Novel Treatments / Loss of Innocence chapter four (Analysis)
CHAPTER FOUR: THE CREAM RISES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1991
FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
1530 HRS.
As they were now members of First Platoon, E-Company, 2nd Battalion of the 58th Infantry Regiment (training), Colby and Ethan took a healthy look around at their new home for the next few months. Other than the addition of windows along the exterior walls and offices at the head of the room, their new bay looked exactly like the one at reception and as the son of a homebuilder, Colby was more than a little discouraged with the Army’s use of such depressing shades and patterns. Now I see why the suicide rate is so high in Basic Training, he thought. Oh well, guess I’ll have to live with it. What am I gonna do, request a separation on the basis of decorating induced depression?
Ethan on the other hand, could have cared less about the beige paint that coated the walls or the white tiles with cocoa swirled patterns that covered the floors, as his attention was focused on the cold sounding individual who was pacing up and down the bay and how badly he wanted this man to go away. What in the hell have I got myself into, he thought as he looked to the door leading out onto the balcony that connected to D-Company and considered making a run for it.
Each man was standing in the position of attention at the foot of the bunk he had been assigned. The bunks on the right wall belonged to First Squad, right center was Second Squad, left center was Third Squad, and left wall was Fourth Squad. Colby and Ethan occupied the third and fourth bunks in Third Squad and they stood motionless, with their eyes to the front as the drill sergeants roamed up and down the room looking each man over.
“Keep your eyes to the front gentlemen and I better not catch you eyeballing me. My name is Drill Sergeant Dore,” one of them said in a loud, but calm voice. “I will be your platoon sergeant for the next four and a half months and next to God himself, I am the most important person in your lives right now.”
Drill Sergeant Dore stood five foot seven-inches and was a very slim one hundred and fifty pounds. He had a clean-shaven head, large, bulging, dark eyes and always appeared as if he had just lost his wife to his best friend. Ethan even commented that the man looked as though he had a permanent scowl surgically placed on his face.
“This is Drill Sergeant Malloy,” Dore said, referring to the other drill sergeant in the room. “Next to me, he is the man you should fear most on this wonderful planet of ours. You will eat when we say eat, sleep when we say sleep and shit when we say shit.”
Drill Sergeant Malloy didn’t utter a single word as he casually paced up and down the bay, looking each recruit over carefully. At five foot six-inches and weighing just over a hundred and sixty pounds, Malloy was a slightly husky man. He wore his hair in a blond diamond shaped patch on top of his head that was known as a high and tight and his glassy eyes sparkled in a soft shade of blue. Unlike Dore, Malloy had an almost friendly appearance about him. In fact, he looked as if he would be a fun person to hang around with outside of this surreal cliché of a world.
The jump wings that Malloy wore proudly on his left chest indicated that he had performed a combat jump and he also wore a Ranger Tab on his left shoulder that signified he had survived the Army’s toughest school. More noticeable on the man’s stiffly starched camouflage uniform was his Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), but the item that demanded Colby’s attention the most was his Special Forces Tab and there was no question in the young soldier’s mind that this man knew his business well.
The next thirty minutes provided more of the same for First Platoon as Dore did all of the talking, welcoming them to the Army and explaining what they should expect in the weeks to come and Malloy just continued making his rounds, giving each recruit an intimidating sizing up. Just as Ethan was beginning to grow accustom to Dore’s scolding tone, Malloy spoke unexpectedly.
“How many of you here have jump school in your contract?” his voice carried in a heavy southern drawl.
Several men in the room raised their hands in response to Malloy’s question, but Colby didn’t and he glanced to see that Ethan remained just as motionless.
“Well, good for you,” Malloy said sarcastically. “Now, how many of you have Ranger?” Not one man raised his hand and as if from thin air, Malloy appeared in Colby’s face, studying the young soldier and brandishing a mischievous smile. He then moved to Ethan, doing the same. “So, none of you pussies has Ranger?” he said as he walked away. “Fair enough, probably wouldn’t make it anyway.”
Colby was unclear as to why Malloy appeared to single him and Ethan out during his series of questioning, but the drill sergeant definitely showed the two men some unwanted attention and Colby came to a clear decision on how he and Ethan should play this game. They needed to just fade into the background and do what they needed to pull through this. The last thing Colby wanted was the attention of these two hard-ass men and doubted very seriously that Ethan wanted to be on their list of people to mess with either.
The platoon spent the next hour and a half receiving instruction from Dore and Malloy on how to properly make their bunks and set up their wall lockers. Colby felt that the 45-degree corners and six-inch folds were a little anal, but if mastering the art of bunk making would keep Malloy out of his face, he was going to be the best damn sheet tucker in the Army. Ethan watched Colby’s face closely during the lesson and hoped like hell that he was paying attention, as the drill sergeants lost him with the first tuck of the sheet. Ethan never had been much on house keeping and he didn’t plan to perfect the ability in this hellhole.
Following the class, First Platoon was marched to the DFAC and chow time proved to be no more relaxing than the any other portion of their first day down range. While waiting to enter the facility, the men stood in line with their backs against the wall and their noses in the smart books as the drill sergeants walked up and down the platoon, randomly asking questions from the book.
When Colby entered the building, he had to announce the last four digits of his social security number and if he was Regular Army or National Guard and though the answer probably meant nothing to the woman behind the desk taking down the imformation, to the recruits there was much more to the simple statement. Answering with National Guard usually drew a fair amount of hazing from the drill sergeants and fellow recruits alike and in Basic Training, hazing is the last thing that a recruit wants or needs.
When the platoon returned from dinner, it was time to lock away everything that made them who they were as individuals. In Basic Training, there are no individuals and there is no past. Everything the recruits brought with them was placed securely inside the civilian bag that they came to Benning with and locked away in a large safe room in the back of the bay. The only personal effects that the men were allowed to hold onto were photographs and Colby only carried one. He placed the image of him with Cooper and Julie on the mirror inside his wall locker, staring at it with a light smile on his face. The three had just returned from riding four-wheelers in the creek and they were standing on their grandmother’s porch, covered from head to toe in mud. Colby gently touched the photo and closed the door.
