For a split second I saw a fist, then everything seemed to happen all at once. Now on the ground, I tried to get back up but my balance was fucked. I fell back down and held my head, the throbbing pain intensifying by the mili second shooting up through my nose jabin me in the forehead continuing down my neck and scolders. The ringing in my ears was just overbearing, it drowned out everything else but the now very audible sound of my heart beat. My mind was racing warning me of the imminent danger mentally preparing me to flee or fight. However their was no way I would be doing either one of those things. I had been knocked down and was unable to respond. I struggled to regain control of myself slowly trying to get up again but I couldn't see anything, everything was black with white falling dots.
I was quite luckily actually, the guy could have continued to pound me and I would have been through. My sight was starting to come back but my eyes had teared up so bad that everything was now blurey shades of light and dark. The pain which I initially felt everywhere began to centralize to where I took the blow, my nose. It started throbbing; I went to touch it and then realized that I was bleeding all over the place. The asshole that hit me was now walking away and my friends had since came out of the bar and were yelling at the fuck. Now, bent over trying to stop up the blood with a drenched tissue still hoping to somehow snap out of this bad trip. I came to the conclusion that my nose was broken. I burned with rage as adrenaline rifled through my body. 'I have a broken nose!'� I yelled 'It's fuckin broken! Fuck,!Fuck!'� Wiping the tears out of my eyes as best I could I began to regain sight and balance. My senses coming back to me I could vividly taste and smell my own blood. Assessing the damage I looked down at my shirt which looked like something worn by a butcher who had finished a hard day's work. Hands over my face. He dropped his guard and I swung with everything I had, hitting him in the cheek. He fell down and tried taking my friend with him. I kicked him on his way down, then I just seem to remember lots of feet as that fucker rolled around in pain administered by pairs of Doc Martians, military jump boots and dirty Nike high-tops. A woman started screaming which I think took us out of the phase. The cops blew lights could be seen moving toward us so I ran. I sprinted for about 100 yards and then reason started setting in. Something in my head said 'Walk! If they see a guy in a black leather jacket with a bloody face running down the street they will suspect something!'� Settling down a little I zipped up my jacket so no one could see the bloody shirt and walked toward the dormitory. I had to get away from the street lights. 'O fuck a cop!'� Luckily for me Military cops are almost as smart as the regular ones. 'Stay cool!'� I told myself. The lights were switched on, the officer rolled down his window and shined his flashlight right in my face. 'Ya!'� I put up my arm to block the light; hopefully he won't see the blood. 'We got a report that their was a fight at the club, you see anything?'� 'No! No Sir, I didn't see anything!'� 'Where are you coming from?'� the cop drilled. 'From the club sir.'� 'You didn't see a fight?'� 'No, I was just their, I would have seen one if their was one.'� 'Have you been drinking?'� he interrogated further. 'Sir, I'm on stand by,'� I pulled out my beeper to show him, 'were not allowed to drink on duty.'� That answer seemed to satisfy him, I couldn't believe he couldn't see the blood. 'Where's your ID?'� 'I'm fucked now,'� I thought as he punched the Data into the computer. 'Where are you going?'� 'The dorm!'� He handed me my ID and drove off. It was a complete miracle he didn't arrest me on the spot. I would have arrested me. Oh well that goes to show you how the Americas finest operate, or, at least the Air Forces finest.

