A521.3.4.RB_FogartyShawn

My sister is eleven months older and maintained one grade level ahead of me in school. She has always been a bit “curvy” and was the blunt of a lot of jokes growing up. She has pretty thick skin but on occasion would break down. I was guilty of harassing her at times however I had little patience when it came from people other than me. Meanwhile, my father, a man who would give you the shirt off his back had very few sayings or advice growing up. One thing I remember him saying is “Family is family.” Walking home from the bus stop one day a few guys from her class made several jokes and continued to constantly harass her. I walked up to the three of them and asked them to apologize. They obviously weren’t going to as the next comment to come from them was, “or what?” I looked over at my sister who was crying, and then proceeded to punch the ring leader in the face. One against three was not so good odds that day and I hardly won the skirmish however the three of them did not fair to well either. Now as I am serving in the military my colleagues and fellow service members fall under that blank of “family” and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.  

In July of 2002, I enlisted at 18 and was sent off to the US Army Basic training source at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. As with most recruits I tried to do my best and stay out of the way. They call it being the “grey man,” they guy who seems to always be there but out of the lime light. I had a revelation here about how the world is filled with a lot of screw ups. We continually received group punishment or corrective training as the Army calls it. I got annoyed and told one of the constant screw ups to fix his area. An hour later in the chow line he was in front of me and smacked me in the face. I lost my cool and punched him in the face and we started to fight until being pulled apart.  Later that day we were marched out to the tree line and the two of us were told to square off and as we lines up the instructor said as I remember to this day, “We’re going to end all this here and now, feel free to finish what you started earlier.” Apparently I took him too literal and punched the kid so hard he went unconscious. I spent the remaining 4 weeks scrubbing dishes and picking rice out of the dining facilities kitchen floor. To this day, I have a low tolerance for stupid people.