| Subject: Go Navy Blue- Ch. 3 |
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Grandma JAG
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Date Posted: 15:16:03 11/03/02 Sun
In reply to:
Grandma JAG
's message, "Go Navy Blue" on 14:56:06 11/03/02 Sun
Part 3
U.S. Naval Academy
Monday morning 0800 hours
Harm and Mac walked into the classroom to greet their 30 students that they were in charge of for the next six weeks. The buzzing classroom immediately became silent as the midshipmen snapped to attention.
“As you were,” Harm said. The students relaxed and took their seats. “Good morning,” Harm continued. “My name is Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. and this is my partner, Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. We are both lawyers with the Judge Advocate General’s office in Washington D.C. We’ve been asked to conduct a six week seminar on military law---something that you need to be extremely familiar with as officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The military has more rules and regulations than any other entity in the country, and it is your responsibility to know the laws inside and out, especially when it comes to dealing with enlisted men and women.” Harm started handing out a syllabus of the course as Mac continued.
“We are going to focus on a different area of military law each week. This week we will be dealing with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Next week will be the Navy Instructions and Manuals, followed by the Navy Directives, the Ethics and Standards of Conduct, the Manual for Courts-Martial, and finally, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals Decisions.” Seeing the overwhelmed look on the majority of the faces, Mac relaxed and smiled at her captive audience. “It can be overwhelming, I know. That’s why the Commander and I have chosen to present the material in as interesting a way as possible. We will be spending each morning giving you material on which we expect you to take detailed notes, and then the afternoon session will be spent in small discussion groups. We will present real-life situations to you from our own experiences, those that aren’t Classified anyway. At the end of each session we will open it up for questions. You will be expected to summarize what you’ve learned each day in a learning log that will be turned in daily. You may ask questions there as well, in case we ran out of time, or you didn’t want to ask it in class. Each log will be read by either the Commander or myself, where we will make comments and answer any questions you had. At the end of the seminar, there will be a comprehensive exam on all the material covered, so it is in your best interests to keep up on the reading and participate in the discussions. Are there any questions up to this point?”
Seeing none, Mac hoped that she hadn’t totally intimidated them. She smiled and continued, “It is our hope that this will be an interesting seminar as well as informative. With that in mind, we’d like to take a few minutes to give each of you an opportunity to introduce yourself and tell us something about your background, why you are here, and what your goals are for the future. I’ll start.”
Mac told about her military background and how that led to her legal career. As she walked around the room and listened to each student sharing his/her story, she made some mental notes about some of the more notable ones that she was to spend the next six weeks molding into future officers of the Navy and Marine Corps.
Bradley Whiting: The proverbial computer geek. Serious, straight to the point, no-nonsense.
Jason Grover: The jock. Blond, blue eyes, handsome, a real jokester.
Samuel Alexander Cunningham, III: The legacy. Father is a retired Admiral and Academy grad, as was grandfather, and probably every relative dating back to John Paul Jones. A real know-it-all. Harm raised one eyebrow when this story was being told. The looks on the other students’ faces told a story of its own. This was one to keep an eye on, Mac decided.
Patricia Burmeister: The feminist. Obviously had an agenda to prove that she could do anything a man can do. Wanted to be called ‘Pat” instead of ‘Patricia.’
Laura Provost and Jeff Bailey: The couple. There was obviously something going on between these two, Mac noted. The way they looked at each other when it was the other’s turn to share said a lot about how they felt about each other. Mac felt a pang of jealousy at this not-so-discreet expression of young love. ‘Hey, you’re still young!’ she thought to herself. ‘Don’t give up on love yet!’
Harm took his turn last. Mac watched the looks of amazement on the students’ faces as Harm told the story about his father and how that inspired him to attend the Academy. They stared in fascination as he related his experiences as an F-14 pilot and how he had to change career directions when he was diagnosed with night blindness, which proved later to be a misdiagnosis.
“But by that time it was too late for me to resume my career as a pilot,” Harm continued. “I had already established myself as a competent lawyer and really enjoyed the challenges of the courtroom. I tell you all this to make a point. Don’t pin all of your hopes and dreams on one aspect of the Navy. It may not turn out to be what you expected. The bottom line is this: you are serving our country in the United States Navy, and you will be placed in the area of its greatest needs at the time. Your job is to do the best you can in whatever area you are placed.”
