As promised yesterday, today I continue on with the stories surrounding those who helped shape me and/or made a difference in my life. Yesterday I talked about Sergeant Major Poe, who helped me make it through military school. Today, I would like to continue on that same theme of surviving military school. As I mentioned yesterday, I knew absolutely nobody at the academy prior to my arrival. I had visited the place only once before, though that had been a year and a half prior to my arrival. While I had a few days to get acclimated to the academy before the majority of students arrived to start the semester, that wasn’t nearly enough to be fully prepared. As it turns out, I was in no way prepared for it. I was assigned a squad leader ( Sgt Cline) who was an asshat. I had to deal with Stavropolous, who thought he was God’s gift to man even though everybody knew he wasn’t. Personally I think his “tough guy” image and mentality that he fought so hard to maintain was compensation for something. So, as I quickly became overwhelmed, two fellow cadets came to my rescue: Matt Plotkin and Jason Gore.
Matt and Jason were roommates. Jason was the company XO (Executive Officer). I don’t remember the entirety of how we became friends, but I do remember parts of a conversation at a meal. Matt was trying to come up with a nickname to call me. He finally perked up and said “I’ve got it! Milton!” and everyone at the table had a good laugh. He explained it was a character from the movie Office Space, though at that point I hadn’t seen it. That was rectified when he sent me a copy to watch when I had time. Now, some of you might wonder “why Milton?”, so I’ll fill you in. When I first started at St John’s, being immersed in a completely unknown environment and being already quiet to begin with, I had a tendency to mumble. Milton in the movie mumbles. It turns out I could do a fairly good impression of Milton from the movie. It stuck.
Matt convinced Jason that I was cool, and that they should take me under their collective wing and help me out. And so it began, a friendship that would make me lifelong friends, and help me survive the first semester of military school.
There was the time when I hacked away at the Mechwarrior III executable to enable the game to play without the cd, and when I tested it and it worked I ran down to their room with “GUESS WHAT I JUST DID!!!!”, and made them guess until finally Jason told me to just tell them. They LOVED that news. Now more than one of us could play at the same time.
There was the time when they summoned me to their room durring study hours, and we hung out goofing off until SGM Poe caught us and lectured us. That, I believe, was the end of closed doors for those two durring study hours. oops.
Jason had a particular way of calling my name that I would always hear and come scrambling to their room: “miiiiiillllllllton!”
There was one time when my squad leader, Cline, wanted me to stand at attention behind my chair in the mess hall, because I hadn’t asked to use the salt. I was sitting at a table with Matt and Jason, and Jason had specifically told me not to ask anymore. I refused to stand, because I had been told I didn’t have to ask. Cline got really really pissed off at me, but Jay backed me up (like any good friend would). Cline got demoted not long after that and I don’t even know who my squad leader became.
Sadly, Jay and Matty P were only there for the first semester of my experience at St John’s. I never actually saw Jay again after he and Matt graduated. He went on to the Army and served in Iraq. After he came back, he and Matt hung out a couple of times. Jay decided to join a military services contractor and go back to Iraq. He, Matt and I were suppoesd to go out for steaks and beer when he got back. Unfortunately, Jay was killed on April 21st 2005, when the helicopter he was travelling in was shot down outside of Baghdad. I never had a chance to thank him for helping me out that semester at St John’s.
Matty P, though, I’ve had several occasions to visit in the past few years. I got ahold of him a few years after military school, and we set up a time for me to come to Milwaukee and visit. We had a great time while I was there, and I’ve gone for two subsequent visits, each one proving to be an adventure. The second visit we went to Great America and I rode my first roller coaster (raging bull or something, if i remember correctly), and the latest visit we went to visit St John’s and got to talk with SGM Poe for over an hour. Both were great.
Matt and Jason both hold a special place in my heart and memories. They were a very large part of what kept me sane that first semester in an environment I hardly knew.
Thanks, guys.
A note on the picture above: the guy in the green shirt is Matt and the one in the grey sweats is Jay.