Once everything was locked away in the safe and everyone had their gear squared away, it was time for showers and the platoon was taken in as a group. All six showerheads were adjusted to warm and the recruits were sent into the shower in groups. Each man had two minutes to clean and rinse before the next group moved in and the system left Colby feeling very uneasy. The whole thing felt like some sort of ritualistic masturbation orgy that Colby wanted no part of and lucky for him, this would be the only time the guys would be forced to shower together in this fashion.
With the slightly awkward shower scene complete, there was one last thing to take care of before lights out. Each man was to right a letter home, informing his family that they were now down range and giving them the address. Keeping moral high among troops is a top concern for any command and in Basic Training, letters from home is the best way to achieve this, so it was important that everyone got the address out to the families.
Dear Dad,
Well, I’m down range now and you were right. I won’t have time to think about home here and I’ll be too busy thinking about how much this place sucks. Way different than reception that’s for sure. Anyway, I just wanted to touch base and let you know that we were here and I’ll call as soon as I can. Tell everyone that I love and miss them. Oh yeah, the address on the envelope is my address, word for word. I love you, Dad.
Colby
While each man finished his letter, Drill Sergeant Dore established a fireguard roster. In the old days of the Army, smoking was allowed during initial training. Therefore, a fireguard was required to ensure that some idiot didn’t burn the barracks down while enjoying a smoke during the night. Though smoking had long since been banned in basic training, the guard was kept around for two reasons. The first was to insure that nothing stupid happened in the overnight hours, like some poor soul getting homesick and hanging himself in the latrine in the middle of the night. The second reason for maintaining the age-old tradition was to give the men some responsibility for themselves and to instill discipline. The shifts were one hour long and the last man was responsible for turning on the lights and waking the Platoon.
Colby lay in his bunk with his thoughts as the lights in the bay went out for the night and the large open room was uncomfortably quiet, as the men were not sure if the drill sergeants had actually left. Colby thought about the drastic change his life had just experienced and his new friend in the bunk next to his was at the top of the list. Malloy had looked at Colby as though he knew that he was lying by not raising his hand during the questioning about jump and Ranger and the drill sergeant looked at Ethan the same way. Malloy was also the one who redirected Ethan to follow Colby to First Platoon. Was it possible that he knew the two recruits prior to their arrival at Benning and if so, why?
“Greer, you up?” Ethan whispered.
“Yeah, man. What’s up?”
“Do you have Airborne and Ranger in your contract?”
“Yeah,” Colby replied softly. “Do you?”
“Yeah, bro.”
“Well, now we know that we’re stuck with each other for a while,” Colby said.
“Yeah, but I don’t think that we should say anything. I don’t want these assholes focusing all of their attention on us. That would suck so bad, dude.” Ethan replied.
“I agree. I think that we should just blend into the background where it’s safe.”
“Sounds cool, man. See ya in the morning.”
“Yeah, goodnight, Ethan.”
Knowing that each of them shared the same future together, the two young men allowed that to comfort them. For some odd reason, they each felt as though they could accomplish anything with the other at his side and that went a long way in this strange new world that they found themselves in. Colby settled his mind to drift off to sleep and for the first time since arriving at Benning, he was not thinking about home or the issues that he had left there.
MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1991
FIREBASE RED CLOUD, SAUDI ARABIA
1345 HRS.
Looking at the buildings that made up Riyadh in the distance, Rodney Crowler sat in silence as the Black Hawk that he was riding in came in for a landing on the dusty surface. Red Cloud was a series of tent like structures that was secured behind high walls of sand in the open desert and was used to organize and conduct special operations missions during Desert Storm. Currently, the small outpost served as an operations center for coordinating the investigations of attacks against Coalition Forces since the close of the war and Rodney never even knew the place existed. He had never been to Red Cloud before and he was not sure why he was being taken there at all, but he suspected it had something to do with the bombing.
As Captain Kevin Daniels made his way to the Operations Center, he watched through squinted eyes as the helicopter kicked up a cloud of sand on its landing approach. Kevin had been preparing his gear for his return to the Ranger regiment later that afternoon when a runner showed up at his tent, informing him that he was needed in the ops center. After the bombing at Hafar Al Batin, the Agency decided not to use the Army in its investigations anymore and Kevin was being sent back to his unit, but for some reason, his presence had been requested. Watching the passenger of the Black Hawk exit the aircraft, Kevin recognized Rodney Crowler as the wiry looking sergeant left the flight line and he quickly made his way to where Rodney stood.
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” Kevin said with a grin as he approached.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Rodney asked in surprise, shaking Kevin’s hand.
“Was assigned here until about an hour ago. What brings you to this cozy little litter box?”
“Not sure. My CO said someone wanted to talk to me and for me to get on the bird. I get here and they tell me to report to the ops center.”
“Funny, I’m headed there myself,” Kevin said. “Come on, you can walk me over.”
As Kevin and Rodney entered the Ops Center, a staff sergeant pointed them both to the briefing room and when they entered the room, the two men found a short, stocky Special Forces master sergeant.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I’m Master Sarn’t Lars. Please have a seat,” the man said, waiving his arm over the table and chairs. Kevin and Rodney both took seats at the table.
“I’ll get right to the point, guys. You’ve both been selected to join an elite new Special Ops group designated to combat terrorists.” Lars slid a folder in front of both men. “The unit will be stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Captain Daniels, you’ll be team leader and Sarn’t Crowler has been designated as sniper team leader I believe.”
“But I’m not a sniper,” Rodney interjected.
“Don’t worry. You’ll both receive the proper training to meet the job requirements.” Lars paused to allow Kevin and Rodney time to look over the paper work. “I’m sorry I can’t give you anymore details on the assignment, only that you were both hand selected by a great man and soldier−the best there is. He’ll explain everything in detail when you get to Hawaii.”
