Here is one of a series of interviews regarding the many different viewpoints of the men and women in different areas of service. This first interview will cover military generals in their service as well as their experiences and opinions.

Service Interview - Military Generals

“It is an honor to be here in this interview. We all appreciate the invitation to the site. I'm flattered; my friend is flattered; we're all flattered. We want to thank you for extending your invitation to speak with us.” Those words, made by Army General Paulo Eriksson, start off the interview - this is the first of several interviews conducted to honor the various men and women of public service, including those in the military, law enforcement, and legal department.

“Paulo, I see you brought your friend with you, along with two others. Who are they?” Conducting the interview is Taurus himself, grinning in satisfaction at the sight of the four military generals before him. From left to right are the four military generals being interviewed, each of them bearing the rank of Four-Star General: Paulo Eriksson, Peter Frazier, Ommer Western, and Paola Sardini - each service member is wearing the uniform of their branch; Paulo and Peter are in their Army uniforms, Ommer is in his Marine uniform, and Paola is in her Air Force uniform.

“It's an honor to be here, speaking for all of us included.” Paulo sweeps an arm out in gesture to indicate those beside him all lined up and present. Even Peter and Ommer nod in agreement with Paola lightly playing with her hair in silent agreement.

Taurus continues, “Appreciated, Paulo. We left you guys a series of questions and would like to hear your feedback on each matter.”

“How many are there? Any surprises waiting?” This comes from Air Force General Paola Sardini, who is sitting on the far right at the end of the lineup. She is awaiting her part in the interview, yet alert of any surprises that may come up.

“No surprises, ma’am. Are you all ready to begin the interview?” Taurus appears to brush off Paola’s concern, though he shakes his head to clarify the lack of surprises. Yet he is also ready to begin interviewing the four military generals simultaneously.

When the four soldiers nod in agreement, Taurus begins, “Okay, first question to you guys - what led to you taking up military service?”

Paulo is the first to speak, “I think it is safe to say, speaking for all of us, that we wanted to protect and fight for our country, make a lasting legacy, impression, and fighting force. But for me, personally, it was the leadership and camaraderie that drew me. The professionalism, the order, the discipline, that's what I wanted.”

Peter speaks up next, “Making the world a better place and getting rid of terrorists and evil organizations is what led me to taking up a military occupation. But I never thought I'd reach the rank of Four-Star General.” The tiger rubs his head while remarking, “I feel old now, yet I'm 56!”

Laughter slices the room up followed by a brief interlude of silence where Taurus gestures to Ommer next, “General Western, you’re next.”

A smirk flashes across Ommer’s face where he folds his arms and declares, “Serving in the Marine Corps and leaving a lasting impression! I wanted nothing more than to join the Marines and join the fight against terror. Being a military general of the Marines myself, keeping the tradition alive is all that matters along with the purpose and goal!”

Taurus moves on to Paola last, observing the leopardess softly playing with her hair, “And you, ma’am? What led to you joining the military?”

“Wanting to be part of the action, as well as keeping our land and skies safe. I was elated when I reached the rank of General, but equally surprised. Honestly, I never thought my leadership role would be increased so much until now.” Paola chirped in her eager explanation.

“You guys certainly have impressive backgrounds. But one of you, no, all of you stand out in a variety of ways.” Taurus noted. He moves on with the interview, “Okay, next question to all of you - What is assessing your positions like? What are you guys' roles in your MOS and how does it affect your daily living?”

“Currently, I’m the only one who's not part of the Chief of Staff. But training soldiers and getting them ready for combat at a moment's notice still takes a lot of time.” Paulo expresses his own command he is holding, earning eyeshots from his fellow comrades. The snow leopard raises his arms up in a shrug while observing, “Personally, I'd say it's a goal I've worked hard to reach and I've finally reached that point. Some soldiers reach their potential quickly while others don't. But we gotta improvise, right?”

“General Frazier, on to you next.” Taurus gives a waving nod of acknowledgement in support of Paulo’s statement and moves on to Peter next where the Bengal tiger points out, “General Eriksson, the task of training soldiers belongs to drill sergeants, not military generals. Now as for me and the others, we–”

“Hang on, Peter.” Paulo cuts Peter off in an abrupt, rude way, causing Peter and Ommer to glare at him. The snow leopard general points out a clear difference in training,, “Training soldiers to provide ready forces to different Command Forces belongs to military generals. It is the training of brand new cadets that belong to military drill sergeants.”

