Legacy of the Unsung

By Gary D. Henry

This is a story about Joseph Patrick. As boy he was disliked for a very good reason. He was a classic bully who stole and cheated his way through school and was destined to do the same into adulthood. He didnt have to be that way because he was a genius but chose to be the way he was His mother and Uncle Joe tried to keep him on the right path but there was no stopping young Joe. He lied, cheated and stole his way into a CEO position and quickly became a very rich man.
Wealth was all that he needed. He always viewed his friends as people who just wanted his money and that was it. His mother always bragged about Joes ancestry and what great men they were. Joe was living in the Internet age and he looked them all up but they were no where to be found and thought that if they did such great things then they should be mentioned, but they werent. Joes father was a great man. He and his brother, Joe Mclain, went to war but only Joe came back.
Many thought that young Joe acted the way he did because he grew up without a father. His father died the day he was born and Joe vowed to look after young Joe and his mother for the rest of his life. Uncle Joe took young Joe camping all the time and he told him stories of a red door to the past that appeared to show people the right path in life. Joe was on a collision course with the mystical red door and five lifetimes of adventures were in his immediate future culminating with an ending that will both shock and endear him to whats important in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453540862

Book preview

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

LINKS

Dedication

As always, dedicated to my family and friends.

Live your life to the fullest, create a wealth of memories in your lifetime, and relive them as often as you can because these are your riches when your allotted time on this earth is expended.

Reflection will be your last greatest moment.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to thank Belinda Bell for her editing expertise, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future. She edited: The Books of James C. Patch: the Barrier and The Books of James C. Patch: Returning and did a fine job.

INTRODUCTION

This is a story about an amazing family and one member who could care less about his ancestry or anyone, past or present, for that matter. His name was Joseph Patrick. He was a genius as a kid, and his main lot in life was to make money. He didn’t care how he got it or who he had to step over, even ruin, to get it. He was the epitomy of greed. In desperation to help her son change his despicable views, his mother tried to tell him that his ancestors were all great men and women with tremendous good will and humility. They never espoused to be rich or to gain fame but sought only to do good deeds for the betterment of man and America.

Young Joseph wasn’t at all interested to hear about his ancestors. He thought they had done nothing of significance since no one had ever heard of any of them, and the history books had not recorded any of their deeds. Joseph was a hardened man at an early age. He had no heart or compassion for his fellow men. He had just one rung on his ladder toward success and would lie, cheat, and steal to reach that single step. It was when he was a kid during many of their campsite chats over burning cinders and burnt marshmallows that his Uncle Joe told him of the red door. As a boy, he was fascinated by his uncle’s colorful stories, but as he grew older, the stories were replaced by greed and bottom lines. His mind no longer had a place for the follies of old men by campfires. Joe, however, was going to be given a great gift. He would see the red door that his uncle had spoken of, pass through it, and see and learn first-hand what his ancestors meant to America. He was on the Mayflower when it arrived in Plymouth. He saw and dined with great men who would become presidents.

He befriended a young Ben Franklin and, through his experiences, learned the true meaning of what being alive was all about. The red door took him to places where history would make its mark, and he met the people who made it worth remembering. Through it all, he learned lessons that could not be taught by documented historical records, books, or teachers.

He went exploring in the pristine plains of America and crossed the mighty Mississippi before the thought of bridges ever existed. He crossed the roadfree Rocky Mountains and saw Niagara Falls before any other eyes could. Joe was given an amazing gift. The red door took him to tragedy as well. He witnessed the deaths of soldiers on many battlefields in various wars.

He fought for the abolishment of slavery and witnessed the sad and untimely death of a beloved Abraham Lincoln. The adventures of the red door took him to his ancestors, and he fought beside some of them in many heroic battles. He was acutely aware that he must not change history, and he battled with that conundrum throughout the misery of the Civil War and his many experiences with historic figures.

Eventually, he came to hold his ancestors in high regard for their unflinching desire to do the right thing while shunning the accolades that were thrust upon them. They never sought fame, money, or glory. They just wanted the country to be great and went to great pains to see to it that it would be so for all Americans. His Uncle Joe and mother tried to explain to him that his ancestors cared deeply about the plight of man and that he had come from a long line of patriots, but he didn’t listen because he didn’t care.

He just wanted the money, power, and accolades, whether deserved or not, that greedy men can’t do without. Fate had a plan for young Joe and his ancestors, but Joe veered from that plan. However, fate had a way of getting him back on track, and the red door would be used to make him change his course and see the beauty in people and in himself.

