The Story Begins (13 page)

“But behaving or being like him makes you no better than he is,” argued the Captain.

“It may not make me any better than he is but it does make me smart. And that’s what counts.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sir, I’m not Jesus. I don’t believe in turning the other cheek. Regardless of what you may believe about Christ, I contend that it was such naiveté and an irrational belief in the good nature of men that got him killed. Given the Bible on your table, you would probably argue that such is how it was meant to be, I know. My point, however, is if people would kill he whom is believed to be the Son of God, or God himself in the flesh, what hope do regular folks have against the hearts of depraved men? Now, on the other hand, when you are just as willing to kill someone as he is to kill you, and you associate with like-minded individuals, i.e., an eye for an eye, believe you me that though people might wish you harm they’d think twice before acting. As long as one foolishly insists on being Christ-like, they will always get nailed, no pun intended. And believe me when I say that no God will come to your rescue. Not that I believe in any of it – no offense, I’m assuming that you’re a believer given the Bible and all – but for argument’s sake, if God really did tell the Israelites to literally dash babies against walls, do you really believe that He actually cares about anyone? It’s a dog-eat-dog world. So, no!” Jaden declared emphatically, “I don’t regret any of what I said and meant every word of it.” All but the fetus bit. That really is depraved and sick, he then thought to himself.

“My God! You really do mean what you say, don’t you?” said the Captain, not sure if he agreed with Jaden’s line of reasoning or not.

“Of course I do,” the Lieutenant falsely asserted, still thinking about Johnson’s wife’s fetus.

“But God does care. Don’t you see how he punished the Israelites with the Holocaust for killing Jesus?” the Captain said.

It was now Jaden who couldn’t quite believe what was just said. Good God! Are people really this simple? he thought. He also wondered why the conversation was beginning to focus on God. He wasn’t here for a sermon. However, because he was too engrossed in the conversation, he rebutted. “Sir, I’m not sure as to the accuracy of your statement but even if that were the case, it only serves to drive home my point.”

“How so?’

“Without turning this into a theological discussion, let me say this; given what you just said about punishment, I don’t believe that God would at all mind my actions simply based on the following rationale: Let’s say that you’re right about the punishment bit, though I doubt it, let’s just say that you are, tell me how this sounds; the Egyptians enslave the Jews, the Jews are freed by God, He then tells them to kill babies, sheep, cattle, etcetera, and take over the lands of others; then Jesus comes along and, unlike the Judaic God, is far from a blood-thirsty psychopath ordering the slaughter of even chickens and ducks – an exaggeration but you get my point, it being that this old God did command even the killing of livestock, which, to my knowledge, have no concept of sin – now back to Christ; so Christ comes along and is then killed by the Pharisees, whose sentiments about Christ, by the way, did not represent the entire Jewish nation.

“Then, as part of an act of retribution, God has Hitler kill a great many Jews for the sins of their fathers two thousand years ago; sounds like retribution against an entire people for the sins of a few. As far as I know, somewhere in the Bible, I believe it states that God visits his vengeance onto the third and fourth generations; not the one millionth generation – again an exaggeration but you get my point. Does that make any sense to you? If that’s how it really is, that’s pretty sadistic and uncaring to me. To that end, one can’t help but wonder if God really cares. If He does, you can’t help but conclude that He is either seriously bi-polar, or suffers from the worst form of schizophrenia. Or, perhaps He’s just an ass. They say the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree so how could God fault me for my actions?”

“Valid argument,” agreed the Captain. “An extreme and disturbing one but, rationally, I get it. However,” he continued, “you can’t go around threatening to kill folks, especially pregnant women. It just isn’t the way that differences are settled. You have to communicate.”

Jaden couldn’t help but laugh. “Sir, communicating with inbred racist shits is more impossible an undertaking than communicating with a rock.”

“This is one Army and we are all on the same side, Lieutenant Ramiel. How the heck are any of your fellow soldiers going to trust you in a situation where they are expecting you to watch their backs?”

