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Eye Deployed For The Money
Eye Deployed For The Money
Written By:
Bradley D. Chapline
Page One
     It was a warm muggy morning as I awoke in the bedroom of a small townhouse located in Essex, a lower class enclave located just outside the city limits of Baltimore, Maryland.  I turned over in bed to look out the opened window.  I figured it would be raining.  I said, "Good morning", to my bed partner Dorthy.  She was a beautiful brunette who had the eyes the shape of a devilish witch.  I got up from bed and I was right, it was another dreary day with the clouds hovering close to the ground.  The steady drizzle smelled akin to acid rain.  I hated Baltimore with a passion.  I was questioning myself, why do I keep coming back to this place that does nothing more then afford me nightmares.  
     It was late 1977 and I was now a Marine Sergeant stationed at the First Marine Brigade in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.  I laid back down in bed and I thought I really can't wait until my leave is up and I'll be back on my way home to Hawaii.  I looked at Dorthy lying next to me in her sexy lingerie and she just made me sick to my stomach.  But, I well realized I needed to keep this bitchy "wannabe" snob.  I had finally obtained a valid driver's license and I was depending on Dorthy to take care of my new Ford sports car while I was overseas.
     When I was first transferring to Hawaii I remember flying in on a commercial airliner into Honolulu International Airport.  When I got off the plane the greeting was exceptional.  Several Asian girls were doing the hula dance while putting leis over my head.  The tropical scenery was beautiful.  I was thinking to myself, "Yeah man, this is where I belong".  An old Marine friend of mine from when I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was going to meet me at the airport to take me to my new duty station.  As I walked in the terminal of the airport I saw my old friend.  We warmly greeted each other.  It was nice to have a familiar face meet me in this strange land.  I started laughing when I saw the car he was going to take me across Oahu in.  I said, "What the hell kind of contraption is this?  Staff Sergeant Whitaker said to me, "Hey jerk, you will learn here that no one has their mainland vehicles shipped to this paradise because not only will your car be stripped and damaged, it will be rusted out in no time at all.  This piece of crap is called an island car.  Believe you me, it will be handed down to many more Marines before it is laid to rest".  As we started to "chug-a-lug" across the island heading for the Windward side of Oahu I was really enjoying the scenery.  I thought, "God, what a beautiful place".  I well knew Staff Sergeant Mark Whitaker was a major "head".  I knew it was just a matter of time before he brought out the pot.  Well, I was right.  Mark said to me, "Hey Cross, do you still get high"?  I said, "Of course".  I then saw Mark bring out this "needle point joint".  Again, I started laughing.  I said, "You know Mark, that joint looks as screwed up as your car does, you go ahead and smoke that thing by yourself, we'll both never get high off of that".  Mark said, "Oh Cross, you are to accustomed to that crap we smoked back at Camp Lejeune. This stuff is top of the line man.  It's called "home grown" Cross.  Come on man, light this thing up".  One good toke and I was wasted.  I said, "Jesus Christ man, this is better then the hash we used to smoke"!!!  I was wondering how in the hell I was going to report at my new duty station.  I was really gone by the time Mark and I had finished this joint.  I don't know what it was about getting high, but when I did, my appearance all of a sudden became horrible.  My hair would get frowzy and my clothes would get wrinkled along with my shirt tail beginning to hang out of my pants.  Every statement included, "Hey man, or wow man".  Mark and I arrived at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station.  He took me over to the 6th Marines Regimental Headquarters building where I was to check in.  I was attempting everything I knew to get myself squared away.  Nothing was successful, I was too stoned.  I then stumbled into the S-1 office of Regimental Headquarters which is akin to a personnel office.  I saw this old, hard core looking Marine with a big handlebar mustache sitting at a desk.  I stated to him, "Hey man, what's happening?  Is this where I check in for my unit"?  This loud hard voice strikes me, "Do you see my rank insignia?  I'm not a hey man, I'm a goddamned Warrant Officer.  Do you got that Sergeant"?  I thought, "Oh wow, this boy is tripped out".  The Warrant Officer then states to me, "When is the last time you had a haircut Marine!?  And what the hell is the matter with your appearance"?  I said to the Warrant Officer, "Wow sir, I didn't mean to offend you.  I was just trying to cool out".  Now the Warrant Officer really becomes enraged, "You were slated to be assigned to Regimental Headquarters, but no scum bag like you is going to work here at this building.  You want to cool out, I know exactly where you are going to cool out at".  I privately thought, "Hey, this dude ain't so bad after all".  He informed me I would be going to a Marine grunt unit as the company administrative chief.  Jesus, there is nothing lower then a company grunt administrator.            
     After several hours of cruising the base with Mark, I was beginning to come down a little from this tremendously great high.  Mark was laughing at me saying, "Damn Cross, you just got here and you're screwing up already".  I couldn't believe it.....going to a grunt unit.  Mark then said, "Well let me take you to your new home".  I walked into the company office to report for duty.  Mark told me, "Cross, you will fit in perfect here, they are all crazy here just like you".  I saw an office that was in total disarray.  The company commander was named Captain Minnelli.  He was a tremendous sized man who had a terrible reputation as an officer.  
He loved to brawl with his troops and had absolutely no sense of leadership and organization.  When I introduced myself to Captain Minnelli he said to me, "You must have really messed up bad to have been sent here.  So you are the new admin chief"!  Sarcastically, he says, "That's just great, we haven't had one of these in ages.  Just do the paperwork and learn how to sign my name, and leave me alone"!!!  I was then introduced to the company First Sergeant.  Although he was old, he was as solid as a rock.  He was the former heavyweight boxing champion of the Marine Corps.  I knew right from the first moment I met him he was punch drunk.  His name was First Sergeant Burrell.  He stated to me in his natural but extremely aggressive and gruff voice, "I run this fuckin' company!  Officers are pigs.  They're a bunch of brass-ass'd homosexuals.  You make sure I get plenty of free leave and extra pay benefits and we'll get along just fine".  

 

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