Loud&Clear Magazine - No. 2

LOUD & CLEAR

Dr. Joe

GREEN GRASS

PHOTO BY RICKY ZASTROW @COLORADOPHOTOWORKS

DMe Talent Agency

LOUD & CLEAR

LOUD & CLEAR MAGAZINE IS RELEASED ONCE A MONTH. IT IS A DIGITAL MAGAZINE. PRINT COPIES ARE PRINTED ON DEMAND AND CAN BE ORDERED AT REQUEST. DIGITAL LINKS WILL BE PROVIDED TO ALL CONTRIBUTORS. WE DO NOT PROVIDE FREE PRINT COPIES OF THE ISSUE.

FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

DAVE NAVARRO // @_designprint @loudandclearmagazine

CREATIVE design&print

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

AUTHOR RUSS RAY // @eat.travel.type.colorado

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

TAYLOR GREY // @ellegrey

RICKY ZASTROW // @coloradophotoworks

CATHERINE SAULNIER // @chroma.sparks.portraits

DONTE TOUSSAINT // @dtouphotography

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COPYRIGHTS

LOUD & CLEAR ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE is owned by DAVE NAVARRO. The magazine, its staff and writers, has made sure that content is accurate on the date of publication. The views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s)’ opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content is published in good faith.

All rights reserved. Nothing can be partially or in whole be reprinted or reproduced without express written permission.

SHANE FRANKLIN (SF1)

PERFORMING ARTIST // MODEL

1. I am an all around percussionist including being a tap dancer. I have been tap dancing since I was 8 years old.

2. I have 3 tattoos. One of them being a slice of pizza. Yes, pizza is my favorite food.

3. Whenever I perform live, I have a skilled ensemble of musicians with me called “The Crew.” We are the first and only Hip Hop act to ever play Coors Field which is a Major League Baseball field.

4. I am a CrossFit addict. If I am not in the studio recording or on stage somewhere performing my music, modeling or acting, then I am certainly in the gym.

5. One of my celebrity crushes is Dua Lipa. While I was a radio personality for iHeart Media, I had the opportunity of meeting and interviewing her.

Follow Shane Franklin (SF1) at: https://www.sf1music.com https://linktr.ee/sf1music

CANDICE NEU

ACTRESS // MODEL // TALK SHOW HOST

1. I started my own for-teens-by-teens fashion & skating magazine when I was in high school. We were in 26 states and 7 different countries.

2. The first time I went diving with sharks, I threw up in the tank--with 14 sharks! I thought I was going to get eaten for sure. Turns out, sharks don’t care about vomit.

3. Most people don’t realize this, but I have a good amount of social anxiety. So, if you ever see me around somewhere sitting awkwardly by myself--I’m not antisocial, I just don’t know where to start. Come say hello!

4. My first television series kind of came about by accident. It was a rare combination of Hell’s Kitchen, Musical Theatre, and knowing the right people.

5. I’m incredibly clumsy--and generally for no reason at all. I can walk the runway, land cool tricks on my rollerblades...and then fall over while just standing--for absolutely no reason at all.

Follow Candice Neu at: www.KatharsisMedia.org www.CandiceNeu.com @candiceneu

TINO DUVICK @broken_chain_portraits

JOHN PAUL WITH DEBI SLAGLE

John Paul Anthony Zuni-Slagle Jr.

multi-talented artist

1. I grew up on the Isleta Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico. My family is some of the oldest original inhabitants dating back to the first Spanish contact of the 1500’s.

2. I can play a few instruments such as piano, guitar, and bass. Music was a large part of my up bringing, and when I was younger I was in a rock and roll group with some friends.

3. Along with music, I love to draw and paint, and I think those were always my first passions. My family on the reservation are all artists ranging from blanket and rug makers to pottery and even jewelry.

4. I’m earning a degree in Architecture and Interior Design. Growing up, I was always fascinated by my great grandfather, he was a Navajo Code Talker during the WWII and when it was over, he became an architect and engineer. He helped create housing and resources on the Navajo Nation and parts of northwestern New Mexico. This has always inspired me to want to do something like that.

5. I have a fairly large record collection from the 1960s. Growing up there was always an array of music around me, but I always loved music from this decade specifically.

When I was 8 years old, my grandparents bought me a cardboard portable record player (that actually worked!) at a garage sale. The first records they got me was the original Pink Panther soundtrack by Henri Mancini from 1963 and it just kinda went from there. Any artist from then I probably have their album. I have everything from Motown to the Beatles to the Mamas and Papas and even obscure things like a moog synth instrumental record of popular hits from 1969.

