This was today at 130-131. West of Campo, not east. One Minuteman observed, others monitored on the radio.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070621-1208-bn21drugramp.html
Marijuana seized after agents catch smugglers using ramps to drive over border fence
By Debbi Farr Baker
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
12:08 p.m. June 21, 2007
U.S. Border Patrol
This photo provided by the U.S. Border Patrol shows one of the ramps used to drive across the barriers along the border.
Photo gallery
SAN DIEGO – Border Patrol agents in East County seized hundreds of pounds of marijuana valued at almost three-quarters of a million dollars Wednesday from a truck that was driven over the border on metal ramps.
An agent was patrolling the area about two miles east of Campo at 7:30 a.m. when he noticed a suspicious-looking 2006 Nissan Frontera heading westbound on state Route 94, said Supervisory Border Patrol agent Richard E. Smith.
The agent began to follow the truck but it made a U-turn and began to drive erratically, Smith said. The truck left the paved road and headed southbound on a dirt road toward Mexico.
The agent followed the truck to the border where he found about 20 people on the U.S. side erecting the ramps so the truck could get back into Mexico. Smith said the smugglers probably alerted their accomplices that they had been spotted.
The two occupants of the truck bailed out and the whole group ran back into Mexico. One of them turned and pointed a gun at the agent but did not fire, Smith said.
Agents confiscated the ramps and the pickup in which they found 60 packages of marijuana valued at $735,000.
Smith said it is not uncommon for smugglers to use metal ramps to cross the border in areas that are blocked by steel vehicle barriers. The barriers, a horizontal bar anchored to posts in the ground with large boulders beneath, are designed to stop vehicles from driving across. They are much lower than the standard border fence. Agents found a similar ramp setup last week.
The ramps may be hidden nearby or driven to a spot and assembled, Smith said.
The Border Patrol said that Mexican authorities were called after the incident but did not respond.
Debbi Baker: (619) 293-1710; debbi.baker@uniontrib.com
http://www.campominutemen.com/
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
JAMES L. CHASE- WAR HERO & MINUTEMAN ( AN UNSUNG HERO )
HISTORY : The book
THE HILL FIGHTS The First Battle of Khe Sanh
( Note: I have learned since, there were errors in the book. Later ,it was determined the some heroic actionsof Chase, in the confusion of the battle, were in some instants mistakenly attribued to the Staff Sergeant, when it should have been to James Chase. )
Edward F. Murphy Author of Semper Fi--Vietnam
Ballantine Publishing 2003---- ISBN: 0-89141-810-5
( a few high lights )
from page 35
Lance Corporal Chase with two other grunts took up the rear of the column, Kurtz was one
of the few grunts Chase allowed himself to get close to. A Marine since his eighteenth birthday in September 1965, Chase had been in South Vietnam for more than a year. In that time he had learned the intense pain of losing friends , so he made few new ones; the fewer he knew, the less sorrow he suffered.
from page 36
At the first sound of firing, the three men hit the dirt, After listening for several minutes, Chase realized this was no ordinary ambush. He turned to another Marine, " We're going up front. They'll need us".
Chase , and another Marine, dashed forward , hitting the ground several times as they drew closer to the (S. Sgt ) . "Slow down will ya", the other fellow admonished, " I'm a married man and I am in no hurry to die ".
By the time they linked up with the (Staff Sergeant), the enemy fire from higher on the hill had increased substantially . Above the din Chase was told to bring in the Artillery . Chase started the rounds on the eastern slope of HIll 861 , then walked them over the top.
The rounds exploded with a satisfying KABOOM! The (S.Sgt ) had then made contact
with a flight of Marine jets. He had to scream into the mike to be heard over the roar
of he fire fight.
He glanced up at ( the enemy ) and his heart stopped.----"I couldn't believe what I saw.
The gooks were charging right down the hill at us," the (S.Sgt.) said, Yelling and firing their AK-47's the North Vietnamese soldiers assaulted right into the Marines. The( S. Sgt) shoved the radio hand set at Chase. "Tell him where we're are at " turning back to the fight.
One determined NVA spraying fie with his assault rifle, headed straight at the S. Sgt )
The enemy rounds hit his weapon , tore into his flak jacket , and struck the ground all around him. Undaunted the (S. Sgt) stood his ground firing back. He shot the enemy soldier at least six times, but the man kept coming . Finally the NVA dropped , and rolled right on top of the ( S.Sgt) . Lance Corporal Chase, who had never directed an air strike before, had given the jets their position. Under (Chase's ) direction they circled wide to make their way in from the west . Chase carefully guided them in. "Come on , Come on.