I figured I couldn't go to the dorm, not yet, not covered in blood. I decided to go to the compound to clean up. It wasn't just the awful predicament that I was in that drew me to the compound. The whole weekend I had been intending to open up the fire hydrant and turn the parking lot into a big ice-skating ring. You see, at the time I was working with our locksmith, an X GI who was always trying to stir up trouble. During our customer service hours we would frequently get visits from officers that would try to bulling us around with their rank. When ever it got cold enough we would squirt down the parking lot leading up to the building, making a slick sheet of ice. Then we would wait for the pencil pushin hot heads to walk over and slip, ya work with Jerry was always something I looked forward to. It was a cold walk to the compound, it took a good 20 min and by the time I got their I was completely frozen. I walked into the building and turned on the light. Their was a sink with a mirror right next to the door. A quick glance revealed that my nose was bigger than ever and that my right eye was starting to swell up and turn black. I took off my jacket and threw my shirt in the trash bin, then bending over the sink I let the water run over my face in an attempt to wash off the blood. This proved to be a long and painful process involving a lot of self inflicted torture soap and water. For one, the blood was smeared all over my face, but worst yet, most of it had dried. Big clots had since caked up in and around my nose, which was still swelling up and very sensitive. 45 minutes later I was finally clean. I very carefully pulled a clean T-shirt over my head and then went over to the freezer hoping to find something that might stop the swelling. Their wasn't any ice so I made due with a frozen chicken brest. Now holding the iced poultry up to the bridge of my nose I leaned back against the wall partially occupied with the question of how I would manage to get out of all this, while trying to block the painful the sensation of the spreading cold which was penetrating deep below the surface of my skin, slowing the blood flow, sucking out the throbbing heat. Desperate and in the need of some friendly counselling I weighed my options. I was aware of the fact that my emotions were completely out of control and I knew I couldn't go back to the dorm, not yet, not till I had decided what to do. But what could be done? I didn't know, I was so confused I finally decided to pre occupy myself with the fire hydrant in the hope that that would somehow take me away from my troubles. I leaned on the giant wrench watching gallon after gallon dump onto the pavement. Inhaling deeply through my nose I enjoyed the soothing sensation of the cold air numbing the pain as it flowed through my nose into my lungs. For a few minutes I sort of fell into a daze. Under normal circumstances I would have been barely able to contain myself while pulling off this practical joke but at the moment I couldn't find any humour in it. I was preoccupied with what would happen to me. A little pond had since formed in front of Jerry's office and I was starting to get cold so I cranked the wrench shutting off the water and went back inside. Standing in front of the mirror I re-examined my nose feeling the bridge pressing it a few times. The skin was strained from all the water that had flown into it. Still confused, not having come up with anything better I decided to make my way back to the dorm.

Despite wearing my T-shirt, sweater and jacket it was a very cold walk. It was one of those nights where regardless what your wearing the cold and dampness somehow penetrate your garments and freeze you to the bone. The up side to all of this was that while striding toward the dorm I seemed to gain clarity over the situation. Thinking it over, I knew of a lot of guys who had been busted for something in the service. From their recounts I was aware of the police and first sergeants tactics to try and get information. They would send different people in to ask the same question over and over, each of them urging you to think hard because this could be detrimental to your career if you didn't cooperate. Of course the interrogators would make it clear that cooperating meant signing a statement that would simultaneously incriminate myself and rat out my friends. Most guys I knew were rewarded for their cooperation with an Article 15, some of them had to for fit rank or pay and the luckily ones made out with a letter of Reprimand. What I never heard of was an offer from the first sergeant or cops, a deal if you will, to ease the punishment for an incriminating statement. Using the trouble maker guys as my reference, I couldn't come up with one of them, regardless of their level of cooperation, that hadn't been punished. In fact, in a few, lets say worst case scenario's, the situation had led to broken friendships, some of the guys becoming outcast's in their unit. I decided that I wasn't going to go that route. I knew I was going to be punished and as far as I was concerned they could take me down but, I was not going to give that bitch in the orderly room the satisfaction of having scared me into ratting out my friends.

Walking in the dorm my first stop would be Jack's room, running up the stairs to his hallway I slipped in his room and shut the door behind me. Not wasting any time we immediately began discussing how best to handle the situation. Both of us aware of how the service runs, we quickly came to the conclusion that it would be best for all of us, if we modified our story a bit. I would state that after being hit I couldn't see anymore, once the cops took a look at my face no one would question that and the other two decided that it would be best to say that they had experienced a memory lapse due to alcohol consumption, that probably wouldn't be questioned either. We walked up the hallway to Luke's room and chilled out for a little carelessly leaving the door propped open. A cop appeared in the doorway. Seeing him their I knew I was caught, he pushed the door open and walked in. He asked if I was their. 'Ya that's me.'� I said. 'Were you engaged in a fight in the NCO club tonight?'� 'Isn't it kinda obvious?'� I replied standing up. The guy was very nice and he told me if I calmly walk in front of him he would finish the formalities outside and save me the embarrassment of having to walk by all my friends in handcuffs. He warned me if I decided to run that the big drooling 150 pound Rotweiler that he was holding on to would pounce on me. The dog was very convincing, I agreed. The cop then directed me to the parking lot where he had me lean against the building with my arms and feet spread. He padded down my sides and then stood back and said, 'Guy I'm goina have to check in your pants for razors!'� pause, I turned my head to the side glancing back at him 'its routine'� he assured me. The next thing I knew the officer had pulled my pants down to my knees was fishing around my dick and balls. 'Looking for razors?'� I thought to myself, 'If I were to stash razors somewhere it sure as hell wouldn't be anywhere near my balls.'� I was then instructed to button back up, after which I was cuffed and stuffed. At the police station, which was simply the basement of a dormitory, I gave up my ID, they took off the hand cuffs and I was sent into a room with a camera on the ceiling and a stool. After denying three different cops a statement till I had spoken with a lawyer they finally left me alone. There I sat for hours; at least it felt like hours, finally, my dike First Sergeant, Butsch came and bailed my ass out. She was pissed, it was four in the morning and honestly, I didn't blame her. After getting chewed out I was sent to the dorm where I was to stay (sort of like being grounded) till Monday when I was to report to her at 8:00 in the morning. The cops had since arrested my friend Jack who had also gotten the same treatment and reaming by Butch. Cold and tired now walking back to the dorm I asked him. 'How did you get busted?'� 'It was that country fuck Squealer,'� he sighed, 'he narked me out.'� They came and picked me up a little after they came for you. At least Ralf is still clean.'�

