Saudi Bombing
The release of Defense Secretary William S. Cohen’s report and accountability for the bombing of the Khobar Towers being laid at the feet of Brig. Gen. Terryl J. Schwalier is nothing short of a disgrace (Aug. 1). The accountability lies squarely on the shoulders of the Pentagon, its staff officers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
When our troops/airmen were housed in the Khobar Towers, it was the Pentagon staff officers who approved the building and its security arrangements. They already had the experience and hindsight of the Lebanon bombing that resulted in the murder of 241 of our Marines and, a year before, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, but these people did nothing! Our troops/airmen deserve better than this. They should have been housed in single-floor accommodations with satisfactory fencing and alarm warning arrangements providing adequate protection.
This country owes Schwalier a profound apology as well as his promotion to major general.
MICHAEL J. DOUST
Port Hueneme
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