The German cadet, p4 : unexpected end by thadeusz

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After that day, marking my real entrance in the Corps of Cadets, I kept studying as well as I could. During the day, I studied with other cadets in class but luckily Professor Kenwood made it possible for me to be with 11th graders for all the courses for which I had obtained a "pass". For English, I had to sit with 10th graders despite the fact that I had made huge progress.

Professor Kendal guided me through the Advanced Placement classes while telling me that these classes would give me advanced college credits: he knew that all I wanted was to go to a good College in order to be accepted in a great University for my graduate courses. I studied these courses like a madman and took very little leisure, except the compulsory sport and military training sessions. Professor Kendall also told me that I had to take more rest, otherwise I would never succeed to finish my program.

One day I was called to the Colonel’s office. There I met Julian. The Colonel told us that our parents had both obtained US citizenship and that we were thus also considered as US citizens. Julian was very happy and said so. I objected that I liked my German citizenship and that I did not intend to become an American. The Colonel looked angry and replied:
"One does not refuse such a big present. You are now a US citizen and that’s it."
He then added:
"You have both been enlisted, with many other cadets, in the Marine JROTC Corps."
"But", I replied, "I don’t want to join the military."
"That’s enough Cadet Reubart, following your father’s instructions you have been placed in that great Corps of cadets in order to prepare your future in the Marine Corps, like Cadet Lopez."
We were then told to leave the Colonel’s office. Julian was beaming but I made purposely a very sloppy salute.

Luckily, Julian’s mother kept inviting me whenever it was possible. That means only when my Master Sergeant allowed me to leave the grounds of the Academy. In these cases he always required that I first went through the hands of the Barber, and since I was still considered as a plebe, and since the Sergeant Barber did not like me, he always gave me a neat induction cut, despite the fact that I was old enough to be a 10th grader ! I must admit that during the rest of the time, when I was sent to the Barber for my weekly haircut, he gave me an acceptable short buzz cut. Once, just before going out to Julian’s family, I asked him if he could not give me the same haircut as he gave my friend Julian: a real High and Tight, but the Barber replied:
"A High and Tight for a plebe ! Never heard of that ! You don’t need to be elegant, you just need to be clean ! And for that I will give you this time an extra short induction cut."
That’s what he did and … it was painful because he kept turning and pushing my head. The result was dreadful. After that, I no longer asked him for anything.

At the end of the school year, in May, I learned that I had passed successfully all the tests imposed on me. I was thus admitted in 11th grade, but I still had to work more to have a better English. I was thus "confined to barracks" during the holidays. Mrs Lopez, Julian’s mother, claimed that she was authorized to have me at her place during the holidays. The Colonel replied that there was no reason for that since I was no longer Julian’s roommate. I could now spend my holidays with Robert provided his parents invited me and my father accepted this situation. Mrs Lopez claimed that she had been authorized by my father, but the Colonel told her that this authorization did not exist: in fact my father had authorized me to spend part of my "free time" with my roommate only. I never knew if this was true, but I decided to live with it and use this "free time" to study my Advanced Placement courses.

This time, the Sergeant Barber did no longer give me a pure baldy but he was kind enough to start a High and Tight. In fact I did not like this H&T, but it was better than being again shorn to the woods. I was then told to put on my usual BDU marine uniform and leave the Academy with Cadet Robert Miller, my roommate. We were both 15 then. That’s when Robert and I were told to go to a real Marine Corps JROTC camp to be trained as future soldiers. We were not alone: we were sent there with 9 other cadets. It was exactly what Robert hoped, and it was the Colonel’s decision for me since my father had not given instructions for my holidays. Julian did not join us on that "holiday camp".

We stayed in that dreaded US Marine camp for four weeks doing all kinds of very military exercises, including lots of shooting. Of course everything had to be done in a perfect military way including salute and taking care of our uniforms and bunks. In fact we had been shipped to a real US Marine base where we lived the real life of the real Marines. Robert enjoyed it a lot but I did not and I was punished twice for "conduct unbecoming a Marine".

