Pro-Blue Patriots

By Ted Hovey

Mike and Elizabeth Barrett are living a comfortable life in Munich. Mike is with U.S. Army counterintelligence, serving as a linguist screening newly arrived immigrants from East Germany. Elizabeth takes care of their two children and serves as the president of the Munich-American Eleme

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Prairie Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9780990809784

Ted Hovey

Ted Hovey earned his MFA at Hamline University. He served with the U.S. Army in Munich, Germany, from 1960 to 1962 - the period of the Berlin Wall Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis. After the Army, Hovey worked as a CPA.

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1

U.S. Army Housing Area, Perlacher Forest, Munich

Christmas Day, Sunday, 25 December 1960

Reality is close to truth — sentiment is not, thought Mike. Take Christmas, for example. Christmas was supposed to be a time of joy. Many people had fond memories of Christmas in their past. Mike did. Peace and goodwill; singing and laughter; toys for the children; and good food for all. It was a time to be enjoyed by all. And it was, for most people. But bad news had no respect for sentiment.

At Harris and Martha Hawkins’ house, the men sat in the living room, sharing small talk. The children were upstairs playing and the women were in the kitchen and dining areas, getting ready for the meal. Mike noticed that Elizabeth was more quiet than usual. She had potholder pads in her hands as she took hot dishes of food out of the oven. She wasn’t smiling.

Mike Barrett looked around. He tried not to appear obvious as he glanced at his wife through the open door to the kitchen, while he still shared in the men’s talk.

Several days earlier Elizabeth told him about the phone call she got from the principal of the elementary school. He told her she was being replaced as president of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA). The principal offered no explanation. In fact, he had hung up on her when she asked why.

Mike had tried to console her, but she was upset — deeply hurt. He had told her it was no big deal, but it was a big deal for Elizabeth. He told her the principal was a low-life man without character. She had said that might be true, but still — Mr. Kramer had the power to replace her. Mike was angry. Mad that a man, any man, could hurt his wife. Angry that the Army’s authoritarian style had even reached into a school for children of soldiers. Mad that Elizabeth should be feeling demeaned like this, and at Christmas — of all times.

Hey, do you guys want to come over to our place to watch the Rose Bowl next week? Minnesota and Washington, should be a good game, Dennis Edwards said from his place on the sofa.

Count me in, Russ Palmer said.

Sure, Harris Hawkins said.

How about you, Mike? You and Elizabeth and the kids? Dennis said.

What? Huh? Mike said.

Next Monday — New Year’s Day — watch the Rose Bowl game on TV at the Edwards, Harris Hawkins said.

Mike looked at Hawk, which is what Mike called Harris, and then at Dennis.

Oh, yeah — count us in, too.

Mike’s attention was drawn to the pleasant food odors coming from the kitchen, and the cigar and cigarette smoke in the living room. He stared at the small log house that sat on the coffee table — sweet smelling incense smoke drifted out of the small chimney.

Mike thought again about his wife. He loved her — he was thankful for her being in his life, but he was concerned about her — and he felt inadequate to understand her. He couldn’t just let go of what had happened. That …, that principal — that Mr. Kramer — who did he think he was to hang up the phone on a good woman like Elizabeth?

The other men were talking about Dennis’s commanding officer, who was putting Dennis through a lot of rigamarole.

Mike tried to listen, but he was preoccupied.

What the …? Russ said.

Elizabeth ran from the kitchen, across the living room, past the Christmas tree, and headed up the stairs. She was sobbing.

Mike jumped up from his easy chair — he followed his wife upstairs.

He found her face down on a bed. Her body shook. Her face was red and blotchy.

Mike closed the door, walked over to the bed and sat down beside her.

With a gentle touch, he rubbed her back and shoulder and let her release her emotions.

When her crying subsided, she turned over and faced him. Her thick brown hair had been cut recently and was now a relatively short mass of curls around her face. A drop hung from the tip of her nose. He handed her his hankie and kissed her forehead. He stroked her bare arms. With the back of his hand, he brushed her face.

Oh, Mike …. things were going so well. I was feeling at home here in Germany, and Mary Ann and Jimmy … and the school.

She cried again, and then used the hankie to wipe away the tears under her eyes.

It’s okay, dear. You’re hurting, but look at the bright side …

Awgh — you and your bright side. Don’t say that, Mike — be real — that’s not you.

Mike put his hand on the bed, touching hers.

You’re right. I can tell you are upset. It’s not up to me to say you aren’t, or to make light of it. Tell me about it. I want to listen. I want to help.

Elizabeth went through the story again. How Mr. Kramer had called, and how, at first, she had thought he wanted to talk about the January PTA meeting. Then he told her that she was no longer the president of the PTA. She told how matter of fact his tone was. And how Kramer had told her that he had received a letter with complaints about her. When she had asked him who wrote the letter, he told her, ‘Never you mind who it’s from.’