Come on", he urged . Just as the F-4's reached the drop point , Chase screamed into
the mike " ABORT". They looked to close for comfort.
( Chase had tried it again, but had to order them to abort again. They were going to drop
"danger close" to his men.)
As the jets lined up again, the S Sgt glanced up the trail . A horrified sight chilled him. Up and down the trail , enemy soldiers darted and dashed around, shooting Marines in the back and dropping grenades right on the helpless , wounded me. They were so close ,
firing was endangering his own men
Suddenly, the roar of the incoming jets grabbed attention, two planes were coming in at
tree top level right at them. They were going to hit him and his men. "Get down ! " He screamed to those around him.
Chase had brought the jets in a third time. "Come on. Come on." he led them in . This time though , when they neared , he yelled , " DROP'EM !" . The glistening napalm canisters were coming right at him. I've really fu*ked up, he thought as he curled into a ball.
The jet jockeys were good. The pilots , jets now rushed by in a deafening blur just feet above the desperate Marines, had released their napalm at precisely the right moment. Tumbling end over end, the silvery pods landed smack in the center of the NVA.
One second the hillside was green jungle filled with firing NVA; the next, oily black -laced flames engulfed everything. The NAV did not even have a chance to scream . I ended that fast.
The intensity of the a blast stunned Chase. " I'd never been closer to napalm than five hundred meters before " he said. " This ws like fifty."
Another danger, the napalm started others fires that were now threatening the wounded
Marines.
from page 38
Chase, who had taken a grenade fragments in the shoulder, joined ( with another ) and helped seriously wounded over the hill to the L Z .
He learned there, that his friend Kurtz , was K I A.
from page 39
Chase and another Marine had been carrying a casualty toward the chopper when he spotted Doc Benoit crouched on the rear ramp, treating yet another casualty.
As Chase grew closer, he saw columns of earth erupt from the mortar attack. He dropped his end of the poncho and dove head first into a near by hole. A shell went off right next to
him. Hot metal from the round tore into his right thigh, right arm , and side . He slumped
deeper into his hole.
"The next thing I knew two guys were trying to help me. looked around. The chopper was gone !!!! Doc Benoit was laying in a heap where it had been. Several newly wounded
guys staggered round the L Z, blood pouring from their wounds.----- It was horrible. Then I
remembered the radioman.
Shrugging off the two Marines, Chase found his radioman lying at the foot of a tree stump.
He still held his radio's hand set, a few inches of torn wire dangling from it base. Blood poured from holes in his abdomen and pelvic area. "Check and see if I'm all there , willya?"
His genitals were intact. Soon corpsmen started treating the radioman.
from page 40
The (SSgt) radioed the( commanding officer) "Echo Six, I gotta stop the medevacs. The gooks are hitting us every time one comes in. I don't have enough men left to carry the casualties . Get me some help out here." ( he was assured he would get help )
IN the meantime , despite his wounds , Lance Corporal Chase took up a position down hill from the L Z. " I didn't want the NVA sneaking up on us from that side, so I fired downhill when ever I thought they might be"
At abut 1500 , Chase spotted movement below him. He held his fire. Soon, a green clad column of Marines came into view. It was ( reinforcements) he waved, and yelled "over here., over here" ! He started down hill a few meters to meet them, when Chase heard
the unmistakable whine of a mortar round .
"INCOMING" he yelled , then turned and ran up the hill. His wounds kept him from scrunching down a hole, so he sought refuge behind a tree. He covered his head with his
hands and mortar rounds flew overhead. They exploded with devastating effect among
the (reinforcement Marines) When the barrage ended, Chase looked downhill. His eyes found a ghastly sight. --- Dead and wounded Marine lay everywhere. Cries of pain rose from the still smoky ground. The few uninjured moves about as if in a daze, over whelmed by the carnage.
from page 41
Passing in and out of consciousness, Chase arranged for some of he newly arrived Marines to carry ( his radioman ) to the new L Z too. he crouched in th brush a safe distance away. Only when the chopper started to accelerate its rotors to take off, did Chase move forward. Hobbling along, right leg stiff, Chase made it to the back ramp. He collapsed
in a heap on the metal floor. For the first time since that morning, a corpsman tended to his wounds .------------Chase had caught the last flight out.
There is much more to this story, but that is for another time.
Appendix:, page 259
JAMES L. CHASE, JR. (B/2/9) spent more than a month in the hospital recovering from his wounds . He was discharged in September 1968 and went to work for the postal service.--- In 1997 he suffered a breakdown and was diagnosed with PTSD. -- He now receives 100 percent diability. He resides with his wife in Oceanside, California.
