How Dare He!

My new found confidence was serving me well not only as platoon sergeant but my class work and grades were also starting to improve.

And I took a new stance with my roommates as well. I agreed with Sergeant Major that it wasn’t just their room and I had every right to be in there as I saw fit –so I did. I remember the first night I came in and plopped myself down on the floor and started polishing my boots, they looked at me (especially the “ring leader”) as if to say, “What’s she doing here?” I did feel a little intimidated but I tried my best not to let it show.

But I still had the Star Spangled Banner to practice for and sitting on a hard tile floor against a cold metal bed wasn't my idea of a night of fun (remember, we weren't allowed on our beds until just before lights out) so one night I was back in the basement.

The Sergeant that had uh --touched my back side was there too just as cocky and confident as could be.  He mostly hung around watching/listening to us sing --we'd chat (we as in the whole group) and it was mostly a very informal time.  Cutting it close to lights' out, as we so often did, we soon started to file our way back upstairs --with that Sergeant following right behind me.

And he grabbed me.  My back side.  Intently.  Purposfully.

And the anger surged up inside of me.  I felt it rise up within me until my chest felt like it was going to explode.

How dare he!  And how dare ALL OF THEM!  Must I endure this at every corner I turn?

I stopped dead in my tracks, turned around and said, "What are you doing?!"  He laughs and blows me off.  This time I'm not going to handle this myself.  Not this time.

The next day I told my instructor what had happened and he said he would talk to the Sergeant Major.  Aaannnnndddd ----once I again I was called down to CSM's office.

Again.

I'm tired of this.

I went to see CSM and I thought you know, we were friends by now.  It not like we haven't been here before, him sitting behind that desk, me standing there --scared, worried, angry, confused, scared --

So you know, I pretty much thought CSM was on my side so I wasn't so fearful.  This was all a formality, CSM asking me questions about what happened . . .

And it sort of did go down like that --CSM sitting there behind that, me standing there and Sergeant Major asked me what happened, I told him --I told him about BOTH instances and I was ready for Sergeant Major to get angry, I was ready for Sergeant Major to say what kind of nerve that soldier had...

But instead Sergeant Major said . . . .