[Steve knows - maybe he didn't have time to care overly much at the time, but that doesn't mean he never cared about the troops stationed halfway around the world then or after the fact. He's met plenty of Marines since then, too, and done plenty of reading. He knows everything you can know - without having been there, because he knows there are things he'll never quite get. And that's okay. He won't pretend that he does, in that case.]

Oh yeah? [Hey, it's definitely something - and not just a brush-off because they're different branches.] I got over there a little too late for all that excitement, [and boy, does he sound like he wishes it could have been different] but my best friend did, too.

I know you can. [And he's not being dismissive - you're a Marine, and given where you came from, he's got no doubt in his mind.

But that doesn't mean you don't need a couple of things, like that water and a shower and something clean to wear. You can manage, sure, but the alternative would be a lot nicer - and you deserve it.] Well, I was just headed back to my cabin anyway. You want to grab a canteen of water, for the hell of it?

[And, he might as well mention,] I've got a shower that stays hot, too. If you want to think about it.