Mina Smith, dramaturg
Sonoma State University
Fall 2010
Urgent Fury
STUDY GUIDE
Table of Contents
1) Special forces- Delta force…………………………………..1
2) Panama……………………………………………………….2
3) Invasion of Grenada………………………………………….3
4) Army Life……………………………………………………5
5) Alison Moore………………………………………………...6
6) Figs…………………………………………………………...7
7) Military ranks………………………………………………...8
8) Fort Sam Houston ……………………………………………9
9) Discussion Questions……………………………………..…11
10) References………………………………………………….12
1
Special Forces- Delta Force
It may also interest you to know that the primary mission of the Army Special
Forces is to teach. Yep. That's right -- they're all a bunch of teachers. So, why are they
"special?" Because they do their teaching right in the middle of combat missions. They
go right into combat situations with military members of friendly developing nations and
teach them technical fighting and military skills, as well as helping them resolve human
rights issues during combat operations.
However, like all Special Operations Groups, that's not all they do. That's just
what they do best. When not teaching foreign military groups how to sneak up on the
enemy and kill them without dying themselves, Army Special Forces have four other
missions that they do very well: Unconventional Warfare, Special Reconnaissance, Direct
Action and Counter-Terrorism.
Qualifications & Benefits
Qualifications
To become part of the Army's Green Berets, you need to be mentally and physically
tough, endure difficult training and face all challenges head-on. In addition to that, you
must:
* Be a male, age 20-30 (Special Forces positions are not open to women)
* Be a U.S. citizen
* Be a high school diploma graduate
* Achieve a General Technical score of 107 or higher and a combat operation score of
98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
* Qualify for a secret security clearance.
* Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
* Take Defense Language Aptitude Battery or Defense Language Proficiency Test
* Achieve a minimum of 60 points on each event and overall minimum score of 229 on
the Army Physical Fitness Test
* Must successfully complete the Pre-Basic Task list
Benefits
* Enlistment bonus of up to $4,000
* Up to $83,488 to further your education
* Camaraderie
* 30 days vacation
* Complete medical and dental care
* Specialized Army training
* Leadership skills
2
Panama
1970s and 1980s, PANAMA
For more than a decade, Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega was a highly
paid CIA asset and collaborator, despite knowledge by U.S. drug authorities as
early as 1971 that the general was heavily involved in drug trafficking and money
laundering. Noriega facilitated "guns-for-drugs" flights for the contras, providing
protection and pilots, as well as safe havens for drug cartel officials, and discreet
banking facilities. U.S. officials, including then-ClA Director William Webster
and several DEA officers, sent Noriega letters of praise for efforts to thwart drug
trafficking (albeit only against competitors of his Medellin Cartel patrons). The
U.S. government only turned against Noriega, invading Panama in December
1989 and kidnapping the general, once they discovered he was providing
intelligence and services to the Cubans and Sandinistas. Ironically drug
trafficking through Panama increased after the US invasion. (John Dinges, Our
Man in Panama, Random House, 1991; National Security Archive Documentation
Packet The Contras, Cocaine, and Covert Operations.)
Relinquishing U.S. Control, 1979–1999
The process of turning over the canal began in October 1979, as Carter's term was
ending. The Panamanians gained control over the former Canal Zone, and the Panama
Canal Commission, composed of Americans and Panamanians, began the process of
overseeing the transition. In the summer of 1980 a Committee on the Environment and a
Coordinating Committee began working to implement sections of the treaty.
During the 1980s, the Panama Canal remained an issue of concern to the United
States. Some thought that the election of Ronald Reagan might mean that the treaty
would be overturned as he had been one of its leading critics during the presidential
debates. But in fact the movement toward transition continued unabated during his two
terms. More Panamanians became integrated into the Canal Zone as policemen and
pilots, and American employees there gradually were weaned off their ties to the U.S.
government.
Furthermore, the presence of the left-wing Sandinistas in Nicaragua in the 1980s
and possible threats in the Caribbean led Americans to continue to view the Canal Zone
and its defense installations as vital to U.S. national security. This made them fearful of
provoking a confrontation in Panama. Reagan administration officials worked with
General Manuel Noriega, who had replaced Torrijo after his death in a mysterious plane
crash. Noriega allowed the contras—right-wing foes of the Sandinista government who
were supported by the Reagan administration—to train in his country. While rumors had
swirled for many years about Noriega's ties to the drug trade, U.S. leaders ignored them.
