24

Chapter 24: Radar Vs. the Energy Crisis

1974 was one year of unusual things occuring. After the U.S. secretly helped ISRAEL get even for incident called "BLACK SEPTEMBER" in the ISRAELI olympic team was murdered by arab terrorists at the 1972 olympics in MUNICH, the arabs got revenge of their own by cutting off oil supplies to the U.S. itself as their idea of punishment against us. Gasoline prices quickly rose up from the usual $.36 a gallon to as much as $.91 to $.93 a gallon almost overnight. RADAR knew that as a public official he'd have to figure out a way to get a better fuel source for all vehicles within the sheriff's department. At the time most of the average police-interceptor engines only ran on premium gasoline, but most police departments at the time were only allowed to fill the fuel tanks of the police cars with regular gasoline.

RADAR was in such a dilemma that it would take a miracle to save AMERICA at this point. Truck drivers began to install CB (citizen band) radios into their semi trucks to alert one another of the next valuable source of diesel fuel. Even diesel fuel for train locomotives was becoming scarce as the crisis continued. A brand new UNITED NATIONS subsidiary was founded. They called it OPEC (organization of petroleum exporting countries).

The only U.S. Military forces still on active duty in VIETNAM at this point in time were the U.S. ARMY 5TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP (GREEN BERETS) out of FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA & the 2ND DIVISION of the 8TH MARINE CORPS REGIMENT out of CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA. The 2ND DIVISION was under the command of MAJ.-COL. HANK "BLOODBATH" BANNISTER. The 5TH GROUP of THE SPECIAL FORCES were under the command of COL. MIKE KIRBY. Also, the 4077Th was still there, although CAPTAIN ERIC CAMFORD had gone stateside a few years before.

RADAR was glad that the war was almost over. Because the following year it would end with a battle called the fall of SAIGON. RADAR still got by with what patrol cars he had as well as detective units under KLINGER'S command & the motorcycle units under command of uniformed CAPTAIN NINO BARLINI, whom was twice awarded the world's champion motorcycling trophy prior to entering FORMULA-1 type GRAND PRIX racing. LUTHER HEGGS still kept up writing his editorials for THE DAILY EXAMINER newspaper in GRAND RAPIDS.