide, dimly lit industrial
gray painted hallway past several administrative offices. Signs next to each
door indicated a name or division. We passed through two sets of security doors
then stopped in a cold square room, painted white with a foot wide gray stripe
about four feet off the ground. A pale, skinny MP stood behind a counter at the
far end of the room. He looked me up and down, did the same to Bear, then
disappeared from sight.
“Strip,” one of
the MPs said. “We’ll worry about your hair and beards tomorrow.”
Bear and I
removed our clothes.
The skinny MP
reappeared a few minutes later and handed us a pair of green sweat pants and a
gray shirt, slippers for our feet, and some toiletry items. We quickly
Four hours
later the van rolled past a red brick sign that read, “CAMP LEJEUNE: HOME OF
EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN READINESS,” and stopped in front of the base’s main
gate. The man in the passenger seat stepped out of the van then opened the side
door. Two of the men in the back seat got out. They ordered us out and walked
us to the corrugated steel guard rail that surrounded the guard house in the
middle of the road.
We stepped over
knee high guardrails. A baby faced MP waited for us. He nodded to our escorts
and they turned and got back in the van.
“Move to the
front,” the MP said. He pointed past the red stop sign and extended red and
white gate crossing the road. “They’ll be up to get you soon.”
We moved to the
other side of the building. I leaned back against the brick exterior and stared
down the deserted tree lined street that led to the main base. Things hadn’t
changed much since the last time we were here. That was six months ago. Just
before our deployment to Iraq.
Bear leaned
over. “This garbage stinks.” He kicked one leg up, placing his heel against the
brick wall behind us. “Abbot should have met us out here.”
“I thought he
would,” I said. “He’s the reason we’re here, though, and not the island.”
“Think he knows
we’re here right now?”
“I hope so,
Bear. I honestly do.”
A dark sedan
approached from the base, slowed down and made a U-turn in front of the guard
station and stopped in the middle of the road, and then both front doors
opened.
“Turn around,”
an MP said as he emerged from the passenger side. “Hands on the wall.”
I turned to
Bear, rolled my eyes, then continued around to face the wall.
The MPs were on
us a few seconds later. They were cautious and calm. They didn’t shout or use
force with us.
“Just a
formality,” one of them said. “Nice and easy. Let’s get this over with.”
I didn’t resist
when they pulled my arms down behind me and handcuffed me. Neither did Bear. A
few minutes later we were in the backseat of their cruiser.
“Take us to
Colonel Abbot,” I said.
The driver
looked up and made eye contact with me in the rear-view mirror. “He’s not
here.”
My heart sank.
Abbot was our only contact on base.
“Know where he
is?”
The driver
shook his head.
“I’ll need to
get in touch with General Keller then.”
“You realize
you’re detained, don’t you?” the other MP said.
I exhaled and
shrugged.
“Just take it
easy. You guys will be settled in soon.”
I kept hope up
that they were taking us to the barracks and putting us up for the night. But
the further we drove, the more I knew that wasn’t going to happen. The car
finally stopped in front of the brig. The MPs got out. The back doors swung
open.
“What are we
being held for?” I asked.
“Not our
concern,” the MP said while pulling me out of the car by my elbow.
I pulled back.
“Let’s not go
down that route. OK, Noble?”
I eased up,
swung my legs out of the vehicle and planted my feet on the ground. The MP pulled
me up and dragged me over to where Bear and his MP escort waited by a door that
led inside the brig.
“Let’s go,” the
MP said.
He led me
through the door into the building. We walked down a wide, dimly lit industrial
gray painted hallway past several administrative offices. Signs next to each
door indicated a name or division. We passed through two sets of security doors
then stopped in a cold square room, painted white with a foot wide gray stripe
about four feet off the ground. A pale, skinny MP stood behind a counter at the
far end of the room. He looked me up and down, did the same to Bear, then
disappeared from sight.
“Strip,” one of
the MPs said. “We’ll worry about your hair and beards tomorrow.”
Bear and I
removed our clothes.
The skinny MP
reappeared a few minutes later and handed us a pair of green sweat pants and a
gray shirt, slippers for our feet, and some toiletry items. We quickly
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