WALKING GREENBUSH

He was pleased with his fitness level, but he wondered if the climate, terrain, and dust would affect him more so on the impending deployment. On the first deployment it took time for everyone to adapt to Iraq’s geography and climate; this time he would be six years older by the time he got back in-country. He tilted his head up and stared at the scars on his neck. The civilian plastic surgeon the Army sent him to after the 1058th returned from its first deployment in 2004 did a good job. He ran his fingers over the jagged lines where the shrapnel tore through his neck. They were almost invisible, but the discolored and irregularly shaped skin, created by skin-grafts were what people noticed. When he was introduced to someone or just in the supermarket, glances and eye contact went to his neck first then his face, back to his neck then to his eyes. Even his fourth grade students stared at the disfigured skin. At first it bothered him and he tried to hide the scars. Eventually, however, as the inflamed and bitter skin calmed he stopped trying to hide the wound. Keith finished getting ready for bed. Usually he fell asleep quickly. This night, however, he lay in bed with memories of the previous deployment and speculations as to what the upcoming mission might be like.He wasn’t afraid, but he knew bad things happen on deployments. He witnessed a gruesome accident involving two trucks that were, fortunately, not part of his unit. One of soldiers was nearly cut in half. Memories of the Iraqi children he and the other soldiers befriended and taught at the civil affairs center they established on the base tried to enter his thoughts. But, as always, he refused those thoughts and focused on something less poignant to redirect his brain. He thought about the soldiers in the unit and how they would react to the mobilization order. In his squad there were only three married soldiers. They would have a much harder time preparing for deployment than he. Life as single guy was uncomplicated and deployment made it even less so. The most complicated thing he was going to have to do was to find someone to watch his dog, Caisson, and check on the house periodically. Most likely, Savanna would offer to be the caretaker. On deployment, all he had to do was his job, everything else was provided. Still, sometimes, he felt it would be nice to have someone he could think about during the deployment. Even on his annual training with unit, when the guys were talking or complaining about girlfriends or wives he thought about having someone more permanent in his life. He had stories to tell for sure, but sometimes his home felt empty.