Mac smiled as she listened to Harm tell his story. She knew it all, of course, but it was different somehow, hearing him tell it this way, and watching the students’ reactions.
“So, let’s get started.” Harm changed his tone of voice, as the teacher in him came to the surface. “The Uniform Code of Military Justice is the set of laws passed by Congress that’s intended to apply to all active duty members of the armed forces.......”
Academy Officer’s Mess Hall
1230 hours
Harm and Mac went through the buffet line reviewing the morning’s session. Mac shared with him the different things she had noted about each student, and found that he had made similar observations. As they looked for a place to sit, Harm noticed that a face that looked familiar to him was motioning them to come over to his table. Harm caught Mac’s eye and gestured in that direction.
As they approached, the man introduced himself. “I’m Joe Young, your neighbor. I believe you already met my wife, Millie.” Mac stifled a giggle at the thought of the brownie incident.
“Captain,” Harm acknowledged his rank.
“Please, call me Joe. We try to be informal in the mess hall.” He motioned to the man sitting next to him. “Let me introduce Commander Jack O’Leary, also of the engineering department.”
Jack stood up and shook hands with Harm and Mac. “Please, have a seat. It’s nice to have a rose among the thorns, ma’am,” he drawled, looking at Mac.
Mac felt her face flush as Harm glared at this man’s assertiveness.
“So how did your first session go?” asked Joe, quick to change the subject.
“Very well,” Harm replied, glad to have something to talk about. “I think we have a good group to work with.”
“Military law can be a dry topic,” Jack commented. “How do you plan on presenting it?”
“Oh, we have a few tricks up our sleeves,” Mac interjected.
“I’ll bet you do,” Jack replied, not taking his eyes off Mac. She thought about giving him a ‘yellow light’, but decided against it. Maybe she was just imagining the way he was looking at her.
Harm, however, looked ready to deck the guy. How dare he come on to Mac like that! They’d only just met! At least it didn’t look like Mac was reciprocating in any way. Maybe she was finally coming to her senses about her choices in men.
Joe finished his last bite and got up to leave. Jack reluctantly followed suit.
“We’ve both got classes at 1300, so we better get moving. Oh, Rabb,” Joe said, almost as an afterthought, “We have a weekly poker game every Friday night. It’s a good way to unwind after a hectic week. Interested?”
“Sure,” Harm brightened at the prospect of meeting some of the other officers on the faculty.
“Great! 1900 hours Friday night. We meet at Jack’s place, since he’s the only single guy in the group--the house at the end of the block.” Harm thought to himself, ‘Great---an evening with Don Juan, himself!’ But it was too late to refuse now, so he just smiled and nodded his head.
Joe looked over at Mac and added, “Millie has the gals over to our place. I’m not really sure what all they do, but she said that if I saw you, to be sure and extend an invitation.”
Mac thought that the last thing she wanted to do was spend an evening with a bunch of Navy wives, talking about their husbands and whatever other gossip they could muster, but she just smiled and said, “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
“Well, just let her know. Later,” Joe said in farewell, as Jack gave Mac a huge smile and nodded his head.
Harm thought better than to make a comment to Mac about what just went on, so instead he started talking about what they were going to do in their afternoon session.
#
The rest of the week went well. Harm and Mac were totally engrossed in the task at hand, and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. The students proved to be very bright, grasping onto each concept with voracity. Their questions showed that they were really thinking, and kept Harm and Mac on their toes. Each evening was spent going over each student’s learning log, and answering their many questions.
“Good thing we brought these reference books up with us,” Harm commented one evening, both of them sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of books between them. “These kids are sharp!”
“Kind of gives you hope for the new generation, doesn’t it?” Mac smiled in agreement. “Maybe there is hope for the future of the military after all!”
“Hey, jarhead, don’t put us out to pasture yet!” commented Harm. “We still have a few years left.”
