I walked forward to see what all the commotion was about with my staff.

The Supreme Court had just ruled on all the lawsuits about all the past executive orders that past presidents had signed. On my first day after the inauguration, I had signed executive orders removing almost 600 orders from previous presidents.

            They had used these executive actions to radically change policy, adding all kinds of rules bypassing Congress and many times forcing agencies to alter established guidelines on many issues nationwide.

            My argument was I was now the president and why should executive orders from the past hamstring and control the actions of my administration and my agencies? If they could implement actions by executive order, I could undo those actions by executive order and issue my own, making my administration and my agencies in my vision.

            If I could not change what past presidents had done, why even have elections at all?

            Special interest groups didn’t see it that way and filed multiple lawsuits on everyone. The Supreme Court ended all of them today and did it with a sledge hammer effect. The court’s unanimous decision threw out all the lawsuits. The groups could not change a few words or criteria and then refile the suit.

            The court’s opinion said, ‘’Congress could vote to override my executive orders by the required two thirds vote in each House, otherwise the new orders stand the legal test.’’

The only stipulation was a law that was passed by both Houses and signed into law could not be changed or cancelled out by executive order. Congress had to pass a new law to remove or change it.

            My orders that had been delayed would go into full effect tomorrow. The special interest groups were furious.

            Secret Service Special Agent Greg Carter was in charge of the security on this trip. He was the first agent I met at the White House on my very first day on the Taskforce. He came walking towards me with a handful of papers and wasn’t looking happy.

            ‘’Intelligence is reporting that the terror group Abu Sayyaf is joining with Slammer terror groups on Mondano and Palawan. They are threatening to interrupt the Conference you are heading to. There is also a report that the terror groups Hiztul Ahrar and TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) from Pakistan have been and are traveling to Palawan, giving them training,’’ he said.

            ‘’What is the Philippine security saying – they are responsible for security as the host country,’’ I said.

            ‘’They have doubled security and have made about three hundred arrests, plus the roads from Mondano and Palawan are going to have check points that have started this morning,’’ he replied.

            ‘’That all good, but who knows? Maybe they have been moving into the area of the conference for weeks,’’ I said then I added, ‘’Given the security risk now, the location and the dates of these conferences need to be kept confidential between the members.’’

            ‘’Where did you come up with this intelligence?’’ I asked.

 I was curious to know if part of it was from Robert’s group. I knew JBG had no listening operations in the area, unless there had been an expansion that I did not know about.

‘’Frank’s group and working with the Philippine security group,’’ he replied.

Extra security was sent early because I was going to the WW2 American cemetery to place a wreath with many of the security teams had been there for weeks.

I also wanted to go see a couple of the WW2 battlefields that were close by. There were several that still had the relics as they were abandoned after the battle.

The flight continued on and we arrived early 0600 local time. There was time for me to freshen up in the hotel before my group and I needed to be at the Manila Hilton Grand Ballroom for the breakfast and opening statements for the world’s media.

After a breakfast where I did not like the foods and the media frenzy for best picture with choice allies and all the international politicking, we moved over to the international convention center side in the majestic side of the building.

The next three hours was spent going over changes to agreements that various state departments and negotiators had spent months working on. There were discussions that were heated at times.

At 1300 the meetings were called to a halt for today. A lunch for Kings and Queens was on the tables in the Grand Ballroom. After lunch, there were impromptu meetings of leaders in one on one and group sessions to expand on friendships and influence.

I met with Australia Prime Minister Alfred Morris and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Craven Tomou. Both governments had promised last year to expand their navies, but with all promises, work at doing that was slow in coming.

Australia had laid down the keel for one destroyer, one submarine and one cruiser. It would be a decade before either was ready for sea duty. New Zealand had laid down one keel for a frigate that was years away from going to sea.

Tonight was another feast, with speakers giving opinions and then an orchestra to soothe the soul. Gordon was along so the dancing was going to enjoyable. I had brought a couple of the dresses that I had bought for Kampala.

It was a good evening; I wished the girls could have been along to enjoy the festivities. Tomorrow morning there were more meetings to close out the official conference.

Tomorrow afternoon I had several meetings with the President of the Philippines Federnan Ramos and then I going to the WW2 American Cemetery. After that we were going to the joint Subic Bay Naval Base.