“When exactly are we expected to report?” Kevin asked
“You both fly out for your duty stations tomorrow. Upon arrival, you will immediately begin out-processing and you report to Schofield on September ninth. Sarn’t Crowler, there’s a form in there that will assist you in shipping that unique BMW that you own.” Rodney responded with a confused look in the master sergeant’s direction.
“What about our current assignments?” Kevin asked.
“They have been informed that the Army is transferring you, nothing more and you are to give no details,” Lions informed them and the two looked at one another, shrugging their shoulders.
“I guess we better get moving then,” Kevin stated as he rose from his chair and
Lions held out his hand to both men.
“Welcome aboard, gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to have you.” The three men shook hands as if closing a Wall Street business deal. “The chopper that brought Sarn’t Crowler in will take you both to Dhahran. Both of your units have been notified by higher. Sarn’t, you will assist Cap’m Daniels in exiting Battalion, then Cap’m Daniels, you will assist the young Sarn’t. Infantry Divisions tend to have a hard time letting go of good people, so please help him through the web of shit.”
“No problem, I think we can handle it. Right, Sarn’t?” Kevin said
“No problems at all, Cap’m,” Rodney replied and both men looked to each other and smiled.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1991
FARMINGTON, ARKANSAS
2150 HRS.
As a means of losing himself and blocking out the world around him, Cooper Greer hid out in his grandparents’ barn, focusing on the task of servicing the transmission on his 1987 Jeep Wrangler. Cooper purchased the Jeep when he was fourteen and working on it himself was a passion that he committed to two or three times a week. As a person who seemed to lack the ability to commit, Cooper changed girls as often as most people changed socks and he concentrated the energy and passion that normal seventeen-year-old boys spent on girls on his ride. The Wrangler was Cooper’s one love and his escape from everything else.
While Cooper stood at the workbench, meticulously working to position the gasket on his transmission pan, Julie walked through the side door and took a seat on a stool next to him. Continuing with what he was doing and showing her no attention, Cooper pretended as if he were still alone with his work.
“Ya know, you can’t keep avoiding everyone, Cooper,” Julie told her cousin.
“Not avoiding anyone,” Cooper replied. “Just been busy.”
“For two weeks? You haven’t associated with anyone since he left.”
“Look, what I do and who I do or don’t talk to, is none of your business,” he snapped, yanking the pan up and heading to the jeep.
“You two are just alike, ya know? You’re both stubborn assholes.” Cooper simply crawled back under his jeep without saying a word. “I was in here that night,” she informed him and Cooper dropped the ratchet he was using to tighten the pan. “Yeah, the same time he was.” Julie got up and walked to the jeep. “I tried to get him to talk to you two, but he’s just as stubborn as you. All the men in this family are.” Cooper rolled out from under the jeep, his eyes red and slightly moistened. He quickly jumped to his feet, where he was inches from Julie’s face.
“Nothing happened between us, okay.” Cooper turned and walked to the front of the jeep. “I came down here to get stoned and to think about things. I just wanted to be alone and the bitch followed me down here.” Cooper picked up a beer off the fender and threw it against the stacked hay bails. “She kissed me and I pushed her away!” He yelled. “I would never do anything like that to Colby. Never.” Cooper walked over and rested his elbows on the fender. “I should have told him that night, but I didn’t want to hurt him, not when he was about to leave. Now, the stupid little bitch is running around screwing everybody in town, making Colby look like a fool.” Julie went to Cooper and put her arms around him, but he forcefully backed away.
“Listen, it’s okay. You don‘t have to hold on to this. He doesn’t hate you. He told me that, Coop. Hell, he’s not even mad at you, but you’ve got to tell him the truth, Cooper. He’s your brother.” She attempted once more to hold her cousin and again, he evaded her grasp.
“Listen, Julie. I think it’s best if I just leave well enough alone until he gets back,” Cooper replied as he stepped back to wipe the oily fluid from his hands.
“Cooper, you have to explain your side of this.” She grabbed a paper towel from the workbench and handed it to him. “His calls will always be after five during the week and anytime on Sunday. That’s their free day. Just be here when he calls and talk to him.”
“Look, Julie. I know you mean well, but he didn‘t even ask me. He just automatically assumed that I was doing wrong.”
“You and Sarah are both going through the same thing right now. Someone you both love has left, leaving you feeling abandoned,” Julie told him. Cooper shook his head and gave his cousin a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, Julie,” he said sincerely. “Thanks for caring enough to get involved, but I really need to get back to work now.”
“Hey, you guys are like my brothers and I’m there for you two no matter what.” With that said, Julie left the barn, leaving her cousin to consider her words.
Cooper watched Julie leave, then returned to the workbench and reached into his toolbox for a small plastic bag, pouring a small amount of the dirty looking white powdery substance onto a small piece of glass. He leaned down, inhaling the powder and after wiping the excess from the tip of his nose, Cooper opened a beer and took a long drink from the can. With his eyes beginning to tear, he crawled back under the Jeep and continued his work.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1991
FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
2100 HRS.
With the first week of training behind them, the members of First Platoon were both mentally and physically exhausted. They were in what was known as ‘Phase 1’ or the ‘Red Phase’ and it was in this phase of their training that the recruits found themselves surrounded by the drill sergeants at all times. The overbearing instructors were there to wake the men in the morning by throwing metal trashcans down the bay − which scared the hell out of Colby and Ethan the first couple of times. They were also present to turn down the lights at 2100 hours every night and harassed the young men with things like push-ups during every waking hour in between.
Each day began with a 0500 hours wake up, followed by Physical Training (PT) at 0600 hours. PT consisted of fifteen minutes of stretching and thirty to forty-five minutes conducting a variety of different exercises referred to as ‘Grass Drills’ and designed to instill muscle failure in the men. As if the first hour wasn’t enough, the company was then taken on a five-mile run.
