I moaned as I opened my eyes. The sky had turned grey and seemed to be threatening to storm. I was lying in the middle of a field, about twenty feet away from the jeep, which was still smoldering. I cautiously tried to sit up but a piercing pain shot through my right arm. I looked down at my shoulder. My dress uniform had a small bullet hole in the right shoulder and it was surrounded by dried blood. Warily, I removed the jacket and ripped a hole in my shirt so I could inspect the wound. Fresh blood was still seeping out of the wound. I was about to press my jacket against it but as an afterthought I turned my head to look at my back. I groaned as I saw an exit wound on the backside of my shoulder. There was no way I was going to be able to stop the bleeding. At least the bullet was already out.

I tried to stand up and for the first time I noticed a large piece of metal laying across my left leg. (I later realized it was the hood of the jeep.) I tried to slip my leg out but it was too heavy. I looked around desperately for the corporal who was driving the jeep. I saw him lying about 50 feet away, unconscious. After ten minutes I managed to lift the piece of metal enough so I could slip out my leg. I gasped as I saw my leg. The metal had gouged a large gash in my leg, about the size of my hand and around an inch deep. There wasn't even a slight chance that I could put any weight on it. I bound my jacket tightly around the wound to attempt to stop the bleeding.

A cold breeze was starting and I shivered. I was just going to have to wait for someone to come by. An explosion went off nearby and I heard jeeps coming around the bend. So much for waiting around. I managed to crawl over to the corporal. He was lying on his stomach and when I turned him over a wave of nausea swept over me. The explosion had almost completely eroded the boy's face. He was already dead.

The jeeps were getting closer, I was fairly certain there were at least two. I frantically looked for somewhere to hide. I didn't want to wait and find out if the jeeps belonged to the US or to the North Koreans. The woods bordering the field were about 20 yards away. I wasn't sure if I could make it there in time but I had to try; there was nowhere to hide. I desperately began to half crawl, half drag, myself across the field. I didn't even stop to look at the jeeps.

As the jeeps rounded the bend I heard a Korean shout at the sight of the jeeps. I froze and dropped onto my stomach. I heard several men pile out of the jeeps and begin poking and prodding around for anything or anyone that had survived the explosion. Mostly covered by the grass I turned my body slightly so I could see what was going on. Unfortunately that slight movement caused them to see me. They began shouting as I frantically dragged myself into the wood to avoid the bullets raining down around me. I wasn't fast enough and two bullets caught in my good leg. I cringed but refused to let myself black out. I reached the tree line and pulled myself behind a tree. Why weren't they following me? I glanced back at them; they were standing at the edge of the field, firing occasionally into the trees. I didn't understand. All they had to do was cross the field and then…Suddenly it hit me. The realization of what I had just done sent shivers down my spine. I had just crawled through a mine field!

I leaned against the tree trunk breathing heavily. I could have died! The numbness in my leg was slowly being replaced with sharp pangs. My right leg was on fire from the bullets. On top of that my shoulder was bleeding heavily from dragging myself into the woods. My entire body hurt but I knew the pain would only get worse if I didn't get some help soon.

I painfully pulled myself to my knees and began to crawl. I managed to go about 50 feet before I collapsed in a heap, crying. I knew I couldn't make it anywhere. It was cold, about 40 degrees F. My brown skirt wasn't any help. I looked at the sky. From what I could see through thee tree tops, clouds had completely covered the sky and were dark and ominous. It was going to start raining any minute.

I pulled myself over to a large tree and curled up tightly. Soon I felt small rain drops hitting my back. Soon large raindrops pounded the dirt splashing mud onto my face. I stayed that way for hours in the pouring rain. I was too scared to move and too scared to fall asleep. I knew there was a very good chance I wouldn't wake up again.

I could hear artillery going off nearby. Each explosion lit up the sky like a bolt of lightening. I was terrified. I cried like I never had before. And when I stopped crying I began screaming at the top of my lungs. I didn't care who heard me, I just wanted to muffle the noise. After what seemed like an eternity the shelling began to move off into the distance and I mercifully fell asleep.

"Mommy!" Margaret jumped at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Mommy!" The child called urgently to her from the other room. Margaret stood up and walked across the hall to her daughter's bedroom.

She sat down next to the little girl on the bed.

"Shhhh," She soothed. "What's wrong Emily? Can't you sleep?" The child shook her head.

"You stay with me?" She asked. Margaret smiled. How could she say no? Especially when she looked into her daughter's blue eyes so much like her father's. Margaret nodded and Emily settled down into her pillow. Margaret smoothed down the covers around the little girl's tiny form. The large bed the child was sleeping in accented her tiny frame. Emily had received the new bed as a gift from her parents on her third birthday. She had been thrilled when she saw the "big girl" bed in her room. Margaret sighed. She was growing up so fast.

"Why can't you sleep sweetheart?" Margaret asked as she brushed the girl's silky black hair out of her eyes.

"Bad dream." She muttered. "Do you ever have bad dreams Mommy?" She asked innocently. Margaret smiled, thinking about what she was writing in her journal.

"Yes sweetheart, Mommy has bad dreams."

The fact that her Mother had nightmares also seemed to comfort the child slightly. "Sing to me?"

Margaret smiled and began to sing a soft lullaby to her daughter until she drifted off to sleep. Margaret stood up and kissed her daughter's forehead gently and then she quietly exited the room.