The Argument for Interlocking Fire

Please forgive me for my military analogies. I am a product of my military upbringing.

The ability of a society to prevail against threats such as deadly viruses and climate change have a correlation to an infantry platoon operating in hostile territory.

COVID-19 is a threat the whole world is dealing with right now. 

Before beginning this column, I consulted with a Marine friend. As a helicopter pilot I am a bit spoiled. Aviators generally sleep at night on a cot protected by infantry guarding a fortified perimeter. Thus, my infantry expertise is a little weak. The Army emphasizes, even to aviators, no matter what skill you are trained for everyone is at their core, Infantry. If an enemy round were to disable my helicopter engine, as Army Aviator, I was expected to join the fight. I was not keen on that way of thinking, and practically, I doubt an infantry lieutenant leading a highly trained infantry platoon would want a helicopter pilot around anyway. But, some infantry principles rubbed off on me.

With that background, here is the correlation. Today we have two major pandemics. One is immediate, COVID-19. One has been gradually gaining steam for decades, climate change. Both can be dealt with by listening to scientists and both can be solved if we can deal with inconveniences. 

The inconveniences or ways controlling COVID-19 you have heard before.  

1. Remain six feet apart. 
2. When unable to remain six feet apart or when in a closed space with others, wear a face mask. 
3. Wash your hands.

There has been a lot of howling and gnashing of teeth about #2; mask wearing. It is considered too inconvenient and referred to as a violation of our constitutional rights. 

Scientists tell us wearing a face mask only protects “The Other Guy”. Nothing in our law, the argument goes, requires us to be inconvenienced to protect someone else. Am, I my brother’s keeper?”  

When I think of people who are inconvenienced, I think of my friends who were drafted to fight in the jungles of Vietnam.  They had to maneuver on foot through steaming jungles and leech infested swamps. At the end of an exhausting day on patrol a Marine or Soldier was expected to create a defensive network of foxholes, called fighting positions. These are not dug willy nilly. The goal of each individual’s position is to overlap and interconnect fire with the soldier next door.  The placement is set by a no non-sense platoon sergeant. The sergeant always makes it clear it is the responsibility of the foxhole digger to construct his fighting position is such a way he protects his teammates down the line. The concept is called interlocking fire.

The military works on the concept of the combined arms team where interlocking fire supports one another. It is the core of our military’s strength. 

Wearing a mask is a demonstration of our willingness to put up with an inconvenience to protect one another. It is our form of interlocking fire.

It is obvious the United States political approach to fighting the virus is a failure. The virus is rebounding in all state’s incapable of a unified, disciplined, scientific response.  In the absence of presidential leadership, the scientists who chair the pandemic team have had to rely on a voluntary honor system. Unfortunately, the six foot rule, the wearing of a mask, and the wash your hands guidelines have fallen on deaf ears and scientifically ignorant minds. 

The parallels are terribly frightening for a climate activist. In a democracy, to move to solutions, to avoid catastrophes, we must assume the average citizen has some science understanding. When we elected a president who proclaimed global warming to be a hoax the assumption of American scientific competence was turned on its head. 

Secondly, and much more important in meeting collective threats, we must have a culture whose citizens proudly accept inconveniences to protect their neighbor. Until now I have hung onto the bedrock belief Americans looks out for the other guy. 

It is said pandemics reveal who we are and how well we will meet critical challenges.  Is my naivety being stripped away? I grew up with friends and fellow soldiers I knew would dig their foxholes to protect me and they knew I would do the same for them. 

The beauty of America is we have changed and can continue to change. Sometimes we search out new solutions. Sometimes we embrace old traditions. I suggest we move forward scientifically to meet the new challenges of the pandemic and climate disruption by embracing the old tradition of interlocking fire.