In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. Jose Narosky
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you. Leon Trotsky
Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains that victory. George S. Patton
BLAZING SKIES
Skies above Hierlark Air Force Base-1500 hrs
"Blaze, you are cleared to land."
Second Lieutenant Jack Soul was seated at the controls of his F-SE Tiger II aircraft when the control tower rallied these words to the aircraft's in-flight radio.
"Roger," answered Blaze, "See you guys on the ground."
Blaze slowly eased down the nose of the 15,000 lb aircraft. The icy runway of Hierlark Air Force Base was coming up towards him quickly. Blaze always hated this part of the flight; landing always demanded his full attention, and Jack Soul (as any of his school teachers would tell you) did not enjoy giving anything he hated his full attention. When the jet was low enough, Blaze pulled up on the joystick causing the nose to tilt upwards, and let the plane go lower and lower until he felt the ground come into contact with his wheels. He deployed the plane's parachute and applied the brakes until the plane came to a gentle stop.
Crew Locker Room-1600 hrs.
Jack was standing in front of a mirror in the crew locker room, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, the water was running and he had a razor in his hand and shaving cream on his face…which answered the question of what he was doing in the locker room while his 'friends' were all outside or in their rooms, enjoying their free time to the fullest. While he was in the process of washing the cream off his face (Jack Soul was not particularly good looking, but neither was he 'ugly', which gave him a bit of an average look), he heard the door open and close. Looking in the mirror he saw a soldier standing at attention, "Yeah, what is it?" asked Jack.
"Sir," answered the soldier, "The Commander wants to see you in his office."
"Okay," said Jack, "I'll be right there."
Base Commander's Office-1615 hrs
Base Commander Geoffrey Nelson was seated at his large desk. On this desk was an elaborately sculpted bronze statue of an eagle, the blue and white Osean flag and a pen, which looked as if it was awarded by the Air Force. The fifty year old man was peering down at a letter through his horn-rimmed spectacles when Second Lieutenant Jack Soul walked in. Jack was dressed in his Air Force uniform and was standing firm at attention and said aloud, "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yeah, Lieutenant Soul," replied Commander Nelson, "Have you ever heard of Sand Island?"
"I cannot say that I have, sir," replied Soul.
"Well," continued the Commander, "It's a small island between Osea and Yuktobania, and is mostly inhabited by pilots in training. Your old mentor Captain Jack Bartlett is stationed there. I trust you remember Captain Bartlett?"
Jack Bartlett was indeed Soul's old mentor, and Soul looked up to Bartlett, not only as one the best fighter pilots he had ever seen, but also as a sort of father-figure, "Yes, sir, I do."
"You're probably wondering why I'm bringing up Sand Island?" asked the Commander, and before Soul could answer, continued, "Well, earlier today, several pilots were shot down while on a routine training op over the Island. The government wants me to send someone down as a replacement…so I'm sending you."
Soul took in this news with mixed emotions; going to Sand Island would give him a chance of escaping from the sad landscape of Hierlark, but Soul was not exactly the bravest when it came to making new friends, so he did not really know how he should take the news, "Sir, may I inquire as to why I am being sent?"
"Because, Lieutenant, Sand Island is one of Osea's main lines of defense and you are one of the best pilots I've ever seen, so for the sake of our great nation…you are joining the Wardog Squadron. Report to the helipad tomorrow at 0500 hrs. Dismissed."
Jack left the office and returned to his quarters. While sitting on the bed, Jack went over the conversation he had just had with the Base Commander: Sand Island, a nice change to the Hierlark Base; tropical climate and white sandy beaches…sounded almost too good to be true.
