The Chosen One

The Chosen One: Chapter One- Almost Home

The Chosen One: Chapter One- Almost Home

"So I bet you're excited to see your wife and newborn baby when you get home Richard," said Lieutenant Johnson, a thirty year old man that himself had two children before his wife left him for another man.

"Definitely Lieutenant, just have to make it in this hellhole three more days, then it's time to go back home," said Richard Calvin, a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Well get some rest, we're headed to Kandahar province at the break of dawn tomorrow to help demolish a base in Arghistan..." said Lieutenant Johnson in a calm voice, "you're one of the thousands to be going back home in the next few months, and our orders are to leave this place the same as it looked before as much as possible."

"Ooh-rah Lieutenant, see you tomorrow," and with that saluted and went to his barracks.

Richard Calvin had been in Afghanistan for almost nine months now and had seen little action due to being stationed at an air base in Ghor province which had been very calm for most of the war. Being twenty five with a wife, Michelle, a twenty four year old blonde that had been in modeling for a few years, he met as a senior in high school seven years before, and having a newborn baby, Sarah, born two weeks before today, he was very excited to head back home. This had been his third tour in Afghanistan of 9 months and was in the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment out of Camp Pendleton in Southern California and was almost done with his four years of service luckily. Not being religious he would just hope for the best but expect the worst, unlike many other Marines which would pray on a daily basis. On his second tour his best friend, Frank Furton was killed in action on March 22nd, 2009 during a raid in Helmand province. Frank was Jewish, but to Richard he didn't care about race, religion, or background, if you were at his side during a battle or at base, you were his brother. While sleeping he dreamt about past battles but when he woke up he just did his job. Tonight he wouldn't dream at all.

"Sergeant Calvin..." a dim voice of Private First Class Jose Fernandez called out "Sergeant it's time to go."

Richard looked at his digital watch, "5:30 A.M. October 17th, 2010", while slowly getting up from his bunk and getting his camouflage wear, and combat boots on.

"Lieutenant said we're out of here in fifteen minutes, it'll be a five to six hour drive."

"Okay Private, tell Lieutenant Johnson I'll be at the Humvees in ten minutes with Sergeant Jackson and Corporal Garcia."

With that Richard went to meet with Sergeant William Jackson and Corporal Robert Garcia, both of which trained with Richard during basic training. William Jackson was also twenty five but was single with no children and Robert Garcia was twenty four with two children and a girlfriend.

"You guys ready to go?" asked Lieutenant Johnson when Calvin, Fernandez, Jackson, and Garcia showed up to the Humvee at 5:45 A.M.

"Yes sir!" exclaimed all four Marines.

"That's what I like to hear, Colonel Wagner gave orders to move out with a convoy of two Abrams and six Humvees out to Kandahar. Calvin, Jackson, Garcia, you three will be in the second Humvee and Fernandez will be with me and Sergeant Michaels in the third, if we get ourselves into any trouble, just remember your training and we'll be fine. Alright move out soldiers, Ooh-rah!!"

"Ooh-rah!" yelled the four Marines.

To be continued...