Chapter 53

red79;;;;;;"Lucas put this announcement on every forum and bulletin board that a Marine or retired Marine might read. Put in on anything that a mercenary might read as well. When I say everyone, I mean every damn one of them."

The announcement was that Gunnery Sergeant Gus Gallion had passed away in Aster. It stated that he would be buried in Arlington National Cemetery at the end of the week but that a memorial service would be held by friends and family in Aster. It would be held at the senior center's meeting room two days later at 3PM. Wake to follow. There was a copy of the official obituary furnished by Chris attached. It gave some details that might help in his identification by people who knew him back in the day.

I had informed the Cop Out Club to lay in extra beer, even if no one came I would drink it. I paid for two kegs, which was my donation. I had no way to tell, if anyone would show up for the service and wake or not. If not the second keg would not be tapped but the first would go to the regulars as a gift from the Gunny.

It was two hours later when Lucas came to me. "Boss, there might be a problem with Gus's memorial service."

"What kind of problem?"

"The obituary has gone sort of viral. It has been forwarded to other sites, ones I never heard of. People are asking questions on the forums and others are answering them. It just keeps growing. Most of the guys won't be able to make it, but they all have things to say on line."

I went to Lucas's computer to see what he was talking about. I read a posting from an old man at least the Gunny's age. I remember Gus Gallion when he was a buck ass private. He and I were in Vietnam before there was any war. Advisors to a struggling South Vietnamese army so corrupt that it could hardly function. That wasn't our mission, so we dealt with it rather than change it. Gus and I were brand spanking new Marine Corp Snipers assigned to MACV Naval Advisory Group, We were supposed to train snipers, but what we really did was take young men into the field and those who could shoot, we made snipers, by just saying they were. You just can't teach isolation skills to people who come from a group dynamic.

"I personally saw Gus hold off scores of Viet Cong in a rubber plantation while twice as many South Vietnamese Soldiers ran for their lives. Later Gus said to me. 'You gotta' wonder what the hell these guys think the army is about. If it ain't about the killing."' one man wrote.

I read on for several minutes. There were scores of stories from Vietnam both from his days as an adviser and his days with the marines as a sniper in Vietnam. One of the stories that was most impressive to me was an engagement with the NVR troops over a red clay hilltop artillery base.

"Our base was the only fire support for the grunts down in the valley. It was essential to hold that base, or a lot more marines were going to die in the valley.

The NVR had been spotted massing a few miles away, so the Marines began to fly in extra munitions and body bags. They also flew in one Marine Lance Corporal Gus Gallion, a marine sniper from down in the valley. Gallion was there because he had a vested interest in keeping the artillery firing.

The NVR army rushed the wire even as the marines poured fire at them. While the marines emptied hundreds of rounds at the wire on full automatic, Gus fired slowly but with deadly accuracy. He fired at anyone who seemed to be giving orders. Guys with the bugles and of course anyone who made it to the wire.

The dance went on all night. Sometimes we were winning and sometimes it looked as though the NVR army would turn the guns on us. Men were terrified but Gus lay on the top of the bunker behind a few sandbags and fired his heavy M14 all night long. Gus fired and slopes died. That is how it was that night. We shot them off the wire, but it was Gus and two other snipers who broke them." The author wrote.

The stories went on and on, as you might expect for a man who had been in the Corp 30 years. My eyes got tired so I moved away from the computer. "Lucas use that printer you are so fond of to print out some of those. I will read them at the Memorial." I demanded.

"Blevins," I said into the office phone. "Did you see Gus's obit in the paper."

"Gus Gallion what happened?" he asked.

"He had a stroke and died Saturday Night. His going in the ground at Arlington but there is going to be a memorial service here at the senior center on Wednesday night at 5PM. See if you can get a cop or two to show up. I would hate to be the only one there."

"You won't be. I for sure will be there. I'm sure there is a cop or two who remembers a bruise from Gus. They will show up, I'm sure."

"Thanks Blevins, I owe you one." I replied.

