With Boredom Comes…
It was a regular Saturday as any. The men of the 4th regiment knew they were in for another dreary day. There were no officers around on Saturdays, so everyone could get away with some slacking. But slacking is a tough task for men who are used to constant action and travelling all around the world. They haven’t seen any action in a couple of months, though. This had everyone on edge recently. The only excitement came from the regular fights over the low supply of junk food and soft drinks. Shooting range exercise once a week and the morning marathon.
On his return from the loo, pvt. Connors stumbled on a familiar nasty sight. A lot of cigarette butts were starting to pile up in the corner next to the door. Being a clean freak, he couldn’t let this slide. He rushed to the other end of the mess hall where a few of his mates were playing cards. Upon seeing him grab the broom and plastic bags they gave him no quarter. As usual. “Hey, our sexy Mexican maid likes overtime. You can clean our boots when you’re done.” Connors said nothing. Just smiled and flipped them off.
After cleaning up the mess, he decided to have a little fun. To see if his fellow are combat-ready after such a long period of time. He put his broom on his shoulder and went to the far side of the corridor near the end of the opposite door where the others could see him. He kicked the door leading outside open, quickly took cover next to it and shouted “CONTACT! TANGOS AT 12 O’CLOCK!!!” The others heard the racket, saw him holding a broom and just cried out laughing.
“TAKING FIRE, NEED BACKUP”. Heeding the call, one of Connors’ best mates, cpl. Sykes grabbed the closest broom and came in aid of his comrade. The others followed, still laughing loud. “I’m assuming command, private. Now talk to me… Where are they” “ – There! They went inside that supply depot!” Sykes issued to pvt. Hammond to take point and scout ahead. This could be an ambush, he thought. As he looked around and gave the all-clear, they stacked up near the entrance of the supply depot and more orders followed.
With the paper towel, acting as a breaching charge, the door was quickly opened. One of the men threw a bucket of water inside and yelled “FIRE IN THE HOLE!” After the water hit the floor, the men stormed inside and ‘opened fire’. Wiping and cleaning in all directions. “There’s too many of ‘em”, someone shouted. And after a huge wall of heavy boxes smashed to the ground Sykes said “FALL BACK! TAKE COVER! The closest thing to act as cover was a nearby port-a-potty. They leaped inside, hit hard and the whole thing fell on its side… with four ‘grown’ men inside of it. After everyone got out and saw the mess they made, Sykes gave the order “Secure this perimeter, men. We’ve got bogeys to clear”