claim: Eugene Ionesco wrote Exit the King.
evidence: Operation Noble Obelisk was the evacuation of civilians from Sierra Leone in 1997 undertaken by USS Kearsarge -LRB- LHD-3 -RRB- and the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit .. Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone. When , on May 25 , 1997 , rebel forces and military officers overthrough the government of Sierra Leone , a U.S. Army Special detachment already in the country for joint training exercises , moved to the capital of Freetown to secure the U.S. Embassy and its two residential compounds .. Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone. It also identified an appropriate location for a helicopter landing zone -LRB- HLZ -RRB- .. By virtue of their on scene presence the Special Forces were able to provide the Marine Expeditionary commander with `` real-time '' intelligence concerning the conditions in the capital .. Major General Samuel T. Helland was designated as Commander , Joint Task Force Noble Obelisk .. A total 2509 people were taken aboard Kearsarge over 4 days .. 454 Americans , the rest third-country nationals .. The Marine 1st Battalion , 2nd Regiment out of Camp Lejeune , North Carolina participated in the Noncombatants Evacuation Operation -LRB- NCO -RRB- , as well as the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 .. Naval Air Reservists provided logistical support .