Jane's Dilemma

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Previously on Jane's Dilemma: All the Prince Charmings were headed off to—what? To war? My phone rang.

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Epilog

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from an actual news release: "TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) - Liaison officers with the Joint Personnel Recovery Center and the 601st Air and Space Operations Center here deployed to assist with humanitarian aid efforts following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti...

SOUTHCOM [US military] officials are closely monitoring the situation and are working with officials from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and other national and international agencies to determine how to best respond to this crisis.

"We're ready to help SOUTHCOM and the Coast Guard with our search and rescue expertise," said Lt. Col. Charles Tomko, the JPRC director. "One of our main missions is responding to catastrophic search and rescue operations, and our liaison officers are highly trained and well qualified to assist with the humanitarian outreach that the Haitian people so desperately need right now." The JPRC, plans, coordinates, and monitors personnel recovery and catastrophic search and rescue missions.

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Anthony's report [informal]

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We sent two of my helicopters directly to an aircraft carrier posted off Port au Prince. I made private arrangements through my international banking connections for a tanker of jet fuel to be delivered to rescue area beyond the devastated harbor of the stricken country—no sense bringing in choppers if you can't get fuel. And as per Ranger's orders through our General, I flew my personal heli directly from Santo Domingo to the Presidential Palace of the Haitian government, located on the outskirts of the fallen city.

I did a recon fly-over first. The contrast was awful—the beautiful, peaceful Caribbean waters surrounding acres and acres of smoking rubble. The headquarters of the Haitian government, the presidential residence was a shambles—picture the White House looking like that and you'll have the idea how the Haitian government must feel. Even their president was homeless.

I got clearance to land and set down on the once-manicured lawn. The US military presence was strong at the palace, lots of worker bees scurrying around with clipboards. According to Ranger's briefing, we would be providing security and transportation under the aegis of U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the military's Joint Personnel Recovery Center. Lots of chiefs, not enough Indians? I wondered vaguely and hoped someone would be actively running this show.

I figured our military presence, while perhaps frightening to the people in the rubble, would be a positive thing. Military personnel are trained to follow orders, trained to get the job done and, supposedly, inured to death and human suffering. As if! And in the days that followed I learned first-hand that no one was immune to the grief and fear that was now the norm in Haiti.

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My heli is relatively small so I was only carrying Ranger, Lester, and Tank plus myself, food and medical supplies, weapons and ammo. Basically we were going in as cops.

A guy in jungle camouflage fatigues yelled to us, "Check in over there. That woman with the clipboard! She's in charge." He pointed to a woman with her back turned to us. She was petite with some very nice curves encased in military-style khakis and an olive drab t-shirt; a long silky fall of dark ponytail poked through the back opening of her camo ball cap.

As if she felt our attention she turned around, stopped dead, clipboard clutched to her chest. She locked eyes with me...then tracked to Lester, hovered over Ranger—like all women do—and then studied me and Les again. Her blue eyes widened and her mouth parted a little.

I stopped dead and Les plowed into me. The Buffoon twins.

Ranger grabbed us both and when we were steady on our stupid feet again, he said calmly, "You guys didn't really think she was just a librarian, did you?"

the end...however...following this story is a two part "Ranger's Epilog" bonus. So stay tuned, right here, and many, many thanks for reading our story. Reviews are awesome, thanks!

love, sunny & Tuck