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Rites of Passage: We Stand Alone Together
Posted By: Elitehunter676<brent_winfield@yahoo.com>
Date: 14 January 2005, 10:18 PM
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After the convoy of Warthogs was passed out of site, a small snappy corpral began shouting our names in alphabetical order. Once we were all accounted for, we filed into the first in the long row of tents, or huts as they were effectionately nicknamed. This one was larger than the rest of the other zipper-flapped canvas like tents, which meant it had a special purpose.
Once inside, a tough-looking supply sergeant shouted at me, "What's your size, Marine?" Like everyone else, I recieved the standard issue M52B Marine armour, a cartridge belt, a canteen, four M9-HE frag grenades, one Marine shoulder strap pack and a new pair of VG27 Marine combat boots, and a few other utilites, rations flares etc.
After that we were led to different tents according to the platoons and companies we had been assigned. Unbelievably, Chang and I were together again, same company, same platoon.
Inside our tent were two rows of cots. At the end of one row, dwarfing the small cot he slept on, rested a giant red-headed man. His arms looked as big as my legs, and he must have had on size sixteen boots, which like his utilities, were bleached beige from the sun and rain and altering weather of Draco III. They looked molded to his feet as if they were moccasins he hadn't taken off for years.
I wanted to talk about this adventure with him right now. Chang must have thought the same thing. We walked to the end of the tent and sat side by side on the cot next to him. I wasn't sure what he might think, since the rest of the tent was empty. It reminded me of standing at the end of a row of twenty unoccupied urinals and having one guy walk in and take the one right next to me.
He looked like a Viking. A big red mustache matched his hair. He was the most handsome red-headed man I'd ever seen, not that that's what I'm into or anything. He was a real billboard or TV commercial Marine. I leaned closer to tap him on the shoulder. As he rolled over, the cot creaked under the strain. I knew one thing for sure: I wanted this monster on my side when the fighting started. He opened one large blue eye, which focused in on Chang.
"What are you doing in here?"
Chang jumped to his feet and almost fell over the cot. I looked from Chang back to the red-head. A friendly smile had appeared behind the large red mustache. He laughed deep and strong, then stuck out his hand. Chang hesitated for an instant then shook it.
"My name is Red. They call me Big Red. You two look like boots."
"We are," I said. "Just got in today."
"What platoon are you in?" He rolled back to a comfortable position.
"Second Platoon," Chang said. "Third Battalion, Fifth Marines."
"That means your with me. What's your MOS?"
"My military occupational specialty is 0012." Chang said dryly.
"We're both 0012s." I said.
A big smile stretched across Red's face.
"More mobile infantry." He paused before adding "More meat for the grinder."
Chang and I both exchanged a quick glance before I asked, "How bad is it?" Red rolled back over to face me. "You know, the fighting." I continued.
Red continued to just look at me. I was about to ask again when he spoke.
"I was in the First Battalion when operation Green Machine, started."
Chang and I both leaned closer to the cot.
"We took the Hardale road in, with plunty of forces, almost all of the Fifth Marine Division." He paused again. "Then moved into the city after the artillary units had finished pounding the hell out of our entrence point. Dog 7, that was it's codename." He paused, seeming not to realize Chang and I were both still there, then continued as if he hadn't stopped.
"We were split up by Companies, and mobilized to different objective points. I was in Bravo Company, and our objective was to secure a rally point in the city for the vehicle colums that had followed us in." He paused again. "It was a large plaza, it was surrounded by rubble except for three hotels, they looked as if they hadn't been touched by the bombing. We secured the plaza and waited for the vehicles. Well we should have known what was coming but I guess sometimes....." He paused looking at nothing in paricular with a weird look, as if he could see the event taking place before him.
"The Covies hit us with everything they had, artillary, snipers, you name it. Most of their forces were consentrated in those three hotels, but they also seemed to just materilize out of the rubble. They hit the vehicles first and worked their way down. They cut us up and widdled us down piece by piece." He paused again before continuing.
"I remember seeing three men trying to unload weapons from a warthog troop carrier when it took a direct hit from plasma artillary fire." He paused quickly. "I can still hear their screams." His head dropped as if he was about to fall back asleep when it came back up again.
"Anyway, we held the plaza and established a temporary camp for the Battalion engineers." He paused still staring at nothing, then looked at Chang and I.
"Next day, I was hit, and when I left the men where grabbing engineers and sticking rifles in their hands." He rolled back in the cot again and was silent.
Chang and I looked at each other again. If it was that bad, we would need all the advice we could get. I leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder again. He looked up at me.
"What should we do to get ready? I mean is there anything we should know?" I asked.
"You probably oughta take take your dog tags off the chain. They make noise at night; it'll get you killed. If your head gets blown off they probably won't find your tags and you won't be identified. Stick them in your boots, the boots usually hold together and don't make noise. If you got anything you want to keep dry, put it in plastic and stick it between your helmet and helmet liner."
As Red continued to give us advice I wondered about his story, if the fighting was that bad, I wondered how long I would last. But I knew for one thing I was going to have to listen to Red, his advice scared me and so had his story but if I was to go home alive I knew I'd better listen.
Finally Red finished, and as Chang and I stood to walk away he spoke again. "Oh and one more thing." We both turned to face him.
"Welcome to Draco III."
Hope this one was good to, and don't worry it's going to go until it's done.
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