THE HILL FIGHTS The First Battle of Khe Sanh
( Note: I have learned since, there were errors in the book. Later ,it was determined the some heroic actionsof Chase, in the confusion of the battle, were in some instants mistakenly attribued to the Staff Sergeant, when it should have been to James Chase. )
Edward F. Murphy Author of Semper Fi--Vietnam
Ballantine Publishing 2003---- ISBN: 0-89141-810-5
( a few high lights )
from page 35
Lance Corporal Chase with two other grunts took up the rear of the column, Kurtz was one
of the few grunts Chase allowed himself to get close to. A Marine since his eighteenth birthday in September 1965, Chase had been in South Vietnam for more than a year. In that time he had learned the intense pain of losing friends , so he made few new ones; the fewer he knew, the less sorrow he suffered.
from page 36
At the first sound of firing, the three men hit the dirt, After listening for several minutes, Chase realized this was no ordinary ambush. He turned to another Marine, " We're going up front. They'll need us".
Chase , and another Marine, dashed forward , hitting the ground several times as they drew closer to the (S. Sgt ) . "Slow down will ya", the other fellow admonished, " I'm a married man and I am in no hurry to die ".
By the time they linked up with the (Staff Sergeant), the enemy fire from higher on the hill had increased substantially . Above the din Chase was told to bring in the Artillery . Chase started the rounds on the eastern slope of HIll 861 , then walked them over the top.
The rounds exploded with a satisfying KABOOM! The (S.Sgt ) had then made contact
with a flight of Marine jets. He had to scream into the mike to be heard over the roar
of he fire fight.
He glanced up at ( the enemy ) and his heart stopped.----"I couldn't believe what I saw.
The gooks were charging right down the hill at us," the (S.Sgt.) said, Yelling and firing their AK-47's the North Vietnamese soldiers assaulted right into the Marines. The( S. Sgt) shoved the radio hand set at Chase. "Tell him where we're are at " turning back to the fight.
One determined NVA spraying fie with his assault rifle, headed straight at the S. Sgt )
The enemy rounds hit his weapon , tore into his flak jacket , and struck the ground all around him. Undaunted the (S. Sgt) stood his ground firing back. He shot the enemy soldier at least six times, but the man kept coming . Finally the NVA dropped , and rolled right on top of the ( S.Sgt) . Lance Corporal Chase, who had never directed an air strike before, had given the jets their position. Under (Chase's ) direction they circled wide to make their way in from the west . Chase carefully guided them in. "Come on , Come on.
Come on", he urged . Just as the F-4's reached the drop point , Chase screamed into
the mike " ABORT". They looked to close for comfort.
( Chase had tried it again, but had to order them to abort again. They were going to drop
"danger close" to his men.)
As the jets lined up again, the S Sgt glanced up the trail . A horrified sight chilled him. Up and down the trail , enemy soldiers darted and dashed around, shooting Marines in the back and dropping grenades right on the helpless , wounded me. They were so close ,
firing was endangering his own men
Suddenly, the roar of the incoming jets grabbed attention, two planes were coming in at
tree top level right at them. They were going to hit him and his men. "Get down ! " He screamed to those around him.
Chase had brought the jets in a third time. "Come on. Come on." he led them in . This time though , when they neared , he yelled , " DROP'EM !" . The glistening napalm canisters were coming right at him. I've really fu*ked up, he thought as he curled into a ball.
The jet jockeys were good. The pilots , jets now rushed by in a deafening blur just feet above the desperate Marines, had released their napalm at precisely the right moment. Tumbling end over end, the silvery pods landed smack in the center of the NVA.
One second the hillside was green jungle filled with firing NVA; the next, oily black -laced flames engulfed everything. The NAV did not even have a chance to scream . I ended that fast.
The intensity of the a blast stunned Chase. " I'd never been closer to napalm than five hundred meters before " he said. " This ws like fifty."
Another danger, the napalm started others fires that were now threatening the wounded
Marines.
from page 38
Chase, who had taken a grenade fragments in the shoulder, joined ( with another ) and helped seriously wounded over the hill to the L Z .
He learned there, that his friend Kurtz , was K I A.
from page 39
Chase and another Marine had been carrying a casualty toward the chopper when he spotted Doc Benoit crouched on the rear ramp, treating yet another casualty.
As Chase grew closer, he saw columns of earth erupt from the mortar attack. He dropped his end of the poncho and dove head first into a near by hole. A shell went off right next to
him. Hot metal from the round tore into his right thigh, right arm , and side . He slumped
deeper into his hole.