The remainder of the day consisted of a mixture of intense Drill and Ceremony (Marching) and many hours in the classroom learning about things like sexual harassment and the seven Army core values. Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage were the characteristics that defined a good soldier. The classroom sessions were long and extremely boring, usually resulting in the recruits nodding their heads in and out of sleep and if caught with his eyes closed, a recruit was moved to the rear of the auditorium where he was forced to stand at attention and drink water.
During chow times, the men were quizzed on the smart books and the drill sergeants continuously seemed to find reasons to drop their young trainees for push-ups. Colby and Ethan tried hard to fade into the background as they had discussed, but Drill Sergeant Malloy always discovered a way to single the two friends out. Neither of the young men could explain Malloy’s obsession with them and it was really beginning to play with their heads.
By the end of the first week, Colby and Ethan had changed in every conceivable way and their friendship had grown tremendously as well. They assisted one another with everything from studying to laundry and where you found one, the other was not far behind. The two recruits were completely unaware of the fact that Malloy and Drill Sergeant Dore had taken notice of the close bond forming between the two as well.
Through everything though, the two friends seemed to be unknowingly distinguishing themselves from the rest of the platoon. Their drill and ceremony was becoming sharp and crisp. Physically, they were developing like professional athletes and their classroom time resulted in near perfect scores on written exams. The two even rarely missed one of the Smart Book questions during chow. In fact, Colby and Ethan almost knew the thing from cover to cover and without even realizing the significance of their actions, the two were beginning to lend a hand to others who were falling behind. Yes, without being aware of the transformation, the two friends were rapidly becoming soldiers.
The second week of Basic Training introduced the men to Movement Under Fire and they were taught tactics such as the three to five second rush, the low crawl and the high crawl. They even ran an obstacle coarse to test on the movements and at the end of the week, during an hour that they would normally be in bed, the men were trucked out into the darkness and left standing behind a large earth embankment awaiting instruction from Dore and Malloy.
Sitting against the mound in full combat gear and staring out into the overly black night, each man was anxious of what was to come, as he had received no word on the night’s events. Everyone sat quietly, soaking up his environment with wide, nervous eyes. Colby and Ethan were especially silent as they repeatedly looked to one another, their young minds surgically searching for a reason as to why they were there. Drill Sergeants Dore and Malloy appeared out of the darkness and the two drills were donned in the same equipment as their young troops, only without weapons. This was the frst time that the platoon had seen these men wearing their Kevlar helmets and it left the recruits feeling more anxious than they already did.
“Okay, listen up! You are about to enter a live-fire obstacle coarse. There will be explosions going off all around you and bullets flying overhead. Move tactically and keep your heads down. Soldiers have died on this range, so just keep your heads and use your training. Rely on the tactics that we taught you and you will be fine.” Dore informed the men. Then, he made a call on a small hand held radio and looked back to the men. “Okay, guys, let’s go. Give me four ranks by squad.”
The men lined up by squad facing the embankment and Colby and Ethan were nervous with anticipation for what was over that small hill.
“First four, go!” Dore yelled and the first four men in line went over the burm. Almost immediately, the explosions could be heard and the sky lit up with bright flashes of light.
“Next four, go!” Again, four more went over the hill.
When Colby took his turn crossing the mound, what he saw was complete madness. Explosions were going off in all directions, throwing dirt and small rocks into the blacked out sky. A heavy layer of white smoke lingered over the entire area and a powerful, burning odor creped through the humid air. Colby ran to the first log cover, throwing himself to the ground behind it and the earth’s surface was hard and rough, scraping the young man’s knees and causing him to bruise his right shoulder. He peered around the obstacle and could barely make out four individual lanes of movement due to the blinding haze of smoke and carbon that irritated his eyes.
Colby ducked his head back behind the protection of the obstacle and closed his eyes tightly, frantically searching his mind for a memory that would remove him from this terrifying situation. The image that his library of thoughts produced was of him and Cooper racing their new four-wheelers through the trails on their land. The two boys were thirteen and twelve at the time of the adrenalin-filled episode and tore through life without a care in the world. As they approached the creek crossing, Colby began to realize that his younger sibling had no intentions of backing off.
Colby put all of his effort behind the brakes of the all-terrain vehicle and looked on in shock as Cooper cleared the fifteen-foot jump over the creek. The bright orange off-road machine slammed to the earth with the suspension bottoming out and Cooper was nearly thrown from the seat of the wildly bouncing beast. When the dust cleared, Cooper looked across the water at his brother, excitement and fear illuminated his young face. “What the heck are ya thinking about it for?” he asked. “Let’s go. Man up, bitch!”
Colby’s eyes opened wide with the fear of what he was about to do as an illumination flare burst overhead, lighting the night sky. Taking a deep breath, he launched, bounding himself from obstacle to obstacle until he reached a mud pit with a low layer of barbed wire draped over it. Without slowing so much as a step, Colby dove for the thick, brown liquid and began crawling feverishly through it. The mud was soupy and cold, but he fought off the discomfort and forged on, his eyes burning with determination to succeed. Colby kicked with his feet and pulled himself through the thick, gritty substance, keeping his head as low as possible as he freed himself from the swamp’s grip. Colby heard the distinctive sound of a machine gun firing and looked to the sky to see tracer rounds passing low overhead.
From that point on, things became even more hectic and involved and Colby had to remain as close to the ground as he possibly, his mouth filling with the taste of the harsh Georgia soil. Everywhere he went, he would find another soldier froze up, too petrified to move and there was usually a drill sergeant off to the side yelling at the terrified recruit. Colby would simply crawl up next to the shock stricken soldier and push them to keep moving forward. The explosions seemed to become more frequent as they developed in intensity and the tracer fire grew heavier by the second. Colby’s adrenaline was flowing and he dug deep within himself to continue pushing through the confusion of the situation.
