I’m a writer, whether I like it or not.
A couple of my drill sergeants figured that out and used it on occasion.
One of my favorite DSs was a good-ole Airborne soldier with a great sense of humor. Even when he was “Caping” (they couldn’t say “smoking” for punishment exercise anymore) he managed to maintain the comedy.
He mentioned to our platoon one day during a little bit of slow time that he wanted something special for his headstone when he died, a message that would be both inspiring and insulting if one looked deeper. He turned directly to me.
“Got it, drill sergeant. I’ll work on it.”
By the next day I handed him my first draft.
He smiled wide. “That’s it,” he declared and wrote my work on the battle-bay whiteboard where it remained until graduation day:
Freedom can only be
Understood by those with whose
Courage gives them strength and
Knowledge to fight for it.Years pass quickly and
Our lives are seldom valuable
Until we serve a greater cause.
I’ll be published in granite.
That will be tough to place on a bookshelf. lol
Awesome!!
Bravo!