The Wall
I was thinking about our Vietnam Veterans recently and had an idea. Please Read and Review.
The Wall
Dr. Daniel Jackson, PhD. in Archeology and Anthropology, had just returned from an off-world mission where he had been gone 2 weeks. He was sitting at his desk in his office at Stargate Command, still dressed in his BDU's, opening his mail and tossing the junk mail into the trash. There were the usual items: credit card offers, fliers advertising new cars, Archeology Today magazine and Scientific American, etc. One box caught his attention and he thought it looked like it might be more worthless mail until he saw the return address. Andrew Spencer, Private Investigator. New York, NY. Why would a P.I. be looking for him?
He opened the letter and started reading, sharp blue eyes quickly scanning the letter. At first, he thought it was a scam. Now he wasn't so sure.
Dear Dr. Jackson,
I was hired by New York Metropolitan Bank and Trust to find you. They have a safety deposit box that was acquired by your parents, Melbourne and Claire Jackson in 1972, just prior to their unfortunate deaths at the New York Museum of Art. After a number of years passed, the box was opened by their auditors and the following contents were removed. Your name was found inside on a birth certificate, along with some other documents. Since you are the only survivor, we sent the contents to you after a search to find your whereabouts. It took a while to find you, but I hope that these documents are a comfort to you, somehow.
Sincerely,
Andrew Spencer, P.I.
Daniel opened the box that the envelope was taped to and looked inside. Sure enough, there was his birth certificate. There was also his parent's marriage certificate, some war bonds (probably worth a lot), and an envelope with the name Melbourne Thomas Jackson, II written on the front.
'Okay, what's this?' Daniel thought.
He opened the envelope and there was a birth certificate for one Melbourne Thomas Jackson, II inside. It gave his birth as September 2, 1944.
'Brother? I don't have a brother. There must be some mistake. Either that or someone is playing a sick joke.'
He looked at the document carefully. 'This doesn't make sense. He's almost 20 years older than me. Dad and mom never mentioned that I had an older brother. They would have said something. I would have met him, I'm sure.'
Daniel got up from his desk and grabbed the box and the envelope and went in search of Jack. General O'Neill was at the SGC on business and he found him at the commissary. Jack had loosened his tie and his dress jacket was on the chair next to him. The room was quiet as most of the airmen and marines had finished eating and had gone back to work. O'Neill was reading the newspaper and finishing a piece of chocolate cake.
"Jack, do you have a minute? I want you to see this."
"Sure, whatcha got?" He looked at Daniel and could see that his friend was obviously upset about something.
Daniel handed the letter over to Jack and set the box on the table.
Jack read the letter and then looked over at Daniel. "This says you have a brother. Did you know that?"
"No, of course not. I thought I was an only child. Now I find out I have a brother that is almost 20 years older than me. I knew my parents were a bit older when they had me, but I thought I was the only one. Why didn't I know this, Jack? And if this is true, why did I go into foster care?"
"I don't know. What else is in the box?"
They looked inside and found a large yellowed envelope with newspaper clippings inside. Daniel took them out and started reading. "I don't believe this." He handed them to Jack.
After looking them over, Jack said, "Daniel, this is interesting. This says that your brother died in Vietnam in 1964. He must have been in one of the first units over there. He was Air Force."
"This is nuts, Jack! This is someone's idea of a joke. My parents would have told me if I had a brother."
"Maybe. Let's go get Sam. She can help us do some research to find out if any of this is true."
They found Sam in her lab and showed her what they had. She gave Daniel a look of concern when she saw how upset he was.
"Can you see if there's anything in a database somewhere that could verify this?" Jack held up the documents while Daniel continued to check the contents of the box.
"Yes, sir. It shouldn't take but a few minutes."
As she was searching, Daniel looked through the box some more and found a pair of white satin baby shoes and a white christening gown with a photo attached. On the back it said, "Daniel Nicholas Jackson, 2 months old. Christened, September 10, 1965." The picture of him being held by his mother brought a lump to his throat.