The young man powered forward with all of the strength that he could muster, picking up scared comrades along the way and when they reached the end of the course, the soldiers found themselves confronted with a high wooden wall. Thickly bound ropes draped the coarse surface of the log obstacle and over it was the way out. Colby, along with Ethan once he managed to catch up, stayed and made sure that everyone in the squad was able to maneuver the wall. When the last man’s feet vanished over the top, the two soldiers scaled the high structure and collapsed on the other side.
With the mayhem behind them, the men filed through a walkway that led to a road where trucks were waiting to load them up. As they climbed into the back of the vehicles and flopped their worn bodies to the floor of the cargo bed, not a word was spoken, as the platoon was entirely too exhausted and still experiencing a little shock at what they had just been through. Colby and Ethan both drank long and hard from their canteens and the two soldiers high-fived one another as the truck began to pull away, smiling for the entire ride. This Army thing wasn’t that bad and they were kicking Basic Training’s ass.
Upon returning to the Company, the recruits were ordered to give their weapons a quick wipe down, turn them in to the arms room and get upstairs to square away their things for lights out. First Platoon took their weapons to the bleachers located just behind the laundry room to wipe them down. Colby just finished wiping off his rifle and was in the process of applying a light coat of lubricant to the bolt carrier when Specialist Craig Rippley approached him.
Craig was a specialist, due to his accumulation of college hours and was scheduled for Officer Candidate School after basic. He was a bashful, small town guy with a medium, stocky frame, blond hair and rosy red cheeks that, when teased, would glow brightly. The drill sergeants made him the student platoon leader to prepare him for OCS and Colby initially felt that Craig was a super nice person, but that he wouldn’t last as a combat leader.
“Listen, Greer. I want to thank you for what you did tonight, helping everyone out and all. That was pretty cool,” Craig told Colby, hanging his head just a bit.
Colby slid his bolt carrier back into his rifle and closed it up.
“First of all, Craig, its Colby and you don’t have to thank me. We’re a team here.” Colby locked the retaining pin back into his rifle and placed it on the bleacher. “The better we all work together here, the easier it’s gonna be for all of us.”
“Well, I feel that after tonight you should be the platoon leader,” Craig said as he started to turn away and Colby quickly jumped to his feet, cutting Craig off.
“Look, I don’t wanna be platoon leader. I’ll help behind the scenes all you need, but you need to stay platoon leader.” Colby looked around for a second. “You haven’t done anything wrong Craig. From here on out, if you’re having a problem with something, just come ask me and if I don’t have an answer, we’ll figure it out together, Okay?” Craig looked up at Colby with a smile.
“Thanks, Colby. Thanks a lot, man,” he said sincerely and the two shook hands.
“The best leaders don’t know everything,” Colby told him. “But they do know how to ask and learn. Don’t let your pride stop you from being a great leader, Craig.”
“I won’t, bro. I promise,” Craig said with a wide smile as he turned and headed for the arms room.
Ethan walked up behind Colby, carrying his rifle.
“What was that all about?” he asked and Colby put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“He just needed a little pick me up, but he’s gonna be okay.” Colby picked his rifle up off the bleacher. “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.” The two walked off toward the arms room and as they entered the company area, they noticed Malloy standing beside the laundry room on the right.
“Great job tonight, guys. Keep up the good work,” Malloy grinned wide, turned and walked away. Colby and Ethan both continued to watch him as they walked toward the arms room.
2319 HRS.
FARMINGTON, ARKANSAS
Turning her head and looking to the bare wall of the otherwise cluttered bedroom, Sarah concentrated her thoughts to one of the many holes torn in the sheetrock, trying desperately to forget that Bucky was awkwardly kissing his way around her naval. She closed her eyes tightly and attempted to shut off her mind as the alcohol lost its numbing affect, but her efforts were to no avail, as she could not allow herself to do this comfortably. Sarah felt as though she had reached the bottom of the horrifically deep pit that had become her life, with no clear vision as to a way out. She roughly began to push Bucky’s head away from her body, in turn creating a struggle.
“Come on, Bucky, I just don’t feel like it now,” she protested and Bucky pushed her arms back onto the mattress.
“I don’t give a shit what you feel like,” he said with a menacing scowl.
Sarah drew back her knees, wedging her feet between herself and the large brute on top of her and the smell of his breath nearly made her sick as his face drew closer to hers. The mixture of Copenhagen and whiskey was too much to bear and with one swift push, she forced him back onto the floor. Bucky quickly rose to his feet, wearing an angry glare upon his unshaven face and Just as he began to move forward, the bedroom door surged open and bounced off the wall. Gavin Greer entered the room, wading through the layer of foul laundry as Amy Stokes and Julie Greer swiftly followed him in. Sarah abruptly came to her feet in surprise at the forceful entrance. Bucky immediately turned and took a wild swing at Gavin who effortlessly caught Bucky’s fist and forced him against the wall by his throat.
“I suggest we end this at that, son,” Gavin said calmly. “This is not a dance you wish to do with me.” Bucky’s eyes grew large as he gasped for a clear breath and Gavin turned to Amy, motioning her to Sarah and the woman moved to her daughter with a held out hand.
“Come on, honey,” she said warmly. “ Let’s go home, dear.”
Sarah dropped her head and began to sob as Julie stepped in and helped Amy remove her friend from the house. Gavin turned his attention back to the young man who was trying frantically to breathe under his tight grasp.
“Now, my advice to you, sir is to stay as far away from that girl as best as you possibly can,” he said. “If you don’t, I’ll be back. Only next time, we dance.” Bucky nodded his head in agreement and Gavin released the boy, watching him slide to the floor. He then turned and left the room.
2354 HRS.
Amy Stokes was standing at her counter, preparing coffee when Gavin entered. Julie and Sarah both sat at the kitchen table in silence and Sarah allowed her head to hang, displaying the shame and self-disappointment she was feeling. Gavin made his way over to Amy, accepting the cup she offered and sipped the warm liquid while turning to look at the girls.