Follow John Paul at:

FB @johnpaul.zuni

IG @jaz80231

JOHN PAUL WITH TALEA AND ALEISTER KIRVEN

DONTE TOUSSAINT @dtouphotography

KEVIN CHAMBERS

ACTOR // STUNTMAN

1. Kevin Chambers was adopted from Busan, South Korea at 3 months. He was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan to a Caucasian family named the Chambers.

2. Kevin has been pursuing acting, stunts, and the entertainment industry for 18 years. He works both in front and behind the camera. When he’s not acting or performing stunts, he’s working different crew jobs to stay busy within the industry from locations, construction, paint, crafty, and whatever else he can get involved with.

3. Early in his career, Kevin used to be a hip hop dancer. Learning from the greats he would rewatch Michael Jackson, Usher, Chris Brown and Neyo.

4. Kevin is a SAG-AFTRA Asian American Actor and Stuntman. Kevin joined SAG-AFTRA in 2013.

5. Kevin is also a big anime fan. Especially when it comes to Dragon ball, dragonball z, and dragon ball super.

And one more... Kevin is a 1st degree black belt in Okinawa Shorin Ryu Karate. He has also studied Tang Soo Do, Wushu Kung Fu, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Mantis Kung Fu, and a little bit of Krav Maga and Brazilian Ju Jitsu.

Follow Kevin Chambers at: IG @ thekevchambers

FB @KevinChambers

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4176590

PETER EVANGELISTA

ACTOR

1. Born and raised in New York. Grew up with an immigrant father and a Queens, New York mother. Where we ate dinner together just about every night and we were taught to cook, clean up after ourselves, and talk during the meal about life and what we had going on.

2. I’m an undecided introvert…. I have my moments.

3. Love what I do. I found out early on what I wanted to do. It took me some time to give myself permission. But when I did I saw that there was no turning back, away, or against it. I fell into the entertainment industry because a girl I had a crush on in the 5th grade convinced me to participate in the class play so that our teacher would throw us a pizza party.

4. I love sports and exercise. Baseball, Football, Boxing, Running, lifting, anything physical really. The competitive nature of sports teaches us something, win or lose. And getting connected to your body does wonders for the mind. And vice versa. I’ve always been drawn to that.

5. Went to baseball tryouts with a broken hand, made the team as the starting catcher, and fooled the coach the whole time doing it. When I approached him with my cast on he was shocked that it happened weeks before tryouts. It taught me a lot about myself at a young age. The main thing being that I was tougher than I thought and...dumber (in a sense).

Follow Peter Evangelista at: IG @thepeterevangelista

FB @ peter.evangelista.543 //

DIVERSE OFFICIAL

Reggae ISLAND music artist

1. Released debut album, Far Gone, Vol.1 in 2021.

2. In 2022, Diverse Official was named Big Island Music Awards Winner, for “Summer Luv” SINGLE OF THE YEAR!

3. Coming out of Oahu, Hawaii, Diverse Official is taking over the island radio stations, currently with 6 songs in rotation including “Summer Luv” and “Oh Ya”, which are both up for single of the year on the BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII.

5. He is also involved in the film industry, doing background and stand inn for several movies such as “Sicario”, “Dead for a Dollar” and even more TV Shows such as Fox’s, “The Cleaning Lady”, Netflix’s “Better Call Saul”, “McGrubber” and many more.

Follow Diverse Official at: @diverseofficial

4. I enjoy snorkeling the beautiful blue reefs of Oahu.

ANNA STADLER

actRESS // filmmaker // model

1. Although my main concentration has been in acting, I have actually been writing short stories since kindergarten, and am in the midst of writing a TV series.

2. I got my start in musical theater when I was six and eventually transitioned to Tv and film when I was sixteen because it was a better fit for me.

3. If I had a chance to work with any actor it would be James McAvoy because he is a huge inspiration and portrays every role flawlessly.

