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A brush with an old sage:
Wall of Honor
by Hal Swift
Veterans Day is November 11
It's one of those cool, sunshiny, early November afternoons. Shorty is straightening the photos on his "Wall of Honor," as he calls it--a collection of photos of just about everyone who frequents his place, who has seen military service in some war, in some country, at some time or another.
At the thundering sound of a motorcycle in the parking lot out front, he stops and listens. He turns just seconds later, to see a stranger enter, pause in the doorway long enough for eyes to adjust to the interior darkness, then remove a black and white motorcycle helmet.
Shorty and the rest of the folks in the room, are somewhat surprised to see it's a young woman--an attractive young woman--approximately five feet tall. She's wearing black motorcycle boots, perfectly fitting blue jeans, and a large riding belt covered with nail-head studs. On the front of her waist-length black leather jacket, and near her left shoulder, is a large logo of a cougar's snarling face.
Her face--much more attractive than the cougar's--is framed by collar-length wavy blond hair. She has a serious look on her face, her blue eyes sweeping the room questioningly. Then she calls out, "Anybody in here named Sioux Walmsley?"
Sioux is in the kitchen, but when she hears her name, and the voice calling it, she comes running into the main room shouting, "Star! Star! Is it really you?"
She turns to her friends and explains, "As most of you know, I was gunner on a Cougar, HEV, clearing mines and IEDs. Star was our driver. The cougar logo on her jacket is the one our unit used."
Young deputy Anson McBean speaks up and says, "I know what an HEV is Miss Sioux! You told me last year." In a voice like that of a student reciting a homework assignment to his class, Anson continues. "The letters, HEV stand for 'Hardened Engineer Vehicle, and you use 'em to do away with roadside bombs, also referred to as Improvised Explosive Devices, or I-E-Ds."
Sioux says, "Good for you, Anson! Excellent memory!"
Beaming with pride, Anson says, "And you told us those things'd carry you through everything this side of a major atomic blast and not even spill your coffee."
Star speaks up and says, "Well, Anson, that's what we used to say. However, ours didn't prove to be quite that indestructible six weeks ago."
Sioux gasps and says, "Oh, Star! What happened?"
"That's why I came here," Star says. "Our outfit had just moved into Afghanistan from Iraq. We'd only been there two days when our HEV hit a multiple stack of IEDs. Somehow, I was the only one to survive." Her voice breaking, she says, "I wanted to tell you in person."
In shock and disbelief, Sioux covers her mouth with her hand and says hoarsely, "Billy? Jimmy? Moose? All of them?" Star nods and hugs her, and both cry softly. All are silent, as Sioux's friends realize how hard this news has hit her.
Sobbing loudly, Star says, "Oh, Sioux, it was my fault! I was the driver! I saw that extra large bundle at the side of the road, and I didn't stop in time!"
Waco speaks up and says, "Don't blame yourself, girl. When bad guys are out t'kill you, it's never your fault when they do. They're the ones whose fault this is, not yours. And don't you forget it!
Sioux is crying so hard she can hardly introduce her uncle. But she doesn't need to. In between sobs, Star says, "You're Uncle Waco, I recognize you from the photo of you that Sioux always carried with her. Sorry we have to meet this way."
Then she hands Sioux a photograph. It's of their patrol unit--five smiling faces, but only two now alive. Tearfully, Sioux holds up the photo for all to see. Then she says, "Shorty, do you supposed it'd be all right for me to put this picture on your Wall of Honor?"
Shorty swallows hard and says, "You bet'cha, Kid--and the honor is mine." He clears a space in the middle of the photos, and thumb tacks the new one in place. He steps back and salutes. "God bless you all," he says. And everyone in the room joins in a heartfelt, "Amen!"
In his sweet Irish tenor, deputy Anson McBean begins singing. The words come softly, but all can hear them. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound "
In the room--already quiet--chairs are pushed back as all stand. Sioux joins in, with her rich alto voice. Then comes Shorty's mellow baritone and Waco's deep bass. Regardless of their beliefs about life here and in the hereafter, most join in, and the room is filled with the moving lyrics.
Almost everyone here has seen action in one or more of our military services. Most know the pain of losing a comrade, but each feels the sense of loss and sadness in Star and Sioux's hearts right now. As the last verse is reached, the sound is that of a magnificent, impromptu choir, paying tribute to all veterans, living and departed, who bravely stand--and have stood--between our way of life, and those who would destroy it, and us.
"Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace."
When the last soft words of the old sea captain's song fade away, all is silent.
Outside, the sun is shining. You can hear meadowlarks in the field out back as they lift their voices in song. Cars, trucks, and busses pass by, their occupants totally unaware of the emotions that fill the room--and hearts--in Shorty's Place.
For more about the amazing composer of "Amazing Grace," Wikipedia has the story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace
For more about Veterans Day, try this link.
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/vetday.asp
You'll find photos of a "Cougar HEV" here.
Go here for Veterans Day poems at the Bar-D Ranch.
http://www.cowboypoetry.com/veteran.htm
You can eMail Hal at hal_swift@yahoo.com
(Ed. Note: For a closer look at Hal Swift's cowboy poetry, go to http://www.cowboypoetry.com/halswift.htm )
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