His journey begins and ends in the same place. In the end, Joe will have the shock of his life, but a few minutes later, he will be rewarded with the greatest gift of all—a mind full of memories of life with his father, even though he had died the day young Joe was born. History is marked with events and people, and Joe eventually realizes how his past saved his future.

CHAPTER 1

The Father of the Son

Joseph M. Patrick had no friends and wanted none. He was a twenty-four-year-old genius, and he knew it. His only desire in life was to have money and a lot of it. Joseph didn’t care how many people he had to step on to get what he wanted, and he stepped on plenty of them. His story didn’t begin with his birth in 1969. It began in 1942 with the birth of his father, Jonathan Patrick, Jon for short. He was born to farmers in a town called Leesburg. It was a small town with a Civil War heritage and was located about thirty miles east of Washington, DC, in Virginia. Jonathan grew up in a happy household.

He was an only child of Jonah and Sarah Patrick, and he loved to play among the tall stalks of corn on his family’s farm. It was when he was a kid that he met and befriended a kid of the same age named Joe McClain, a very respectful kid who lived not too far away from the Patrick’s home. Jon’s mother and father liked having Joe around because Jon needed a friend and. by the looks of Joe’s clothes, he needed one as well. Jon’s parents had never met Joe’s parents, even though they had invited them over to their house many times.

They didn’t even know where young Joe lived. One day Jon’s father woke up early to feed the horses and noticed a stir amid the hay bales. Jonah grabbed his pitchfork to defend himself in case it was some animal that had invaded his barn.

He was getting ready to stick the pitchfork into the hay when he heard a voice, Please, Mr. Patrick. It’s me, Joe.

Jonah said, Boy, what on earth are you doing here in the barn? I could have killed you.

Joe said, I’m sorry, Mr. Patrick. I was sleeping here.

Why aren’t you at your house? Jonah barked.

Joe started crying and said, I don’t have a home, Mr. Patrick. My parents were killed last year, and I’ve been staying here in your barn for the last six months.

Jonah put down the pitchfork and hugged Joe and said, Son, why didn’t you just tell us? We would have been happy to take you in.

Joe said meekly, I felt bad about asking you and Mrs. Patrick. You two have been very kind to me. I have no one. I have nowhere to live.

Jonah proudly said, Yes, you do. You’ll stay with us. You’ll have your own room, and I promise you that you’ll no longer have to fend for yourself. Joe had a huge smile on his face as he wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. Jonah saw how relieved the young boy was, and Joe was thankful that he no longer had to hide from those wonderful people.

Jonah went to Sarah and told her what Joe had said. She was really heartbroken to know that he had stayed in the barn during the entire winter.

She said, Joe, we would love for you to stay with us. Please say you will.

Joe said, Yes. He ran to both of them and hugged them as they wiped away the tears from the young boy’s eyes. Jonah and Sarah checked out his story by going to the town to see if anyone had reported a missing boy. They went to the newspaper and read the accounts of Larry and Anne McClain’s death in an auto accident, not too far from the Patrick’s home. There was no mention of a son, but then again, the article didn’t say much at all.

Jonah and Sarah set out to adopt young Joe, and Joe was ecstatic to have a new family and a home that was filled with love and happiness. Joe had one request and that was to be allowed to keep his name because that was the only thing that his parents had left him. The Patricks looked at each other, and Sarah got emotional upon hearing that the young boy had nothing but his name.

Jonah said, Son, you can keep your name, and I’m damn proud of you for wanting to keep it.

Jon now had a brother overnight, and he was equally happy that Joe was there. From that day on, no one mentioned Joe’s past and how he came to be part of the Patrick family. There were plenty of inquiries about the different last name, but they were answered quickly by explaining that Joe was adopted. The Patricks didn’t like to think of Joe as an adopted child and treated him as if he were a Patrick by blood. They treated him and Jon as equals. They promised Joe that he was going to be a real member of the family and that they would be his parents, which sometimes entailed disciplining him.

Joe understood what they were trying to say, and he welcomed the opportunity to be among such nice people. He also knew that when he got older, he would be called upon to help out around the farm. For now, though, he was a six-year-old with a lot of territory to explore. He and Jon were brothers in every sense of the word and did everything together. They especially liked walking to the Potomac River and throwing a line from the bank in hopes of catching a big fish. They seldom caught anything, but when they did, they ran home to show their parents. Sometimes Joe caught the fish, and sometimes Jon brought in the big catch.

They once brought their catch to their mother, and she smiled and said, Wow, what a huge fish! I think we should have it for dinner tonight. Which one of you caught it?

