18th
In which James Blunt preserves the existing international order, or, this is what it’s like when worlds collide, or, history is sometimes altogether too cool
So as far as I knew when I woke up this morning, James Blunt is the guy who wrote that one song about how beautiful you are, which is a little catchy, though I always expect the final note of the chorus to do something more minor or interesting than it ends up doing. That was the extent to which he was relevant to my life. Then, I find out that he also has the following kickass claim to fame:
At the end of the Kosovo war, a Russian detachment of peacekeepers stationed in Bosnia took it upon themselves to motor down to the Pristina Airport—the most strategically critical entry point for supplies into Kosovo—and occupy it. Russia wasn’t so keen on NATO’s military intervention in the Balkans, particularly against the Slavic Serbs. Anywho, the British unit that had been sent to occupy this airport from the South by NATO central command was heartily surprised to see Russian tanks pointed in their direction as they approached the airport. The officer in charge went up the chain of command to the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, Mr. Wesley Clark (later of 2004 Democratic primary fame), who (allegedly) gives the order to take the airport by force.
The commanding officer and second in command of British unit (I imagine) looked at each other and uttered a collective “WTF?,” and concluded that they needed a second opinion, at which point they broke the chain of command and phoned the defense ministry in London. The defense ministry told them to sit tight, and to make a long story short, the situation was eventually resolved diplomatically, and World War III was averted.
And who was the officer who refused to carry out the attack order? None other than Captain James Blunt, who is apparently now a folk hero in the Balkans (in addition, the commanding officer who supported that decision was named Mike Jackson). History FTW.
