On Angels' Wings

by CdnJAGScribe

With the events of September 11th fresh in their minds, the JAG crew prepare for the ceremonies to mark the 2nd anniversary of that fateful day.

"On Angels' Wings"

Author: Haruo Chikamori

E-mail: hhchikamori

Rating: T

Classification: Meg/Animal

Spoilers:

Summary: With the events of September 11th fresh in their minds, the JAG crew prepare for the ceremonies to mark the 2nd anniversary of that fateful day.

DISCLAIMER: The characters Harm Rabb, Jr., Meg Austin, Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie, Meg Austin, AJ Chegwidden, Bud Roberts, Harriet Sims-Roberts et al. belong (in concept if not name) to CBS/Bellisarius. Animal and all OC characters are the property of Heather and Hugo Chikamori. No profit is being made from this story, nor is any infringement intended.

Author's Note: With the 13th anniversary of September 11th, 2001 just around the corner, we wonder if there has been any progress towards stopping terrorism around the world. We are no closer to peace. We cannot stop fighting terrorism for if we do, the terrorists win. It has cost 13 years and many lives around the world but our soldiers, airmen and sailors still fight in far-off fields; Afghanistan and Iraq. When this battle will be over, we do not know. It may not be over in our lifetime, for new groups such as ISIS have cropped up eager to battle against freedom. It is a war with no end and each new year, a new crop of soldiers, sailors and airmen go off to fight the battle that shows no sign of waning, yet we must win to ensure our current freedoms are not lost. The full speech of George W. Bush is copied in full below as these were the sentiments shared by all those present at the ceremony at Ellis Island and around the United States at the time.

COMSECONDFLT, United States 2nd Fleet, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, VA, Tuesday September 10, 2002

VADM Toshio "Animal" Nakamura looked at the mustering orders for the ceremony to be held on Norfolk Naval Station to commemorate the memory of those killed on September 11th the year previous. It was just after the 9/11 attack that Animal was told that he had been selected to a vice-admiral post after spending three years as the two-star admiral of Naval Strike Air Warfare Center.

His wife was at JAG still moving her way up. Meg Nakamura nee Austin was promoted an year after Animal had received the command at NSAWC and was now back at JAG HQ as a lieutenant commander. With the fitrep that she had received from Captain Albanesi, it was almost certain that she would be deep-selected for commander.

Mac and Harm were still feeling out their relationship but they were getting closer than before. Harm had hitched his wagon to Animal's fast-rising stars and was on his staff and Mac was still at JAG but now promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Harm had received his commander's rank while he was at NSAWC. Harm became a temporary XO to the squadron commander at NSAWC as he was leaving when Animal left to open up a XO position for someone else with less time in uniform to fill.

Yet an year ago… all eyes were glued on the TV as the planes hit the towers and turned their normal lives upside down. At 8:46 and 30 sec. the first aircraft hit the North Tower. At 2 seconds after 9:03 the second plane hit the South Tower. There was supposed to be a meeting at the Pentagon that morning, but it was cancelled as the head of the meeting was ill. At 9:37 Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon. Finally at 10:03 there were reports of a crash of a United Airlines jet into an empty wheat field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. When everything was all said and done 2,997 people had lost their lives. All that any of them could do was just barely manage to function for the rest of the day. Their buildings and their lives had been spared, yet just outside their offices not more than 8 miles away, 125 people had lost their lives. They had heard the aircraft sound not more than 10 minutes prior to 9:37, far enough away that the aircraft couldn't be seen, but the noise could still be heard. At the time no one knew that aircraft was bound on a collision course with the Pentagon, but the admiral had turned on the TV to ZNN when he had heard on the radio that a plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. They all watched horrified on the TV.

Normally Meg made a point of not calling Animal at work as it was his work time and anything they had to say to each other could be said when they got home or picked little James Joseph Masaharu Nakamura from daycare. The little just-turned-three year old was a rambunctious little tyke - born in September of 1999, he was at daycare during the weekdays when Animal and Meg were working and home during the weekends when both were able to relax and spend time with him.