They knew who had caught it, but Joe told them that Jon had caught the fish, and Jon said that Joe did. The two boys were not in competition with each other and would be equally proud of whoever caught it. Each of them wanted the other to succeed. Jonah and Sarah loved this attribute about the boys and were sure that they would carry the same characteristics throughout their lives. The brothers’ eyes lit up to think that they were assisting their father with putting food on the table. Sarah called Jonah into the kitchen to show him what his sons had caught. Jonah was praising their effort and said that they should go again and try to catch another one of those monsters.

The two kids were very happy, and they left smiling and feeling very proud of themselves. When they left the room, Sarah went to Jonah and kissed him because he had made the boys feel so good by praising what they had done, even though both of them knew that the fish was only big enough to get a few mouthfuls. Jonah had an idea; he would go to the store and buy a nice fat trout and tell the boys that the fish was theirs. Sarah thought it was a great idea and told him to hurry so she could clean it and cook it. They settled down to dinner, and Sarah brought out the fish that they had caught, and they were surprised at the size of it. Jonah explained to them that the fish got much larger once they cooked it.

Sarah looked at Jonah and smiled as she cut the fish and gave Jon and Joe some of it. They gobbled it down, and Jonah and Sarah could see the joy on the young boys’ faces. They said that they were going to their favorite fishing hole again the next day to bring their parents an even bigger fish. They did go the next day but caught nothing. They spent their first year as most kids did. They played baseball and football, and they tried to fish. The two boys were inseparable. They went to the same school and both excelled at sports.

They fantasized about playing in the major leagues as just about all boys do, but soon after entering high school, they both realized that they were not good enough and would have to try something else. Jon was infatuated with a cute little girl in one of his classes, and Joe caught him staring at her. Her name was Jenny Foster, and Jon didn’t know it, but while his gaze was somewhere else, she was staring at him as well. Joe picked up on what was happening.

He befriended Jenny and told her that his brother, Jon, liked her. Joe also went to Jon and told him that he had talked to Jenny, and said she liked him. Of course, neither of them mentioned about liking the other. Joe just said that they had said that. He thought that that would be the easiest way to get them together, and it worked perfectly. Jon stopped her as she was walking past his locker and said that he liked the dress she had on, and she said that she had seen him at baseball practice. After that interaction, they saw more and more of each other. After about a year, while they were talking, they discovered Joe’s little deception.

Jon confronted Joe about it and said with a smile, I owe you, Joe.

Joe said, Nope, you don’t owe me anything. Besides, now we’re even after you told Mom and Dad that I had caught that fish.

Jon said, I can’t believe that you still remember that.

Joe said, Listen, Jon, you’re my brother, and I would do anything for you.

Most brothers would not do the things that they did for each other, and Jon did the same thing a year later with a girl that Joe had his eye on. Joe, however, didn’t have the kind of luck that Jon did and ended up not having a girlfriend all the way through high school. Jon and Jenny, however, were inseparable.

Of course, Joe didn’t always accompany the couple on dates but was always invited. Joe went sometimes, and Jenny had no problem with him coming along. She always asked if Joe would be coming to the movies or to the local soda shop.

Jon always asked him to come along, but he usually had things to do and couldn’t make it. He did go along on many of their excursions away from town, though. Jon was glad he’d come along on one of those trips because some members of a rival high school baseball team were at the local pizza shop and recognized Jon. Jon had pitched a gem of a game and shut out the team, and they, apparently, didn’t like it too much. They started pushing Jon around. Joe stood up between them and took the verbal abuse while Jon was trying to get at the players. Joe would not allow Jon to get into a fight because he didn’t want him to get kicked off the baseball team.

One of the team members made a huge mistake, though. When Joe and Jon did not fight them, he said something crude about Jenny resulting in both of them taking on the four team members and thrashing all of them. When the four players had had enough, they ran from the pizza shop.

Joe and Jon smiled at each other, and Jon said, How long do you suppose we have until the rest of the team shows up?

Joe said, About ten minutes.

Jon and Joe grabbed Jenny and ran out of the pizza joint, just before a bus arrived loaded with angry ball players. Jenny was proud of her two boys and kissed them gently on the cheek for protecting her honor. They were a threesome now, but Jon still had exclusive rights to Jenny’s affections. Jon was not the jealous type, especially when the other guy was Joe because he knew that Joe would never pose a threat against him and he was right, indeed. Jenny always introduced girls to Joe, but none of them worked out. Joe was actually a very handsome guy and had told Jenny many times that he didn’t need any help and that when the time was right, he would find someone. Jon and Jenny continued their matchmaking efforts, but there was always a problem. Joe was getting a little upset that they were concentrating on his love life too much. They backed off when he told them that he was getting a little upset because of their constant attempts.

