July 4th
Written in 2006, edited in 2007
Characters: Jed, Todd Racey, Abbey, Deanne, Leo, Annie, Gus and the others.
Summary: It's the 4th of July, and as we all know, it is about more than just fireworks...
Disclaimer: The only character depicted in this story that is mine is Todd Racey, the rest, of course, belong to NBC, WB, and Aaron Sorkin.
Warning: Minor Language and Vague War Scenes (This really just depends
on how vivid your imagination is :-) ).
Author's Notes: I have done research on military awards and factual UDT missions, however, I have had to fill in a few blanks, since I obviously wasn't
there :P.
The ages of Annie and Gus I have manipulated slightly, just to let you all know.
Special Thanks to: babyphd and gabrielajacobs.
-Todd, 1 am, July 3rd-
"Deanne, m goin' to work..." I whisper as I then roll out of bed.
"Alright dear." She then pulls up the covers and goes back to sleep as I walk to the bathroom and get ready.
I drive to the White House, a task I could easily do blind folded.
I am one of the many janitors that work there, and am one on the grave yard shift, I suppose you could say, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I pass the Secret Service in the halls once I have entered and have been cleared, and then I get to work.
This night I had some extra jobs to do, not that I mind, putting up red white and blue items is not really a job, it's a pleasure. Most of the decorations are already up so all I had to do is make sure they're straight as I go along emptying the office trash cans and such.
I wasn't really expecting to see anyone up (besides the Secret Service), not just because of the time, but because of what tomorrow is; the 4th of July.
(It's 2 am right now, so it's tomorrow).
Tomorrow all across the nation barbeques and parades will erupt, one of them occurring here. The barbeque will be on the White House Lawn and the parade would be on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street.
This is not really a tradition, I don't really know where this idea has come from, but all employees of the White House and the West Wing are invited to the barbeque.
After the Barbeque, which would start at six, everyone would go to the Washington Memorial for the fireworks at dark.
All is quiet as I walk through the office area, an occasional paper laying on the floor which I promptly pick up and put aside. Wouldn't want to discard an important document, you wouldn't believe what I find sometimes...speeches and once, even a bill...
I continue, figuring that the President is at Camp David taking some well earned down time.
I bend down to grab the next half full trash can when I get the distinct feeling I'm not alone, soon after that I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"I thought I said you could have the week off," I hear a familiar voice say.
I turn to find the President in sweats and a sweater, looking up at me.
You know, I've never admitted this to anyone, but it's sort of weird to be taller than someone at least twenty years younger than yourself, and have yourself in the mid-eighties.
Ah well, suppose I have to thank my mom for making me eat my veggies...
Urgh...
"You said I could', besides, I can't really break out of my habits..." I pause for a second. "And talking about habits, look at you."
"Well, I knew you'd be here."
"I thought you would be at Camp David or at your house."
"No, not this year, though -tomorrow- night I'll be at Camp David."
Was that a sly smile I just saw?
Probably.
"After I watch the Fireworks at the Washington Memorial that is.
"My grandkids will be joining me..."
He walks over with me and I lift the next can and empty it; he then grabs a clean bag and puts it in, folding the bag around the can's edges.
He is truly a man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, probably why he is such a good leader, he doesn't just give orders, he personally helps them be carried out.
"So are you coming?" he asks.
"What, to the fourth of July celebration?" I ask, as if I don't know...
"Yeah."
"Well, I haven't really decided..."
I suppose I could, the kids, the grandkids and the great-grandkids (man, look at my family...) all have their own plans, so this year it's just me and Deanne.
"I'll talk with Deanne, we probably will."
"That'll be great."
Hmm, I believe Jed is planning something I should be aware of...
"Jed, is there something you wish to tell me?"
Yup, I was right, I can tell by his face.
"Well...since you've asked, I have been requesting all veterans to
wear their old uniforms and metals tomorrow if they're going to come
to the barbeque and fireworks."
"I suppose I could fit into my uniform… and what do you mean by
old'?" I ask with a smile.