As soon as we were back in our Military Academy, I was told to go to the Colonel. This required of course a visit to the Barber who decided to give me another serious shaving: he had heard that I did not behave perfectly in this real Marine camp and wanted to correct me by giving me once again a pure baldy. I was once more shorn to the woods and I hated the stupid brutality of the barber. I then sprung, literally, in my Dress Blue uniform in order to race to the Colonel’s office. There was a surprise waiting for me there.

The Colonel told me first that he had received a very bad report concerning my behavior in the camp:
"You have adopted a very non-militaristic attitude. If you keep behaving like that, your father will probably be angry and take you out of this school where you are doing well," was the Colonel's first part of his speech. But the most interesting part came just after that scolding:
"Cadet Reubart, I have received a letter from your father. This letter contained a letter in German for you. I cannot read German, but it looks like an official letter. Can you tell me what your birth country wants from you now that you have started your Military life in the US Marine Corps ?"
The Colonel handed me this letter, open, and asked me what it was about. I read rapidly the content, thought during two seconds and replied:
"Colonel, this is an official letter from the German Army. They want to know my precise address in order to prepare my papers for my military service in my original country."
The Colonel, very wisely, replied:
"But you are no longer German. You are a US Citizen now and you could enlist in the Marine Corps."
"Yes Colonel. Could you write a certificate saying that I am living here for the time being and that I don’t want to serve in the German Army anymore ?"
"I cannot write that in German, but you could and I will simply certify that this Institution is your present address."

I left the Colonel’s office rather pleased. I wrote a nice and precise letter in German stating that my present address was this Military boarding school I hated. I added that Mrs Lopez, Julian’s mother, would confirm that and that all future mail from this German official to me should be directly sent to me, through Mrs Lopez. The Colonel was kind enough to certify that "I" was really the person they wanted to join. He did not read my letter to the German official: I did not show it to him.

After that, during the rest of the holidays, I worked for school. When the Summer Camp started, I was told to help the Cadets in charge of guiding the new campers. I was still a plain Cadet. When the equivalent of Cadet Plebe Training started, my Master Sergeant told me that since I had behaved rather well, despite some negative comments, during my trip to the real Marine Boot Camp, he had suggested that the Colonel would give me a promotion and the Colonel, very wisely, told me to keep helping for this Plebe Training without any promotion. I did it: I had no choice.

When the real school year started, I was still with the same gung-ho roommate. Mrs Lopez obtained the permission to invite me to spend some week-ends with my friend Julian at their house. It was a real relief. It was also the place where I received letters from that German official and where I could answer him more precisely than in the Institution. Mrs Lopez knew all about this, including the content of the letters. I did not confide in anyone else, not even in my friend Julian who was now a Corporal in our Institution.
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I was 17 when I reached Grade 11. I kept studying very hard under the direction of Professor Kendal who made me take special exams for all my Advanced Placement courses. He also gave me regular attests concerning my exam results, which were usually good or even very good.

In December I got the authorization to spend the Christmas holidays with the Lopez family, provided I promised not to attend the Roman Catholic service with them. I considered that as an insult since I had clearly stated that I was an atheist. Nevertheless, to be able to spend my holidays with people I had come to really like, I promised not to attend their religious service and, of course, I broke my promise and went to their church.

My head had been neatly shaved by the Sergeant Barber just before leaving the Academy. Julian had a nice but relatively short haircut since his mother required it, despite his request to have it shorter than three inches in length on top and skin faded on the back and sides. The Barber took his revenge with me: he gave me an excellent buzzcut, adapted to my future incorporation. There was nearly no hair left on my head which had been pushed in all possible directions while the Barber let his clippers mow my head rather brutally. He did not take into consideration my age nor the fact that I was on the verge of being promoted to PFC. He did not like me and he brutally did what he knew I hated: pushing and turning my head brutally in all possible directions. He included a forced inclination of my head in such a way that my chin hurt my chess brutally. In fact he was right: while all the other educators started to believe that I had accepted the future they had invented for me, i.e. enlisting in the Marines, this dreadful Barber had realized that I hated the Marine Corps and the uniform I was forced to wear. I don’t know how he had guessed that, but he treated me, every time I had to go and sit on his chair, as if I was a fierce enemy of the Marine Corps. He thus tried to force me to love this very respectable corps.

