FLASH
Shkruar nga Ferdinand Dervishi
An unusual story, which has given an answer to the big question that once tormented the Albanian communists: Would the bombs of NATO, or of the American imperialists, kill them if they were sheltered inside the bunkers?
In front of a small people like the Albanians, the history of the bunkers of communism will remain unusual. As long as Albania continues to be identified, by foreigners, even through their history, it is too early to say that they are at the end of their role. The bunkers of communism are still real and strong and they showed this even in 2008, in Gërdec, surviving an explosion similar only to the atomic one. However, throughout history, since their conception, the event that has made them the most talked about, or controversial, has been kept a secret. It is related to an exercise of the crew of the American aircraft carrier "Harry S. Truman", held in Karaburun in January 2003.
Hard deal
The first contact with the reality of an aircraft carrier with a crew of 6800 sailors, as many inhabitants as the city of Orikum had at this time, had been for another purpose anyway. At the beginning of 2003, while the ship, like a moving city, was installed in the Adriatic, an American officer, member of the staff of "USS Harry Truman", had contacted one of the mayors of Vlora as well as the head of the police.
The purpose of the meeting was to enable the sailors of the giant ship to land in Vlora in order to have fun. But one of the difficult questions for the ears of Albanians was the presence or not of brothels, or other opportunities for sailors to have contact with women. At this point, the Albanians shook their heads to reinforce the categorical denial more than usual: Nooooo, work that is not done! The officer had opened her eyes, while the locals in front of her had argued: Look how things are, the mentality of the residents is far from your demands. The officer's last sentence had been: But you are saying no to a huge profit opportunity. Sailors spend a lot in such cases, others would beg us...
However, as a result, the sailors of the "USS Harry Truman" met these biological requirements in Corfu. But, while they were having fun on the Greek island, it seems that the leaders of the aircraft carrier had another idea: to use the Albanian coast to do, this time, combat shooting.
So the same officers of the aircraft carrier contact the leaders of the Albanian military navy and again with the local authorities and the police of Vlora. The meeting takes place at D2D (Marine District 2) in Vlora. The demand of the Americans was to enable combat firing on the outer face of Karaburun.
Këmbëngulja i kalonte kufijtë e zakonshëm. Kjo sepse për pak javë, më 20 mars 2003, Shtetet e Bashkuara dhe aleatët do të sulmonin Irakun dhe specialistët e ushtrive të tyre kishin zbuluar se bunkerët e Enverit ishin të ngjashëm me ata të Sadam Huseinit.
Por këtu kishte një tjetër problem. Në Karaburunin e pamat, që nga Kepi i Ravenës (mbi Llogara) e deri në Kepin e Gjuhzës (fundi i gadishullit) kullosnin rreth dhjetë tufa me dhi, të gjitha në pronësi të fshatarëve të Dukatit. Vetëm një tufë numëronte mbi 700-800 krerë dhe amerikanët sërish ishin gjendur përballë një tjetër pamundësie marrëveshjeje me shqiptarët. Por nuk ishin tërhequr.
Tepër të merakosur, që këtë radhë miqtë dhe aleatët e mëdhenj të mbeteshin të kënaqur, krerët e marinës dhe të pushtetit lokal organizojnë të paktën dy takime me barinjtë në një nga lokalet e shumta të Dukatit. “E pamundur. Kecat janë të sapopjellë, do na ngordhin...”, ishte pretendimi i barinjve dukaqotë. Gjithsesi amerikanët sërish këmbëngulin, dikur barinjve u tingëllon përftimi në vesh, bien dakord që të huajt të paguajnë për një sasi ushqimi të bagëtive dhe më në fund binden të largojnë kecat nga Karaburuni. Por që të sillje në Dukat disa tufa nga ekstremi fundor i gadishullit nuk ishte e lehtë. Duhej mbase një javë kohë. Kështu që u mendua një tjetër zgjidhje.
Marina ushtarake shqiptare vuri në dispozicion një anije dhe tre tufa me bagëti, që u gjendën në ekstrem të Karaburunit, u mbartën për në ishullin e Sazanit.