But the events of that day were too traumatic and Animal called the office together on that September 11th, 2001 to say that they needed to call their significant others and make sure to let them know that they were alright. As it was Meg called her husband and talked with him, all emotions on the table, to let him know about the flight hitting the Pentagon. Meg got permission to secure and left to pick up Jamie from daycare. When Meg reached the daycare she picked up her little one and held him tight, her tears soaking into his shirt. Jamie was too young to know the significance of the events of this day. From there, they drove home to await Animal's return. That night Meg and Animal comforted their little son with their presence and their love for him.

After the events of the terrorist attack, the US Second Fleet went into overdrive in effect to bolster the Sixth Fleet with units. So Animal was kept busy. The stress of the past year had really driven it home to Animal – his hair was salt and pepper and the sides of his hair were streaked liberally with white. It really brought home the fact that he wasn't a young man any more. And the stress of conducting a war against terrorism really was stress day in and day out. There were plenty of KH-12 satellite photos to look through and the President was always kept appraised of what the national defense assets were doing.

"Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done…We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail." The voice of the President of the United States rang out after the events of 9/11 and all who bore the uniform of the Armed Services of the United States of America; all the first responders (firefighters, police, EMS, security) strengthened their resolve and their backs to carry out the words of that statement into action. And Animal being one of those wore the uniform of the naval branch of the Armed Services called all of them together on a sunny afternoon not long after that September 20th day in which George W. Bush spoke those words etched into the minds of every American.

Animal remembered his speech to his command at the time. He had started off by stating that America was at war after being attacked by terrorists and that "Some of you may not come home, but that is the sacrifice that we have to make and has been made from the time our fore-fathers took up arms to defend this great nation in the Revolutionary War. We are at war! Our enemies will not be apparent; and they will use every available opportunity to strike at us. Remember that war is not the dominion of the Marquess de Queensberry rules. We will fight with whatever opportunity presents to us and we will fight with determined force to overcome our enemies." He had stated in his speech to the men and women of the US Second Fleet, his command. "Each and every one of you are charged with that task; for we will take up arms to ward off our enemies. Each and every one of you on strength in the Second Fleet shall be charged with the task of keeping those enemies at bay. So be vigilant; be aware of your surroundings and above all, think tactically as United States warfighters. America has been called upon to defend the rights of free men and women and we shall respond. To the terrorists who bring upon us violence; we shall respond in kind. The Taliban claim justice yet they oppress their people and declare war yet they are wrong. Justice is a sword wielded by the righteous and the righteous are those who defend the cause of freedom." Pausing for a decisive moment, he looked out from his raised podium over at the men and women standing strong and alert gazing back upon him. "We have been given an undertaking…America has been injured, but she is still strong. America has been shaken to its very core but she still stands tall as the bulwark of freedom against tyranny, so I ask each and every one of you to take those words of our forty-third President of the United States and I shall quote them again. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail…brand them into your psyche and draw from them your inner strength as we take up arms because we shall be on that front line. We shall prepare for battle; we shall be going into battle ready to fight and we shall prevail." As the loud exhortation rang out over the field as he addressed his troops, a cascading roar of voices cheering broke out. Animal looked upon his command as the cheer went on. As the roar of the Marines and the Navy personnel that he was speaking to died down, out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Lieutenant Commander Meg Nakagawa, proud of her husband and the strength that she saw in Animal as he spoke to his troops. The light in her eyes showed her love and pride in that Animal had shown his leadership in the face of trying events. Standing beside her, her long-time friend Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. nodded in agreement.

In a year since the events of 9/11, the United States was at war conducting airstrikes over Afghanistan. They had killed Mohammed Atef, Al Qaeda's Number three leader with munitions from an MQ-1 Predator drone. The 15th MEU went into Afghanistan in late November 2001 operating from their forward base at Camp Rhino south of Kandahar. Airstrikes in December 2001 hit Tora Bora trying to flush the Taliban out of the caves that they had dug into the mountain face. In early 2002, Operation Anaconda was the first large-scale battle in the United States War in Afghanistan since the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001. This was the first operation in the Afghanistan theater to involve a large number of U.S. conventional (i.e. non-Special Operations Forces) forces participating in direct combat activities. The coalition forces suffered 15 killed; 82 wounded while killing 23 though it was later claimed that the US thought they had killed over a thousand troops.

