John was sitting in the lounge with some of the other pilots. He talked and laughed with them as he drank his Coke, but inside he felt only worry. His laughter was forced, and one of the other pilots could see it.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeStbtrJPg
“Ranger, what’s wrong?” Marshall asked.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyXhvl8Ju4
“Nothing,” John said quickly.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgjB4nvVbb
“Harper, I can see it in your eyes.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqGlezaQ0l
John looked down at the Coke can in his hand. “Williams went on a mission tonight,” he said.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB83a4fA3VR
“And?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdN63uDEwmx
“He said he felt like he shouldn’t go on it. He said that he felt afraid. And you know him; he’s not one to admit that he’s afraid. But he did. And I…well, I feel like he shouldn’t have gone either.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7E57FbM2T
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Marshall assured.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Lvmy7TPxA
“I hope so.” John took another drink of his Coke uneasily.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxozul6uJYi
Just then Anderson walked in. “One of the pilots on tonight’s mission just got shot down,” he said.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ788ny7pcV3
John tensed and looked at him. “Who?” he demanded.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUX9hKASlx
“I don’t know. They said it was an Air Force pilot. In an F-16. Which one of our guys sent up tonight anyway?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJanaDqDVT
John froze, and a sudden sickness came over him. He paled, and his breathing became ragged and faint. “Oh, God…No…” he whispered.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaInNCHOBK
“What is it?” Anderson asked.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjulF4t6O6a
“Williams. He was the only Air Force pilot on that mission. He was the only one in an F-16.” John jumped from his chair.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyBXJS31Eo
“Harper, what if it was a mistake?” Marshall asked.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4HvFkH2nn
“Then I will find out.” John ran out the door.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmwHyH7vDR
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He waited now at the runway and watched the planes land, hoping, praying, that one of them would be Chris’ F-16. However, when the last plane had landed, not one of them had been an F-16.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nvTs470rZ
John ran to the hangar where the pilots were getting out of their planes. He stopped one of them and asked, “Who was it that got shot down?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9mJptajAX
“The Air Force pilot,” the pilot told him.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o5kXte5hD
John’s heart wrenched. “Williams?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhVC4D09nh
“Yeah, I think that was his name.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75gwLAHnf0
Oh no. “Were you able to get a rescue crew out there?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaJkPysEbT
“No. There was more air defense than we had planned for. Tracers, flak, SAMs, other planes. We wouldn’t have been able to get a rescue chopper in there. We were barely able to get out of there ourselves. There was no way we could send anyone else in there.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTN5pISY6cD
“How hard did his plane go down?” John asked quietly.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINJxnNQ5sh
“I’m not sure. I saw it on fire, but I don’t think it exploded.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZaIQQKBii
“How did it go down?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngGHTiDVg7
“He took two missiles to the right wing. Then he came over the radio and said his ejection seat wasn’t working.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hdyO0MSko
“He…he didn’t eject?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6bO5UPsRW
“N-no...” John could see the pilot felt uneasy and had not wanted for John to find out like this. “He…didn’t eject.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡte8f0Lqm1j
No. John paused, then whispered. “So…is he dead?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbx3chqr8Z
“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡix83Ege7GN
God. Why? “Not your fault…It’s not your fault...” John turned and walked away quickly before the tears started falling down his face.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxgfBQidBF
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John ran into his room and slammed the door behind him. He let out a loud cry of grief and sorrow. “No! NO!” he cried over and over, pounding his fist on the back of the door. He was unable to say anything else. His face was already soaked with tears he was unable to hold back, and now he let loose and wept bitterly and uncontrollably.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QlPljuklZ
He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. It was several minutes before he looked up and saw the letter Chris kept on the corner of his desk. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he reached over and picked it up. Still on his knees, he carefully opened the envelope. There were three papers inside. Two were the same letter. The third was a note asking for one of the letters to be sent to James Williams, Chris’ father. John took the letter and held it with trembling hands. It read:285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBVURXTaiS
285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIELHQih3b
To Whom It May Concern: This letter is to be opened only at the time of my death.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7auv6xxkV
Most likely, I have died in a plane crash. Let me just tell you not to be sad; I died doing what I love most. Please, do not let my death affect you. Know that I was happy to die serving my country. I would not have had it any other way.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9oPekWsTx
To John: I have known you for several years now. Over that time, you have become like a brother to me. You are one of the most important people in my life. Please, do not be sad about my death. Like I said, I died doing what I love most and serving my country.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeI6x2ERz1M
You are probably going to be in charge now. I know that you will be a good leader. I wish you good luck, and, God willing, I hope to see you again one day.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ89TDT5TGp
To James: Vati, I am sorry for making you angry. I know you wanted me to join the Navy, but see what the Air Force has done for me? I just hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me. Know that I did not mean to hurt you; I just did what was in my best interest. I am truly sorry. But, God willing, I hope to see you again one day as well.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3JBS7mT4y
May God be with you both.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3e6KeIuKJ
285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ao0wEb1d6
With love,285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpodABYgLyY
-Kristoff Chris Williams285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfT9JowI7ar
285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLgGCA2DPR
John held the letter and wept. He could not control the tears or his sobs. Chris had been like a brother to him as well. Now he was gone. Gone. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGAyXg0Dnt
John cried and cried. “No…no...”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl60jnGcSpy
____________________285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkaPeKp6ob
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John was called into Colonel Kelly’s office the next day. Kelly looked him over before saying anything.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtV3lLVqE5
“Harper, you look like hell,” Kelly told him.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3pY7L0NPj
John didn’t say anything. He knew he probably did. He felt tired. His eyes were red and they stung. He had been up crying all night. His hands were shaking, and his nerves were shot all to hell.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtas7OaWx1
“Sit down.” John did as he was told. “Are you going to be okay through all this?” Kelly asked.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMpfLPhzqj
“I…I don’t know yet,” John answered honestly. His voice was quiet and shaky. His throat still hurt from crying all night.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡph0E64Agyw
“I know this must be hard on you.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLfgXC6HkM
“Yes sir. He…he was like a brother to me.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesIcVvcSHE
“I know.” They sat in silence for a moment, then Kelly spoke again. “Harper, the truth is, I don’t know if Williams is coming back. In all honesty, I don’t think he is even still alive.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SMBLhonTt
The words hit John like a fist in the face, but he knew them to be true. As much as he wanted to believe that somehow Chris had made it, he couldn’t make himself. He fought back the hot tears forming in his eyes.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyQG33LSDq
“Harper, you are next in the chain of command. I need to know if you can handle being in charge. At least until we find out anything further about Williams. If he is still alive or anything like that. Can you handle it?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJQ0VpwIlr
John looked down at the floor for a moment, wiping a few tears from his eyes. He remembered what Chris had written in the letter. You are probably going to be in charge now. I know that you will be a good leader. I wish you good luck.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ960C31zo7Q
He looked up at Colonel Kelly. “Yes. Yes sir, I can.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ146pf3Viu8
“Good. Then you can assume the responsibility as the wing commander as of now.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PdL0cIjYI
“Thank you, sir.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjQZq8nqHe
“That is all.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnrDyRthGO
John stood and turned to leave.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPHlQsYOmI
“And Harper,” Kelly called after him.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCzUj4qmgO
“Yes sir?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgISoq5mjV
“Take it easy, alright? I’m sorry he’s gone, but you’ll just have to accept that. Don’t go off on any vengeance missions, understood?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqJDuFybdb
“Yes sir.” John turned and left.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nRJFrcvuo
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