America 1982-Chapter 626 - 141: Without Tommy’s Letter of Recommendation

Inside the garrison courtyard, thirteen soldiers lined up, straining to stand up straight.

Dennis paced back and forth in front of the soldiers, hands clasped behind his back and head held high, imitating the arrogance of a German officer in movies.

But he quickly grew tired of this affectation because these pieces of trash in front of him probably couldn’t understand why their new lieutenant walked like a castrated rooster.

Eventually, he stopped and looked at them, "To avoid being blown to bits by Israeli or Lebanese mortars, I’ll keep this short. First off, a few questions—you don’t have to rush to answer, but best let me know before the day ends. The first question, in Nakoura, what level of soldier essentials are we talking about with stuff like weed, pills, and prostitutes?"

"Second question, if there’s a bunker in this building, remember to move my bed, toilet, inflatable doll, desk, and such inside. I plan to live there and also work from there. If there isn’t one, Glen, find some guys who don’t want to extend their service to start digging for me. The faster and deeper you dig, the longer your leave will be. If you can dig through the Earth, I’ll apply for the title and medal of America’s strongest army engineer for you at the Pentagon. So, anyone willing to volunteer in front of me?"

The soldiers immediately raised their hands en masse, and Dennis nodded with satisfaction, "Thank you for your gesture, I feel sufficiently respected."

"Third question, Sean Dunning, from Lincoln High School in Warwick City, who can’t even spell ’astronaut,’ why the hell are you here?" Dennis walked over to a soldier and stood in front of him, asking with a smile.

This soldier, who had hesitated to shout his name at the first sight of Dennis, was his former classmate Sean from Lincoln High School in Warwick City. Back then, Sean was a notable character in the school, only slightly less notorious than the trio of him, Tommy, and Pam.

"Dennis, F*ck! Even after Lieutenant Marvin called out your name, I couldn’t believe it was you! Dude, what’s wrong with this world that you’ve also joined the army? And you’ve even become a damn officer?" Sean, seeing Dennis and speaking to him, showed a face filled with the joy of reunion and got so excited that he almost choked up, "I never bloody thought I’d see someone from Warwick again!"

Dennis saw everyone else looking over curiously and, not responding immediately, patted Sean on the shoulder, "Let’s chat after I announce you’re dismissed."

He then stepped back and addressed the crowd, "Maybe many officers have told you that a soldier must not fear death, be brave in sacrifice, and take pride in dying in battle. That’s all bullshit, you got that? Soldiers need to learn how to survive on the battlefield first, because dead soldiers can’t protect America. I want you alive, and I want to stay alive. So, if there are any warriors here who want to charge into battle and die gloriously, please step forward now. I swear, I’ll write you the most splendid recommendation letter and refer you to the real hero units—the ones with nicknames like Blue Arrow, Boulder, and Screaming Eagle. Anyone? Step up! I’m not joking! I graduated from West Point, and many classmates are serving in the elite units I just mentioned. If you want combat glory, this might be a precious opportunity for you. If you stay, you’ll just become a pile of living trash."

The group was expressionless, with a few even turning their heads away.

"Not one, very good, because I don’t give a damn about writing recommendation letters, nor do I have classmates serving in front-line units. America doesn’t send West Point’s best and brightest to places with high death rates. I’m an exception." Dennis gave a smile:

"If not, then congratulations, your commander has prepared a small welcome gift for you, Glen."

Glen brought out two large duffel bags in front of everyone, unzipped them, and took out one set after another of brightly colored women’s lingerie, as well as issue after issue of pure, unadulterated American Penthouse, with its revealing covers.

Dennis did a headcount with his finger in front of the soldiers and said, "My orders didn’t specify that I was to lead you all, so we’re a little short on welcome gifts, just ten sets. Not enough for thirty people to each get one. Luckily, more than half the fools went to the hospital to bribe nurses to treat their sexual frustration. Ten sets for twelve guys... Glen, how the hell do we split this? Your math’s better than mine, figure it out, then distribute it to them. Those at the hospital are just out of luck."

"You had them raise their hands earlier to sign up for digging; two just happened not to raise theirs," Glen appropriately chimed in with a detail he noticed.

Dennis nodded, "Good, we’ll discard those two disrespectful jerks. That leaves us with ten people, one set of lingerie and one magazine each. They’re small welcome gifts for all of us who’ll be fighting and dying together for the foreseeable future. Don’t underestimate these pieces of lingerie; each carries the scent of young Beiruti girls. Lieutenant Glen spent a great deal of time and effort sneaking them out of the laundry rooms of luxury hotels in the foreign embassy district. Every issue of Penthouse was sent from America by my friends, pushing through more hoops than terrorists smuggling weapons right under Israel’s nose." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Glen, holding up the welcome gifts with the solemnity as if cradling the American flag itself, handed them to the soldiers standing before him, their faces a mix of surprise and delight.