“Anything been said?” he asked quietly, resting his back gently against the counter and Amy turned to stand next to him.
“I don’t think anything needs to be said, not tonight anyway,” Amy replied. “I know why this has happened and now I just have to be there for her in order to fix it.”
“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll leave Julie here tonight. It’ll give her someone to start opening up to.”
“I think that’s a good idea. How about the boy?” she asked.
Gavin continued to look at the girls as he took another sip.
“He’s okay for now, but if he comes around her, I need to know,” he said.
“You got it,” Amy said softly. “And thank you so much, Gavin.”
“Anytime, darlin’. Anytime,” he replied with a comforting smile.
With the water beading across her soft, bronze skin and running down the shapely curves of her well-toned legs, Sarah watched it pool on the mild purple shade of the Barossa tile that rested beneath her delicately pampered toes. She leaned from the shower, reaching for the towel and fluffing her long, dark hair. Julie Greer sat patiently on the edge of the tranquil pink daybed, awaiting her best friend’s presence in the room. She casually took notice of the multiple piles of clothing scattered around the hardwood floor and wondered how Sarah could reside amongst so much clutter. Julie put all of her will power to work in not jumping to action cleaning the girl’s teen sanctuary.
Sarah emerged form the bathroom with a cloud of moist steam trailing her and positioned herself next to Julie, resting her head in her friend’s lap. Julie picked up a brush from the nightstand and began to brush the tangles from Sarah’s long, glistening locks. Sarah just stared at the floor in silence, as her mind was nearly exhausted by her recent acts of self-pity.
“I know that you probably don’t want to discuss this right now, but I think that this would be a better time than later, before things go any further,” Julie said softly as she continued to stroke the young woman’s hair.
“Look, I made a mistake, Julie. I know that, but you don’t need to harp on it to show me how stupid I was. I know how stupid I am. I allowed Colby’s thoughtlessness to push me into a bad decision.” Julie dropped the brush to the surface of the soft mattress and stood from the bed, nearly forcing Sarah to slide to the cold floor.
“Hang on just a minute. Thoughtlessness?” she said harshly. “I wasn’t talking about tonight, ya selfish little shit! I’m talking about that night in the barn with Cooper.” Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise and she carefully searched her mind for a response. “Yeah, I saw you two that night,” Julie added.
“Nothing happened that night. Nothing at all.”
“I know, but it damn sure wasn’t due to your judgment or self-control!”
“I made a horrible mistake that night with Cooper and I feel shitty about it,” Sarah said as tears began to build in her tired, red eyes. “I don’t even know why I did that.”
“Well, you’re not the only one who feels like shit,” Julie informed her.
“What’s Cooper got to feel bad about, he pushed me away.”
“I didn’t say Cooper.” The look on Sarah’s face told Julie that her remark had driven deep and that she had Sarah’s complete attention. “I’ve known you long enough to see through all of your shit, Sarah and I know what’s been going through your mind. Colby wasn’t leaving like your father did. Hell, he asked you to marry him for Christ’s sake. What more did you need from him?”
“I don’t know. I guess I thought that maybe he was having second thoughts or something. I mean he hardly even talked to me that last week and he completely disappeared the night of the party.” Sarah removed the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand.
“Did you ever stop to think about how difficult this decision was for him? He was leaving everything he had ever known and loved and even though he was coming back for you, he was still facing a considerable amount of time without you. He’s never been away from us before and the Army isn’t the easiest place to experience that for the first time. I’m sure he was questioning whether or not he was doing the right thing by leaving at all.” Julie resumed a seated position, only on the stool of Sarah’s make up station and not the bed.
“Okay, you’re right. I’m a dumb ass and I screwed things up. That’s what I do, Julie, screw things up.” Sarah hung her head as she realized the seriousness of the damage that she may have done to her and Colby’s life together and Julie moved back to her friend’s side on the bed, placing her hand on her back.
“It’s not ruined yet, hun, but the two of you definitely need to talk. I think that you should still go with us for his graduation.”
“Ya really think that things can be okay?” Sarah said in a near whisper.
“I think that’s up to you, hun.”
MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1991
FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
1040 HRS.
E-Company was finally receiving the instruction on the M16A2 assault rifle and they had all been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to fire the infamous weapon. They had been carrying the thing around for a few days now, but only knew how to wipe it down and carry it and they spent all morning in the classroom learning everything there was to know about the rifle, from teardown to assembly.
Upon hearing of Colby’s enlistment, his uncle Gavin decided it was his duty to prepare his nephew for the Army and one of the many things he taught young Colby about was the M16 rifle. Of course, Gavin did not own an M16, but he did have an AR15, which was the same thing only not fully automatic. He also had access to the local National Guard Armory and the Guards had the M16A1. Other than some slight appearance changes, the only major difference between the two was that the A1 could fire in full automatic and the A2 could only go as high as three-round burst. Automatic allowed bullets to exit the barrel for as long as the trigger was held and three-round burst allowed three bullets to leave with each pull of the trigger.
Colby spent hours on the rifle with his uncle, soaking up all of the knowledge that the old soldier had to offer and Gavin taught his nephew how to fire and clean the weapon, as well as conduct repairs and perform timed assembly and disassembly. Therefore, Colby was given a leg up. He walked in on day one with a steady grasp of the M16 assault rifle.
After each block of instruction, there was a two-page quiz handed out for the men to complete and Colby and Ethan seemed to be the first to complete their exams at the end of each session. After completing the test on teardown and assembly, Colby raised his hand to signal the drill sergeants that he was finished and Malloy came by to pick up his test, dismissing him to break.
After leaving the auditorium, Colby made a fast break for the latrine. The drill sergeants instructed them to drink water from their canteens if they felt sleepy and Colby had already completed one canteen, which he definitely felt the need to dispose of.
Exiting the latrine in total relief, Colby found Drill Sergeant Malloy waiting for him at the coffee machine and he nervously walked over to the machine where Malloy was standing.
