Some of the Guys
Good morning. This is me. I didn’t write yesterday, and I’m afraid that I won’t write very much this morning. Yesterday I was working on the book and this morning I continued that effort until Mr. Rich got up. Then we snuck into his bed and we fell asleep there. He’s sooooooo sparkly! Yep-yep … you heard it here first … Rich-baby is home. WOOHOO!!! Well, actually by now he’s hard at work, but earlier he was home. He got in about 7:45 pm last night. We’d called him a couple hours earlier, so we had a good idea what time he’d be in. He wasn’t too much off schedule.Rich seems to have had a good fishing trip. He knows that he is no longer in first place though. He was catching fish, but the fish were too small. I’d taken my shower just before he got in and then he took a shower while I again was waiting happily in his bed. Hmm, that seems to be a theme this morning. Hehehe. We talked for probably an hour before we slipped into that OTHER pleasant space where we play like otters.
He told me all the right things … no mischief-making, he got plenty to eat, and the company was good. Bob is still being somewhat negative though. He has more trouble with his best friend than with all the other guys put together. I’m still not sure why that is happening. I think Bob needs a good heart to heart – though, I’m not sure how much good it would do. He seems pretty set on being cranky and hurtful to Sweetie. I think somewhat he knows afterward what he’s doing, because he’ll come back and be nicer, but somewhere in-between all that is another boy most likely hurt and feeling alone even in the company of others. Hmm, that better be enough of my analyzing, but grant you that if I had a chance, I’d want to help somehow. I see Rich come back each trip affected by the brashness of Bob, or after having been ordered to do something by him. I think he must have those behaviors with his own workers, and he doesn’t appreciate that you can’t treat your best friends subservient like that. I still like Bob, because Sweetie seems to love him. Just wish he’d be a little softer around the edges.
I seemed to have a lot to talk about also, though it wasn’t as “exciting” as Rich. It wasn’t as if I left the house or anything. But, I was busy with my mind. One of the things we talked about is having gotten a couple calls from Thom. Wow! That kid just gets more and more impressive. I’ll probably now talk about that the rest of the time I’ve got to write this morning. I do want to say that it doesn’t diminish the excitement I have toward the book project – just that will be on-going where Thom’s calling is only a once a week deal.
Hopefully, Thom might call more this week actually. His graduation is tomorrow.
And, after that … he has only about 15 minutes before he has to get on the transport back to the airport where he’ll fly to Pensacola. He’s very excited. He says that today will mostly be about handing in his gear. Fortunately, they don’t let the guys haul around guns or rocket launchers or nuthin! Also what should happen today is that they will get there orders. I talked to Thom about sending me a copy of his orders for the school loan. He seems to understand that. We also talked and he suggested that I have his mail transferred to me so I could take care of it. I thought that was a good thing. It doesn’t make any sense to just be collecting over at his Dad’s place. Maury has been real good about bringing it over, but he doesn’t have to do that if the mail is sent here. I would like Maury’s time to be Maury’s time – though I wish to establish with him better phone communication of our having heard from Thom. I think that was a good thing in our relationship though it has to be watched. I don’t want to be competitive with the boys for having heard more or less than they have from Thom. I still worry about Joe because he’s so much more out of the loop as to what’s going on with him, and with how he’s processing Thom being gone. I think he may be much more used to it, but I don’t know that he isn’t lonely.
One of the first questions I asked Thom was about his 15K hike. He had a lot of stuff to say there. I think the part that got him was that the guy who used to be a scribe before they busted him for cheating had fallen on the trail … Thom had seen it happened and was probably more concerned, but he was also still angry at the guy for being a jerk. I guess the short-end of that story – Thom had given a very funny rendition – was that the guy ended up getting stuck on his back. I guess the guys call it a turtle when their peers land on their back with a backpack … maybe it has happened to Thom before because he had good knowledge how difficult it was to get up. I think the terrain was going downhill and there were loose rocks involved.
Two other guys one at a time had tried to help, but helping is hard because everyone is so tired. Those two ended up being turtles too. I guess the Sergeant caught on and yelled not to help them and so the poor guys got stuck there a bit while the rest ran around them. Thom didn’t know how they got up, but surely the Marines don’t leave them out in the field all night. Hmpf!
After they got back to camp … there was an hour rest and then they had to go out for a 3 day exercise – and by that I mean they were doing simulated war games. Thom ended up being a terrorist and he said that wasn’t as hard as acting out the Marine role. There were times to take breaks during the course of events. But, he said the 10 terrorists came back with a Marine who’d been a infantry guy and he said that those guys are built and he was very strong and fast. Thom and his friend Hanson were leading the 2- by-line – I forget what he called it, but they form in partners and Thom had to run to keep up with the guy’s strides. He took slack for that until the other guys had a chance to see his position. There was nothing to do, but run in keeping up with the guy. I guess they worked harder than anyone else … and were in the position of running for 2 miles. This on the same day they had finished the big hike. I guess sweat was pouring off of them and they were run right in front of some higher ups practicing on the field. The guy had warned them not to make themselves look bad. I think there was a lot of statements afterward … like sh_()*Q#%&, F_(*&%Q#, and D_)+*(&Q#%. Well, you get the drift.
Thom also answered some of my questions as to the weapons he was using. He said in a longer story about how they’d drilled and that he was the only one in about 60 guys that was able to hit the garbage can from about 240 feet with a grenade launcher. He had something to be proud of there. I was glad to know that if he had to use these things that he be good at it. Thom still thinks that because he’s better at what he’s doing that the Marines are going to want to use him out in the field. But, we’re hoping his other hope comes through in that he’s the top 10 in his class and will pick the Hawaii tour. Thom talked a lot about going to his MOS.
He’s thrilled to death that this other part is now about over. He really, really wants to be the top of his class just because he’s like that.
Shoot, I gotta go … maybe I can continue after the staffing this morning. I still have stuff to say and hopefully, I will not forget.
posted by Ann Marie @ 7/15/2008 04:21:00 AM
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