Moon Dust | Generation Kill

Chapter 4: The Taming of the Shrew

Strolling toward the tent of the famous Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Ferrando, or as he was better known as by the men, Godfather—based on how his voice apparently sounded just like Al Pacino in The Godfather—Katie kept her head held high. This was going to be the first time officially meeting the man in charge and Katie was anxious to make a good first impression. If the men she served with didn't like her all that much, Katie was fine with that, but if the man she was serving for had a bone to pick with her, that would be a colossal disaster.

Since there was no door to knock on, Katie simply stuck her head through the tent entrance and announced her arrival. After being waved in, she stepped into the canvas room and removed her cap. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir." Katie stuck her hand out and shook the man's hand. "I'm Katie Shaw, the dog handler you requested."

"Very nice to meet you." Godfather returned the handshake and the greeting. The first thing Katie noticed right off the bat was the man's voice; it was quiet and scratchy—almost wheezy as well—as if he were constantly talking while having something stuck in his throat. He most definitely sounded like Marlon Brando in The Godfather. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"It's my pleasure," Katie assured.

"I'm sure you're probably wondering, so I'll just go ahead and say it; yes, you may call me 'Godfather'. Everyone else does," he said right away, instantly clearing away all of Katie's internal questions about if the nickname was appropriate or not. Katie chuckled a little and nodded, and as she did, Godfather looked around. "Where's the dog?"

Katie looked down at her side where Whiskey would usually be standing. "Oh, he's back in the tent resting. He's slowly getting used to the heat again, as am I." 

"The sun's a real bitch out here." Godfather agreed. "Well, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you coming out here with your dog and protecting my men from what they can't see. I'll be damned if I lose even one life if it could have been prevented."

"Whiskey is one of the best in the program." Katie acknowledged her dog's many achievements, both in training and out in the field. 

Godfather raised an eyebrow at that. "And are you one of the best in the program?"

Katie wasn't sure how to respond to that at first. Was she supposed to be humble and say no or play it cocky and confident and say yes? "I'd like to think so, sir," she finally answered, hoping her response sat somewhere comfortably in the middle ground between humble and cocky. 

"Good to hear it." Godfather gave a curt nod. "Well, welcome aboard, Corporal Shaw. You'll be rolling with Bravo company in Sergeant Colbert's humvee. Have you met Sergeant Colbert yet?"

Katie tried her best to hide her disappointment. "Yes, sir, I have." 

"Good. He's one of my best team leaders." Godfather concluded before gesturing to the exit. "Well, I won't keep you any longer then. It's good to have you here, Corporal Shaw. Oh, and enjoy."

Turning to leave, Katie scrunched up her face in confusion. "Enjoy?" she whispered to herself as she stepped back out into the never-ending sand. "Enjoy what?"

Just then, a series of loud, excited cheers could be heard coming from somewhere in the camp. Placing her cap back onto her head to block the sun from her eyes, Katie followed the noise until she spotted the cause of all of the commotion. There, coming up the long dirt road toward the camp was a single car, and on the side of the car, a Pizza Hut logo. 

"Enjoy." Katie smiled to herself when she finally realized what Godfather had been referring to. 

Knowing that she had better be one of the first in line if she wanted to stand a chance at getting some pizza against the untamable beast that was a hungry marine, Katie started walking toward the outdoor mess tent where picnic tables sat in rows under a single, wall-less tent.