He smiles back.
We finish up, a lot earlier than even I had planned, so we then go and
sit down in the Green Room.
- - -
-Jed-
I really enjoy these talks with this man.
He is so much wiser than I and has experienced things I can't even contemplate.
From his history of being one who was there that day of Infamy, to his UDT missions during that war to the next, he is a man I truly respect and look up to (figuratively and literally).
He not only served during WW2 and the Korean War, but trained so many
others for Vietnam and other conflicts.
I am blessed to count him as a friend.
"Two hundred and thirty-one..." Todd mutters as I pour him and myself a glass of cola.
"What?"
"That's how old America is now," he answers.
We are both quiet for a moment, probably both thinking about all of the things America has gone through. A history she has, one which has shown the heart of America and of her people, a history where time and time again, the Mighty Eagle has risen to face the challenge.
"America...the only nation I proudly choose to live for and would bravely die for."
I look up to see him gazing at the American Flag resting in the corner of the room, the red, white and blue cloth, draping around a wooden pole, placed on a metal stand.
For some, this cloth is just thread and dye, nothing more, but to others, -to Todd-, this is a symbol for everything he fought and lives for.
This cloth which waves above stadiums and buildings.
This cloth which is not to touch the ground.
This cloth which is given to the families of fallen soldiers.
This cloth which is risen high in times of celebration and lowered in
times of grief.
I cannot hide the feelings of awe and gratitude towards this man beside me.
A veteran.
A fellow American.
His statement had said it all; he had said it all in one sentence, in fifteen words.
- - -
-Todd-
I take my eyes away from the grand flag, and slightly have to force my eyes down to my watch.
3:23 am.
I give a slight sigh as I turn to look at the man beside me.
"Time for you to go?" he asks me quietly.
I give a slight nod.
"Yes, I'm afraid so."
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, remember to wear your uniform and your medals," he says as we both stand.
He then walks me to the foyer, just as he always does when he is up with me, and I go my way, giving him a slight nod and him giving me his Bartlet salute, a fist over his heart.
- - -
-Deanne, 5:37 pm, July 4th-
"Todd, come over here," I say.
He comes to me and lets me straighten his collar, a large block of uniform ribbons and medals beside it, lining up nicely, an occasional strip of ribbon having a gold or silver star in its center.
I had hoped he would wear the full sized medals and ribbons, he looks so handsome with them, but he said the bars would be fine, for they tell the same story.
With my hands on his shoulders I lean back to get the full view of him.
His short military haircut, his hair nearly all white.
White from wisdom and from experience...
His face is cleanly shaven, just the way I met him.
His eyes so deep, I still get lost within them.
His shoulders still strong, his arms still able.
And hanging from around his neck, the Medal of Honor.
I still do not know all of the things he had done during all those secret operations, but I do know that the Medal of Honor was awarded to him by President Truman, for 'Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force'.
On the 6th of June, among the first to land on Omaha Beach, my husband helped lead the way.
It was part of the invasion, Omaha and Utah Beach. His job: to clear obstacles for the Allies.
The only time I have ever heard him talk about it publicly was when we had dinner with the President, his wife, and Leo McGarry, but even then he barely mentioned it, only saying that his group had been cornered by Nazis, and what his friend had said to him:
'If you're going through hell, keep going...'
I think I will let Todd tell the story, for he is the most qualified.
.
.
We get in the car, and drive to the White House, Todd looking exquisite in that officer's uniform.
- - -
-Deanne, White House, 5:49-
Todd and I walk up to the White House.
We enter, and upon seeing us, an agent walks up to us.
I can't help but swell with pride as the Agent seems to pause at the appearance of my husband. Taking in the awards, his eyes come to rest on the Medal of Honor for a moment before rising to Todd's face.
"Captain Racey, the President has asked me to take you two to the
Lawn; this way."
"Thanks Cooper," Todd replies.
I give Todd a smile as we then follow Agent Cooper.
