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The last person I spoke to was Werkman, he was headed for Washington State and a new assignment.
"That sucks, man. Sorry you had to go through that," he told me.
"Yeah, what could've been, right?"
"Don't do that to yourself, bro. You'll kill yourself with the 'what ifs,' and get absolutely nowhere."
"It can't be helped, though" I replied, "I'm sure I had a lot to do with the strains in the marriage but still..."
"Its not the equipment, bro," he said as he shook my hand, "you just haven't found the right operator. Take care of yourself, my man. I'll see you when you get back."
That would be the last time I would ever see my friend. Three months later he would be leading a convoy through the mountains of Afghanistan and his vehicle would hit an IED. On his 7th deployment, in a cold Saturday morning, my friend Werkman would succumb to injuries. His wife followed him soon after he was buried, she took a large amount of sleeping pills and went out in search of her husband in whatever land lies beyond this one. By the time I made it back home, the grass in his grave was beginning to turn yellow and a chill was beginning to take hold of the land.
...
"I'm sorry I wasn't there, brother" I said as I carefully laid the pack of cigarettes and the six pack of beer on top of the grave, "if I was it probably would've been me in that vehicle and you'd still be home. So would your wife. I'm so very sorry..."
"Is he the friend you were telling me about?" my girlfriend Angie carefully swept the few stray leaves from the grave marker trying her best to show respect for the man interred within.
"This is one of them," I replied, "this one is the crazy fucker that I deployed with all those times." I was trying to hold back the tears, "it's been a while, brother. I know I should've come sooner but I just couldn't bring myself to, things were difficult. But I wanted you to know, I think I might have found the right operator, and I wanted you to meet her."
- COMMENTS
Anonymous4 months agoAn outstanding story. Anne's infidelity was a given since it was in LW but could just as easily been left out and the story wouuld not have been any worse for it. @ Anonymous 5 months ago; I served in the UK armed forces for nearly 20 years and never saw combat. What I know about the experience is that I could never truly understand because I wasn't there. My dad flew fighters in WW2 and my grandfather was a medic in WW1. Neither of them would talk about it. Bless all those who have served and are serving now. Crater7527.
Anonymous8 months agoI was a Naval fighter pilot in Nam. I got shot up pretty bad and my RIO didn't make it.
I knew, when I got home, everyone would have the natural question. What was it like.
I talked to the chaplain and advised that I sit everyone down and lay out my last mission in exquisite Detail. Took me a while-I cried a lot. Before I started I told them this was a one time deal. The could there questions and, after we were done I told them the subject was closed for eternity. My parents were in WW2. My mother was a nurse and my dad was on a tin can in some of worst battles in the Pacitic. His ship got hit by two Kamakazis. MY grandfather wss in WW 1 so, they really understood. My bothers and two other relatives didn't. They could only say terrible it must of been. 50 years later I still don't talk about it. Not because it's some secrete. I just don't want relieve some for someone who, try as they might, can't possibly understand. As an example it is impossible for a man to understand what a woman goes through in gestation and then labor and delivery. Not that we don't care. We simply can truly understand.
