8/3/90 Day Two

Morning. It was a quiet night, although I didn't sleep for squat. When I did sleep, I had nightmares. I tossed and turned, waiting for more sounds of fighting. Thank God those sounds never came. I got up at 5:30 AM. I wanted to use the bathroom while everyone slept. Were they sleeping? Yesterday, we left the SAS Hotel so quickly, I never even brushed my teeth. This morning I brushed them twice. I even shaved and put on clean clothes. Not that I am going anywhere. I also managed to leave the hotel without any shorts. I borrowed a pair from Mario yesterday. They were pretty filthy at the end of the day, from climbing on the roof. I spent a few hours just gazing over the city, from atop of the water tank on top of the roof. Using Mario's binoculars, I could see the top of the SAS Hotel. I could see bits of the Persian Gulf also. I wouldn't mind being back on a submarine right now.

1020 hrs. I need something to do. Can't sleep. John's talking about going to the SAS Hotel and getting our clothes. He and Mario went by there this morning. They said tanks were on both sides of the SAS, some pointing out to the gulf, and some pointing inward. Scary.

"I will turn Kuwait into a graveyard." That's what Saddam Hussein said he'd do if there were any intervention. I can't get that out of my head. But in the big picture, we here are nothing, a minimal sacrifice. A bold move such as this invasion has to demand a response. Can there be anything short of a complete counter attack, to save as many people in Kuwait as possible, and to prevent Hussein's aggressive expansion? My biggest fear is right now is the chemical weapons.

1835 hrs. I just watched the sunset. Sarah gave everyone a tour of the kitchen; plates, microwave operation, espresso machine. We would get very familiar with not only the kitchen, but with every inch of that townhouse, including the crawl space in the roof.

2010 hrs. George got through to the US again. Can't believe communications are still going through. I don't know why I'm writing all this. Mario has strongly advised me to stop. If searched, this may be misinterpreted as spying. Funny, I just finished reading Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin. Now I think everyone's a spy.

It's dark out, but the lights are on all over the city. Adrenalin is still pumping. I think maybe it's time to force down another scotch. It is humorous to me, outside a war, inside, a small group of people watching a pirated video of Die Hard Two. I missed the end. Gunfire from somewhere outside distracted me.

Don't let me die in a foreign land
This is no place for a humble man
My wife and children across the sea
will not sleep well as they think of me.
As I sit here, I can't think anymore.
Will I wake again on the other shore?