"The next thing I knew two guys were trying to help me. looked around. The chopper was gone !!!! Doc Benoit was laying in a heap where it had been. Several newly wounded
guys staggered round the L Z, blood pouring from their wounds.----- It was horrible. Then I
remembered the radioman.
Shrugging off the two Marines, Chase found his radioman lying at the foot of a tree stump.
He still held his radio's hand set, a few inches of torn wire dangling from it base. Blood poured from holes in his abdomen and pelvic area. "Check and see if I'm all there , willya?"
His genitals were intact. Soon corpsmen started treating the radioman.
from page 40
The (SSgt) radioed the( commanding officer) "Echo Six, I gotta stop the medevacs. The gooks are hitting us every time one comes in. I don't have enough men left to carry the casualties . Get me some help out here." ( he was assured he would get help )
IN the meantime , despite his wounds , Lance Corporal Chase took up a position down hill from the L Z. " I didn't want the NVA sneaking up on us from that side, so I fired downhill when ever I thought they might be"
At abut 1500 , Chase spotted movement below him. He held his fire. Soon, a green clad column of Marines came into view. It was ( reinforcements) he waved, and yelled "over here., over here" ! He started down hill a few meters to meet them, when Chase heard
the unmistakable whine of a mortar round .
"INCOMING" he yelled , then turned and ran up the hill. His wounds kept him from scrunching down a hole, so he sought refuge behind a tree. He covered his head with his
hands and mortar rounds flew overhead. They exploded with devastating effect among
the (reinforcement Marines) When the barrage ended, Chase looked downhill. His eyes found a ghastly sight. --- Dead and wounded Marine lay everywhere. Cries of pain rose from the still smoky ground. The few uninjured moves about as if in a daze, over whelmed by the carnage.
from page 41
Passing in and out of consciousness, Chase arranged for some of he newly arrived Marines to carry ( his radioman ) to the new L Z too. he crouched in th brush a safe distance away. Only when the chopper started to accelerate its rotors to take off, did Chase move forward. Hobbling along, right leg stiff, Chase made it to the back ramp. He collapsed
in a heap on the metal floor. For the first time since that morning, a corpsman tended to his wounds .------------Chase had caught the last flight out.
There is much more to this story, but that is for another time.
Appendix:, page 259
JAMES L. CHASE, JR. (B/2/9) spent more than a month in the hospital recovering from his wounds . He was discharged in September 1968 and went to work for the postal service.--- In 1997 he suffered a breakdown and was diagnosed with PTSD. -- He now receives 100 percent diability. He resides with his wife in Oceanside, California.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Campo Border Watch Update: Memorial Day weekend 2007
On Saturday morning 26May07
I loaded up my truck and headed for Campo. I arrived in “The Oaks” about 1200. CzechStan, Gadget and Ridgerunner greeted me. Viking was on patrol and a new man, “Lizard” was in position at the peak east of just Smith Canyon. Magnum was also on patrol. Kingfish was in his new position on the west side of Smith Canyon. I pitched my tent and mounted my electronic gear. With my infrared spotlight, roof mounted, remote operated, rotating “Go-Light and motion sensors attached I set off on patrol.
After making several passes on the border and service roads.
I relieved Lizard and took up position at the peak on the east side of Smith Canyon (Kingfish’s old spot) I parked my truck where Kingfish used to park, and then set off on foot to the peak. I sat up there for a couple of hours. It was quiet and peaceful and I was enjoying the beauty and solitude, right up until someone in Mexico started shooting at me! It was 7 shots from what sounded like a .22. I tell you I have heard a lot of shooting, but bullets sound real different when they are coming at you!! I kept a whole lot lower for the next hour or so and did not return fire. Then I headed back to the border roads on the west side of La Gloria for the night.
As is my habit at night in Campo I alternated between patrolling the roads with my Go-Light between 133 and 141, and sitting on the mesa at 139. I encountered a BP agent on the border road while I was mobile at about 0330 27May07. I told him it seemed pretty quiet on that side and he informed me that they had just caught 9 illegals on the east side of La Gloria just west of 143. I told him to keep up the good work and he told me the same.
About sun up Sunday morning I ventured over to 143 where I came upon the same BP agent. He informed me that he had just startled 4 illegals and they went BTM. He asked me if I was planning to stay in that area and, when I replied in the affirmative, he told me to be careful. About ten minutes later he came back and asked me if I would guard his truck while he set off on foot to look for tracks and perhaps if anymore than the 4 had come through or if any were hiding from the night before. It was an honor to watch the man’s vehicle. He returned in about thirty minutes and then gave me a brief tracking lesson. He showed me the tracks where the 9 had come through the night before. They had not used booties, they were barefoot!
