"The Air Lufthansa jet landed at Ben Gurion Airport, and two men in civilian clothes with high-and-tight hairstyles were waiting. Marine Security Guard (MSG) Detachment Commander Gunnery Sergeant Aaron J. Kirk and Assistant Detachment Commander Staff Sergeant Romeo A. McKenzie were from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel.

“Gunny” Kirk, holding a card bearing my name with Leatherneck written beneath it, is from Salina, Kan., and a former Cairo and Beijing MSG watchstander. SSgt McKenzie was born in Jamaica, but calls New York home. His first MSG tour was in Paris, and Tel Aviv was his second post.

A day doesn’t pass without the international and national news media carrying a story about the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians. I expected the streets of Tel Aviv to be a series of sandbag emplacements with truckloads of armed soldiers at every street corner. Gunny Kirk said there had been another suicide bombing that killed 20 people a few days prior to my arrival. Still, I saw no sandbags or trucks with armed soldiers at the street corners.

As we entered city traffic, I noticed men and women in Israeli military uniforms with rifles or Uzis slung over their shoulders walking casually amid the civilian population. The uniforms were issued by the Israeli Defense Force, and many of the soldiers carried books or wore civilian backpacks. Every Israeli male must serve three years in the military, while women must serve two.

GySgt Kirk gave me a few hints to keep me safe: Don’t ride the bus, and stay away from crowds. The embassy was within easy walking distance from my hotel, but the gunny insisted on picking me up in the morning.

The view from my balcony overlooked the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, but the hotel itself was drab and worn looking. Lobby chairs were water stained, and hotel staff looked solemn and unconcerned. The tourist season had ended, and tables and beach chairs had been piled one upon another; faded umbrellas had been folded and stacked. Even during peak season, hotels are only half full. The suicide bombers have had a tremendous impact on tourism.

The U.S. Embassy is located alongside ordinary buildings on the Tel Aviv beach. Cars, taxis and buses compete for room on the narrow street while people patiently wait to enter the consular section for visa applications.

Foreign Service national security officers provide exterior protection and monitor all guests entering the embassy. The first thing I saw as I passed through the door was a Marine Security Guard at Post 1, the control center. No one may pass beyond that point without proper identification. I was given a guest pass limiting my accessibility to the embassy.

Dressed in Dress Blue or “Deltas” and armed with a 9mm Beretta handgun with a Remington 870 shotgun attached to an accessible gun rack was Corporal Armondo L. Jackson from Jacksonville, Fla. He activated the electronically controlled door from behind six inches of bulletproof glass. The procedure is the same for any person seeking admission, regardless of name or grade. Jackson, with a military occupational specialty of motor transport operator, was one of the original six MSGs to activate the Tblisi, Georgia, detachment. After home leave, he returned to the Quantico, Va., MSG School for a four-day refresher course and then arrived for his second MSG posting at Tel Aviv on Oct. 2, 2002. Except for the MSGs on duty at Posts 1 and 2, Marines dress in civilian clothing.

Gunny Kirk’s office is a windowless workplace complete with official directives, manuals and other accessories necessary to run a detachment of seven watchstanders. Later there was a briefing with Diplomatic Regional Security Officer Patrick D. Donovan. The Diplomatic Security Service of the Department of State is responsible for the MSG. RSO Donovan is in charge of the Marines, but he works with GySgt Kirk on issues regarding their deployment.

By virtue of their mission, the MSGs live and work in an atmosphere where the possibility of danger is constant. As America tries to seek a lasting truce between Israel and Palestine, our embassies come under greater scrutiny. Those who would disrupt President George W. Bush’s “two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security” position attempt to cause havoc even to the innocent. Once again, my thoughts turned to the news stories of a bomb detonating on a bus in Tel Aviv and later, Palestinians dying in Jerusalem.

“Threat level” is a vague term that describes potential danger to American citizens or our interests abroad. In Tel Aviv the threat level is high, and although Americans are not considered principal targets, they may be collateral victims. In Israel everything and everybody is subject to search at anytime. Shopping malls, discos or anyplace where a crowd may gather is a potential target for a terrorist attack. As the local population must live and work under these conditions, so do the Marines.