After Anaconda, the Taliban squirreled themselves away in enclaves in Pakistan and tried to avoid combat with the Coalition forces though coalition forces and British SAS troops kept going on patrols to ferret out their hiding places.

As the September anniversary of 9/11 rolled around, Animal and the US Second Fleet were nowhere near making a significant impact on the Afghanistan front. The frustrations were mounting and meetings between the vice-admiral and the JCS seeking results were testy. The main fleet involved with the actions over Afghanistan was the US Sixth Fleet and that fleet was being reinforced by the US Second Fleet. The theatre of operations for the Second Fleet was the Western Atlantic down to Florida. There were meetings with the US Sixth Fleet Commander which generally dissolved into touchy arguments which involved how much resources that the US Second Fleet could augment the Sixth Fleet with while leaving the Second Fleet able to carry out their Atlantic patrol duties. And here they were rounding on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks no further ahead than when they were when they first started out their retaliation.

"Sir? Here's the outline for the events. I've managed to locate a screen large enough to televise the speech from New York by the President, sir. And all troops will assemble at Norfolk Naval Station in the parking lot adjacent Piers One, Two and Three which will be cleared for the event and cordoned off. Chairs will be set up and the projection devices will be functional by 1900hrs on that date, sir. Dress will be dress whites, sir." Animal nodded at the Lieutenant Commander giving him the rundown who took his leave as he finished up. "We'll make sure it all works, sir."

Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. poked his head in the door. "Admiral?"

"What is it, Harm?" Animal asked as the commander stuck his head in the door.

"I just wonder if it's possible to have room for another five-hundred guests? Evidently, RADM AJ Chegwidden heard about the speech you gave last year three weeks after the attacks when you learned that US Second Fleet was about to be mobilized and he wants to sit in on this ceremony and he's bringing all of JAG with him." Harm grinned at Animal. Animal raised an eyebrow. "Evidently he wants to hear what you have to say this year."

"So was it my darling Meg or was it Mac that mentioned it?" Animal asked with a knowing smirk on his face.

"I'm not sure. According to Mac, Meg said something. According to Meg, it's vice-versa." Harm shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, if he insists, he might as well be part of the ceremony. The Judge Advocate General will be sitting up on the podium with me." And Harm knew that wasn't a "request"…it was an order given Animal had three stars. Harm winced as he knew he was going to hear it from Mac for putting the admiral on the spot…namely HER admiral and commanding officer. Well, tit for tat after HER admiral put Harm on the spot.

Harm and Mac's relationship had blossomed. It was known that the two of them were closer than they had been before Harm's transfer out of JAG over four years ago and bets were being taken on when the vice-admiral's staff commander would put a ring on the finger of the pretty Marine JAG lawyer. And Harm consistently had a smile on his face when he came into work.

"I think we can accommodate another five hundred people. Just get Lieutenant Commander Gearin to set aside another five hundred seats. We were over-estimating anyways, but just to be safe." There were over 82,896 active duty; 112,000 family members; 29,137 civilians on base at Naval Station Norfolk an any given time. So the number of chairs and programs were to accommodate that many with overflow. Harm nodded and left the office to go track down Lieutenant Commander Marty Gearin.

Wednesday, September 11, 2002; parking lot adjacent Piers One, Two and Three: Norfolk Naval Station

Well before the Presidential speech was supposed to be televised many of the service-members and their families started trickling onto the site, seating themselves and idle, quiet chatter filled the air as they waited. The seats soon filled up and those responsible for the seating arrangements scrambled to find more seats to seat the remainder of the people who dropped in on the remembrance ceremony.

