Bear: A Chance Meeting Turns into a Lifetime Friendship

By Arthur H Barnes

Colonel Kirk Rodgers finds himself suddenly facing retirement from the Marines after he’s injured in combat. One final assignment offers him enough pay to finance his dream — a wildlife sanctuary. While he’s completing this assignment, his fellow Marines pull some strings and guarantee he will be able to buy the property he longs for but thinks is out of reach.

Just as he’s about to move into his newly completed log home located on his newly created wildlife sanctuary, Kirk has a chance meeting with an orphaned black bear cub that changes both of their lives forever. The two adopt each other and become life-long friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arthur H Barnes
• Release date: Aug 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370230341

Arthur H Barnes

Arthur H. Barnes was born in Ventura, CA. He earned a B.A. in professional arts from Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, CA. and an M.A. degree from Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA.While serving in the US Navy (1944 -1950) he survived a Kamikaze attack and earned a Purple Heart; and he served in Okinawa, Japan, which experience provided the source of many of the details and flavor of this story. He worked at the Data center of Edwards Air Force Base, CA., in the Major Company for 27 years.He lives with his wife Alvena in Bellingham, WA, a most beautiful city 22 miles south of the Canadian Border and overlooking the San Juan Islands. He has been married from 1950 to the present, and dotes on one “fabulous” grandson.

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Bear

A Chance Meeting Turns into a Lifetime Friendship

Arthur H. Barnes

Smashwords Ebook Edition Published by Fideli Publishing Inc.

© Copyright 2016, Arthur H. Barnes

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Whatever my success at writing, if any, I begin by saying I owe it all to my wife, ALVENA. She and I have been a couple for 64 years and planning many more.

So, thank you, dear lady, you have been my heart, always.

Story characters:

Colonel Kirk Rodgers, US Marines Elite Special Forces.

General Coats, Commander Special Forces, Afghanistan. Commander of three Marine teams and one ten-man Marine team. Has a special operational area south of Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Captain Robertson, Support for General Coats’ Field Special Marine Combat Teams.

Captain Linda Hollister, doctor, USN Medical Corps.

CHAPTER 1

The Beginning

Kirk Rodgers spent a lot of time in a hospital in New Zealand recovering from seven serious wounds in his left shoulder and right hip. His hip wound didn’t heal correctly, leaving Rodgers with a debilitating and painful reminder that he would have to retire from the Marines. After four months of serious physical therapy with no appreciable results, the chief medical officer recommended a full medical discharge for Col. Rodgers. General Coats will hand down the final decision, but Kirk is resigned to being involuntarily retired from his post.

Knowing he will soon have lots of time on his hands, Kirk starts thinking about what he will be doing with the rest of his life. He recalls the time his platoon conducted extreme cold weather training in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming, near an Elk Feeding Reserve. The area left an indelible impression on his mind and he wonders if maybe this is the key to what he should be doing.

He has always loved animals and is seriously concerned about wildlife protection, so he begins to research the many state side areas that could be possibilities for a new sanctuary. His search covers some thirty different areas, but he still can’t decide which would be best.

When he reported back to General Coats, Navy doctor, Captain Hollister, gave him the most complete physical he’d ever had. General Coats joined them after the exam, which made Rodgers feel as though he was about to be put on trial.

General Coats began, Col Rodgers— a

Before the General could continue, Rodgers jumped in, asking, Just when did I become a Colonel, General?

The general immediately asked Rodgers, "Don’t interrupt me until I’ve had my say, son. What the Captain and I have to discuss with you is not what we would like, but due to Marine Corps policy, we have no choice.

"You’ll have to take a medical discharge. Doctor Hollister wants to try some different treatments to try and make your hip less painful so you’ll be able to get around better. She’s asked you to give her four to six months for this treatment, but doesn’t promise any definite results.

"Now, to your new rank of Colonel. Going all the way back to three yeas ago to when you first joined my staff as Gunnery Master Sergeant. I knew you were special, that’s why I had you transferred. You’d been testing weapons at the Quantico Marine Corp engineering shop, and I was told you could put five consecutive rounds into a target over two miles away.

"I desperately needed such a marksman, and there you were. You weren’t exactly thrilled about being sent to a hellhole and you were kind of testy about it. You proved your shooting still that day beyond doubt, and I couldn’t have a lowly sergeant making that kind of history, so I promoted you to 1st Lieutenant and arranged for you to be my number-one elite special shooter.

"You became a one-man eliminator using the most innovative tools a Marine has ever seen. Very few shooters can duplicate what you’ve done, so I’m rewarding you with a new rank even though I have no other choice but to discharge you from your great love, the Marine Corps. I’ve tried to find a way to around this, but I can’t. I also know that if you feel that if you can’t serve in combat, then you’d rather be out. So, you’re soon to be officially retired.

We’ll give you an apartment here on the compound while you’re working with Dr. Hollister. That will also give you time to choose a stateside location for your retirement years. I understand you’ve been researching areas for a wildlife sanctuary.

Yes. I’ve been looking for a quiet, remote area that will fit the criteria. I’ve found fifteen locations that look good, but I’ll have to investigate them further before making a decision.

He handed the fifteen different pages to General Coats, and as he did, a single page that he had not meant to hand over, fell to the floor. Picking it up, Kirk noted that it had a large number of animals printed on it. He was sure it was the Teton elk feeding area because of the animals pictured. He’d looked into that area and knew there were several acres of federal land listed but there was no mention of whether they were for sale or not.

General Coats noticed the page that had fallen from Rodgers’ stack of prospects and said, "I’ve enjoyed hunting elk and deer in the northern part of Wyoming and have heard about the elk feeding program there. What’s your interest in that, Colonel?

Rodger causally responded, "I would really like to buy some land in that area and be that close to one of natures