4. For as long as I can remember, I have worn mismatched socks on purpose.

5. I have an iced coffee addiction and I love nothing more than visiting local cafes when traveling.

Follow Anna Stadler at:

IG @officialannastadler

FB @anna.stadler.7370

IMDb.me/AnnaStadler

10 SONGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

IMAGINE DRAGONS // Wrecked

ANYTHING BOX // Beat of Life

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS // She’s so lovely

DEAD BOYFRIEND // Movie Star

STEVE LACY // Dark Red

BLUE OCTOBER // Bleed Out (Live Acoustic)

HIATUS KAIYOTE // Nakamarra (feat. Q-Tip)

BRAD THOMPSON // Eve

MAWULE // Fall For Me

VYNYL // Dancing with the Devil

PHOTO BY RICKY ZASTROW @COLORADOPHOTOWORKS

Dr. Joe

GREEN GRASS

Loud&Clear caught up with Dr. Joseph Arvay, DC. A down-to-earth, faith-driven, kind-hearted chiropactor in Northglenn, Colorado that knows that the power of God not only saves, but heals.

Over 30+ years serving the community!

Meet Dr. Joseph Arvay, DC

Dr. Joe’s mom was a nurse. He was long intrigued by doctors and knew early on that he wanted to be a sports doctor. As an Olympic hopeful in wrestling, he beat his body up quite a bit and ended up in the chiropractor’s office.

That was all it took for Dr. Joe to bartend his way through undergrad, then move to Marietta, Georgia. There, he attended Life University. The first day of school, he was informed that chiropractic was invented on September 18, 1895. A lightbulb went off in Dr. Joe’s head. That is the same day as his birthday! At that moment, he knew it was meant to be, and from there, Dr. Joe fell in love with the healing principles that guide Chiropractic.

While there, he was President of Thompson Club, teaching this technique to doctors and students alike. He also had the opportunity to learn the Webster Technique from Dr. Larry Webster DC himself.

Following God’s Given Path

Dr. Joe graduated from Life University with a Doctor of Chiropractic in 1991. The person who’d arrived there four years previous wasn’t the same as the one who walked out. Dr. Joe took his knowledge, skills and passion and applied them to his practice.

Instead of following his Olympic dreams, Dr. Joe decided he’d rather be a gold medal husband, dad, and doctor. Little did he know that years later, he’d end up at the Olympics taking care of athletes in 2012 and 2016. The athletes Dr. Joe took care of ended up bringing home the Gold medal. “I trusted God’s way, and I ended up helping athletes achieve their Gold Medal dreams.”

Giving Back

Dr. Joe is passionate about righting human injustices locally and all around the world. That’s why he’s involved with several different charities, each on their own mission to save people. These organizations include

The Keala Foundation

The Dancer Love Foundation

Operation Underground Railroad

Compassion International

Dr. Joe has also traveled to Zimbabwe twice. There, he helped establish a chiropractic clinic to bring health and healing to more people and worked with area churches.

A Life That’s Full, Vibrant and Active

Since 1989, Dr. Joe has been married to his wife, Ilene. They have four kids: Leah, Mae, Grant and Luke. They have all worked at the office at various times. Mae is in chiropractic college at Life University, and Luke intends to become a chiropractor, too.

When it’s time for fun, Dr. Joe does CrossFit. It’s his goal to one day make it to the CrossFit Games Master Division. He’s a creative person and loves to write, with a hope to publish books and teach around the world. One day, it’s his vision to have a training center in Colorado, where he can teach and train others about the SpineGeek way of life.

Don’t wait another minute to improve your health. Contact SpineGeek Chiropractic today!

What is your name?

My name is Dr. Joseph S. Arvay, D.C. a.k.a. Dr. Joe.

What is your job title and how long have you been working in this career?

I am a Doctor of Chiropractic. I have been in private practice since 1991.

What are the job responsibilities?

Responsibilities? Change the way humans of all ages look at and apply being healthy and strong. Reach, teach, and touch the people

“I’m a SpineGeek, which means I am all about the spine first. That’s where the power is.” –Dr. Joseph S. Arvay, DC

RICKY ZASTROW @COLORADOPHOTOWORKS

of this world so they can wake up each day rested, recovered and ready to win their day. Manage a team of assistants. Perform exams on all ages of people, from pregnant moms, new born baby’s, children, teens, adults and senior citizens.

What types of interpersonal skills (people skills) are used on the job?

I am a servant leader. I need to be a good listener and provide simple solutions to people’s problems. I need to be an encourager, to give people hope when they are losing theirs. I make the time spent with a patient, all about them and the solutions they looking to find when it comes to their emotional and physical health.

What type of technology do you use? Has this changed from when you first started in this occupation?

Great question, less paper files, and X-ray film, and more digital everything. We still find that personal touch and great customer service is key in our world. There are many digital online serviceswe can use to keep us organized. We use social media to educate our community and find people who want what we do. But one-to-one connection with people is still valuable to what we do each day.

What is most frustrating about this type of work?