Peter smacks his head in realization and groans, “I always get that mixed up! Ugh!!”

“Don't worry about it. It happens to all of us.” Paulo affirmed in acknowledgement.

As quickly as Peter was cut off, the tiger recovers and later gets back on track. With the new question still in his mind, the tiger focuses on Taurus and points out Ommer and Paola while gesturing to himself, “Anyways, along with Ommer and Paola, I too am part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff where we occupy concerns with the government as well as the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force. Honestly, it's really draining at times but I feel it's worth it.”

Hearing the tiger's statement on this, the bull innocently assumes, “It can't be that bad. How exhaustive can it get?”

“You have absolutely no idea how much debating goes on over minor matters and even moral values.” Peter blankly stares at the bull with a deadpan stare. “If you were in our position, you'd understand very well.”

“I'm willing to bet the Marines are the most aggressive while the Air Force is the calmest.” Taurus sniggered secretly.

Ommer crosses his arms and scoffs, “Still aggressive, yeah. Been aggressive since the Vietnam War. But that's only during recruitment and wartime. We still abide by our new policy of respect but we still keep the aggression - we just have it toned down a notch.”

“The Air Force is the same way and so is the Army. Ever since our new policy was passed in 2019, new recruits are treated with more respect, rather than hands-on aggression.” Paola rests her hands on her lap, avoiding her hair for now while giving her testimony on behalf of the Air Force. She crosses her arms as well while grinning, “We have resolved some future issues…” here, Paola deflates a little in disheartening guilt, “...but we still have the problem of sexual assault in our ranks still prevalent. We're still working on it but so far, no dice. As a woman myself, I have personally cried over the victims. It isn't fun when you're silenced for speaking up.”

Ommer takes Paola’s hand in his and assures her, “You're not by yourself. We've dealt with the same thing but the victims will be heard and avenged.”

Taurus blanks out at first from listening to the snow leopardess, and then he pales further in attentiveness, his ears falling, “That is… is that… how can people live like that? You mean soldiers have been victimized in the military?”

“Sir, it has been an ongoing problem that we have been trying to stamp out; it keeps growing.” Peter speaks up in response to the faltering bull, who appears to have seen a ghost. Yet the tiger assures him, “Though we have been given direction to handle it, some have even sent bribes to us to keep quiet. But stupid people can't be reasoned with. When it comes to addressing sexual assault and harassment, I myself have personally attended the locations and encouraged the victims to speak up. But it's not just me who's been attentive to the problem - all of us have been throwing out soldiers for instigating sexual crimes.”

The bull breathes a sigh of relief and his coloring comes back. He sits up straight in his seat and adjusts himself while going on to acknowledge the tiger and his colleagues, “I am absolutely glad to hear that. Surely the four of you are examples to your respective branches. You are all heroic role models; I have to ask this though - has any of you ever faced repercussions or backlash for your empowerment or whistleblowing?”

An angry growl rises in Ommer’s throat where he gestures to himself, Paola, and Peter, “My wife and I have received death threats and complaints from other Marines and Airmen for getting these heartless fools eradicated - and they are the suspects themselves! One time, my wife and I had to fight off two guys who tried to carjack us; they're friends of a few of the thugs that we've tossed out!”

Peter grunts in annoyance and satisfaction while claiming, “I've been bribed and threatened with being fired just for encouraging victims to speak out but I silenced them into using their logic against them. Honestly, it is okay to speak up, regardless of whether you lose your position or not. What matters is that you're looking out, rather than turning a blind eye.”

After a tense silence, Taurus gulps, “Um, I may not be authorized to ask this but uh, how long has sexual assault been prevalent in the military?”

“A long time, and the victims wind up either dead or in shambles.” Paola groaned. “To this day we're still keeping ourselves careful on the matter while encouraging victims to speak up.”

“All of us are, General Sardini.” Paulo affirmed in agreement. He then personally relates, “I myself had to personally issue dishonorable discharges to soldiers who were responsible for both sexual assault and harassment, but it's not just men who instigate, it’s women too.”

“Honestly, it’s very shameful for all of you to deal with that. So much work you guys do only for it to be swept underneath a rug. But don't give up; you guys are putting up a good fight and leading by example.” Somber at first, Taurus' mood increases in admiration of the four generals before him where he encourages them to continue encouraging others to speak up.

