. . . and the Poor what takes the blame.

I guess the “Dear John” is as old as war itself. It’s such a well-worn cliché it’s probably a universal truth. It was featured recently in  a feature film of that name, and in JARHEAD and HOMELAND.

The noble warrior goes off to war, and his wife or fiancée cheats on him – usually with his best friend, or seduced by her boss – those close enough, predatory enough and wealthy enough to wine and dine and take advantage of vulnerable and weak women.

One of the main reasons oilfield trash wash up in the isolated oil camps of the Arabian/Persian Gulf is a failed marriage, and mostly while they were away fighting in politicians’ wars. Not just VietNam – but the dirty little wars that are all about oil. One such was the Dhofar Campaign fought in Muscat/Oman kept under the radar because it was in support of a feudal and tyrannical ruler – yet another cliché.

Poor Ray Taylor was a Special Forces trooper fighting bravely with his mates in that campaign when all he wanted was to get home and marry his sweetheart – his princess. That dream was snatched from him, and he wreaked a terrible vengeance. But the Dhofar Campaign was so secret he was not able to use his brave and loyal service to The Crown in his defence when The Crown prosecuted him for causing Grievous Bodily Harm.

So Ray, like so many others, found solace in the masculine comradeship of the oils camps, free from the wants of women, soothed by the isolation and hard physical work – and many bottles of vodka or saddique (the Arabic word for friend), an illicit spirit distilled in The Gulf. And yet Ray was still resourceful enough to beat the rap when the rich bosses conspired against him once again.

Read Ray’s story THEY GAOLED THE WRONG MAN in my book THE GULF “Reaping the Whirlwind”.

It can be previewed and obtained by following my URL:

http://www.amazon.com/author/mikerichards

It will give you some insights into a world as it is – not as we wish it to be.