"What do you want to be when you grow up?" The older man inquired.

"I want to be a soldier, papi like you and abuelito!" The young child piped out with a bright smile.

"All in good time." A hand came out and ruffled the wavy dark brown locks on the boy's head before the man got up and exited the room, leaving him to play with his plastic toy soldiers.

- - - - - -

Garin always knew he'd join the military. His dad was a G.I., and Granpa Tenorio a G.I. before him. The only thing different, he wasn't drafted like the former two, no he joined because he wanted to. When he was enlisted and in basic training, the drill sergeant asked him why he joined the Army, his simple response was, "To kill people and break their shit." Little did he know how true those words would be. He did many tours in the "sandbox" protecting the U.S. from terrorist attacks.

 

He adapted quite well, better than most would have thought. He grew from the skinny latino kid to a hardened man. It was one tour that would change everything though.

"Tenorio, you going to chow?"

"Yeah, give me a minute, let me finish this letter to my mom."

"Well, hurry man, the bus is about to leave!"

That was the last thing he remembered before there was an explosion to his left, and then his right. . . then suddenly there was a sharp ringing in his ears then total blackness.

He woke up days later in a military ward, pain up his right side. He saw the bandages. What happened?! There were other soldiers all around him, his brothers in arms, hurt and healing. The nurse that came to his aide told him he had been out for days. A bomb hit a bunker nearby and the explosion sent shrapnel into his side. They got most of it out, but the metal lodged in his hip would do more damage than good to remove so they left it. He'd have to live with that the rest of his life. He was then considered damaged merchandise. The military didn't want "equipment" that had a chance of falling apart on them. It cost him his career. He had to relearn to walk again, and when the weather got cold, damn it, it hurt like a bitch! Once he made a full recovery, he was medically discharged from the Army. Honorable. He could have went back to El Paso and stayed at home with his folks, but after being gone for so long he rather liked how things were. So Instead he headed for Arklay, to secure himself a job there. He had moved into a one bedroom apartment and had to learn to live the civilian life. It was hard at first, but he soon adapted, and the cute hottie that moved in next door to him made it all the better. Her name was Roxie and soon they became good friends, and the rest is history. He thought all was going good until the outbreak happened.

All he could think of when it all went down was. . ."I did not survive war for this shit. . " Rewind back to one of the reasons why he joined.'To kill people. . .' He killed many in war and killed many after the outbreak to survive. He felt no remorse, it was a dog eat dog world; (well more like people eat people, but you get the gist.) He was not one to be on the menu. His military experience helped him survive thus far, and with the help of his friend Roxie, he knew they would get through this together.