Dear John
Dev and Josh, Josh in particular, felt comfortable enough with the area to ask the Sarge for a mission. Approaching the command tent, they saluted the Lance Corporal.
“We need to see the Sarge.”
“He’s out of the compound but should be back in a few hours. I’ll pass on your request.”
Dev said, “Let’s hit the mess while we wait. Mail call’s today too. Maybe we’ll get something.”
“Maybe you. I won’t be getting anything.”
“What? Okies don’t know how to write? How did you even graduate?”
Despite himself, Josh laughed. Dev could always make him laugh.
“Fuck you, corn fed. It’s complicated. Hey, maybe you’ll hear from your girl.”
“I hope so. At first, she wrote me a bunch, but I haven’t gotten anything lately.”
While Dev ate his second plate of Shit-on-a-Shingle and beans, a Corporal with a mailbag over his shoulder came in yelling, “Mail call!”
Devon hadn’t heard his name and looked a bit crestfallen, but as the Corporal passed by Devon, he said, “Special Delivery, for PFC Kincaid.”
Devon practically snatched it out of his hand, saying, “Thanks!” and tore open the letter.
“It’s from Caroline!”
His smile quickly faded as he read the short letter. Some of the guys around them knew what had happened. It happened far too often. It was a “Dear John” letter – his girl broke up with him, and was probably banging some friend of his back home.
Ignoring everyone else, Josh put a hand on Dev’s shoulder and quietly asked, “Bad news?”
“She broke up with me. She’s seeing Bobby Bingerton. We were on the wrestling team together. That fucker.”
“I’m sorry, Dev.”
Most of the guys around were laughing and calling in bets. They had a pool about all the new guys and who would get their letters first. Dev’s face reddened, but Josh wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.
“Hey, corn fed, let me ask you a question.”
Dev didn’t say anything but looked at Josh.
“Did you really see yourself marrying her? Was she the farmgirl of your dreams, who was gonna give you a bunch of little Lower Alabamians?”
“It’s Alabamans. Get it right. And no, I guess not when I think about it, and if you put it like that.”
“So she did you a favor. And besides, I bet she didn’t blow you nearly as well as that guy back in the woods.”
Dev’s eyes widened in shock for a second before he burst out laughing.
“I am sorry, Dev, but don’t let it eat you. We’re about to get our first mission, and we need to be focused. You can’t be moping over getting dumped. She didn’t deserve you anyway.”
Patting Dev on his shoulder, Josh got up to go to the latrine.
Josh had very mixed feelings about Dev getting dumped. He hated seeing the pain on his face, even though it was brief. At the same time, he was kind of glad because it removed another obstacle in their friendship.
The Sergeant was delayed, so Dev asked, “You wanna work out?”
“That’s all you do. Eat, sleep, shit, and work out.”
“I don’t wanna lose weight. I like being strong.”
“Ok, sure. I need to stay in shape, too.”
“You’re in great shape, Okie.”
Dev said it offhandedly, but Josh’s dick twitched slightly.
Don’t read into it. He’s a jock and isn’t into guys.
Behind the hooch, there was a makeshift gym. It was nothing more than a flat bench with a barbell, some dumbbells, and a pull-up bar. Josh’s heart still always skipped a beat when Dev took off his shirt.
Jesus, he’s incredible.
In the heat and humidity, everyone sweated. It was a way of life where they were, and Dev had a light sheen of sweat over his body that accentuated his tanned physique. Pulling out a bandana, he wrapped it around his head as a sweatband and started doing pushups to warm up.
Josh was captivated at the sight of his muscles working and stood there, watching. It was dangerous, and he almost got caught.
Dev stood and glanced over, “Hey, Okie. What’re you waiting on.”
“I’m waiting on your sorry ass to get out of the way.”
Falling into their banter, Josh relaxed and was able to work out.
God, this is becoming a problem.
Josh was terrified of Dev finding out he was gay. That one slur he made in the hooch, “That sounds kinda gay,” was a bad sign. He didn’t want to lose his friendship with Dev. He truly liked him as a friend, but he had already fallen for the handsome stud, and he knew it.
I’m a fucking idiot. There’s no way out of this. I’ll just have to deal with it.
Once he started exerting himself, Josh focused on his workout. Dev did ask him to spot him a few times. The hardest part about being around Dev is that he was a very physically affectionate type of guy, always patting his back or punching his arm when he laughed. When they worked out shirtless, Dev’s hands felt amazing and Josh’s heart would skip a beat.
Sargeant Mills pulled up in a jeep, and he didn’t look happy. Dev and Josh stopped immediately and saluted him.
Gruffly, he said, “My tent, five minutes,” and stormed off.
The two men, still wearing their shorts, ran to the showers to rinse off, made it to the hooch and changed, and were in the command tent as ordered.
Sgt. Mills sat behind his desk reading a report when they came in.
“The Corporal tells me you wanted to see me.”
Josh replied, “Yes, Sir. We’re ready, Sir, to head out.”
The Sgt.’s expression changed slightly, looking not quite as stressed, although with him, it was hard to say. He always looked like he was in a bad mood.
