At the end of last night's telecast, Colin Powell promised a "major announcement" on Monday morning, November 10, 2008. Much of the nation tuned in early as the broadcast from St. Kitts began promptly at 8:00 a.m. "Fellow Americans," Powell said as he faced the cameras, "I talked yesterday about America's military weaknesses. As Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces - and with Presidents McCain and Obama in full agreement - I am ordering all American troops home, effectively immediately, from Iran and Iraq, as well as from all other strategic military outposts around the country. This transition will take some time, of course, considering the amount of military hardware and equipment that must be moved. While, to many, this might seem to be an abrupt and reckless undertaking, we believe it is necessary and prudent at this time." Powell's speech was brief, to-the-point, and concise, lasting less than twenty minutes. He stressed how American troops were needed at home to protect American shores and borders. "We are in a very vulnerable state here in our own country," he repeated, "and we can no longer be the world's watchdog. We must begin watching out for our own interests here at home."
The AROB group (Adams, Ryan, Oetting and Baker) received telegrams while Powell was still speaking, asking them to begin planning a series of "victory trips" around the country where homecoming troops would be honored, and citizens could begin to celebrate the end of the U.S. participation in warfare in countries where it shouldn't have been in the first place. Powell, McCain, and Obama were of the opinion that nations such as Iraq and Iran caused no threat - real or perceived - the the United States, and discarded the Bush administration's claims that these two small nations were part of the "evil empire" that threatened world peace. Diplomats and ambassadors had worked behind-the-scenes for months to try and resolve differences - with some notable success. A military career man, Powell also believed that by reinforcing troops at home, the U.S.A. could stave off any predator that might try to attack the U.S. during this stage of vulnerability. It had been a primary concern ever since the January 17 bombings - a concern that mounted after the country was hit with a devastating earthquake and horrible hurricanes. Now, with banks failing, economic conditions in the United States were shakey, at best...and the Presidential triumverate, in its first major action since being elected by the people, had made a fateful and historic decision. For the first time in a generation, America would not be engaged in any offshore war or military staging.
Jil Adams, Bob Ryan, Ron Oetting and Phil Baker (the AROB group) began making plans immediately, co-ordinating their efforts with the top military commanders in Iran, Iraq and other outposts. This "victory tour" would be one more succession of parties and patriotic celebrations around the nation. It would help boost Americans' stifled spirits, bring an economic boon to some regions of the country, and mark an historic occasion for all Americans.
Adams called in 'reinforcements' from the Patrick-Patrick team, and from Ron "Doc" Doctor's tour. By midnight Monday, she had already put together a central theme and "look" for the celebrations. Owning a small chain of taverns was Jil Adams' livelihood, but her real passion was party planning. In the past nine months, she'd had countless opportunities to demonstrate her spectacular skills in this specialized arena. She was the ultimate party planner. Ryan, Oetting, and Baker - of course, were the ultimate consumers at these parties. To be sure, they worked hard to help Adams co-ordinate and organize these patriotic events, but once the 'complimentary alchohol' started flowing, the livers of these high-livers couldn't resist going into 'party mode' and showing the rest of America how to "party hearty"!