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Purple RainAt the height of Israeli-Palestinian battles, a civilian soldier is surprised not by his fear, but by his acceptance. At one point certain that he will die, he finds he does not care. Heavily Armed TouristsThey came in low over the mountaintops, 10 black helicopters flying in a perfect, staggered formation. The Haitians were standing in the streets, pointing, their mouths open in awe. The RescueThey were 2,000 miles from Pearl Harbor and 2,600 miles from the West Coast. If a guy got bad news there was nothing he could do; they were stuck out there for the duration of the bomb tests. Tags: Marshall Islands, war
Preparing the FlockWhen they recognized Sgt. Teevil’s voice in the distance a cold, familiar chill washed over each of them. Teevil marched the new recruits straight toward the plane as 120 eyes reeled in total deja vu. Condoms at Basic TrainingShe unzips her suitcase and dumps it on the bed, awaiting inspection. She scans her stuff, feeling vulnerable. Then she sees it, her best friend’s gag good-bye gift: colored rubbers. The First Time You Hear MusicBasic training begs for a drink, or a lot of them. You don’t think about this, though. Your life is reduced to a never-ending sequence of five-minute crises. Mice in mazes don’t read Nietzsche. The Dogs of WarThe old Jason Lilley saved six fellow Marines in a roadside ambush, earning him a Silver Star, the third-highest honor in the military. But that’s the old Jason Lilley. The new Jason Lilley is a damn mess. War Has Nothing To Do With TheseIt was a morning like any other. It was slow. It was November. It was cold as hell. His poncho brushed the tower, and at the same time he swore he heard a Plunk! sound. The sound of a mortar being launched. Lines in the SandHe can’t find Graham’s eulogy. Most everything he thought he’d brought back from the desert is gone. And things he tried to leave there have followed him back anyway. War is a bitch like that. The Ghost in Ward RThere is pain on Ward R. It is palpable, in the air all the time. In the active hours it stirs up into the other emotions - anger, fear - but at night he can see that it is pain, and it settles on them like a blanket.   |
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