“Perfect timing. Come with me.”
He led them into the map room. Pulling out a tube, he unrolled a map. Josh recognized the area north of the camp.
“I just received these. A few of our pilots took fire in this area. This is your AO (Area of Operation). You’re gonna drop in, raise as much cain as you can, and pull out. You’ll get an evac in three days. Send up smoke when you’re ready to come home.
“Be observant, and bring back as much Intel as you can while you’re there. You two are going to be my eyes on this one.”
A cold ball of nerves settled in Josh’s stomach. Not fear, but anticipation. Glancing at Dev, his face was impassive, not showing any excitement or emotion.
“You’ll leave at first light tomorrow. Good luck, and don’t die.”
<><>
When they got back to the hooch, Dev finally smiled, “Hot damn, Okie. Our first mission! We need to get our shit together. Did you finish your Ghillie suit?”
“Yeah.”
It wasn’t typical for the spotter to have a Ghillie suit as well, but Dev insisted that Josh take one too, saying, “You need to be invisible too.”
Josh would have a more powerful scope to help spot and identify Dev’s targets, and Dev would use his M40 to take them out. Josh was surprised at the transformation in Dev. Once he received the mission, his demeanor shifted. He wasn’t the happy-go-lucky farm boy from Alabama. He was focused and intent, and to be honest, for the first time ever, Josh was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of Dev’s attention.
In the middle of the night multiple explosions rocked the campground. One of them hit just outside the hooch, and the tent shredded and the wooden floor splintered. Reacting on instinct, Dev dropped from the top bunk and covered Josh with his body.
Gunfire filled the night as soldiers, most in nothing more than boxers, returned fire. Dev grabbed his rifle and started to run out, but noticed that Josh was lying still. Then he saw blood on the floorboard under his bunk.
“Josh! Fuck!”
Grabbing Josh, Dev turned him over. He was unconscious and his face dripped blood.
“MEDIC! I need a medic in the hooch!”
He pressed his ear to Josh’s chest to try to hear his heartbeat, but there was too much noise. He felt it, though, and knew he was still alive. Gently moving Josh’s head, he saw the gash that was the source of the blood. Tearing apart Josh’s pillowcase, he applied pressure to try to stop the bleeding.
Josh moaned, starting to regain consciousness, when another explosion rocked the hooch, and Dev covered Josh again.
As awareness returned, blinding pain in his head caused a moan, but he also felt Dev’s sweaty, muscular body pressed against him, pushing against him. In his fog of confusion, he thought he was dreaming and tried to wrap an arm around Dev to hold him tighter. His hand felt Dev’s solid, warm back.
Fuck, he’s so solid. And warm.
A Corpsman arrived, saying, “I’ll take care of him! Go help!”
Leaving Josh didn’t seem like an option. His best friend was lying wounded and bloody, but Dev’s Marine training kicked in. The Corpsman was there and there was nothing more Dev could do for Josh. In his mind, if he eliminated the threat, he was making Josh safer.
With a steely look on his handsome face, he grabbed his rifle and went to fend off the attack.
<><>
When the attack subsided and the adrenaline wore off, Dev took a deep breath. Panic swept over him when he saw Josh unconscious and blood dripping on the floor. For a moment, he thought he had lost his best friend, and he began to shake.
He remembered Josh’s comment about Caroline not deserving Dev. He also remembered seeing Josh naked in the woods the night the Private sucked his dick, and how mad Josh got at his comment that being sucked off by a guy seemed kind of gay.
Josh never got mail from his family.
Uncertain where his thoughts were going, he set them aside to rush back and check on Josh.
<><>
It turned out that Josh’s wounds were superficial. Scalp wounds bleed heavily, but he didn’t need stitches after being cleaned up. The blast’s force knocked him out, but he didn’t suffer a concussion.
The damage to the base was severe but limited to the area where the hooch was located, and Sgt. Mills was furious. Five Marines died, and Dev and Josh’s mission was delayed two days until the Corpsman cleared him.
The entire event left everyone even more on edge. Even back at their base camp, they weren’t safe, and the constant pressure weighed heavily on all of them, but as Marines, they bore it. They were trained soldiers. Some masked their worry with humor, some worked out more often, and many played poker. None of them had much money, so they used cigarettes and porn mags as currency.
The young soldier who had blown Dev back in the woods was one of the casualties, and his absence was felt by the guys who wanted some sexual relief. It went unsaid, but no one went back to the woods anymore, and when the tension got too much, they jerked off in their bunks. The hooch smelled like a cum bucket, and they kept the flaps back to try and air it out.
<><>
The drop from the helicopter had to be quick, so Dev and Josh perched on the skid. The pilot touched down just long enough for them to high-tail it out of the small clearing. There was no gunfire, and the helicopter was out of sight in less than a minute.
Dev had ripped the sleeves off his blouse, exposing his big shoulders and arms. He said the blouse was too restrictive and he wanted the freedom of movement.
Josh teased him, “You just want to show off those arms to any Charlie looking our way.”
Dev grinned and shrugged his heavy shoulders, but didn’t deny it. He did, however, have his shoulders and biceps painted with the colors of the jungle.