Oh, Zibby honey, that would make me upset, too.

They were quiet for a few minutes. The sounds of the children playing in the next room came through the walls.

I don’t like that man, Elizabeth said.

I’m going to see that Mr. Kramer and find out what this is all about.

No, Mike, no. Don’t do or say anything. It would only make things worse. You know what happened when you supported Don Pritchard at the high school back home. You left teaching then and came back to the Army. You were right about one thing, though — there is a bright side to this. I’ll have more time to spend with Mary Ann and Jimmy. Martha and I will have more time to explore the city and take pictures. I won’t have to mediate between teachers and angry parents. You’ll see, Mike — it will be better.

What happened in the kitchen? Why did you run out of there like that?

Elizabeth was quiet.

Mike let her be — he continued to touch her in a gentle manner.

Addie said she heard that Mrs. Foster was going to be the new PTA president. I don’t care about Colleen Foster being president, but I just started to cry. I don’t know why.

Mrs. Foster? That loudmouth who practically genuflected before General MacGregor when he spoke at your PTA meeting a few weeks ago?

Well, yes — she did speak highly of the general, but…

She spoke highly of the general all right. I’m beginning to smell a rat.

Mike, no. You always want to think the worst in people. Colleen really isn’t a bad person. In fact, I think she’ll make a good president for our PTA. It’s just that …

I’m going to get to the bottom of this. They can’t treat you like this — you don’t deserve to be made to feel bad. It’s not right; in fact, it’s wrong.

No, Mike. Please don’t get involved. Just let it be. It will all turn out okay, you’ll see. So what if my feelings are hurt. I’m not such a special person that I can’t have my feelings hurt once in a while.

Oh, yes — you are special, honey. Nobody should be allowed to hurt you and get away with it.

Mike, we’ve had this talk before. You always want to fix things, but you don’t have to do that. It’s enough for you to listen to me, to be with me, to try to see it my way, and to make me feel better. That’s all I ask of you.

But he shouldn’t be allowed to do that to you.

No, he shouldn’t. But he is allowed — he has the authority. It’s an Army school, after all. He could’ve been more tactful in the way he told me, but still …

No, he needs to be taught a lesson. Mr. Kramer can’t treat my wife like that.

Mike, please — please promise me that you will not do something that will make this situation worse.

Mike didn’t respond.

Martha Hawkins knocked on the door and came in.

Sorry to intrude, but dinner is ready.

Mike and Elizabeth went downstairs, as Martha made sure the children washed their hands.

Elizabeth was back to her old self at the table.

Mike was the quiet one.

2

Mike was upset. No man should treat Mike Barrett’s wife like that and get away with it, of that much he was sure. Elizabeth was a strong woman, and she would get through this okay. This would blow over — for her. But he was a man, and an honorable man protects his wife.

She had asked him to promise that he would let it go, not to intervene, not to say or do anything about the matter. But he couldn’t do that. She should know that he couldn’t let it go — that he wouldn’t let it go. She should have known that it was his duty — his duty as a man, as a good and honorable man — to do something. He was sure she knew him well enough for that. Maybe he couldn’t fix it — no, he probably couldn’t get the principal to give Elizabeth her old position as PTA president back. But the man should have to pay for hurting Elizabeth the way he did. That was what it was about — Mike had to hurt the man — to even the score on behalf of Elizabeth.

* * * *

Mike’s thoughts went back to that night when General MacGregor spoke at the PTA meeting. His topic was the Pro-Blue program that he had created to teach his troops about the evils of Communism. His reasoning was that the soldiers should know why they were in Germany — that their mission was to ensure that the Communists did not take over western Europe and make slaves of the people. All well and good, Mike thought. But then the general went further — to accuse some unnamed members of the U.S. military community of being Communists, or at least of being Communist sympathizers. The general had encouraged the people at the PTA meeting to help him by identifying people they suspected of being commies, or comsymps — commie-sympathizers — and letting him know so that the suspects could be removed before they infected others with the Communist cancer.

Most of the people had cheered General MacGregor on. Colleen Foster was one of the loudest. Elizabeth, as PTA president, had stood up and attempted to calm the crowd, but the general seemed to enjoy the praise so much that Elizabeth was no longer in control of the meeting. That was when Mike had stood up to speak. He had to do something for Elizabeth, to get the crowd under control. He recalled it in detail.

Sergeant Michael Barrett, sir — 537th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion. Sir, I applaud you for your efforts to teach our young soldiers about Communism. But — I want to respectfully disagree with your comments about naming suspected Communists. I think what you are suggesting is dangerous. Innocent people could be hurt, and their reputations ruined.

There were boos, catcalls, and shouts of ‘sit down’ from the audience.

Mike went on.