We live in a profit over people world. From the time a baby is born there is a message they are told by the media, TV commercials, and pharmaceutical marketing that your life will be happier and better if you take our medicine or have our surgery. Our world has forgotten that we are created in God’s image. We were created with everything we need to live a strong and healthy life. As long as we learn how to live each day focused on having a peaceful mind, good posture stong body with exercise, eat food that fuels us, and protect ourselves from toxic food, drink, and people, we will be okay. So, we give into the lies and never reach our full potential. The kind of Doctoring I do rescues people from the lies, and teaches them and helps them regain their health in a safe and natural way. ,

What is most satisfying about this type of work?

I get to join Jesus everyday in His restoration process. I get to help people who are sick, suffering and sad find rest, recovery and they are ready for a new and better day. I have been to 2 Olympics helping my athletes win their gold medals. I’ve help people lose 50+ pounds, seen diabetes reversed, heart diseased reversed, cancer reversed, depression reversed, infertility reversed, chronic pain dissapear and hope restored in so many people.

Contact Dr. Joseph Arvay, D.C. at SpineGeek Chiropractic by visiting his website at www.spinegeek or on social media @spinegeek. Watch the video below by scanning the QR Code with your phone to learn more about Dr. Joe and his 30+ year mission.

“Our world has forgotten that we are created in God’s image. We were created with everything we need to live a strong and healthy life.”

–Dr. Joseph S. Arvay, D.C.

RICKY ZASTROW @COLORADOPHOTOWORKS

Models Int’l

This Broken Beat

INDIE SPOTLIGHT

This Broken Beat is a stand out alternative-pop act who are simply just enjoyable to know. Born & raised in Denver, CO; they provide an eclectic combination of lush & driving electric guitar tones, catchy, but heartfelt melodies & lyrics, tasty synths, all held down by a solid post-hardcore drummer that you can’t help but move to. The group has been a staple in the Denver music scene the last 5 years and has been featured in Westword, 303 Magazine, Underground Music Showcase, KTCL Channel 93.3, and various prominent Denver publications & radio stations. You can’t help but feel good after walking away from a This Broken Beat show!

NEWEST RELEASE

This Broken Beat went full-force of every bell and whistle in their latest EP, Far From Home. From production to live performance there are a million different tones, sounds and effects, making for a record that’s anything but boring. It’s delightfully challenging to pinpoint the “hits” on this record because all 6 tracks stand out in their own unique & tasteful way. From their smash RnB track “Warm”, to the ever-present & relatable sensation in “Locked Away”, the new EP has something for everyone. Even though This Broken Broken has been a staple in the Denver Music Scene for a little over 5 years now, they seem as fresh as ever.

This Broken Beat

thisbrokenbeat@gmail.com

thisbrokenbeatofficial.com

@thisbrokenbeat

A Question of Faith

by Author Russ Ray

IDisorientation is part of the indoctrination process in Army basic training camps. The drill sergeants know the training schedule, the civilian trainees are kept in the dark and never know what to expect on any given day.

The first several weeks of basic training were hell. We were kept in a holding pattern of sorts in a section of Fort Ord, California called the Reception Center. It was where brand new recruits stayed in limbo until a regular training company, called a “cycle”, was available to fill and start the process of becoming soldiers, it took three more weeks still wearing the same civilian clothing we wore when we arrived.

The drill sergeants assigned to our platoon weren’t actually drill sergeants. They were reservists marking time with us until the real training started. Ordinarily it took about a week to catch a cycle, but an unusually large number of kids enlisted when I enlisted. There was a surplus of recruits and and a dearth of training cycles. We were soon classified as holdovers.

We languished in a World War Two era barracks for three more weeks waiting to get started. Then, one day, it began without notice.

Our easy going, long haired (long for Army standards) reservists were replaced by rugged, impatient, angry men. Some of these men bore the scars of combat - the Vietnam war had recently ended. From now on, these men would control our minds and our bodies.

They marched us to our new “home”, another World War Two era barracks on a different section of the post.These barracks were cleaner, they smelled of Lysol and floor wax. There were two floors to each building. I scrambled up the staircase to pick out my bed. Each floor had two rows of bunk beds neatly made up with white sheets on a thin twin mattress, a thin pillow, and a wool blanket. I was a big kid - six feet, three inches tall and 200 pounds. My “new to me bed” was a postage stamp.

A massive, wooden support beam ran from ceiling to floor at each end of the barracks. Attached to each beam was a coffee can crudely painted red and had “BUTTS” scrawled in white paint across the front. They were each filled halfway with water and seemed to be the ashtrays.