“Sir, that’s something you should be telling Johnson and his loser friends.”

“I understand. Though unacceptable, racism is a reality that many people have to deal with. I’ll have a word with Johnson and his friends.”

“Good luck with that, sir. When I inferred that a rock is more intelligent, that’s the god awful truth.”

“You’re right. Talking to such people probably will not change them overnight, if ever, but I will address this as being completely unacceptable and that there will be dire consequences if any such talk or behavior is perpetrated any further. Regardless of people’s personal beliefs, everyone will, at the very least, afford all others the respect and professionalism that is fostered in this organization and demanded by the uniform. Nothing less!” the Captain declared.

“So would it have been in a perfect world, sir,” the Lieutenant said.

“The fact still remains. You can’t threaten to kill people, Lieutenant. You have to find another way of dealing with issues, one that does not allude to killing or any other implications thereof.”

“Sir, liken me unto a mirror. I will gladly be your reflection.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll be to you as you are to me. If you’re kindly so shall I be to you, and if you’re anything else, the same goes. Unlike my buddies, who keep telling me that I have to learn how to play the game, rather than be passive I prefer to react, and if I can predict your move, I’ll never fail to strike preemptively. If Johnson and his buddies don’t say the wrong things around me then you need not worry about me escalating anything. I will not carry myself in a manner unbecoming of an officer, or a decent human for that matter, if unprovoked,” he said with a wry smile. “And one more thing if I may,” he added.

“What’s that?”

“There’s no need to address Johnson or any of his friends.”

“Why not?” the Captain asked curiously.

“Take my word for it, there isn’t a need. Believing me to be psychotic, and maybe I am, I’m certain that they’ll be more mindful of how they conduct themselves… at least around me.”

The captain was inclined to believe him; there was something in the lieutenant’s voice that gave him the distinct impression that there was a lot more to the young man than met the eye. He couldn’t quite place the sentiment but thought that there was something about the lieutenant’s presence that invoked what he could only interpret as trepidation in others.

“There’s something very different about you, Lieutenant,” the Captain said, furrowing his brow.

“And what might that be, sir?”

“I don’t know. But for whatever reason, I don’t think that I’d want to get on your bad side,” he said, looking at Jaden as though trying to discern something in his eyes.

Okay, this is getting really, really freakishly weird, thought Jaden. You’re the third person that has made comments to that effect. “I just have a very low tolerance for stupid crap, sir. That’s all it is,” was the Lieutenant’s answer.

“Johnson will have to join the next class, that’s if the doctors can figure out what’s wrong and fix him up in time. He’s been pale, incoherent and edgy ever since whatever befell the poor SOB happened. He demands that his wife be with him all the time, a nurse tends to him 24/7, and at night he does let anyone turn the light off,” the Captain informed Jaden.

Jaden was not sympathetic. “The son of a bitch makes a pact with evil and then, when Lucifer or Beelzebub actually shows up, the bastard freaks and suffers from nyctophobia! Tough shit, sir!”

Lieutenant Johnson indeed had every reason to be fearful. His collapse was not predicated upon a medical condition. Unbeknownst to Jaden, after he had threatened the lieutenant’s family, Johnson had gone pale when an otherworldly being appeared before him and slowly drained his life essence. The being had appeared to Johnson in the likeness of a woman robed as an Egyptian warrior princess, who might have belonged to the age of the Pharaohs. She stood perhaps between nine and ten feet tall; though humanoid in appearance, it was obviously an entity far greater.

While Jaden had knelt beside Johnson, the latter’s eyes had been rolled back into his head by the entity; she becoming his singular focus within his head. While Johnson was lying upon the ground, the being had then violently ripped his soul forth from his body and floated it before her. “I kill you not, for still has my father made my hand. But know this, filthy creature, if harm were to come by thy hand to he who kneels beside thee, behold that which I shall do to those you hold dear,” she had said, before showing him a very graphic image of Jaden’s threat.

