Story Time(P1:CW)

[Sheriff Caleb]

Kuwait Oilfield 

2-15-1991 1300 hours 

Private 1st Class Caleb White journal 

Today we encountered resistance with locals, who turned out to be Iraqi specialist dressed as a caravan. They had been following us for a day, we finally broke down and went to detain them. As we approached they pulled out firearms, discharging bullets at us. We were on foot with no Humvee, no bradleys, no tanks, no cover. We had to dodge behind sand dunes to get to safety bullets penetrated the dunes, Private Coons was hit in the side, the bullet went all the way through the Kevlar, and right through a kidney. The med-aid had to do some what of a surgery right there, it was my first contact with such things. The blood, the bullets….the enemy…. It was ten Iraqis versus our small squad of eight. I crawled around the side of the dune, and got good angle. I looked through my sights and took deep breathes, all the men screaming commands behind me, I was scared…. I hesitated to pull the trigger, I heard
my platoon leader, Sargent Braggs, scream at me. 

“DAMMIT PRIVATE YOU BETTER OPEN FIRE ON THEM BEFORE I OPEN IT ON YOU!” 

My nerves shocked, and with out my brain giving me time to react….I laid my finger on the trigger, I gripped the foregrip tight, and laid rounds into them. 1 drops…*BANG BANG BANG….BANG…BANG BANG!* Another drops, I see Coons crying and screaming in pain. I look up to the other men pitched up on the dunes laying fire on the enemy. I reload my clip, and look back, and keep laying in *BANG BANG BANG BANG….BANG BANG BANG…BANG!* 2 more go down…I was laying fire in at short bursts. We had about six of them down, and the other four retreated back. Sgt. Braggs checks on Coons, he hears what the medic has to say. He tells us to “Get on our feet.” 

Sgt.Braggs: “Well gentlemen, welcome to war, we now know that we are encountering aggressive force, and it seems to be we are taking these oil fields by force. Let this be a warning to you all though….if you fail to open fire when you know you should, if you cause another man to get shot, or lord forbid…killed…I will dispose of you myself.” 

He stares me down, I was just a kid, barely seventeen. We have to go over and identify the bodies, and send pictures back to the forward operating base. I walk up to one of them men I shot, I shot him in the throat, he was dead…but his body was still somewhat….choking on his own blood. I cover my eyes for a second, and snap the picture. I go to the second one I got, I got a clear shot through the chest….He didn’t look like he suffered… I snap the picture… I go to the last guy, he was alive….he was holding his chest, I ripped off his shirt…his chest…he was bleeding out… Sgt. Braggs comes over to me…I look at him he shrugs 

Sgt. Braggs“Finish him off White.” 

He handed me his side arm, he cocked it back. Pointed at his head….I looked at the man… He was shaking his head no…speaking a language I did not know…but I knew he was begging for me not too…I closed my eyes and turned my head. I struggled to pull the trigger….I could feel Braggs trying to take my soul from me…..I pulled….  

Sgt. Braggs: “The more you realize this is life now, the better off you are….” 

His words echoed through me….I feel like something changed in me today…. 

Present Day: 

Remembering my times at war was always tough, I never take lightly day to day life anymore. I was happy with the job I had, the family I have, and that when I do something wrong in life, my boss doesn’t make me burn our crap as punishment. I found out I am the tenth entry in the roulette match, tens a lucky number for me. I have won ten secondary titles, my son was born on the tenth of August. My wife and I were married on the tenth of June. Ten is even number which ain’t to bad. 

“I have had to doubt a lot of choices in my day, even regret some. That’s life though an’ not one person can say they ain’t regrettin’ somethin’ they done. I had to do things at war I’ll never forget, things I ain’t to prouda’. I live every day knowing what it’s like to kill a man, just an’ unjust. I know what it is like to fight for your life, fight for survival. True survival, it is a kill or be kill world now-a-days, and it seems the faithless fall. 

I see some men in the roulette rumble match, Spike Kane, Bobby Pooler, Jimmy Zane, they all have something in common, heck we all four have stuff in common. We know each other is one, at one time we all hated one another, and then we all fought each other. We know weaknesses, we can exploit them, but they only have faith in themselves, that kind of faith leads to
pride, and pride leads to destruction. 

Men like Angel Blake, Nero Blake, Tank Armod. They all believe themselves to be gods, they put faith in each other, that their alliances with up hold them. They don’t realize that an alliance in a free for all, will fail. They have faith in that alliance, and that is something to go off of, better than no faith. Yet that faith will fail. 

New comers like Renee Pleasant, Atreyu, the list goes on. They better have faith in something, enough in themselves, and in enough in their abilities. They better be able to put it up, any given night a rookie can be a legend. You never know what happens. 

Then you have men like Me, Brothers black, hard working men. Men of faith, faith in themselves, in their support of their family, in a God who will deliver for them how he see’s fit. We have faith that win or lose we will have a way paved for us. We have faith we will take care of business incase our prayers don’t reach him in time. 

I know I am a beaten old man, I know though that any given night the unexpected can happen. I have escaped death plenty of times, I have done the impossible more than once. I have seen the nice side of hell and the bad side of heaven. I’ve seen it all, but I know there’s still a lot left to do. 

I can…..I will find a way to survive the roulette. Odds have been worse in my favor, I just see this as a trial. A trial that I’m glad to own up to, the world still has a lot more of me to see.” 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I was walking getting done with a meeting with some management officials. Meetin’ fresh faces and all, when I ran into a familiar face. A person I never spoke to but he had colorful words for me that I should make him pay for. Willy Carter, I grab his arm and stop him, I pull off my aviators and tip my hat. 

Caleb White: “So you’re the mouthy black kid who has nothin’ nice ta’ say to me?” 

He brushes me off and smirks. 

Willy Carter: “First off, that’s a little offensive you had to point out my race. I can clearly see I am black, and two its my job to stir up trouble. Don’t feel special I do it to everyone!” 

Caleb White: “Listen I love black people, great grand daddy used to own one! You got me all wrong here kid, an’ I don’t like the way you talk ‘bout me…. I fought for your freedom ya know.” 

He shakes his head at me, I was just kidding c’mon! 

Willy Carter: “I never asked you to fight for me, but while I have you here….why don’t you tell me your deal. If I am so off base with it explain to me please!” 

Caleb White: “Do you live under a rock son? I seem to repeat myself every week, I am just like you. I just want a good life, I want my family to have nice things, I want them to have a good life, and this is how I wanna do it. Is there anything wrong with an older man wanting to make good for his family?” 

Willy Carter: “There is when that man is older than dirt, and clearer as entertaining as dirt too.” 

I push him a bit. 

Caleb White: “You’re just mad because you suck at your job, and I am good at mine. You probably blame racial uneasy stuff. When we all know you bein’ a black got nothin’ to do with you suckin’ fat chicken wiener on the mic’. You think you’re all hot, you never stepped foot in the ring. Hell, I am sure you tried, then the trainer laughed and you ran off. Maybe you called your grammy that night, started sayin’ how you hate people, how white men are so evil….” 

He looks at me funny…. 

Willy Carter: “You are literally too stupid to insult….” 

Caleb White: “That maybe so…but at least I am not Willy Carter….do you see what I am about now.” 

He shakes his head no and walks off. 

Caleb White: “Hey Willy!” 

He looks back and I yell as loud as I can. 

Caleb White: “WHITE POWER!” 

I laugh as he shakes his head again. 

Caleb White: “GET IT! BECAUSE MY LAST NAME’S WHITE?” 

Ignorance is bliss, God bless ‘Merica, and warm beer.