''My Name Is Specialist Marcus C. Hart'': Part 1 of 3

By Marcus Hart

This is an invitation to know the exclusive story of Specialist Marcus Contrell Hart. My Name is Specialist Marcus C. Hart, in a nutshell, is not your average story about the new generation of Iraqi Freedom war veterans. For the first time ever you can experience the inside look of how a soldiers life changes drastically after being called to serve. Specialist Hart is a 20 year old black male searching his way into adulthood and the true meaning behind life. A dynamic story in itself, it brings you a step closer to learning the emotions and experiences living a military and civilian life as an African American. Specialist Hart battles conflicts with love, finances, deployment, and other related issues with life once he receives a call from his National Guard unit for a possible deployment. A January 2006 call eventually turns into a deployment and Harts first one. Living the unlikely life that few black males his age live, this book opens the key features of his experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 20, 2007
• ISBN: 9781477181140

Marcus Hart

Marcus Hart became acquainted with life at a very young age. Earlier experiences and mistakes have equipped him with the ammunition needed to shoot through the biggest of obstacles in every category of life. He became an entrepreneur and ordained minister at the age of twenty-four. As a training facilitator, public speaker, and behavioral wellness coach, he has served in the capacities of service to individuals who have needed a pivotal change in their lives while realizing their inner mental and spiritual abilities. Hart received an honorable discharge from the Army National Guard in 2008 after his dedicated and noble service in 2006 through 2007 in support of the Iraq War. He is also the author of My Name Is Specialist Marcus Hart.

Book preview

"My Name is Specialist

Marcus C. Hart"

Part 1 of 3

Marcus Hart

Copyright © 2007 by Marcus Hart.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

37196

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Before I Realized

Chapter 2: My Year is No Longer My Own

Chapter 3: Emotionally Torn

Chapter 4: Time Is Gone

Chapter 5: Welcome to Camp Shelby

Chapter 6: The Rebel

Chapter 7: Barely Making It Through

Chapter 8: 9 Days of My Life

Chapter 9: Shelby’s Hex is over, or is it?

Chapter 10: A Stress Break in Maine

Chapter 11: Dry Heat In The Face

Dedicated to the two women whom

let me be the man of the house always,

Kaprice and Angelise Hart.

My mother and sister.

Acknowledgements

First, I would like to thank God for whom I lost belief in for ten hard months, but He made a presence in my life to show me the reasons why to love Him and believe. My mother is the reason for me being able to get through those tough times and being my support since I learned my first words. My sister, Kaprice has always been my best friend and most loyal person to depend on whenever we had to stick together. My granny, Annie Johnson is the backbone of my immediate family; because she has taught me the strength and toughness you need in your heart to be able to surpass any problem. To Brianna Lashay Douglas, the only woman that made me realize that in order to love someone you have to be willing to put in the dedication and to be able to make that person your choice regardless of anything that might put turmoil on the relationship. I thank my best friend since middle school, Anthony T-Mac Mack, for being there in those Sarah Scott days when we learned and helped each other to get pass the popularity contest. I thank an old friend, Jaccorey Johnson for enhancing my love for making rap beats and songs. For my father, who became my friend once we learned how much alike we are. I thank Ray Martinez for taking me in like a son when I first started drill and he hasn’t stop since then. I thank James Foreman, who enhanced my way of thinking about everything and turned me into a philosophy maniac. I thank Allen Gauthier for showing me how being an emotional man is an advantage to making you a good man and for discovering me as more than just a young black man from the other side of town. I give special thanks to both of my great grandmothers for they have showed a special glow of love for me. I lastly give another special thanks to Joe Potts and the Xlibris team for giving me this special opportunity to share my thoughts to the world.

I give special shout outs to the rest of my family on both sides, Brianna’s family, to those select bunch in the 1-121st FA BN, those who didn’t think I would never amount to nothing, those who put me down when they should have been trying to be more friendly, Golda Coleman (Amia’s mom), my two younger sisters (Javonte and Amia I love you), Deborah Rogers (Javonte’s mom) and family, my baby brother Eden and Diane (be like your big brother), Mr. Lawrence (my old social studies teacher from Sarah Scott), and those I forgot please come by and slap me on my head when you see me.

