Airborne

Father of the Airborne

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Free Fire Zone
A novel by John Henry Lee

Chapter 1; Beginnings, page 3

"Miles, Jake's not going to fight a political war; I had rather see him go to Canada, anything, but this war is not our business." Charleen was literally screaming.

"Mom, dad, no big sweat, if I have to go in the Army I have to go."

"But Jake, you don't have to go."

"But, Mom, if they say I have to go, I do."

"What about a deferment," Miles interrupted.

"For what, dad?"

"You talked about school."

"Yeah, but never seriously, what would I study?"

"The idea is not what you'd study, it's just that it would keep you from going to Vietnam."

"Come on, you've got me going to Vietnam and all they've called me for is a physical."

Jake smiled as he thought of that conversation. This wasn't the first time in his life his mother was right about things.

"A lot of men are going to Canada to avoid the draft."

"Mom, you can't be serious."

"I have never been more serious in my life. Why should you risk your life for an Asian war with no significance to us." "But, Mom, how can you say that? I don't know all that much about what's going on, but if everybody felt that way, what would we do?" Suddenly, it sounded a little like Charleen's liberal upbringing of Jake might come back to haunt her.

Charleen didn't say anything for a long moment and just let Jake's words sink in.

"Oh yeah," he laughed. "You trapped me, didn't you, 'what if they had a war and nobody came.' Seriously, I don't think I could live with myself if I split to Canada."

Beginnings, page 4 ->

Beginnings; page 1
Beginnings; page 2
Beginnings; page 3
Beginnings; page 4
Beginnings; page 5
Beginnings; page 6