What a Difference A Few Years Makes

There was another story, another excercise. And it's interesting really. Because Kirk told this story several times (he was a master story-teller. He could get a laugh... he was good) and I heard him do it. But... well, different times. I'll tell it anyway.

There was a base-wide security excercise. I think there were outside evaluators brought in who did various things to test readiness. I don't know how Kirk fit into the whole thing, I only know the center of the story so bear with me.

He had the fun assignment - he got to be the Infiltrator. He watched outside of the Alcom building for several hours and caught a guard taking a smoke outside. He took the chance and slipped in the building, nipping in the door without going through the rigorous badge... bleep... badge.... bleep stuff.

Then he walked into the room they were using, and as everyone looked up and immediately realised he shouldn't be there, he put a package on the desk. And he said: 'Boom.'

I didn't know how to tell this story. Kirk used to get a good laugh off it prior to 9/11. He didn't use it after that. I wish now that I had asked him about it, but I never did. It was all still too raw. When he left to go to Iraq, even though it was two years after 9/11 we weren't yet to the point where he was talking about these long past memories.

But it's part of the story.