Page 14 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

I relaxed onto the bed and did my best to remain calm. “I’m calm. I have questions, and I expect fucking answers. Where am I, and where are my men? Are any of them here?”

“You are in Landstuhl, Germany at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. I have no information regarding your men, Marines, their whereabouts, or their medical condition,” he said.

Confused, groggy, weak, and not wanting, but needing to find out about my Marines, having them remove my restraints, and allowing me to return to combat was my priority. As my mind fumbled with ideas of ways to coerce them to release me, the doctor continued.

“You attacked your nurse on several occasions. That was our reason behind the restraints. Now that you’re conscious and coherent, if you’ll promise to comply with our medical recommendations and requirements, I will have the restraints removed,” he said.

As I did my best to nod my head, two Marines in dress blues, both officers, walked past the partition. A few seconds later, they stepped into the opening and stared. The silver and gold oak leaves on their uniforms informed me that they were a Lieutenant Colonel and Major.

And I needed to stand at attention when they entered the room.

“Staff Sergeant Jacob,” the Lieutenant Colonel said as he entered the makeshift room.

“Sir,” I responded with authority. “If you can give the order to have these restraints removed, I’ll stand at attention, Sir.”

“As you were, Staff Sergeant,” he said, relieving me of the requirement to stand at attention.

Personally being visited in the hospital by a Lieutenant Colonel and a Marine Major was something only a handful of Marines could claim. Knowing for certain that something was wrong – and terribly wrong – to prompt them to fly halfway around the world to pay me a visit, I silently waited for them to advise me of their reason for the visit.

“How are you feeling,” the Lieutenant Colonel asked as he approached the foot of the bed.

“Rested and ready to return to combat, Sir,” I barked in response.

He glanced at the Major and coughed a light laugh.

“Quite a mess your platoon stepped into in Fallujah,” he said.

“Yes, Sir. I was only protecting my Marines, Sir. That’s all it was,” I responded.

He reached toward the Major with an open hand, and the Major handed him a piece of paper. As he unfolded it, my heart raced at the thought of what crimes they were going to charge me with.

“I’m not going to bore you with all of this, Staff Sergeant Jacob, but I’ll hit the highlights,” he paused and inhaled a shallow breath.

“Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Jacob, while acting as a Platoon Sergeant during the Second Battle of Fallujah, exposed himself to enemy fire while commanding his fellow Marines to maintain a position of safety. After giving the order to provide medical attention to Marines in his command, he advised First Squad Leader Todelli to carry out a flanking maneuver, distracting the enemy as he crawled across an open street further exposing himself to enemy fire. After sustaining life threatening injuries in the deadly blast of an IED which completely disabled his convoy, Staff Sergeant Jacob positioned himself behind the cover of an abandoned vehicle and single handedly eliminated the three snipers who had been accredited with the death of no less than nine US Marines prior to his platoon’s arrival. In doing so, Staff Sergeant Jacob sustained four gunshot wounds, a broken jaw, multiple lacerations, and shrapnel wounds. His actions, however, preserved the lives of his entire platoon. By his undaunted courage, bold fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death, Staff Sergeant Jacob reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps.” He paused and lowered the sheet of paper.

“Son, you’ve been put in for the Bronze Star with Combat ‘V’. You’re an official war hero,” he said with a smile.

Feeling elated to a point of almost shedding tears, and incapable of doing much more, I returned a blank stare.

“I envy your courage,” he said as he nodded his head in my direction.

Tied to the bed, filled with emotion, and now with a mouth much drier than it was prior to his speech, I couldn’t speak. I glanced toward the side of the bed at the pitcher of water sitting on the table.

“Get these restraints off of my Marine,” he bellowed over his shoulder as he reached for the pitcher of water.

The two nurses immediately came to the side of the bed and removed the restraints from my arms and legs. After pouring glass of water and handing me the cup, I took a slow drink, realizing as I did so, it would take time for me to fully recover from my wounds. Aching from head to toe, but unwilling to admit it, I shifted my eyes to the Lieutenant Colonel and cleared my throat.

“My Marines. They’re all accounted for? No KIA?” I asked.

“That is affirmative. Your actions saved the entire platoon,” he said with a nod.

Thank God.

I exhaled what little breath remained in my lungs and tried to sit up, only to learn the pain in my hip was much greater than I realized.

“Permission to speak freely, Sir?” I asked.

“Granted,” he said, his mouth curling into a slight smirk as he spoke.