“Yeah, but I’m really feeling good about being able to make a contribution like this, to the future of these young men and women. I think that if I hadn’t joined the Marines, that I would have liked to become a teacher,” Mac said, wistfully.
Harm looked at his partner with a new respect for her abilities. “You would have been a great one, too,” he said quietly. ‘But then I would have never met you,’ he thought to himself. “I’m really enjoying this, too,” he said aloud. “But this job is exhausting! I must say, I haven’t had any trouble sleeping this week! I’m glad tomorrow is Friday.”
“Looking forward to your poker game?” Mac grinned.
Harm groaned as he replied, “I almost forgot about that. It’ll be good to meet some of the other guys, and hopefully I won’t lose my shirt. It’s been awhile since I’ve played cards. What about you? Looking forward to your little coffee klatch?”
Mac groaned even louder. “Millie was over here earlier, pestering me so much about it, that I finally just said I’d go to get her to leave.”
“Hey, look at it this way,” Harm chuckled, “maybe you can get her secret recipe for brownies!” He ducked as Mac threw a pen in his direction. “Easy, Marine!”
Comm. Jack O’Leary’s residence
Friday night 1905 hours
All the others had already arrived and were sitting at the table with beers in their hands, laughing about something one of the plebes had said. Joe brought Harm over to introduce him to the group.
“Everyone, this is Harm Rabb, the JAG officer that is with us for the next few weeks.” Nodding toward a man about Harm’s age, Joe said, “That’s Brian Samson, business.” Brian mock saluted in response. Joe then indicated an older gentleman in his 60’s and introduced him. “Morris Upton, aeronautics. Should be retired by now, but we can’t get rid of him.”
Morris winked at Harm as Harm gasped, “Commander Upton? But, of course, you must be an Admiral by now. I had you for several of my aeronautics classes while I was here. But you probably don’t remember me, it was so long ago----not that your memory is bad or anything.......”
“Still babbling, huh Rabb?” Morris said, with a twinkle in his eye. “How could I forget my star student? The one whose model rocket exploded and landed on the roof of Rickover Hall, the one whose first experience in the simulator caused the entire aeronautics staff to rewrite the curriculum? You’re not easy to forget, Rabb.”
Harm grinned sheepishly and reached over to shake the older man’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”
“Please---- we’re all here on a first name basis tonight, Harm,” Joe said, as he brought Harm a beer. “Well, let’s get started, what do you say, fellas?”
The evening turned out to be all right, even better than he had expected. Seeing Commander, er....Admiral Upton again was a real highlight. Joe and Brian were okay guys, too. And he hadn’t even lost any money yet. The only down side to the evening was Jack O’Leary. Harm had pretty much managed to ignore most of his comments without being rude. But then the subject turned to Mac.
“So, Rabb, how’s it going, shacking up with a beautiful woman for six weeks?” Jack smirked as he dealt the cards.
“Excuse me?” Harm raised an eyebrow at the question. He tried to downplay it as he picked up his cards.
“Sarah MacKenzie. She’s one beautiful babe, don’t you think?” Jack tried to pry into Harm’s mind to see what made him tick.
“Mac is one amazing *Marine*,” Harm responded, emphasizing the word ‘Marine.’
“Oh, come on Rabb, you don’t mean to tell us that nothing is going on between you two?” Jack persisted. “You can’t possibly be staying under the same roof with a chick like that and not do *something*!”
“Mac and I have worked together for six years and have been in closer quarters than this.” Harm silently prayed that he would be able to keep his cool with this man. “I have the utmost respect for her.”
“Translated, means you haven’t gotten to first base, right?” Jack really knew how to get Harm’s goat.
“No, it means that I have the highest respect for her as a fellow officer, a lawyer, as well as a woman,” Harm gritted his teeth.
“So you lay no claim to her then?” Jack asked.
“Mac and I are just friends,” Harm replied, wondering why Jack was making an issue out of this. The others just sat there in anticipation.
“Then you won’t mind that I asked her out for tomorrow night?” Jack gave Harm a big, lustful grin that finally undid Harm’s cool demeanor. He jumped up from his chair, almost toppling the table.
“You did *what*?” Harm’s six foot four frame made Jack’s five foot ten stature look miniature.