“You look like a cream and sugar guy like myself,” Malloy said with a comical grin and Colby immediately assumed the position of parade rest. This was where a soldier stood perfectly still with his head and eyes to the front. He would place his hands opened flat and facing out, one on top of the other, in the small of his back.
“Yes, Drill Sergeant,” he replied sharply.
“Relax, Greer. Have some joe. I just wanted to talk to you one-on-one, kid,” Malloy said with a slight laugh as he extended a cup to Colby and the rattled young soldier relaxed his body, accepting the coffee. He took a sip of the hot liquid, surprised that Malloy had managed to get the cream and sugar mixture just right. “What are we going into now, our second week?” Malloy asked, slowly leading Colby out into the open air.
“Yes, Drill Sergeant,” Colby replied as he steadily paced his instructor’s stride.
“You seem to have yourself pretty squared away, son. Your Uncle Gavin did a good job prepping you, but you’ve also got a good head on your shoulders.” Colby looked sharply towards Malloy with a confused look on his face. “Yeah, I know Gavin. Damn good man and it’s my job to know if my soldiers have important family members,” Malloy said, continuing to look straight ahead.
“My mom and grandma don’t think too highly of him,” Colby stated, looking back to the front.
“Most women don’t think too highly of a man as dedicated to soldiering as your Uncle Gavin is. That man’s gung-ho to the bone.” Malloy stopped to look at Colby. “Listen, your uncle can teach you things like the M16 and drill and ceremony, but qualities like you displayed on the live fire course the other night can’t be taught, son.” Malloy began to walk once more. “That’s what being a soldier is all about, taking care of your fellow troops. It’s all about them, Greer. A truly great soldier puts his brothers before himself and you demonstrated that the other night.” Malloy stopped again to look Colby in the eye “Why didn’t you speak up when I asked about jump and Ranger that first day?” he asked and Colby met Malloy’s gaze, answering without any thought.
“Didn’t wanna draw attention to myself, Drill Sergeant.”
“Same reason you stopped Ripley from recommending you for platoon leader, huh?”
“Ripley’s gonna be a real platoon leader some day. He needs the experience and what me and the others do for him here will help make him a good one,” Colby explained. “I don’t see my job here as being anyone’s leader, Drill Sergeant. My job is to learn and assist the others as best that I can so we can all make it out of here.” Malloy stared at Colby with a wide grin.
“Damn, you are Gavin’s kin, only without all the arrogance.” Malloy laughed, as the two walked back toward the classroom.
When Colby and Malloy made it back to the coffee machine, Malloy continued on to the classroom as Colby stopped and Ethan, who had been waiting by the DFAC, walked to where Colby was standing.
“What was that all about?” he asked as he approached.
“He just wanted to tell me that I was the best soldier that he’d ever seen,” Colby replied with a straight face.
“No shit?” Ethan said with a surprised look on his face.
“Yeah, even better than Jon Rambo,” Colby said with a smirk.
“Fuck you, midget,” Ethan said sharply with a smile and Colby laughed loudly.
“He just told me to keep up the good work, that’s all. Now come on, let’s get back to class.” The two friends walked back to the classroom for their last block of instruction before lunch.
“Jon Rambo? You suck, dude,” Ethan said laughing.
1620 HRS.
After another fine Army meal, E-Company returned to the classroom for the hands on portion of the day’s training and their first block was on how to achieve the correct sight picture for firing the rifle. Aiming the weapon required the soldier to align both the front sight post and the rear sight aperture, with the center post of the front sight centered within the diameter of the rear sight and the side posts just inside the circle. The most important thing for the soldier to remember was his cheek placement. It was very crucial that he place his cheek in the same location on the side of the butt stock every time, paying close attention to not placing his face too close to the charging handle.
Assembly and disassembly was the second area of training for the afternoon and though Colby found himself bored with the instruction, he made the beast of his time by helping Ethan and others understand what the drill sergeants were telling them. He taught them a few short cuts to the procedures and even considered showing his platoon mates how to maintenance the trigger assembly, but remembered his uncle telling him not to get carried away and over step his boundaries. Colby decided that since the drill sergeants didn’t show them anything on the trigger, he would leave it alone.
At the end of the instruction, the drill sergeants collected up all of the rifles and after the weapons were gathered, Drill Sergeant Weaver of Second Platoon placed four of them on a table in the center of the auditorium’s stage.
“We’re gonna have ourselves a little friendly competition,” he stated with a grin.
“First Platoon, give me one man.” Private Bouclé, First Squad’s leader, jumped to his feet with his arm waving eagerly in the air and everyone in the platoon cheered him on as he climbed onto the stage. Colby and Ethan looked to one another and they could only see disaster coming from Bouclé representing the platoon.
Bouclé came to Fort Benning thinking that he knew everything there was to know about the Army. He was National Guard and spent a year training with his unit prior to Basic Training and it had become clearly evident to First Platoon that Bouclé’s unit was not nearly as smart as they or Bouclé thought they were.
“Okay, Second, give me one.” Private Choe rose to his feet after some hesitation and went to the stage.
“Third,” Weaver yelled and Private Stone went to the stage with a smile on his face.
“Now, Fourth Platoon.” A private by the name of Cole stood to his feet.
“Oh, hell no!” Drill Sergeant Clark of Fourth Platoon yelled. “Harris, get your ass up there boy.” Private First Class Harris stood and went to the stage.
Each of the recruits placed himself behind one of the rifles on the table.
“Gentlemen, when I say begin, you will be timed on the disassembly of the M16A2 assault rifle,” Weaver explained. “Ready, begin.”
Each of the men worked feverishly to tear down the weapons, starting at the same point on the rifle − they removed the retainer pins to separate the upper and lower receivers. Next, each man removed the bolt carriers, separated the bolts from the carriers and moved to the hand guards. This is where things slowed down a bit, as they all struggled with the plastic guards under the enthusiastic cheer of the crowd.