As the sound of the helicopter faded, silence settled in, and the two men quickly moved away from the area. Being in the jungle, the distinct smell of the soil and trees was stronger, emphasizing where they were. Josh used his compass and scope to guide them in the right direction.
Each man was impressed by the other. Josh always recognized Dev’s capable nature but didn’t pay much attention to his own. Dev saw it. Josh was a trained Marine and also a trained Sniper. Both trusted each other to do their jobs, support one another, and stay focused on the mission. The two friends spent so much time together that they started to think like one. Josh’s feelings toward Dev were deeply emotional but also professional, as one warfighter to another. Dev considered Josh a brother, his best friend, and there was no other man in the world he’d rather have at his side.
It took them half a day to reach the area, Sgt. Mills wanted them to explore. Josh saw smoke from a few different locations, so they knew they weren’t alone. It might be villagers, or it might be Vietnamese. It turned out to be both. A small village resided a few miles from their location, and in a small clearing, a dozen Vietnamese soldiers had set up an encampment.
The terrain was hilly, and Josh found a good vantage point fairly high up to better surveil the area. They were too far away to hear anything, but through his scope, Josh saw a few soldiers harassing villagers. Anger burned in him at the sight, but it wasn’t unusual, given what he heard.
“Fucking pricks.”
They made a small camp, opened some beans to eat, took shits, and buried the cans and feces to hide any smell. Afterward, Dev covered himself with his Ghillie suit and started crawling into position, whispering, “Stay here and under cover.”
Josh only saw Dev because he never let his eyes off him. The hunting skills he learned as a boy on the farm served him well, enhancing his camouflage expertise learned in Sniper School. Trusting Dev’s abilities, Josh turned his scope back to the soldiers. From Dev’s vantage, he knew which one he would take our first, and most likely the next two. He doubted Dev could get off more than three shots before they scattered. Then it would be hide and wait. The spot they were in wasn’t one they would initially suspect. There was a high ridge on the opposite side that they would most likely go first.
Dev’s patience was unmatched and it was nearly an hour before the first shot rang out. The soldier in charge dropped dead, half his head gone. The two next to him were splattered in blood and brains. The immediate shock and surprise kept them motionless long enough for Dev to take them out as well.
Josh remained under his Ghillie suit in utter silence. He and Dev planned to wait until close to midnight before attempting to move. The initial yelling of the other soldiers quieted, and just once Josh risked using his scope to try and find them. He saw movement on the opposite ridge and grinned.
Maybe they’ll think we were there and bugged out.
He wished he was lying beside Dev under his Ghillie, pressed against him, while they waited. Sexual thoughts encroached and he got hard, but he wasn’t stupid enough to jack off or make any noise. He just admonished himself for being a dumbass and tried to ignore his hard-on.
Near dark, they both heard voices approaching. Confident that neither man would be seen, they stayed perfectly still. Josh nearly panicked when two soldiers walked just a few feet from him. They were close enough to hear their boots crunching through the ground vegetation. Gripping his rifle, he was ready to open fire. His heart was pounding, and he sweated even more.
It was dumb luck that one of the soldiers stepped on Devon, crying out in surprise. Devon stood up but multiple rifles were pointing at him. He counted eight soldiers. The one in charge started yelling, ordering the others to take Dev’s weapon and tie him up.
The hardest thing Joshua had ever done was to hold still and let Dev be taken. They hadn’t killed him so they wanted him alive, probably to interrogate him. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t torture him, and the thought of that, of his best friend enduring God only knows what, put a fire in his belly. His fear was replaced by cold, calculaed anger.
Josh was lucky again when they didn’t bother searching the area for anyone else, assuming Dev was alone.
Hoo Ra fuckers. Big mistake.
Josh waited until daybreak before using his scope to assess the situation. Devon was tied up and on the ground, blindfolded. Josh watched as the soldiers milled about, and any one of them who came close kicked Dev in his stomach or back.
I have to move before they break camp.
Josh was getting close when he heard new voices, and another small contingent came down the road. He stopped, deathly still, and waited. He was able to see a little through a tiny hole in his Ghillie suit. There was much talking, and it sounded like an argument over Devon.
The contingent stayed all day and Josh feared for Devon’s life and his own. They verbally abused Devon, even though he couldn’t understand them. They poked him, and kicked him. He had no food or water, and other than grunts when they hit him, he remained stoically silent. Josh’s eyes spilled tears of anger, but occasionally they turned to fear for Devon and what he was going through.
Early the next morning the second contingent left, and Devon stayed with the original unit. He felt time was running out, so he moved faster than he would have liked, but staying under his Ghillie suit, he crawled closer. He had his rifle, but opted for his sidearm. His M1911 was loud with a loud flash, but it had stopping power. It held seven rounds in the clip and one in the chamber, so he couldn’t miss.
The sound of a twig breaking caught his attention, and a few seconds later he heard an audible sigh of relief and piss splashing against a tree. There was no time to think. It was a perfect opportunity to take one of them out completely unaware.
Drawing his knife, Josh slipped out from under his Ghillie suit and stealthily moved forward….
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