At the time indicated on the program, the Commander, US Second Fleet, dressed in ceremonial dress whites, the blue ribbon and upside down star of the Medal of Honor around his neck, strode up to the dais and waited for silence to fall. Looking out over the gathered crowd now waiting for him, he spoke; "A year ago today, we witnessed the devastation that a determined group of terrorists could wreak on this nation. The memory of the loss of those killed still resonates within us today. It still resonates in the determination that we have…to bring those perpetrators to justice; it resonates as we have taken up arms to defend this country from threats from abroad. It resonates in the knowledge that we have gained that freedom is not secure unless we have people who are willing to take up the cause. As we wait here today for our President's thoughts on the occasion of this remembrance, take a moment to think on what we all have sacrificed in the name of freedom. As John F. Kennedy once stated: The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission. We will not surrender; our forefathers never did. My grandfather fought in Italy as a member of the US Army 442nd/100th Regimental Combat Team; Hill 140, Castellina, Bruyeres, the Lost Battalion were remembered with great reverence of the fact that we had to regain our honor and demonstrate our loyalty to America. At one point in our history, sixty-one years ago, the country of my grandfather's heritage attacked Pearl Harbor." He paused for a long moment to let that sink in. "Yet we stood up for America and served loyally, honorably: 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1 Distinguished Service Medal, 560 Silver Stars + 26 Oak Leaf Clusters indicating second awards, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier's Medals; four thousand…Bronze Stars, plus 1200 oak leaf clusters denoting secondary awards, one of which was upgraded to a Medal of Honor, yet another upgraded to a Silver Star and last but not least; what made the 100/442 RCT the aptly named Purple Heart Battalion; FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED Purple Hearts." Pausing for a moment as he looked out over the assembled families and servicemen, he then stated. "Why do I bring up events from sixty-one years ago? As Japanese-Americans were being vilified for their ethnic background sixty one years ago today, so are Arab-Americans now. As this war against terrorism continues, you will be working along-side people of many different colors and creeds. The United States Navy needs you to work together for only together shall we accomplish the monumental task before us." Many in the audience nodded. "My grandfather volunteered out of Tule Lake. Let us not make the same mistake as we did sixty one years ago. Let us offer the chance for each and every American to show their loyalty and courage; to fight for the defense of our country. We are all Americans first and foremost. Our love and loyalty to this great nation of ours is our greatest strength and we will need that strength as we go forward from today. As our Pledge of Allegiance states, I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We all must remember as we fight the war against terrorism and tyranny, that we must remember to keep our country free; with what Francis Bellamy stated back in 1892. Those two words: with liberty and justice are the hallmarks of this country of ours and we must keep those hallmarks for the benefit of all who dwell within our country. We must not and we will not succumb to fear for in fear breeds injustice, for in fear breeds contempt for liberty and we must not ever let that happen even if it means that we must sacrifice to every last man, woman and child that we defend this great nation: The United States of America." Pausing for a moment as his speech was interrupted by cheers from his servicemen and servicewomen. "I will now turn this over to the Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy. Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden who will say a few words before the transmission connection from New York commences." AJ raised an eyebrow swapping glances with Animal as he walked to the dais and Animal stepped away to grab himself a seat.

"Well…" AJ drawled, his Texas accent apparent as he stepped to the dais and shot a sarcastic look at Animal who just grinned. "I had expected an invitation to the Norfolk September 11th Memorial Remembrance ceremony, not a chance to speak at the dais. I'm not a public speaker, I'm an old crusty Navy SEAL. The Vice Admiral is much more eloquent than I am. But I agree that we all have to work together. It's apparent that each and every one of you is young, as young as I was in Viet Nam as a raw Navy SEAL fresh out of BUD/s. When I first got orders to Viet Nam, I was scared…to be more honest, I was scared shitless. What you're going into is a dangerous war; one that will cost a lot of casualties before it's over. All we can do like my platoon commander said was "buckle your bootstraps and kick your own ass into gear" because that's all we can do. The vice-admiral was right when he talked about not giving up. I said once to one of my lawyers, Doing something when you're scared is what courage is all about." He chuckled wryly. "Well…we can't let fear over take us or we'll freeze and that'll be what'll make it possible for our enemies to get around us. So do your best, men and women and never let your path become impossible to walk." Cheers greeted AJ's exit from the dais.

