But the military officer quoted earlier recalled that the Pentagon had been willing to act.

"officer, do you recall reading about the murder of Melanie Vega in the press?"

"We didn't get a green, yellow or red," recalls a senior officer.

Several officers recall being told to remove their shields and nameplates.

"We were not doing Arab cultural awareness," the senior officer recalled.

The senior officer recalled going to the hospital after a late-night tournament.

Another officer recalled responding to a report of a person who was sick.

For a start, few were absolutely certain what to train for,' recalled one former officer.

"I was never assigned the same duty two days in a row," the second officer recalled.

"When the cigars went out, so did the Chiefs," one officer recalled.