Of Souls and Patriots

“Then we went over to the top of those hills where the Germans put all the bunkers and stuff. We were surprised that it was pretty much like we remembered it. We even found that same bunker where we were on D-day—where we shot those Germans—and we were surprised that it hadn’t really changed. We just sat down right where it happened. Since I had been thinking about the place for fifty years, it felt like it all happened yesterday. The only thing really different was that it was real quiet. There was no sound except for the surf, the wind in the grass, and a few birds. For a few minutes, there weren’t even any other visitors around. And then something special happened. A couple little kids—maybe six or seven—came by and went inside the bunker. They were laughing, jabbering in French, and playing around like little boys do. Then they came out to us and spoke in English. They asked if we ever played there when we were kids. Harrison just said ‘no, we never did that, son.’ One little guy just paused for a second and then said, ‘OK…well…have a nice day.’ Then they trotted off and disappeared. We just sat there for probably half an hour and didn’t say anything. Finally we got up. Somehow, I felt like I was just a little different after that day. That chain I had been dragging was a little lighter.”