Animal returned to the dais and said. "By now, the connections to President George W. Bush who is giving a speech at Ellis Island, New York have been reached…so we'll now turn our attention over to the President of the United States who will be speaking momentarily." All eyes turned to the large screen that was draped across one end of the parking lot. The projection screen flickered as the TV connection was created. And then the 43rd President of the United States was visible as he stepped to the dais in Ellis Island. Silence was observed as they listened respectfully for what President Bush was about to say.

"Good evening. A long year has passed since enemies attacked our country. We've seen the images so many times, they are seared on our souls, and remembering the horror, reliving the anguish, re-imagining the terror is hard and painful…

For those who lost loved ones, it's been a year of sorrow, of empty places, of newborn children who will never know their fathers here on earth.

For members of our military, it's been a year of sacrifice and service far from home.

For all Americans, it has been a year of adjustment, of coming to terms with the difficult knowledge that our nation has determined enemies and that we are not invulnerable to their attacks.

Yet in the events that have challenged us, we've also seen the character that will deliver us.

We've seen the greatness of America in airline passengers who defied their hijackers and ran a plane into the ground to spare the lives of others.

We've seen the greatness of America in rescuers who rushed up flights of stairs toward peril, and we continue to see the greatness of America in the care and compassion our citizens show to each other.

September the 11th, 2001 will always be a fixed point in the life of America. The loss of so many lives left us to examine our own. Each of us was reminded that we are here only for a time. And these counted days should be filled with things that last and matter: love for our families, love for our neighbors and for our country, gratitude for life and to the giver of life.

We resolved a year ago to honor every last person lost.

We owe them remembrance, and we owe them more.

We owe them and their children, and our own, the most enduring monument we can build, a world of liberty and security, made possible by the way America leads and by the way Americans lead our lives.

The attack on our nation was also an attack on the ideals that make us a nation. Our deepest national conviction is that every life is precious, because every life is the gift of a creator who intended us to live in liberty and equality.

More than anything else, this separates us from the enemy we fight. We value every life. Our enemies value none, not even the innocent, not even their own.

And we seek the freedom and opportunity that give meaning and value to life.

There is a line in our time, and in every time, between those who believe that all men are created equal and those who believe that some men and women and children are expendable in the pursuit of power. There is a line in our time and in every time between the defenders of human liberty and those who seek to master the minds and souls of others.

Our generation has now heard history's call, and we will answer it.

America has entered a great struggle that tests our strength and even more our resolve. Our nation is patient and steadfast. We continue to pursue the terrorists in cities and camps and caves across the Earth.

We are joined by a great coalition of nations to rid the world of terror. And we will not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder.

Now and in the future, Americans will live as free people, not in fear and never at the mercy of any foreign plot or power.

This nation has defeated tyrants and liberated death camps, raised this lamp of liberty to every captive land. We have no intention of ignoring or appeasing history's latest gang of fanatics trying to murder their way to power. They are discovering, as others before them, the resolve of a great country and a great democracy.

In the ruins of two towers, under a flag unfurled at the Pentagon, at the funerals of the lost, we have made a sacred promise to ourselves and to the world: We will not relent until justice is done and our nation is secure.

What our enemies have begun, we will finish.

I believe there's a reason that history has matched this nation with this time. America strives to be tolerant and just. We respect the faith of Islam, even as we fight those whose actions defile that faith. We fight not to impose our will, but to defend ourselves and extend the blessings of freedom.

We cannot know all that lies ahead. Yet we do know that God has placed us together in this moment to grieve together, to stand together, to serve each other and our country. And the duty we have been given, defending America and our freedom is also a privilege we share.

We're prepared for this journey. And our prayer tonight is that God will see us through and keep us worthy.

Tomorrow is September the 12th. A milestone has passed, and a mission goes on.

Be confident; our country is strong.

And our cause is even larger than our country. Ours is the cause of human dignity, freedom guided by conscience and guarded by peace. This ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. That hope drew millions to this harbor. That hope still lights our way. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

May God bless America." - The Speech of George W. Bush on September 11, 2002 (1 year after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the tragic crash of United Flight 93 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania).

