Chapter Four

A/N: This chapter is inspired by the episode "Your Hit Parade."

Fort Dix New Jersey

January 1946

Lieutenant Colonel Sherman Potter was now at Fort Dix.

The war in Europe ended in May 1945 with Sherman's unit, the 54th Field Hospital in Germany treating recently liberated prisoners of war. The hospital was slated to get transferred to the Pacific for the upcoming invasion of Japan but in August 1945 the Air Force dropped the atomic bomb and the war ended.

After being overseas since 1942, Sherman finally sailed back to the states in November and found himself stationed at Fort Dix conducting final physicals on other returning G.I.s waiting to get discharged.

In the new year of 1946 Sherman found out he was being promoted to full Colonel and would be taking over an Administrative position at Fort Dix.

Mildred Potter moved east to Fort Dix. The Potter's daughter Evy stayed in Missouri where she was attending college.

Some of Sherman's buddies decided he should celebrate his upcoming promotion by taking a trip to New York. They suggested seeing Les Brown and his orchestra perform.

"Come on Sherm, this time last year we were in Belgium freezing our asses off now here we are across the river from New York City. Let's go have a good time". LtCol. Wally Sable said. He was a fellow surgeon who had served with Potter from France to Germany.

"Well to be honest Mildred won't be here for a few more weeks so I guess it won't hurt." Sherman replied.

Saturday morning Potter, Sable and some other officers caught the train for New York City. On the train Dr. Sable showed Sherman a picture of his daughter back home.

"Can you believe it my little girl is going to be graduating high school this year. She wants to be a nurse. Well I'll be home for her graduation." The doctor said.

"I missed Evy's graduation. It was during the summer of '42". Sherman said with a bit of sadness.

The train pulled into Grand Central Station and the officers found a hotel. Sherman changed into his best uniform, an Eisenhower Jacket and officer's pink trousers he had made by a tailor in London before D-Day. The last time he had worn the uniform was on a weekend pass in Paris.

Club Copacabana

New York City

The Copacabana was jammed packed on a Saturday night.

There was a long line of people waiting to get in but the Army officers simply walked to the head of the line. A member of their party, Major Spangler told the doorman that "Col. Potter had been the official U.S. Army medical officer who confirmed that Hitler was dead". This impressed the doorman and he let them go right in.

The group had to wait for a table to be made available so they headed to the bar. A drunken Air Force Captain was causing a stir at the bar. Sherman noticed he wore the patch of the 8th Air Force a unit he remembered from his stay in England.

"Just because the war's over doesn't mean we should forget. It's time for people to know the truth buddy" the Captain was talking to a pissed off looking bartender. The Captain was accompanied by another Captain and two scared looking women.

"I was flying over Germany back in the old days when we didn't have any help from them fancy fighter pilots. I done my time, 50 missions all together." The Captain was saying. "I'm lucky to be alive right now."

Another bartender noticed Sherman Potter's uniform and came over to him.

"Sir, I noticed you're a Colonel. Can you take care of the flyboy there, get him to shut up. I don't want to have him thrown out. I'm a veteran too from the Great War. I don't want to cause trouble for another veteran." The bartender told Sherman.

"No problem. I was a Doughboy in WWI too. I'll take care of him."

Sherman walked over to the Captain. "Look son you gotta settle down now. We all done our part in the war. I was there from North Africa to Germany but these folks don't understand. You're scaring them".

The Captain noticed Potter's rank and medical insignia. "Sorry Colonel Sir. Hey you a doctor? A doctor once saved my sorry butt after a mission to Frankfurt. Flak got me during the bomb run. He told me if it weren't for the cold at them altitudes I would have bled to death. For you Doc, I'll shut up."

Potter turned to Major Spangler. "Spangler get another table for the Captain and his friends. Have them send a big pot of coffee to his table comprende?

"You got it sir" and with that the Major dashed off through the crowd.

30 minutes later everyone was seated and ordering dinner. The Air Force Captain's friends followed doctor's orders and were making him drink coffee. The Captain whose name was Davenport was still talking about the war.

"To hell with Jimmy Doolittle. That son of bitch didn't fly no missions with us" he said.

It was after dinner arrived when Sherman Potter saw the other love of his life.

He had never admitted it but when he first saw Mildred it wasn't true love at first sight, but when he saw the blonde walking across the dance floor he thought he had found his true love.

Sherman just happened to look up from his steak when he saw a young blonde woman gliding across the dance floor. She seemed to be glowing. At the sight of her he forgot all about Mildred.

"Sherman you all right, you look like you just seen a ghost". Wally Sable said. To Sherman his voice seemed far away.

"Not a ghost Wally I think I just seen an angel" Sherman said in a low voice.

A female singer started singing "Sentimental Journey" the current hit of 1946. Sherman looked at the stage and reality set in.

The singer was Doris Day and Sherman Potter realized that the beautiful blonde he saw on the dance floor was Miss Day herself.

"Well I'll be damned." Sherman said out loud. The sound in the room suddenly returned to noble. Doris Day lost the glow around her that only Sherman saw.

"What the hell is wrong with you Sherman? You had the thousand yard stare. You getting battle wacky like that Air Force guy?" Wally asked.

Sherman takes one last look at Doris Day and begins to feel guilty. "Stupid old fool. She's old enough to be your daughter whom you have along with her mother your wife" He thinks to himself.

"Yeah Wally, I guess I am getting a little wacky. I saw a girl in the crowd that reminded me of one our nurses in North Africa and it brought back some old memories". Sherman lied to his friend.

Two weeks later Mildred Potter arrived at Fort Dix. The Potters went to New York City only one time and Sherman did not take his wife to the Copacabana.