“ He’d lived in the desert all his life, and he loved it. He was its child. It was his home. ”
Phi cang Saigon Tansonnhut He puzzled at the meaning and smiled inwardly. The sign probably said, “Welcome and Affectionate Salutations to All Who Enter the Glorious Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Home of Seventh Air Force, Only Minutes from Beautiful Saigon.” Or maybe not; he couldn’t know. Maybe it read, “Welcome to the Dung Heap of Despair—Abandon Cheer, All Ye Who Enter.
~ Tony Taylor
Today was the end of freedom. High school had fallen behind, college loomed ahead. Tomorrow he traded freedom and Arizona for Colorado and discipline.
There was no fear of sandpaper earth, no sense of danger from a bare-skinned spill, for the boy was a child—a six-foot, one-inch growing child who knew nothing of accident, injury, dismemberment, death—who would study those lessons tomorrow, thank you, but not today. Today, it would be sufficient to be wild and free.