“Look buddy, the day we die is the day we stop fighting.” Ommer gives a lopsided, smug grin with his fangs partially exposed. The black panther’s confidence matches everyone in the room, and it even leaves Taurus more impressed. The bull chuckles, “The four of you must be few out of many amazing servicemen that will never stop fighting. I even met these two personally while on break!” He quickly points to Paulo and Peter for emphasis while quickly moving on. “Anyways, onto the next topic - what experiences have you guys dealt with in your service? This is a question to all of you, and it doesn't have to go in order.”

“I think one incredible experience we all had collectively,” Paola’s term draws agreeing nods from her colleagues in terms of working together, “is being invited not only to teach at different seminars and universities on what it means to be in the military, but also to be invited to public schools to aid our children in the history of our branches, the different cultures, and the different tasks and accomplishments we've had over the years.”

“Aye! Who says we can't have fun while we teach and learn ourselves?” Peter interjected, rubbing his white hair. “Not everything in the military is stoic. When it came to recess, though, we had our discussions here and there but we also had fun being ourselves.”

Ommer rolls his eyes, “Frankly, this is a serious discussion and you're deviating. Yes, I had the experience of teaching too, but I never goofed off about it. As for me, one of the experiences I’ve had was kinda scary. But this is off-duty, mind you. Actually, now that I think about it, it was just another day of my service during climate change protesting. I had to drive through a crowd of angry protesters and escape their assault.”

“I’m not familiar with situations like that one in particular but how bad was the crowd?” Taurus scowls in confusion, unable to comprehend the situation. But he is more worried and curious about how Ommer managed to escape.

Ommer shrugs, “All I did was just drive through the crowd - nothing special. I'm not gonna let a bunch of angry birds block me from where I need to go.”

“Now what about your experiences in your military service? That is what we would like to learn more about.” Taurus requested in a reminder.

Ommer rests his hands in his lap while bluntly explaining himself, “Tank Commander. It was boring as heck but to actually plow through enemy lines is a guarantee. But flipping the script, I’ve had to fight to not get vaporized. Then there's trench fighting. Like for one assignment where I was leading a small group against an enemy team of raiders, we had to improvise. This was, oh I’d say like around the Afghan Desert. It was an assignment given to destroy a hideout.”

“Terrorist hideout?” Taurus arches an eyebrow in question.

“Yep. But somehow, and this is my gut feeling, we encountered a minefield, so we disembarked and assessed the area. Unfortunately, we didn't have a mine plow, so we had to call for bomb disposal. Then once mines were clear, we followed through on our assignment, though we faced resistance along the way.” Ommer explained.

“Aren't tanks equipped with mine plows the same way a snow-plow pickup is equipped with plows? I thought the Army and Marine branches had plows on their tanks now.” Taurus reasoned.

Ommer’s ears fold where he disappointingly laments, “Ours did not have a plow, so we had to wait which cost us valuable time.” His ears fly back up where he finishes his point, “but to cut to the chase, the landmine was cleared and we battled an enemy squadron. Then we captured and destroyed the hideout to eliminate it from the world map. Less of those means less hiding spots for the enemy.”

After a bit of silence, Paola is next to speak up, “Apart from all the teaching, one of the best experiences I've had in the Air Force is working in the Security Forces. Now I'm not skilled in law enforcement, but it's a game changer. Deployment, on the other hand, is a different story.”

“What makes deployment as a Security Forces Airman for you any different?” Genuinely curious, Taurus wanted to learn more about this part of Paola’s service. The Air Force General points out, “Security Forces have more roles in battlefields and peacetime which include force protection, reconnaissance, cordon and search, the whole 9 yards! Local law enforcement have no duties like those unless they're conducting drug raids or assisting their own in danger.”

Peter is the next to speak up after some information-sinking silence where he side-eyes Ommer and Paola and turns his attention back to Taurus, “Speaking collectively for all three of us who are part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I'd say our most memorable experience is evacuating and defending the job site from potential insurrectionists. Getting the staff to safety while our bodyguards pick off the intruders,” Peter shakes his head ruefully, “it was a really trying time.”

“Are you referring to the attack on your Capitol building that happened 3 years ago?” Taurus wondered.

“Nope. This was more recent - bomb threats and gun threats were hot because of so many social and political issues.” Peter explained - he begins to sweat again.

“Voting solves nothing, which is why I don't vote for anyone to be in office.” Paola grumbled, “Same stuff keeps happening over and over again.”

“Yeah, but were you ever assassinated before?” Peter challenged. The entire room grows silent at this point.

“You mean, you faced assassination attempts??” Taurus’ eyes buck at hearing this, and even the mighty bull begins to grow scared.

