The Stolen Dozen Ch. 04

He said, "No, I have to move my bowels."

"Who's stopping you?"

"This is going to be messy."

Since he could not squat, he did his best laying on his side to evacuate his bowels and using handfuls of hay to wipe himself clean. He wiggled himself forward a little, and then began to urinate. Once he had completed his tasks, he attempted to adjust his clothing as well as he could, while looking at his minders mocking him.

He said to them, "You try it, and see if you can do any better."

They didn't have a retort. They pulled him up, returned him to his wheelchair, and returned him to the kitchen area, where Sergeant Raid was waiting for him.

The Sergeant said, "I am very happy to inform you that the doctors have given me your ass for 90 days."

"That's great, Sergeant. Can I send the rest of me to Fort Lauderdale for a vacation?"

"If you can figure out a way to do it, you have my permission. However, you are too smart to be 18 years old, Robert, I am going to have to beat that out of you to make you into a Marine. You're going to have to learn how to take orders, and follow them, without thinking. Thinking will get you into trouble."

"Your Captain disagrees with you. He said his sergeants were the best thinkers in the Marines. He would give the orders, they would initiate the orders he gave, and then direct the battle from their positions. The battles were never static, they were always fluid, that's why his sergeants were always effective, because they always thought ahead of the battle. Sun Tzu taught that a battle was won before it was fought. As in chess, if you move your pieces to the right position, before your opponent can compensate, you will win.

Captain Riefsyneider gave the initial battle plan; his sergeants made it work."

"How long did you know our Captain?"

"I knew him for more than nine years, while I was growing up."

"Did he talk a lot about the battles we fought together?"

"He almost never talked about the wars he fought in, and the men he lost. He found it too painful, because each one was like a son to him, and he never had a son of his own."

"That's our Captain. Every time I had to hand him dog tags, and explain how it happened, it was like I cut his heart open with my own knife. You never wanted to be near him when he had to write a letter home to a loved one about the death of a son or husband. Your head was not left on your shoulders if you did something wrong."

"Sergeant, he has not changed one little bit. He exercises every day. If he was called into active duty, he would not miss a beat. He would just need a minor haircut to fit back into the Corp. I would wager his uniforms fit him as the day they did when he left the service. His shoes probably still have the shine they did back then."

"And he sells insurance policies through an agency?"

"Yes, he does, and I believe he's going to be very successful at it, because he does not push anything on a client they do not need. He is as honest as the day is long. His clients realize it as soon as he sits down, because he doesn't start talking to them, he listens to what they have to say first, and then he makes suggestions."

"In other words, he is a very tough man, with a heart of gold!"

"I believe you have hit the nail on the head, Sergeant. When is lunch? I'm hungry."

"I am happy to hear that. This will be your first caloric concentrated meal, before we start your workouts. We will watch your muscle mass grow, along with your weight and height. Everything about you will get larger, your fingers to your toes. When I started training, I looked like a scarecrow, and look at me now. No one fucks with me, even though I am short. They know I can beat them because I am the machine, and they are only flesh and blood. Eat everything, Robert, by the time we have you running, your body will thank you."

"Sergeant Raid, I received the same lecture from Captain Riefsyndrer before I left home. I hope to be the best recruit you have ever trained. I have a mission to accomplish, and in order to do it, I have to learn everything you and your fellows know perfectly. The men I have to go after have more money than God, and they will be protected by the best there is. I have to be better than they are, and your training is the only way for me to get there. You tell me to do something, I will do it until I get it perfect. I swear on Carolyn's name, I will not stop, or be deterred until 'I am the best you have ever trained."

The End

The Stolen Dozen

by

Prolonged_Debut10

(The 2 most important days in a man's life are the day he is born, and the day he finds out WHY! Mark Twain)