I’ll tell you exactly when we became friends! You were a midterm newboy (btw, they don’t do newboys anymore – all cadets wear blue name tags now) and The Boss must have wanted to keep an eye on you, because he put you in the room across the hall from his office. For whatever reason, Kline was promoted to squad leader before you showed up (I was offered a squad by Zinevich but declined), and you were placed in his squad. Within your first few days, you were obviously wound tightly. I did my best to watch for guys having a hard time, because I freaked out when I was first there, so I tried to help whenever I could. Also, since I had basically no rank, I wasn’t bound by any “authoritah” to not be someones’ friend.
So there you were, sitting at your desk in the corner by the window, furiously shining your shoes and talking to yourself. I was walking past your room, ostensibly on my way to have a cigarette in the bathroom, and I saw you struggling. I had previously picked up on your stress, so I said hey and walked in. You predictably did the thing scared newboys do, and stood while stating “Room Attention!” – that always made me laugh when anyone would stand at attention for me, like I needed the subservience! Anyways, I told you to chill and that you didn’t have to do that for me. I remember saying that I understood you were having a hard time and that Kline was a fuck face, and if you wanted a place to hang out you could come to my room. If I were Bogart, I would have told you that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship! After that, I introduced you to Jay and said that you were a cool guy and would be hanging out with us. I believe he trusted my judgment, because I don’t remember any argument from him. After that, we were buds! You’d spend a lot of time hanging out with us. One thing we did regularly was watch my pirated copy of Office Space that I had on my computer (sometimes I miss that old POS Dell with my trusty chew tin hiding on top of it). I made the Milton Waddums/John Whelan connection almost right away. I love nicknaming people, so the decision came with a snap. We were watching Office Space, Jay and I were in our desk chairs and you were sitting on Jay’s bed. I snapped to attention in my chair (Jana has that chair in her bedroom now, and it still has the piece of tape that says “PLOTKIN” on the back), and said, “I’ve got it! You will be known from here on out as Milton!” (not sure if that was the exact phrasing). And it was good. I really do miss those days! When I think of more to write, you can be guaranteed that I will, good buddy!
And for all the readers of The Missing Link, Mr. MMtMM has been my good good buddy for 7 years in January and will be one of my illustrious Best Men for my wedding in March! All the love goes out to Mr. Mighty Milton the Magnificent Mensch!
Milton! I remember all of that just like it was yesterday. The days of Echo and Gore as our 1SG. I was never as close as you and Matty were (probably because of our massive age difference) but I sure learned alot from him and will always be greatful to have him as my 1SG and XO.
I remember several occosains, where I’d sit down and cry because I was so homesick and he would help me get through it. I never really had a chance to thank him either, but I’m sure he knows now what an impact he had on all of us.
PS. The squad leaders name is spell Klein… and I hate that kid probably as much as you did. I wanted to leave school so many times because of that brat, just went out of his way to make things difficult
Ahh, Klein…. what a dick.
I hated that guy with a passion, when I refused to listen to him I think it made him cry. I almost feel bad about it, but then I think what an asshat that guy was and I don’t anymore.
Jay was awesome! He didn’t care about being “cool” or anything as silly as trying to be popular. He and Matty accepted me for being me and I fit in without trying to be someone I wasn’t. After they left, I had a hard time trying to fit in, though I eventually found a few people who I could hang out with.
Glad to see you post a response Paul! Hope things are going well with you. Hit me up on AIM sometime, ask MattyP for my SN
Our first year, when Jay was 1SG, he was the only person (besides The Boss) to visit me in the infirmary when I snapped, and the first to help me assimilate when I left the infirmary some 4 days later. I hung out with him and Cartwright (Milton, you don’t know him, but Paulie did) in their room. Jay helped me so much I can never repay him!
I will forever remember when I was REALLY scared even before I had my breakdown, he was shutting doors for the night and he was saying goodnight to me and Suby, and he said, “Remember Gentlemen, even if you are having a hard time during the day, the night is your time. No one can tell you what to do while you are sleeping.”
He was something else, that guy…
I want to wish a (early) Happy Jay Day – our boy would have been 25 on Sunday, a day before me!
Happy Jay Day!
a belated jay day; our boy would have been 26!
Thank you so much, gentlemen, for these memories. You don’t know what they mean to me…Every little memory, any tidbit of who Jason was is a treasure. It makes me so happy to know he took care of people because he had it rough early in life. I’m so proud of him and you have justified why. Thank you with all my heart.