I See You Everywhere...

If you are looking for the repetitive lines of sex don't read my work. It's been done to death. If you are looking for violence involving a woman you won't find it here. I recognize there are exceptions to every rule but damn few for don't hurt the ladies. This is close to my story, not quite but close...

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Randy was 21 when he fell for Carol. Carol was 17. It was the summer between her junior and senior year of high school. Randy was home on leave prior to being stationed in Korea. His training had burned up just over a year of his enlistment and he had 45 days of leave to use.

The setting is a rural area near Duluth, MN. Dusty dirt roads, cool running trout streams, verdant green forests, and fields. Carol was the little sister of Randy's best friend in school, Daniel. Randy knew Carol, but when he left she was all knees and elbows, now she took his breath away.

Carol was short, like her mom, about 5' 2". Maybe 100 pounds, not dainty, she was a country girl raised on a working farm. Strawberry blond hair, bright green eyes, a bridge of freckles across her cheeks and her nose, a blinding smile and a laugh like ice chimes, it gave Randy the shivers. Smart, articulate and outspoken, Carol was summer sunshine.

Randy ran into Carol at the swimming hole in the local town park. She saw Randy, waved and hollered "Hey Randy! When did you come home?" as she swam towards the shore. When she reached the shallows and stood it struck Randy mute. It was like the picture of the painting of Aphrodite rising he'd seen while in high school. She was wearing a bronze colored one-piece suit, her skin tanned to a near match. At a distance, she almost appeared nude.

Carol ran up to Randy and still soaking wet, she gave him a hug. She smelled of the river and summer sun. Randy held her until she started to push away, he at that moment never wanted to let her go. They had a great afternoon. The girls she had gone to the park with realized they'd ceased to exist the moment she saw Randy. The two only had eyes for each other.

The next forty days they spent every moment together they could grab. It was easily the best summer either had ever known. About 5 days before Randy was due to fly out to Korea, Carol's dad Mark met Randy at the door when they came to get her for their planned movie date. "Randy, we need to talk before you and Carol leave for your movie."

"Randy, she's my only little girl, and from what I'm hearing from her mother, you're getting pretty serious. I'm not going to tell you that you can't see her. I'm not going to tell you that you can't call or write her while you're gone overseas. What I would like is for you to wait until she's out if high school before you two do anything permanent, like getting engaged or married. Everyone can see how you two feel about each other, just slow it down, please."

"Mr. Zarudski, I love your daughter. I want to make her mine forever. When I get home, if she still feels the same way for me, I'd like to marry her."

"Randy, if you'll wait till then you'll have my blessing."

The two spoke of Randy's future plans, common experiences in uniform so far, and what Korea might be like now. When Mark was there, the shooting was still going on and the armistice yet to get signed.

The important talk and issues settled, the two young people had a great date. The remaining few days saw them sitting together and talking softly. It also saw Randy give Carol the promise ring he had purchased. The day he left for the twin cities to catch the first of several flights was sad for both. They thought a year was a long time.

Randy's arrival at Osan AFB was just one of nearly a thousand that day. The U.S. Has maintained a full division, the 2nd ID, and numerous support units besides in South Korea since the war. In addition, I corp is headquartered in the country. At that time, just outside of the South Korean capital, Seoul. Randy was bused to the I Corp HQ and processed thru the replacement battalion there. It was a week of inoculation, briefings, tours to the DMZ and some nasty movies about the nasty kinds of VD to be found in the villes just outside the gates of every American base. The two times Randy ventured off post he was shocked by the MP's manning the gate requiring everyone, male and female, to take at least one condom out of the bucket full of them by the guard shack.

E-tae-won was shop after shop of everything a GI could possibly want or need. Dozens of bars within walking distance of the gate. Eating places, furniture places, trinkets, tailors, cobblers, you name it was there or a pirate copy was. So were a number of jewelers. An idea was forming in Randy's mind of a wedding set of rings in yellow gold with sapphires and diamonds as the stones for the engagement ring. Randy enlisted the assistance of one of the Korean linguists he'd met to help him negotiate the price of what he wanted. Randy commissioned the set for just over a grand.

After his week in the replacement bn, Randy was assigned to the 332 MI BN at Camp Page. Randy was a 98c, a signals intelligence analyst. He was assigned to the military intelligence battalion supporting the 2nd ID. Camp Page was little more than an airstrip, some motor pools and the barracks of the two support unit battalions stationed there. It was within 20k of the DMZ. The barracks themselves were old Quonset huts that dated from just after the cessation of hostilities in '53.

They were in good repair and an ok place to live. Randy was assigned to a four nan room currently occupied by three Katusa (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army) troops. The katusa's assigned to the 332MI tended to be from fairly well to do Korean families. They had lots of stuff, Randy, not so much. Randy had his bunk, his wall locker, and a nightstand.

