Pilgrimage (The New World)

by Kurt Winans

  The only reason he would even be able to attend the event was because her 1969 graduation was scheduled to take place one week later in June than Ross’ had been the previous year. That meant that Ross would obtain summer leave from the academy at the completion of his plebe year in time to fly to Dallas before riding on the bus to Rumley. Patty’s mother Elizabeth would keep her occupied so that Robert and Jessica could pick him up at the general store undetected, and then on the following day he would sneak into the seating area with the others while the graduates gathered in the gymnasium. Ross’ plan was to surprise Patty when he would be the first one to stand and applaud at the conclusion of her speech as the valedictorian of her class.

  Everything about the plan worked to perfection, and while Ross slouched next to Jessica so he wouldn’t be seen by Patty, she gave him a gentle elbow to the ribs. She didn’t miss the opportunity to pick on her older brother a little bit by reminding him that Patty was the valedictorian of a larger class of fifty-three graduates, and was therefore smarter than he was. Ross took the ribbing, both literal and verbal, in stride, while informing Jessica that her own class might be larger still. He said, “That should be considered additional motivation for you to strive for the same goal that both Patty and I have achieved.”

  Ross was the first to stand at the completion of Patty’s speech, and applauded her effort. She beamed with delight at the sight of him, and kept her eyes fixed in his direction for the remainder of the ceremony. When the two of them finally had a chance to embrace at the conclusion of the commencement ceremonies, little doubt was left that they belonged together. A few well-wishers came by to see how Ross had been doing at the Naval Academy, but he quickly reminded them that this day belonged to Patty and the rest of the graduating class.

  The two of them decided to forgo the camping trip with her classmates to Proctor Lake, because they wanted to use the extra time to get Patty ready for her great adventure. A few weeks later Ross and Patty boarded the bus together for the trip east. His summer leave would be over soon, and she was anxious to look around her new school in Maryland that was less than fifty miles away from Annapolis.

  OVER THE COURSE of the next three years, Ross continued to excel at the Naval Academy. During their second year together he had developed a stronger friendship with James and Shaun, but Davis Lee continued to create occasional problems. Unfortunately every time he returned to South Carolina, or spoke to his father on the phone, the ancestral hatred of others was reinforced. Not even the tragic event that befell upon Shaun during the summer after their second year at the academy could bring him around.

  While on summer leave back in Boston, Shaun was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it cost him dearly. A stray bullet from a robbery at a convenience store had left him in a wheel chair for the remainder of his life, so his dreams of becoming an officer in the Navy came to an abrupt end. It was a shame that Shaun had found a way to escape his neighborhood, and was on the path to a more productive life, only to be accidentally shot while picking up a few groceries for his mother just two blocks from the family home. She probably would never forgive herself for sending him to the store, but Ross knew the random act of violence against her son was in no way Mrs. Jamison’s fault.

  Ross, along with James and Davis Lee, had traveled to Boston and visited Shaun in the hospital after they had been informed of the event by their squad leader, but he wasn’t exactly in the mood to listen to any of Davis Lee’s immature bigotry about the neighborhood where the shooting had taken place. Shaun was happy to see both Ross and James, but let it be known that he was much more receptive to the idea of either one of them coming alone for future visits.

  As graduation day approached, the three remaining roommates were each looking forward to their respective future postings. Many events of both a positive and negative nature in society had occurred during their four years at the academy, and there had been numerous discussions among the young men about several of them.

  Heading the list of positive achievements for America, and frankly all of mankind, was the successful landing of ten men on the surface of the Moon. The historic event had first been accomplished by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission during July of 1969, and had been duplicated successfully on four of the five other attempts since that particular flight. The only miscue had occurred during the Apollo 13 mission when a near fatal explosion in the spacecraft while in flight made a landing on the Moon impossible. Fortunately for the astronauts, a large team of highly skilled and dedicated personnel at NASA were able to get them safely back to Earth. There was still one more Apollo mission to the Moon that was scheduled for December of 1972, but all other future missions had been cancelled due to budget constraints.

  On the negative side of the human endeavor had been the tragic massacre at Kent State University in Ohio during May of 1970. While hundreds of college students were in the midst of a protest against the United States military presence in Vietnam, four of them had been killed, with several others wounded, by gunfire from the National Guard troops that had been sent in to subdue the unruly behavior. It had been an emotional event to say the least, and had stirred deep feelings and opinions from both sides of the argument during the discussions in their quarters.

  In the most recent weeks, the discussions of worldly events had been overshadowed by talk of each man’s respective assignment, or posting, after graduation. Davis Lee, through the assistance of his powerful and well-connected father, would be stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. That way he would be out of harm’s way, and close enough to the family that they could maintain their influence over his thought process. Ross was again saddened by the fact that Davis Lee had actually made significant progress towards accepting other people, but that progress would soon be reversed by his family.

  James Franklin had decided to become an officer in the Marine Corps, and while his choice was something that had earned him the respect of others, that path would potentially place him in harm’s way. He would most assuredly find himself in the middle of the Vietnam conflict that was still ongoing.