Moments after we had settled in, we were ordered back out and told to fall in formation. We marched straight to the barbershop. Cutting our hair was the first step in losing our civilian identities. Some kids

had hair below their shoulders, some had afros, a couple of kids had ducktails. I was picky about how I wore my hair. It was feathered like a lot of popular bands at the time. Watching it fall to the floor was a sad experience.

We were next marched to a warehouse the size of an airplane hanger. We spent the better part of the day standing in a series of long lines getting our gear and clothing. One line was for socks and underwear, another for fatigue shirts and pants, another for bullet proof vests, and another for utility caps and steel pots (helmets). Next canteens and canteen covers. Protective earplugs. First aid kits. Entrenching tools. Duffle bags. Dress shirts and class A uniforms. We must have stood in fifty lines that day.

While standing in line for dress shoes and combat boots, I heard one kid complain that his boots were too tight. The civilian DoD employee snapped back, “They’re a perfect fit. Get the hell out of my shoe store!” The kid walked away muttering something over his shoulder

One station was for vaccinations. Two shots were given at the same time, one in each arm, administered by sullen Army medics with serum propelled by jet injection guns. Every few minutes a medic would yell out, “When you step up, STAND STILL! If you move, the serum WILL CUT YOUR ARM!” Of course, some kids flinched. Some kids cried. One giant kid didn’t have the stomach for it and fainted. He fell forward with a sickening thud. When it was my turn, I gritted my teeth and stood firm like concrete, then I stepped forward and got the next two injections. And on and on. At some point we ended up in the armory. A team of Specialists assigned an M-16, a bayonet, and a bayonet sheath to each of us. Holding an M-16 in my hands for the first time made this all seem too real.

green bibles. I could understand bulletproof vests and helmets - but bibles?

Towards the end of getting our clothing and gear, we stood in one last line. As I worked my way to the head of the line, I could make out three specialists working on big machines that had built in typewriters. “Dog tags”, I thought to myself. “They must be making dog tags.”

I watched and soon noticed a pattern. A kid would step forward and state his name. The specialist would ask him a series of questions. The specialist typed while the machine hammered away on small, metal plates. The specialist handed the kid his dog tags and the next kid stepped forward. One kid announced that he was a warlock. The specialist wasn’t amused. Neither were our drill sergeants. That kid had so many quirks, he caught their attention and was ridden hard throughout boot camp. He would eventually be harrassed to point of quitting the Army - which was not an easy process.

Soon, it was my turn. “Name?”

“Ray, Russell Stuart.”

The specialist dug through his index cards.

“I don’t see anyone here with the last name Russell.”

“Russell is my first name, Specialist. My last name is Ray.” Getting my name correct was a war I would fight with the army for my entire enlistment.

“Ah, I found it.” He handed me the index card. “Read it. Is the information correct?”

It had my name, social security number, and blood type. I handed it back. “Yes, Specialist.” I wasn’t sure about my blood type, but I said yes anyway. At 18 years old, I was too young to know blood types didn’t matter for plasma. But for now, it was one more thing to worry about.

Along the way we were issued name tags and

He had one more question for me: “What religion are you?”

I paused for what seemed like an eternity.

I wasn’t raised in the church. My mother remained silent about her faith. I’m not certain if she even had one. There was no mention of God in our house. My English grandparents on her side of the family were dead by the time Audrey was thirteen, so I had no idea about their thoughts on God.

What little I could put together was that they belonged to the Church of England. My English uncle, William (Audrey’s big brother) left England for Australia at the end of the war when he was discharged from the Royal Navy. He became an Anglican priest. He visited us one summer in America. I was twelve. Audrey and William took us to an Episcopalian church in Boulder on one of the Sundays he was in Colorado. It was the strangest experience I had ever been a part of. The service was conducted mostly in latin. There was chanting and pipe organ music. It seemed to be choreographed, but none of it made sense to me. Maybe this is why Audrey left the church behind in England and never looked back.

My father left Audrey, my brother, and me behind when I was two. His parents, my paternal grandparents, stood in for him. They would pick up Doug and me on the occasional Sunday and take us to their little church on Spruce street in Boulder. Afterwards, they would take us to Furr’s Cafeteria or McDonald’s for lunch and then a drive in the country.

Frank and Rubeye’s Church of the Nazarene was uncomfortable in every way. Most of the congregation were in their fifties or older. The service was in English, but it was mostly about people with Arabic names who lived in exotic places. It was all gibberish to me.

