Get Into James Shorts - 49. Making the Team

Making the Team

"This is the last time I'm going to trust you with being the lookout."

"What's my next job? Poison taster?"

"I needed a diversion and you were it. Thanks to you, we accomplished the mission, and everybody lived. Congratulations."

Starch stood still as a statue while Top's[1] revelation made its way through his brain. The living part was a near thing. He had dozens of small cuts from rock fragments caused by near misses from automatic weapons fire.

He eventually said, "Is it because I'm the FNG[2]?"

Top grinned and said, "We had to see what you could do."

The door of the basement the platoon was using for an office opened, and Lt. Wilder entered the room with his posse from Alpha platoon.

Top stood and came to attention.

The LT[3] said, "Oh, sit down Top. Is this the wild man who got the Tangos[4] looking the wrong way?"

Top nodded.

The LT said, "You did good, Lance[5]."

"Sir, I'm just a private.

"Not anymore. You passed your audition. Welcome to Wilder's Wild Men."

Starch objected, "But sir, I screwed up."

"You didn't screw up. You hosed the tree line full of Tangos with a couple of magazines, your full load out of M203 grenades, and made enough noise for a whole squad. You improvised in a loud, proficient military manner."

Top added, "That's why I said I'm not putting you on lookout again. You're too noisy."

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1 - Top is short for Top Sergeant or senior NCO in a platoon.

2 - FNG == F-ing New Guy

3 - LT == Lieutenant

4 - Tangos == terrorists or extremists

5 - Lance == Lance Corporal, the lowest Non-Commissioned Officer rank.