My team isn’t going to let me torture anybody, so you got that going for you.
I just determined that the address of the house I “remember” owning in County Club Estates in Greer, SC, is clearly not the same place I “remember” living in. I probably have never even been there. Everything I “remember” about it is from photos and video that was shown to me following the medical process that erased conscious awareness of my real memories. Those photos and videos were shown to me to create new “memories.“ I found a color satellite photo of that street and I was able to determine the house I “remember” living in by the circle driveway, as well as some other features, such as a bend in the street. But while I “remember” that my address was number 30, the address of that house seems to be 76.
If I have this all figured out correctly, then it seems that as a U.S. Navy officer, I was a strategic asset in President Reagan’s diplomacy efforts during the final days of the Cold War. I was reminded of that as I was reading this following article. I was also reminded of something I wrote in my journal about 3 years ago. I wrote basically the same thing but from a slightly different perspective because I was the one our former adversaries seemed to be trying to use to symbolize their winning strategy. I think it was a few months earlier when my F-14 was hit by a missile as I described the other day.
Ronald Reagan’s Best Scene
My favorite Ronald Reagan story is one he told me himself. It was his account of his private conversation with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on the occasion of their first summit meeting in Geneva in November 1985.
Their formal talks were to be held in a palace on the heights overlooking the lake, but before the official sessions were to begin, the president wanted to have an informal chat with Gorbachev, with only their interpreters present. President Reagan chose a little-used boat house by the lake as the site for this chat. He directed that a fire be lit in the fireplace to take the seasonal chill off the old place.
The two men sat by the fire, at first making small talk and exchanging pleasantries. Then, President Reagan turned the conversation to talk of children. As he had hoped, it seemed to establish some common ground between them. After a time, he turned and stared thoughtfully at the fire. When he turned back to Gorbachev, Reagan looked directly into his eyes and—in what he later described to me as his “most plaintive, wistful tone”—said, “I do hope for the sake of our children that we can find some way to avert this terrible, escalating arms race . . .”
As Reagan paused, Gorbachev—thinking the president had completed his thought—smiled slyly, unable to mask a sudden look of triumph in his eyes. After several seconds, Gorbachev opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Reagan continued, “. . . because, if we can’t, America will not lose it, I assure you.”
As he waited for the interpreter to translate his words into Russian, the president continued looking into Gorbachev’s eyes—just as he was looking into mine when, years later, he told me this story. Gorbachev met his gaze, but the brief look of triumph had gone from his eyes. He nodded his understanding. After a few moments of silence, President Reagan, assuming the air of genial host, put a friendly hand on Gorbachev’s shoulder and said, “Well, I’ve really enjoyed our conversation, but now I guess we had better get ready for dinner.”
Researching the speeches of President Reagan, I read about his requests to tear down the Berlin Wall. I have been trying to determine the date of that famous taped speech where he as “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” I haven’t determined the precise date of that speech, but I did find a couple that had curious connections to dates I recognize. This one was 454 days after 11/25/86. That was the day I think they had a funeral for me. The period 2/14/86 to 5/13/87 was 453 days, or 454 days, depending how you count it.
Address to the Citizens of Western Europe
February 23rd, 1988
This is Ronald Reagan, speaking to you, the citizens of the North Atlantic alliance, over the satellite channels of WORLDNET and the Voice of America. In just a few days, I'll be flying to Europe to meet with the heads of the governments of our North Atlantic allies, and this will be our first meeting since General Secretary Gorbachev and I signed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces agreement in Washington in December. That agreement represented a step toward world peace and world freedom, and it was a major victory for the Atlantic alliance. So, at next week's meeting we'll celebrate the success of a policy we launched over 8 years ago, and we'll ask ourselves, What next? Today I'd like to share with you some thoughts we in America have about the alliance, the INF agreement, and the road ahead.
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Let's remember the issue for NATO is not today or tomorrow; it's what will Europe look like in 15 years? The Soviets talk about openness in international affairs. Last year at the Berlin Wall, I noted that there are simple ways for them to demonstrate that they are serious about openness. They can begin on the border of East and West. They can allow expanded commercial air service to Berlin so it can become one of the chief aviation hubs of central Europe. They can join Britain, France, and the United States in bringing more international meetings to Berlin. They can allow young people from East Berlin to visit the Western sectors and take part in cultural events there. They can join the Western sector powers in allowing and encouraging international sports events to take place throughout the city.
And they can tear down the Berlin Wall. To the Soviets today I say: I made my Berlin proposals almost 9 months ago. The people of Berlin and all of Europe deserve an answer. Make a start. Set a date, a specific date, when you will tear down the Wall. And on that date, bring it down. This would be an impressive demonstration of a true commitment to openness.
From 5/13/1987 to 4/10/1988 is: 333 days. The date 5/13/87 was when I think I returned from Africa after being shot down on 2/14/86. I don’t know if the Soviets had anything to do with that and it doesn’t really matter now.
Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas, Nevada
April 10th, 1988
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Mr. Gorbachev and I have already addressed each other's people on television, and this was helpful. But I challenge Mr. Gorbachev to open the Soviet Union more fully to Western media. Western newspapers and journals should become freely available to Soviet citizens. Soviet airwaves should be opened to Western broadcasts. And, yes, the Soviets should open their country to books, all books. Here I have a specific first step to suggest. Mr. Gorbachev, open the Soviet Union to the works of a great man and an historic author. Open the Soviet Union to the works of Solzhenitsyn. We have been too long divided, East from West. Tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbachev, that our peoples might come to know one another and together build the world anew.
Well, I made a promise to myself, as Henry the Eighth said to each of his six wives, that I wouldn't keep you long. [Laughter] So, thank you all, and God bless you all.
About 4 days after that speech that was 333 days after my return from Africa, the USS Samuel B. Roberts hit the anti-ship mine in the Persian Gulf and I think I was onboard that ship at the time. I think this was my first deployment after my recovery period from 15 month trek across Africa. I think I was deployed in the Persian Gulf this time as a leader of a SEAL platoon.
Statement by Assistant to the President for Press Relations Fitzwater on the United States Military Strike in the Persian Gulf
April 18th, 1988
Acting under his authority as Commander in Chief, the President has directed United States forces at 1 a.m. eastern daylight time today to strike Iranian military targets in the southern Persian Gulf. Our forces attacked oil platforms at Sirri and Sassan in the southern Gulf. These platforms are used as command and control radar stations for the Iranian military. The attacks are underway at this time. These actions were taken in response to Iran's recent resumption of mine-laying in international waters and its mine attack on the U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts. The Government of Iran has been repeatedly warned about the consequences of such hostile acts.
JOURNAL ARCHIVE: Re: Sleep journal 2/21/06
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In addition to those song lyrics this morning, I do remember a scene from one of my dreams. I was in a house, I didn't recognize it but it was really fancy and I guess I didn't recognize it because I had never lived in any place like it, or something like that. I was moving across the floor passing a staircase and I had a blanket over me, with an opening at the front so I could see where I was going. As I was moving towards a hallway, a pair of feet appeared in front of me. I think it was my mother. I was trying to make it to the hallway because I was hunting a deer, which made no sense because I was inside, and the hallway gave me a perfect shot to a deer that was at the other end of the hallway. I don't remember what my mother said, if anything, but sometime around that point, I remember someone telling me I was clever. I don't remember anything else happening in the dream after that.