Jenny said, Jon, we are trying too hard. We should respect his wishes and back off.

Jon said, Maybe, you’re right, Jen. It’s just that he has always been there for me, and I just want him to feel the same kind of happiness that I’m feeling.

Jenny said, Jon, you’re both good guys, and I, for one, won’t continue to press it.

Jon said, You know, you’re right. Let’s just let him go at his own speed.

Joe just wanted them to be happy. The three of them enjoyed their time in high school. They each fiercely defended one another should either of them have a problem with the other kids. Jon had a secret that he imparted to Joe who was adamant about Jon going through with his plan.

Jon was going to ask Jenny to marry him after they graduated from high school. Jon always sought Joe’s advice because he always gave him the correct answers. Jon asked Jenny to marry him under the stars during their senior year. They danced amid the starlight, and Joe sat by and watched the couple sway to all the slow songs. Joe knew exactly when Jon had asked her to marry him because she stopped dancing and started crying. She and Jon immediately went to Joe to tell him the good news.

Joe said, I’m very happy for both of you. I was just sitting here watching the two of you, and I could tell something was about to happen. Okay, I can’t lie to you, Jenny. I knew what was going to happen. Do I get an invitation to the wedding?

Jon piped in and said, Joe, you will be my best man because you are my best man.

Joe said, Jon, it would be an honor. I can’t wait until you and Jenny have your day.

Jon loved his brother, and Jenny did as well, but this was one trip that Jon would have to take without him, and Joe wouldn’t have it any other way. They all graduated, and the big day arrived. Jon and Jenny were married under the warm Virginia skies. Jonah and Sarah were very proud of Jon, but they were equally proud of Joe because he gave a stirring speech in welcoming Jenny into their family.

Tears flowed as his words tugged on the heart strings of everyone in the room, and hugs and kisses abounded. Jon was struck by what Joe had said and knew that the words had come from a place they both had dwelled at one time or another in their lives. It was a perfect ceremony, and the two newlyweds made their way to the reception and eventually to a boat destined for the Caribbean. They invited Joe to go with them, but he declined. Joe said, Jon, I really appreciate the offer, but you two need to have this time together. I’ll be waiting when you get back.

Joe speculated that Jon needed him there just in case he had a problem. Joe was always there, and this was the first time that the two brothers would be apart. Jenny knew it as well, and she really wanted Joe to come along, but she relented when he said that he would go on their second honeymoon. Joe insisted that they’d have to go it alone on this one.

Jon and Jenny came back from their honeymoon, and now they had to plan out their future. Jon again turned to Joe for advice. Joe suggested college. Jon asked Jenny what she thought and said that it was a great idea, but she would like to go as well. The three of them had the grades to get into any college, and Joe was so good that he received scholarship offers from the University of Virginia.

The three of them would go together. Joe had a full scholarship, and Jon had a partial one for baseball. They knew that this was going to be an expensive proposition and that all three would have to get jobs to support it.

Jon said, Joe, you have a full ride. I feel funny having you work to support the cost of our tuition.

Joe said, Listen, you’re my brother, and Jenny is my sister-in-law. I have no issues helping, and that’s all I have to say on the issue. Besides, you would’ve done the same thing for me.

Jon smiled and shook his hand and said, Thanks.

The three friends agreed that that would be the plan and took off for Charlottesville, Virginia and enrolled. Jon played baseball, and Joe played the stock market. Jenny wanted an accounting or a business degree. College seemed very easy for Joe, but the pressure started getting to Jenny and Jon.

They could barely muster enough money to support themselves but, once again, Joe came to their rescue as he had countless times in the past. Joe was a genius with regard to money and the stock market, and he alone made enough money for all three of them to live quite well—well, in fact, that he was paying for their semesters well in advance. After two years in college, he set up a fund that they would draw from throughout the remainder of their college experience. Joe did so well that he paid off all their existing student loans, and now they were just living off the fund.

Jon said, Joe, I don’t know what to say. We’ll pay you back.

Joe said, No, you won’t because I won’t accept it. Consider this a wedding present. Besides, if the situation were reversed, you’d do the same for me.

Jon said, You’ve said that a few times now, and I must say you’re right. I would have done the same for you, and maybe sometime in the future I’ll be able to do something for you in return for all that you’ve done for us.

Joe said, Until that time happens, let’s just get through these four years and go back home and see where life takes us.

That’s exactly what they did. They never went out with the crowd that drank and were very focused on their studies. Jenny and Jon no longer had to work, thanks to Joe’s genius, and they concentrated on getting their degrees and going back home. Jon was not the best student, but he certainly wasn’t the worst, and he graduated along with Jenny and Joe.

