Major Sergeants 

"I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity." Albert Einstein

As Baker entered the International House of Pancakes, he was stunned. There was a large dining area in front of him and a smaller eating area to his right. In the smaller area sat 6 Sgt. Majors! They were alone, at one table. They wore khaki shirts and dress blue pants. Their white caps were on the table. Their ribbons indicated Middle East service, along with good conduct and a few combat action presentations.

First of all, Baker had never seen so many Sgt. Majors at one time! He thought back to his days of: Platoon 3020 at Parris Island, Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Lejeune, NC, Oceanside, CA, Okinawa, Viet Nam and Quantico, VA. He had never seen more than one Sgt. Major at a time! Additionally, these men were young! He finally realized that they were recruiters, like Sgt. Shaunessy, the Marine who had signed up Baker and his friends, on the “Buddy System.” Baker’s dad had to come with him to the recruiting station, to co-sign the enlistment papers, as Baker was 17 years old.

When Baker was in the Marine Corps, he thought that Sgt. Majors were ancient! They were crusty and profane. These Marines looked fairly wholesome. He wondered, “Is rank quicker now?”  He hesitated, then walked past the waitress, into the private dining area.

The Sgt. Majors eyed him suspiciously. He walked to their table. They all stopped eating. He said, “My, my!  A flock of Sgt. Majors!” They said nothing.  All eyes were on him.  He waited a beat and said, “0311, ‘68, RVN.”  They paused for a second and then they all started smiling. They said, almost in unison, “Semper Fi!”

Baker nodded and left, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride. He also felt a weird sense of sorrow, perhaps thinking of his buddies from Con Thien. Perhaps not…

David Beakey

Echo 2/1 ’68-‘69