I would sit next to Rubeye and fidget knowing she would reach into her purse and give me a piece

of gum or candy. Sometimes I’d fight with my brother knowing Frank would take us by the hand and walk us outside and around the churchyard to settle us down. I was impatient for a hamburger at McDonald’s or a salisbury steak at Furr’s.

The image I have of Jesus is the image I saw in my grandparents’ fundamentalist Christian church. He had blue eyes, long golden hair, and northern European features. My grandparents gave me a framed picture of him along with a pocket sized bible when I was ten. The picture of Jesus matched the one hanging on the wall of the church behind the alter. Jesus, born in Bethlehem and preaching in Nazareth, was a white man.

My father got around to taking my brother and me to church when I was a teenager after he finally got his standard visitation orders for me and Doug: every other weekend, two weeks in the summer, and every other holiday.

Howard found an unconventional way to pray. For the time being, he was a Unitarian. They didn’t believe in Jesus, or Muhammad, or even Zeus. They certainly didn’t believe in God. During breaks in the service (or maybe this was part of the service) they sipped on cocktails and smoked cigarettes. For all I knew, they smoked pot.

Most of the men wore blazers over turtlenecks with medallions on heavy necklaces. They had long sideburns and moustaches. The women wore their hair piled up high and held together with Aqua Net. Their fashion sense came from Halston and Yves Saint Laurent.

It was more of a party and less of a religious experience. They spoke of the war in Vietnam, the fall of Richard Nixon, and the various civil rights protests. If God were ever mentioned it was in the context of, “Goddammit, I spilled my drink!” I felt as awkward and out of place there as I did in the Nazarene or Episcopalian churches.

“Religion?”, the Specialist asked again. “What religion are you?”

I shook my head. I didn’t know. What religion am I? Without another thought I blurted out, “Protestant. I’m a Protestant.” I had no idea what that was.

He stamped out my dog tags, slipped them onto a chain, and handed them to me. Bewildered, I put the chain around my neck and walked back to the formation.

After chow that night, we spent what little time we had putting away our gear before they shut off the lights.

Some kids were telling jokes and laughing. Some kids complained about the soreness in their arms from the vaccination shots. Other kids were complaining about how mean the clothing clerks were. The kid with the tight boots said, “If my feet get messed up, I swear to God I’m gonna find that son-of-a-bitch kick his ass!” The kid who claimed to be a warlock was bitching about getting “No Preference” stamped on his dog tags instead of warlock.

Many of the kids smoked one last cigarette before going to bed. It wasn’t long before the lights were shut off and we crawled into our cold, starched sheets and fell asleep.

Suddenly, the lights slammed back on. Drill Sergeant McDonough stormed into the bay and walked up to the red butt can on the first beam. He looked into it and screamed profanities and threw the can into the middle of the bay floor, splashing dirty water and cigarette butts everywhere. He stomped down to other end of the bay and looked into the other butt can. He screamed again and threw that can, water and all, back down to the other end of the bay. “Who gave any

of you dickheads permission to put your goddamm cigarette butts out in MY butt cans!”

He stomped back to the staircase and cursed our existence. He went on about how stupid we were. He stopped at the head of the stairs, pivoted, and shouted, “Clean this floor up and get it dried and waxed, NOW!” Then he disappeared down the stairs and repeated the process on the first floor. When the barracks floors were put back together and clean, I sat on the edge of my bunk. I was too tired to sleep. I reached for my Army issued bible in my foot locker and took off my dog tags. I read the word “Protestant” stamped on them.

Where was the Army sending me that I would need a bible as a last resort? I signed up to be a typist and a Morse Code specialist. I wouldn’t need an M-16 and I sure as hell didn’t need a bayonet for that job. I couldn’t imagine a scenario where someone would die on the end of my rifle.

Then I reminded myself that I could end up as a radio man in an infantry battalion. The Vietnam War had ended, but this was still the Cold War and there were conflicts, and skirmishes, and fire fights, and undeclared wars still raging all over the planet.

I imagined myself laying flat on my back bleeding out on some godforsaken jungle floor. A medic was kneeling next to me holding up a plasma drip full of the wrong blood type. The medic called for a Protestant pastor. He walked over and knelt by my other side.

“Pastor”, I said.

“Yes, son?”

“What is a Protestant?”

FOLLOW AUTHOR RUSS RAY @eat.travel.type.colorado

Photo by Ricky Zastrow @coloradophotoworks