The Tangled Web

As I noted in my book, I had two choices: Leave the US army or go to Vietnam. I stayed, because I was proud to be an officer, and because I believed in our mission in Europe. As part of a mighty NATO army, we were keeping the Soviet Bloc forces at bay, and defending "Western Civilization". Then, I found out that OUR army was tapping the telephone lines of our Senators and Congressmen: Once a week I reported to a major in the "operations" section of our division. Normally, he would glance at my transcripts of the security violations in our headquarters, and I would answer his questions about that report. After I extended my tour of duty, and immediately received orders for combat in Vietnam, he wanted to talk. He smiled as he asked me to have a seat next to his desk: "In case I don't have an opportunity to speak to you before you leave, I just want to tell you that I am very proud of you. A lot of our officers are leaving our army, and sometimes I think that our country is tearing itself apart. Students are demonstrating against the draft, and some of them are even desecrating our American flag. I wonder, whether any of them can imagine what it is like to live under communism."He glanced briefly at the documents I had brought. "You know, these remind me of my last assignment: I was in charge of a small group of soldiers who were tapping the telephone lines of our senators and congressmen in Washington, D.C. I remember that my mouth must have dropped open, because he added quickly: "Well, not all of them. My unit was much too small for that. Just the ones who had spoken out against the war."
Please read the rest of this story by clicking on the headline of my personal report.