Friday, December 12, 2008

Once A Marine

Billy Fehr and Sean Radford somewhere below Kuwait City in February 91
Always a......well not always but every once in awhile I am reminded that I actually was. The infinite power of synchronicity never disappoints me. Yesterday in the warm rain I left the courthouse with a very few jobs in the bag and headed west on 4th a little behind schedule. Walking on the inside side walk towards me at the 600 block was this tall Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Deputy Corrections Officer who stuck out not only in height but in stature or maybe better yet reproach. In a passing flash I saw backwards in time. Passed forward, was it Connecticut? No, it was the SUCK, what we used to call the USMC. Holy crap, turn around go talk to him. Just as I got a meter or 2 behind this Deputised Human he spins around and shouts with a positive tone "I was in the Corps with You!" No kidding, Lasher, Bob Lasher! 2/4, that's right Golf CO, weapons platoon. The Persian Gulf and the whole dress rehearsal thing. I was amazed that I actually picked him up on my radar because he looks ten years younger than I remember and healthier. We chatted under the dark gray moving skies for awhile and learned somethings about what each of us have been doing with the past 17 years since we last saw each other, the week I got my DD-214 in June of 91. Thinking back I can picture us in the field being frustrated at moving our gear and equipment around for no reason other than command had to justify it's own existence so it would just delegate to the troop level without thought. Laughs, tons of laughs and smart ass comments to keep from loosing it completely in those field situations. It was quite brilliant to run into you Lasher, all things happen for a reason so let's go on a ride soon.
Semper Fi