The Cheerful Soldier

The cheerful soldier

As I sat by the phone, I rocked back and forth on my seat impatiently, just waiting and

wondering. The wait was long, but I finally heard a ring, then a second one. That's when I

reacted and picked the phone up. I said, "Hello". It was my friend who greeted me with good

news. Immediately after she had greeted me, her brother, who was on the other end as well, said,

"What do you want to know about my experiences in Iraq?." He said it in a sad and almost

irritated tone. I hesitated for two seconds. I didn't know what to say next. Then he said sounding

calmer, "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that. You can come over tomorrow. After all, you are

my sister's friend, so I'll help you with your assignment." Feeling relieved, I said, "Thanks a lot,

I really appreciate it."

The next day I drove to my friend's house a little after four in the afternoon. I was a little

nervous thinking to myself, "What if he doesn't answer using specific details?. I need all the

information I can get". I rang the door bell. My friend opened the door and greeted me with a

hug. As I entered, I smelled something delicious cooking. Surprisingly, her brother was in the

kitchen cooking. I asked, "Why is your brother cooking now? Does he want me to come back

later?". My friend answered, "No not at all. He is cooking because he wants you to feel

welcome, and he said there is nothing better than eating, at least for him, before answering the

tough questions you will be asking him." He cooked what he called his specialty, spaghetti and

Figueroa 2

roasted chicken. After eating a delicious meal, I went straight to my questions. He looked very

relaxed, confident and ready. He preferred not to give his real name, so I will call him Jr. The

interview took place in the family living room. The walls were covered with many family

pictures. In the pictures there were some children, teenagers and what appeared to be their

grandparents. There was also a picture of a baby boy with his mom and dad and wedding

pictures of my friend and her husband. The pictures that caught my attention more were the ones

where he was in his uniform looking very proud and a picture of another soldier who looked

much older than he did.

What if anything in specific inspired you to join the armed forces?

Hmm...well that's a tough one. No I'm just kidding. Ever since I was in high school it became an interest. I guess hearing my brother and my friends talking about it made me think about it more. Then I dreamed of being in a uniform and just feeling important. That's how I felt about it when I was in high school, but as I got older like my second year in college, I thought about it in more serious terms. I saw more clearly the meaning of it. So that's when I joined in my second year in college. It actually benefitted me with college by paying the rest of my way through.

What did you have to do to get into the armed forces?

My brother guided me through some of the steps; he was already halfway there. First I had to find a recruiter, which wasn't difficult; my brother's recruiter helped me with that. That was just the beginning. Then I was required to take a standard test, which I'm ashamed to say I failed the first time. I got a second chance to take it, and I got a very good score.