The Gulf In The Eye Of The Other

Stray Bullets

In this episode I recount a sniper attack upon a joint army / RUC foot patrol in West Belfast. To better relate the incident I have characterised both state and non-state actors. I have also used a narrative framework to provide a clearer image of those involved. This account is lifted from personal involvement as well as information available to me at the time, and later. As ever, names and some details have been omitted or altered.
The primary characters in this episode are:
Dee - a member of a PIRA Belfast Active Service Unit
Samuel - a British Army a PFC based in Springfield Road RUC Station, Belfast
Sandy - a RUC neighbourhood officer stationed in Springfield Road RUC
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Law in the Country of Cats
When two men meet for the first time in all
Eternity and outright hate each other,
Not as a beggar-man and a rich man,
Not as cuckold-maker and cuckold,
Not as bully and delicate boy, but
As dog and wolf because their blood before
They are aware has bristled into their hackles,
Because one has clubbed the other to death
[...]
When two men at first meeting hate each other
Even in passing, without words, in the street,
[...]
There will be that moment's horrible pause
As each looks into the gulf in the eye of the other,
Then a flash of violent incredible action,
Then one man letting his brains gently to the gutter
[...]
Ted Hughes
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