Randy's days were filled with pt (physical training), weapons ranges and vehicle maintenance in the motor pool. Randy went through the required training to get his military drivers license and because he'd admitted to being able to drive a manual transmission vehicle, he was assigned to an m880. The m880 was the military version of a Dodge power wagon 4 wheel drive half ton pickup. The particular one assigned to Randy was notorious in the unit for not starting.

Randy happened to drive a 318cid dodge power wagon back home that he had left in his father's care. Randy knew the electric choke almost never worked on those trucks so after the second week that his vehicle failed to start, he went into the ville and bought a manual choke kit. He was not authorized to make this alteration but he did it anyway. The instant the manual choke was installed the truck became reliable. Pull the knob to close the choke, pump the hell out of the gas peddle and hit the key while continuing to pump the gas. The engine would usually catch and start about the third revolution. Those old dodges loved their gas.

Every Saturday Randy would go to the on post phone exchange and make two calls back home. One to his mom and another to Carol. Different subjects were discussed with each of the main ladies in his life and he missed them both. His calls to Carol were double-edged. They served to both sate his longing to hear her voice and made it harder to be separated at the same time.

About two months into his year there he went out on a field exercise. It was time to learn how to set up camp, dig fighting positions, set up field sites and string razor wire. While he was on this field problem his mail stopped cold. He normally got 1-3 letters a day, 1 from Carol every day and 1-2 from other people in his life. It concerned him but he had other issues on his mind at the time.

When they got back from the field his platoon Sgt. found him and told him they were reporting to the CO's office. SFC Kaye went over the "report to an officer indoors" drill with Randy just to make sure he'd do it right.

Randy went to the company HQ, knocked on the CO's door, entered when told to do so, stopped a pace from the CO's desk, assumed the position of attention, rendered a hand salute and said "specialist McCabe reports, sir"

There were 4 people in the room, Randy, SFC Kaye, 1SG Johnson and CPT McCandles the company commander.

The CO returned Randy's salute, ordered Randy to the position of "at ease" and proceeded to destroy Randy's life and world.

"Specialist McCabe, it is my sad duty to inform you that there has been a vehicle accident back home involving one Carol Zarudski. Specialist I'm sorry to tell you she did not survive that accident. I'm sorry for your loss Specialist, I know she was special to you. I was informed by the red cross the second day of your field problem and I made the decision to withhold your mail until you returned from the field. Your relationship with her did not meet the criteria for emergency compassionate leave. Had she been your fiance we could have sent you home for her services. As it was I would not have been able to authorize your leave. Do you have any questions specialist?"

Randy was in a complete state of disbelief. He mumbled "no sir"

"That being the case specialist I'm releasing the hold on your mail. The 1SG has a 4-day pass for you, go get your head together. Specialist, you are dismissed."

Randy once again came to the position of attention. He once again rendered a hand saluted which the CO returned. Randy executed an about face and marched to the office door which he opened, passed through and pulled closed behind him. He made it about 4 steps when he fell to his knees, crying in the company operations office. SSG Wilson got up from her seat, helped Randy to a chair and got him a glass of water. She knew what Randy had been told, as did nearly every member of the unit.

Once Randy was over the shock a bit he composed himself. When SSG Wildon saw him looking up she told him to report to the 1SG in his office. Randy got up and went where he was told. Upon entering top's office 1SG Johnson said "Take a seat specialist" when he saw that Randy might object and stand he said, "that wasn't a request specialist, sit your ass down."

"Right now you're thinking that with a 4-day pass you can get home. Forget about it, you can't. You can't because you can't get flights home and back lined up in time to go and get back. You can't because I've already put you on the do not fly list for military flights home. You can't because I and SFC Kaye are not going to let you ruin your life by going awol.

I have a 4-day pass for you like the CO said, but, you can't go off post without an NCO escort for the rest of the month. Don't argue it just deal with it. I will not have you running off on me. Now get your goat smelling ass out of my office. I highly recommend you hit the showers, you reek."

Randy left top's office and headed out of the company HQ building. On his way out SGT Jackson, the unit mail clerk handed Randy a stack of mail 4 inches thick. Once outside SFC Kaye waved him over. He told Randy to go get cleaned up, read his mail and go make what calls he needed to. Once that was done he was to go find him at the plt ops office.

Randy was on autopilot for the rest of the day. He showered because he'd been told to, read the mail because he'd been told to. The oldest letters from everyone telling him about the drunk driver crossing the line and hitting Carol head-on on her way home from babysitting for a neighbor. She was less than 1/2 mile from home at the time. Telling Randy how sorry they were for his loss, how much of a shame it was. The newer letters expressing concern and disapproval for his not writing, or coming home for her services. He went and called his mom, who chewed him out for not coming home, then crying when she found out that he had just now learned Carol was gone. He called Carol's number and got her mom. He got chewed out again and then more tears when he managed to explain what had happened. He then sought out SFC Kaye.

The whole platoon was waiting for him. A number of bottles from the class 5 store and a number of people to share his time with. Before the night was over they poured Randy into his bunk. Randy spent the next 4 days and most of the evenings of the next 3 weeks trying to crawl into a bottle.

End of chapter one.