The sun doesn't shine as brightly in North Upperton as it did before the bombs fell, before the air turned acrid and thick with the soot of fear and the indignation of governance. It wasn't the fault the Cook family that the wars of their husbands' wrought backlash on their sons. Nor was it Mr. Jones' fault that half of the town's children were born that way, deformed, malformed by the poor drinking water. Indeed, it was only one person's fault in North Upperton.
Mr. and Mrs. Paulson's son is shunned now. He took part in the war. He volunteered; he "joined up". There's only so many reasons to say no when they wave the flag in your face; only a short few excuses as to why you hate your country. Sooner or later, you're going to fold. Sooner or later, you're going to start believing things you'd never have believed before. More soon than not, taking the life of another will seem glamorous, necessary even. And by then, you've mortgaged your soul for the three up and three down.
Rich men and men in power seem more than eager to give you something and the more eager they become, the more they seem to have to give, an endlessly increasing supply of what you want. Too bad you don't realize that it was taken from those who came before you and from you soon enough too. The money was what finally got Tommy Paulson's J.H. He wanted to go to college, make something of himself. He wanted to make everyone proud back home.
Boot camp was hell, but what came next was worse. The bombs fell because of Tommy. He did his job just as the three up and three down told him. He was afraid, but he needed to protect his country and his town. He fought long and hard. He even received a shrapnel wound, which it seemed was all the rage of old war stories. It was a badge of honor, a sacrifice to protect his family. No one ever told him that it was friendly fire. There was no need. He was content with his spoon fed pipe dream.
Tommy came home with a limp and his pride. He saved North Upperton. But all was not as it should have been in his small town. No, something was very wrong. Mr. Jones' farm had turned to dust and Mrs. Cook and her daughter had moved away. The Peterson's hadn't their cattle herd anymore. And, they too had fled, unable to turn a profit. Even old Mathias Davidly was gone, succumbed to a poor man's grave.
Tommy Paulson was shunned now; he did this. His war took the crops and the cattle. It took jobs from hard workers like the Cooks. It bankrupted the economy and caused the banks to fail. It was a war fought to keep freedoms and provide security to a nation. It was to provide money for college for Tommy. And it was supposed to remain "over there". But all is connected. What effects one area affects the stability of the others.
Tommy killed himself two years later. Those who called him a patriot were silent that night. They later reminded his mother that he was a valiant war hero and a man of courage, and then they moved on to the next small town to find another Tommy without a second's hesitation.
GREED AND IGNORANCE BEGET WAR!
Mr. and Mrs. Paulson's son is shunned now. He took part in the war. He volunteered; he "joined up". There's only so many reasons to say no when they wave the flag in your face; only a short few excuses as to why you hate your country. Sooner or later, you're going to fold. Sooner or later, you're going to start believing things you'd never have believed before. More soon than not, taking the life of another will seem glamorous, necessary even. And by then, you've mortgaged your soul for the three up and three down.
Rich men and men in power seem more than eager to give you something and the more eager they become, the more they seem to have to give, an endlessly increasing supply of what you want. Too bad you don't realize that it was taken from those who came before you and from you soon enough too. The money was what finally got Tommy Paulson's J.H. He wanted to go to college, make something of himself. He wanted to make everyone proud back home.
Boot camp was hell, but what came next was worse. The bombs fell because of Tommy. He did his job just as the three up and three down told him. He was afraid, but he needed to protect his country and his town. He fought long and hard. He even received a shrapnel wound, which it seemed was all the rage of old war stories. It was a badge of honor, a sacrifice to protect his family. No one ever told him that it was friendly fire. There was no need. He was content with his spoon fed pipe dream.
Tommy came home with a limp and his pride. He saved North Upperton. But all was not as it should have been in his small town. No, something was very wrong. Mr. Jones' farm had turned to dust and Mrs. Cook and her daughter had moved away. The Peterson's hadn't their cattle herd anymore. And, they too had fled, unable to turn a profit. Even old Mathias Davidly was gone, succumbed to a poor man's grave.
Tommy Paulson was shunned now; he did this. His war took the crops and the cattle. It took jobs from hard workers like the Cooks. It bankrupted the economy and caused the banks to fail. It was a war fought to keep freedoms and provide security to a nation. It was to provide money for college for Tommy. And it was supposed to remain "over there". But all is connected. What effects one area affects the stability of the others.
Tommy killed himself two years later. Those who called him a patriot were silent that night. They later reminded his mother that he was a valiant war hero and a man of courage, and then they moved on to the next small town to find another Tommy without a second's hesitation.
GREED AND IGNORANCE BEGET WAR!
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