JAKE BARNES, USAF (Episode Two)

As we ran for the fence, I kept thinking, we are not really trained for this; we’re aircraft mechanics and clerks. Most of us have never killed anybody. Rifle training did little more than show us how to fire our weapons at paper targets. Are we supposed to fight against enemies that are battle hardened veterans?

Agent Orange had taken out all the foliage for about 30 yards outside the perimeter and a ditch had been dug just inside the fence. Jake told us to spread out with about ten yards between each man and point our weapons toward the perimeter. There were about 100 of us so far and we hoped more were on the way. About all we could do was aim our rifles into the darkness and pray the enemy never got through the 101st. It was at that point that I began to feel religious.
I mean, surely, there had to be some higher power watching over our base; didn’t there? My, if I die, I die, attitude was not very comforting.

We kept staring at seemingly nothing. We’ll probably be just fine. The rockets were no longer shooting in our direction. As I lay there, I began to relax and realize that this little excursion came in the middle of my sleep time. It must be about 0300. I began to take long blinks. My peace was shattered by the sound of distant gunfire, coming directly from the front of us.
In the dim light, it was hard to see. Sometimes, the 101st would send up a flare and for a while we could see shadows, but were they friend or foe?

The gunfire got closer and we began to realize why the enemy was not bombarding us from behind any longer. They were afraid of overshooting us and hitting their own. We knew the 101st were experts at their job. They had a reputation of honor & victory, but we began to see they were vastly outnumbered.

A terrifying wall of NVA enemy soldiers started to come into view. We could see some places where hand to hand combat was going on between the 101st and the NVA and for the first time in my life I began to do something I had never done earnestly before.
I began to pray. “God, if you’re out there, protect us this night. I promise I’ll do whatever you ask; I’ll even go to church with Jake, but please get us out of this mess.” I didn’t have time to say much more, for I could hear Jake yelling, “Make every shot count men. You were only given 120 rounds each.”

I could hear aircraft taking off behind us on the flight line. Just then, another flare shot up and illuminated the sky; I had never seen so many enemy soldiers, hundreds and hundreds of them. Just then, Jake was shouting, “Steady men, steady, on my command, ready….aim…..FIRE!!”

The loud pop of all our M-16 rifles going off at once got my attention.
Several enemy soldiers fell; did I just kill a man? Carefully, I took aim again, and fired again and fired. I began to hear the screams of those airmen around me as NVA bullets found their mark. My defensive instinct seemed to take over. They were wounding and killing people I worked with. Peterson, to my right, received a slug to the head and immediately slumped over. I was beginning to run out of ammunition and seeing that I could not help Peterson, I took his ammo and began firing at every target that presented itself.

I could hear the roar of aircraft overhead… Our own? More bullets seemed to dance about me. Many in our line of defense had fallen. Shots came toward me with increasing fierceness. Was I one of the last still shooting? Out of ammo again, I rolled to the left and found more from another mechanic. I kept firing and then felt searing pain shatter something in my left arm. It hurt awful badly and then Jake was there; where did he come from? “Got some ammo for you Jim,” he said. “Keep firing, keep firing!” The last thing I remember is his voice and then a huge explosion and then nothing.

I was told that it was hours later before I regained consciousness. Only myself and two other guys from our squadron trench survived that night. Jake was among the dead and they say he took several bullets for me before he died. He was with me till the last. The explosion that I saw, just before I passed out, was the bombs dropped on the enemy from our aircraft. They had turned tail and retreated after that. I’m told that I can spend my time any way I please while my arm heals. I know where I’m heading Sunday. I’ll find Jake’s church and tell his congregation how he died saving others. Jake Barnes was a great guy and I’ll never forget him.

JAKE BARNES, USAF (Episode One)

(The following is fiction, but it is based on a true story)

Jake was the kind of guy you liked right away. He never complained, he worked hard and he was supremely honest. He was large in stature for a guy of 25 years and the sort that always seemed to do the right thing. He was a Master Sergeant and first sergeant in our outfit and I had known him since we went through boot camp together, six years previous.

After Jet Engine training school and one tour stateside, we had both found ourselves assigned to Da Nang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam. My names Bradley, Jim Bradley, Technical Sergeant, and if I had not seen what I am about to tell you, I would never have believed it could happen. It was January of 1968 and we were a long way from home.

