Chapter 10: The Girls Games

The excitement after their mission made it extremely difficult for the girls to sleep that first night back. Of course all the questions and answering didn't help. The kids of the family were especially enthralled by the stories the girls told. They already had real life heroes in Bret and Bob1 but these were people that they could more easily identify with. Kelley and Kim hung on the girls listening to every word. Bret and Bob1 finally gave up and went to bed deciding to let nature take its course with the rest of the family.

After the excitement died down it was now time to get serious about the games. Bret and Bob1 had competed together so often that it wasn't till then that it dawned on them that only one could be the winner. Friendly ribbing of each other took on a life of its self until finally Diane told the two to grow up. The sheepish look on both of their faces made the whole family laugh and provided the tension relief that everyone needed.

The day of the games arrived and a caravan took the teams to the kick-off point. Everyone was wished good luck and safe competition. Bret and Bob1 shook hands and stated that the losing Squad between them had to fix dinner for the winners the night they got back. The helicopters were loaded and the Games began. By luck of the draw The Squads were participating in almost a reverse order of missions. So it wouldn't be until the final rendezvous that they would have an idea who was winning.

1st Squad started out with two very successful missions before they hit a bump in the road. While rescuing two nurses the rescue fell apart when both nurses were non ambulatory. Both nurses weighed in at about 160 lbs. creating a significant problem for the small and wiry marines. The only solution available was for Bret to take one end of a stretcher while two girls took the other. On the second stretcher four girls were required. This left only one marine left to scout and protect the Squad. Since the evacuation LZ was 3 klicks away from the mission site it took several hours to reach using this method. Only the strenuous work-out routines that everyone followed allowed it to succeed at all. The team lost some very valuable points. The only concession was that 2nd Squad would be faced with the same predicament. The rest of the rotations went fine. Bret happened to ask the Captain in charge of the Games if that mission was put in just for his Squad. The Captain just smiled and said it was a legitimate mission.

After the 1st rotation 1st Squad was leading its rotation but only by a few points. The second mission of the 2nd rotation provided Bret and his Squad with what was an unplanned redemption. The obvious route to the mission dead-ended at a 75 foot cliff which afforded no passage around it. There was no way to recognize the dead-end and all Squads would face the same dilemma. If a Squad avoided the problem, the secondary route was still 6 hours longer. 1st Squads redemption happened when Samantha spotted an old evergreen that had grown next to the cliff. The old tree was at least 80 feet tall but the branches toward the top were fragile. Juanita all 5'1" 100 lbs. of her thought she could climb high enough to throw a grappling hook to secure a way up the cliff. Little Rising Star at 5'3' 105 lbs. was selected to assist. After about 20 minutes the two girls were able to secure a rope to the top of the cliff and the team proceeded to climb the obstacle. Anyone even 10 lbs. heavier than the two girls would probably have been unable to succeed. To say the Captain in charge was chagrined, when made aware of what happened was an understatement.

The rest of the Games went along without much excitement or drama. 1st and 2nd Squads were leading in points and 1st and 2nd Platoons were virtually tied. Having completed the last mission 1st Squad had about a 4 mile hike to the LZ. Coming around a turn in the trail 1st Squad happened to come between a mother Grizzly and her cub. Now each squad in the games carried full combat packs including everything they would carry in a real live exercise. Except that is they did not have live ammunition or munitions. Since Bret was leading he yelled at the girls to run and he would provide a distraction. Knowing that they would only hinder Bret if they stayed the girls ran. Now everyone knows that a bear can run faster than a human. But no one had considered what a person with Bret's skills could do in a confrontation. Obviously the Bear exceeded Bret's strength but Bret did have knowledge and quickness on his side. Using misdirection and passing sweeps Bret was able to keep the Bear from using her superior strength. Since there was no hope of Bret striking and hurting her he could only hope to tire her out. Thanks to Bret's tremendous endurance he was able to continue for 20 minutes. Finally the Bear got tired and shoving her cub in front of her left the area. Bret, although the danger was over, was not out of trouble. Not all of the Bears swipes had missed. There were bloody gouges on Bret's right shoulder, his lower stomach and his left thigh. The Bear was no more than out of sight before Bret collapsed.

1st Squad running as hard as they could reached the LZ in about five minutes. After hearing what had occurred, some ammunition for their rifles was found and they returned to the scene with dread in their hearts. They found the ground of the battle looking like a tornado had struck. Seeing Bret lying bloody they raced to him crying as they went. Keisha confirmed that Bret was alive and began giving medical attention. Maria contacted the helicopter and directed it to a nearby clearing for evacuation. Once Bret was loaded on the helicopter with Keisha attending it lifted and made an expedited run to the nearest hospital. 1st Squad slowly continued to the LZ and were returned to the camp. Once they found where Bret was taken they called the Family and informed them of what had happened. They agreed to meet at the hospital as soon as 2nd Squad returned. 2nd Squad was in the air as they were speaking.

When 2nd Squad landed they could tell by the fact that only six girls were present with extremely sad faces that something had happened. The girls fell into each other's arms everyone talking at once. Bob was finally able to get their attention and asked Samantha what had happened. Learning the facts of the encounter Bob got everyone in a car and they drove to the hospital. The meeting in the very crowded waiting room was very emotional with lots of crying and hugging. Andy especially was very distraught. Andy kept saying over and over. "I can't lose Bret, I have to tell him I LOVE him." All of the friends were very aware of the special relationship between Bret and Andy.

The Networks soon heard about what had happened and sent several teams to cover the hospital. As Bret was a part of the Network's family they were especially interested in personal stories. There was an endless supply of stories available. Interviews continued for several hours. The following are some excerpts from some of the interviews.

Mike Miyagi: "I first met Bret when he was an 8 year old underfed scared to death little boy. He was shaking so bad I wasn't sure he would be able to ask me what he wanted to ask. In a quivering voice he ask to be able to work at the dojo for instruction. He was quick to say he didn't want money only education. I "hired" him and for the next 7 years he never missed a day of work or complained about anything. I never had to give him an instruction twice and he would work until he performed it correctly. Now I was not rich or making a fortune but I gave Bret two meals a day for the entire 7 years. To this day I don't know if Bret realizes the food was not normally included in someone's salary. When Andy came to live at the orphanage he brought her with him every day. I am sure he just intended for her to share his meals but I was able to make enough so all three of us ate well if cheaply. Many a day we only had cold cuts and water but he never complained. Obviously I was not able to test Bret for a belt but I can say I have never had a more skilled student. In my heart I consider Bret the son I was never able to have."