  Ross had decided early in his academy days, and frankly long before that, to become a Navy pilot and fly jets. He had completed his major course of study in the field of aeronautical engineering, and had jumped through the appropriate hoops to make that ambition a reality. He, like James, would be headed for the Vietnam theatre, but at least Ross would be based on the relative safety of an aircraft carrier.

  The other good friend that Ross had at the academy was Dennis Strickland, who was a year behind him as a member of the class of 1973. He was from a family in Colorado that had been in the mining industry for the last three generations before him, so he justifiably excelled in the field of geology. Both Dennis and Ross had similar ambitions with regard to career path, as the collective plan was to fly jets and then apply for the astronaut program at NASA. When Ross had once asked him why he just didn’t go to the Air Force Academy in his home state, Dennis informed him that it was because the Air Force Academy was in his home state. In short, he wanted to escape the nearby family influence and become an individual.

  Patty was completing her third year at the University of Maryland, and had been discussing the possibility of working on a post graduate degree after finishing her current course of study. Neither she nor Ross had returned to Rumley since the day they left on the bus in the summer of 1969, but Patty had done a pretty good job of keeping abreast of the news back home via letters or telephone calls. She routinely gave Ross any updates from home that concerned Jessica or anything else that seemed important, but the town had not surprisingly stayed pretty much the same. The news of one sad event had been delivered to them during the past winter, as the dear sweet old Mable from the diner had died.

  It had been a pleasant surprise for Ross when Patty’s mother Elizabeth and Jessica had come east together a few times to visit, but Robert had not come with them. They, with Patty’s help, had convinced him to
come out on their next visit when Ross would graduate from the Naval Academy. It was a huge day in the young man’s life, so the three women had badgered Robert relentlessly about the need for him to attend until he reluctantly agreed to do so.

  Both Ross and Patty were sorry that they would miss Jessica deliver her speech as valedictorian for the class of 1972, but they were confident that she would do well. As Ross had predicted, her class was larger than either one of theirs with sixty-two graduates, so Jessica was sure to remind them of her superior intellect when she next saw them. Her acceptance to Rice University in Houston, Texas was a well-earned reward for all of her hard work and dedication, but Ross was not yet willing to admit that his little sister was smarter than he was.

  One of Jessica’s graduation gifts was for her to be fitted with a new leg brace. The technology of such devices had come a long way during the fifteen years since her first brace, and her leg had become much stronger over the years. Ross wasn’t really convinced she still needed a brace because her limp had become much less pronounced, but it seemed to give her extra confidence with daily activities.

  When Ross tossed his cap into the air with his fellow graduating midshipmen during the 1972 commencement at the United States Naval Academy, he had the same four people in attendance as had been there when he graduated high school. His father Robert and sister Jessica were staying in a hotel near Patty’s apartment, while Elizabeth settled in with Patty.

  Ross had asked that he and Patty be allowed to have a quiet dinner by themselves the night after graduation, and then the five of them could spend the next day together doing whatever came to mind. He was sure that the ladies would all have something to talk about that next day, as his plan was to present an engagement ring to Patty after the meal. Much like their quiet times back at Proctor Lake, Ross and Patty discussed plans for the future that included career opportunities and a desire to someday start a family of their own. In spite of the obvious direction of the conversation, Patty was still surprised to see Ross kneel down next to the table while fumbling with a small box. He looked in her eyes and said, “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” To which she excitedly said, “Most definitely!”

  Luckily for Patty her mother was already asleep when she returned to the apartment, so keeping the secret of their engagement until the following day became much easier. She even went so far as to remove the ring before going to bed so her mother wouldn’t see it in the morning, and then put it back on while she wasn’t looking when everyone gathered for their day of sightseeing and fun. As predicted, the excitement level could be heard from quite a distance when Jessica was the first to notice the diamond on Patty’s finger.

  After a few weeks of post-graduation leave, which was spent entirely with Patty, Ross headed off for flight school down in Pensacola, Florida. He would go through rigorous training for twelve months, and then receive another short leave before being deployed to Vietnam. It was during that break in the summer of 1973 that he and Patty were married, as she had just recently graduated from the University of Maryland. Ross had asked his good friend Dennis from the academy to be his best man, while Patty’s good friend, and fellow student at the university, Betty Collina would stand as her maid of honor.

  Ross knew Betty well from the multiple times that she and Patty had come over to watch him play baseball for the Naval Academy varsity team. Back in Rumley he had played both football and baseball during his high school days, but his talent in football wasn’t sufficient enough for him to play at the university level of competition. Betty’s first look at Ross had been from behind as he warmed up for the game. Patty had pointed out his number 51 on the back of his jersey, while also informing her it was the same number he wore in high school, but it was several minutes before he would turn around and notice the two young ladies in the bleachers. Dennis, who had also just graduated was on leave before beginning his own stint at the flight school down in Pensacola. He was also acquainted with Betty, because the four of them had double dated a few times in the past. There was no romance to speak of, but it made the events surrounding the wedding more comfortable because of the familiarity.

