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The Kimodo Dragon

As told by Jim Hicks, Riflery Instructor

Submitted by Phil Wislar, 2013

“We were out on patrol in the jungle on the island of Komodo, in the Phillipines, in the South Pacific, during World War II.”

(Shines Light)  “Hey, you boys down there in group one, BE QUIET! ” 

“Our patrol is was real quiet and all I could hear was the rain falling on the banana leaves.  And then, all of a sudden, you start hearing CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!”

“How you boys likin’ them suckers?” 

“You know what I’m thinking campers?  Maybe it’s Jap-PAN-Ease soldiers!  Patrol leader held up his hand and said, ‘Quiet.’ I took my rifle and pulled back the tropical leaves with my bayonet.”

“You boys know what a bayonet is?  We don’t have’m here at Deerwoode, but if you join riflery class, I’ll teach you how to shoot bee-bee’s.  Would you like that?  Then you might be able to progress to the pistol.  You could be a marksman, son.  Or a Sharp Shooter.  The best marksman in Deerwoode history was Steven Star. He used to wear a shooting jacket.  Pads on the elbow and pads on the shoulder, son, for re-coil.”

“Anyway, I pulled back the leaves and you know what I saw?  I four legged lizard called the KAA MOW DOE DRAGON!  We lit outta there, boys, boogedy boogedy boogedy!”

“You boys like that story?”

Major Jim Hicks, Riverside Military Academy, Retired