“Who hasn't?” Peter nonchalantly brushes off the worried and heated glares he is getting from his peers where he points out, “I've had assassination attempts on me throughout my service but when I look back on them, all I can do is laugh. These punks try so hard but fail every single time! I've also had to fake my death a few times just so they can get away and then we end up killing them in the end.”

Taurus pauses to reflect and then he shakes his head. “Honestly, I'm not even going to ask you to elaborate. Unfortunately, whoever was put in charge of this required me to do this so I have to ask you this - what attempt on your life was drawn out the most?”

“Do you know what the Taliban and Al-Qaeda networks are?” Peter gives a knowing stare at the bull, who begins sweating in return. Taurus snorts and shakes his head, “I'm familiar with them because of all the news stories I've heard about them. But 9/11 and 7/7, those were super tragic.”

“Put it this way - they want to silence us to shut us up. But that will not happen. I was giving a public speech at an outdoor seminar when one of my bodyguards tackled me. Then all hell broke loose. I guess sympathizers of the networks or members of the networks themselves came to stir up trouble. Long story short, the perps were domestic terrorists who were sympathizers with one of those networks.” Peter explained. This makes Taurus whisper in suspense, “And then what happened next?”

“No, they were all killed. We had some civilians injured from the chaos during the evacuation but the guards and local law enforcement did a good job of taking care of the threat.” The tiger clarified.

Following a short, tense silence, Paulo is next to speak up. “I’ve had to rescue my son, Dylan, from kidnappers who threatened to behead him. But the beheading wasn't it - it was an attempted rape. I don't know the details fully of what led to it but this one was more personal.”

“Wait wait wait, you’re saying that some idiots kidnapped your son? All for what, exactly?” Unable to understand, Taurus requests more information while shaking his head slowly in derision.

Bluntly, Paulo reveals, “They were supporters of both Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. And they wanted me personally. As for why they nabbed my son, a bargaining chip and a way to get to me. It worked, but not in their favor.”

“Did you rescue Dylan? Your son, I mean…” Taurus is flushed in the face while leaning slightly forward, frowning in further suspense.

Paulo nods, “Yes I did. I dropped the initial thug with a headshot kill, and then we collectively destroyed the enemy forces waiting to devour us.” The snow leopard goes on to explain, “When you have a booby-trapped hideout against your favor, it can only end badly for you and your allies.”

“How did you know their hideout was booby-trapped? You're making this all up.” Taurus claimed.

“We each took a picture of the destroyed hideout along with several indents where explosive barrels were. There were also indents in the ground that hid different traps. They knew where not to step but in the chaos, it took the barrels to set off the impending destruction.” Paulo pulls out his smartphone and begins looking through his photo gallery. After some scrolling, he stops and hands Taurus the phone. “See?”

The photo depicts Paulo and Dylan in their army uniforms, both of them shaken. However, this is against a bluish background of sorts. Initially skeptical, Taurus swipes and almost falls out of his seat - a farther vantage point shows the destruction of the spot that the two snow leopards were at, revealed to be an actual hideout. The site is leveled and still smoking with black smoke damage on the remains of the top. While the hideout is partially collapsed, there are multiple dead bodies surrounding the site, some with different guns around them.

“You must have been nearby to find out about this kidnapping detail.” A mortified, yet relieved Taurus hands the phone back to the snow leopard, who reminds him, “This happened in Afghanistan where I was giving a seminar until the emergency came. Ever since that incident, he has never left without a partner.”

“You have absolutely no idea of how much of a hero you are - all of you, really. You and the men and women under your command truly deserve more than you bargain for.” Taurus noted in awe.

Peter waves off the praise, “Honestly Taurus, we are not heroes - we’re just doing our duty to our country, despite how bad it is behind the scenes.”

“It really is a shame as to what it's been reduced to, but given our collective experiences we’ve faced together, nothing beats fighting for our lives.” Paola interjected.

“Ma’am, what do you mean by that? And what experience did you all have together?” Taurus, now confused, attempts to reason with the female snow leopard to understand her point.

“Have you ever experienced riots before?” That simple question raised by the Air Force General makes Taurus pause and reflect on his service as a fireman. He doesn't hesitate to conclude, “Yes I have, and we have been attacked ourselves.”

“I think all of us, myself included, can agree on the fact that escaping a riot is the hardest thing ever. But what is one riot that you all personally faced?” The bull questioned.