He received a degree in criminal justice, while Jenny and Joe received degrees in business. Jenny did very well in college, but Joe excelled. He graduated with honors and delivered the commencement address to the entire student body. His speech lasted about forty-five minutes; his words were profound and his delivery impeccable.

He had the entire student body itching to get out into the world to do their part to make it a better place. Of course, he mentioned Jon and Jenny and credited them for being his inspiration and reason for being up at the podium delivering the address. He got a standing ovation that went on and on. The three of them went out to celebrate and to plan their next course in life.

Jenny and Jon immediately were sought for jobs. Jon applied for and accepted a position with the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia, and Jenny began working for a defense contractor called TRW. Joe was getting offers from up and down the eastern seaboard but refused them all and preferred to just trade stocks. He had an uncanny ability to buy and sell them at the right time. Jon was often away on missions labeled Black Projects for weeks at a time. When he was on those trips, he was not allowed to tell Jenny or Joe where he would go or when he would come back. Jon’s regular absences frustrated Jenny and Joe but mostly Jenny. Jon would leave for a week or two and then just return for a short time and suddenly have to leave again.

When Jenny questioned him about where he was, he simply said, Honey, you know I can’t tell you. Why do you keep asking?

Jenny didn’t want anything to affect their marriage, so she turned to Joe for help. She asked him to talk to Jon about his job and wondered if he could persuade him to quit and get a normal one. Joe was concerned also and said that he would speak to Jon about it. He caught Jon at a time when work was getting tense, and for the first time, he showed Joe his temper.

Jon said, Joe, this is none of your business. Jenny and I will work out our problems.

Joe said, Listen, Jon, I know you’re pissed, but let’s look at this from Jenny’s perspective. She met her soul mate in you, and she is having a tough time right now. She wants to live her life with you, but that has become impossible because your job is keeping you away most of the time. You have to think many years in advance. Where will you be in fifty years? What will you be able to look back at and be proud of?

Jon didn’t have the answers, but he knew that Jenny must be in real pain for her to have Joe talk to him the way he did.

Jon said, Joe, you’ve always been right in the past, and maybe I’ll do as you’re suggesting and find another way to make a living. I know you wouldn’t lead me down the wrong path.

Joe said, You’ll see, Jon, that once you quit your job, you’ll feel the freedom. I know that you have serious issues with not being able to tell Jenny where you are.

Jon said, You have no idea, Joe, how difficult it is. I have always wanted to make a difference for my country, and I feel that I’m doing it.

Joe said, I know what you mean. I’ve wanted to do the same thing, and I have an idea. Let’s both enlist in the military. I wouldn’t ask you to do this unless I was willing to do the same. Maybe a three-year hitch in the service will help us along our individual paths.

Doing this would be a lot easier on Jenny than if I stayed with the CIA and had to be gone most of my career. You think they’ll take us, Joe? After all, we are almost twenty-seven years old, Jon said.

Joe said, Listen, it’s our last chance. Let’s do it.

Jon said, I’m game.

Jon said that he would have to run that past Jenny, and he wasn’t too sure how she would react, but at least she would know where he was.

Jenny was not too happy with the idea but relented when she found out that they would be stationed nearby. Jon and Joe did as they said and enlisted. They entered basic training together, which was the stipulation when they signed up. They would be together throughout their service and would be deployed together as well. Should they be sent to war, they wanted to make sure they both would be there to protect each other. Just as Jenny had feared, a war did penetrate their lives, although it was an intervention more than anything else. At least, that is what they thought.

The year was 1968, and the war was Vietnam. The war had been waging for eight long years, but the news reports stated that the end of the war was near. That was Jenny’s only saving grace, and she prayed that they could stay alive for another few years. Jon and Joe volunteered for duty in Vietnam, and Jenny was mad. Joe reminded her that he had talked Jon out of his other job, but he was not about to talk him out of this one.

Both Jon and Joe were very patriotic and wanted to do something for their country. Their entire ancestry had done some kind of service to America in one form or another, and they were not about to break that family tradition. Jenny agreed that she was happier that he was not in that other job, but she was extremely scared that they were now entering an arena where Jon and Joe could lose their lives.

Jenny and Jon’s lives were about to begin because she hadn’t yet told Jon that she’s pregnant and that now was not the time for him to be halfway around the world. She cried all the way to the airport. Her two favorite guys were going off to war, and she placed a note in each of their uniforms. She told them to read them once they reached thirty thousand feet because she didn’t want them to turn around and rethink their deployment. She wanted them to get it out of their systems and return to her, and when they returned, she would stress that they got jobs where they would never leave her alone again. They were airborn