Marine meets Marine

I was in the Gunnery Sergeant’s office in Pensacola when Marine Kar first impacted me. With a glaringly bright smile and demeanor, Lance Corporal Spindler called the Gunny to attention with helpful advice on how to improve the quality of the women’s barracks. While she prattled on, the senior sergeant grinned at me and winked. Feigning agreement that the subject matter was in need of serious attention, the E-8 asked the E-3 if there was anything else he could do for her. “No, that’s it for now Gunny, but if I think of anything else I’ll let you know.” I was hooked.

Marine Kay claims that she did not join the Marine Corps to fall in love with another Marine. I certainly didn’t! The cruel twist of fate, and not the last, was that I was in love with a dangerously decisive enigmatic cute thang.
Though Karla initially turned me down when I asked her out for New Year’s eve 1983/4 (she had ironing to do), she agreed to go out with me and by the time she was ready to be deployed she was admitting to liking me as well. (Actually, she sobbed all the way from Florida to Michigan in such a way that by today’s standards they would have landed the plane and launched an investigation).

Karla got sent to Rota, Spain and I did everything I could to get sent there too. We had great fun in Europe for a couple of years, but afterwards headed in different directions. During the time that followed my time in the Marine Corps, I became a Christian. When Karla completed her enlistment we chose to get together one more time together to say goodbye. It did not go as planned.