Families of the captured Marines (and the public) versus institutional secrecy and the cost of covert/kinetic action: families demand truth, accountability and comfort while the administration must balance operational security and the political consequ...
Families of the captured Marines (and the public) versus institutional secrecy and the cost of covert/kinetic action: families demand truth, accountability and comfort while the administration must balance operational security and the political consequences of disclosure—especially after rescue is followed by a deadly retaliatory attack.
Events in This Arc
President Jed Bartlet meets, gently but tightly, with the families of three Marines held hostage. He performs the intimate labor of consolation—shields a frightened three‑year‑old, answers painful questions with careful …
A tide of relief in the Situation Room—confirmation that Halley, Rowe and Hernandez are back—turns instantly into a political and moral crisis when Fitzwallace receives a terse note: Red Haven …
In the Mural Room, Leo McGarry quietly breaks the families' unbearable suspense by announcing a successful Delta Force extraction — the three Marines are alive and en route to Ramstein. …