The Chemo, S-3 Shop, 4/12 Inf 1989

In 1989, the 4/12 Inf Chemo was 1LT David Livingston, an American, Chicago born. He started out working alongside us in the 1/39 Inf S-3 shop for Major Diaz-Pons, another memorable fellow who was also Chicago born.

I remember Dave out on an alert, zero-dark-thirty once again, mud-soaked, frozen, fingers cracked, stupid-tired like all the rest of us, curses flying around him like bullets, while he alone remained calm as we raised, and re-raised, and then raised again a heavy recalcitrant camo net over the M-577. The rain pissed cruelly down and somewhere nearby Noah hurriedly fitted the drain plugs back into the hull of his Ark. It all ran straight off Dave's back -- always calm, a decent sense of humor, unflappable -- he was a hell of a good guy.

Dave and his wife Stacey stopped by to see me after I'd gone down to Heidelberg as a civilian. I had sworn I would never pull the usual fresh veteran stunt of growing my hair long . . . so of course by the time he'd caught up to me, there it was, 1990-hippy-style, way on down past my shoulders. All part of that second long Summer of Love us expats celebrated after the Wall came down. Don't you remember?

The long black leather pimp jacket I was wearing, well, you'd just have to think of it as my own special touch.

Guess that's a whole 'nuther story.

Dave and Stacey went back to Detroit after they got out of the Army, and I hope they've lived happily ever after. They sure deserved to.