Western Short Story : Tam the tall tale teller #7 (Honoring Jose Guerena)
70This special edition of Tam's tall tales is dedicated to the memory of Jose Guerena. On May 5, 2011, the former Marine was gunned down in his own home during a Tucson area S.W.A.T. raid. There was everything wrong and nothing right about that raid and the ensuing blatantly obvious coverup.
Fellow Hubber Elenin, as determined that Guerena shall not have died in vain as I am, recently published the first-ever piece of "Jose Guerena memorial fiction ". This is the second. ==========================================================
The three of us made fer decent trail partners, wending our way back on down to Texas after the trail drive paid off in Abilene. Clem never did talk much, I had things on my mind, and Tam as usual blew up enough wind fer the three of us without even trying. We made camp early, close enough to the stream to fill our canteens and water the horses easily, far enough away to let wild critters slip in fer a drink without worrying about us overmuch.
It was Clem's turn to make supper that night, and the man could cook. Mebbe it was his Indian frybread that done it, got me all stuffed and contented-like, so's my mental musings kind of jist busted out into the open air on their own hook.
"Tam," I said suddenly, cutting hm off in the middle of a tale about ants or grasshoppers or crickets or--I dunno, some kind of danged bugs, "You ever heard of a fella got himself gunned down in his own cabin by a bunch of Sheriff's deputies? Somewhere in Arizona Territory, place called Pima, this woulda been. Jose something or other, started with a G--"
"Guerena." The tall tale teller's voice came out flat. Grim. Cold-like. "Jose Guerena. One of the dirtiest deeds and darkest mysteries ever recorded." He paused to relight his pipe, which had gone out. "Never heard of him."
"Huh?"
He waved his pipe, a never-mind-me sort of gesture. "What I mean is," he said, his voice--much to my relief--warming up a bit, "About all I know is the song. Don't know how accurate that might be, songwriters being notorious liars at times."
"Uh--"
"Home on the Range." He pointed his pipe stem at me. "Lies, lies, and more lies."
"Uh, I guess--"
"Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam. You seen any bufflers these last few years? They're gone, jist about all of 'em, slaughtered fer their hides and left to rot."
Okay, I got it. But Tam was warmed up now.
"Where never is heard a discouraging word. Cowboy, we don't hear nothing but discouraging words, specially on a drive. Lying danged songwriters. Even so, my hunch is, The Ballad of Jose Guerena is mostly on the truthful side. Clem, you still got that old mouth harp in yer saddlebags? You do? Good. Iffen you'd be so kind as to dig that out and fire up the spookiest, saddest, evilest kinda slow tune you can manage, I'd be grateful."
Clem was nothing if not an obliging sort. As it turned out, he could also make that battered harmonica sound like danger on the wind and horror in the canyons, all rolled up in one. From the first notes, chills started running up and down my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up, and I had to fight hard to keep from turning to see what might be sneaking up on me, out there in the moonless black of a south Kansas night.
Then Tam begun to sing. I hadn't even known he could sing, but he had a rich, deep voice that made you see what he was singing about. I listened. I heard.
I never been quite the same since.
The Ballad of Jose Guerena
Jose Guerena was a soldier, and he served his country well
Till he came back home to Pima where they blew him straight to Hell
But Diablo would not take him; "Nope," he said, "Not one of mine."
So Jose now walks the Heavens, making sure his family's fine
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No one knows jist why they did it; no one ever understood
But there's a Sheriff out in Pima whose kill ratio is not good
On the day they killed Guerena, when his fingers had gone slack
They found the Colt right there beside him never had the hammer back
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Some say it was assassination when they gunned Guerena down
An entire squad of Sheriff's deputies fired more than sixty rounds
He left behind a pretty widow and two young sons who to this day
Wonder why they lost their Daddy in such a cruel and violent way
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Jose Guerena was no outlaw; he never robbed a single bank
Every newsman in the country knew Guerena's killing stank
Yet the people out in Pima, they ain't talking very much
You can feel the fear they're feeling under Sheriff's scary touch
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There are those who live in Pima who jist shrug and say he's gone
But again there are those others who grimly smile and say that's wrong
He's living on in every soldier, every husband, father, sons
Standing up for fallen heroes felled by Sheriff's hired guns
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The final note from Clem's instrument trailed off into the darkness like some wailing, wandering wraith lost in the distance. Though it had never happened before in all the years I'd known him, Tam had fallen as silent as the tomb. The fading campfire snapped once, sending a small shower of sparks skyward.
