Volume 4: White Devil Chapter 183 Tony's Best Choice
Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.
Outside Tom's residence, Martin was wiping the body of the Cadillac and asked Paige, who had no intention of helping:
"I have a question, Mr. Page."
"When you were in community college, didn't the teachers there teach you to think independently?" Paige responded blankly, looking at Tommy who was walking and chatting with a young man in the backyard in the distance.
That was Tommy's brother Tony who came all the way from Maryland. At this time, his girlfriend Ashley set up a grill in the open space in the backyard next to them with Sophia, Vanessa and the maid Dorothy.
Hearing the other party's reaction, Martin stopped wiping, threw the soft cloth in his hand onto the car body, turned around and looked at Old Page:
"Is this why you are notorious in the black community in Los Angeles, Mr. Page? Your lack of affinity is just a question. There is no need for me to feel like I am in police custody every time I get along with you? Can't you just smile and say to me, Hey, Martin, nice to meet you, what do you want to ask me? Instead of telling you with a stern face that you have fully charged the damn stun gun again, and if you don't listen, help me charge it in time!"
"After black people sent bombs disguised as gifts to the police station, I lost the ability to smile at black people, especially when I take out a pitiful part of my salary every week to send to the widow and two children of my deceased colleague, I have to recall that past." Page glanced at Martin, then looked at the scenery in the distance and said.
Although Martin knew Page's past, he had never lived in Long Beach, Los Angeles, nor had he witnessed Page's performance when killing people, so he could not understand the fear of Page among the black people there. In his opinion, although Page always had a stern face towards him, he was definitely not as exaggerated as outsiders said. He was just an old white bastard with no other strengths except killing.
Martin nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, Mr. Page, really, but not all black people are bad guys. For example, I gave you a gift, a high-definition enlarged version of the Lincoln Declaration, to remind you that Lincoln has declared that black people are free. In America, blacks and whites are equal. You can't electrocute me at will! In addition, in addition to the declaration, there is also a bottle of good wine."
"You mean the time when you came to me with a bottle of whiskey? If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have realized it was a gift. The bottle of whiskey was said to only cost seven dollars when it was on sale in the supermarket." Paige glanced at Martin. "You tried to make peace with the white man and express your sincerity by using seven dollars of whiskey to try to become friends with him?"
"Back to my question. Speaking of which, Miss Sophia O'Connor, who is she to the boss? Secretary? Assistant? Deputy? Lover? During this period, I have met Earl's secretary and Rick's secretary. Their jobs are not as exaggerated as Sophia's. Look at her, she has to help the boss with some work, and then at this beautiful moment of the weekend, she also has to help the boss barbecue in the backyard. She is more like the boss's wife than Miss Farrell." Martin looked at Sophia and asked Paige curiously.
He was already familiar with the entire company, except for Sophia's identity. You know, in a company, a secretary was not a senior manager, but in BT, Sophia was just the opposite. She had the title of secretary, but looked like Tommy's wife. When he was not around, she handled everything.
Page said: "I don't care who she is, but if the boss is willing to let me have a bank account like Miss O'Connor with a lot of money in it, I can do anything for him at any time."
"Is the boss a drug dealer? I mean, the richest black people I've seen in Miami all made a lot of money from that stuff, and the boss is so generous, just like a nouveau riche." Martin picked up the rag and continued to wipe the car body. "I'm not saying anything bad about the boss, he takes good care of me, but... I'm worried that one day the police will take him away and end my life now."
"Drug dealers don't make as much as their bosses."
"Don't talk nonsense. Unless the boss swallows big gulps of money and then keeps pulling out gold, there is no way he can make more than the drug dealer. Although he keeps saying that he won't pay me, I receive a check every week. In this world, good people like the boss can't make a lot of money. Good people can't make money. This is what the black brothers in Miami say."
“So if the boss makes money, it means that either what your black compatriots said is wrong, or the boss is not a good person in your eyes.”
"Mr. Page, Martin~" Dorothy came over from a distance and ended the argument between the two: "Miss Sophia asked you to arrange a car and a driver. She will accompany her guest Miss Hull to go shopping in the afternoon. After the arrangements are made, come over and taste the barbecue together."
…
Tony is about to finish his studies at the Naval Academy. His main purpose in coming to California, besides accompanying his girlfriend on a simple trip to Los Angeles, is to discuss with his younger brother what to do during his naval service after graduation.
Other students who entered the Naval Academy on their own without recommendation letters can freely choose whether to join the Navy after graduation, but he has no choice at all and must serve in the Navy for at least three years.
