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Today was the day. The Marines are being shipped to Guadalcanal. I was the only female going out to the Pacific theater. Not as a Marines but as a Corpsman in the Navy. I was a nurse with extremely good skills, and instead of being stuck on a ship helping the men, I decided that I wanted to go out into the action. I had the most skills out of most nurses anyways, and the Marines were short Corpsmen. So why the hell not. I wanted to help these men, I know I could. So that is what I wanted and that is what I was going to do. And no Japanese soldier was going to get in my way of saving these men.
I was placed within the men of H Company. The Higgins Boat I was on was jam packed with sweaty, sea sick men. I locked eyes with a man that stood next to me. His eyes had fear in them. But the look of adrenaline glazed right over them. I nodded towards him, he smiled slightly back at me and nodded back. I glanced down at his name tag. 'Leckie' it read. Funny name, sounded like 'Lucky'. He was pretty skinny, but built. His jawline chiseled. He was quite handsome. His face and just him in general stood out to me in a different way. I don't know what way, but in a way where I would remember that face and name so much different than anyone else. I looked back out on to the water. Waiting until we hit the sand.
We thought that we would be fighting some Japs when the ramp dropped as we hit the shoreline. I held my M1 carbine tightly between my fingers. Ready for anything. Though, when the ramp dropped, no Japanese soldiers were to be found. Just other companies of Marines. That meant I needed to immediately either set up my station and or find the other station with the few other Medics and Corpsmen.
I looked around as I made my way up the shore. Finalizing my thought that I was in fact the only woman. I wasn't surprised. But I wanted and wished that there might've been. I sighed and continued up the beach. Men giving me strange looks as I removed my helmet, my hair was in a tight bun fit to standards. It was clear that many believed that I did not belong here. Their words meant nothing to me. I know I would be caring for many and saving their lives. They were absent minded and didn't know any better. They were men. I didn't care all that much.
I reached the station, starting with small talk among the other Medics and Corpsmen. Though, among the words, I was able to keep pretty quiet. Keeping to myself as best as I could. Filling my med bag with the materials I needed and probably extra. Morphine, scissors, bandages, gauze, anti-clotting powder, tourniquets, gloves, IVs and needles, anything I could get my hands on basically. I filled my bag up and nodded to the other goodbye. Now I had to make my rounds, walking around fixing bumps and bruises while we waited on word from the higher ups. It wasn't too bad. Except the catcalls, few insults, the horrid heat, and many other minor complaints. Oh and the fact that the entire Japanese army was scattered within the woods we were about to walk through were blood thirsty for our infantry men and everyone in between.
As I walked, I felt and heard a man run up behind me. Out of spite I turned around to face the sound and presence of the man behind me. That face. 'Leckie' The name danced across my mind as I saw his face. He smiled at me. I gave him a slight smile back.
"Can I help you Leckie?" I asked, scanning his body for any possible injuries. When I realized there were none, I looked back up with a slight confused look across my face. He still had his smile on his face.
"Can i just say Miss L/N, you are a real pretty Corpsmen," he spoke softly. I looked around, checking to see if any men were staring or laughing. But there wasn't. Was he being serious right now? My face heated up and I swallowed. This here was no place for love or whatever this Leckie guy was trying to offer or get. Or was Leckie just trying to be a jackass? He was a pretty cute jackass none the least. I turned and started walking, Leckie now at the side of me, still awaiting my response.
"Oh, well thank you Leckie, you aren't too bad yourself," I responded, giving him a small smile. In which he gladly returned. His smile was warm, and his eyes had a warm look to them. I just melted into his eyes. Not realizing and paying attention to the stump that was right in front of my feet. Which I completely tripped over. I would've eaten complete shit if Leckie wasn't there to grab my arm in order to yank me back up to my feet. My face got even redder in which now it was from embarrassment.
"Looks like you've fallen for me Miss L/N," Leckie said, a smirk across his face. I laughed, looking up at him.
///////
Little did I know at the time, but meeting that man, would change my entire life. From there, Leckie and I grew close. I joined his little squad and we all became close friends. I had started to catch feelings for the man, in whichI didn't know he felt the same why I did. It was until Melbourne until we really interacted together. He danced with me, walked around town with me. He even kissed me at the end of the night. My heart was filled. It couldn't be better.
When Leckie and the rest of our squad got hit, and Chuckler was missing. I was the one to go and take care of almost all of them. When I was taking Robert off the field after he was hit pretty bad, a Jap had shot me through my shoulder. Just missing one of the main arteries. Earning both me and Robert a ticket home. We stuck together on that boat and on the way home. It was there when he asked me to go home with him. Life went on from there. It was amazing.
It was just a few months after that Leckie had asked me to be his wife. Of course I said yes! And not even three months later, we had our big New Jersey wedding. Our squad came and our families did too. It was absolutely amazing. The ceremony was perfect and the reception was beautiful. My life was getting better each day Robert was in it. Every day we spent with each other. I'm ready to spend my life with this man, no matter what. Like my vows stated to him, through sickness and health, for better and for worse, for richer to poorer, till death do us part. I will stay with Robert, and be his wife.
