Hella Nation – Evan Wright

Cunningham says, “Sean became kind of a strange guy after he left the Azusa police force. He joined the Army and went into some kind of high- powered elite military unit. He spoke Russian and worked for a clandestine group.” When Britt looked into Southland’s past he discovered that he had in fact successfully completed advanced Russian training and cultural immersion at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey.

Britt had completed the same course. After his training at Monterey, Southland was stationed in Augsburg, Germany. In the mid-1990s, when Southland was stationed there, the U.S. military base in Augsburg was a primary intelligence center for debriefing Russian government and military personnel fleeing the collapsing Soviet empire. For reasons that remain unknown, Southland’s deployment to Augsburg and his service in the Army were cut short. He was dismissed from the military three years into what was to have been a five-year commitment.

When Britt examined papers seized from Southland’s home, he found his military DD-214 discharge papers. But a critical portion of them had been torn off, making it impossible to determine the conditions under which he left the military. Britt queried the military about Southland’s discharge, but his sources could not provide him with any records to indicate why Southland failed to complete his five-year term of service.

Because of Southland’s training at Monterey and his service in Augsburg, his claims of having been a CIA agent have a kernel of plausibility. More likely, Southland underwent training at Monterey to prepare for more prosaic Russian-language intelligence-gathering duties such as those performed by Britt. However, if the CIA’s intent had been to create a deep- cover identity for Southland as a total screwup, the effort would have been deemed a success.

Southland claims that after his discharge from the military, he moved to Portland, Oregon, and “helped launch Crimson Trace,” a manufacturer of laser gun sights. Adam Wilder, a spokesman for Crimson Trace, says, “Sean Southland worked for us as a salesman. He was very effective for the short time he worked for us. He did a damn good job.”

But he adds, “I can tell you that he took opportunities to exaggerate things many times. He was let go from the company.” After being fired from Crimson Trace, Southland and his wife and two children moved back to the Phoenix area, where his mother and stepfather lived in semi-retirement. They advanced him money to obtain an apartment, helped him finance his tow-truck company and provided the seed investment for Sea Castle Ventures.

Southland’s mother even introduced him to Olga, his future girlfriend, when Olga was still working as a bank teller in the hope that she could introduce her son to rich investors. His former instructor Los Angeles Harbor police chief Cunningham kept in touch with Southland. He says, “It seemed like Sean just couldn’t get it together. His wife became the provider for the family.”

Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) • Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Copyright © 2009 by Evan Wright All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. Published simultaneously in Canada Pages 341-342 constitute an extension of this copyright page. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wright, Evan. Hella nation : looking for happy meals in Kandahar, rocking the side pipe, Wingnut’s war against the Gap, and other adventures with the totally lost tribes of America / Evan Wright.

p. cm. ISBN: 9781101032404 I. Title. PN4874.W75A 814’.6—dc22 While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. http://us.penguingroup.com Version_2 OceanofPDF.com To the great American humorist, cynic and realist Alan D.

Wright, Esquire OceanofPDF.com OceanofPDF.com There is almost no circumstance under which an American doesn’t like to be interviewed. —A. J. Liebling OceanofPDF.com INTRODUCTION After the publication of my book Generation Kill, some critics called my work “gonzo,” because reporting from the midst of combat as I did struck them as an act of gonzo journalism. For Generation Kill and now Hella Nation, use of the term is a misnomer insofar as “gonzo” speaks of writing that is more about the reporter than the subject.

With few exceptions, my intent has always been to focus on my subjects in all of their imperfect glory.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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