Men of the Skull Chapter 51: Bill

This chapter was a bit of a character sketch, but it also introduced someone who would be important later.

This is one of the most "politically incorrect" chapters in the book.  If it ever gets published, this chapter may be highly edited and folded into another.

The Sigma Tau Gamma house in this chapter was torn down in 1997.  AW& Sons owned the property, and gave Sig Tau a month to come up with $500,000 to buy it off them or get out.  Of course, they couldn't raise that sum, so they were out.  The house was quickly demolished, and an apartment building called The Diplomat was built on the site.  That building is still there.

At the time, I lived in Beaver Hill apartments, which was directly across the street from Sig Tau.

Picture:  Google maps.  I added the yellow captions

Bill remained in State College for a while, and Dave stayed in touch with him.  I never saw him again after I graduated.  I know he planned to go career in the Corps.  After a few years, even Dave lost touch with him.  I seem to recall Dave telling me he and Paula divorced, but I forget when.

He would've finished his twenty years long ago, assuming he survived.  I hope he did.


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Chapter 51: Bill

Wednesday, March 11, 1987 Test-tube births are condemned

            Bill was a Marine.  He was five foot six, and every inch was Gung Ho, Semper Fi and Squared Away.  Bill was a little fireplug.  He was all muscle and had a very broad, round-ish head with a high, backward sloping forehead.  His hair was dark and always in a high and tight crew cut.  His eyes were small, brown, and wide apart.  He had a small mouth which was locked in a creepy smile.  It became wider when he was angry.  Sometimes he had a wispy attempt a moustache, sometimes not.

Every Marine was proud of carrying that title, and rightfully so- anyone who had the balls to finish that training program should be proud.  However, there was something that Bill different.  It wasn’t just that he lived and breathed the Corps.  No, there was more.

            Bill was crazy.

            You could see it in his eyes. 

Other Marines (who aren’t afraid of anybody) were afraid of Bill.  I was glad he was on our side.

I met Bill at one of Dave’s dorm gatherings.  He taught me how to play Ace Face and drank me under the table with extreme prejudice. 

Ok, another thing that set Bill apart was that he was married.  Married in college?  What the fuck?  That’s like taking sand to a beach!  Well, he was married to a girl named Paula.  She was really fat.  I mean, she seemed to get fatter every time I saw her.  I referred to her a Paula the Hutt when Bill wasn’t around.  And she was as ugly inside as out.  We hated each other.

So this one night I’m at the apartment working on homework when I heard a knock on the door.  It was Bill and Dave- both bloody, roughed up, and drunk.  As always Bill was smiling.

“What the hell happened?”  I asked.

“Got any beer?”  Bill asked back.

“Some Strohs”

“Bill decided to take on all of Sig Tau,” Dave said.  Sig Tau was right across the street from Beaver Hill.  It was the ROTC fraternity.  It was also the house that most closely resembled Delta House from “Animal House.”

Sigma Tau Gamma- 1997.  That was the year it was demolished

I gave Bill a beer. 

“One of those squids insulted the Corps and one of my brothers,” Bill said.  “I couldn’t let that go.”

“Bill was thrown down the stairs,” Dave said.

“Asshole frat boys won’t fight one on one like men,” Bill said.  I didn’t reply to the insult.  I figured it’d be best to let him vent. 

“Meanwhile, some guy says ‘hey ain’t you with him?’ and punches me,” Dave said.

“It was fuckin’ awesome!”  Bill said, smiling even wider, kinda like the Joker.

“Are you guys ok?”  I asked.

“My arm hurts but its nuttin,” Bill said, reaching into the fridge for another few beers.

“Are those beers yours?”  Dave asked.

“No, they’re Mark’s.

Bill handed us each a beer and opened his own. 

“What?  Whose are these?”  Bill asked.

“My roommate’s,” I said.

Bill smiled wider, if that was possible.  “Fuck him.  I buy him more.  I just won’t be buying it tonight.”

I was a little worried that I’d be stuck replacing the beer, oh well- what could I do?  Fight a drunken Bill?

“So how did they throw you down the stairs?”  I asked Bill.

“Well the fuckin’ squid was upstairs in the head and he started talking bad about the Corps.  I told him to stop and he wouldn’t!”

“Squid?”  I said.

“Navy,” Dave said.

I did this.  I wonder if they're still around?

            “So I had to correct his worldview,” Bill said.  “But those faggoty ass frat boys never fight ya man to man.  Noooo, they always gang up.  So there was like four of them and they threw me down the fuckin’ stairs.”  (This number of Sig Tau’s would increase as time went on.  By the time I graduated, Bill had been tossed by no less than ten guys.)

            I looked at Dave.

            “All I saw was him landing on his ass at the bottom of the stairs,” he said, shrugging.  “I picked him up and we beat a hasty retreat here.”

            “Where there’s beer!  Here where there’s beer!” Bill said reaching into the fridge for Marc’s last beer.  He finished three while Dave and I barely started ours.  He wiped a trickle of blood off his forehead with his right sleeve.

            “Are you sure you’re ok?”  I asked Bill.  “You seem to be favoring your left arm. 

            “Yeah.  Ain’t nothing a fucking beer can’t fix.  Semper Fi!”

            Bill chugged his beer.

            After a hefty burp, Bill asked Dave “You ready to hit some bars?”

            Dave chugged his beer, much more slowly.  He handed me the empty.  “Thanks” he said.  And off they went, leaving me holding a half drunken beer, five empties, and homework to finish.

            True to his word, Bill showed up the next day, sprained arm in a sling, and a six pack of Strohs to replace the one drunk the night before.

Photo:  Google Maps

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