The next morning I woke up with a splitting headache. Hoping that it was simply a very vivid nightmare I went over to the mirror. I could barely recognize myself; the eyes were the same the hair was the same, but the face. I looked like I had been in some type of bad auto accident. During the nights slumber my eyes turned black and my nose had puffed out to new proportions. My roommate who first caught wind as to what had happened that morning agreed to buy me a large dark pair of sunglasses at the base exchange. That weekend I stayed in my room occasionally visiting Jack and Ralf, basically keeping a low profile.

On Monday I arrived at work in my newest uniform, the sleeves pressed to a crease, the boots polished and glowing, clean shaven and ready to talk myself out of trouble. Sitting nervously in the break room I waited for my supervisor Msgt Butcher to arrive. The break room slowly filled up Sgt Kaety, Jeasey Peat and Buckhole were their. My supervisor quietly sat down with the other NCO´s and then Signor Master Sergeant Hendue (our boss Sgt. Wad's boss) came around the corner and sat down with the rest of us. He quietly chatted with the troops. Sgt. Wad walked in and started in with the morning briefing. 'Ohhhww Sgt. Hendue! Ha! Ha! Fuck meee! I didn't even see you there.'� He pleasantly shouted out. 'No Wad, you go on ahead with what you wanted to say, I want to have a word with the troops when you're done.'� 'Fuck!'� I thought, 'what the hells he going to say? It´ll probably be some crap about how the colonel is proud of us or where not working hard enough something along those lines, just what I needed, my bosses boss to see that had gotten in a bar brawl. If I'm real luckily Ill blend in with the other retards and he wont notice my shiner underneath these glasses'� Wad cut his morning briefing short and Hendue took over. 'Ok yaall!'� pause ' Daier´s somethah dats been brouwt to my attentschion by da first Sergeant dat, I wanta to tawlk to yaall about dis mornin.'� Long pause Hendu looking around the room, 'Some a yaall ha been fuckin up!'� everyone's eyes dropped to the floor, 'An I mean fuckin up BIEG tiame!'� pause, a dead silence came over the room as I slouched down in my chair wishing I cold disappear through the wall. 'Some of yaall ha been involved in some some serious shit! Shit day wa put you away fo. Da colonel knows bout what's been going awon! ann,'� he paused looking down on the floor 'He not gona let dis continue any further!'�schaking his head with a disappointed look about him, 'Deirs some people, in dis squadra'� Hendu looked over in my direction,'� an day already got one foot in jail,'� pause, 'an deir other foot,'� pause, ' it awon a banana peel,'� pause I could feel my heart racing. 'and dair gettin ready to slip right inn! slip right inn!'� pause as Hendue looked around the room. 'Oh, yaall know who you are!'� Hendue looked at the wall, it looked like he was about to cry then he slapped his hand on the table, 'How the fuck can ya all get in to some shit like dis?!!'� he said almost crying. 'Ya all know who ya are, an yaall need to come to me an try an straighten dis out!'� pause, 'But to be hones, it may be to late, it may be to late. Thank you for your time Sgt. Wad!'� Hendue got up and left. I just stayed in my chair petrified, 'jail, me!'� My neighbour's tails about spending time in the brig after getting in a fight in the Marines started flashing up. I did not want to spend time in jail. Right then and their I decided to go and see Sgt. Hendue.