MSG Sergeants Alejandra Medina and Grant W. Marquart, who are in charge of making sure there’s enough food in the Marine House, needed to make a run for some provisions. I tagged along for a chance to shoot some pictures and take in the local atmosphere. At the mall entrance a guard passed a hand-held wand over our clothing. Medina and Marquart passed through more easily than I since my camera bag drew some attention. A similar inspection was held at the market-door entrance. The market was large, clean, well-lighted and as fully stocked as one would find in any large American city.

Sgt Matthew Steffen Johnson, an administrative clerk by MOS, graduated from MSG School in January 2001. “I wanted to go to an East European post for snowboarding,” he said, “but I was posted to Bogotá, Colombia, the kidnapping capital of the world. For my second post, I put in for Eastern Europe again and got Tel Aviv.”

For Sgt Michael E. Schellenbach, a combat photographer/videographer by MOS, threat level has a different meaning. This Marine is excited about being in Tel Aviv. While on his first MSG tour in Islamabad, Pakistan, Schellenbach was on duty at the U.S. Embassy on March 17, 2002, during a grenade attack on the Protestant International Church. Dozens of people were injured, and among the dead were two U.S. Embassy family members and three Pakistanis. The church door was next to the embassy. The medical unit on the embassy compound responded, but with only one doctor, the scene was overwhelming.

Marines are trained to respond to intense situations. Sgt Schellenbach helped bring the casualties into the compound and assisted in the coordination of medical assistance. One MSG said it was like football. You practice and practice, and then you want to get in on the game.

For Cpl Robert J. Long, a telephone systems/personal computer intermediate repairer by MOS, the desire to be posted where something could happen was important. Born in Milwaukee, but now from Flagstaff, Ariz., he was posted first in Accra, Ghana, although he requested Manila or Hanoi. He readily admits to experiencing culture shock. “It was my first overseas assignment. I wanted something that had the possibility of something happening. I think I found that something.”

Asked why he enlisted in the Marine Corps, Cpl Long told of an Air Force recruiter who wouldn’t leave him alone and a Navy recruiter who didn’t remember talking to him. The Marine recruiter followed up on his promises, and Cpl Long was convinced that joining the Corps was the right thing to do.

SSgt McKenzie came to America when he was 17 years old and didn’t know anything about the various military services. He ran into a Marine recruiter and asked about joining the Army. One can only imagine the ensuing conversation that led to McKenzie’s joining the Corps. The two Marines met years later and laughed.

Sgt Michael A. Gibson, an aviation intermediate-level structural trainee by MOS, is from Boulder, Colo. This 22-year Marine is purebred with a father who is a Marine veteran and a younger brother who is a scout-sniper stationed at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif. But for sheer military blue blood, Sgt Marquart may have the best-of-show pedigree. His mother, father and stepmother served in the U.S. Navy, and his stepfather served in the Marine Corps. To refute any further doubt, his two stepbrothers also are Marines.

The Marine House has nine bedrooms, five bathrooms, two kitchens, a large living room, a training room for In-Door Simulated Marksmanship Training and a dining room. A comfortable patio, swimming pool and enclosed bar are outside. Nearing the end of the day, I sat with Sgt Schellenbach, who had been on crutches with a broken ankle, Sgt Johnson, Sgt Gibson and Cpl Long while we exchanged views on the Israelis’ lack of good manners. There was some agreement that Israelis treat everybody the same way. It’s not an anti-American feeling: The rudeness is pervasive throughout the country.

Considering the amount of Russian émigrés who live in Tel Aviv, there is also a high intelligence threat level. One Marine said that when he arrived in Tel Aviv he was told he couldn’t go here, couldn’t do this or that, and he found it frustrating. After a suicide bomb went off, killing several people in a place he wanted to visit, suddenly everything made sense.

Gibson had completed his watch and was off for the next 48 hours. With a pool cue in his hand and a drink nearby, he talked about visiting Jaffa, an Arab section and the oldest city on the Mediterranean coast.

Suddenly, without warning, a phone call from the embassy announced a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) reaction drill. Every Marine, including off-duty Long, sprang into action. Other than RSO Donovan and GySgt Kirk, no other person had knowledge that a reaction drill was in progress. When an emergency is declared, whether real or not, a full detachment of Marines is ideal to meet the situation. But there are times when the detachment may not be at full strength with an MSG on home leave, a vacant watchstander position or, in Schellenbach’s case, a Marine unable to respond due to a medical condition.