12

Graduation

Following several months
of rigorous training in the scorching heat, time had finally counted down to the very last day of training. The lieutenants couldn’t be happier to be back from their ten-day long field exercise.

Jaden had never been nor felt as unclean as he did now after having spent ten consecutive days in the woods under sweltering temperatures and suffocating heat, with the only water available being that for quenching one’s thirst. Though abundant were the baby wipes he had taken with him, they hadn’t done much good by way of making him feel any better about his personal hygiene.

This final day was the day they all had looked forward to; the day in which duty station assignments were to be announced. Because the lieutenants were ever so eager to discover their assignments, that topic had been the subject of discussion among the lot from the moment they had awoken, which had been so terribly early in the morning that they had gone about fetching their belongings using flashlights and the glow of the moon. Assignments were all anyone could talk about as they broke down their encampments, donned their gear and embarked on the twenty-mile hike back to garrison.

ABOUT
2:00 in the afternoon, the entire battalion finally made its way back to the grounds of Building 76. It was a relief to be back. Because the rucksacks had quick-release mechanisms attached to them, when the command had been issued to drop their loads, there was a loud thud as all of the lieutenants, in near perfect synchronization, simultaneously pulled on the quick-release straps, relieved at discarding the 60-pound loads they had had to bear. As though that were not an unbearable load in itself, they also wore a body armor vest, which not only held 12-pound Kevlar plate inserts in both the front and back sleeves but also attached to the vest was a load-bearing apparatus containing an array of additional equipment, including seven full 30-round, 5.56 mm-round magazines; two, probably now empty, one-quart canteen bottles; a two-quart canteen bottle, a compass and other miscellaneous items. Upon their head rested a Kevlar helmet with a night-vision device attached to it, and to top it off they had also marched with their M4 rifles.

Fortunately for the lieutenants, they didn’t have long to wait before the battalion commander, trailed by each platoon’s instructor, came out of Building 76 with a few pieces of paper in hand, ready to put an end to the great anticipation. The entire battalion of lieutenants then burst into cheers.

Lieutenant Colonel Stevens wasn’t much for formalities so he hadn’t given the platoon instructors a chance to call their respective platoons to attention before addressing the troops.

“Gentlemen,” bellowed the Battalion Commander, “this is a day I’m sure you’ve been waiting for since day one; to be done with all of your training and find out what your duty stations are. I’m tempted to keep you in suspense yet a while longer but that would be cruel and unusual punishment after these last ten days,” he joked. “You did a spectacular job out there. I’m sure you’re all looking forward to the next couple of days off for a little bit of R&R prior to the graduation ceremony, huh!”

Once again the entire battalion of lieutenants erupted into a cheer.

“After the spectacular job that you did out there, wherever you end up there aren’t any questions in my mind that you will all be assets to your respective gaining commands. Mission accomplished, men! Job well done! Your entire mission, from day one, the day you all first reported here, has been a hell of a success. The training has been rigorous yet you have all persevered and executed your roles exceptionally well! Excellent job, men! Now, I will not keep you in suspense any longer. I’ll hand the lists off to your instructors and they’ll announce your duty stations. Again, you’ve accomplished one hell of an undertaking. It isn’t everyone that can be an infantryman.”

After handing off the lists to the instructors, he headed back to headquarters.

Names and corresponding duty stations were read off and Jaden discovered that he’d be reporting to Mannheim, Germany. “At least I didn’t get screwed this time around,” he remarked after hearing the news; Germany had been his very first choice for an assignment.

After the battalion had been dismissed, some of the lieutenants remained and chatted amongst themselves.

