Chris' Deployment Journal

The other night a videographer from Stars & Strips/Armed Forces Network came into our squad bay. He's doing a little human interest story on SPC Ohlensehlen, a friend of ours from second squad. As the camera guy was wiring 'Ohllie' for sound, he said, "Yah, Ohllie he-yah is going to be the stah of our program."

Noting his accent, I asked where he was from and of course he was from Boston. Then he mentioned he went to Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. My high school buddy Neil Curtin went to Assumption and this Sgt looked a little older, like my age, so I asked when he graduated. He graduated in '93 and knows Neil, although they ran in different circles.

He said, "Oh yeah, I knew Neil. Quartahback for the football team right? Great athlete and a real straight arrow, right?"

Incredulous, I asked, "Straight arrow?"

"Yeah, wasn't he?"

"Uh, sure… except for all the booze… and girls… and whatever else he could get himself into."

Sgt Mike O'Brien admitted that he hung with the 'druggie crowd' back then and I said that Neil was probably hanging with the drinkin' crowd. So they weren't good buddies or anything but the fact that he went to college with Neil is still pretty random and certainly funny.