Terrorism is something that gives me absolutely no pleasure to write about but with the massive terror attacks that just happened in Paris there is no way I can get it out of my brain.

I can’t get it off my mind because on the 24th of May, 1972, I witnessed one of the two terrorist bombs exploding inside of Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, West Germany, and just a few seconds earlier had, in fact, been parked right behind the car that damaged the Officers Club Annex that also contained a cafeteria and movie theater where my ex-wife was employed. There were several other terrorist actions by the Baader-Meinhof Gang, who were also known as the Red Army Faction, after I returned to Germany in 1978 for my second tour of duty there. One attack was against the Commanding General (a four-star general) of the U.S. Army in Europe and his wife when they were traveling in a military vehicle and I have no idea how they were so lucky to survive that attack but they were relatively unscathed.

As luck would also have it, I was in Seoul, South Korea, when terrorists attacked the Kimpo International Airport in September 1986, which was where we picked up the mail for the military post office I was responsible for. Five were killed and 29 were injured. I might as well add I was stationed in Germany when the terrorists killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics and when a terrorist bomb ripped through a tent at the Oktoberfest, also held in Munich. I also had the luck of driving through Washington, D.C., when terrorists attacked a large Jewish center. Those might be some of the reasons no one wants to travel with me.

If that’s not bad enough, it is now known that some of the terrorists who perpetrated the Paris attacks are known to have received training in Syria and came back to Europe mixed in with the migrants from Syria and other countries who landed in Greece. To me it is more than obvious that terrorists can easily sneak into the United States because of our porous borders that will allow them to do just that. Just look at the ongoing drug war here in Maine that like most things is underfunded so Gov. LePage has stated he will use the Maine National Guard if he feels that it is necessary. Of course the hard part about doing that is our military cannot be used against citizens but might help provide intelligence data to law enforcement. I feel that same tactic could be used to secure our borders.

I used the above quote because I was disappointed with President Obama’s speech last Monday from the G-20 Summit that was being held in Turkey. He blasted his critics on his handling of terrorism by saying that they had nothing new to offer and didn’t have the experts he had. It sounded to me that is nothing more than the status quo, which I personally believe is a total failure. Russia is attacking groups we support that are fighting the oppressive Syrian government, so where is our outrage?

Unfortunately one of things I was surprised about is that after the Paris terrorist attacks police in both France and Belgium conducted raids on known terrorist cells and found numerous weapons including a rocket launcher. That’s a mighty powerful weapon, which is illegal over there and here as well. If heavy weapons can be smuggled into Europe with its strict gun control, what in the world could terrorists sneak into our country? It is obvious that no form of gun control is going to stop terrorists from doing just that so don’t blame our laws as being too lenient.

And I will finish by stating if you think terrorism can’t happen in your town or state, just look where some of terrorists who were part of the 9/11 terrorist attacks originated their horrible scheme. That’s right, right out of Portland, Maine. Some of them ate at Pizzeria Uno at the Maine Mall, slept at the Comfort Inn down the street, bought their box cutters at Walmart in Scarborough and flew out of the Jetport. Terrorism, indeed, can be very local.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham wonders why he is continuously in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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