"One of my brothers in the SSD of the Naval Academy, whose father works for the Navy Veterans Affairs Department in Washington, told me that if I wanted, his father could arrange for me to serve as a warrant officer assistant in the US Navy Legislative Affairs Office in Washington. I wouldn't have to serve in various bases, and I would have more opportunities to meet important people. That office is responsible for communication between the US Navy and the US Congress. My brother gave me this opportunity and chose to serve on board the ship." Tony and Tommy talked about their own situation as they walked:
"There are two other options. One is to return to Rhode Island. You know, there is a naval base there. I can work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Ship System Engineering Station there. Ashley really wants me to return to Rhode Island to serve. After all, that is our hometown. As for the other option, I will serve in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia. My main job is to maintain the various ships stored in Philadelphia after World War II and ensure that when a war breaks out, those huge pieces of garbage can be reactivated and put into the battlefield as soon as possible."
Tommy folded his arms and nodded slightly as he listened to his brother's introduction, but he did not rush to give his own suggestions.
My brother seems to be doing well in the Naval Academy. These three service options are very good choices for most Naval Academy cadets. First of all, they all have one thing in common, that is, if a war breaks out, these three work units do not need to go to the front line immediately. They all work in the rear, and unlike those bases far away from the mainland of the United States, they have no vacation to return home to visit their families after serving for several years.
Assistant Warrant Officer in the U.S. Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs seemed to be the best choice. This was more difficult than David Shaffer's previous job as an intern assistant to a senator in Washington. Simply put, working in that office meant that Tony would be able to interact with bigwigs in the Pentagon's Department of the Navy and the U.S. Congress every day.
Rhode Island Naval Base is the most heartwarming choice. Rhode Island is the hometown of the two brothers. It is the Ship Engineering Station of the Atlantic Fleet of the United States Naval Base. When they go there, they are mainly responsible for the regular maintenance of the navy ships. There are no emergencies, so they can get off work on time and go home every day to have dinner with their families.
The Philadelphia United States Navy Atlantic Reserve Fleet is the safest choice, guarding the US Navy's own scrapped garbage to ensure that when war breaks out, those old ships can leave the dock to bluff.
"Going to Washington is certainly a very good choice. If I had finished the Naval Academy, I would go to work in Washington. I would try my best to flatter those big shots, slowly wrapping around them like vines until they and I become a symbiotic system. But you can't, Tony. Those old guys are not rookies in the Naval Academy. They won't become good brothers with you just because of a few glasses of liquor and your goodwill. It's not suitable for you. The most important thing is that you don't have a foundation. No one in your family works in the military for you to rely on. My business currently has no cooperation with the Navy, so there is no way to provide you with better follow-up development there. If you choose to go there, you will probably be serving tea and water in the office for three years, and then retire at the end of your term, or go to another place to start over again." Tommy told Tony his thoughts:
"Unless you accept my previous advice and break up with Ashley, then I will help you find a suitable father-in-law, so that you can go to Washington for comfort..."
Tony interrupted Tommy: "I'm not breaking up with Ashley, just like you're not breaking up with Otilia, Tommy, she's already Hawke's woman."
"Very good, then cross out the option of Washington. The Ship Engineering Station at the Rhode Island Military Base. Let me put it this way, if you choose to return to your hometown, it is tantamount to giving up your entire career for a moment of pleasure. It is indeed suitable for you, just like when you were repairing cars before, dealing with all kinds of machines every day and then getting off work on time, but dealing with machines, not people, there is no chance of promotion, and those cold opportunities will not award you medals." Tommy did not insist. He knew that his brother inherited his father's loyalty and would not cheat on others once he decided on a woman.
After hearing what his brother said, Tony asked, "So, only Philadelphia is left?"
"Philadelphia, if you can make a fortune selling those garbage to other countries for the US Navy, you will have a chance to climb up quickly, but that is another way of promotion within the Navy. You help the Navy bosses make money, and the Navy bosses give you medals. Once their corruption scandals are discovered, you will be thrown out and sacrificed. The same applies to me, but not to you. What's more, there is no need for us to choose this dangerous method now. We are not short of money." Tommy shook his head and rejected the third option.
Tony frowned slightly when he heard that all three choices were rejected, and reminded Tommy, "Tommy, Rhode Island and Philadelphia are the best choices I can get for the honors I have received in the academy."
Tony's college experience was in no way comparable to his brother's at Stanford, and the only things he could boast about at the Naval Academy were two grades.