In fact, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Attorney General Edwin Meese sent
letters of commendation to the Panamanian dictator. Noriega also regularly received U.S.
dignitaries, including Vice President George H. W. Bush, to discuss policy issues.
3
The Invasion of Grenada
Image "A lovely little war" was what one correspondent called the 1983 U.S.
invasion of Grenada. Most saw Operation Urgent Fury, its official name, as a guaranteed
victory. The Caribbean island, the smallest independent country in the Western
Hemisphere, was no match for American military might. Reagan championed the
invasion as another step toward ridding the world of Communism, but the big victory
over the little island also served as a major public relations coup for the recently battered
administration.
On October 13, 1983, Reagan was made aware of possible trouble in Grenada.
Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, a Communist hard-liner backed by the Grenadian
Army, had deposed Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and established military rule. Six
days later, Bishop was murdered. A socialist with ties to Cuba, Bishop had been taking
his time making Grenada wholly socialist; he had encouraged private-sector development
in an attempt to make the island a popular tourist destination. With the Communist Coard
in power, Reagan grew more concerned.
Reagan was most concerned by the presence of Cuban construction workers and
military personnel building a 10,000-foot airstrip on Grenada. Though Bishop had
claimed the purpose of the airstrip was to allow commercial jets to land, Reagan believed
its purpose was to allow military transport planes loaded with arms from Cuba to be
transferred to Central American insurgents.
Also weighing on Reagan was the security of the 800 American medical students
enrolled at St. George's School of Medicine in the former British commonwealth. After
the coup, there was violence and anarchy, and with martial law and a shoot-on-sight
curfew in effect in Grenada, Reagan was joined by many of his advisers, as well as much
of the American public, in believing that the rescue of the American students was
justification for an invasion.
Grenada had been something of a pet project for Reagan since his visit to
Barbados in 1982, where Caribbean leaders echoed Reagan's own fear: that Grenada,
with its socialist government and proximity to Cuba, could become a Communist
beachhead in the Caribbean. While Reagan had been focused on Grenada for some time,
he was unfairly accused of using the invasion to distract attention from other world
events.
image On October 23, a suicide bomber drove his truck into a U.S. Marine
barracks in Beirut. According to the official report, "The force of the explosion ripped the
building from its foundation.… Almost all the occupants were crushed or trapped inside
the wreckage." Numbers told an even more devastating story. The bomb, which had
produced the largest non-nuclear blast on record, exploded with the force of 12,000
pounds of TNT and killed 241 Marines. Reagan's placement of the Marines as
peacekeepers of a tenuous cease-fire between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon had
been divisive from the start. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger had repeatedly
4
called for the withdrawal of forces, insisting that Lebanon was too unstable and of little
strategic importance to the United States; Secretary of State George Shultz reflected
Reagan's view that a U.S. presence was essential to maintaining peace.
Although the final decision to invade Grenada was made shortly after the Beirut
bombings, by the time of the massacre in October 1983, Reagan had all but officially
approved the invasion of Grenada. The accusation that the bombing in Lebanon
motivated the invasion was, therefore, unfounded. If anything, one reporter argued, the
destruction of the Marine barracks may have caused Reagan to hesitate.
On October 25, U.S. Marines invaded Grenada, where they encountered
unexpectedly heavy antiaircraft fire and ground resistance by the Cuban soldiers and
laborers building the controversial airstrip. In two days they subdued the air and ground
forces.
Reagan's credibility was bolstered by what the 5,000-strong American invading
force found on the island: a cache of weapons that could arm 10,000 men -- automatic
rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, antiaircraft guns, howitzers, cannon, armored
vehicles and coastal patrol boats. In all, out of 800 Cubans, 59 were killed, 25 were
wounded, and the rest were returned to Havana upon surrender. Forty-five Grenadians
died, and 337 were wounded. America also suffered casualties: 19 dead and 119
wounded. The medical students came home unharmed.
For Reagan, Grenada was an unmitigated success: a defeat of Communism and
Castro, and a warning to the Marxist Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Fortunately for Reagan,
by the time of the 1984 election, the Grenada success replaced the bitter memory of the
massacre at Lebanon.
5
Army Life
A soldier's training is never completely finished. In the modern Army, mundane
tasks formerly used as punishment or busy work for soldiers, such as preparing food for
mess service or basic cleaning, are often performed by civilians under contract with the
Army. This frees up soldiers' time, allowing them to take ongoing training courses. They
may go through additional AIT schools to diversify their training or take leadership
courses. Entire units can take special training courses together. The Army's goal is to
keep soldiers focused on improving their skills and abilities so they can perform their
jobs perfectly when peoples' lives are on the line.