He held up another envelope which had his name printed on it. He opened it and started reading.
Dear Danny,
If you're reading this letter, than your father and I must be gone. I don't know how old you are at the time of your reading this, but hopefully, you're old enough to handle the shock.
You are the most wonderful gift any parents could have. Your father and I had almost given up hope of having another child. We never talked about your older brother after he died, as it was much too painful. He enlisted in the Air Force, against your father's wishes and after he was killed, we never talked about him again. When you were born almost a year later, we thought we were given a second chance. We both love you very much. Your father mellowed so much after your birth. He was a very angry man for a while but you brought the sunshine back into our lives and the sparkle back in his eyes. Do you remember how he would lay on his back and toss you into the air and catch you? You would squeal and laugh, which made us laugh right along with you. It was a difficult life in the desert in Egypt, but you seemed to thrive. By the time you were five, you could speak 3 languages. I know you have above average intelligence and hope that you make good use of it. Maybe you will be an archaeologist like us. You love to dig in the sand and we were so proud of you when you were six and found a jeweled arm band from the 3rd Dynasty period.
I am assuming that your grandfather, Nick, will take good care of you and provide everything you need. He's a good man, if a bit preoccupied with his work, but I think that you'll do fine with him. He shouldn't have any problems taking you along on his trips. There's enough money from our estate to provide you with tutors.
I'm sorry about leaving you. If you got this, then it must have been something sudden, maybe an accident. I'm sure if I could avoid it, I would.
With all my love,
It was signed, 'Mommy.'
By the time Daniel was finished reading the letter, he had gotten up out of the chair and had his back to Sam and Jack. He excused himself and left the room and Jack got up to follow him but Sam said, "Sir, give him a few minutes. He's obviously upset and may need some time alone. This must be a shock."
"You're right, Sam. But I don't think he should be alone." Jack wanted to run after Danny and see what the letter said and offer a shoulder, if needed.
"Just a few minutes, Sir. Give him a chance to recover." She looked over to Daniel's desk and noticed the baby clothes and the photo. "Oh my! This must be really hard for him."
Jack saw what she was looking at and nodded. Then he waited about 5 more minutes, tapping his index finger the whole time. Finally, he got up and went after his friend.
He found Daniel back in his office, the door closed. He thought about knocking but decided to just quietly open the door and peek in. At first, he didn't see anyone. The lights were off and it was very quiet. 'Maybe he's not here.' Then he heard Danny blowing his nose and saw him sitting in the chair behind his desk.
"Come on in, Jack. Shut the door, please." Daniel reached over and turned on a lamp on a shelf in the corner behind him. The dim light silhouetted him from behind so that Jack couldn't see his face, but he knew Daniel. He knew his friend was hurting badly and felt the need to be there for him. He sat down in the chair in front of Daniel's desk but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Daniel would talk when he was ready but until then Jack would just offer his friendship and trust, quietly.
After a few minutes, Daniel cleared his throat and handed Jack the letter. "Read this."
Jack read the letter and got a bit choked up himself. "Daniel, I'm sorry."
"For what? You didn't do anything. This doesn't really change anything, does it?"
"No, but it's a wonderful letter from your mom. She must have loved you a lot to think of doing that. I know that working on a dig can be dangerous. She was prepared and wanted you to know she loved you."
"You're right. It is special. But I still went into foster care. Nick obviously didn't want an 8 year old tagging along. You're right about it being dangerous, though. And now I find out I had a brother who died in Vietnam before I was born. It's hard to believe."
Sam knocked on the door and entered quietly. "Daniel, I did some checking. It's all true. You did have an older brother who died in Vietnam. All the information checks out. He was buried at Arlington. I'm sorry." She went over to him and knelt on the floor next to his chair and reached over to hug him.
Daniel's eyes were dry. He'd initially wept but then got himself together and sighed as he hugged Sam back. "How do you mourn for someone you never knew?
"Maybe it's not so much that you didn't know him as much as mourning for what you missed out on."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
Jack handed the letter back to Daniel and he handed it to Sam. She walked over, sat on the couch and read it quietly. "Daniel, his name should be on the Vietnam Memorial in D.C.! It would be one of the first there!"