One was a two-day Sandhurst Military Skills Competition hosted by the West Point Military Academy and attended by cadets from military academies in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. His team of nine cadet officers from the Naval Academy defeated the defending champion Royal Military Academy of Canada in the competition and eliminated the strongest opponent for the United States West Point Military Academy.
Later, in the battle for the championship and runner-up, due to excessive physical exhaustion and too many casualties, although they successfully met with the West Point Military Academy, they were defeated by West Point and finally won the runner-up.
Thanks to this runner-up title, Tony received the Trainee Officer Teamwork Medal awarded by the academy.
The second achievement was that he led the SSD Naval Academy chapter of the fraternity organization to initiate a promotion campaign called Men's Character on campus, advocating that male cadets in the Naval Academy should not force female cadets to do certain things, but learn to respect women, even if it costs some money.
This activity earned SSD a character award on campus, and its leader, Tony, received a leadership commendation letter handwritten by the dean.
This character building activity may sound insignificant, but in reality, it is not easy to promote respect for women in military academies full of male scumbags.
So under the leadership of Tony, SSD, which mainly used its financial ability to date beautiful women, launched the Men's Character Campaign. The academy and the navy seemed to have found a handy weapon in their time of crisis. They directly announced the SSD's club behavior to the outside world as the spontaneous behavior of all the boys , saying that our guys respect women very much, and all the scandals are the result of malicious exaggeration. They would rather spend money to date girls than engage in the various forced behaviors rumored outside.
It is precisely because of these two honors that Tony can choose where to start his naval career before he officially graduates.
"I noticed in the news that the U.S. Navy has launched 594 warships this year, only six ships away from the 600 warships Reagan proposed when he ran for president to surpass the Soviet Union. But the problem is that although there are many warships, there are not enough officers and soldiers to match them. There are a lot of vacancies, so if you take the initiative to apply to serve on these warships or overseas naval bases as a second lieutenant after graduation, you will get more promotion opportunities than in your home country." Tommy turned his head and looked at his brother:
"And your attitude of actively applying to be on a ship or stationed overseas will make it easier for me to get the U.S. Navy Overseas Service Ribbon and the U.S. Navy Midshipman Honorary Graduate Ribbon when you officially graduate through former Navy Secretary Thomas Hayward. Don't underestimate these two ribbons. They will be written into your file and resume forever, telling everyone in the United States that you took the initiative to apply to serve overseas for this country."
Tony was a little stunned, then lowered his head and said reluctantly: "Tommy, are you sure you can't find a position for me in the mainland? I'm not afraid of dying in the war, I just... you know what? If I go overseas, it may take me several years to have a chance to return home for vacation."
"Hawaii, I'll ask Jim to donate some money to Thomas Hayward's foundation and ask the former Navy Secretary about the quality of the fleet serving in Hawaii so that he can help you choose a beautiful warship. What do you think?" Tommy didn't respond to his brother's words. Instead, he smiled and said, "I will buy Ashley a big house in Hawaii so that Dad, Bethea, and Ashley can go there for vacation anytime and stay as long as they want. I promise that Ashley won't have to live with you in the miserable officers' dormitory."
"One last question, why do you insist on sending me overseas to board a ship?" Tony did not continue to question it after hearing his brother's arrangement. After all, this guy has already taken out money to buy a property directly in Hawaii and bring his family over for vacation to relieve his homesickness. This is already happier than 99% of the navy members.
Tommy looked at the people barbecuing in the distance and whispered, "Because the news in the newspaper and what you just said are telling me one thing, that is, the United States is about to go to war overseas. If you stay in the country, how can you have the opportunity to receive those medals that only officers who participate in the war can get?"
"Are you talking about the Navy's Operation Archer in the Persian Gulf? Will it trigger a war with Iran?" Tony was not surprised when he heard Tommy say that a war might break out overseas, because the US Navy's various military operations overseas have never been interrupted.
Just recently, the US Navy dispatched six warships, four aircraft and two special forces teams to attack two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf, occupying them and setting fire to the oil wells.
The reason was that Iran had previously attacked a Kuwaiti cargo ship protected by the US Navy.
"I don't know what war it is, but no matter what war breaks out, as long as it's not a war with the Soviet Union, you don't have to worry about dying in the war. On the contrary, a lot of medal winners will be born among the 594 warships of the US Navy. Otherwise, why do you think your brother gave you the opportunity to work in the Washington office and chose to board the ship yourself?" Tommy turned around and looked at Tony seriously:
"Perhaps out of friendship, he gave you this opportunity which is very precious to ordinary people, but the premise is that his father provides him with a better option. Obviously, boarding the ship is that better option."