  Ross and Patty had their wedding ceremony in a church east of Washington D.C. with very few people in attendance, but Elizabeth and Jessica were there. They had once again showed their unwavering support by making another trip east from Texas for the happy event. Once again Robert, who had just retired from his thirty-one years of active service in the military the previous winter, was absent. That came as no real surprise to Ross, or Patty for that matter, as it had been a major endeavor to have him come east just once during the previous five years.

  They had precious little time for their honeymoon before Ross was compelled to report back to duty, but they made the best of it. Although it wasn’t the most joyful of topics, their final deep discussion before his departure was centered on what would happen if Ross was killed in action. As his wife, Patty would be entitled to certain benefits from the military that would include a death benefit payment. The money would be of little comfort if that event came to pass, but at least Ross knew Patty would be somewhat taken care of.

  ROSS BOARDED THE transport plane at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington D.C. with many other young men from various branches of the military, and took his seat for the flight to San Diego, California. From there he had a much longer flight to a base in the Philippines near Vietnam, which included a short stopover in Hawaii. During that brief time on the ground Ross never had a chance to leave the airfield, as the intent of the military was to simply refuel the aircraft, change out the flight crew, and allow the men a brief walk to stretch their legs.

  When Ross reported to his duty station aboard the USS Enterprise, he could hardly believe it had only been a few days since the time of waking up in Patty’s arms. He would of course miss her terribly, but he also knew he had to keep his mind on the task at hand or he may not be lucky enough to see her again by surviving the upcoming year. Ross also thought his posting on the Enterprise to be appropriate because he wanted to someday venture into space. He had occasionally watched a television program throughout the previous few years that had portrayed mankind on deep space exploration aboard a fictitious ship with the same name.

  As a young Ensign with not much flying experience, Ross knew he could learn quite a bit from almost all of the other pilots aboard the ship. He paid close attention to anything the instructional pilots, or I-P’s, would be willing to teach him so he could become a better pilot, and had soon earned the respect of a few of the senior pilots for his efforts.

  One aspect of Ross’ pre-flight ritual was to always grasp the emblem on the necklace that had belonged to Grandpa Hank. He would rub it with his fingers for good luck before removing it and zipping it into the lower pant leg pocket of his flight suit. Ross had to remove the necklace because regulations dictated that pilots not have any jewelry around their necks while flying, as it could interfere with the throat microphones needed for communication purposes. Ross would also take a moment before each mission to speak silently with Patty back home in the states. He knew these types of rituals were common place for pilots, so he never worried about being teased for doing so. The process helped him relax before being launched from the flight deck, which was important if he were to do his job correctly.

  By the time he had completed his one-year tour of duty onboard the aircraft carrier, Ross had been credited with shooting down four enemy planes. He had also taken part in numerous missions to bomb bridges or railway lines used by the enemy, and had been bumped up one step in rank to Lieutenant JG, or Junior Grade as it is known, for his stellar work.

  In late June of 1974, Ross headed home to his wife Patty whom he hadn’t seen since their ever so brief honeymoon after their wedding a year before. During that time she had decided to leave the Washington D.C. area, and had returned to her southern roots in Texas. Patty had taken a job in the Houston area so she could be somewhat close to Jessica, and was
really enjoying that city as opposed to her days in Washington D.C.

  Although she had made some good friends while in college, especially Betty, the main reason for attending the University of Maryland was to be near Ross. Since he was no longer at the Naval Academy, she decided to return to an area of the country that felt a little more like home to her. After all, there had never been a time in her life except after Ross had graduated from the academy that she wasn’t living near at least one of the Martin children.

  In the meantime, Jessica had just completed her sophomore year at the nearby Rice University, and had loved every minute of it. Her leg still gave her a little trouble from time to time due to all the extra walking associated with campus life, but it was getting stronger and the brace helped. There had been little time for young men in her life with her busy schedule, but she did enjoy looking at the much more diverse selection that Houston offered as opposed to Rumley. Occasionally she went out on a date, but ultimately her studies were more important to her.

  When Ross stepped off the plane, Patty almost fell to the ground. She was so happy to see him, and looked skyward to say thanks for delivering him safely back to her. He had gone through the entire year on the USS Enterprise with nothing more than a cut from shaving, but he knew there were many more servicemen less fortunate. A few pilots in his squadron had been lost when their planes had been blown out of the sky, and a few more that had needed to parachute out had probably been captured by the enemy. A fate that some considered worse than death, but how could anybody really know?

  At the same time that Ross strode confidently towards his wife, other soldiers and sailors were coming off the plane to their loved ones with devastating injuries that would change their lives forever. Ross knew instantly that he needed to get Patty away from that scene as quickly as possible, because there was a good chance he would be called back into action for another tour of duty. Prolonged exposure to those types of visuals would only do her harm, and he didn’t want her to be concerned with any of the terrible “what if” scenarios.