Walking Wounded

By Brad Curtis

Did you ever wonder what happened to the boy next door who went off to war and came back a man?

Who seemed changed, strangely different from the person you knew?

Walking Wounded is a journey into the minds, and a look through the eyes of two such men, David and Mark.

Walking Wounded brings to life the feel of joy, love, trauma, suspense, and disappointment within them.

The knowledge and feelings experienced during this reading will linger on in memory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 21, 2005
• ISBN: 9780595823369

Brad Curtis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brad Curtis makes his home in Vilonia, AR with his wife Janet and children Lindsey and Fletcher. He was born in Harrison, AR at the age of 12 his family moved to Conway, AR where at 15 he began competing in local rodeos. His senior year of high school he qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals in the Bareback Riding. He is a 2 time Arkansas Champion Bareback Rider and a former Bareback Rider Rookie of the Year in the International Professional Rodeo Association. It was on the rodeo circuit that Brad came to know Christ. In 1996 Brad surrendered to the ministry and began filling in at churches that were without a pastor as well as doing revivals and preaching at Cowboy for Christ meetings. Brad’s motto was Have Bible Will Travel. He approached his ministry as he did his rodeo career, giving it 100 %. With the support of his wife Janet, Brad had the opportunity to preach in over 150 churches throughout Arkansas while working a fulltime job and attending Boyce Bible College at night. Now as a pastor of a Mountain Top Cowboy Church in Heber Springs, AR he uses his past rodeo cowboy experiences to present the Word of God.

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Copyright © 2005 by Bradly S. Curtis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any

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This is fiction; using true incidents found common among many Vietnam

Vets.

ISBN-13: 978-0-595-37967-5 (pbk)

ISBN-13: 978-0-595-82336-9 (ebk)

ISBN-10: 0-595-37967-2 (pbk)

ISBN-10: 0-595-82336-X (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

PROLOGUE

DAVID

MARK

EPILOGUE

AUTHORS NOTE

Dedicated to David, Mark, and those Vets who fought and still fight the good fight and to their courageous and loving wives and girlfriends.

A big thank you to my wife Karly without whom I would be lost.

Also thanks to the real Danielle (Danny) Steele for her time, editing, and great advice.

PROLOGUE

Sacrifice

Many soldiers sacrifice their futures and lay their bodies down. Others sacrifice full lives by the loss of a limb or limbs. Many soldiers return home to lose their families, suffer night terrors, panic and depression. Others become lost in alcohol and drugs, unable to overcome the trauma of war. A large number suffer for their remaining lifetime after returning from battle. Whether drafted or volunteer, soldiers in every war make these same sacrifices. They make these sacrifices willingly for their posterity and for you. They carry their burden quietly as they, the walking wounded, move unseen among us. Read on; you may recognize a brother, father, grandfather, neighbor or friend.

DAVID

Has anyone heard of a place called Vietnam? His high school history teacher asked. Hands went up, but he had never heard the name before. Vietnam was the lesson that day. David took it in and then let

it slip from his mind.

* * * *

*** It seemed a million years ago that his history teacher had asked that question. He laughed, he’d learned enough about Vietnam to teach that class himself and include a few surprising twists. Now, sitting on a stair up near his apartment on the second floor, he looked down at the bright light flooding in through the doorway below. The stairway was dark except for that. The bag rustled as he picked up his wine and took a long pull off the bottle. The quart bottle of cheap forty proof wine was still almost full. He hated the biting bitter taste but it got the job done. A few swallows and the taste along with his pain ebbed away. He turned half way around and looked at the padlock on his apartment door. Now he was homeless. It was a good thing it was early summer, it wouldn’t be so bad sleeping outside. It seemed odd to take the loss of the last crumbling bit of his world feeling so calm. It just was. He was thankful that his mother had helped him pay for the small apartment as long as she had. It was cheap and in a bad part of town, but it had been home for two years. He felt terrible that he couldn’t get on his feet, if only to please his mother. She seemed so scared for him. He couldn’t stay with her; she couldn’t take his self-medicating with cheap wine, drugs and pills he would take from her purse or medicine chest. He leaned against the wall and took another hit off the bottle. Things started to get a little darker as his thoughts brought him back to when things were normal, before the war. High school memories started to cross his mind and he smiled. Sometimes the memories that came to mind for him to relive would surprise him.

* * * *

In high school he was the first guy in his crowd to get a job and own a car. He was so proud of his six-year-old 1959 baby blue Thunder-bird. He thought about the thrill the first time he and some buddies took it out on a deserted highway and got the speedometer up to 130 miles per hour. He thought about stepping a little harder on the accelerator to see if she could make it to the 140-MPH speedometer top mark. The ride was so smooth but that much speed made him too nervous, he didn’t feel any the less for not hitting the top mark. The guys talked about it for weeks. He bought his car with money he saved from his job. It took a year to save enough for his T-Bird.

David really liked his job at the grocery store. He started as a bag boy and worked him self up to putting up stock and running the cash register. He got two raises in the two and a half years he worked there. He was proud of what he accomplished there and knew if he could apply that mind set to a real job he’d do well. He figured it was a formula in a way.

When you have a car and money finding a girlfriend usually follows close behind. From early in his junior year on he had the most beautiful and intelligent girl in school as his girl friend. Some of his friends didn’t think so, but to him she was a slice of heaven on earth. She was a sophomore with dishwater blonde hair. She had a great body, and deep blue eyes that shook him when they locked eyes for the first time.