The 4 illegals that he had scared BTM left me a souvenir: A black shoulder bag with cans of Mexican tuna fish and fresh, dated individually wrapped slices of cheese. I ate the cheese with crackers for breakfast. Muchos Gracias Amigos!
After alternating between naps in the shade of La Gloria and the Oaks 27May07, about 1430 I went back to the peak where I had been shot at the day before. This time I did not park in plain view but rather hid my truck behind the peak, donned my gear and scampered up the backside. My intent was to fortify the position with rocks to make me less of a target. Before I got to the top however, I heard Spanish speaking voices to my east. I observed 3 men on the north side walking parallel to the border fence and down into the west bank of Smith Canyon. I could also make out part of a vehicle on the Mexican side and heard voices from there too. I called the BP and in a matter of minutes the helicopter was on the scene.
I watched as it came in my direction and then turned away. I called BP again and told then the chopper had left too soon. I stayed on the line and directed him to come to the area south of the power lines and north of the fence. He hovered there for a while and the vehicles, now there were more than one, in Mexico, left and I lost sight of any illegals on our side. I kept low and, Mossberg 590 in hand and Glock 19 at the ready, I snuck around to view BP trucks in 3 different positions on the east side of Smith Canyon set up to view my side. I also startled a Mexican sitting under a tree where the border fence ends on the west side of Smith. I stared at him with my shotgun in hand and he appeared to stare back across the frontier. We “mad-dogged” each other for what seemed like a couple of minutes and then it was if he finally realized what he was looking at and comically dove behind the tree! It was hilarious. I wish I could’ve gotten it on video.
Later I was told that the incident on the west side of Smith, which I had called in, was a drug smuggling operation gone bad. I heard that there were two vehicles loaded with dope stuck on the side of Smith and the men I had seen were off loading it by hand. I cannot verify this and am glad I did not get close enough to see it for myself. No doubt it would’ve gotten ugly. Kingfish speculated that the reason they were shooting at me up there the day before was to scare us out of the area of their impending operation.
Around 1600 I went back to the Oaks for a nap. I awoke about 1800 and met two new guys who said they had seen the Campo Minutemen website and wanted to check out the area. I gave them a tour of the border and showed them the spots that had recently been active. Their call signs were “Upstate” and “Northstar” and they claimed to be Iraqi veterans. They opted to stay at 143 and I took up position across from them at 141 for a while before setting off on my nightly patrol. The next thing I heard on the radio is that Upstate is on foot with night vision goggles in La Gloria Canyon and has 3 illegals spotted! I drove down to 141 where Northstar was monitoring his partner. Thinking these guys were new, I told them once Upstate had a visual on the three Northstar should phone the BP, which he did.
The BP IR camera truck was there almost before he hung up! Then I watched the BP IR truck go past La Gloria on to the other side. I called BP and told them their man had driven past the position. The agent on the phone acted surprised that there was already and agent on the scene. Then the agent in the truck started talking on an FRS radio directly to us and to Upstate! I knew BP monitored us from time to time but had never heard them communicate directly.
This has me wondering if the gung ho new guys weren’t in fact undercover BP agents. The agent in the truck verified that three had entered and were heading north but, to my knowledge, none were caught. Then the IR truck set up next to me at 141 and I was treated to an infrared video display of the whole La Gloria canyon area. Man, I want one of those for my truck.
I patrolled a while and then took up position at 138 until about 0130 when I was just too exhausted to be useful and safe. I went back to my tent in the Oaks for the night. I left Campo about 0900 on Memorial Day.
God Bless all the brave men and women who have fought and died for this great country and God Bless The United States of America.
I plan on returning to the border on or about the 14th of June (Flag Day) for 3 or 4 days. Hope to see you there!
This concludes my report.
C1
I loaded up my truck and headed for Campo. I arrived in “The Oaks” about 1200. CzechStan, Gadget and Ridgerunner greeted me. Viking was on patrol and a new man, “Lizard” was in position at the peak east of just Smith Canyon. Magnum was also on patrol. Kingfish was in his new position on the west side of Smith Canyon. I pitched my tent and mounted my electronic gear. With my infrared spotlight, roof mounted, remote operated, rotating “Go-Light and motion sensors attached I set off on patrol.
After making several passes on the border and service roads.
