Thread: Dillards' War
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Old 11-21-2012, 01:30 AM
SPEMack618 SPEMack618 is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Georgia
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Chapter Four
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, six years earlier.
Second Lieutenant Jim Dillard, USA, Inf, awkwardly put his arm around his sister after much prodding from his mother. Karen was glad in full academic regalia, having just been award a master’s of science degree in micro-biology, with several additional academic honors, all of which was sort of mind boggling to Jim Dillard, who was thankful to graduate with his BS in Political Science and 2.65 GPA. His mother snapped a picture of the two siblings, both glad in the dress uniforms of their chosen professions. Jim in nearly bare Army blues, adorned with a bear three ribbons and a Ranger tab and Karen in her cap and gown. Jim was a bit put off by the whole affair. Neither his mother nor sister had been at Benning when he was awarded his Ranger tab, and Karen had neglected to come to his commissioning ceremony, but Mrs. Dillard was most insistent that Jim be present and sober at Karen’s graduation ceremony from grad school. He having been at basic airborne school when Karen graduated from college the first time.

After snapping the picture, Mrs. Dillard moved off to find her husband and left the two siblings alone, the first time the two of them had been alone in quite some time. Jim was an impressive site in his neatly tailored uniform and shined jump boots, and Karen told him so.
“You look good in a uniform, little brother.”
“Thanks.” Jim mumbled under his breath, he hated it when she called him “little brother.”
“Thanks for coming, it means a lot to me, Jim.” And with that, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. And with that, Karen walked off to a group of her friends for even more pictures leaving Jim alone with his thoughts. When he graduated Ranger school earlier in the summer, he had barely been able to stand for the pass in review and had no desire to do anything other than shower and sleep for a month. His Dad had been there, but the retired Air Force major general had barely been able to contain his disdain for the ground pounders and the fact that his son jumped out of planes rather than flying them. Jim had been the honor graduate of his class, the former frat boy remarking several times that it was like being a pledge all over again and that any Eagle Scout should be able to survive in the woods. His infectious grin had often served to motivate his patrol mate and won him positive notice from the Ranger Cadre. It was the first time Jim Dillard had ever applied himself to anything other than drinking and his family didn’t seem to care.

Muttering to himself as the picture from that day crashed to the floor, Dillard collapse into his bed in a drunken heap. Even the Army was done with him now.
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I like to think, that before that Navy SEAL double tapped bin Laden in the head, he kicked him, so that we could truly say we put a boot in his ass.
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