Without another word, we turned in, briefly--but carefully--checking our revolvers before closing our eyes. Jist this once, I flipped open the loading gate, adding a sixth round; no empty chamber under the hammer this night. I carefully did not look at the others, nor did they look at me, but they done likewise.
None of us, I think, slept well that night.
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Lyrics Released to Public Domain
The songwriter has officially released the lyrics of The Ballad of Jose Guerena to the public domain. Musicians are encouraged to produce their own versions of the song and kick 'em right out there on YouTube. This one has the power to be a game changer. Plus, at least one version will go viral or I'll eat the nasty sweatband out of my old straw hat.
More on the shooting of Jose Guerena
- Iraq Veteran Gunned Down At Home : Coverup?
Extensive coverage of the S.W.A.T. raid gone bad that ended with Jose Guerena dead on the floor of his own home in a pool of his own blood. - Oath Keepers Honor Jose Guerena on Memorial Day, Call for Change in Policies and Tactics
Text and video coverage of the Oath Keepers march on Memorial Day (2011) to the Guerena home. Includes footage of Jose Guerena's widow, Vanessa Guerena, and the call by Oath Keepers for changes in law enforcement policies and tactics. - A Tale from the Wild West or Dj vu in the Space time Continuum - In Memory of Jose Guerena
Elenin's exceptional "reverse historical fiction" short story detailing the shooting of Jose Guerena as if it had taken place in the Old West.
CommentsLoading...
Very haunting story.
Ghost I know that fire is keeping you busy but when it's over you need to write more about this. I've read all your HUBs on this but this is an American tragedy. You have the talent to get this into the mainstream media. Don' let OP's prediction come true. Peter
Ghost, I think you have the beginnings of a ballad that could go national. Dad was a musician, so I began trying to read the ballad for pace, and consistency in number of syllables in the differnet verses. Stumbled a few times, but the story ... the tragedy and the wrongdoing ... it's there. Given the nature, the event will likely be recorded in song at some point. You've been on this one from the beginning, we've seen your music, and you have that talent too. Do you still have your guitar? and friends who play too?
Great writing! I really liked the ballad.
amazing hub!
I thought for a moment it was about a guy called Che that fought around Castro's early days.
Good anyway.Could make a ballad .
Mike: You could be right. I'm hoping otherwise, of course.
Becky: Yep.
Peter: How it will all play out in the end, no one yet knows. But I can at least assure you, I'm not quitting on this one.
Jim: I just now went back through and cleaned it up a little. Not necessary for syllable count; I'm never too strict on that...as long as I can sing it without stumbling or having to work the technique too hard to cover awkward phrasing. Let me know if it comes off a little cleaner to you now, or not.
When I wrote this in the late mornng hours today, I'd had little more than an hour's sleep in the last 24. Fairly rested now, so fewer excuses.
Point of interest: The way I wrote this was to fit it to a little tune I kept running through my head--which is my normal method. After a bit, though, I got to thinking, "What is that melody?"
Finally realized, "Hm, I'm pretty sure that's one of mine." Couldn't place it for a while...then realized it was extremely appropriate, being a song of loss I'd written for my two biological daughters after my first divorce, the hook being:
"Time may stretch its talons and it may seem oh so long
But I know we'll meet again and that's why I sing this song."
Most certainly still have the guitar. Not much in the way of friends who play, EXCEPT for a few of the pickers who also happen to be writers here at HubPages....