"She's right," Jack said. The Wall was engraved with the first to die on one end and the last to die on the other. It would be easy to find."
"I want to go. Do you think Landry would mind if I took a few days?" Daniel asked.
"I think he'll understand. Do you want me to go with you? I have to fly back to D.C. anyway. We could go together."
"Sure, Jack. Sam, can you come, too?"
"I would love to do that for you." Sam got up and handed him back the letter and then they both stood and hugged.
Jack left the office and went to make the arrangements. "I'll see if I can get us a flight tonight. Then we can go to the Wall first thing tomorrow."
0 0 0
A little while later, Gen. Landry knocked on Daniel's office door and came in. "Daniel, Jack told me what happened. I think we can keep SG-1 on stand down for a few more days. Mitchell's not due to arrive back on base until this evening and Teal'c is still at Dakara. He won't be back until tomorrow night."
"Thank you, sir. I don't know what to say."
Landry sat down across from Daniel and said, "It's okay, Daniel. I know this is a shock. But, you can be proud of your brother. I looked into his records. He was responsible for saving the lives of his squadron. That's how he died. We were ambushed while standing near our planes on the air strip. Your brother was a real marksman. One of the best, from what I remember. We were all pinned down and your brother managed to take out the enemy, one by one. One of them found his position and shot and killed him. We opened fire but it was too late for your brother. I'm sorry, son."
"'We' sir? Are you trying to tell me you were there?"
"You're gonna find this really strange, Daniel. But, I was in that squadron. He saved my life that day. I didn't put your name together with his - there's a lot of 'Jacksons' out there. It's ironic that years later, we end up working together here. If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you to Washington. I owe your brother that much."
"That would be fine, sir. I'd be honored. And, thanks. At least I now know how he died. Sounds like he was a hero."
They stood and shook hands. "I can attest to that. He really was. You can be proud."
0 0 0
Springtime in Washington D. C. can be breath taking. The cherry blossoms are so beautiful and it was a solemn group that gathered at the Mall in front of the Vietnam Memorial. The black, glossy surface that held the engraved names of the fallen was a dark contrast to the flowering, pink blossoms.
There were small groups of people standing here and there. Some people were alone. Flowers and flags and mementos were laid on the ground in front of each section of the Wall.
Daniel was there with Jack, Sam and General Landry. He had just finished doing a rubbing of his brother's name on a piece of light blue parchment paper. It kinda reminded him of the rubbings he had done on some of the digs he'd been on and some of the ruins he's seen off world.
He turned and said, "Thanks, guys. Sam. I'm glad you came with me. You're right, Sam. He was easy to find. And thanks for going to Arlington with me. I'd never been there before. It's quite impressive."
She gave him a hug and said, "I'm so glad I could be here with you." She, Jack and Gen. Landry were all attired in their dress blues and Daniel wore the same suit he'd worn at Janet's memorial service - black shirt, tie and suit. He looked very nice and it set off his blue eyes.
"How about we all go to lunch, my treat," General Landry offered.
"That sounds great! I know of a nice place just a few blocks from here," Jack said. He patted Daniel on the shoulder and said, "Whenever you're ready, Daniel."
"Give me a few minutes alone, first, okay?" Daniel needed some time to say goodbye.
"Sure, we'll just walk slowly and you can catch up," Sam suggested.
"That's fine." Daniel turned back to the Wall while the others walked away.
"I don't know what to say, brother. I'm proud of you for what you did for the guys in your squadron. I wish I'd gotten to know you." Daniel reached into the pocket inside his suit jacket and pulled out a little flag and placed it on the ground in front of his brother's name.
He stood back with his hands fisted into his pockets. He took a deep breath and thought about how his life might have been different if his brother and parents had lived.
He then turned around and caught up with is other family. They had come to mean as much to him and while he'd miss what he'd never had, he was glad for what he did have. And he hoped that his parents and his big brother would be proud.
The End