While a soldier's assignment ultimately depends on the needs of the Army, his area
of expertise and his training, his family situation and specific requests may be taken into
account. The Army has special programs for married couples who are both in the military
and for other special situations, such as family hardships, that may require specific
assignments. Other than these special cases, a soldier goes where the Army tells him to
go.
All single enlisted soldiers live in barracks on an Army base when they first
complete their training. Life in a barracks is similar to living in a college dorm: each
soldier has at least one roommate and uses a communal bathroom and shower. Higherranked soldiers have the option of living off-base, using a military housing allowance.
Married soldiers also have this option, although 24 percent of all military families live on
base in Army-provided housing. The base itself includes enough provisions for daily life
that soldiers and their families need never leave the base if they don't want to. Amenities
include:
* Post Exchange (PX) - The base store, where many consumer goods can be purchased
* Gyms, pools and other exercise facilities
* Movie theater
* Restaurants, bars and clubs
* Libraries
* Golf courses, tennis courts and other recreational facilities
Army bases are scattered throughout the United States, and there are bases in
South Korea, Japan, Belgium, Germany and Italy. Soldiers typically receive a new
assignment every two or three years, so chances are they will eventually get to experience
life outside the United States if they stay in the Army long enough.
6
Allison Moore
Plays by this author
# American Klepto
# CowTown
# Eighteen
# Hazard County
# Humana Festival 2009: The Complete Plays
# Slasher
# Snapshot
# Split
Allison Moore is a displaced Texan living in Minneapolis where she is a 2007
Bush Artists Fellow and a 2008 McKnight Fellow. Her play, Slasher, premiered at
the 2009 Humana Festival. Other plays include: End Times (2007 Kitchen Dog
Theatre, Dallas Critics Forum Award), American Klepto (2006 Fresh Ink/Illusion
Theater), Hazard County (2005 Humana Festival), Split (2005 Guthrie Theater
commission), Urgent Fury (2003 Cherry Lane Mentor Project, Mentor: Marsha
Norman), and Eighteen (2001 O'Neill Playwrights' Conference). She is a twotime Playwrights' Center Jerome Fellow and two-time McKnight Fellow. Moore's
new adaptation of Willa Cather's novel, My Antonia, for Illusion Theatre will be
produced in 2009-10. BFA: Southern Methodist University. MFA: University of
Iowa Playwrights Workshop.
7
Figs
A little history
Fig. Native to the Mediterranean region, the fig tree appears in some images of
the Garden of Eden. After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve covered their
nakedness with leaves that are usually said to be from the fig tree, and Islamic tradition
mentiontwo forbidden trees in Eden—a fig tree and an olive tree. In Greek and Roman
mythology, figs are sometimes associated with Dionysus (Bacchus to the Romans), god
of wine and drunkenness, and with Priapus, a satyr who symbolized sexual desire.
The fig tree has a sacred meaning for Buddhists. According to Buddhist legend,
the founder of the religion, Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha, achieved enlightenment
one day in 528 B . C . while sitting under a bo tree, a kind of fig tree. The bo or bodhi
tree remains a symbol of enlightenment.
Figs and Texas
Figs (Ficus carica, L.) have been a part of Texas homesteads since the early
development of the state. Figs grow extremely well along the Texas Gulf Coast, but
dooryard trees can be grown in any section of Texas. In the northern portions of the state,
fig trees will require some cold protection and supplemental irrigation will be needed in
arid areas or during extended dry periods.
The fig fruit is unique. Unlike most fruit, in which the edible structure is matured
ovary tissue, the fig's edible structure is actually stem tissue. The fig fruit is an inverted
flower with both the male and female flower parts enclosed in stem tissue. The structure
is known botanically as a synconium. At maturity the interior of the fig contains only the
remains of these flower structures, including the small gritty structures commonly called
seeds. Actually, these so-called seeds are usually nothing more than unfertilized ovaries
that failed to develop, and they impart the resin-like flavor associated with figs.
8
Military Ranks
Abbrev.
