Cover me

1992, 1945, and what can go wrong with a little miscommunication. Also, 7 other things worth your time.

During the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, President George H.W. Bush sent 4,000 U.S. Marines (plus an Army infantry task force) to back up the local police. This was done at the request of both the mayor of Los Angeles and the governor of California.

There’s a story (opens as .pdf) from that time about miscommunication that has a lot of relevance for today — even more than I first realized, in fact.

Two police officers were being trailed by a squad of Marines, when they were called to a domestic dispute. Someone inside the house fired a gun, and one of the cops turned to the Marines, yelling, “Cover me!”

• The cop meant: Point your weapons at the house, ready to fire if a threat appears.

• But to the Marines, this two-word command apparently meant: Open fire on the house (“covering fire” or “suppressive fire”), to keep everyone's heads down inside.

The Marines did as they’d been trained. They lit the place up, reportedly firing as many as 200 rounds.

Luckily, miraculously, nobody was hurt. But m…