I don’t think it’s wise to encourage people to act on their suspicions, unless they have solid evidence. Our Constitution protects American citizens from unreasonable and unfounded charges — but riling people up like this is to invite abuses of our constitutional protections. We all remember Joe McCarthy and his suspicions that there were Communists in our government — it was just a few short years ago. But for whatever Senator McCarthy accomplished by identifying a few actual Communists, many other people were wrongly accused — their lives were ruined by such false accusations. I don’t believe you meant for us to return to McCarthy’s methods. Can you please clarify what you meant to say, sir, and reassure us that you are not urging people to throw suspicions on others without sufficient cause?

More shouts and boos from the crowd.

Mike sat down.

Well, well, well — Sergeant Barrett. Don’t you want an America that is free of Communists and their dupes?

Mike rose from his chair again.

Yes, sir — I certainly do want that, but …

General MacGregor did not give Mike time to finish his thought.

But what, sergeant? We’re at war right now. We’re in a life or death struggle with an evil greater than anything the world has ever seen. And, in a war — people get hurt — even innocent people. But I believe, with all the certainty that I can muster, that the danger we face is so great that we need to do whatever it takes, whatever the cost, in order to defeat our Communist enemies, whether it’s the Red Army or the Communists within our own government and society. So, if an innocent person or two gets hurt in the process, that’s part of the price we need to pay to win this war. Americans have always paid that price.

The crowd had stood and cheered the general’s words.

The general went on to call Eleanor Roosevelt a Communist sympathizer, and that even President Eisenhower was an unwitting fellow traveler of the Communists.

That was in early December. Mike wondered now, why should Elizabeth suffer because her husband was the one who had challenged the general?

When she had thanked the general for his speech, Elizabeth had tried to tell the gathering that rather than being suspicious of our neighbors, we should think the best of them and try to work together to do our duty here in Germany. After all, she had said, that was why we were here. She had also tried to steer the focus of the crowd towards the students and the school.

* * * *

Mike turned over his options in his mind. He could go to the principal and ask him to apologize to Elizabeth, maybe even ask him to give back her position as PTA president. Well, at least he could find out why his wife was replaced. Or he could confront Mrs. Colleen Foster, or maybe her arrogant husband, Captain Foster.

On the other hand, Mike thought, he could go over the principal’s head, to Kramer’s boss, whoever that was. But then, before he did that, he would have to have some facts, some concrete evidence, that what Kramer had done to Elizabeth was arbitrary — yes, arbitrary and what was that other word? Ah, yes — capricious — that was it. Because that was what it was, and it had hurt his wife deeply. Mike mused — how about it, Mr. Kramer? How would you like it if you were replaced?

As he rolled these ideas around in his mind, and played out the likely consequences, Mike kept coming back to the same point. He still didn’t fully understand why Elizabeth had been removed as PTA president. That’s where to start then, he thought, he would see Kramer on Tuesday. He would ask to read that letter Kramer got.

Mike was thinking ahead, what would the principal say, and how should Mike respond?

3

Munich-American Elementary School

Tuesday, 27 December 1960

Mike Barrett told his wife that he was going to the school to meet the principal, Mr. Kramer. Mike had called Kramer the day before and made an appointment to see him on the way to the Joint Interrogation Center (JIC), where he worked.

I guess I can’t talk you out of it, then? Elizabeth said.

You know I have to do this. It’s the least I can do. We need to know some facts here, or it will drive us nuts.

Just be careful, Mike, and don’t say anything you will regret later.

Mike kissed her on the cheek and left the house.

The school was quiet since the children were off for the Christmas vacation. The building reminded Mike of the new schools being built in Minnesota, especially in the suburbs of Minneapolis and Saint Paul — red brick in the modern style, with lots of windows. Another example of the American influence on German culture. The Germans already had Coca Cola, American cigarettes, and Jazz.

At the school, Mike found George Kramer in his office.

Sergeant Barrett, come in, come in. Can I get you a cup of coffee? I made it myself — fresh — just a little bit ago.

No, thanks.

Kramer took out a pack of Chesterfields.

Cigarette?

No thanks. I quit.

Mike looked at him. The man had a sleepy look about him. He wore a bow tie. His English Leather cologne was too strong, in Mike’s opinion. His glasses had those wire rims that Mike didn’t like.

Okay, then. You said you wanted to talk about Mrs. Barrett and the PTA presidency? Kramer said.

That’s right. We — Elizabeth and I — we want to know why you replaced Elizabeth with someone else.

Mrs. Foster …

Kramer hesitated.

What? Mike said.

Mrs. Colleen Foster is the new president of the PTA.

Why?

Why? Because I decided that Mrs. Foster would be a better person for the position, that’s why.

You decided?

That’s right. It comes within my authority as principal.

That’s absurd, and beside the point. The question remains — why? Why did you think Colleen Foster would be a better person for the position?

Kramer leaned his chair back