Marine: Part 2
Posted By: Michael Archer<michael_archers_email_address@yahoo.com>
Date: 20 March 2006, 1:50 am
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John Bade thought that the Marine Corps was rough. Sergeant Abner yelled throughout the morning. John hoped that the Sergeant's vocal cords would snap. He pushed them on, making them brush their teeth like some mad dentist. After they brushed their teeth, they were forced out into the light dawn air. The cool breeze swept across the young Marines' faces, but they didn't get to enjoy it long. Those days were over.
"Alright men! Since this is your first day, I'm going to go easy on you! Down on you stomachs! Fifty pushups!" the Sergeant hollered.
John got down on dew-covered grass. One, two three, He counted as he started the morning exercises. He began to feel tired at twenty. He pushed on the damp grass, his triceps felt as if they were going to explode. After the pushups, John lay on his back and just stared and the black-blue sky.
"Is that all you have woman?! If you don't get up right now, you'll do 100 pushups after breakfast!"
After a very brief break and a little encouragement from his jolly Sergeant, he stood up. Perspiration was already dripping off his face. Abner gave a little chuckle.
"Heh. You think you're tired now, just wait for the rest of the morning. At the end, you'll be begging me to shoot you".
"Bring it on," retorted John.
The Sergeant glared at John. John glared back.
"I'm not afraid of you".
"Well we can't have that can we?"
Abner returned to the Privates. After fifty sit-ups, John just wanted to die. Or lay on the ground for a month or two. The Sergeant wasn't finished. After every drill, he always said that pain was weakness leaving the body. After a two mile run, it was time for breakfast
John found Simon and they sat down to have a nice portion of slop. Or as the smiling corporals like to call: "The best military food ever." The Sergeant said that it was good for every young Marine to have meals high in protein and carbohydrates.
Beggars can't be choosers. John took a generous spoonful and shoved the fat spoon in his mouth. It wasn't bad, he thought as he chewed a bit and swallowed. I could eat this when I'm in the Marines
Simon ate silently next to John taking small bites at a time.
"This food isn't bad", John said to Simon.
"I beg to differ. However, it is good after a morning at boot camp".
The afternoon followed. There was more exercising with the quiet Sergeant. John was so grateful during knee bends by hearing taps, he wanted to go hug that bugle player and tell him not to play in the morning. The Sergeant led them into their sleeping room and told them to go to sleep. John quickly climbed into his bunk and fell asleep to the quiet breathing of Simon.
As the months went by, Simon and John underwent a lot of changes. They both were used to having dirt on their faces and they're there hands stained with blood. When the Sergeant asked them to do hard tasks, they did it without a problem. They did all kinds of drills like how to quickly slip out of their gear if they fell into water. The straps of John's flak jacket were twisted and he passed out in the water. If it wasn't for Simon who pulled him out, he would have died. He got to know his people in his platoon and that Abner wasn't as mean as his first impression. One day, the Sergeant made an announcement at breakfast. He looked at Simon and John who were happily chewing on their food.
"Well, we've had a good time together Privates! I got orders from the General that this platoon is going to go into the Marine reserve. You'll be sent back to New York after breakfast. But be ready to pick up the phone if we ever need you".
John was glad to be back in New York. The three months in Marine training made him very tough. He liked the Marine Corps. Not at first, but after the first month, it wasn't hard. He caught a subway train home.
When he got home, he decided to sit back and relax. John slowly walked to his couch and put up his feet on the cushion. This was the longest R&R after three months.
He occasionally talked to Simon, but during the day, Simon had to go to work. Simon had recently invited John his Chanukah party that he was hosting for his return from the Marine Corps. John accepted. After all, he didn't really have anything to do.
He found Simon's house and rang the door bell. The faint patter of feet could be heard as Simon walked towards the door.
"Hey John! Just the man I wanted to see! Hey everybody! This is the guy I was telling you about!
It turned out that Simon didn't have a family of his own either. John looked around the house. Punch and crackers were set out on the table. He poured some of the red punch into a plastic cup and took a sip. Nobody seemed to noticed the phone ring.
"Hello?", Simon's face turned from a happy smile to a
"Sure. I'll be there as soon as I can tomorrow".
Simon gently put the phone back on the base. He sat down and stared into space.
"Something troubling you Simon?," asked John
"No".
"Who was that call from".
"The Marine Corps'.
John's heart sped up. "And?"
Simon didn't say anything.
"Looks like we're going to see the platoon guys again."
John threw up in the trash can. This was his first space travel and the takeoff going ten miles a second made him queasy. He wiped his mouth and threw on his flak jacket. The Sergeant slammed a clip into his battle rifle and looked into the scope. Simon was shoving lots of grenades into his belt until the Sergeant told him that he could only bring four. Dallas hooked a sub machine gun onto his back and slipped on a helmet. Riley was doing chin ups on a bar. Sam slipped a knife into her knife holster. Caleb hefted a titanic rocket launcher on to his shoulder and put a new rocket into it.
John didn't know what to do. He picked up a battle rifle and studied it. He looked back at Caleb with the rocket launcher. Caleb was a Lance Corporal. If the Sergeant got injured or killed, Caleb would take charge. He was recently promoted to a Lance Corporal, so he still was very friendly and didn't act like a person in charge.
John threw on his flak jacket and slung the battle rifle over his shoulder.
John stood up and tried to walk around. He was so bulky, it took several tries to pick up a Sub Machine Gun.
"All right men!", shouted Abner. Sam glared at him.
"And one women, haul your asses into the pelican!" Left, Right, Left!".
The dark hatch added to the even sickening amount of claustrophobia inside the pelican. There were no windows in the soldier bay which made John feel even more uncomfortable. The dropship shaked as the intense heat of re-entry hammered them. At last the wheels of the pelican gently touched down as the bay doors opened the Marines were welcomed with the cool blast of air. As John bolted for the hatchway and looked up in the sky.
Instead of seeing the soft light blue sky as he saw back home, a near blood red heavens stretched above him. What is this place, the devil's hell?
Sergeant Abner took a big deep breath and exhaled through his mouth.
"Welcome grunts, to the planet Reach".
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