“Collectively, we have faced riots concerning the Middle East. It is nothing but a hotspot now.” Paulo claimed. While Ommer, Peter, and Paola nod in unison and agreement, the spotted army general relates, “Ironically, we all were driving to work during our calls of duty and got stopped by protesters. Now we don't have motorcades but we each have separate bodyguards to protect us. They were at their posts already so it was just the four of us, separately.”

Ommer admits, “I almost ran a few over during my escape. They shouldn't be blocking public roads in the first place!”

Paola reflects, “I had to tap into my rally racing side to escape. You would think a military general would have common sense to follow a logical solution. That's how I escaped.”

“I honestly wish I had stayed home that day but duty calls,” Peter shrugged, “I was almost thrown off the road while escaping an ambush in the process! It was mainly sympathizers with these horrible groups, as well as support for the Innocents.”

“Peter, you definitely had it worse than us. All I did was just speed off and break through the crowd to escape. I didn't care who got in my way or who I ran over. I just went ballistic.” Paulo related. This makes Taurus snort, “How did you not get arrested for attempted murder?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. In any case, the police were having the same problem. Even the riot police had their hands full in shutting things down but this was after we escaped.” Paulo guessed, shrugging afterwards. “Still, it was pretty chaotic.”

Taurus laughs nervously while sweatdropping, “Eh heh heh, I can already imagine…” but after a brief silence, Taurus coughs and focuses on the rest of his assigned interview. “This next question will be addressed solely to the Chief of Staff operatives. So this next question is this - what are some debates and concerns that you all have experienced in your service?”

“We’ve mainly dealt with cyberspace concerns regarding electronic and digital warfare, given our relations with China. Same with North Korea, though not as much.” Paola rambled off. The female snow leopard parts her hair again while mentioning, “Dealing with other countries who hate us can be a waste of time, honestly.”

Ommer is disturbed by his wife's statement. He counters with a grunt, “Not when public safety is on the line. Remember that strange shutdown we experienced two years ago? That wasn't China, it was Russian hackers looking to start something big. Your Airmen and Airwomen got to the bottom of it along with the Space Force.”

“Aren't cyberspace matters dealt primarily with the Air Force?” Taurus assumed with a questionable expression on his face. He seems to be contemplating something.

In response to the assumption, Ommer mentions, “Cyberspace matters are handled by each branch of the United States military, including the Coast Guard. The Space Force also handles cyberspace matters - each branch has a Cyber Command force that deals primarily with cyberspace traffic.”

“R-really??” The bull bucks his eyes in wonder upon learning this, along with his ears flying straight up. “I always thought it was the Air Force alone!”

“Space Force initially.” Paola interjected with a raised finger. She relaxes and continues, “but with the increase in digital and online traffic, cyberspace is handled by all branches. So it's not just the Space Force, it's all forces.”

“I see… it just sounds so odd…” Taurus remarked slowly.

“Moving on, mind you,” Peter gives the black panther and the snow leopardess knowing glances while changing the subject, “one experience that I had recently was a debate on social rights. Now it came from a topic that we were all discussing, which includes concerns about international affairs. One of those concerns addressed the possibility of our soldiers still stationed in the Middle East, which really drew concerns both domestic and abroad. Having to pull our soldiers out under command was a bad move - look at what happened to Afghanistan.”

“Lack of presence or actual presence wouldn't have changed anything - it would have just added more casualties.” Paulo interjected in response to Peter's testimony.

Ommer rolls his eyes, “Well another collective experience we've had were threats targeting us personally. Bomb threats, assassination threats and attempts, all kinds of blackmail to kill us. And this was all due to allegiance to these networks.”

Taurus sweats profusely, “I don't know what's worse - domestic terrorism or global terrorism.”

“Both are horrible but global terrorism is worse -” Peter recalled, “- more sympathizers revealing themselves before ambushing their targets.”

“Speaking of terror threats,” Taurus turns his attention directly to Paulo, “I remember your face being in the newspapers during the War on Terror. Does the headline ‘Army General Escapes Grim Reaper’ ring a bell to you?”

Paulo scrapes his black claws against his lap where all the color drains from his face. He blanches, “Dear God, don't remind me. That was the most horrible decade during my career as a Lieutenant General! I still have nightmares about that time!”

“Paulo, how in the world were you even able to remain alive after all those attempts on your life?” Ommer raises a question of his own this time, instead of Taurus. The bull snorts, “If he doesn't want to answer, just let him be.”