20 min later in Sgt. Hendue´s office I explained to him what happened taking off my sunglasses. 'Lemme hav a lok a dat'� he said standing up looking down at my eye and nose. 'Damn! He got ya good.'� Said Hendue shaking his head. 'Ralf, I'm glad ya came to me about dis an I didn't hav ta fin dis out through other channels.'� 'Ya Sgt.Hendue after your briefing this morning, I thought I should talk to you right away.'� 'Ralf ya see my nose their'� he said referring to his crocked beak. I shook my head. 'When I came in the service, I entered a strown man contes in a bar. I was the lasss man standin,'� he admitted grinning from ear to ear, obviously still proud of this past accomplishment, ' my ay was swollen shu, I had a toof knocked ou an my nose ha been broken.'� He recalled looking out the window, ' I won 75 bucks that night!'� Hendu got up slapped me on the shoulder and walked towards the door of his office, 'Ill see what I can do.'� Later I would find out that the morning briefing had not been addressed to me but instead to Turner, Hendue had gotten wind about him coming up positive on his drug test. The orderly room wanted his head, Hendue knew that they had begun an investigation on him and he wanted to help him out of trouble. We didn't have a chief Master Sergeant in our unit. Basically the head honcho of all Enlisted men was the dike First Sergeant. She outranked everyone in our unit. Everyone that is accept for Hendue. Most of the other NCO´s would at least act out their dutiful ass kissing while the first sergeant was around. Hendue was an acception, he didn't take no slack from that bitch, he knew that at heart she was quite cruel and he didn't like the way she conducted business. The point was once the orderly room got news of the fight they began right away with Article 15 preparation spreading the word that all involved would loose a stripe. The same afternoon Sgt. Hendue walked into Butsches office. 'I wanta talk to you! I understan dat dare ar plans to take dose boys stripes dat got in dat fight!'� Butsch and Sgt. Hendue argued for a while but he trumped her out and stopped her from puttin the screws to us. Sometimes it's nice to have friends in high places.

Two Months Later

The work order came in; a heater pipe had blown in the water plant. Ralf looked at the work order again, 'fuck!'� he thought. 'That's where that guy works; he'll spot me for sure.'� Ralf was doing his maintenance tour that day with a guy they called Meat who happened to be his outrageously overweight boss, a Master sergeant. There was no way of avoiding the building. Its not like he could say, 'Hay Sgt Hammens I was involved in a bar brawl a couple of months ago and basically I'm still large so could I hang out in the compound while you finish the job alone?'� No that wasn't an option. Later that morning they pulled up to the building. Ralf did his best to knock out the job and get the hell out and to his relief the guy was nowhere to be seen. He quickly packed his tools in the truck but Meat wasn't ready. He was busily chatting with another Vietnam Vet. From past experience he knew that this could last for hours and it did. Meat chatted away puffing on a cigarette recalling the days in the jungle where everything seemed to be simpler, better, and not infested with these young punks. A truck pulled up and the guy got out, at first he didn't seem to pay much attention to the fat Msgt. and his assistant but then something caught his attention. He stared at him while walking past the truck and into the building, it all came back to him now their was a third guy standing in front of his shop, he continued on to the office and called the first sergeant. The news spread like wild fire, and the following afternoon I was instructed to appear in front of the first sergeant.

Butsch let us all wait for a good hour in the hallway in front of her closed door. I was with my supervisor Sgt. Butcher, Jack with his Ralf with his and the guy with his. At first it was quiet everyone tried hard to either stare at the wall or the floor. After about 15 mins, Jack's supervisor broke the silence, Brrrip, 'Oh I'm sorry'� he said a little embarrassed waving his hand around in the air, 'I can't help it, I always get gas when I get nervous.'� He admitted. But regardless of how funny that was, no one was laughing, all of us too worried about what the orderly room had prepared for us.

As it turns out the guy I got in a fight with was a boxer, he had apparently made a habit of getting into fights outside the ring. Now in Butsches office, the bull dog looking woman went on to give me an official ass chewing. With a very cross look about her she stared at me reaching over handing me my punishment, a letter of Reprimand. Like expected, I went on to state that I had made a terrible mistake, that I had brought shame upon myself my unit and the USAF and that I was very sorry that I had involved so many people in such irresponsible behaviour. Butsch threatened that another incident would cost me a stripe. I reassured her that I was aware of the graveness of my situation then she dismissed me, I snapped to attention did an about face and walked toward the door. 'Ya know!'� the first shirt said to me stopping me before I walked out. 'When I was your age I used to get in fights too.'� 'Mamm'� I replied. 'Ya you're probably saying to yourself, a woman? That's right! I used to get in fights, with men, but thy were normally bigger and stronger than me so you know what I did?'� 'No mamm'� 'I would even out the odds out by using a weapon.'� 'Yes Mamm!'� she waved her hand at me signalling for me to continue on and I left the room. I was always unsure about the message behind her confession, but aware of the Air Forces policy of leading by example I concluded that what she was basically saying was, the next time you get in a fight with a boxer, use a big stick. Take note.

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