Continuing on, there were many in uniform, walking in shined shoes and pressed pants, and with Medals and Ribbons pinned to their chests.
(Todd, still the most handsome of them all, however.)
Coming to a stop just outside, the first person I see who I recognize is Leo McGarry, though, not in his usual attire.
He is wearing an Air Force uniform, a thick bar of uniform ribbons and awards similar to Todd's on the left side of his chest, one of which I immediately know is a purple heart.
Todd bears one on his chest as well.
Yet another story.
This simple uniform ribbon, purple with the ends being white.
Such a simple ribbon which stands for so much.
He sees us coming and excuses himself from the conversation he was having between a lady and another gentleman.
"Hello Todd, Deanne."
"Leo."
He shakes my hand and then Todd's.
- - -
-Leo-
I am very glad to see Todd and his wife, and I can't help but look at the awards that are pinned to him, and the star hanging from the star patterned blue cloth.
When I finally look up I find that he had just been looking at my medals as well.
We meet each other's eyes for a moment.
We both can see the marks of war in one another...not a hard thing to see really.
It is as if a shadow has been etched deep within.
An unseen burden, undimmed by time.
We both are quickly knocked out of it when we hear Jed's voice to my right.
"Hey, ready for some food?"
He is happy and grasps Todd's hand and then Deanne's.
"Yeah, lead the way," Todd says, ready to follow.
Apparently he likes outdoor cooking.
Jed then guides his friend and his friend's wife over more onto the lawn, grills having been erected here and there, as well as picnic tables and such scattered throughout.
We should do this every year.
The place is filled to the point of being comfortably packed.
Not everyone has come out for it, which was to be expected, family plans and such.
Looking across the lawn which now bears long shadows since the sun is on its way to setting, I find those in uniforms within the sea of Red White and Blue, all of us having at least one thing in common: Pride for our Country.
I let Todd and his wife go on alone with the President; besides, there is some punch with my name on it.
- - -
-Todd-
When I had first agreed to come, with Deanne's prompting, I had first thought it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable, but soon after arriving I am glad I have come.
It is like a big family cook out, kids running around, and the smell
of hamburgers and hotdogs filling the air.
Jed is wearing a white collared shirt, a blue vest, and a red tie, his pants being blue.
He leads us to a sheet covered table, decorated with Red White and Blue, and with food galore all over it.
We take some food and go to another table to sit down, Deanne beside me.
I smile as I see a boy and a girl, who I immediately assume are Annie and Gus, running from Abbey to take a hold of Jed's hands.
"Come Granddad, Gran'ma said you'd let us play with some sparklers."
"Alright, where are they..?"
They both then whip out two sticks, waiting to be lit.
Jed digs in his pocket and pulls out a lighter after taking a quick glance to
make sure Abbey isn't looking.
She isn't, but I'm sure she already knows about it anyways...
He lights them, and smiles as Annie's and Gus' faces light up with them.
"Now be careful you two," he says, sending them on their way.
- - -
-Deanne-
I look over at Todd as he watches those two kids run around on the lawn, sparklers in hand.
For the next half hour we enjoy the food and each other's company; people I have never met before, coming up to shake my and my husband's hands, Jed proudly introducing us to them.
"Toby Ziegler, you've met Todd Racey and his wife Deanne," he re-introduces, since we had met Toby a while back.
"Ah, Good to see you both again."
We are greeted by CJ Cregg, Josh Lyman, Donna Moss, Charlie Young, and several other people too numerous to mention.
Every single one of them pauses slightly when they face Todd.
I watch as each of their faces greet him, a quick flash of surprise being overcome by utmost respect and honor.
Not one of them asks about how he had earned his medals, but I can see them all wondering about it.
Abbey has gone to get some punch, and so it is only Jed and us two at the table when his two Grandkids come up.
The boy, who looks eight, looks curiously at Todd.
Todd, as always, pretends not to notice as he gives him a friendly nod.