Më në fund narinarët e “USS Harry Truman” mund të bënin qitje në Karaburun. Në kalendarin on line të anijes gjithsesi këto veprime janë konsideruar si “manovra luftarake në bashkëpunim me ushtrinë shqiptare, në afërsi të portit të Vlorës, të nisura me 25 janar 2003”.
Vizita e mirënjohjes
Pasi faqes së jashtme të Karaburunit iu bë edhe një kontroll i fundit, marinarët e “USS Harry Truman” kryen qitje me raketat e tyre ndaj bunkerëve të vjetër të Enverit, qoftë statike, drejtpërdrejt nga anija, qoftë me anë të avionëve reaktivë. Largësia e qytetit të Vlorës, në distancën 16 km, e lejonte një manovër të tillë. Banorët e Vlorës asokohe dëgjuan zhurma të shpërthimeve, që vinin nga Karaburuni, por nuk bënë ndonjë reklamim të njohur.
Pasi realizuan qëllimin e tyre, ushtarakët e huaj u larguan pa ndonjë ceremoni të veçantë nga ujërat shqiptare. Sipas kalendarit të anijes, ata janë ngjitur në veri, për të qëndruar në periudhën 31 janar – 05 shkurt 2003, në Koper të Sllovenisë.
Por amerikanët duket nuk e harrojnë nderin që ju bënë shqiptarët. Më 10 shkurt 2003, një ditë para se anija e stërmadhe të largohej përfundimisht nga Adriatiku e Joni, për tu nisur drejt Lindjes së Mesme, disa shqiptarëve të veçantë u mbërrin ftesë për vizitë zyrtare. Në krye të shpurës, që do të realizonte të quajturën “vizita e mirënjohjes”, do të ishte ish-kryeministri shqiptar Fatos Nano.
The list of invitations also included the former prefect of Vlora, Sh. Gjika, Mayor of Orikum, B. Kashuri, Director of Police, N. Nallbati, a senior official of the Albanian Navy, B. Petoshati, two other officers of the Ministry of Defense (one female) and finally the group of an attendant of the prime minister also joined.
The departure was made from Rinas with a special aircraft carrier with a capacity of 12 seats. The Americans made sure that no one had cameras or cameras with them, dressed them all in special suits, which could serve as rescuers in case of falling into the water, and flew towards Montenegro.
The plane landed on the runway of the aircraft carrier and the Albanians were welcomed by the great commander of the "USS Harry Truman", Michael R. Groothousen. The six-hour visit goes through several rooms of the 13-story ship, the Albanians are surprised by its security system, the two incorporated submarines, the four destroyers that surrounded it at equal distance, as well as the two helicopters that patrolled the air non-stop. In honor of the Albanians, the Americans even took off 4-5 warplanes, which were launched with the help of catapults and were held back by cables when landing. Everything, until the official lunch, goes well. Even the prime minister finds the occasion for humor. Thumbon the only Albanian member of the aircraft carrier, a guy from Tirana, immigrated to the United States through the lottery: "Albanian looks, smart... Others go to fight, he chooses to be the Cicero..."
The same, Nano, would later be remembered for another story. Once he asks him to smoke a cigarette and after learning that it is categorically not allowed, he goes down to smoke in a not very official environment, three floors below, where most of the ship's smoking sailors were concentrated.
During the official lunch, the Albanians learn that a special issue of the ship's periodical was printed that day, entitled "Give 'em Hell", which reflected, on the front page, the visit of the Albanian Prime Minister.
The surprise was further increased when they noticed that, at the top of the article about Albania and the Albanians, it was said that they were descended from the Aryans and that their ancestors, the Illyrians, had formed the stratification of the pre-Hellenic (pre-Greek) population. ) in the Balkans.
But the climax, that actual climax, would be marked there in the middle of the feast, when one of the senior American officers, looking rather suggestive than drunk, leans down to speak in the ear of an English-speaking Albanian soldier, part of the delegation. "Listen my friend. Thank you very much for enabling us to train in Karaburun. But I want to tell you something that I would beg you not to make public. Those bunkers of yours from the time of communism, even though we shot them with all kinds of shells and rockets, they did not fall apart. In the best case, we only moved them from the place, 20 or 30 centimeters"./ Pamphlet
Lini një Përgjigje