|
"Buffalo
Bob" |
|
A Day On The
Much history has played a major role in the
cultural background of this region, dating back to an era when Legions
of soldiers rested here after battles they fought in the The British relinquished control in 1960, and the Nothing of any significance occurred until December
of 1963 when several confrontations between the Greek and Turkish
Cypriots escalated the peacefulness to hostility. Battles were fought in
all areas of Travel was restricted significantly and it had a
dramatic effect on our work schedule. We were not going to maintain the
schedule where we would work two eve watches (from 2pm until 10pm), two
day watches (from 6am to 2pm), and, finally, two mid watches (from 10pm
until 6am). Our watch schedule was changed to 12 hours on and 12 hours
off. Then, to make matters worse, Months passed quickly and because of the reduced
American population on the island, supplies lasted for an unusually long
period of time. Then, when checking reserve levels of supplies, it was
determined that certain key items were nearly exhausted and it was
necessary to replenish the dwindling surplus. Special Services, an
entity that handled this task, was none existent. Many services were
enjoined under one roof following the exodus of personnel and in order
to satisfy the replenishment, it was necessary to call for volunteers to
make a trip to the storage facility in We mapped out a route that would keep us off the main roads because there were numerous roadblocks between Greek and Turkish villages on the more popular, paved, roadways. The blocked roads were maintained by local residents that were fully armed and a confrontation at one of these points could have dangerous consequences. It would take much longer, but we felt safer. We gassed up and took some extra time to mount an American flag on a post that we secured tightly to the front bumper of the truck provided by the American Club Commissary. In theory, as we drove along at a comfortable speed, the flag would unfurl in the breeze and there would be little doubt as to the nationality of the inhabitants of the truck, or so we thought. It was several hours of tedious driving when we approached what we discovered later was the halfway point of our trip. I asked Lee if he wanted to switch...he preferred to continue driving. Our progress was slowed by not being familiar with the route we were taking. I was concentrating heavily on the dirt road in front of us looking occasionally in the rear view mirror only to see columns of dust billowing up behind us obscuring the passing terrain. The road turned left, then right, then left again and was wide, then narrow, then wide again and it reminded me of a video game where you controlled a joy stick that would navigate you through many passageways. I was unaware of the two cars that were following us. When I did see them through the dust, I commented to Lee that we had company and he explained that he had been watching them for a mile or so. "Why didn't you tell me," I asked. "There's no reason for both of us to be frightened," was his response. We came to a wide point in the road and one of the cars accelerated rapidly and darted in front of us. The second car remained behind. We were not going very fast at the time, so when they started to brake, Lee did the same and it was only a few hundred feet until we stopped, the truck part way on the road and part way in a ditch that ran parallel to the road. The next several moments of time are etched in my brain forever. Both cars emptied of people that raced quickly toward the truck with guns drawn. A swift analysis of their nationality...we, Lee and I agreed.... they were Turkish. I have never been up close and personal to a machine gun but the one pointing into my face was an introduction that chills my loins to this day. Lee was meeting a similar gun on his side of the vehicle. We were being encouraged to get out of the truck by our visitors and we were eager to please. I think I tripped over my own feet getting out of the truck. What's that old expression...all ass holes and elbows.... I felt like saying to Lee, "I guess this is a hijacking," but my mouth wouldn't move. My other concern was not wetting my pants, but I think all bodily functions were shut down at the time...and I was breathless. I noticed that one of the group remained standing off in the distance next to the lead car. He had a big gun draped across his chest and another bigger gun pointing in our direction. The others in the group relaxed the hold on their weapons and sorta had them dangling at their sides. They forced us into the front of the truck and we were standing next to the American flag, now hanging limp on the post. I refrained from reaching out and holding it open so they could see the stars and stripes. I didn't have to because this scruffy looking dude who probably hadn't showered in a year said, in decent English, "Americano!?!?" I wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.!! The next utterance was a question. "What do you have in the back of the truck," he asked? Lee and I answered simultaneously, "Nothing," "Then you will be happy to show us, yes" was his comment. "Absolutely", was our response. They must have thought we were transporting Greeks from town to town because they positioned themselves behind the truck with guns at the ready as we opened the doors. Nothing happened. The truck was empty. All of a sudden, they were our best friends, patting us on the back and trying to be friendly. All we could do was smile. We continued our drive to The return trip was slow, but uneventful. Not
anything like the trip to One of the guys unloading the truck called to Lee and me to come inside the body of the truck. Most of the supplies had been unloaded and we walked inside and toward the back of the box where the truck body meets the truck cab. It was a little dark even though there was a bulb in a socket at the top of the truck body that lighted the interior. Nighttime was approaching and the waning sunlight was being replaced by darkness outside the interior of the truck. There was sufficient sunlight, however, that was visible through five small holes that were now part of the truck body so close to the cab that Lee and I inhabited for most of the day. Bullets intended for the Americanos made the five holes!!! p.s. this
incident was frightening, to say the least. I never gave much thought to
my bond with Lee Margaris and lost touch with him over the years. I ran
a trucking business with my Brother in law, Otto Gabrielsen, and we
worked out of a warehouse in
|