Chapter 1

BEFORE I REALIZED …

My name is Specialist Marcus Contrell Hart. I’m in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. My unit is based out of Milwaukee, WI. It’s August 23rd, 2006 and it has been 1 month and about 3 days since I have been deployed to Kuwait, in support of Operation Enduring Iraqi Freedom. I just want to say that all of this is senseless and I’m very unhappy being here. This is my opinion through my experience since being called up. I consider myself a black underpaid, low ranking soldier. Off the subject, today I discovered the true meaning of love although I’m in a place of stressful conditions, loneliness, and fear for a lot of things, likewise, death. I can think back to before all this came about around December 2005, when my problems were starting to climax. But, January would be the month to top all of my problems that existed in my life. Things took a huge turn in my life. I could see my 20th birthday rising over the hills along with the reality of adulthood as well. Although, I believed I had already been introduced to real life since turning 17.

I was living on the eastside of Milwaukee in a duplex apartment with a roommate. My roommate was a friend from my National Guard unit, Andrew. My life also included a 2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8 special edition, a job as a manager at Simply Fashion, and a girlfriend (Brianna) every boy wanted. The month ofJanuary was looking very promising. That meant the start of tax season and not to mention my plans to own a business. Being 19 years old and owning my own business was going to be a big step in my

life and a new route. I had the sources and plans to get it off the ground quickly. I was interested in doing an internet cafe and making a chain of them. Being in the National Guard and studying business management and bartending was positive and good things to be involved in, but I had a desire for more and I wanted it quickly. I think of my mind as highly developed and I have a mature personality that’s not similar to those in my age group. I say that because I have accomplished a lot according to what my momma and daddy say, as well as the things I show interest and surround myself in. This isn’t common for a lot of black young males my age.

I feel empty a lot as if the cup isn’t full and I have a need to fulfill my happiness by achieving my goals, dreams, and desires. I got a lot of internal flaws about myself. Things that come to mind are; that I didn’t spend time with my dad until I was 11 or 13, I developed huge credit and financial problems at the age of 18, I have had numerous relationship problems, I’m insecure, and don’t live comfortable within society.

New Year’s Eve was here and I was seeking to bring 2006 in with a bang. I had quickly gathered up plans with my sister and Brianna to have a get together at my house. You know, nothing too big, just some drinking and smoking watching the countdown. That’s fun to us. I had scratched up some change from my bank account, my mom, and some small pocket money from my granny. It was a set plan that my sister invites some of her friends, our God brother Darren and his girlfriend (Londa), and whoever else that wanted to visit my house. We were suppose to get a couple of bottles of liquor, but due to money not adding up, we only ended up with one bottle of cheap vodka and some leftover bottles from Andrew. Our 21 year cousin, Tory, had to buy the cheap bottle of vodka and orange juice since nobody was 21. We went on another quick run to pick up people and also pick up some blunt wrappers and some bags of marijuana. This was typical of us. Everybody was a smoker, underage and illegal, except me. I was the oldest with the exception of Tory who didn’t join the get together.

I started smoking marijuana when I was 13. I loved getting high at certain times and occasions. It was my escape from stress and a lot of other problems. I always free loaded off other people when it came to weed. I never bought it myself, except like once or twice. I tried to sell it once, but that didn’t work out because I didn’t know how to weigh my bags right and in addition I loved smoking weed that was paid for. That was funny though because in ways I viewed smoking marijuana as bad for the society and good for health reasons.

So, we picked up some snacks after finishing our run and headed back to the eastside to my house. Andrew was going to a bash somewhere else, so I had the house all to myself. I, Brianna, her sister (Marcy), my sister (Kaprice), Darren, Londa, and Kaprice’s friend Nino were all gathered at my house. Later on my friend from my National Guard unit Jameel and Kaprice’s other friend Linden would show up.

I saw myself unsatisfied with the results of my get together. I didn’t feel I did my best to put a smile on everybody’s face and ensure they had a good New Year’s. Weed couldn’t even cheer me up at this point. Another thing that clouded my mind was how things with my life were going to end up by the midst of 2006. The year of 2005 was up and down like a bad rollercoaster. It was not my best year even though some good things came along with it. It was too many bad things. My girlfriend, Brianna, seemed fine that night, but I knew somewhere in her mind she was thinking the same things as me.

Brianna was full of surprises when it came down to being on the topic of reality and life. In addition, age difference among us never played a part when it came down to understanding and relating to each other. We did better than a lot of couples and relationship amongst all she and I had in the past. We had love, for real.

The countdown came close and everybody fell asleep watching. This was crazy. We got woke up by gun shots and the ringing of my phone. I answered and said hello, and it was this female that I cheated on my girlfriend with, April. She called to say happy New Year’s and caught up in my words I greeted her back and hung up as if Brianna didn’t know what was up. That’s when I knew that 2006 wasn’t going