I relieved Lizard and took up position at the peak on the east side of Smith Canyon (Kingfish’s old spot) I parked my truck where Kingfish used to park, and then set off on foot to the peak. I sat up there for a couple of hours. It was quiet and peaceful and I was enjoying the beauty and solitude, right up until someone in Mexico started shooting at me! It was 7 shots from what sounded like a .22. I tell you I have heard a lot of shooting, but bullets sound real different when they are coming at you!! I kept a whole lot lower for the next hour or so and did not return fire. Then I headed back to the border roads on the west side of La Gloria for the night.
As is my habit at night in Campo I alternated between patrolling the roads with my Go-Light between 133 and 141, and sitting on the mesa at 139. I encountered a BP agent on the border road while I was mobile at about 0330 27May07. I told him it seemed pretty quiet on that side and he informed me that they had just caught 9 illegals on the east side of La Gloria just west of 143. I told him to keep up the good work and he told me the same.
About sun up Sunday morning I ventured over to 143 where I came upon the same BP agent. He informed me that he had just startled 4 illegals and they went BTM. He asked me if I was planning to stay in that area and, when I replied in the affirmative, he told me to be careful. About ten minutes later he came back and asked me if I would guard his truck while he set off on foot to look for tracks and perhaps if anymore than the 4 had come through or if any were hiding from the night before. It was an honor to watch the man’s vehicle. He returned in about thirty minutes and then gave me a brief tracking lesson. He showed me the tracks where the 9 had come through the night before. They had not used booties, they were barefoot!
The 4 illegals that he had scared BTM left me a souvenir: A black shoulder bag with cans of Mexican tuna fish and fresh, dated individually wrapped slices of cheese. I ate the cheese with crackers for breakfast. Muchos Gracias Amigos!
After alternating between naps in the shade of La Gloria and the Oaks 27May07, about 1430 I went back to the peak where I had been shot at the day before. This time I did not park in plain view but rather hid my truck behind the peak, donned my gear and scampered up the backside. My intent was to fortify the position with rocks to make me less of a target. Before I got to the top however, I heard Spanish speaking voices to my east. I observed 3 men on the north side walking parallel to the border fence and down into the west bank of Smith Canyon. I could also make out part of a vehicle on the Mexican side and heard voices from there too. I called the BP and in a matter of minutes the helicopter was on the scene.
I watched as it came in my direction and then turned away. I called BP again and told then the chopper had left too soon. I stayed on the line and directed him to come to the area south of the power lines and north of the fence. He hovered there for a while and the vehicles, now there were more than one, in Mexico, left and I lost sight of any illegals on our side. I kept low and, Mossberg 590 in hand and Glock 19 at the ready, I snuck around to view BP trucks in 3 different positions on the east side of Smith Canyon set up to view my side. I also startled a Mexican sitting under a tree where the border fence ends on the west side of Smith. I stared at him with my shotgun in hand and he appeared to stare back across the frontier. We “mad-dogged” each other for what seemed like a couple of minutes and then it was if he finally realized what he was looking at and comically dove behind the tree! It was hilarious. I wish I could’ve gotten it on video.
Later I was told that the incident on the west side of Smith, which I had called in, was a drug smuggling operation gone bad. I heard that there were two vehicles loaded with dope stuck on the side of Smith and the men I had seen were off loading it by hand. I cannot verify this and am glad I did not get close enough to see it for myself. No doubt it would’ve gotten ugly. Kingfish speculated that the reason they were shooting at me up there the day before was to scare us out of the area of their impending operation.
Around 1600 I went back to the Oaks for a nap. I awoke about 1800 and met two new guys who said they had seen the Campo Minutemen website and wanted to check out the area. I gave them a tour of the border and showed them the spots that had recently been active. Their call signs were “Upstate” and “Northstar” and they claimed to be Iraqi veterans. They opted to stay at 143 and I took up position across from them at 141 for a while before setting off on my nightly patrol. The next thing I heard on the radio is that Upstate is on foot with night vision goggles in La Gloria Canyon and has 3 illegals spotted! I drove down to 141 where Northstar was monitoring his partner. Thinking these guys were new, I told them once Upstate had a visual on the three Northstar should phone the BP, which he did.
The BP IR camera truck was there almost before he hung up! Then I watched the BP IR truck go past La Gloria on to the other side. I called BP and told them their man had driven past the position. The agent on the phone acted surprised that there was already and agent on the scene. Then the agent in the truck started talking on an FRS radio directly to us and to Upstate! I knew BP monitored us from time to time but had never heard them communicate directly.
