Behind Enemy Lines: Axis of Evil Page #7

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Past this point, the squadron needs

a "go forward" order.

- So ordered.

- Oscar 20.

- "Go" order is affirmed.

- Roger that, CENTCOM.

Proceeding on course.

Crossing hostile territory in 0847.

- Chung! Get your men! Let's go!

- They're dead!

Watch out!

Sir, the first squad penetrates

hostile airspace in 45 seconds.

The tanker should have

blown the bunker.

Hold on.

Mr. President.

Initializing weapon systems. Safety off.

Get new orders to all pilots

in Operation Sheet Lightning!

Brevity code Allison. All elements stand down.

All pilots return to base.

Echo 20. Echo 20.

Brevity code Allison.

Stand down.

I repeat- Stand down.

Roger that, CENTCOM. Aborting approach.

Man, that was close.

Sir, our boys have done it.

- Neil! You good?

- Yeah.

Yeah, you were making

quite a racket up there.

I was just tryin'

to get some sleep.

Better hold on.

It's gonna get bumpy.

- You wanted to see me, sir?

- Come on in, Barnes.

If I can drop you here,

can you get a rubber-duck exfil team...

two kilometers up the Tumen River

from the Sea of Japan?

With resupply tanks...

you bet your ass we could, sir.

So, how would you and your boys

like to go get your L.T.?

Spaz.

- Meideros and Shultiess, they...

- We know.

We couldn't...

I-I wanted...

Bobby. We know.

I'm sorry to keep you waiting,

General.

- Please sit down.

- Thank you, Mr. President.

This nation owes you

a debt of gratitude, Norman.

You've had a long...

and a distinguished career.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Norman.

I'm relieving you

of your command.

Will the defendant approach?

You wanted to see me, sir.

You've been invited

to the White House, Lieutenant.

The president wants to give you

a commendation.

Me, sir?

I should be at that tribunal

with Callaghan.

Yeah, well, you're going

to the White House instead.

It's a classified meeting.

You understand?

No invited guests.

It's the Oval Office.

Just you and the president.

You can take one witness there.

One guy?

Master Chief Petty Officer

Neil T. Callaghan...

this tribunal

has reached its verdict.

On your feet, Master Chief.

- Lieutenant James.

- Yes, sir.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

- Come in. Sit down.

- Thank you, sir.

On the Article 15 charge

of striking an officer...

we find the defendant

guilty as charged...

and sentence him to one year

in the Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar.

Sir? The lieutenant's witness is here.

Send him in.

On the Article 90 charge

of disobeying a lawful order...

we find the defendant guilty...

and sentence him to 10 years

at NAVCONBRIG Miramar.

Lieutenant Robert James...

for service to your country...

I am proud to present you

with the Distinguished Service Cross.

Does the prisoner

have anything he'd like to say?

No, sir.

Very well.

By executive order...

the transcripts of this tribunal

are classified top secret.

The record of these charges are to be

expunged from your permanent record...

and your sentence

is commuted to time served.

You're free to go, Master Chief.

I never seen anybody swallow more puke

on one of my planes than you, Bobby James.

You saw that?

Why didn't you ever red tag me?

Because I never saw anybody

who wanted to be a Navy SEAL bad as you.

You know, Master Chief...

what you taught me,

what you trained me to do...

You saved my life

over there, sir.

Come on, son.

High-ranking U.S. Officials...

attempting to explain the cause

of a large mushroom cloud...

first seen over North Korea

on Sunday...

are raising more questions

than answers.

The mushroom cloud

was first detected Sunday...

in satellite images

by South Korean media...

indicating the cloud

was approximately four kilometers...

at the border area between North Korea

and China in Yanggang Province.

Pyongyang initially denied

that any explosion had occurred...

but later reversed themselves,

linking the explosion...

to a hydroelectric dam project.

In the U.S.,

several high...ranking officials...

were unusually quick

to accept Pyongyang's explanation...

or offered differing explanations

of their own.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice

told CNN yesterday...

"There are all kinds of reports, and there are

all kinds of assessments that are going on.

Maybe it was a forest fire

of some kind."

When the stories

broke over the weekend...

about some explosion

taking place in North Korea...

my instincts told me

it was not a nuclear explosion.

As you know,

the North Koreans announced today...

that they were doing some demolition work

for a hydroelectric project...

and they're inviting

visiting foreign officials...

especially from the United Kingdom...

to visit the site.

However, upon their return,

the diplomats told reporters...

that, according

to the satellite images...

they had been taken

to the wrong position...

about 100 kilometers

from the suspected explosion site.

Today, the story

took another curious turn...

as the South Korean

Vice Minister of Unification, Rhee Bong-jo...

released a statement

claiming that there was no explosion...

stating the supposed

mushroom cloud...

was a natural cloud formation.

Perhaps the most troubling theory

put forth to explain the large cloud...

is that a foreign state

may have incurred into North Korea...

to conduct a clandestine

military operation.

This theory took on greater potential

for being accurate...

when it was discovered today

that the explosion occurred...

near the site

of Yongjiri Missile Base...

a secret facility thought to have

an underground missile-firing system...

and which is also suspected

to contain...

part of the D.P.R.K.'s

uranium-enrichment program.

Mee Yong Chae,

Korea News International, Seoul.

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