“No no no, it's okay Taurus.” Paulo assures the bull that nothing is wrong with being asked - he holds a hand up to emphasize his point. The army general reflects, “I couldn't go anywhere without a gun, at least. Not only that but my family and my bodyguards backed me up. You could say I was a high-value target for my enemies.”

Peter blanches as well, “Now you're making me feel old. Both of us have really been through some tough times, huh?”

“Not as bad as charging into burning buildings or disabling explosives in rescue and evacuations.” Taurus reminded them.

“Since when did firefights begin disarming explosives? Isn't that for Bomb Squad officers only?” Ommer addressed.

“There are times where firefighters have been called to be on standby during Bomb Squad moments. And speaking from personal experience, we’ve had a bomb threat targeting our fire station as well as the police department.” Taurus recalled. “If I worded that wrong, I apologize; but we are requested to be on standby for tense moments like these.”

“That's about as dangerous as transporting an actual lethal weapon cross-country.” Paola whimpers, disturbed. “One wrong move and everyone is toast - literally.”

“Not if you know what you are doing.” Ommer attested. He turns his attention to Taurus next, “What is your next question to ask us?”

“Before we move on, I’d like to hear one of Paulo's separate experiences during his tenure in the Forces Command.” Taurus reminded them.

Paulo blushes, “It was rather embarrassing, yet inspiring at the same time. When I look back on it, it really impacted a lot of people.”

“What happened for your experience to be controversial?” Taurus wondered. His tail flicks mildly from side to side while he stares at the snow leopard, curiously awaiting an answer.

“I was invited to speak at a seminar on individual rights after discussing military operations abroad as well as the future of the world. But here's what touched it off - my kids told me about some shirts they noticed which read ‘Trans Rights are Human Rights’. And that got me thinking, ‘What does that have to do with what's going on around us?’. It didn't make sense to me. Need me to elaborate more?” Since he knows where this is going, Paulo wonders if he should continue, but Taurus advises, “Tell us what happened and keep it respectful, please.”

“Well, long story short, I spoke up on the fact that these ‘Trans Rights’ are not rights at all - they are immoral and sinful. And well,” the snow leopard hunches his shoulders in a shrug, “I was booed off the stage for speaking up against something disgusting. But while I walked out, my family and my staff were behind me. I honestly thought I was the only one leaving.”

“That was also in the news too - the newspaper headlines - and you were also attacked online for it.” Taurus recalled. “What's the big deal?”

“I'm against it, Peter’s against it, we’re all against it, speaking collectively for the four of us here.” Here, Paulo pauses and leans forward to sneak a glance at Ommer and Paola for emphasis and picks back up on his explanation, “It took my wife and my oldest son to speak up -” he raises a finger to pause, “- no, I take that back.” The snow leopard relaxes his hand back down while elaborating, “It took my family to aid me in defending myself online all because of me being against their agenda.”

“You said your oldest is a lawyer and your youngest is a doctor, correct?” Taurus recalled in memory.

“That's right,” Paulo nods in confirmation and continues speaking, “and I can only imagine what Robby has to deal with every day. I’d be surprised if he was fired for refusing to perform certain operations on people.”

Taurus rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Pah! Don't be. It just means you're all taking a stand - something that I actually appreciate for once. But to all of you, stay strong, stay sharp, and stay in your service. You're doing more good than you think.”

Peter gushes, “Aww, now you're making us flustered again. We appreciate the compliment, Taurus.”

“That reminds me of another experience where some idiots stopped traffic, more like ran into the middle of the road to halt traffic, only to unveil some kind of flag that said ‘Honk If You Support Gay Rights’. I blared alright, for the sucker to move out of the road before I ran him over.” Ommer grumbled in annoyance.

“How can a Marine General like you be so evil?” Taurus claimed. As appalled as he was at hearing Ommer’s new revelation, he almost chuckled.

“Only way to reason with stupid idiots is to knock some sense into them - literally and figuratively.” Ommer attested. “I had to go through protests that same way. And being arrested is completely out of the question too.”

“Highly advise you against doing that unless you want to lose your job and everything.” Taurus sternly warns Ommer against his actions, which can have dire results. Seeing the black panther dismiss his warning, the bull snorts and then grumbles, “Right… moving on then.”

“This final section is somewhat complicated, but we want to gather your views on the policies in place regarding different areas of the military.” Switching gears, Taurus lets his dismissal slide while moving on to the final part of the interview. “What do you guys think about policies regarding your men and women being ordered to withdraw from certain areas in peacetime and war?”

