Damn mosquitoes

"I'd been in the bush for almost 28 days... You can't even begin to understand what that is like..."

I love when he tells me stories... He sits at the edge of the bar. A pitcher of Miller lite in front of him. His gray hair is cropped close. He still wears the crew cut from his youth. A purple and gold Vikings jacket rests on the back of his bar stool. We sit in comfortable silence for moments on end.... The Packers play in the background.

"We hadn't showered for a month. The fire play during Vietnam was hot. When we were finally pulled out by by helicopter, my guys couldn't wait to shit on a real toilet. You don't even understand..."

He paused to take a long swig of beer... he tossed back a few olives... I lit a smoke and hoped he'd continue his story.

"The guys cheered as the LZ area.... you know... the drop site... a friendly area...Came into view... We were all looking forward to showers... a hot meal.... a pillow...

As we piled off the plane, the base commander met our plane. I greeted him with my troops.

"we're looking forward to a rest commander." I told him as he approached my group.

"Just because you're back doesn't mean you're entitled to special treatment Sargent. You're troop will take guard duty tonight." He responded.

I didn't have words to respond.... I almost spit in his face. "My guys haven't had a warm meal or a nights rest in almost a month commander... We're tired... and we're worn out..."

I get hot just thinking about it.... I was really about to get in his face when my corporal *Joe Sminickski stepped in.... I'll never forget that guy... young kid outta Alabama... redneck to the core and as good a guy as them come...

"S'okay Sarge.... I'll take first duty... You guys go get showered... It's okay..."

He actually pushed me back...

Mike* took another long swig of beer and was lost in his mind for a few moments... drifting between now and then maybe....

"We returned to the barracks to shower...."

~a smile lit his face~

"You don't even know what it's like hun.... You can't even imagine... A warm shower... and a movie... OH!!! Hun... it doesn't sound like much... but a movie was... Oh... it was such a treat.... a real treat...."

"We watched some movie... for the life of me I don't know what it was... Then we piled into our beds... Beds which were cots under shit... just piles of shit... and all of us were thankful for the cots under our sore bodies...

The gun fire erupted just after 21:00... My troop shot from their beds like the soldiers they were.... We grabbed our rifles and took cover positions.... My first thought was shit they're here... they located our position and they're here.... My mind goes blank mostly at that point... It's a function only mode.... I was ready to lead my guys back into the bush... even if the bush was right outside our barracks...."

Lights we're coming on all over the camp as we left our barracks in formation... I saw Joe lighting off rounds into the dark on top of the barracks. I shouted to him, "Joe where's the target...."

"S'Okay Sarge... go back to bed...." He called to me...

I could see the rest of the platoon coming alive for battle.. ready to die to protect their brothers....

"Sarge," He hollered over the cover fire of emerging soldiers....

"Go back to bed sarge... S'okay.... I was just killin fucking mosquitoes...."

~Mike chuckles to himself... poor kid... didn't realize he'd almost gotted shot... or that he'd woken the whole base up with his gun fire....

He was just 'killin fuckin mosquitoes' ... damn.... Joe got himself killed the next time we met some gooks.... got his neck shot through...."

Mike was quiet for a long time then... I sipped my diet Pepsi next to him...

"Girl," he finally said. " You and your generation won't ever understand..."

He didn't talk much after that... too full of thoughts I suppose...

He put on his Vikings jacket with barely a word and nodded a good bye...

all I thought was, damn mosquitoes.