I spent the afternoon marveling at Shannie's tenacity; I'd rather roll over. I didn't get Shannie's obsession. The harder I tried to understand the worse I felt. I understood that she wanted to find out what happened, but once she did what good would it accomplish. The effort wasn't worth it. Why am I here? I asked myself as wave after wave of soldiers marched down Memorial Drive. It beat weed whacking.
"There they are," Shannie nudged my side.
"Who?" I asked.
"The 101st you asshole."
"Oh," I said.
Grabbing my hand, Shannie ordered me to stay with her. She pulled me towards the disassembling column. "Excuse me," She asked a group of flanged helmeted soldiers who mingled with wives and girlfriends. "I'm looking for B Company, 2nd Brigade."
"Can't say that I know where there at," A tall soldier with a deep southern voice said. "Don't even know if they have anyone here."
"How about 2nd Brigade? Do you know were they are?"
"Can't say that I do. They gots ta be somewheres 'round. Why don't ya ask a MP, they gots ta know."
"You guys wouldn't happen to know anything about a Leroy Lightman?" Shannie persisted.
"Should we?" asked a shorter soldier.
"Who the hell is Leroy Lightman?" The tall soldier added.
"He was killed - fratricide - Wadi-al-Batin."
"Never heard of him," the short soldier said.
"Name doesn't sound familiar," the tall soldier said. "Say, sure you gots the right outfit, I'm thinkin' the Wadi was 1st Cav's turf," the tall soldier continued.
"I'm sure," Shannie answered.
"Say, Billy Joe," the tall soldier called to another whose attention was held by a busty brunette. "You know about 2nd brigade spending anytime in the Wadi-al-Batin?"
"They were chopped over to 7th corps right before the air-war. Something about some scare, Iraqi's planning an attack or something like that," Answered Billy Joe.
"Why didn't I hear anything 'bouts that?" the tall soldier whistled.
"Maybe 'cause you're a moron," The short soldier replied.
"2nd only spent a week or so there before re-upin' with the rest of division," Billy Joe turned his attention back to the busty brunette.
Shannie approached Billy Joe. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, do you know anything about a fratricide there?" Scowling, the busty brunette nudged closer to Billy Joe, thrusting her breasts forward as she grabbed onto his arm. I smirked thinking she though Shannie's question was the army's version of a pick-up line.