Secret planning had been carried out from the first meetings months ago when the war with Iran was in the winding down stages. The increased confrontations between the countries on the south China Sea was escalating. It was during these events that the Philippines decided they were open to allowing the United States back to the old military bases with Clark Airfield and Subic Bay Naval Base being the two most important ones of immediate interest.

There were multiple parts of the developing agreement that included more military aid, economic assistance and industrial expansion. That expansion was in heavy industries. Those agreements would allow more exports of manufactured goods to the US and allow more US companies to return to the Philippines economy.

It was 1500 when my motorcade made it to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. It was to be a solemn affair. The cemetery was one hundred and fifty-two acres containing seventeen thousand two hundred and six graves from WW2.

Sixteen thousand six hundred and thirty-six were American and five hundred and thirty-six were Philippine. There were twenty–nine Medal of Honor recipients buried or memorialized at the cemetery.

President Ramos and I – with a host of dignitaries – walked past the visitor’s center to the Plaza and to the Memorial and placed two wreaths – one for the Americans and one for the Philippine soldiers that has perished.

We each gave a short speech honoring those that had perished in the fight for freedom in the great war that was WW2.

Afterwards we walked the circular road that made its way through the cemetery. I read the names on the memorial walls and on the marble headstones as we walked. It was a solemn walk and I had plenty of time.

Towards the end of the walk we were near the main highway, about thirty yards from that highway before the road circled back to the main memorial. Several cars screeched to a stop. A dozen or so people exited the cars. Small arms and machine gun fire came from the people.

I took several rounds in the bulletproof vest, one round grazed the side of my head near the hairline, blood was running down the side of my face.

My security teams – the Secret Service and my JBG security – returned fire and killed all the shooters. I even emptied one clip at the shooters.

President Ramos’ security team attended to several of his injured team and to him.

I sent agents to gather all the intelligence they could from the shooters – some Secret Service and some from my JBG security group. I wanted to find out where the breakdown in security happened.

The news teams went crazy at the sight of me bleeding, even though it was just a little more than a trickle that a couple band-aids would stop. Live feeds were scrambling for the best video. It was all the security teams could do to keep them back and form a protective circle around me.

Ziva cleaned up the wound and applied the band-aids from a pocket first-aid kit while the Secret Service was trying to locate the official doctor who was trapped behind the mass of agents and news people.

My face was easy to clean up, the white jacket I was wearing was not. Greg Archer, the senior agent, took off his jacket and handed it to me. I took off mine and gave it to him with instructions that the Secret Service was to maintain custody of it.

I was sure it would end up in the Smithsonian Museum in some exhibit if I let it, but it would go in my office at Summers Road with my collection of damaged body armor.

I called Jenny and the girls on a conference call to tell them I was OK and everything was fine, not to worry.

‘’We saw you giving orders on the news feed, so we were relieved,’’ Jenny said. ‘’Marcy is measuring for the log chain we are going to anchor by your desk,’’ she added.

‘’Make sure it is long enough to get to the bathroom and the coffee pot,’’ I said with a laugh.

Back at the parking lot for the Memorial we met ‘’The Beast.’’ In a changeup, it carried President Ramos and me back to the Hilton for the evening.

All the powers to be wanted a breakdown of the events for the official records of me being hit with gunfire. Eric had ordered a complete preliminary investigation before the facts got blurred. Andy ordered the same thing for the JBG group. Tonight, would be interesting, to say the least.

The White House doctor removed the band-aids and cleaned the graze wound from the bullet. Whatever he cleaned it with hurt like all hell, enough for me to tell him to stop. He decided against stiches which suited me fine. A couple of steri-strips and new band-aids was sufficient.

I spent an hour on VCATS with the girls and multiple warnings from all of them. A quiet supper and I called it a night. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day right from the beginning. I was sure today would bleed over to it, no pun intended.

I had a quiet supper with my security team that was with me today. After supper we round tabled everything that led up to the shooting and the aftermath. I was sure there would there would be plenty more behind closed doors in the next few weeks.

I took some pain killers and went to bed, ready to close out today and start tomorrow.

Edit by Alfmeister

R.I.P. Bob W.  Thank you for all you have done to help me.

1940- 2024