The older girl who I suppose was about twelve, gives him a smile which he returns before she continues passed her brother and sits beside Jed, the boy still standing before Todd.
"Hi, my name is Gus," he says, standing a few feet in front of him.
I think Todd is surprised by the sudden introduction but that doesn't stop him from replying.
"Hello Gus, I'm Todd."
"You're my Granddad's friend who works in the White House right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Gran'ma says you were in World War 2."
He waits for a moment, as if waiting for him to say otherwise.
He continues to look up curiously at him, his innocent eyes looming over the block of thin ribbons, before then staring at the large star below Todd's face.
"My Great Granddad was in it too, Gran'ma told me."
Todd smiles at him.
"Come here and sit with me."
I suppose he was waiting for the invitation all along because he promptly hops up and sits beside him.
"How old are you Gus?"
"8," he says proudly. He pauses for a moment as if thinking.
"Are these all medals you got for helping people?" he asks, pointing to the block of uniform ribbons and medals on his chest.
I look to Todd, curious myself to see how he is going to answer.
But he doesn't say a word; he just nods.
"Granddad says that they each stand for something, and that each one
is earned by doing something important."
"He's right, they are," Todd says simply.
I am so focused on their conversation I havn't noticed that others are coming near, the scene of an old soldier and a young innocent having caught their attention.
"What is this one called?" he asks, gently touching the star hanging from Todd's neck with his finger tips, knowing whatever it was, it was special.
Todd is still for a moment as Gus slowly retrieves his hand back from
the star, Todd simply watching him.
"It's the Medal of Honor," I answer before Todd can.
And with that Gus' eyes grow wide, evidently he had been told the importance of that award.
His eyes go up to Todd, his face even more full of wonder and amazement.
"What did you do?" he whispers, slightly leaning in, hoping Todd will tell.
Todd smiles and looks deeply at the young boy.
I see Jed giving me a quick glance before Todd begins.
"It was on June 6th, 1944.
"The start of the Allie invasion, D-day..."
By now everyone in earshot is silent and listening, many edging closer and forming an audience around us.
"I was one of the first who touched the shore of Omaha Beach.
"I was part of the Underwater Demolition Teams, UDT for short.
"All together there were 175 UDT men whose mission was to set charges and clear out the obstacles for the soldiers who would follow.
"We were to open sixteen 50-foot wide corridors for the landing. By nightfall, thirteen were open.
"When all was said and done 31 UDT men had been killed, and 60 wounded, mainly because of the tide having pushed us to the coast so much more ahead of the first wave."
Todd clears his throat, Gus and so many others, myself included, waiting for him to continue.
- - -
-Leo-
"After nightfall was when the trouble began for us however.
"In the confusion of War we somehow got separated from the other units.
"The Nazis shifted their positions since they were being invaded and they unknowingly had surrounded us."
"Were you scared?" Gus asks, unable to stop himself, his small voice echoing all around us.
Todd looks down for a moment and then looks back up at Gus.
"Yes, I was very scared. Afraid I would never see my wife again or my family back in the states.
"With me was one of my friends: Jonathon Marksman. We had met one another at the first meeting for the Naval Combat Demolition Units.
"He was the first to realize we had been surrounded, all 9 of us; we had come as a team of 13 but four of our companions had fallen at the beach."
I can see in his eyes the pain of this fact still raw in his heart.
"At the time we thought the Nazis knew we were there, and so we prepared for their onslaught.
"I asked Jon how we would get out of this Hell, and then he told me this: If you're going through Hell, keep going...' so that's what we did.
"We moved in the darkness, knowing there was a village to the east: Bayeux."
The whole place, now listening to his story, is silent and still.
Only his voice is heard.
"We advanced backwards' to Bayeux, but we knew we could only go so far before we'd have to go through Germans.
"It was working well at first, until we ran into a pocket of Nazis hunkered down behind a low wall of sandbags and a machine gun."
He falls silent, and I know what must have happened next.
"It took down three and wounded two of us.
