The Marine Ch. 04

It was the longest day of my life, or so it felt. Cold, wet, miserable. Low cloud and fog. It made navigating difficult as we did rely on landmarks to get us around Dartmoor considering we'd spent plenty of time marching and simulating war across it. There was a field kitchen around halfway across that would provide a hot drink and snack, but most would barely stop for five minutes before moving on.

Seven long hours to cross thirty fucking miles. It wasn't a straight route, that simply wasn't possible. We walked on roads, paths, across fields, through bogs, always hoping for solid footing. More than one man had found themselves stepping onto the wrong sort of soft ground, going down under the weight of their pack with a twisted ankle or knee. That was almost heartbreaking, to come so far...

I constantly checked the time, making sure I was keeping to the correct average time. Dan and Dave had left ten minutes before and ten minutes after I had. There was no danger in going solo. We had the right training to make sure we found civilisation, though we'd all heard stories of Marines who had found themselves lost on Dartmoor. One or two had even died from exposure, so while it was still technically training and a test of our abilities, like everything else we'd done, there was still a real chance of injury, even death.

Six hours and forty-five minutes after leaving Okehampton Camp, I walked into the outskirts of Shaugh Prior. Walking towards the bridge, a last glance at my map and compass to ensure I was heading the right way, I turned a corner and noticed Royal Marines lined up to either side of the road. I'll admit, I almost fucking wept at the sight.

Applause broke out as I crossed the finish line. Dan was already there waiting for me. Soon as I placed my pack on the ground, we embraced, turning to wait for Dave to appear. He did no more than seven minutes after I'd arrived. He saw us and practically speed marched the rest of the way. Handshakes and embraces followed before we lined up. We removed our blue beret, the CO of CTCRM handing over the coveted green beret with a handshake and congratulations for passing the Commando Course. I simply looked at it for a few seconds. All those months of hard work had been worthwhile. It might have looked like a simple little thing, but to those who'd been through it, the green beret meant everything. Slowly placing it on my head, I shared glances with my two friends. We started laughing, hugging each other again.

Returning to CTCRM, we knew it was mid-December and that, for all intents and purposes, the place would shut down during the holiday season. The Royal Marines were not fighting anywhere around the globe as even Northern Ireland was now at peace, so from what I could figure out, most recruits were being given the opportunity to spend time with family over the holiday season.

Calling Uncle Tony, I let him know I'd be travelling up the Monday and although I knew Hannah had a job, I did have to ask where. He knew exactly where and offered to drive me there so I could surprise her again. Dave, Dan and I took a train to Exeter together before heading east to London. Only there did we part, as I could get a train direct to Manchester, while they'd take the East Coast train to Newcastle then Aberdeen.

Making it to Manchester by mid-afternoon, Tony drove me straight to Hannah's workplace, letting me know he'd take my stuff home to Altrincham and that he'd see me later. Walking into the lobby, dressed in my 'half lovats' again, though this time with my green beret. Pointed towards the nearby elevator, I went up a few levels, stepping out into a sea of desks and cubicles. Names were on the door of glass fronted offices, heading towards one that had Hannah's name. No sign of her, so I asked someone nearby where she was.

Before she could reply, I heard my name, glancing up to see Hannah running towards me. She stopped short and smiled, her eyes going to the green beret on my head. "You got it?"

"I got it."

She screamed again, leaping into my arms, kissing me deeply. Only after a couple of minutes did she seem to remember where we were, placing her feet back on the ground and turning to see the small crowd that had formed.

"Going to introduce us?" a man asked.

"Er, this is..."

"Officer Cadet Nathan Smith, Royal Marines Commando," I replied, "Home for Christmas."

It wasn't technically correct, not yet. But I'd earned that green beret. I had gone through months of hell to earn it. I had only a few months more training before I'd pass out then be an official Royal Marines Officer. But first, I was going to enjoy a couple of weeks off with the family. Considering I'd left in early January, it had been one hell of a long year.