I don't get out to the clubs much any more at my advanced age but last night was a special occasion. We had a mission, to show three U.S. Marine Sergeants a good time. Two were just back from Iraq, (2nd tour each), and the third was their buddy and our friend who's been out for a year. We had a ball, they're all great young guys and really fun to hang out with.
The three are Jesse, a cool Mexican surfer dude from the OC and his buddies, Ryan from Oregon and Alex from Louisiana. My friend Billy met Jesse at Sundance film festival last year, he's an actor now and has a couple movies in the can. The bond he has with his Marine buddies is something that any guy would envy. They are like the German Shepherds of human beings; ie. nice, intelligent, loyal almost to a fault and would die for each other w/o batting an eye. They are going to know each other for life.
The last member of our party was Daniel, a young friend who is a walking miracle. He got hit by a car walking in a crosswalk on Jan. 11th by a drunk hit-run driver who first struck him at 30 mph, launching him 30 feet through the air onto pavement. The guy slammed on brakes during impact, then ran over Daniel again while fleeing. Broke nearly every bone in his body, coma for 2 weeks, massive head injuries, etc... Total nightmare at the time, only reason I didn't post it here is that I just could not handle discussing it. We thought he was going to die. He rents a room from my friend Billy, his parents came in from GA. and stayed in Billy's house for months, etc.
He's made what can only be described as a miraculous recovery, now walking/talking/thinking fine and getting better by the week. Half is body is titanium rods but he's happy as a pig in shyt. Told me last night that his balance is still terrible and that when he rolls over in bed he gets dizzy for moment+ slightly car-sick every time he rides in a car. Still, he's grateful and so are we.
Anywhoo..., I actually remembered camera to record dinner at least. Ate at El Compadre in Hollywood, old place on Sunset. Ryan and Alex have been staying w/ Jesse in Laguna, learning to surf and picking up hot Latina chicks.
In this pic, I'm the old gray-haired guy, (obviously), clockwise it's Jesse, me, Billy, Daniel, Ryan and Alex:
We talked about everything under the sun at dinner; the current situation in Iraq, (great according to them), firefights, metaphysics, videogames, humanitarian work, you name it. They all are snipers and went to sniper school together in HI. (A nightmare, they said). I REALLY want to keep this out of PARF, since I don't go there anymore, so please let's not talk politics and I'll keep that part of our conversation out of this. Just 3 great young guys who unselfishly served and made it home to have fun in Hollywood for the night. I wish like hell I'd brought my camera into the clubs, we had a ball and they met lots of girls.
