Called for Duty

© Copyright 2013 Sgt. Randy S. Caswell (retired).

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4251-5964-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-1548-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-1549-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012902475

Trafford rev. 10/24/2012

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CONTENTS

SECTION I

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTERS

1 .Wednesday September 8, 1971

2. Thursday September 9, 1971

3. Friday September 10, 1971

4. Saturday September 11, 1971

5. Sunday September 12, 1971

6. Monday September 13, 1971

7. Fatalities: The Hostages

8. Fatalities: The Inmates

9. The Blue Book of Guns: Weapons

10. Monday Morning Quarterbacks

SECTION II

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTERS

11. You’ve Been Served

12. The Beginning of the End

13. Escape from Alcatraz

14. So, you think it’s funny

15. Breakfast of Champions

16. Can’t We All Just Get Along

17. Tuna, Anyone

18. Love or Lust

19. March 2, 2002

SECTION III

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTERS

20 .Thursday Afternoon October 26, 1989

21. Thursday Mid—Evening October 26, 1989

22. Late Thursday Into Friday, October 27,1989

23. Dawn Friday, October 27

24. Saturday Sometime After 12 am October 28,1989

CONCLUSION

A FINAL NOTE

REFERENCES

This book was written for a target audience, the men and women in law enforcement. Mature subject matter and graphic details are included in my writing. It should not be read by persons under the age of 18. This autobiography is based on some true events, however, has been fictionalized and all persons appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Let’s just say human behavior in general finds it hard to keep things to themselves. Secrets are broken. Someone else could have wrote this book but to my knowledge, nobody did. So this book was written from my perspective, experiences, and interpretation of public testimony.

For our son, Timmy

April 4, 1982-August 28, 2007

In memory of the victims of these heinous crimes

Lisa Hullinger                   Gloria Gomez

Germany                                    Columbia

SECTION I

ATTICA:

A Prophecy of Things to Come

INTRODUCTION

Attica is a small town in rural Wyoming County, in western New York State. It includes a super maximum-security state prison named Attica to be referred to here on out. It was built in the 1930’s. It has confined more modern day criminals such as Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon on December 8, 1980. David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam and Tupac Shakur. Sam Melville, notorious as the mad bomber in 1960s. He was a Weather Underground member killed by New York State Police in an assault on September 13, 1971, better known as the Attica uprising.

The towns’ demographics consist mainly of Caucasians of which approximately 400 are employed as guards by the prison. Minorities employed at Attica include one Puerto Rican guard as they were referred to back in 1971. The term guard has been used since medieval times. It is still used in today’s prison jargon despite the fact the correct term is Corrections Officer. A change in terms was made in attempt to elevate this position to a more professional level.

In February 1971, the union for the Attica prison guards presented to District Attorney James, a request for criminal prosecution for an assault on a guard. Superintendant Mancusi was ambivalent about prosecution. He would not give an opinion on whether the case should be prosecuted or not. DA James did bring the case before a jury trial because of the unions’ stand that an example had to be made for incidents of the same kind would not happen in the future.

The jury, who decided there was reasonable doubt, thus preventing a guilty verdict, acquitted the accused inmate. Most of the jurors were sympathetic towards the already incarcerated inmate. One juror stated "it was like kicking a man that was already down (likening incarceration itself was punishment enough). This verdict did not sit well with the guards, as one would expect.

Attica is a small town where everyone knew everyone’s business. After the trial, the atmosphere within the prison changed. Guards living in town were talking of extreme unrest, never known by old-time guards. Some of them were retired guards.

CHAPTER 1

Wednesday September 8, 1971

Attica State Prison. Morning exercise in A yard. Approximately 250 inmates are present. One guard is observing from a small shack. One lieutenant and two guards enter the yard to extricate two inmates observed fighting. One of the involved inmates challenges the lieutenant. For what reason? The inmate refuses to go inside and the two guards and lieutenant encircle the inmate. There were several more orders given but the three officers never took a hands on approach with the inmate. The inmate suddenly and without provocation, struck the lieutenant on the shoulder with his fist. A ball game by other inmates was taking place at the time. The inmate team captain observed the fracas and led the ball players to the site of the uncooperative inmate. Those and the rest of the inmates now encircled the guards. The guard inside the shack called the command center for reinforcements.

Lt. Maroney responded. He had 34 years in New York Corrections. His last day of work was September 9, 1971, the very next day. He started at Attica in February 1938. Lt. Maroney entered the military December 1, 1942. He entered the service either volunteering or by being drafted because of World War II. He returned to Attica on December 1, 1945. He presently was 61 years old. Maroney responded with an undisclosed amount of guards and attempted to defuse the situation.

Another guard entered the yard and was directed by Lt. Maroney to go team up with the present guard. They were to escort the two fighting inmates to him. He wanted to determine if it was in fact a fight or horseplay. In that case, he would have reprimanded the two and released them. The two guards went to escort them to the Lt. It took the inmates a few minutes to decide that they reluctantly would report to the Lieutenant. Instead of the inmates walking in front of the guards as per protocol, they trailed behind. Lt. Maroney determined that it was in fact a fight and ordered the inmates to come inside and go to their cells.

