It has been a loooong hot summer. Recruiting has been down all across the state. No one wants to even think about going to Basic during a heat wave. I don't blame 'em. But that doesn't stop the Recruiting Train. MSG Ranger got "the *ss" and we have had ours chewed. I have been working on losing a little weight so losing 5 pounds of flesh wasn't as painful as it could be.
My partner is SFC Hooah Infantry. I didn't pick him as a partner. He was given to me or rather I was given to him. I don't know who got the short end of the stick! As far as the Army or National Guard goes...he is the perfect soldier. He is very tall, slim with piercing green weathered eyes. He has steel grey hair cropped very close. He doesn't have a heart. I can't decide if he ever did or if he had it surgically removed. You can't tell if he is looking directly at you because his eyes are screwed up. He says it is because of "too many things going boom too close to my head". I don't know if he is joking or not. He is missing a finger on his left hand and I am afraid to ask about it. He doesn't talk much but when he does it is all Infantry. He talks about growing up knowing that all he ever wanted to do was Infantry.
So. Here am I "Miss Navy" paired with Hooah Infantry. The scars from having my tentacles removed are still fading. I do my job very well but I am not as Gung Ho as he is. I wear my uniform with pride but I am not accessing lines of fire (or whatever) when we go somewhere. I am very good at accessing peoples needs while he is busy accessing their motives. I am busy trying to find a way to enlist them while he is busy finding reasons they shouldn't. Heavy Sigh.
The first time we went to a school lunchroom is burned indelibly into my memory. I stood smiling and nodding at the kids walking by while he stood with folded arms glaring at them. Finally a brave soul stopped by the table and I began to converse with him. I asked him about his plans for the future and he shrugged his shoulders. WRONG!! Wrong thing to do in front of SFC Infantry. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW? WHAT'S IT GONNA BE? Hmmmm? WHAT YOU GONNA DO? HUH? TELL ME, I WANT TO KNOW!" My eyes about bugged out of my head! My head snapped around and I stared at him with my mouth hanging open incredulously. I finally turned to see the kid RUNNING from the table! I ran after him and shoved my card into his hand saying "We aren't all like that!!".
I returned to the table and hissed under my breath "What in the living hell are you doing???" Hooah says "I KNEW what *I* wanted to do when I was that age. If they don't know what they want, I have no use for them!" He glared down at me over crossed arms and a chest full of badges. Lord help me! Brutal Recruiting! The kid never called me.
Fast forward 8 months and he has mellowed somewhat. He comes in handy when I have a problem child. He gets them where they need to be in a hurry. He *is* mentoring me to be a little tougher. He stands with hands on hips instead of crossed. He still doesn't smile, but he is more patient with the kids.
And.....
And we work well together. I force him to lighten up and not be so intense and he makes me work on my military bearing. We have been working our schools and bearing lots of fruit. Hmmm. Maybe MSG Ranger knew what he was doing.