Finally, Harris finished in three minutes, ten seconds and Fourth Platoon cheered loudly. Next to complete the task, was Stone in three minutes, thirty-five seconds and seven seconds after that was Choe, with Bouclé finishing in four minutes, fifteen seconds.
“That’s what I’m talkin' ’bout!” Clark yelled loudly as he bounced his tall frame around excitedly.
“Hang on a minute!” Malloy interjected. “Clark got to stack the deck. Now it’s my turn. Bouclé, sit your ass down. Greer, get your ass up there.” Bouclé hung his head and took a seat as Colby rose to his feet and walked to the stage. He looked at Ethan and shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay, First and Fourth, rematch. Everyone else, sit down,” Weaver announced. The representatives from Second and Third Platoons took their seats. “This time you will be assembling the rifle,” Weaver announced.
“Fifty-bucks on Greer,” Malloy announced with his typical grin.
“You’re on,” Clark bellowed.
Colby prepared himself mentally. He had done this a hundred times with Uncle Gavin and he looked to Malloy who nodded his head with a grin.
“Ready, begin,” Weaver barked.
Both men began grabbing parts. Harris started with the hand guards, while Colby reassembled his bolt and carrier. Then, Colby replaced the buffer and spring in the lower receiver and locked the front retainer pin, reconnecting the upper and lower receiver. Next, he placed the bolt carrier and charging handle back into the upper receiver and closed it down, locking the rear retainer pin.
By this time, Harris had just begun to work on his bolt and carrier. Last, Colby replaced the hand guards on his rifle, finishing in two minutes, fifteen seconds and First Platoon erupted in cheers.
“Oh, hell no!” Clark protested loudly. He leaped onto the stage with one-step from his long legs. “Double or nothing,” he demanded. “Sit down, shit-head,” he ordered Harris.
“You’re on,” Malloy replied, laughing as Colby stood in silence. His face was expressionless and Malloy could sense by the focused look in his eyes that it was money in the bank.
“Gentlemen,” Weaver started.
“Begin!” Clark cut him off abruptly.
Clark immediately started popping the retainer pins as Colby removed the hand guards and next, Clark removed the bolt carrier and charging handle as Colby popped the pins on his rifle. Clark then separated the bolt from the carrier while Colby already had his carrier in hand and was beginning to do the same. They both removed the buffer and spring, then Clark moved to the hand guards as Colby took it one-step further and removed the heat shields from his hand guards. It took Colby two minutes, three seconds to break down the weapon and Clark, who still had one hand guard to go, was furious.
“Damn it!” He yelled in anger, throwing his upper receiver to the table.
Colby simply stood there wearing the same blank expression on his face and Malloy laughed loudly as Clark pulled out his wallet, took a hundred dollar bill from it and placed it in Colby’s hand. “Here, ya little bastard,” he growled and First Platoon cheered loudly. Fourth Platoon was silent, for they knew all too well that it was going to be a long night for them.
1710 HRS.
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS
After easing her green Blazer into the parking lot of the Cardinal One-Stop mart to top the truck off with gas, Julie watched as Cooper pulled up in front of the store. The stereo in his Jeep blared loudly and Cooper was driving a little erratic. When he climbed from the tall off-road vehicle, Julie realized that Cooper was not alone, but she hadn’t seen the guy accompanying her cousin around before. Julie replaced the pump and went to the store to pay and as she neared the glass door, Cooper and his friend exited.
“Hey, Coop. What’s up?” she asked and Cooper lifted his gaze with a surprised look on his face.
“Oh, hey, Julie. What’s going on?” he replied and Julie looked at the friend through judgmental eyes. “Oh, this is Boyd. He’s new here. Boyd, this is my cousin, Julie,” he said. Boyd looked at Julie with a charming grin, offering her his hand.
“Nice to meet you, lovely lady,” Boyd said and Julie, who was not at all amused with the individual’s act, politely held out her hand.
“Pleasure,” she replied as she looked at Cooper through the the top of her eyes. “You not going to Grammy’s for dinner?”
“Actually, me and Boyd have plans,” Cooper replied. “Anyway, we gotta get going. Talk to you later, sis.” Cooper and Boyd quickly climbed into the Jeep and left. Julie watched as they pulled from the lot and she felt as if there was something wrong with her cousin. He just wasn’t acting right and she definitely didn’t like this Boyd character. There was something in that boy’s eyes that told her he was going to be trouble.
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Colby and Ethan took a healthy look around at their new home for the next few months. -It sounds like they took months looking around. Something like: Coldy and Ethan took a healthy look around the place they would call home for the next few months.
request a separation on the basis of decorating induced depression? <—-lol
Seems not many of the men top 5’7 in your story. Aren’t there any 6’2 men in the army? =-P You do have a great way of descibing people. I can really see them as you talk, I love that.
Keeping moral high among troops is a top concern for any command and in Basic Training, letters -Feels like the sentence should end after Training and begin a new with Letters. That way it doesn’t have a run on feel to it.
small amount of the dirty looking white powdery substance -I thought this was a clean white color
Yes, without being aware of the transformation, the two friends were rapidly becoming soldiers. -There are a few times in the sentence you mention they are unaware of the change. I don’t think you need it here.
Missing word: remain as close to the ground as he possibly [could], his mouth
word was spoken, as the platoon -no need for comma
unshaven face and Just as he began to move forward- lower case j
he made the beast of his time by helping Ethan and – I am sure you meant best not beat…
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burning odor creped through the humid air. (pg16)
he made the beast of his time by helping (30) I think you meant best…
Your strong characters and continuing story line have me at the edge of my seat enjoying every word. I want more and more…
I am glad someone talked some sense into Sarah finally and I hope that someone will do the same for Cooper before he gets too far off track.
Can’t wait to read the next installment.
Tigra
i enjoyed the way you used the fowl language. It gives the reader more vive through this military journey.
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