“Technically, the worst that could happen is that you’re blown up by an IED or shot by a sniper.”

“Believe me, I’ve considered all that. But this was my best choice.” I was relieved I didn’t have to go into any of my backstory. She seemed happy to wait out our extended stay in the terminal. The Air Force calls it “Showtime.” That’s the time you have to arrive to get on one of the flights. And it’s always hours before takeoff.

There were worse ways I could’ve spent my afternoon.

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

We loaded on the giant C-17 cargo plane. The first thing I noticed and appreciated was the fact that no one complained. The seats were just pulldown web seats on the sides of the plane. The center of the jet was crammed with some kind of IED minesweepers. They looked like they hooked under the front of a vehicle. I didn’t see any engine on the minesweepers. Most of the civilian, retired military passengers were in their seventies. All of them looked thrilled to be on vacation. It was great to see.

The aircrew was an Air National Guard unit out of Memphis. I was happy when Vicki Jensen decided to sit next to me. At least I’d have someone to talk to.

We chatted on and off for the first several hours of flight. I dozed off for an hour or two, but for the final three hours, I was wide awake and sitting in the straight-backed web chair. Not the most comfortable way to fly.

Vicki had been lying on a bedroll she brought with her. I noticed all the active military people had something similar. You had to grab sleep where you could. She woke up an hour before we landed and sat next to me again.

She said, “I didn’t join the Army to be in logistics and work on computers.”

“Why’d you join? Avoiding a prison term?” I gave her a smile in case she couldn’t tell it was a joke. But she could.

“I wanted to serve my country. A lot of people still understand that terrorism is a major threat to our way of life.”

“Okay, that’s a really good answer. But what, specifically, did you want to do in the Army?”

“I wanted to fly helicopters. Black Hawks to be specific. I thought I had it all down. I was in great shape. I don’t mind studying. I had one flaw I didn’t know about.”

“What’s that?”

“I have a minor, visual-spatial issue. Nothing I’d ever noticed growing up.”

“So you have problems judging distance.”