Mandrake: Thanks.
baygirl: Never thought of that--Guevera and Guerena do sound a bit similar. But I've never been a fan of Che's, and Jose was no revolutionary. In fact, he was the very antithesis of a revolutionary, a former Marine who had done two combat tours in Iraq, worked 12-hour night shifts at a local copper mine, and was saving to buy a new home with his wife and two young sons. In other words, this veteran was as red, white, and blue as they come.
Ballad, yes. That's what it is--I just didn't provide full audio.
Need Clem's harmonica for that.
June 18, 2011, 10:42 p.m.: NOTICE TO ALL READERS: I just spent the last two hours polishing the lyrics and putting The Ballad of Jose Guerena to music. Hadn't picked up my guitar for a couple of weeks, but it didn't matter. After singing and strumming through this thing forty or fifty times, I'M READY TO RECORD IT AND KICK IT OUT THERE ON YOU TUBE.
Except...I could use some help to make the recording something that will grab a viewer by the throat and never let go. I know EXACTLY what's needed--but don't exactly have it on hand at the moment.
So: If you know of anyone withing reasonable driving distance from Cochise County, Arizona, who might want to help kick public awareness of the Jose Guerena tragedy up another notch, and who has the equipment and skills to put the "right" video together, please let me know.
It doesn't have to be fancy, just a decent camcorder with external sound mike (not like my minicorder--it has the external mike, but in storage, mice have chewed the windscreen foam to shreds). Plus workable enough software to intersperse Guerena-related graphics with shots of me singing the song. And text-adding capability.
Man. I'm next thing to hyperventilating, fired up to get this recorded, polished and OUT THERE.
Plus, of course, once the video is available on YouTube, I'll embed it on this page as well. Duh!
I can't wait to see it. I am sorry but the only person I know out that way that has the recording stuff is in Parker, AZ and she doesn't have a way to get to you. NO car. She also has a keyboard and can really sing. She is the church singer at the Assemblies church there.
I can't wait to see it, either!
Parker wouldn't be out of the question entirely. Looks like about a six hour run (one way) from our place, give or take. Not right away, of course. We need to get through this fire season, get some rain going, before tackling any other away-from-home stuff.
But she wouldn't need to come to me; I could go to Parker. Can't leave Pam alone for that long, but we might have options there, too...a few weeks down the road.
I wouldn't mind if you'd care to check with her, see if this is a project in which she'd care to be involved (or not).
Ghost, I have a new admiration for you. You have taken a sad tragedy and make a very interesting story/tribute. That's what good stories are made of.
By the way, I didn't know Tam could sing either... Tam is full of surprises...lol.
You are so great Ghost.....
Cross breeding law men with Warriors will never work, 62 rounds in a full auto M4, 30 in the mag 1 in the pipe, may the ass bag LEO swat take the slaughter to the mind and live it every night, 50
Hi Ghost! Thanks so much for keeping this tragedy out front for many to see. Great story and great ballad!
Cardisa: Thanks.
50: You've summed it up.
Dexter: Speaking of the ballad, I just now went out to the storage shed, dug out the mini-camcorder and accessories. The mouse-eaten windscreen foam looks like I might still be able to record through it. Got the battery pack charging; if it'll take a charge after sitting in that steel shed through a summer and two winters, I MAY be able to record the song before the sun goes down.
It'll be raw, really should have a new set of guitar strings, excuse-excuse-excuse, but if ever there was a case of content being higher priority than production values, this is it.
Fred - Are you saying that Tam's set of soup coolers can kick up quite a breeze?
"Lies, lies, and more lies." Was the varmint a dad burned Democrat? LOL
Splendid piece of writing.
The Frog
I will try to call Sarah. She does have a CD out but it is a Christian one. That is what she does.
Thanks, Frog. The varmint prob'ly was a dad burned Democrat. I didn't think to ask.
Becky, if you haven't already, no need to call Sarah. I've found all the pieces to my camcorder etc. The battery pack took a charge just fine, everything seems to be working like it's supposed to, and I'm going to crank out a raw vid and pop that sucker up on YouTube ASAP.
Not that a fancier version couldn't be added later, but for now, content trumps beauty.
Got a few preparations to make before I can record (that's a slight understatement), but hopefully....