"Much later I realized I had been hit in the shoulder before I could take cover, but at the time I didn't even feel it...
"I knew we were all pinned down, and I knew the enemy behind us had been alerted, and so soon we would be faced with gun fire from both sides."
"I made eye contact with Lee, another teammate.
"With a nod I pulled out a grenade and chucked it over their makeshift wall.
"We had to move fast, for we all could hear gun fire in the distance, and German orders being shouted.
"The grenade exploded and the machine gun had been taken out.
"With that, Lee and Jon advanced and finished off those behind the wall.
"I went and lifted Roy who had been badly injured and I carried him over the wall and on as we made our way to Bayeux.
"Tom, Jon, Lee, Roy, Jim and I continued; the town we knew was close, even in the pitch darkness.
"There we knew we could meet up with some units, and use the rest of our charges to assist in liberating that town.
"We entered the far corner of the town, and so were now facing the beach, Allied soldiers would be heading towards us, and Germans were somewhere in between.
"Roy was too badly hurt to continue, so we found a small barn and hid him in it after we had done our best to dress the wound to his back. We vowed we would return for him, just as we would gather our fallen brothers behind us.
"It was hard leaving him there, but the gunfire was getting closer, and we knew the best thing for us to do was to help take control of the village.
"The Germans were scattered throughout in little pockets.
"We knew once we started firing, the whole place would know we were there, but soon that didn't matter because some units of Allies had arrived.
"We could hear them at the northern side of the town, and heading south.
"Going through, we all nearly got a heart attack.
"A lone tank, in the center of one of the main streets.
"Gun fire got louder, and we knew what would happen to the Allies if they ran straight into a tank in the darkness.
"With cover from Lee, Tom, and Jon, Jim and I went to the back of the enemy tank, carrying one of the charges.
"The street was bare, so anyone looking had seen us. Using the tank as cover, which was surprisingly good, we set that thing as far under the tank that it could go.
"We broke cover and tried to run to the nearest building. But Jim was hit and fell, I looked back to see him land. He was hit in the leg, and I knew if I left him there in the street there would be no chance that he would make it.
"He would either get hit from the flying debris from the soon to explode tank, or taken out by an enemy bullet.
"Looking back, I don't really know why I did it, just knew I had to.
"I dashed the five paces back to him, grabbed a hand full of the cloth at his shoulder and pulled him off the street as fast as I could.
"Bullets whizzed passed me while others grazed me, but not one directly hit me.
"I owe my life to the sad amount of light, to my teammates taking out those they could, and to G-d for making those Nazis poor shots.
"Taking cover, the tank blew and then I started on Jim's injury. With one hand I applied pressure while the other held my gun, ready to be used.
"Jim's hands assisted, and together we got the bleeding to stop.
"My wounds were superficial, 'cept the one to the shoulder, but that was easily doctored up with the quick clotting agent that we had.
"I don't really know how long it took for the Allie units to make their way to us, but we happily shouted out who we were when they did.
"Bayeux was one of the first towns to be liberated, and in the weeks that followed, the Allies swept through Europe, and drove back the Germans.
"We went back and got Roy who later recovered from his injuries, and after that mission, I went off to the Pacific..."
His voice trails off and we all can't help but wonder about what else he did.
Then he speaks again.
"I am just one of many who did what was needed.
"I am just one of many who fought for America.
"And I am just one of the lucky ones who made it back.
"The 4th of July is more than just about cookouts and barbeques, more than just fireworks and even more than about the Red White and Blue waving in the wind.
"It is the day this great nation was born.
"It is the day to remind you that America exists and is the way that she is because of men and women doing what needs to be done."
And with that, he falls silent.
- - -
-Deanne, 7:28 pm-
I take a firm hold of Todd's hand as the whole lawn of people stands in complete silence for a time... until a familiar tune meets our ears.
It had started from the back of the crowd, but now quickly consumes the air, and it doesn't take long for us -all- to stand and join in.
'Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?'
What a 4th of July...
- - -
Happy Birthday America.