DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!
It's All in the Wrist
Hot headed. Everyone from his home town would say it was an apt description of him. It was probably true, but he could always justify his temper.
His father had tried to rein him in, but it only intensified his desire to fight more. He'd scraped y the law a few times which allowed him to hone his ability to focus o what triggered his anger.
Leaving home, out on his own, he thought he could do more good with a cause. He found it in the Marines. It was there that he got a wake up call, more than once.
He'd prepared himself for military life before he was old enough to enlist. Waking up early, running every morning, spending weekends surviving on the barest of essentials, but it was never his strong suit to submit to taking orders. Sure it was an integral part of the career he dreamed of pursuing, no unit could run successfully if there was even one person doing his or her own thing. He was willing to learn so he'd have to get used to it.
His first weeks were made more difficult by his inability to follow orders in a timely fashion. His DI had given him extra PT and hours on the obstacle course. When all else failed to bring the results he was striving for he took a more hands on approach.
The DI watched the men under his charge as they ran their drills. That day they all seemed on their game and he had high hopes the next operatives would run as smoothly.
He demonstrated what was expected of them, gave them their time restrictions and blew his whistle. He inspected them as they each took to their tasks. A few needed some redirecting, but clearly there was one that needed a bit more.
He approached the young man quietly noticing that his clearly defined instructions were being dismissed in favor of the recruit attempting to do things his own way. He stood in the man's blind spot and quickly applied the palm of his hand to the back of the young Marine's head.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" he barked. "You will repeat this exercise from the beginning follow the instructions you were given to a tee. Understood Marine?"
"Yes Sir," the man answered automatically still trying to come to grips to the wake up call that had been delivered. He quickly started over and completed the task as ordered, before presenting his results for inspection.
The drill instructor looked it over and gave a short nod of acceptance. As he moved on to the next recruit he filed away the discipline that seemed to reach the upcoming Marine.
Drills on the field are arduous and designed to challenge each Marine to exceed their own expectations. Watching hem push themselves to the limit is a satisfying experience for any DI. It's also a sight that occasionally draws the attention of admirers.
Most of the Marines are focused enough to keep on task. It surprised him one day to see the young recruit Gibbs almost entranced by a young red headed coed who did her best to keep his attention. An end to his lack of focus needed to be administered.
"Thank you, Sir," Gibbs barked still smarting from the slap to the back of his shaven head. He gave one last sheepish smile to his admirer and she gave him a wave with her fingers before retreating back to watch without distracting him further.
To his credit Gibbs' performance did exceed his previous levels. Once again the DI chalked it up to his hands-on approach.
One of the first things the new recruits learn is to follow direct orders. Standing at attention for inspection is how every day begins. After a few weeks it's ingrained in them to be ready before the DI arrives.
By this time in their training there are few corrections that need to be addressed. That is when the DI looks harder to find even the smallest of infractions.
While he inspected the rack of one particularly sloppy Marine who had come a long way in keeping things in order, he heard a whispered comment from down the line. He knew who it was, but for the moment continued on with his inspection. Finding everything in order he moved on.
When he reached the guilty party he got into his personal space, nose to nose. Having his undivided attention he gave his response to the insubordinate remark.
To his credit Gibbs took it without a flinch and thought twice before speaking out of turn.
It had been a long week of firing practice culminating in a long afternoon of shooting at targets. The DI walked behind the prone recruits noticing those that had mastered their weapons and those that would be staying longer to perfect their techniques.
He was surprised to see the recruit who had no trouble handling his weapon from day one and most likely being marked for sniper training in his future, steadily missing his target. He stood over him and noticed the scope was slightly off-center. It was a mistake that was easily rectified and should've been blatantly obvious when the recruit prepared his weapon. He offered his own corrective measures and pointed to the rifle.
Gibbs couldn't figure why his aim was off. He made adjustments, but still couldn't find the mark. He felt his DI standing over him and willed the rifle to do his bidding. The smack caused him to look up and saw his DI pointing at his scope. Examining it closer he saw it was slightly off center. He almost wanted to smack himself for such a rookie mistake.
He fixed the site and hit the center target every time. His DI moved on, proud that he hadn't underestimated the Marine.
Graduation came after 12 grueling weeks. Each Marine stood proud receiving their eagle, globe and anchor. The DI stood before Gibbs, handed him his emblem and gave him a nod displaying his pride in the young man.
When the ceremony ended Gibbs approached his DI. He stood before him and offered his hand to shake. "I want to thank you Sir for helping me to become the Marine I am today."
"It's my privilege to aid in the process, Gibbs," he shook the hand. He lifted his other hand and rather than smacking the younger man's head he clapped him on the shoulder. "You will do your country proud. Semper Fi."
"Ooh Rah!" Gibbs turned and went to join his fellow Marines in their celebration.