All was not, however, sunshine and roses. While watching his men file by the Humvee and draw their initial rations from Staff Sergeant Lightfoot, Nathan was annoyed when one of his troopers stopped in front of the National Guard NCO. “Why did you guys shoot at us when we landed the other day?”

Lightfoot, though caught off guard by this, wasn’t at all hesitant with his response. “Why did you people come at us like you did?”

Taken aback, the paratrooper looked at Lightfoot for a moment. “Well hell, we were ordered to, that’s why.”

“You think that makes what you did right?” the Idaho Guardsman countered, making no effort to hide his anger. “Does that justify you and your company barreling in on my hometown like we were some sort of Third World country?”

Unnerved, the paratrooper didn’t quite know what to do. His platoon sergeant, however, did. Stepping up behind the trooper confronting Lightfoot, Gandulf grabbed the soldier’s collar and yanked him away. “Visocsky! You’re a fucking idiot!”

The paratrooper, now more concerned that he had gotten his platoon sergeant upset, bowed his head. “I wasn’t causing trouble, Sarge. I just wanted to …”

“Piss off this man who has risked his life to bring you food?” Gandulf shouted back. “Annoy a person who has made the gut wrenching decision to turn against a state that he calls home in order to stand up for a nation he believes in?”

Clutching the bag of rations he had just received, the soldier looked at Gandulf, then over at the angry Guard sergeant. With his head tucked between his shoulders, the paratrooper shuffled past his platoon sergeant. Looking up at the big Guardsman, the paratrooper extended his right hand. “I … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean …”

The mournful tone of the man’s voice was enough for Lightfoot. Reaching into the open box of rations, Lightfoot grabbed another and shoved it into the paratrooper’s hand. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Now move along. You’re holding up the line.”

Though he had been alarmed at the time, Nathan was glad that this sort of thing had happened early. It cleared the air and put what the colonel and Sergeant Lightfoot had said into its proper perspective. It wasn’t until all the rations and water had been passed out, their next meeting arranged, and a wish list compiled for Sergeant Lightfoot to fill for the platoon that Nathan managed to get Nancy off to one side. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you have taken charge. I had no idea what I was going to do.”

“Lieutenant,” Nancy said flatly without the slightest hesitation, “until I ran into you, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Fact is, I still am not sure what to do with you.”