Revision as of 10:25, 11 April 2009

Thehunter is my game character, my name is David, Dave, Blaster to my oldest friends who knew me when I was in the Marine Corps as a sniper. I have 9 children, the youngest DJ was born May 1, 2007, the eldest David Jr. was born November 4th, 1974. I am married to the most wonderful and sweet woman I have ever known, Marie. I am retired/disabled. I live in middle Tennessee between Nashville and Memphis and after traveling and living all over the world I can tell you that this is a slice of heaven. Mild weather, little or no snow which I love dearly, lol.

I was a CFO, Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Corporate Credit Manager for over 27 years. I have managed companies small and large, 5 mil in sales to 4 billion. I have lived in Detroit, MI; Cleveland, OH; Atlanta, GA; Columbia, SC; Houston, TX; Long Island, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Miami, FL; Nashville, TN; London, Eng; Tokyo Jap; Inchon, Kor, Dublin, Ire; Frankfurt, Ger; and Camden my current residence since I was 17 in the Marines. Some places I was stationed, some I lived to work. I have traveled to many other cities and countries for business but didn't reside there.

One of the things I have learned in life is how wonderful and horrible people can be. No matter where you go, what language they speak you can find ways to communicate on either the highest or lowest levels of humanity. I was in Zurich on business when the hired car I was in was hit by a truck. I was trapped for a time in the back seat, smelling gasoline and wondering if I was going to be burned alive. My arm was broken and I was having a difficult time trying to extricate myself. The car was on its side, I was hanging by the seat belt on the high side of the car. Suddenly the face of an elderly man appeared at the window above me. I could not understand a word he said and I guess that I was confused and disoriented. Realising that I did not understand him he simply laid his hand on my arm and just smiled and said "you be ok" I think those were the only words of english he knew because he just gentily patted my arm and repeated it several time. Then I could hear other voices and the elderly man called out to them, I didn't understand him. But the message was clear, hurry! Shortly thereafter I was being lifted out of the car and placed on a stretcher the man never left my side. I didn't know it at the time, but my driver had been killed, because he wasn't wearing his seat belt and was thrown into traffic.

I never got that man's name, never saw him again. But for the rest of my life I will never forget his kind face reassuring me that "you be ok".

On the other side of the coin is the horrible and cruel side of humanity. I was stationed in Inchon Korea, part of the 6th Marine Recon Division as a sniper. Part of a 3 man team, sniper, lugger, spotter who worked together in silent precision using hand and eye signals drilled into us during our training as well as learned from our long time working together. My lugger was Bill, a tall quiet man from Alabama who talked little but was solid and one of the most physically strong individuals I have ever met. My spotter was Kevin, a gregarious and outgoing guy from Corpus Cristy Texas short and wiry like an oldtime cowboy he was silent during operations, but otherwise never shut up. lol. We got along very well, trusted each other knowing that each was one of the best in their area and knew that each had the others back, no matter what. We were on an overnight pass and stopped at a bar for a few drinks and to unwind a bit. We had been in that bar dozens of times, pretty quiet and never any trouble. We liked it that way, and enjoyed the relief of pressure from ops that kept you stretched tight as a piano wire. Kevin was chattering like a magpie and drinking beer like a man drinks water in the desert. Bill and I just leaned back in our chairs and let him run, we looked at each other a few times and smiled, listening without interupting was the safest thing to do. Kevin suddenly stopped and said he had to go to the can, jumped up and headed that way. I asked Bill if he had understood much of what Kevin was saying with that Texas drawl of his. Bill just smiled and said quietly, nah sir, but he seems awful happy talkin so whut's the harm. We both chuckled at that.

That's when we heard the scream, if you ever hear it, you'll know exactly what I mean. It's heard on the battlefield, the sound of a man receiving a mortal wound, the terrible sound of someone realizing that they are going to die. We jumped up and ran to the restroom and a short stocky Korean man burst out. I never thought about it, I just hit him, I hit him harder than I had ever hit anyone in my life. He never even blinked. But then Bill reached him as the man was reaching behind his back. I am no small man, I've boxed, had fights, and I have been regarded as someone not to be messed with. Bill, now he was a man to be reconned with. I saw the blow strike the man, I saw his jaw break, saw the blood and teeth shoot out of his mouth. Bill said one word, "GO!!" I shot past the melee and hit the bathroom door.

What I saw made me sick, Kevin was laying on the dirty floor in a pool of blood. I knelt down beside him and grabbed his hand. I couldn't look below his chest at the mess the man had made of him. Instead I looked into his eyes and lied. "you'll be okay bro" A strange calm came over him, he looked into my eyes and said, "Lord son, you are the most God awful liar". Then he quietly died. When the MP's showed up with the local police we told them what we knew. Bill had beated the man to death, fitting I suppose in a justice sort of way. The locals were going to arrest him, but the MP's stared them down and they took the man's body and left. Bill and I helped the MP's put Kevin's body in the bodybag. They took us back to base, our CO talked to both of us later that day. Bill and I never spoke of it again, within days we were both reassigned and transferred to other bases. I remember the smug look on the man's face as he left that bathroom, like a demon who was almost gleeful. There are people like that in the world, I hope I never meet another one.