Jake & I didn’t see each other much anymore, since he had been made first shirt. He did his thing in the orderly room and I worked the searing heat of the aircraft flight line. Everyone worked at least six days a week, twelve hours a day and after a while one day ran into the next, but not for Jake. He always seemed to know when Sunday came and would get permission to attend church. That was OK for him, if that’s what he wanted to do, but if I had time off, I would find better things to do.

Not that I held it against him or anything, he was a great guy, I just wasn’t ready for religion. If I died, I died and that was the end of it. Life never made much sense to me anyway. Once a month we would have a squadron meeting, called Commander’s Call, where all of about 800 of us would meet in some available building and listen to the latest squadron news; things like safety briefings, enemy movements, and news from home.

The Commander, Colonel Stone, and his assistant, Captain Walters, would talk to us and Jake would always be up on the front row, ready to provide necessary support in the form of duty rosters, those A.W.O.L., leave procedures, ways to avoid discipline problems and so forth.
If I saw Jake, I would wave, but that was about it. I fixed airplanes, he aided the Colonel. I didn’t know it then, but all this was about to change. It happened the following night, shortly after 1AM or 0100.

The concussions from exploding incoming rockets, coming from hundreds of yards away, began to go off all around me. The sky looked like the fourth of July, with flares and incomings all about us. Right on cue, the warning siren, that was supposed to warn us before the enemy attacked, began to blare. Instead, it only added to the noise. The sound of hundreds of G.I.s running to the bunker shelters was everywhere and the smell of explosives began to fill our noses.

I was on my way to the bunker when I spotted Jake. “Get to conex and grab your gear, we’ve got a Red Options Two circumstance! Bring as many of our guys as you can and hurry!” He shouted. The conex was a small, corrugated steel, storage building, about 50 yards away, where we kept our flak vests, rifles and ammunition. Red Option Two was a code word for base being overrun, which meant the enemy was attempting to get by the 101st airborne, camped outside the base perimeter fence and penetrate our position to destroy aircraft and personnel. We didn’t know it then, but the N.V.A. Tet Offensive had begun.

I alerted as many of the guys from our group as I could, went back to my bunk and grabbed my boots, helmet (with the Ace of Spades under the strap, to the enemy it meant bad luck), helmet liner and jungle fatigue shirt and then headed for the conex. Explosions were going off all over. I had been in country about six months and we had at least twenty attacks since then, but I had never seen it so bad as this night. Confusion reigned all around us. It was dark; we were all perspiring badly from the activity and humidity. Jake got out his flashlight, took out his key and got the conex unlocked.

He then, systematically, began to distribute supplies and I suddenly realized that he was very much in control of his emotions. While all the rest of us were in a state of panic, he was calm and collected. In the middle of all this, SSgt Buckman, Jake’s clerk appeared and said loud enough for all of us to hear, “Jake, Jake, did you hear? Colonel Stone and Captain Walters took a direct hit in their jeep…they’re dead!” “What! Are you sure; are you sure?” Jake quizzed. Buckman said, “I never would have believed it, but I saw it myself!”

Explosions continued everywhere but we were suddenly silent and stared at Jake. He paused but a moment. “Buckman, stay here and make sure everyone gets their gear, everyone else, follow me.” Jake then took off at a trot, heading for the perimeter fence.

Note to Reader: This is one chapter out of the Book of Mormon that is fantastic because of the story it tells.

THIRD NEPHI

CHAPTER 28

Nine of the Twelve desire and are promised an inheritance in Christ’s kingdom when they die—The Three Nephites desire and are given power over death so as to remain on the earth until Jesus comes again—They are translated and see things not lawful to utter, and they are now ministering among men. Between A.D. 34 and 35

1 And it came to pass when Jesus had said these words, he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them: What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?

2 And they all spake, save it were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.

3 And he said unto them: Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest.

4 And when he had spoken unto them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them: What will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father?

5 And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired.

6 And he said unto them: Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me.

7 Therefore, more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven.

8 And ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father.

9 And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow save it be for the sins of the world; and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand.

10 And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one;

11 And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me.

12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed.

13 And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things.

14 And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard;

15 And whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God.

16 But it came to pass that they did again minister upon the face of the earth; nevertheless they did not minister of the things which they had heard and seen, because of the commandment which was given them in heaven.

17 And now, whether they were mortal or immortal, from the day of their transfiguration, I know not;

18 But this much I know, according to the record which hath been given—they did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching; baptizing them, and as many as were baptized did receive the Holy Ghost.

19 And they were cast into prison by them who did not belong to the church. And the prisons could not hold them, for they were rent in twain.