Unaware to Jaden, his assignment had spread among the others as though proclaimed over a PA system. It garnered lots of interest from curious minds, including Captain Martin. Infantry assignments were generally associated with Army posts such as Fort Drum, Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Hawaii with the 25
^th
Infantry Division, and other similar units and installations that had large contingents of infantrymen. No one had ever heard of an infantry unit in Mannheim, Germany. Several lieutenants approached him, curious regarding his assignment, wanting to know more about what, apparently, was a mystery unit to everyone. Jaden couldn’t quite understand what was so fascinating. Some even believed that there must have been an error with regards to his assignment. And when Captain Martin, a 16-year veteran who made it a point to do his homework and always have himself assigned strictly to infantry units, said that he had never heard of an infantry unit in Mannheim, Jaden, too, wondered if there had been a mistake.

Dave approached him. “Dude, where in Germany did the Captain say that you’ll be reporting to?” he asked.

“Et tu, huh?” Jaden said while looking around at the number of lieutenants still carrying on about it, and trying to extrapolate how many more questions he could expect.

“Yep, me too. I’m just as curious.”

“Somewhere called Mannheim,” he answered.

“Mannheim? Never heard of the place. I wonder how far that is from where I’ll be.”

“Where are you going to be?” Jaden asked Dave; however, he asked for a reason other than curiosity.

“Baumholder,” Dave shared.

Jaden didn’t know the proximity between both locales but decided that they’d need to agree upon but one rule. “Dude, I’ve no clue concerning what kind of distance we’re talking here but if it’s close enough that we can hang out on weekends, let’s get one thing straight now, okay?”

“What’s that?”

“No discourses about God, okay! I spent my college days engrossed in such discussions, as unwilling as I was, I somehow always found myself in them. And then when I got here, I still couldn’t get away from it. Once we’re over there, we’re not going to talk about the same stuff. There’s a lot more to life than God.” That last sentence sounded somewhat strange, even to Jaden. “My last statement probably sounded blasphemous but seriously, no further talk about that, okay?”

“All right, dude, keine problem,” Dave consented.

“King who… who’s that?”

“Germany was my first choice of assignment so I figured I’d start learning in anticipation of getting posted there. It wasn’t guaranteed, nothing ever is in the army, or life for that matter, but it worked out; so no time lost on my effort. But to answer your question, what I said was “no problem.””

“So what else do you know about Germany?” Jaden asked.

“Schnitzel!” Dave said.

“And what exactly is that?”

“Not entirely sure but it is some kind of food,” he explained. “Other than that I don’t know anything else about the place… well, I’ve also heard that German women, perhaps European women in general I should say, are very beautiful. Who knows, maybe that’s where you’ll find the girl that’s going to change your life,” Dave said cleverly.

The intent of Dave’s words hadn’t eluded Jaden. “Ah buddy o’mine!” sighed Jaden, “you just can’t let it go, can you?”

“What are you talking about?” Dave asked, feigning ignorance.

“Wordplay has never worked on me, my good man,” Jaden said, smirking. “The last part of what you said obviously implies that you see something as being wrong with my life. The only thing that you could possibly mean, which you, in fact, do mean, is my less-than-pious rhetoric when it comes to God. What other change could you possibly be referring to? It can’t possibly be my attitude towards people, or unwillingness to turn the other cheek. Don’t think I didn’t see you smile, albeit probably guiltily, the day my right hand was stamped on Johnson’s face.”

Dave confessed. “You’re right. That is what I was getting at. Though, I do also think that you could be a bit nicer to people rather than treat them as tools of convenience. You know, I’m afraid to ask just how esteemed I really am in your eyes.”

“Enough,” Jaden answered, rather dubiously. “Back to women – I can’t say that I really care about the women; not in a bad way, it’s just that I have no intention of meeting anyone. I’m not misogynistic, chauvinistic or any other “istic” adjective unfairly targeting women. I just can’t be bothered. This should come as no surprise to you though,” Jaden said.

“You know, as open minded as you can be, at times you can also be really very provincial,” Dave remarked.