These Marines know they live and work in an unstable environment, and it is Gunny Kirk’s responsibility to prepare them to respond under any circumstance. He may run 12 or more reaction drills per month. This is a training mechanism by which the Marines gain confidence.

Tel Aviv has an additional Post 2 where an MSG is responsible for the building’s inner security. On this day Sgt Medina, the roving patrol, reported a possible NBC hit to Post 1. Medina arrived in Tel Aviv on March 30, 2002, her first posting. Despite her assignment, she and all other MSGs retain their MOSs, which in her case is a fabric repair specialist. Prior to the Marine Corps, this Merced, Calif., native attended the University of Maryland and Central Texas College. Her first overseas experience was with the Third Force Service Support Group, Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, then Camp Kinser in Okinawa.

When the drill call came, SSgt McKenzie was packing his bags for a flight to Paris to get married. All Marines, with me included, piled into the SUV for the 30-minute drive to the embassy. There was a brief stop to pick up Cpl Jackson, who had checked out earlier to a neighborhood gym. Timing couldn’t have been worse; it was the commute hour, but the Marines know emergencies can occur anytime.

We were moving at a snail’s pace and suddenly came to a dead stop alongside a bus. SSgt McKenzie pointed out the dilemma of getting to the embassy as soon as possible while being wedged between a bus on one side and a truck on the other. I began to recall news of suicide bombs detonated on a bus and then appeased myself as I mentioned the SUV’s armor. “Oh, yeah,” a voice rang out, “that’ll help.” Sarcasm and barracks humor are signs of good morale.

It was close to an hour before we reached the embassy. The SUV entered the embassy compound from the rear entrance. As the Marines rushed through the door, Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer was leaving. His smile and wave were a form of reassurance that the Marines’ landing might be a drill, but they would be good to go if the real thing happened.

Minutes later the Marines changed into Tyvek personal NBC protective wear and awaited deployment instructions. These white suits are for training purposes only. In a real situation, Saratoga Suits qualified by the Department of Defense would be used. SSgt McKenzie handled the reaction drill; GySgt Kirk acted as an observer. The gunny asked the detachment if any Marines were on medication or had been drinking alcohol. Long had a beer and told the gunny. At that point a single beer might not prevent or debilitate anyone, but it was a call that only GySgt Kirk could make. Cpl Long stayed in the drill.

McKenzie assigned the Marines to two-person teams. Gas masks, helmets and all other gear were worn throughout the drill. As each team responded to its assigned positions, everything was done on the run in double time. Every locked room was unlocked and checked and cleared for victims. Bathrooms, closets and recesses were searched. Time was of the essence. With hand signals, Marines moved from floor to floor with speed and skill. The search might have revealed a person who had volunteered to act as a victim hiding somewhere. No one took a chance or a shortcut; the intensity built up, and the heat in the Tyvek suits had to be building up as well. The action was fast, but ultimately it was over. Within seconds of each other the teams gathered for a debriefing/assessment.

The debriefing is the opportunity for each Marine to make suggestions that might help develop future techniques and response. No one commented on the performance of a specific Marine; comments are for the benefit of all. There’s no room for personalities. Marquart and Medina first gave their evaluations followed by Long and Johnson and finally Jackson and McKenzie. Schellenbach could not participate, but was encouraged to express his thoughts. Final words came from GySgt Kirk with an overall assessment on the conduct of the drill from beginning to end. Everyone listened because Kirk was the only one who saw the pieces fall together. These watchstanders trust their detachment commander’s judgment.

A few weeks after I left Tel Aviv, GySgt Kirk’s wife, Jane, a former Marine Corps primary marksmanship rifle instructor, was evacuated. After marrying Cindy Dubois in Paris, SSgt McKenzie returned to Tel Aviv for a few weeks and then headed back to the United States. Sgt Schellenbach became the Assistant Detachment Commander.

These MSGs may not be worried about the American economy or corporate scandals, and when you get down to it they may not care about Middle East politics. Ask them what their concern is, and they will say, “I hope my family is safe.”