Chapter 15
“I need to see you in my office,” CPT Crew said flatly. It was difficult at times to judge his tone. It could’ve been good news, probably bad. Two weeks in the field maybe, or TDY to Fort nowhere. I took a seat in his office waiting to see if the canteen was half empty or half full.
“Melody, the quilts you made are great, and…and I enjoyed working with you in this unit,” CPT Crew began.
CPT Crew is a good commander as far as Company Commanders go, but like most of them, I could read him like an Army manual. “Sir, what’s the problem?”
He sat at his desk, trying so hard to look more like a commander and less like a concerned father. He reached into his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. It’s amazing the power one piece of paper has in the military, how it can change a person’s life. I took one glance at this single sheet of paper. That’s all it took.
First Sergeant Jason Noah Stewart you are promoted as indicated.
From: First Sergeant E-8
To: Warrant Officer 2nd Class WO2
Effective: 15 January 2015
Signed James Vandervolt
COL, AG
Division Adjutant
Yes, it can change your life.
“What does this mean for Jason and me?” I asked without taking my eyes off the single sheet of paper. “Do we have to break up?” I didn’t want to know the answer, even though the soldier in me already knew. I guess I needed to hear somebody in authority say it out loud before I knew it was real.
“I talked to the Battalion Commander about it earlier today,” CPT Crew announced. “He asked how long you’ve been dating. I knew it was only a couple of weeks but I told him a couple of months. Because of Jason’s exemplary service to the Army, and yours, and because you aren’t in the same unit, for the moment they won’t make you break up.”
“Really?”
“I assured the Battalion Commander that the two of you could act as professionals while on duty,” CPT Crew said. “I wasn’t wrong was I?”
