A reluctant talk

October 06, 2006

I have a funny story to tell you.

It involves what I call the “Super Secret Squirrel” guys — Special Operations.

I was hanging out at the Search and Rescue squadron last night, watching them do what they do. They work closely with squirrels who are specifically specialized medics.

Lt. Col. Strachn Massey, commander of the squadron, was talking with me about how the paramedics search for people under water.

He said one of the secret squirrels (That's my word, not his) could best to explain it. He looked over at a big guy clutching a phone in his hand and waited for him to hang up.

"Come over here a minute," Massey said.

The man with mussed up blond hair and a crumpled desert uniform walked over and looked at me. He was massive in a he-man, no body fat, could carry two people on his back for 50 miles across a desert kind of way. His uniform had no markings. There were no patches designating his unit, no indication of a name or rank. His uniform didn't even tell you what military branch he was in. He was a squirrel.

I introduced myself and shook his hand. He smiled nervously and shook his head.

"What do you want me to do, sir?" he asked Massey.

The lieutenant colonel explained that he wanted him to just give a brief explanation of what the specialized paramedics do.

The squirrel started talking. And with each word he seemed less scary. How could that be? Because he was nervous.

He looked at his boots and shifted his weight. He'd talk in abrupt sentences punctuated with brief looks directly at me as he said, "No names, right?"

I don't know his name. How could I use his name?

He got more and more nervous. Boy, he didn't want to be there.

Finally, I thanked him and he walked away, regaining his stature and scariness.

I laughed, and he laughed. too.

Why? Because I may be the only thing that scared this squirrel.

Posted by editor at October 6, 2006 02:37 PM