I am glad you found the stuff. I tried to call and the phone is disconnected. Now I have to track her down.
You had me with “some kind of danged bugs” lol. I smelled the smoke, saw the fire. A ballad? That is a twist worthy of Mr. Starr. All power to getting that video out. I Know you will, laser focus. Build with the materials at hand…man, that Red Elk is something else.
Fabulous piece about a tragedy. I hope you get this out there. Voted up awesome and beautiful.
You know, everything related to this situation seems to leave me without anything real to say. I do know this - you're one hell of a good man, and it's the good ones who will keep this story in the forefront of the minds of those who NEED to remember it. Tell Tam he did good.
Becky: Thank for trying. I spent much of the afternoon getting the video recorded--which did get accomplished, though it would take another full Hub to discuss the glitches along the way.
Now, however, my problem is that I've been unable to get the computer to admit the camera is connected to it, so the vid is still sitting in the camera un-uploaded. Been battling that puzzle for hours yesterday and much of this morning--have a super video editing program waiting to look the thing over, but not even that program knows where the &!$%!!-ing video might be--couldn't be out there at the end of that freaking USB cable, oh no! LOL!
Elinin: Yep, Red Elk is one of a kind. I'm taking a break on my get-it-into-the-computer problem with the video--kind of at a momentary dead end. But I do have a call in to a good friend and the best computer hotshot I know; we'll see if he can help once I hear back from him.
BPop: I'll get it out there. Been reading a lot on the Internet, trying to figure out the problem uploading to the computer--one thing, it does turn out that this model has stymied a LOT of owners over the years.
Mo: Tam knows. He figured it out the moment he heard I'd published the ballad.
well it seems that arizona has two bad sherrif's one that locks people up for nothing and one that shoots people down for nothing. Ghost32, i admire you resolve!
bri36, thanks, though I'm not sure it's really all about resolve. Could be I'm just still irritated over this one....
bubba, anybody who knows is irritated over this! my dad was a 38year marine, 4tours in nam, 2 purple hearts, retired E-9. I bet a dollar he is spinning in his grave. time to change the way AZ does law enforcement!
I couldn't agree more.
Unfortunately, it is not just AZ. All states have their own stupidity in the law enforcement debacle. Pathetic and scary but true.
Statistics show that about 150-200 SWAT intrusions happen A DAY in this here America. That’s 150-200 potential Jose Guerenas every single day. I suspect that your chances of a SWAT team coming thru your door is higher than winning the Lottery. Look it up.
Becky: Yes, I know. I can personally speak to law enforcement stupidity-influenced incidents in nearly every state where I've been a resident--and use only police contacts with me, Pam, and my favorite cousin to do it. Fortunately for us, none of these were at the Instant Death level, but still.
Elenin: Hm. 175 (taking an average) x 365 = 63,875 annually (and no doubt steadily rising). The heck with building a better mousetrap; sounds like We the People need a better S.W.A.T. swatter.
Elenin just put another story out on this that you will want to check out and maybe link to.
Thanks, Becky. Heading over his way to take a look....
wow, where have You been hiding?? great stuff!! is the Youtube video done yet? i'll stay tuned :)
writinginalaska: Love the enthusiasm; thanks.
There are two problems with the video production:
1. I recorded the song on the same day this Hub was published but couldn't upload it to YouTube. After a lengthy struggle to figure out why, a paid analyst (cost me $19 online) clued me in: When Microsoft came out with Windows 7, they did NOT make it compatible with my truly awesome mini-camcorder. So despite still being in like new condition, it's essentially "obsolete junk".
2. Beyond that, my wife's objections to the song hitting YouTube are pretty strident. I haven't even been able to sort out the full depth of "why" for SURE, but it's most likely paranoia. (Pam is disabled both physically and with mental health issues, one of the latter being paranoid schisophrenia.)
No one else has chosen to record and release the song so far, at least not that I've heard.
Old Poolman Level 7 Commenter 11 months ago
Fred, it is hard to believe this happened in our country, let alone Pima County. The cover up goes on and we will never, ever, learn the truth.