As the speech ended, the Navy Band struck up "The Star-Spangled Banner" as all service-members rose to their feet and rendered a salute held through the course of the entire anthem, while all civilians present raised their hands to their hearts.

"A moment of silence will now be observed to remember all those who lost their lives in the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 and to all those who have lost their lives in the ensuing conflict in Afghanistan." Animal intoned at the dais. "Then the chaplain will say a few words of remembrance to commemorate the occasion."

A long, silent moment later; Animal spoke to break the silence. "Chaplain Commander Martin Rodriguez, USN."

The chaplain thanked Animal and stepped to the dais as Animal stepped back. "The God of my Rock; in Him will I trust: He is my Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge, my Saviour; Thou savest me from violence; thus say the words of 2 Samuel chapter 22 verse 3. We do not know why this happened. We cannot even venture to guess. Why the hatred of those who sought to do us harm, brought such an attack upon us is a question that we can only ask God. We cannot understand the pain that those who have lost loved ones in these attacks are going through. Many have lost fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, brothers and sisters. Families have been torn apart. It is times like those that people turn away from God and ask Why…is there such pain and anguish; why is there such violence in this world. Is God not powerful enough that he cannot prevent this? God will not intercede in the acts of Man. He will not take you by the hand and lead you from experience to experience, but he gives of you free will. The will to do with your life as you will." The chaplain paused a long moment to let the crowd contemplate that. "He will not come down from the heavens and say. NO, you mustn't do that. But he has given us directives to follow. Psalm 34 verse 14 states clearly Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 2 Chronicles Chapter 7, verse 14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. We know not why these events happened, but we must learn from them. Follow His teachings; and grow as we should to treat others equally with love and caring." There were readings from other individual chaplains of various faiths all punctuated with prayer. As the last of the chaplains finished,

Animal stepped back up and said "May we now all rise for the singing of "God Bless America."

A Marine Sergeant who was assigned to the Marine Corps Band stepped to the mike to start off the song, the rarely heard and performed introductory lyrics that were from the 50s accompanied by the rest of the Marine Corps Band.

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer."

He managed to get through one verse by himself and the rest of the crowd, both service and civilian, stood up and started accompanying him.

"God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside Her…

…and guide Her…

Through the night

With a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home

God bless America, My home sweet home."

The ceremony finished off with the playing of the The Marine Hymn (From the Halls of Montezuma) and the Navy Hymn (Eternal Father Strong To Save).

"All of us must never forget the events of September 11th, 2001." Animal said in his closing address. "For on that day, our whole view of the rest of the world was changed. The world became a much more hostile place. Now our servicemen and women are all over the world, fighting to defend our country from those who attack the very principles on which our country was founded. We must never forget, we must always remember to be vigilant, strong and to defend freedom. Go with God, Go with strength. Stand for the right; stand for freedom. God Bless America! Good night."

As the crowd was "dismissed"; the friends assembled together, heads bowed for a long moment as they observed their own moment of silence.

Mac said. "Admiral, thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. It was…moving."

"All I can say is that I'm grateful that I've got a good officer who can come up with a program right off the bat. There's a lot to be said for a good public affairs officer." Animal said, noting Harriet who had worn a naval dress white uniform tonight.

"I know it's not my usual time of the year to do so…" Harm said to the group. "But I'm going to the Wall to see my father. If you would like you can all come with me."

"I'd take you up on your offer, but your idea jogged one of mine." Animal replied, extending his arm to Meg who took it with her left, while gathering their three year old son with her right. "Meg, Jamie and I are going to see my grandfather. It's been a while since I paid his grave a visit."

"You have a good evening, sir." Bud said.

"You too, Lieutenant." Animal nodded. "Good night" as he and Meg gathered their little one to them and walked towards their vehicle. Looking up the group saw a shooting star streak across the heavens.

"Love, that's a shooting star…people in olden times, said that shooting stars were angels flying." Meg said. "What do you think you'll wish for?"

On Angels' Wings, hmmmm. Animal looked at her and smiled.

God Bless America; Land That I Love…Stand Beside Her…And Guide Her… Through the night… With a light from above.