20 And they were cast down into the earth; but they did smite the earth with the word of God, insomuch that by his power they were delivered out of the depths of the earth; and therefore they could not dig pits sufficient to hold them.

21 And thrice they were cast into a furnace and received no harm.

22 And twice were they cast into a den of wild beasts; and behold they did play with the beasts as a child with a suckling lamb, and received no harm.

23 And it came to pass that thus they did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land; and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed, according to the word of Jesus.

24 And now I, Mormon, make an end of speaking concerning these things for a time.

25 Behold, I was about to write the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world.

26 But behold, I have seen them, and they have ministered unto me.

27 And behold they will be among the Gentiles, and the Gentiles shall know them not.

28 They will also be among the Jews, and the Jews shall know them not.

29 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord seeth fit in his wisdom that they shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be fulfilled, and also because of the convincing power of God which is in them.

30 And they are as the angels of God, and if they shall pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus they can show themselves unto whatsoever man it seemeth them good.

31 Therefore, great and marvelous works shall be wrought by them, before the great and coming day when all people must surely stand before the judgment-seat of Christ;

32 Yea even among the Gentiles shall there be a great and marvelous work wrought by them, before that judgment day.

33 And if ye had all the scriptures which give an account of all the marvelous works of Christ, ye would, according to the words of Christ, know that these things must surely come.

34 And wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and therefore he will not receive them at the last day;

35 And it would be better for them if they had not been born. For do ye suppose that ye can get rid of the justice of an offended God, who hath been trampled under feet of men, that thereby salvation might come?

36 And now behold, as I spake concerning those whom the Lord hath chosen, yea, even three who were caught up into the heavens, that I knew not whether they were cleansed from mortality to immortality—

37 But behold, since I wrote, I have inquired of the Lord, and he hath made it manifest unto me that there must needs be a change wrought upon their bodies, or else it needs be that they must taste of death;

38 Therefore, that they might not taste of death there was a change wrought upon their bodies, that they might not suffer pain nor sorrow save it were for the sins of the world.

39 Now this change was not equal to that which shall take place at the last day; but there was a change wrought upon them, insomuch that Satan could have no power over them, that he could not tempt them; and they were sanctified in the flesh, that they were holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them.

40 And in this state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

Someone once said, “It is more important to have the respect of those you respect than to have the applause of the whole world.” Friends & family are kind of like that. We don’t generally think about respecting our own family, we just love them despite their faults, but the family members we admire the most are usually those we respect too.
Some families are very close, both emotionally and geographically. They live near, maybe even next door; to each other their whole lives. The kids may even marry local people and the spouses stay near to their companion’s families. In some cases this is a good thing, in others, disagreements may arise, hurt may grow and family members may not talk to one another for decades.

More often, however, jobs, wars, vocations and a host of other distractions may separate families. When someone says, “Why he’s as close to me as a brother,” that can have different meanings, depending on how close we are to our own brothers. After I left home for the military, I never really lived at my parent’s home again. Oh, I would go home for visits, but it wasn’t the same. I had begun to make my own friends and start my own family. We tried to stay close but it was bittersweet. The outside obligations were forever tugging at us.
It was then that I began to see the value of friends. I don’t mean casual friends that you chat with about the weather or the price of gasoline; I mean real friends. Spouses are usually first on the list of friends but spouses are much more than that. The friends that I am thinking about are not as close as a spouse but still are closer than extended family members that you seldom see.

The military and vocations moved us about many times in our lives and so I have learned that friends don’t have to be someone you’ve known most of your life, although I’ve had a couple of those. Friends are people that are there with an understanding word, a helping hand, a kind gesture that is altogether genuine. A real friend has no hidden agenda, no ulterior motive, and no thought about manipulation. That’s the kind of friend I want to be to them.
The years have grown harsher as time elapses and it may seem more difficult to find a real friend, but they are out there and it has been my privilege to meet many. By the end of two or three years living at one location, those friends usually are members that you see to work, that live next door or at your church. It is a sad thing to move on and leave friends behind. Sometimes we stay in touch but more often we drift apart only to make new ones at our next home.

Not long ago, by chance, I bumped into an old friend, at a public place, that I had not seen in over twenty years. I was so happy to see him that tears rolled down my face as renewed our friendship. Turns out, he lived just a couple miles from the home we had just moved in to.
Life can be tough and can kick us around, but friends can ease the pain. Thank God for friends & family.