“If that's the case, why do we have different American-based strongholds in different countries?” Ommer argued, “We have bases not only here in the United States, but also in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.”

“But as long as our soldiers are frequently patrolling those areas, it'll draw more hostility towards us.” Paola reasoned with Ommer. She focuses back on Taurus and admits, “I was against it originally, but now, I support it. As long as it's not a full-scale problem, then I find nothing wrong.”

Peter, however, is more antagonizing in his stance; the tiger recollects and complains, “Look at what happened to Afghanistan when we had to pull our soldiers out of there on command - the country collapsed! If we had kept fighting, the Taliban would not have seized control so quickly! And what about Vietnam? While that was very controversial, Vietnam fell to communism during the Cold War period!”

“Peter, that was a different time period when we were growing up. And looking back on that time, we really had no idea what was going on. We were just kids being kids.” Paulo leans over to wrap an arm around Peter's shoulders to console him. “But fast forward to the present, communism doesn't exist now as it strongly did back then. The Cold War was basically a full communism period until 1991. So to agree or disagree with our own men and women being withdrawn from certain locations on orders is fine with me.”

A disappointed groan comes from Paola where the Air Force General herself recalls, “Speaking of the Vietnam War, there were all kinds of problems with that conflict, both inside and out! Drug use, war crimes, protests and riots, no wonder it was so controversial; so many lives and an entire period wasted! And on what? What were these people thinking!?”

“Even I don't know. But the media seems to glorify it in more ways than one.” Taurus shrugged, not understanding at first. Then he plainly admits, “I don't know about you guys but that period was a waste of time. I want to hear your opinion on this next policy regarding the training of new recruits.”

“I think the person you're best conversing with about that is my wife.” Paulo began first, happy to switch topics. “She can tell you more because she occasionally serves as a drill sergeant from time to time. But I'll fill you in on what we have all concluded.”

With his arm still around his tiger friend, Paulo casts a quick eye to Ommer and Paola and assesses, “Speaking collectively for all of us, however, I'd say the new respect policy is a positive!”

“There are still some challenges that need to be addressed.” Paola admitted, “Like adjusting to new TRADOC regulations. What we went through during our recruit training may be nothing or worse than what these new recruits are undergoing now during their basic training. But one thing we're hoping to learn from altogether is history.”

“The scandals that dominated military headlines during the late 80s to now still surprise me.” Ommer shuddered. “But a Drill Sergeant actively abusing his recruits, whether male or female, will go down in shameful history. That is one record that won't be erased forever.”

Peter also lists the adjustments, “No cursing, no hands-on, less screaming towards recruits, and no shark attacks. It is still a work in progress for our men and women to adjust to, and it's an arduous task in itself.” The tiger goes on to explain, “You're so hardwired to a certain point, you're not registering the new policy until you feel the bricks dropping on top of you. A few short-circuit moments and it'll be broken through eventually.”

“As the saying goes, ‘history repeats itself’ and that’s what you all are trying to avoid. It is commendable for all of you but how will this affect new servicemen and women in the long run?” Taurus wondered.

Paulo withdraws his arm from Peter where he begins to speak when Ommer beats him to it, “Filters and attention span. These new kids are so into their devices that they're a separate person. One of the Marine drill instructors ended up sacking a new trainee from the platoon over being on their phone. The trainee claimed they were a social media influencer. Bottom line is this -” Ommer firmly flexes his hand claws in emphasis while prodding the armrests of the chair he is sitting in, “- we don't care who you are or what you are. We want you to follow instructions, order, and discipline. Nobody knows or cares about what you are until free time where you begin conversing more freely.”

“That reminds me of a TikTok user that got arrested for assault - guy was a famous online celebrity. Needless to say, he messed with someone for fun and games and had the cops on him. The cops didn't care who or what he was - they were getting a dangerous menace off the streets for all they know.” Taurus recalled once more. Then he remembers, “Oh, and speaking of that - here is the last question - what are your views on the policy regarding the LGBT community being allowed to serve in the military?”

“In respectful terms, it will only bring more problems, so speaking for myself, for the Air Force, and for the Army; basically all branches, we are all against the policy.” Ommer bluntly responded, annoyed.

Paola grumbles, “I'd rather see a rainbow in the sky, not on the street, a building, or on a flag. And if you notice, a rainbow has 7 colors, not 6. They missed one while snatching it for their own personal use.”

