Littleton, New Hampshire. It's a town nestled in the White mountains of New Hampshire. Basically, it's a logging town and as well as points north and east like Whitefield, Gorham, N.H. and Bethel, Maine. This is where our story starts.

It's 1917 and Martha Rodgers is hoping that her husband can make it back up north in time to see or even take part of their son's birth. It is the turn of a new century and she hopes that men have at least changed their views on childbirth. Although she doubts it men being as stubborn as they are. He has been assigned to the duty of coordinating the battle plan of the new tank division led by Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Swinton. The American Army has just been drawn into the first world war. And her husband is responsible for many men, keeping them alive is his top priority. It's being hailed as the great war and the war to end all wars. And as she breathes through another contraction she does not believe what these people are thinking. These are politicians and men of honor, there will never be a war to end all wars. They are kidding themselves if they think that.

As she works through one more contraction her doctor, an intern who is still in diapers himself she thinks tells her...

"Mrs. Rodgers I can see your baby's head. So all I will need is maybe one or two more good pushes and he should be here licklity split!"

Martha groans at the interns enthusiasm. He is too young to be looking at her lady parts. But she gives him what he asked for regardless. She pushes and her sons head is in the very capable hands of this intern. Just as he tells her that she needs to push once more the door to the birthing room swings open and there she sees her husband's face and she actually starts to break down even with everything that's going on around her.

"Oh James, thank god you made it!" Martha says through tear filled eyes.

"Martha I would not miss this for the world. Is it alright if I stay with you while you deliver our baby?"

"James I'm delivering our son, and yes you can stay. Please come in and hold my hand while the doctor delivers our son."

James walks into the small delivery room and quickly takes Martha's hand lending the support she needs to have a beautiful delivery. It's less than three minutes later and they both hear the cry of their baby boy. They are so happy. She is glad that her husband made it from Washington, DC where he was working with the Department of the Army to her bedside. However, she questions how long he will be with her. But still she is still happy he is there with her.

"Martha, look, he is so perfect."

"Yes, James I am so glad that you were able to be here with me."

"I am glad also. Martha, you are amazing this is a new experience and I hope men all over this country are able to be a part of this!"

They looked at their son before he is taken away and placed in a bassinet.

"Martha, have you decided on his name?

"James while it's proper to name him after a prominent male figure, I am hoping you are lenient and will agree with the name of Richard."

James looks to his wife and he can't agree with her more "Richard it is then it's such a strong name."

"Well James, I'm glad that you approve!"

Little Richard was in a way a hero, although it would take 28 years for him to realize that this was his destiny as he would be a service to his country that would never be surpassed.

Littleton was a great town to live in. Richard had lived there for all of his 12 years and he was really bored. Not bored, but lacking something to do, you see Richard loved to use his imagination. The year was 1929 and the great depression had taken a hold on the United States. He had no idea that people were selling apples on the street corners to survive. He was so sheltered from this because his mother had seen the signs before the collapse of the market and had her investments withdrawn before they were worth nothing. So while he was a child left to his own devices and he had many, he would put himself into various scenarios. There was one where he would be the commander of the allied forces in Europe. It was then when he would think about his father. His father was stationed in the middle of the war zone and he was the second in command of the tank divisions that attacked the Germans. The French and Russians were there to aide in his quest for victory, but when word had reached his mother that he was missing in action and presumed dead Richard took a new outlook on his life.

James Rodgers was a man who took life by the horns. He loved what he did in the Army. He had achieved the rank of Captain very quickly and had made it known that he was a force to be reckoned with. After the birth of his son Richard, he was granted a short furlough to be with his wife and new son. His son was his world. It was a great feeling for him that there was a child that would carry on the family name of Rodgers. But before too long his time with his family was coming to a close. He hated that he could not spend more time with Martha and little Richard but in order for the U.S. to achieve victory in this conflict, he would be needed in Washington DC and then possibly the front.

April 18, 1918, he was advised that the first tank battle had taken place in Villers-Bertoneux. He was not far from the small tank battle it seemed that the British army's MK-V's went up against a German A7-V. He was in Amiens and had decided that it would be a tactical advantage to see how the British had beat the Germans. It was then as he and his staff driver were heading out to the battle site that they were ambushed outside of Villers-Bertoneux. Six German soldiers and an officer had fired at the Sergent and killed him. The car took a hard right to the side of the road and then hit a tree. Within seconds, the German soldiers were at his car and the officer walked up to him and placed a knife to his throat.

"Kapitän, werde ich ihr Leben wie Sie Ihre Armee hat meinen Kameraden"

James had understood everything that the Officer was telling him. He then said to him

"Lieutenant während ich bin sympathisch mit dem Verlust ihrer Freunde ihre Todesfälle waren nicht in meiner Hand. Ich bin hier nur als Taktiker. Ich bin Sammeln von Fakten aus einer Schlacht vor nicht allzu langer Zeit."

("Lieutenant while I am sympathetic with the loss of your friends their deaths were not at my hand. I am here only as a tactician. I'm gathering facts from a battle not too long ago.")

"Sir, ich fürchte, das wird nicht möglich sein. Wir haben Ihre Fahrer und jetzt ist es durch Aufträge der Bundeskanzler, dass wir eliminieren die Gefahr jeder Allied Force versuchen, Fortschritte auf dem Weg zu deutschen Heimat."

("Sir, I'm afraid that that will not be possible. We have taken out your driver and now it's by orders of the Chancellor that we eliminate the threat of any allied force trying to advance towards the German homeland.")

Before James can tell the officer that he is not going to harm him in any way he feels the knife slice into the side of his neck and as he severs the artery that provides James with the life-supporting blood he needs to live. He thinks about Martha and his son Richard. He hopes that they will understand that he was trying to give them a better life by helping to end this conflict. Within minutes, James is no longer of this world. The German Officer drags him out of the car and places him along with his driver on a cross of sorts and hoists them up so all can see the wrath of the German Army. They are an unforgiving force. As the Officer turns to leave but before he does he says "Wir Barmherzigkeit, aber wir werden nicht danach fragen."

("We shall show mercy, but we shall not ask for it")