IBO - Brian R. Lundin (100 books to read in a lifetime .txt) 📗

no privileges. Everybody has a breaking point, with some people, it’s their girlfriends or children, with me, and it was the sky. I grew up in California and I loved the bright sky and warm days spent at the beaches. In here, there is nothing, just gray walls and bars. They found my breaking point without even knowing. Now I can walk around the yard without being handcuffed and actually see the trees and the mountains. I can make friend with people that were in rival gangs and we can sit down and laugh together, whereas back in the day we would be trying to kill each other, I just couldn’t deal with it any longer.”
Walsh was waiting when Chris and William exited the Administrative Building into the bright midday sun. Chris stopped for a second as he fished through his pockets for his sunglasses. William waited patiently his thick imitation Ray Bans covering his eyes.
“How did it go?” he asked Chris as they drove away.
Chris squinted and made a face and in another moment, he was able to see.
“We got an antiseptic view of what is really going on here. That’s the problem with set-up interviews, they are just that, ‘set-ups, they only show you what they want to“he answered.
“Typical government bullshit, which is worst than buffalo shit,” Walsh said.
“Back to the airport?” Walsh asked.
Chris was looking out the rear window at the Administration Building that was quickly fading in the background, for a moment, he ignored the question.
Finally, he said to Walsh,
“Feel like driving.” Chris asked.
“Your dime my time,” Walsh said smiling.
“Where to?” Walsh asked.
William looked at Chris and asked suspiciously, “What you got in mind, Chris?”


“You remember that piece we did on the first camp and the Director mentioned the Disciplinary Unit?”
“Yeah, I remember that, so?”
“After that piece I started researching those camp but like the Re-Indoctrination camps there wasn’t much information available, but about a week after the show aired I got a congratulatory call from the vice president when I asked him about the Disciplinary Unit, he became very evasive. He admitted they existed but he said he did not know too much about them, but he did tell me there was one located in Idaho in the Bitterroot Range outside a little town called Moscow. You guys want to take a ride and see some of our beautiful Northwest Territory?”
“Let’s roll,” Walsh said.
The trio drove north all night along the deserted highway, taking turns driving and dozing in the SUV. It was 6:30 am when Chris noticed a blinking red neon sign against the backdrop of a deep blue sky, which read, “All Night Truck Stop.” Chris pulled into and parked in the parking lot. The men got out and stretched and Chris deeply inhaled the clean crisp morning air.
“Man, I have never smelled air so clean and fresh,” William said.
“Beats the hell out of all the pollution in the air in New York,” Chris said.
“We are about ten miles from the camp. Let’s have breakfast and I see on their marquee that they have showers, so we can freshen up.”
“That will be good, we all are getting a little ripe,” William said.
As William and Chris got their luggage out of the vehicle, Walsh said, “I did not bring a change of clothes, not even a toothbrush, I thought it would be a one day trip.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Chris said, “Get whatever you need I’ll charge it to CNN, time now for a good breakfast, a good shit, a shower and a shave.” After finishing breakfast and the three “S’s,” The men drove to the camp.
They saw a signed that read United States Marine Corp with an arrow pointing towards a paved road.
“I didn’t know they had a Marine base here,” Walsh said. Chris turned onto the road. The area was desolate, harsh and bleak. Chris watched as two lizards jumped around each other. The ground surrounding the road was sandy and covered with thorns and scrub brush. In the distance was high mountains and the sun was moving west and the heat and humidity was starting to rise. They passed an unkempt mine shaft.