Title
PVT
PV2
PFC
SPC
CPL
SGT
SSG
SFC
MSG
1SG
SGM
CSM
SMA
Private
Private 2
Private First Class
Specialist
Corporal
Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant First Class
Master Sergeant
First Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Command Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major of the Army
WO1
CW2
CW3
Cw4
CW5
2LT
1LT
CPT
MAJ
LTC
COL
BG
MG
LTG
GEN
GA
Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer 2
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Chief Warrant Officer 4
Chief Warrant Officer 5
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
General of the Army
Reserved for wartime
9
FORT SAM HOUSTON
Fort Sam Houston [called "Fort Sam" by locals] is located on the northeast side of San
Antonio, Texas. The post is surrounded by San Antonio, the 10th largest city in the
United States. San Antonio is known as "Military City USA" because it has the extreme
good fortune of having five military installations located in its perimeter and the city
shares a wonderful rapport with members of the military community.
Military medicine
Fort Sam Houston is known as the "Home of Army Medicine" and "Home of the
Combat Medic." At the end of World War II, the Army decided to make Fort Sam
Houston the principal medical training facility. In conjunction with this decision came
the determination to develop Brooke General Hospital into one of the Army's premier
medical centers. As of 2007, Fort Sam Houston is the largest and most important
military medical training facility in the world.
Known as the brain trust for the Army Medical Department, the Army Medical
Department Center and School annually trains more than 25,000 students attending
170 officer, NCO and enlisted courses in 14 medical specialties. The command
maintains several academic affiliations for bachelor and masters degree programs
with major universities such as Baylor University, University of Texas Health
Science Centers at Houston and San Antonio, and University of Nebraska.
Also located at Fort Sam Houston are Brooke Army Medical Center, the Southern
Regional Medical Command (Provisional), Headquarters Dental Command,
Headquarters Veterinary Command, the Institute for Surgical Research (trauma/burn
center), the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, and the Army Medical
Department NCO Academy. In addition, the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is
located on the Fort.
As a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) 2005
recommendations, all military medical training will be consolidated at Fort Sam
Houston. This consolidation will conclude in the opening of the Military Education
and Training Campus (METC) in 2011. The Navy will move its medical training
from San Diego, CA, Great Lakes, IL, and Portsmouth, VA. The Air Force will move
from Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita Falls, TX. This will increase the average
student load to more than 9,000 and will require an additional 4,000 in support staff.
This will result in significant changes in the training footprint on post, requiring
construction approaching one billion dollars.
Construction at Fort Sam Houston began in the middle 1870s under the supervision of
the military commander of the Department of Texas, Major General Edward Ord, a
West Point-trained army engineer. Today, as one of the Army's oldest installations,
and with more than 900 buildings in its historic districts, Fort Sam Houston boasts
one of the largest collection of historic military post structures. The significant
10
contributions of Fort Sam Houston to the United States were recognized in 1975
when the post was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
The Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle, built by George Henry Griebel, is the oldest
structure at Fort Sam Houston. It was originally a supply depot, and during that time,
it also housed Geronimo and those Apaches captured with him while the Federal
government decided whether they were prisoners of war or common criminals.
Legend has it that the deer in the Quadrangle were there because Geronimo refused to
eat food he did not hunt. In truth, the deer pre-date Geronimo in the Quadrangle, he
ate the same rations as the soldiers, and no one really knows why the deer are there.
The Quadrangle is now an office complex housing the commanding general and staff
of U.S. Army North.
Even more consequential than the number of buildings is the historical integrity of the
post's different sections, which represent different eras of construction, and reflect
Army concepts in planning and design. Careful preservation of these areas allows the
post to live with its history, surrounded by the traditions established when the first
soldier arrived here in 1845.
11
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Do you think this play is pro-military or anti-military?
2) Who do you think is ultimately a stronger character, Mary or Brett?
3) Do you think that Honey and Beatrice, the daughters, are fair in the way
they treat their parents? Do you think their parents are fair in the way they
treat their children?
4) Do you have any personal experience with the military, either through your
own service, or through the service of someone close to you? Does this play
ring true for you or ring false?
5) The military asks Stan and Mike, as soldiers, for complete devotion and
sacrifice. Where else do you see examples of complete devotion and sacrifice
in the play? Is complete devotion and sacrifice a good idea or a bad idea?
12
REFERENCES
Delta force:
http://www.goarmy.com/special_forces/qualifications_and_benefits.jsp
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/jointservices/a/specialops.htm
Invasion of Grenada:
written by Julie Wolf
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande07.html
Figs:
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/ancient-figs-through-history-40155.html
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Fi-Go/Fruit-in-Mythology.html
Military Life:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/army3.htm
Fort Sam Houston:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fort-sam-houston.htm