Failure Drills
Adam's oldest friend, Jason, joined the Marines when he finished high school. He's like the youngest Marine ever to complete Recon training. He's smart, funny. He's home for two weeks leave. He'll be deploying to Iraq, probably in March. (He's been supposed to deploy for months, but it keeps getting pushed back. As far as I'm concerned, if they could just keep pushing it back until he gets out in early 2007, that would be Just Fine.)
On Christmas Day, Gary and Jane came over with Jason. Gary is a friend of Jason's family and Jason lived with Gary and Jane for the last couple of years of high school. Jason's own family is pretty broken, and he has assembled a kind of ad hoc family in its place, of which Bob and I are a part. All this to say that we spent a lot of time talking about Jason, with pride and trepidation. Jason tells amazing stories about his training for recon, which is the Marine equivalent of the special forces. Jason, Adam, and some of their friends were off playing video games or something, and Gary started talking about how Jason would mention something called 'failure drills.'
"We did failure drills today," Jason would say.
Gary finally asked what failure drills were? Some sort of Marine discipline where you had to do some sort of drill when you screwed up? The equivalent of fifty push-ups for people who are in really good shape?
They are drills for what to do when at a checkpoint and someone won't stop. Failure to stop. It's one shot to the chest and two in the middle of the forehead.
What do you say in the face of that? Our Jason.
Makes the fact that in the last five days I've lost about 75% of my hair seem really easy to live with.
On Christmas Day, Gary and Jane came over with Jason. Gary is a friend of Jason's family and Jason lived with Gary and Jane for the last couple of years of high school. Jason's own family is pretty broken, and he has assembled a kind of ad hoc family in its place, of which Bob and I are a part. All this to say that we spent a lot of time talking about Jason, with pride and trepidation. Jason tells amazing stories about his training for recon, which is the Marine equivalent of the special forces. Jason, Adam, and some of their friends were off playing video games or something, and Gary started talking about how Jason would mention something called 'failure drills.'
"We did failure drills today," Jason would say.
Gary finally asked what failure drills were? Some sort of Marine discipline where you had to do some sort of drill when you screwed up? The equivalent of fifty push-ups for people who are in really good shape?
They are drills for what to do when at a checkpoint and someone won't stop. Failure to stop. It's one shot to the chest and two in the middle of the forehead.
What do you say in the face of that? Our Jason.
Makes the fact that in the last five days I've lost about 75% of my hair seem really easy to live with.
posted by Maureen McHugh at 1:55 PM
14 Comments:
Sounds excessive. I guess no one shoots in the shoulder or leg, anymore. *sigh* ah, the good ole days.
Actually, I think that's two in the chest , one in the head. The chest being a bigger target.
It probably is two in the chest and one in the head--I almost called Bob and asked what he remembered.
Bob, was that anonymously you?
Sounds excessive. I guess no one shoots in the shoulder or leg, anymore.
My understanding is that a person full of adrenaline can be fatally wounded and still do a lot of damage before actually dying. Marines at a checkpoint presumably can't afford to take any chances.
As for the hair, Maureen, maybe you can think of it as the Sinead O'Connor look?
Ted! You've got a blog!
I plan to make it my Cher period. I'm gonna buy a couple of cheap wigs in various styles including long and straight. Maybe pick up some sequins and lame as well.
Randomly looking @ blogs using that button in the upper right ... Glad that my siblings were in the Reserves/Navy LONG ago. Their stories of basic training were "interesting" enough during peace-time.
Sorry that you're losing your hair, Maureen. My aunt went thru alot of turbans and wigs before settling on just bald. The photo of her w/ her bald hubby and my bald dad is a priceless one.
Hi Maureen,
Weird to find out someone you know and love has cancer via a blog. I hope you are doing well.
Re: the hair - as my aunt said when she was undergoing chemo "Bald is Beautiful"
be well.
-cathy morrison
Maureen. Cher. Maureen. Cher.
Yes, I'm seeing it.
I suppose a person who does fail to stop at a Marine checkpoint could be wired to explode or otherwise create carnage. I see the sense in it, but it gives me collywobbles and sadness to contemplate.
As for hair loss: maybe you're one of those people with a perfectly beautiful skull, Maureen. Accessorize with killer earrings and flaunt your new look! Or go exotic with fiber-optic wigs. Or go blonde with tiny blue stripes. And remember that when this is all over the hair will return.
Maureen,
Hope everything goes well with the chemo and you get better quick as you can, sweetie. I was shocked to hear the news. Just started catching up, reading your blog. And now that I know you're going through a Cher phase, it makes me just want to leave Japan that much earlier so we could do some karaoke. I do a mean "I've got you babe" when I have the right singing partner!
Lots of love,
Chris
ok i heard about the cancer but i was wondering do you know what cancer is?
cancer if a vitamin defficiency of a vitamin called B-17, just like scurvey is a lack of vitamin c, B-17 is vital for survival. (hold on a sek ill tell your were to find it in a seck) ok... umm FDA
sorry i didn't get to finish my comment 'cause i accidently pressed the enter button. HM HM HM... the FDA >>>-DO NOT-<<< and i repeat DO NOT recognize B-17 as a vitiman! The reason is they know if they recognize B-17 as a vitiman they couldn't control it and boydo they make a lot of money from it.
the source of B-17 is in appricot seads, apple seeds, seeds,and other foods. (Americans don't generally eat appricot seads or apple seeds.)go to WWW.appricotpower.com and check out a book called World without Cancer. i'm not saying that you have to believe me, i'm not saying that you have to believe them but at least take a look at it. Bye
Who knew the Laetril people were alive and well?
Thanks for sharing what's failure drill. But is it a bit excessive to put two bullets in the head?
I thought it's 2 to the body, one to the head...
Maybe Marines are different than police?
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