During this holiday period, Mrs Lopez helped me to contact a place which I considered as really important for my future.

After these holidays, the routine went on except that I was promoted to Cadet CPL for my excellent school results. This gave me more opportunities to help my roommate Robert who really needed help to get the required diploma to be able to enlist in the Marine Corps as a plain Marine.

In the beginning of May, I was summoned to the Colonel's office. I was 18 since a few days and ready to realize my project. I purposely omitted to change and I did not put on my dress blue uniform. I remained in my Utility Uniform wearing my green cap. The Colonel winced but said nothing when he saw me dressed like this in his office. He had something important to tell me.
"Cadet CPL Reubart, your start in this Academy was difficult. We can understand that, considering that you had rather brutally been separated from your dear father. Nevertheless you worked well until now, despite a serious problem in English which forced this Academy to make you repeat your 10th grade. But you are now solidly at the end of your 11th Grade. It is time to think about a College for you after your 12th Grade."
"Yes, Colonel," was my simple reply.
"Considering your present results for regular courses and all the results you got for Advanced Placement courses, I thought that you could do well in ‘The Citadel’, the Military College of this state. After 4 years, you would have your diploma and the possibility to start a military career as an officer in the US Marines Corps. Your father approves this project and he has signed the necessary documents. I obtained for you a 4 year scholarship in this College provided you promise to enlist later in the Marine Corps. Here is the document you have to sign in order to be accepted next year in this Great Institution."
The Colonel pushed a document towards me with his left hand and a pen with his right hand expecting that I would sign this contract. But I replied differently.

Until the end of the Colonel’s speech, I had been standing, wearing my uniform nearly perfectly according to the rules. At the end of this speech, I decided to sit, without asking for the authorization, and I spoke differently:
"Colonel, I am NOT going to sign this binding contract."
"But in that case you lose the scholarship I just mentioned, a scholarship which has been approved by your father."
"Colonel, do you remember that letter I received from Germany some time ago ?"
"Yes, Cadet, but what has this to do with your scholarship and your military future ?"
"Colonel, I did not tell you the truth about this letter. In fact, it had been sent by a German Notary Public acting on behalf of my Grandparents’ estate. They died without leaving a will. As a consequence, their fortune automatically went to their only grandson. And that’s me, even if they did not like me. I have thus enough money to pay the school expenses in the College of my choice. I am thus going to leave this school which for me was a real hell."
"You cannot do that. You are a minor and your father has approved your registration in ‘The Citadel’."
"Colonel, my father and you approved that registration in an institution, but you never asked me what I really wanted. I am no longer a minor: I turned 18 a few days ago. I have proof of all the exams I took here and I am accepted in a great University for my studies in Computer Sciences. It is now time for me to say ‘Goodbye’ to you."
After I finished my sentence, I pushed my green cap on my head back in front and I left the Colonel’s office without saluting him.

I went to my room, prepared all my things but I left behind all my uniforms. I left the Academy where I had suffered a lot. I went to the Lopez house and from there to Los Angeles in order to go to UCLA where I had been accepted without scholarship, but with many certificates concerning my success in Advanced Placement courses.

Several years later, I am now a specialist in Computer Sciences and in Cyberdefense. I have a great team working for me and I lead a happy life thanks to the diplomas I got from UCLA and (as a graduate student) from MIT. I now live in Los Angeles with my wife and children. I am still friends with Julian Lopez who graduated from the Citadel and joined the Marine Corps where he is now an officer. I don’t have news from my former roommate, Robert, except that he enlisted as soon as possible in the Marine Corps, without College diploma.

I have no contact anymore with my father !

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