“Personally, I am against it.” Paulo responded next. He and Peter turn to each other and back at Taurus with the former shuffling and getting comfortable in his seat. “Peter and I personally expelled men and women of that caliber from the Army to keep things clean and orderly. Some have spoken out and called us names over it, but in the long run, they will see how beneficial it is.”

“On a personal note, I threw up when my son, Matthew, showed me a transgender person on TV. I almost passed out from the sight - it was that horrible.” Peter related. Then he focuses keenly on Taurus, visualizing a camera behind him where he warns, “If anyone has gender dysphoria, get professional mental help immediately. This is not allowed in the military.”

Ommer licks his lips in annoyance, “Kids can call me all kinds of names if they want - gender is based on biology, not feelings. Even if men do feminine things and women do masculine things, it doesn't change their gender - that's their personality alone. My wife and Paulo’s wife can attest to that.”

Taurus leans slightly forward, curious to learn more. “How so?”

“You're speaking to a tomboy here.” Paola remarks while beginning to grin. “I do men things, like racing and fighting here and there. It doesn't mean I'm a guy though. But in all honesty, those with gender dysphoria and other problems like that are unfit for service.”

Noticing her annoyed and disappointed scowl at the last part, Taurus clears his throat and admits, “Honestly, I agree with you; I agree with all of you. But in respectful terms, I'll say this - do what you can to clean up the mess.”

“Oh, we’ve been doing that, alright.” Ommer’s raised brows emphasis his fiery, stoic determination. “We've been speaking up and speaking out, advocating, and protesting against it all. It doesn't change what I said earlier - they can call us what they want - you can't change science and biology over feelings.”

“A recent personal experience of mine is when I was invited to a public seminar with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to add my opinion on the matter.” Paulo gives another emphatic gesture to the tiger, black panther, and snow leopardess with him. He goes on to recall, “I spoke up about how it is harmful not only to the military but also to future generations. Because of that, I was booed off stage but I didn't care. Knowing what is at stake, I simply left.”

“And the kids that are part of this spectrum better hope they don't get assigned or deployed to a country where the enemy would like nothing more than to throw them off a roof or behead them.” Peter interjected. “You can't paint a horse with stripes and call it a zebra - at the end of the day it is still a horse.”

“A Category 5 wake-up call is in store for the people that are part of this atmosphere too. And like General Frazier said, enemies against that would like nothing more than to behead them. And that is what we're trying to prevent - more problems from popping up.” Paola attested.

“It's not a matter of hate or anything like that - some things should just be off-limits to people of that spectrum.” Paulo asserted firmly. “We're trying to prevent more situations than add to them.”

Ommer claims, “They can cry ‘hate speech’ at us all they want, but it is a matter of defending and saving lives that way - in more ways than one, actually.” The black panther raises his arms up, “Why else do we filter the good from the bad?”

Peter bluntly reports, “The whole ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ thing was a hot topic. The smart thing to do was to report it. And certain countries have laws against that lifestyle. But with the current policy in place allowing that stuff here, it's all a mess now,” the tiger general shakes his head woefully, looking dejected. Sharply, he exhales through his nose and returns with a disappointed, yet annoyed stare. “This is not what we or our ancestors fought for.”

“I never thought a country like America would sink so low into depravity.” Taurus lamented. “It really is a shame here. You're doing all you can to clean it all up and you receive even more trouble for that.”

Paola huffs, “Yeah, lose our careers and become laughingstocks. Next, our men and women will be charging into battle carrying rainbow flags instead of the American flag. You think other countries won't laugh at us if they're already laughing now?”

“There are only so many of you guys left, it isn't funny. America could be in a state of emergency from within.” Taurus concluded. “I personally don't like it either but I won't go out of my way to shame them.”

Paulo claims, “Just because we don't support that immoral lifestyle doesn't mean we're not respectful. We are respectful of them, given they respect us back. But anytime you're labeled a type of ‘-phobic’ for saying ‘no’ to them, it's always a meltdown. Nobody has time for feelings.”

“Nope. All it does is divide. And regarding the situation our country is in, it breaks my heart to see so much chaos and perversion, especially inside and outside the military or any part of public service.” Paola groaned.

“It saddens me to hear this but I commend you guys for your vigilant service to your people and your country.” Taurus stands up, ready to leave the interview area. But before he leaves, the bull shakes hands with each of the generals while saluting them out of respect. “Stay safe and stay sharp! Goodbye!”

~~~~~

Taurus belongs to  alexyorim; Peter Frazier, Paulo Eriksson, Ommer Western, and Paola Sardini belong to me!