This has me wondering if the gung ho new guys weren’t in fact undercover BP agents. The agent in the truck verified that three had entered and were heading north but, to my knowledge, none were caught. Then the IR truck set up next to me at 141 and I was treated to an infrared video display of the whole La Gloria canyon area. Man, I want one of those for my truck.
I patrolled a while and then took up position at 138 until about 0130 when I was just too exhausted to be useful and safe. I went back to my tent in the Oaks for the night. I left Campo about 0900 on Memorial Day.
God Bless all the brave men and women who have fought and died for this great country and God Bless The United States of America.
I plan on returning to the border on or about the 14th of June (Flag Day) for 3 or 4 days. Hope to see you there!
This concludes my report.
C1
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day Weekend at Campo
C-1 joined the group of Miunutemen who joke they are they "mistaken for rabbits" club. C-1 was at Kingfish's old place when gun fire came from the south west. This location as probably been on of the hottest at Campo. The intent was to see if they could scare him off, but C-1 held his post.
Romeo reports why -
A Few hours later ... There was an ATTEMPT TO SMUGGLE SEVERAL TRUCK LOADS OF DOPE INTO THE U.S,
Two vehicles in Mexico were attempting to approach the fence East of Campo, when the
their vehicle became disabled by the difficult terrain. They hurriedly unloaded the dope, and took it back to a near by shed type structure.
Afterwards, the BP monitored the area, bringing in several cars and a helicopter.
------------------------------------
The Campo MInutemen have a highly dedicated volunteer that spends 6 days a week and a 150 mile commute , to do the job our government will not do.
"Gadget" is another one of the unsung heroes ! Observing, mending border fences, liter control and many other activities.
Gadget is also an enviromentalist, in addition to being dedicated Campo Minuteman border observer.
Over time, he has been responsible for picking up 7 tons of road side trash along the highways and illegal alien infiltration routes.Usually working alone, and rarely with a few others, as with yesterdays group project.Gadget has lead the way in the Campo Minutemen participating in the ADOPT A HIGHWAY program.So what else is Gadget doing out there ? Well, in addition to his strong commitment to the environment, --- he has discovered something.---------- The illegals, ,their coyote guides and load ,or pick up vehicles use subtle road side markers to guide them. Markers that the average person would not recognize as such.
Markers indicating a pick up point, or where an off road trail starts etc.
A beer can, toilet paper, other incon****uous objects, giving directions to illegal invaders.
One can only wonder how many terrorist have use the signs and routes .
It was great see other long term patriots out there yesterday helping.
-------------------------------------------------
Memorial Day Weekend brought some calls to remember those who fought and were injured and died. This from Kingfish :
"I remember Sargent Salazar. He was from Texas. He is one of the men from my unit that no one seems to know what happened to him. He is not on The Wall, I know that, but the day we were hit, his legs were so bad, well let's just say I can not imagine that were able to save his legs.
Sargent Salazar, was groaning and I remember I said to him, "Hey Sarge, I thought you were supposed to be so tough." He was quiet for a minute, then he began to sing.
The last time I saw Sargent Salazar, they were carrying him away and he was singing "The Yellow Rose of Texas."
--------------------------------------------
There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see,
Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me.
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart,
And if I ever find her, we nevermore will part.
------------------------------------------------------
Romeo reports why -
A Few hours later ... There was an ATTEMPT TO SMUGGLE SEVERAL TRUCK LOADS OF DOPE INTO THE U.S,
Two vehicles in Mexico were attempting to approach the fence East of Campo, when the
their vehicle became disabled by the difficult terrain. They hurriedly unloaded the dope, and took it back to a near by shed type structure.
Afterwards, the BP monitored the area, bringing in several cars and a helicopter.
------------------------------------
The Campo MInutemen have a highly dedicated volunteer that spends 6 days a week and a 150 mile commute , to do the job our government will not do.
"Gadget" is another one of the unsung heroes ! Observing, mending border fences, liter control and many other activities.
Gadget is also an enviromentalist, in addition to being dedicated Campo Minuteman border observer.
Over time, he has been responsible for picking up 7 tons of road side trash along the highways and illegal alien infiltration routes.Usually working alone, and rarely with a few others, as with yesterdays group project.Gadget has lead the way in the Campo Minutemen participating in the ADOPT A HIGHWAY program.So what else is Gadget doing out there ? Well, in addition to his strong commitment to the environment, --- he has discovered something.---------- The illegals, ,their coyote guides and load ,or pick up vehicles use subtle road side markers to guide them. Markers that the average person would not recognize as such.
Markers indicating a pick up point, or where an off road trail starts etc.