"Not for this, but you owe me plenty for all the times, I saved your butt."

"Blevins, you are getting senile. I save your ass at least once a week." I knew he was smiling and I hoped that he knew I was.

I hated even the best of Mondays, and it was far from a good Monday. While I drank yet another cup of coffee, I turned on my computer. On my computer the wallpaper was actually the four camera's at my little cabin. That Monday morning I got a view of a beautiful doe grazing near my gate. I was reminded yet again that I suspected Lucas of spying on me. Well it wasn't really spying, since the pictures were on the Internet for anyone with the web address to see.

I was depressed about Gus so I decided not to jump Lucas. It could wait a few days or even weeks. It might take that long before I felt like myself again. I threw myself into the work routine. It seemed the easiest way to get through the days. Even depressed I didn't want to lie in bed and cry, I wanted to get into some kind of shit. Good or bad didn't matter, just something to break the grind of depression. Depression beats me down; I needed to get my mind off me, and onto something else.

"What do we have going on around here that isn't boring as hell?" I asked out loud.

"Well you have the rock star job on Friday. Actually I guess it is Thursday and Friday," Lucas informed me.

"I had almost forgoten about our rock star. I really hate babysitting."

"I'm surprised they are expecting trouble," Lucas said. "Bobby and Bethany are supposed to be really well liked."

"It's only half about keep Bethany alive. The other part is keeping her from killing Bobby or getting busted."

"Is Bethany a junkie," Ed asked.

"I don't think so but who knows these days. My contract calls for me, and some dude from Tryon, to literally babysit them. He gets Bobby and I get Bethany. I can follow her into places the guy can't. She has been known to ditch her babysitter and go out partying."

"Then you have your work cut out for you," Lucas suggested. "Some of these music people are impossible to control."

"That's why we work for the promoter, not the couple. Since its part of their contract, they should go along. If they don't, I will just have to explain to them why it's in their best interest to do it my way."

"Max no broken bones please," Ed said. "I would hate to refuse to go your bond, but business is business. You are just not stable enough to risk my money."

"Good, then if I go in, I'll just call Edwards in Tryon, He wants to show you up anyway." I replied seriously.

"You wouldn't do that," Ed said.

"If you wouldn't go my bail, then it would be Edwards or stay in jail. Then you can bet your ass I'd call him."

"Just to change the subject," Lucas asked, "Who is the other body guard?"

"I have no idea, some youngster from Tryon is all I know."

Lucas and I worked the deliveries all day. We even found time to pick up a used car salesman on in violation of his bail terms. I had no idea what the violation was all I had to know was that there was paper on him. I picked him up for three hundred bucks. His bail was small so he really wasn't a problem. He was a totally non violent type. He was a used car salesman, so he was a con man, not a fighter.

Monday night I could not get to sleep so I masturbated, but I did it under the covers, just to be sure Lucas or anyone else who happened to be watching didn't get an eyeful. My mind drifted to Gus as I worked myself toward an orgasm. I felt some guilt, so it was difficult to achieve orgasm. When it did happen, it rattled me. It was strong enough so that moments later I fell asleep.

Tuesday I promised myself that I would keep my mind on business and not let it linger on my personal life. Things came up about the memorial service which required my attention, so I couldn't really keep Gus out of my thoughts long.

The posts on the forums kept climbing and Lucas kept printing them out. I knew that Wednesday would be spent sorting through them, to find the best quotes for his eulogy. I hoped that some of his friends would also speak, but I was planning to prepare as if I would be the only speaker. Gus might have been just a Marine in his eyes, but he was extraordinary to me. I planned to make damn sure people knew why.

Things kept piling up about his professional life, but I knew almost nothing of his personal life. Well not of his life before I met him anyway.

Tuesday went by in a fog of activity. Lucas and I worked between our monitoring of the Internet. The pickups and deliveries had gotten to the point that it was routine. We had our game down pat. Unless we had served the mooch before, they all fell for our scam.

"A man with a clipboard and a little information is a dangerous thing." Lucas observed.