Whoa, wait a minute! How can I accuse the Uvalde police of cowardice -- I wasn't there? I wasn't on the scene of the massacre. So how can I judge those police of being cowards and not breaching the door and stop the killing of the children?
My accusations are completely objective, not subjective, you say!
If I were there, then I might -- might -- have a leg to stand on, of accusing the police of cowardice, you say!
Correct?
Well, towards the end of this article, if I haven't proven my point, then I will award $100 bucks to anyone that can refute that my accusation of cowardice is appropriate.
Now I will explain why I accuse those police of being cowards and not living up to their vocation of serving and protecting the lives of the citizens who pay their salaries...
As many may know, I was in Vietnam from late 1967 to late 1968, that included the massive and brutal (January) 1968 Tet Offensive.
I was either assigned to machine-gun bunkers, observation towers, or as a machine gunner on an escort Jeep, or providing security for supply convoys. But most of my duties consisted of securing the perimeter of the air base -- as a machine gunner in a bunker, or in an observation tower...
I can tell you from personal experience, that not all sections of the perimeter were well lighted, in fact, some didn't have any lights at all. The point is, is that in those unlighted sections, I couldn't see 10 feet in front of me. Add to this, when the Monsoon rains made their appearance, it was downright scary as it would have been very easy for the Viet Cong (V.C.) to sneak up unnoticed through the concertina wire and mine fields. (We had Claymore mines that we could set off if the enemy made an attempt to penetrate the perimeter during a ground assault. That is, if we could see them in time! The Claymores were explosive charges filled with "buckshot" that could shred a body or cut a bad guy in two.)
Regardless of the circumstances, we had to remain on our post ready to engage the enemy...
Most of the other sections of the perimeter were well-lighted, except for that part of the perimeter on the beach that faced the South China Sea. Those bunkers and observation towers had to deal with their own set of problems in addition to the potential of enemy infiltration via sampan vessels (the local fishermen used the same sampans -- little boats -- to fish during the overnight hours... They were required to have lanterns or other forms of lighting so we, and other allied forces, would be able to keep track of their movements.) The main concern for those police on the beach gun bunkers were the raging cyclonic storms coming in from the South China Sea. At times, the horrendous waves crashing on shore seemed to be aimed at the base, wooden support beams of the towers (OBs). To me, there were times when I thought my tower -- and me -- would be washed out into the shark infested waters in this "Atlantic City of the South China Sea," dying, without firing a shot, or anyone hearing me crying out for help!
Regardless of the circumstances, we had to remain on our post ready to engage the enemy...
Or take, for instance, while on a special assignment to provide overnight security to engineers drilling water wells out in the "boondocks" many miles from the relative security of the air base, the undermanned perimeter defenders -- me and a handful of other cops -- were notified of an entire North Vietnamese regiment (several hundred men strong) heading right for us from the foothills of nearby Nha Trang Mountain...
To say that we were outmanned and outgunned, would be the understatement of the century!
As I said, we were undermanned for such an enemy force... A few M-60 machine guns, rifles, grenades, etc... My black bunker mate brother and I strengthened our dirt bunker with some corrugated circular metal scraps I scrounged from the engineers. It might have been effective against small arms or light machine gun fire, but not the "heavy" stuff...
We were on pins and needles throughout the night; we didn't know what was going to happen. As time dragged on, one of our supervisors pulled up in a Jeep -- in the pitch blackness -- we almost blew him away!
But!
Regardless of the circumstances, we had to remain on our post ready to engage the enemy...
If we had decided to "run," not only would that have been cowardice, but it would also have been desertion. That would have left the security of the perimeter vulnerable to enemy attack; we would have failed to fulfill our duties as Air Force Security Police; we would have been court-martialed and sent to the brig, disgraced, and deserving of dishonorable discharges. The stigma of our actions would have stayed with us for the rest of our lives...
But!
Regardless of the circumstances, we did remain on our post ready to engage the enemy...
Those men (and women) who are in law enforcement, must run to the sound of the shooting and at least try to neutralize the threat to the innocent. That was not done in Uvalde. The police, for some unknown reason, waited for over an hour before ending the carnage. But it was too late for 19 children and two teachers!
That did not have to happen, period.
Remember, there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friend, neighbor or even a stranger...
So, if you think that I haven't made my point, and the Uvalde police are not guilty of cowardice, then comment on your reason why. If you convince me, I'll send you $100 bucks...
Pray for strength and honor!
Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun and Fr. Vincent Capodanno pray for us...
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...
Gene DeLalla
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