When I heard the announcement for noon, I realized I'd gotten more immersed in my reading than normal following the discussion session. There was nothing for it; I'd be hiking across campus on my own today, which was a shame. Normally, with two or three others, the discussions would resume on our walks.

I bundled my books, grabbed my cane (I didn't always need it, but it was best to be safe rather than sorry) and walked off with a slight limp. Thinking my knee injury seems to pain me more as years go by. There was a time, back when I was in good shape that it never bothered me. Okay, I was also better keeping up with the physical therapy routine then, too.

Without thinking, I took a shortcut, behind some buildings, in order to get home sooner. As I came out from behind them, I happened to notice a group of young men just hanging around. They didn't have the look of your typical college student, so I figured they must be locals who'd come on campus for some fun. I angled my walk a bit to go around them. When they moved to follow me, I angled more toward the quad entrance than the way I'd normally continue the shortcut, walking as if I'd planned to go that way all along. As I got there, they caught up with me.

"What's this guys?"

"Looks like a girl, Sam."

They were around me now.

"Yup, I think it is. Perhaps she'll be nice to us and we'll be nice to her?"

Interrupting before they got further along, "Gentlemen, please. This is not a good place for an altercation, what with all the vets in the student body."

They seemed to delay, then one of them took a grab at my cane, about the time I saw someone familiar crossing. "Sgt Ramirez" I called, raising my voice and naturally dropping into the command voice that had been so familiar, luckily not dropping the pitch to the one I'd have used on a parade field. "I could use a little help over here."

He looked up, took the situation in a glance and marched (that's the only way to describe the transition from how he'd been just walking before) over; the boys parting before him.

"Yes, Ma'am." The lack of question in his voice told me he already knew what my problem was, and was waiting for direction on how I wanted it solved.

"I'm afraid I was wandering out alone, and happened to encounter these gentlemen who seem to think I should be granting favors. I was wondering if you might make sure I didn't have to?"

Meanwhile, the boys were taunting things like "look at the toy soldiers" and "she'll be fun" while edging a little away from Jeff.

"I think we can manage that." He took a quick look around, whistled as only a DI can and barked out three names and our location, and from three directions they came at a trot.

Their appearance seemed to take some of the wind out of the boys' sails. There's something about three large, fit men converging on them at the direction of another that made the ten of them wonder if they were in the right place.

"You three keep an eye on these boys while I take the Captain for a short walk." At the same time, he reached out and grabbed my cane from the boy who had it, handed it to me and said "Ma'am, this way."

And, that was it, we walked away, and as I learned later, the boys wandered off, realizing they wouldn't have any fun with those three guys, as Jeff had known.

"Thank you for the rescue, Jeff."

"All part of the service, ma'am."

You know my name.

"How could I not, what with my big brother all but engaged to your daughter but you started it, when you called me by rank."

"True, but I think the effect wouldn't' have been the same had I called you "you hoo, Jeffrey."

"No, you're right there. You took just the right pose with the kids and there were enough other vets around we could pull that off. But, what were you coming in that back way for? You had no business back there alone."

"It never used to be an issue."

He snorted, "Of course not. Back then George would have been too intimidating or at least of little interest for what they wanted, now Alice, not so much."

Sighing, "Yes, that's been made quite clear, in a way that at least I can learn from. And, how did you come to understand that difference in people?"

"I have sisters, Ma'am, and they talk about it."

"Come to think of it the girls have said such things. It just never sunk in before that it would apply to me, as well."

He laughed at that one. "The one comes from the other."

"Yes, some things change, but others don't. Thanks Marine!"

"Always ready to pull the Navy out of trouble."

The reading of the "climate"; observing of individuals and such isn’t all that unrealistic. It’s an aspect of situational awareness. When you’ve been in highly dangerous environments for extended periods of time, if you’re any good, you develop a heightened awareness. In the military, you’re (taught indirectly via observation) how to issue commands or even say someone’s name to get immediate attention. And, even years later, when you hear that kind of call it can trigger similar reactions in you. They say once a Marine, always a Marine. There’s a lot to that.

Comments are greatly appreciated!