Page 11 - chuckclark_ccompany
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On the third, Todd’s parents drove him to Rochester.
After saying his goodbyes, he boarded a bus along with
about forty other recruits. As Todd stowed his bag in the
rack above the seats, he noticed he would be sitting next to
a young, nice-looking blond man whom he recognized.
He put out his hand. “Hi. I’m Todd Simms. I remember
you from Linden High.”
“Hello. I’m Denny Duncan. I was a freshman when you
were the quarterback on the senior varsity team. I
remember your picture from the wall in the ROTC room. I
was in the ROTC in my last two years of school. Does your
family own the hardware store in town?”
“Yeah, I’ve been working there. My father expects me to
take over when he retires. It looks like we are off on a big
adventure.”
“Yep. We’re in the Army now. My father was a little
disappointed that I didn’t join the Marines, but I wasn’t
ready. He is a retired Marine colonel. It’s too late now. At
least he won’t have to keep explaining why his boy isn’t in
the service.”
“At one point I thought about joining the Air Corps,” Todd
said, “so I went to the recruiting office, and the guy asked
me if I had two years of college. He said if I did, it would be
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