solemnly . None of them wanted to do the whole dog and pony show. It was going to be rough, trying to grin and b e ar it while men shook their hands and saluted them.
None of them wanted that. They were not men who did what they did for the accolades
or the glory. It was and had always been about the men they fought next to — the country they loved — and the family they left behind. There was nothing else.
Thane pulled to the admin building and parked. They sat silent for one minute, then
two, gathering themselves . David sat in the back, respecting their need to prepare themselves.
Thane was the one to break the silence . “ Pony up , ” h e grumbled and the men nodded briskly and opened their doors. “In and out, no socializing.
The quicker we are out of here, the quicker we will have Sammi.”
David stood next to Gage when they exited. He could feel the tension coming off his
friend and knew there was nothing he could say that would help the situation. His
silent support was felt by all of the men.
Thane led the small group to the front of the building and then paused briefly and looked back. His men nodded and David felt the suction of the door opening.
The cool breeze felt good after being outside.
As they entered the building , David noticed several things. The lobby was decorated with pictures of all of the teams, including the men who had fallen in the line of duty. It was
arranged in a hierarchy with the President on the top, then the Joint Chiefs and down. Hell , the wall had to be forty feet tall, and forty feet wide. The stairs situated in the middle of the lobby had to be needed to see the whole
thing.
Then along each wall stood men and women standing at attention, and when they entered
the lobby the snap of the salute was unmistakable . Wow , was all he could think. He had never seen anything like this.
Thane and the others froze as they took in the sight. Men and women wearing uniforms,
men and women wearing BDUs, and off - duty men and women who had apparently rushed to get here before they did. All of
them showing the respect these men deserved. It was an awesome sight, and an awesome fe e ling to know these men, and be with them.
Thane snapped his boot clad feet together and saluted back, as did the rest of them. A tall distinguished - looking man in BDUs lowered his arm and then walked toward them. He looked larger than life,
his shoulders were broad , and his white hair speckled with streaks of black made him look like someone they could trust.
“LC, Master Chief, Voodoo, Ice, Boyscout, and Lobo, good to see you home , ” t he man said and Thane nodded.
“ Good to be here , Commander Greese , ” Thane said gruffly . David knew from the tone of his voice the leader was touched at the outpouring of support.
He would have thought the men and women would disperse. But i t was the opposite, they seemed reluctant to leave before speaking to the guys. It
was a tribute to the men he already knew.
“We have people on the horn, getting rooms reserved for you to stay. We will figure
this out f r om there , ” t he Commander said.
“Thank you , sir, but we are a little pressed for time here. I need info on Marie , ” Gage said stepping forward.
“ Marie ? She is on leave, called at the beginning of the week , said she had company coming , ” t he Commander said.
“To the house?” Gage said. “Is Sammi in the daycare then?”
“No, she said Sammi was being taken care of, she needed a little space. Now that I think about it. She did say something a little strange , ” t he Commander said and frowned. “She has had a rough time of it so we have been giving her all the time off she needs to make sure they are solid.
My wife calls on her every other day to talk.”
“When did she speak to her last , ” Gage pressed.
“The day she called to ask for leave, she called me at home, which was a bit strange,
but she had done that a few times. No, she
None of them wanted that. They were not men who did what they did for the accolades
or the glory. It was and had always been about the men they fought next to — the country they loved — and the family they left behind. There was nothing else.
Thane pulled to the admin building and parked. They sat silent for one minute, then
two, gathering themselves . David sat in the back, respecting their need to prepare themselves.
Thane was the one to break the silence . “ Pony up , ” h e grumbled and the men nodded briskly and opened their doors. “In and out, no socializing.
The quicker we are out of here, the quicker we will have Sammi.”
David stood next to Gage when they exited. He could feel the tension coming off his
friend and knew there was nothing he could say that would help the situation. His
silent support was felt by all of the men.
Thane led the small group to the front of the building and then paused briefly and looked back. His men nodded and David felt the suction of the door opening.
The cool breeze felt good after being outside.
As they entered the building , David noticed several things. The lobby was decorated with pictures of all of the teams, including the men who had fallen in the line of duty. It was
arranged in a hierarchy with the President on the top, then the Joint Chiefs and down. Hell , the wall had to be forty feet tall, and forty feet wide. The stairs situated in the middle of the lobby had to be needed to see the whole
thing.
Then along each wall stood men and women standing at attention, and when they entered
the lobby the snap of the salute was unmistakable . Wow , was all he could think. He had never seen anything like this.
Thane and the others froze as they took in the sight. Men and women wearing uniforms,
men and women wearing BDUs, and off - duty men and women who had apparently rushed to get here before they did. All of
them showing the respect these men deserved. It was an awesome sight, and an awesome fe e ling to know these men, and be with them.
Thane snapped his boot clad feet together and saluted back, as did the rest of them. A tall distinguished - looking man in BDUs lowered his arm and then walked toward them. He looked larger than life,
his shoulders were broad , and his white hair speckled with streaks of black made him look like someone they could trust.
“LC, Master Chief, Voodoo, Ice, Boyscout, and Lobo, good to see you home , ” t he man said and Thane nodded.
“ Good to be here , Commander Greese , ” Thane said gruffly . David knew from the tone of his voice the leader was touched at the outpouring of support.
He would have thought the men and women would disperse. But i t was the opposite, they seemed reluctant to leave before speaking to the guys. It
was a tribute to the men he already knew.
“We have people on the horn, getting rooms reserved for you to stay. We will figure
this out f r om there , ” t he Commander said.
“Thank you , sir, but we are a little pressed for time here. I need info on Marie , ” Gage said stepping forward.
“ Marie ? She is on leave, called at the beginning of the week , said she had company coming , ” t he Commander said.
“To the house?” Gage said. “Is Sammi in the daycare then?”
“No, she said Sammi was being taken care of, she needed a little space. Now that I think about it. She did say something a little strange , ” t he Commander said and frowned. “She has had a rough time of it so we have been giving her all the time off she needs to make sure they are solid.
My wife calls on her every other day to talk.”
“When did she speak to her last , ” Gage pressed.
“The day she called to ask for leave, she called me at home, which was a bit strange,
but she had done that a few times. No, she
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