It was funny how they got together, how she just walked up to him one day after school and said, hi I’m Kate. He just looked at her for a moment surprised, and she said, well, how are you? He finally got the words out really great, your Kate. Yes, and your David! She smiled. I gotta go, can I give you a ride home? David asked. Yea, I’ll take a ride, thanks. They talked as he gave her the first of many rides home. Later when he got home from work he called her on the phone. He really liked the sound of her voice it seemed just right. They talked until he heard her Dad yell Kate tell your friend good night! He looked at his watch and found it was almost midnight. He decided he

was going to be honorable with Kate and he did his best.

* * * *

The bottle went to his lips; he took a couple swallows then set the bottle down protectively between his legs. Sweet Kate, he thought. * * * *

Sometimes he wanted Kate so bad when they were making out, he thought it would kill him. One afternoon he and Kate were making out really heavy on his basement couch. Kate just stopped cold and looked at him. Then she got a real sexy look in her eye, the kind every guy dreams of. The kind of look that says you just lost control, and you won’t mind you did. After going out for over a year Kate had had enough of waiting. She reached into her jeans pocket and handed him the safety saying, Give me what we both want! It’s home run time honey, and the answer NO is not an option! He loved her for that. He

knew she would be his girl forever! Near the end of her senior year he got his draft notice.

* * * *

*** He loved her more every time her memory crossed his mind, she became a little more perfect and he felt a little more worthless. He hurt a lot when he thought about how he lost Kate. He couldn’t have stopped it. The war broke something in him.

After he came home he was always in pain emotionally, but he could feel it physically too. Right in his heart, where joy and love should be. No one could understand when he tried to explain or they didn’t want to.

He picked up the jug, it was doing its job, and the pain was starting to ease. The bitter taste was gone, just relief going down his throat

now. He put the jug back between his legs. ***

* * * *

On the day he received his Order to report for induction he remembers reading the letter and just staring.

ORDER TO REPORT FOR INDUCTION—SSS Form 252.

The president of the United States…

Greetings To:

* * * *

*** He flashed back on knowing some how as he read the rest of the letter that his life was never going to be the same. He loved being an American, although he hadn’t thought much about it, it just was. He didn’t know about how the rest of the world lived, it never crossed his mind. He didn’t know much about the Vietnam War either except we were helping a people keep their freedom from a Soviet backed regime.

Our country was keeping President Kennedy’s promise to help friends and allies.

That’s what his uncle said. His Dad who had been a Vet of WW2 had told him, it’s your duty to serve, if your country calls. His Dad, he hadn’t thought about him in a while. A big man with a few extra pounds on his waist whose sense of humor and presence would light up a room when he entered. He was one of those guys raised in the depression and fought in WW2. Somehow he turned those bitter experiences from lemons into lemonade.

He wished he had the strength to do what his dad had done. He took a small sip from the jug, a third of the bottle was gone and he wanted to make it last as long as possible. It didn’t take much wine to get him to the point of no pain these days. He was feeling no pain right now and it was comforting to think of familiar things, somehow it made him feel less lonely. ***

His Dad had died in a car crash his senior year of high school. A truck broadsided his Buick killing him instantly. He was only 49.

Kate being with him had been a comfort, giving him strength through his grieving. He had tried to help and comfort his Mom with her sorrow and grief but she refused to be comforted. He and his Uncle had made most of the funeral arrangements.

He felt compassion and empathy for his Mom as he remembered his dad’s graveside. The VA cemetery, the rifles firing volleys over the gravesite, the folding of the flag while taps was being played. His mother in black being handed the flag and then convulsing with sobs as she held it to her breast. The vision of so many standing around her, crying with her and for her as she bore her grief and loss. It seemed a million years ago.

* * * *

*** He knew that he was her grief now. ***

On the day of his induction into the military it seemed like a bad dream. A strange new world was about to land on him. He woke with his stomach in a knot. He felt scared, Just fear of the unknown, he thought. He tried not to show it. His didn’t want his Mom and Kate any more upset than they were. It’ll be okay, he told himself. Then it was time to leave for the induction station.

He hugged his mother tight and said "I’ll be fine Mom, don’t worry. He kissed her on the cheek and slid from her embrace. He got into Kate’s car. Leaning out the window, he asked his mother if she wanted to ride with.

She just shook her head and said, Go, I’m fine. He remembers outside the Federal building how he had to pry Kate’s hands off him. He couldn’t be late getting in the door. David stepped from the car and held the door open; he drank in her beautiful face and figure. Kate smiled, blushed and said.

You’re making me feel like I’m naked! He laughed and winked.

He wanted to keep the memory close.

* * * *

***He sighed as he dropped a hand to his bottle; he relished the memory of how Kate looked that day and how he felt. He felt so whole

then, so centered, at peace. ***

* * * *

He closed the car door and walked toward the Federal building. He walked into the induction station right on time. He took tests, got poked, prodded, inspected and sworn in.

They loaded his whole group on a bus to Fort Bragg N.C. for their reception into the Army.

He remembers the week there; it was mid fall up north and mid-fall cool down there. The boys from the deep southern states hated that mid-fall cool even if it was only temporary. It was in the low 60’s he wore a T shirt and they wore sweaters and coats. They called him crazy. One southern guy asked, ain’t you freezing boy? He loved the answer he gave Hell no, this is a heat wave where I come from! That southern boy just shook his head and walked away.

In the year after high school he had let his hair grow almost to shoulder length. The barber just smiled at that hair and started to shave his head. He doesn’t remember having any remorse over the loss of his hair but the barber seemed pleased. He had to pay the barber from his personal funds. Funny the army didn’t pay for it, after all he was government property