This Isn’t What We Signed Up For

People need a day off. In the military, you don’t have a lot of free time. The military has been in my blood. But the military is not for everyone. 

My bunkmate Sam, a/k/a Snake, was making jokes about the huge butt whipping we have to go through. My other buddy is named Will, a/k/a Will Power, inspired by the race car driver from his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. My name is Zeke. I didn’t have many friends back home. I thought that when I came out here, I would have something more in common with my military buddies. But they wanted to make jokes about how much our seniors were beating the sweat out of us. 

You got what you wished for because real life isn’t like the movies. Our seniors are like squirt guns. It was hard to understand what they were saying. That’s the only thing that we agreed on. Sam and Will both thought that they could sleep in and go to bed whenever they wanted. But our seniors were not so generous. The first night we got to relax but after that, all rest went out the window. 

“I don’t know much more of this I can take,” Sam said. The seniors had their own personal lives. During the week they drove jeeps around the base. But we were free for the weekend. We had to address our seniors as sir and madam. It didn’t bother me one bit but it drove Sam and Will nuts. 

“Dude, how are you okay with the way they are treating us here? We’re like puppets on strings,” Will said. “Nobody said anything was going to be easy. You have to work hard for what you want,” I explained to Sam and Will. 

“We don’t have to believe in the same things that you do,” Will said. Sam had to stop and tie his shoes and then he took a sip of water. Food was only allowed to be eaten in the chow hall. I had to cover up Sam’s tracks since he was snacking. I wasn’t a rule breaker, not by a long shot. 

“To be honest, I only joined to please my father,” said Sam. Will said he joined to get away from his alcoholic father. We have been here for four years. It has flown by in a blink of an eye. 

I had made a memory book for Sam and Will. Whether they liked it or not they were like brothers to me. In just a couple of hours, I wouldn’t have to listen to Sam and Will complain about being in the military anymore. They could go back to their sleep routine.

 Will was nervous to see his father again after years apart. He didn’t get the chance to tell his father goodbye when he joined the military. His father stayed in the car with an empty beer bottle. But now I saw a clean-shaven man embrace Will with open arms. 

Our seniors had mixed emotions as they let their guinea pigs go back to their families. Will and Sam could not be happier. I was happy to have the memory books done because having to make up excuses for what I was doing was a challenge. Sorting through the pictures was challenging in the dark. That was the only rule that I broke but I broke it for a good reason. My Mom has great taste in crafting so I had her send me two photo albums and decorations for the pages. I took a pad of paper to the mess hall to find out what things they liked. Sam was an open book but Will was stand-offish. Sam loved football and his pets. He was into writing. I decided to decorate the pages with nature. The stickers fit with his personality. I put a picture of Sam making silly faces in front of the mirror when our seniors were not looking. Most of the pictures were taken on the weekends because we couldn’t have our phones during the week.

 I put their presents on their bunks. This bunk would soon belong to somebody else but for now, it was still his. Sam and Will were finishing up loading the last belongings in the car. When they came back to double-check that they didn’t forget anything they noticed my surprise. 

“What’s this?” Will said. I thought that he was going to make a joke about it like he always did. But he didn’t. “Just something to remember me by.” I was glad that I didn’t have to repeat myself because Sam was heading to his bunk as I was explaining it to Will. 

The look on Will’s face said it all. I saw tears running down his face. “Are you okay?” I said. “It’s, it’s just…” Will stammered out. It took a minute for Will to get his composure before he spoke again. “It’s just nobody has ever done anything like this before for me.” He wiped a tear from his eye. “What you have done for me means more to me than ever. I didn’t come here expecting to make friends. I thought I was just going to be here with a bunch of boys but those boys have just become my family.” I gave him a hug. 

When I was home on leave I got to know a girl named Melissa who used the gym frequently. Her treadmill was broken and I had to fix it. We hit it off. In May I got up the courage to ask her to marry me and I didn’t even hesitate to pick out my best men. Melissa was so beautiful, like something out of a magazine.

Will had gotten married and he and his wife were now expecting a baby. Will promised himself that he would not be like his father. Me and Melissa were the godparents. 

We may walk by people periodically on the street and be too busy with our own lives to pause and reflect in order to help others find their purpose in life. The military opened a door to creating life-lasting friendships. When people pass by my grave I hope they know I was a warrior and a friend who gave wisdom to people who are in the dark. Because it doesn’t matter how big your pockets and your soul is. It’s about how much love you have to give from your heart.