“Hey dude, no need to call me a villager. I don’t come from the provinces… just kidding; I know what you mean. Anyway, nah, I just never ever cared to get married, and I’m certainly not one to be with a girl only to leave her when my tour comes to an end. That’s just wrong. So why would I meet someone only to put her through such pain? I despise people because of just such darkness of heart so there’s no way that I’d do that to anyone. Additionally, my attitude about that might also have something to do with the divorce rate in this country.” He thought for a second then said, “Nah! The cost-benefit ratio is heavily skewed, and not in favor of the latter. As far as beauty is concerned, that is purely subjective. There is no objective standard upon which to base defining criteria. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. If I came across ten-eyed aliens with worms for skin and found that beautiful, that would be my perception. Speak of provincial!”

Reluctantly they picked up all their gear, saddled up and started back for their quarters. Still exhausted from the day’s events, the couple of hundred paces they had to walk seemed to be more like miles. As they walked away, Jaden’s mention of Johnson earlier reminded Dave of another matter.

“I just remembered something else I’ve heard about Germany,” Dave said.

“What’s that?”

“They say that it’s a racist country. I mean, not everyone is racist, I’m sure, but the sentiment is prevalent enough, I hear. Just how widespread it is, I don’t know.”

“I have to assume you’re making an association between my hand, Johnson’s face and racist German people.”

“Yes. Please, whatever you do, do not get out there and give America a bad name,” Dave entreated.

“Give America a bad reputation? Are you kidding me? Can you even fathom the number of people that have beaten me to that, including the government itself? Why do you think most of the world hates, despises, or dislikes the United States, fella? Even once staunch allies don’t side with us as often as they once did. I don’t think there’s anything that I could do to outclass an attitude already perceived by many as American arrogance towards the rest of the world. Trust me, sonny, you have nothing to worry about in that department from me. If anything, I’ll be an extension and continuation of America’s poor attitude towards the rest of the globe. Who knows, I may even receive the Medal of Honor someday if I misbehave badly enough overseas,” Jaden joked. “It’s not just Germany, dude. People are screwed up all over the world, regardless of whether you’re black, white, young, old, male, female, atheist, devout, private, general, or any other superficial classification of people one may think of. We all have our ways of dealing with folks and situations. Mine, perhaps, may be one of the more extreme methods.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

Jaden decided to change the subject. “So, when is your report date?”

“November 23
^rd
,” answered Dave. “When’s yours?”

Jaden wasn’t sure what date he had jotted down when the announcement was made and did not feel like digging through his pockets to get the piece of paper. “I think September 8
^th
, or is it the 9
^th
; somewhere thereabouts. I’ll go pick up my orders in the morning. They should be ready by then.”

“That’s less than a couple of weeks from now,” Dave observed.

“Yeah, a few days after graduation,” he acknowledged. “I don’t have much to do before leaving so really don’t need that much time in between. I’ve just got to go pick up my car from the dealership in Boston, drive back down here to the port and have it shipped off. I don’t have any household goods that need packing, like some of the other guys. One of the beauties of being single is that I get to travel light. Always bare minimum.”

LATER
that evening Jaden thought it wise if he did a bit of online research and learn something of his assignment. He discovered that though there wasn’t the average infantryman’s idea of an infantry unit in Mannheim, there was one there. His assignment was quite real; no mistake had been made. The unit’s description was that of a small company of 73 soldiers divided into two platoons, with a Higher Headquarters, which was actually a logistics battalion as opposed to an infantry one. Part of the unit’s mission was to execute 30-day exercises bi-annually in different countries within the European theater of operation; and was designed to be deployment-ready to anywhere in the world within 72 hours. And, unlike many military posts in which the military facilities were often removed from the city, all the installations in Mannheim were actually within the city limits.

Jaden also studied a bit about the city of Mannheim and appreciated its history and that which it had to offer. Such an assignment was far more than he’d dared hoped for; he considered himself so very lucky. And even though the infantry had been the farthest thing from his mind when he had set about listing his choices, the fact that he now found himself outward bound for what sounded like an amazing city, as opposed to being relegated to some obscure location far removed from civilization, did balance things out favorably.