PENNY

I’ve always liked friendly dogs. As a boy I had several. I’d play with them, feed them, water them, give my heart to them and do everything I could for them except take them to the Vet and pay for them. However, in our home we always had one cardinal rule. The dogs stay outside and never come in the house. If the weather was bad they could stay in their dog house or a utility room, but never, never in the main home. Dog “accidents,” footprints, dog hair on the couch, shoes chewed up, fleas and ticks on our rugs, and dog smell all over the house were avoided. I thought everyone thought that way and then I grew up.

Many pet owners love their animals in the house. It makes them feel like the pet is a real member of the family, almost human…almost. I married into that disposition and it was a source of aggravation between us on many occasions. We had cats, rats, gerbils, goldfish, tropical fish, turtles, and dogs. Thankfully, not all at once. We might have had cows & horses, but we couldn’t get them to fit in our living room. After the first couple of weeks, the newness would wear off, routine would set in and the animal would begin to feel neglected.

I was gone trying to earn a living during these early days and would attempt to ignore the animal as well but I couldn’t stand to see the water or food bowl empty or a Vet appointment skipped. A pile of brown, gooey, bad smelling waste, that I would find on my way to the bathroom, in the middle of the night, with my bare feet, was particularly annoying and disgusting.

Mom & the kids would promise to take care of the animal if I would “please, please,” let them keep the puppy or gerbil or whatever, but it never seemed to work out. Eventually, there I was buying dog food, keeping Vet appointments, feeding it, watering it, changing the litter and generally keeping the very thing that I didn’t want in the house, from dying. It was all very disheartening. Then Penny came into our life.

On the 14th of March, 1980, when we were in the U.S. Air Force, living in Okinawa, Japan, my wife was given a Bassett Hound named Penny. The dog’s former owners were moving back to the States and the shipping costs and fees were too high to warrant taking the dog with them, so they gave it away to her. Penny was four years old and good with kids. We had four kids, two boys and two girls, the youngest about three, the oldest about nine. I wanted no part of more work to do, that now included a dog, but as usual I was O.B.E. (Overcome by Events) The first day, Penny was swamped with attention, beginning with a bath. Maybe this time, this pet would be taken care of by everyone…maybe.

About two weeks later, on the 31st of March, my wife, Jean, and the kids were presented with an opportunity to visit with her parents for a month in Utah. In no time, they were all gone and that left me alone with guess who? Penny. It was the same old story, repeated again, but this time with a new twist. The only attention the dog would get would be from me and I left at about 6AM every day and returned about twelve hours later. Now we have a social dog, living in a different house, virtually all by herself, during the day, with a guy who doesn’t want her there.
It didn’t take long for her to become pretty neurotic. She would howl during the day, in loneliness, urinate on the floor, because there was no one to take her outside. On one walk, while the two of us were on the sidewalk, in government housing, a cat sprang from her porch and attacked Penny with scratches all about the face before I could get her free. The poor dog cried in agony for days after that when I tried to touch her face. She required about four walks a day for exercise and bladder emptying and when I wasn’t there, she used our carpet to relieve herself in both liquid and solid form. At night, she would insist on sleeping with me by hopping up on my bed. If I didn’t let her, she would howl and keep me awake.

Adding to the problem were her ear mites. Tiny little spider-like insects that would live and multiply in her ear drums, would give her serious pain and required ear drops from the Vet in her ears three times a day. The long floppy ears may look cute in Hush Puppy commercials, but they are a nest for all sorts of bacteria, especially in Okinawa’s humid climate. She frequently pulled at her ears and hated to have the ear drops put in. Bassett Hounds are a cross between a blood hound and a Beagle and the breed is known for eye infections and arthritis, built into the mix.

She was lonely and in physical pain. I would come home; the house would stinks of dog urine, feces, and vomit. I’d clean it up, walk the dog and be kept up most of the night by a dog howling in serious agony. By the time Jean got home with the kids, I also was a serious wreck physically from lack of sleep. Many times after that glorious month, the dog was much more trouble than it was worth, but we, yes we, loved her anyway. Finally, in March of 1983, we left Okinawa, but couldn’t find any new owners to take her over for us. I wound up turning her into the base dog pound the day before we left and was told that if no one offered to take her over within the next two weeks, she would be put to sleep. I don’t know if anyone claimed her; I rather doubt it, but I believe she has a spirit, as we do and that we’ll see her again, by and by and she’ll be happy, healthy and wagging her tail.