The Things You Remember

Tweet

When I discharged from the Marines and joined the National Guard. We were on our 2 week training deployment for mandatory service for the contract you signed. Yeah, that sounds good, lets see where this one goes. Anyway, we were all in the sleeping tent and everyone was getting their stuff ready for the day, sweltering heat already at like 8 A.M at Fort Irwin. The Platoon Sergeant, I think that's what the Marines call it, Army says like Squad Sergeant or something like that. Well, she informs us there is a new girl straight from basic training who is joining the company. Lucky her, straight from misery to more misery. Our Tent was the crazy tent. Its supposed to be E-4 and below and all male but we had a E-5 an E-6,and a couple of 7's as far as ranks go. They all could have their own tent, but they said it helps them feel younger in our tent. One of the E-7's was a former Marine too and that dude was funny as hell, but you could tell you did not want to get on his bad side. There was also a female, yep, she said she felt more comfortable sleeping with the men than the women. The Squad Sergeant asked if she could sleep here and everyone had no problem with it as long as she could handle us. The new girl passes by, we all kind of wave to say hello. Then the E'-5 sergeant goes "everyone leaves her alone, she is mine." We all were like "whoa", calm down Sergeant. He then goes let me explain, I am tired of you all corrupting each other. She is straight out of basic and still motivated. He had a point. I look to the older Sergeants and they all were looking at each other kind of shrugging like, let him. He wanted to show her she made the right choice and like I say, not everyone is like this. When I say corrupt, it means how we would constantly complain about doing tedious tasks in 110 degree heat where you would forget what the bigger picture is. That being keeping America free and safe. My drill Instructors in the Marines always did say, when you get to the fleet, no one is going teach you the way we do and no one is going to sing to you the way we do. Well, I guess this guy did for one person at least. He must have did a good job because I never fully met her. I was not that bad, maybe I was. ]