Chapter
One
Hero's or Fools
The two weeks of leave passed very quickly for them. Sarah's folks had
been the first stop for them. That had gone far better than James had thought
it might. They had an advantage over a
lot of parents about to see their only child go into a combat zone. As a
senator her dad knew a lot more about their current situation. That was both
good and bad. They knew where Sarah and James would be going which was more
than most people would know. The actual location of the deployment was
classified. Most people would only know they were in the Europe/Middle East
area. It was hoped that it would be weeks before word of the actual locations
and numbers of the F/A-48's would be known for sure. Senator Davis knew all of
that and he knew the risks, but he also knew who she was serving under. He even
knew a lot about who her wingman was too. Major Hawks was an outstanding pilot
and had seen numerous deployments with lots of combat. That experience should
prove to be of great benefit to Sarah. It was unlikely that Major Hawks would
let her get into anything too serious without her knowing about it first. There
would still be risk, but it would be a lot less with an experienced pilot in
charge. They were less thrilled with where James was heading.
They didn't say it, but it was clear that they were very concerned about
him being based in Turkey. That nation was close to collapsing and nobody was
certain of who would be in charge if it did. The U.N. peace-keeping force was
struggling to keep any kind of order and they depended largely on the United
States Air Force for what little they had. More troops were being committed,
but they were under U.N. control. The Air Force was responsible for only the
air space over Turkey and securing the air base itself. All other actions were
under control of the U.N. peacekeepers and the NATO forces. That meant the
squadron being sent to Turkey might end up under indirect command of people
outside the Air Force during actual combat situations. The only saving grace
was Lt. Colonel Wilson. He was a highly decorated pilot and had spent a lot of
time doing the final approval and testing of the F/A-48. He not only had
experience with combat and the area, he also had more experience than any other
pilot being deployed in the F/A-48. That seemed to make a difference to the
in-laws, but it was easy to see they were still concerned about his deployment.
After a quiet week they made the trip to Virginia. That drive had been a
long one for them. They had talked about all of the things that hadn't been
said as well as what had been said by her folks. It was going to be a lot
harder when they reached his folks. They hadn't been able to disclose much
about what they were doing during training and now they would be able to say
even less about the coming deployment. While her folks knew a lot, because her
family had clearance and knew what was going on... James didn't have that with
his family. They only knew he was training to fly jets. They didn't know what
kind or where. They hadn't even known where they were for the first part of his
training. Only after they actually got to start flying the F/A-48 could James
and Sarah tell them where they were stationed. Even then they could say little
more than that. It was very hard on his family not knowing the details during
training. They could only imagine how it would be on them now that he was
heading into an active area. They would know they were being deployed, but they
couldn't know exactly where or what he might be facing.
When they arrived they were greeted by the entire family. They had
decided to spend Christmas week with his folks. They had spent last year with
hers. It was a very happy week, but also a very sad week. It wasn't easy for
James or Sarah to not be able to answer questions. All they could say was they
were being deployed. They couldn't say where. They couldn't even say for how
long. All of their personal correspondence was going to be handled by the
Pentagon. Even phone calls were to be relayed by the Pentagon. That alone was enough
to cause real concern and worry for everyone. James didn't like secrets, but he
understood the need for these. The new F/A-48 had been the talk of the world
military for a while, but very little was actually known about them. The Air
Force wanted it kept that way for as long as possible. Beyond the actual pilots
and ground crews, only a handful of officers, the President, and five Senators
actually knew what the F/A-48's were capable of doing. The less people knew
about the jets the better. The more of a threat and a surprise the new planes
would be the first time they saw action too.
James spent as much time as he could with his folks and the rest of the
family. Sarah gave him all the space she could. They would have a couple of
weeks to be together before they actually deployed. After that even they
wouldn't be certain of where or what the other was doing all of the time. As
bad as his family was it was harder in some ways for James with his friends.
When he couldn't answer questions it often caused hurt feelings, but he really
couldn't even explain why he didn't answer. It was a very long tough week in
some ways. In other ways, James thought it might have been the fastest week of
his life. Either way it was soon over and they headed back. His folks drove
them to the airport. James had left his truck with his folks and Sarah had left
her mustang with her folks. Even they weren't sure exactly when they would be
back or where they would be headed first. This way they had the means to travel
at either place. The goodbyes had been short and filled with tears, but it was
soon done. Now it was time for them to
focus on one thing only, their mission.
Once they arrived back on base they had a
couple of weeks of final training before being deployed. This time the training
was different for each of them. James had to learn specifically how to deal
with the situation in Turkey, while Sarah spent her time learning about dealing
with things in Saudi Arabia. That was even more complicated for her, since she
was a woman. As long as she stayed on the base in Saudi Arabia it wasn't too
bad, but even there she faced restrictions that her male counterparts didn't
have to deal with. If she left the base the whole world changed for her. There
were places she was simple forbidden from going. There were things that she was
forbidden to do as well. Almost nothing was the same for her as for the men who
served in the same position. James had it a bit easier, but being a Christian
complicated his own life. He couldn't be as open or outspoken about his faith.
He didn't have to totally hide it, but off base it would be better if he did.
They studied hard and tried to get it all down. A mistake could easily put not
only them, but others in great danger. At least they still got to spend their
nights alone together. In a few days even that was going to be a thing of the
past for them. At the moment their deployment was for 12 months, but it might
easily be extended. They tried to make the most of what time they had left. If
they weren't directly involved in training or preparations to deploy they were
together. Neither of them looked forward to the time apart. But both of them
were excited to be going into the middle of things. That had been the driving
force behind both of them for years; the desire to go where they could make a
difference.
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