One of the inmates fled and mingled in with the crowd in A yard. The inmate that remained behind refused to go inside. Lt. Maroney put the flat of his hand on the inmates’ shoulder and kind of edged him in. It was a minimum amount of force that inmates normally would comply with. He then struck Lt. Maroney on the chest and took off into the crowd. Maroney followed him and again ordered him to go inside. He hit the Lt. again and ran out to the ball field. Two to three hundred inmates quickly surrounded them. The Lt. tried to persuade him by stating he could save himself more trouble if he complied. Skeptical inmates accused the lieutenant of when he went inside he would get worked over. An inmate from the crowd hollered, There will be another San Francisco here tomorrow. That inmate was referring to a disturbance at San Quentin prison when an inmate had been shot and killed by a wall officer. After releasing the assaultive inmate to the rest of the inmates in the yard, all guards returned inside. Better to let it go to fight again another day. That they did.

When all inmates were returned from A yard, four officers reported to the inmates’ cell and attempted to reasonably remove him. A struggle ensued and other inmates could hear the sounds of breaking glass and destruction of other property. The officers carried him by all four limbs. All nearby inmates observed this. His eyes were closed and he was motionless. It was thought he was unconscious. Other inmates thought he was dead.

Rumors circulated rampantly. Inmates feared group punishment. They said they would not be let out in the morning for breakfast, work, or yard. The uncooperative inmate had been taken to the box. In old prison lingo, that meant the hole, but the more modern term used is the disciplinary unit. There was talk that others would be beaten. A silence grew to be followed by a crescendo of shouting when the ball captain was removed and escorted from his cell under uncooperative circumstances. He was taken to the box also.

CHAPTER 2

Thursday September 9, 1971

Unlike the rumors about a lock-in that had spread among the inmates, cell doors were open and inmates came out and lined up for breakfast. It was eerily quiet with inmates whispering of a work stoppage in response to the events aforementioned. When inmates had finished their breakfast, those that did not have jobs entered A yard. There was no incident up to this point, but when they entered the yard, groups began to form instead of the usual activities. It was silent until yelling and hollering could be heard coming from what they thought was A corridor. Word was now circulating that it was in D yard.

The next release of inmates from A block resulted in a soup can hitting a guard, thrown by an inmate. The guards locked him back in his cell but an inmate reached over the guard operating the lockbox and released his locked door. The incident was over-looked and the inmates proceeded to the mess hall. As before, when inmates finished their meal and attempted to go to their job assignments or A yard. Somewhere, someone made the decision that ALL inmates were to proceed back to their cells. There was poor communication and not all guards received those orders. A congestion of inmates gathered in two rows to enter A yard, however the gates were locked. Lieutenant Curtis with one guard arrived to clear up the confusion and order the inmates to return to A block. Instead, several inmates jumped Lt. Curtis and began beating him with their fists until he was down on one knee.

Approximately 85 inmates outnumbered the three guards. Seizing the opportunity, chaos erupted and the inmates present were breaking windows and office furniture. They used broken boom handles as well for crude weapons. There was then a ten-minute lull in the inmate activities. I would guess they used that time to formulate an ad-hoc plan to widen the scope of their mob mentality. The two guards assisted Lt. Curtis inside and managed to escape and hide in a cell in A block. For the moment, they were safe.

A straggling inmate that stayed in his cell came out and went past the cell the three guards were barricaded in. He took a mop and cleaned the blood trail leading to the cell they occupied. The inmate told them to remain quiet. They could now hear the powerhouse whistle signaling the locals of a problem there. Supt. Mancusi had ordered it so. They also heard a variety of sirens approaching. They thought their release was eminent. The inmate trying to help kept going back and forth to gather information for those in hiding. His last run was to say that inmates were headed back their way. Lt. Curtis asked the inmate to take his wallet and take care of it. Sadly, after two hours, the marauding inmates found them and they were taken hostage. The inmate that had the wallet managed to pass it off to a Chaplin. He later got it back but the inmate paid with his life for his good deed.

After a lull, an unmentioned number of inmates approached Time Square, or the hub or the institution that comprised four locked gates leading to other parts of the institution. The group of inmates began to shake the gate of the area they were contained in and somehow the lock sprung open. It was later determined that the floor to ceiling locking rod had at some point been broken 18 inches from the top. It was welded by inmate apprentices and had been painted over. This taken place prior to September 9th. Had the weld been done correctly, it would have been the strongest point on that rod. Many of these inmates filed into the hub and three more guards were overpowered with their keys being taken from them. Five other guards were in harms’ way. All four gates were now open.

The inmates in A yard had been observing the mob activity. Sporting equipment and broken office furniture were used as improvised weapons. Homemade knives or shanks in prison terms began to appear. Those would have to have been pre-manufactured and removed from a hiding place. After A gate in the hub was breached, accesses to other areas of the institution were open. They overpowered two guards in A yard and took their keys. These guards were able to climb to the safety of a catwalk, a walkway used for observation. They made their way to the rear entrance of C block. The guard inside of C block observed the two guards in peril and ran for the key to open the rear door. For an unknown reason, the Captain of the shift issued the aiding guard ALL keys for C block.

Guards in C block heard and observed the growing mob in the hub, Times Square. One of them went to lock the gate and thought he had. Once the Times Square