“I said that I asked her out for tomorrow night,” Jack retorted in response.
Harm was speechless. He gulped and took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm himself down.
Sensing that fists were about to fly, Joe stepped in. “Uh, let’s call it a night, shall we gentlemen?”
Harm and Mac’s residence
Friday night 2230 hours
Harm walked into their quarters to find Mac curled up on the couch, a pile of learning logs sitting in her lap.
“Back so early, sailor?” Mac teased. “I see that you still have your shirt.”
“Hi, Mac,” Harm replied, not sure what to say. He was still fuming at Jack O’Leary. How could she go out with a guy like that? “So, you’re home early, too. What happened to your wives’ club?”
“Too much ‘wife’ talk,” Mac replied. “I couldn’t relate to most of what they were talking about. So I told them that I had papers to grade and needed to call it a night. And since we’ve been talking all week about ‘honor, courage, and commitment’, I felt like I had to follow through with my story. So---here I am,” she laughed, gesturing toward the stack of papers she was reading.
Harm was silent as he walked to the kitchen to get a beer. He knew he had probably already had enough, but he felt like he needed another drink before he pursued what he knew was going to be an unpleasant confrontation.
“You’re awfully quiet, Harm.” Mac looked at him quizzically. “Is everything all right?”
Harm came into the living room and sat down in the chair opposite the couch. He took another drink of his beer before he spoke. “Mac, why didn’t you tell me that Jack O’Leary asked you out?” ‘Here it comes,’ he thought. ‘Brace yourself.’
Mac paused and looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. “I wasn’t aware that we needed to report to each other things of a personal nature.” ‘God, she sounded like a lawyer!’
At that point, Harm let his anger and frustration overcome his common sense. “Damnit, Mac, the guy is a jerk! How could you possibly go out with him? In all these years of failed relationships, haven’t you learned anything about men? When a woman looks like you do, men are only interested in one thing! I would have thought that by now you would have figured that out!”
Harm continued on with a few more choice words about her past relationships, ready to argue any defense she might have, when suddenly he realized that she hadn’t said a word. He stopped and looked at her, waiting.
After what seemed like hours, Mac spoke. She looked right at him and very calmly said, “I turned him down, Harm.”
Incredulous, Harm looked at her and said, “You what?”
“I said, I turned him down.” Mac’s voice got a little louder and more deliberate, as if she were speaking to someone elderly and hard-of-hearing. “But then I don’t suppose he mentioned that, did he?”
“No, he didn’t,” Harm replied, half-apologetically. ‘God, what had he done now?’ he said to himself.
“You’re right, Harm, he is a jerk. And I would no more go out with him than I would a mass murderer,” Mac tried to remain calm, but she could feel her voice getting louder as her anger started building. “Why do you continue to feel the need to be my big brother, my protector? Yes, I’ve made some bad choices in the past, but why is that a concern of yours?” She found herself yelling now.
“Because I care about you, Mac,” Harm replied, quietly.
“Care about me, do you? Or isn’t it that you simply have this need to control me, just like you need to control everything around you?” She had started in on him now, and couldn’t seem to stop herself. “What about your past relationships? You haven’t exactly been the poster boy for long lasting relationships, either!”
Mac jumped up from the couch, scattering the pile of papers she had been grading. “When are you going to realize that I can take care of myself? I don’t need you or anyone else to make decisions for me!”
Harm suddenly realized his mistake and wished he could take back all he said. After all the progress they had been making, and he had to destroy it all with one stupid statement. “Mac, I’m sorry, I........” he started.
Mac started toward her bedroom. “I can’t deal with this right now!”
Harm looked at her in astonishment. Here they were under the same roof, and she was still running away from him! He became angry again. “And just when *are* you going to be able to deal with it, Mac? You’ve been running away from me for over a year now. When are we going to be able to talk about our feelings for each other?”
Mac looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, “I don’t know, Harm.” And with that she went into her room and slammed the door.
Harm just stood there for a few moments, shocked at what had just happened. ‘Well at least we made it a week before we had our first fight’, he thought, as he turned out the lights and went to bed.
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