A beer can, toilet paper, other incon****uous objects, giving directions to illegal invaders.
One can only wonder how many terrorist have use the signs and routes .
It was great see other long term patriots out there yesterday helping.
-------------------------------------------------
Memorial Day Weekend brought some calls to remember those who fought and were injured and died. This from Kingfish :
"I remember Sargent Salazar. He was from Texas. He is one of the men from my unit that no one seems to know what happened to him. He is not on The Wall, I know that, but the day we were hit, his legs were so bad, well let's just say I can not imagine that were able to save his legs.
Sargent Salazar, was groaning and I remember I said to him, "Hey Sarge, I thought you were supposed to be so tough." He was quiet for a minute, then he began to sing.
The last time I saw Sargent Salazar, they were carrying him away and he was singing "The Yellow Rose of Texas."
--------------------------------------------
There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see,
Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me.
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart,
And if I ever find her, we nevermore will part.
------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Frank Mickadeit On Minutemen - Kingfish Gets A Mention
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/columns/article_1683498.php
Reaction to my two-parter on the Minutemen brought the usual flood of anti-immigrant bile, but also brought some clarification from the Minuteman known as "Kingfish." He is actually Britt Craig of Lake Forest, and he says Minuteman Max (or anyone else) should not expect to see Jim Gilchrist down at the border. Gilchrist, Craig says, had told his followers "he was going to focus on internal enforcement and political issues" and turn over border operations to others. Fair enough. … Another pro-Gilchrist type, however, mistakenly wrote on their Web site that "after (Minuteman) attorneys put the newspaper on notice for malicious defamation, columnist Frank Mickadeit put his venom-pen away." They have been misinformed. As they do with their sidearms, I always keep my venom pen right where I can reach it.
Contact the writer: Mickadeit writes Mon.-Fri. Contact him at 714-796-4994 or fmickadeit@ocregister.com
Reaction to my two-parter on the Minutemen brought the usual flood of anti-immigrant bile, but also brought some clarification from the Minuteman known as "Kingfish." He is actually Britt Craig of Lake Forest, and he says Minuteman Max (or anyone else) should not expect to see Jim Gilchrist down at the border. Gilchrist, Craig says, had told his followers "he was going to focus on internal enforcement and political issues" and turn over border operations to others. Fair enough. … Another pro-Gilchrist type, however, mistakenly wrote on their Web site that "after (Minuteman) attorneys put the newspaper on notice for malicious defamation, columnist Frank Mickadeit put his venom-pen away." They have been misinformed. As they do with their sidearms, I always keep my venom pen right where I can reach it.
Contact the writer: Mickadeit writes Mon.-Fri. Contact him at 714-796-4994 or fmickadeit@ocregister.com
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Campo Minutenmen Head for the - Arizona- Border
A Group Of Campo Minutemen -
http://www.campominutemen.com
Kingfish, Delta, "36," Gadget, Bear, Ridgerunner, Little Bit and Jawbone
Are Leaving Friday to travel to the Arizona Border as Special Guests of Glen Spencer at his fund raiser for Tom Tancredo.
http://www.americanpatrol.com
The Campo Minutemen will meet up with the American Freedom Riders and provided first hand accounts of their experiences on The Border.
------------------------------------------
The Campo Minutemen are an all volunteer non profit organization of Independent Minutemen. We do not endorse any political candidates. We support efforts of other anti-illegal immigration organizations, but receive no funding from and have no affiliation with The Minuteman Project, Minutemen Civil Defense Corps or any other organization.
http://www.campominutemen.com
Kingfish, Delta, "36," Gadget, Bear, Ridgerunner, Little Bit and Jawbone
Are Leaving Friday to travel to the Arizona Border as Special Guests of Glen Spencer at his fund raiser for Tom Tancredo.
http://www.americanpatrol.com
The Campo Minutemen will meet up with the American Freedom Riders and provided first hand accounts of their experiences on The Border.
------------------------------------------
The Campo Minutemen are an all volunteer non profit organization of Independent Minutemen. We do not endorse any political candidates. We support efforts of other anti-illegal immigration organizations, but receive no funding from and have no affiliation with The Minuteman Project, Minutemen Civil Defense Corps or any other organization.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Hispanic news media reports from Campo, CA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsTHy0PQH_0
Hispanic news media reports from Campo, CA. Prefered area for smugglers of
drugs and people. Reports also comments about underage smugglers. As young
as 9 years old. ( more )
Hispanic news media reports from Campo, CA. Prefered area for smugglers of
drugs and people. Reports also comments about underage smugglers. As young
as 9 years old. ( more )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
