The Medic

On the flight from Seattle to Denver, I sat next to an army medic in training. He looked really young—I’d guess about 19. He’s been in training for twelve weeks, and now he’s returning home for Christmas. In two weeks, he’s going to return for the last bit of basic training, and then he’s being shipped off to what he described briefly as the primary base of US operations in Germany. From there, he’s “probably” getting deployed to Iraq, but he’s still hoping for Korea instead. He’s excited about his first duty as a field medic, and understandably anxious.

I just sat there and listened… glad that there hasn’t been a draft.