“A hundred years ago there was a short-lived gold rush in this area, after a few months the little gold that was found played out.” Walsh said.
After a short drive down an unkempt rocky road the monolithic outline of the camp finally appeared. Bright searchlights beamed out from the camp, highlighting the few trees and rocky road surrounding and leading to the camp. Chris drove to and stopped at a barricaded guardhouse that was manned by two United States Marines armed with automatic weapons and in green camouflaged uniforms. When Chris stopped in front of the gate, a tall muscular and tanned young Marine Corp corporal with short cropped curly hair, massive forearms, bulging biceps and dark alert eyes approached the vehicle while the other Marine stood at the lowered barricade in a rim-rod exactness with his weapon at the ready. Chris noticed the name Hawkins was stitched above his shirt pocket.
“Can I help you sir?” he asked Chris who was driving.
Chris in his most professional voice replied, “ Yes corporal Hawkins, I am Chris Tolver from CNN News and we are here to do a story on your camp” as he gave the young Marine his CNN credentials.
“Just a minute sir,” he replied taking the credentials with him as he entered the guardhouse, the other Marine was still behind the barricade holding his weapon at the ready. Shortly, the other Marine returned to the vehicle, handed Chris his credentials and stated,
“I’m sorry sir, your name is not on our visitors list and we can’t admit you without proper authorization.”
Sternly Chris responded, “Young man I suggest you contact a superior officer, I don’t think he would want the American people to know that you are denying the press free access to a tax payer supported facility, my producer told me that everything had been arranged with your camp commander.”
“Just a minute, sir,” the young Marine said nervously. He returned to the guardhouse and Chris watched him as he picked the telephone.
“Listen, William go outside and start recording, I’m going to call Sharlett at the office and she what she can do.” Using his cell phone Chris told Sharlett where they were and asked her to used CNN political influence to see if they could get them in. A few minutes later, she came on the line and told Chris that they were working on it with the Camp Commander, Colonel Sam Ellis, and she would get back to them.
After Chris finished his conversation with Sharlett, a United States Marine jeep stopped at the guardhouse, and a Marine Lieutenant got out. The lieutenant could have been a poster boy for a Marine Corp. recruiting ad. He was over six feet tall, had a muscular built and his perfectly starched uniform shirt was covered with medals although he only appeared to be about twenty-five years old, the two young Marines snapped to attention and smartly saluted the lieutenant. The lieutenant returned their salute and looked at Chris.
“Good morning, my name is Lieutenant Bob Riley, can I help you? He said in a pleasant voice.
The lieutenant was impressive and Chris wondered if his bluff was going to work, too late now he thought, he had to play it out.
“Good morning lieutenant, we are from CNN News and we have an appointment with Colonel Ellis. Like I told your soldiers…
“Marines sir,” the lieutenant corrected him.
Chris continued, “Like I told your Marines, my producers supposedly arrange an interview with Colonel Ellis, I don’t know why our names are not on the visitors log, you haven’t heard anything about our visit?
“No sir, the lieutenant said sharply, out procedures are very strict, absolutely no visitors without prior authorization.”
Chris was ready to give up; he knew he could not bluff this lieutenant as he did the other Marine.
“Lieutenant, you’ve got a call, it is Colonel Ellis,” another Marine in the jeep yelled.

The lieutenant walked back to the jeep and picked up the radio; in a few minutes, he returned and told Chris to follow him.
Stand at ease,” he yelled at the two Marines who opened the gate.
Chris followed the lieutenant and instructed William to take shots of the barren grounds, which was void of any trees or grass. They were admitted pass another guardhouse that also contained two armed Marines. Chris noticed an automatically controlled fence about ten feet tall with barbed wires on top. Attached to the fence was a Marine Corp sign that read DISCIPLINARY CAMP in large blocked letters. The fence surrounded the grounds and behind that fence was another equally tall fence with a white sign with red oversized letters that read, “ELECTRIFIED,” on top of the fence was double rows of razor wire. At strategic locations were guard towers with armed guards. As they approached the first fence, it opened, after the Marine Lieutenant and Chris vehicles entered it closed. In a moment, the second fence opened. While waiting to clear that fence, Sharlett called.
“Ok Chris we got the authorization for you to visit the camp and interview a Colonel Ellis, the Commanding officer. Here is a brief bio on the Colonel; his mother was Iraqi and his father is a retired Marine Corp Captain. The Colonel served in Iraq during the first Iraqi War, and is a certified war hero. He received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star as a member of a Seal Team that did some classified shit. He is considered an intellectual and a warrior by his superiors and will probably be promoted to a general very soon, good luck,” Sharlett said as he snapped closed the cell phone.
Chris followed the lieutenant pass massive concrete and steel structures that looked like military bunkers and they parked in an official parking lot with labels painted on the ground. The lot was flanked by a thick, stubby row of evergreen trees that served as a wall between the road and the sweeping acres of manicured lawns.
Chris parked the SUV next to the lieutenant’s jeep in front of a large grey stone façade building with Grecian Pillars.
“Follow me,” the lieutenant said as if commanding troops in battle.
The lieutenant led Chris and William into the building and down a long hallway and pass offices that had Watch Commander, Shift Officer, and other designations stencil on the office door. They were led into an office that read, “Commanding Officer.” Inside the office, a young attractive female Marine was sitting at a desk typing on a computer.
“Just a minute, lieutenant, I’ll let the Colonel know you are here, she knocked on the door and slightly opened it.
A moment later a loud authoritative voice from inside the office yelled, “Enter.”
Lieutenant Riley led Chris and William into the room and standing rigidly, smartly saluted the man standing behind a large green desk that contained Marine Corp logos.
The man saluted the lieutenant and said sharply, “Dismissed,” the lieutenant