A Warrior’s Promise
by
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Roof lay on the ground, moaning slightly between forced breaths, his right arm nearly severed above the elbow, his chest heaving, his breath punctuated by the sucking sound of a ruptured lung. “Roof! Roof! Don’t die on me man! Don’t die on me; you saved my life!” Roof grabbed Jimbo’s arm with his left hand and with labored gasps begged him, “Please tell Miss Emma and my baby sister I love them. Give them this scapular for me. Promise me, please.” Before Jimbo could answer, the fingers released the tight grip. There was a deep sigh as the labored breathing stopped and the final breath left the corpsman. Jimbo fell over him, pleading, “Roof, come back, hold on, you can’t go!” By now, the rest of 3rd Platoon had reached them from their flank and another corpsman quickly checked the lifeless bodies of Gardner, the squad leader, and Roof, then turned to check the tourniquet on Jimbo. “Man, we’re going to get you out of here, just hold on. You’re going to make it.” “Is Roof dead?” Jimbo asked, hoping what happened so quickly wasn’t real and the corpsman could find a spark of life to bring him back. “Yeah,” replied the corpsman with the subdued emotion of someone who had become too familiar with death. “He’s gone. Take it easy. We’ve got to get you on a hello.”
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About the Book
The tumultuous Vietnam era brought many cultural and social changes to America. Jimbo, like other Americans of that time must learn to adapt and cope with the tests of their character during one of the dark passages of America’s history. The story and characters are fictional; their predicaments are not. Jimbo is a young Marine who has been wounded in battle in Vietnam. The corpsman who saved his life has been mortally wounded. In his dying moment, the corpsman asks Jimbo to promise he will return his religious scapular to “Miss Emma” and his sister, and to tell them he loves them. Although Roof dies before Jimbo can affirm the unsolicited promise, he feels committed to it. Not only is Jimbo faced with the challenge of recovery from his wounds, he also struggles with the loss of the affection of the girlfriend he once hoped to marry. Kathy, for whom he has a deep attachment, rejects him. She tells him she cannot love someone who supports the war in Vietnam. She has met someone else who isn’t guided by his patriotic fervor. Although Jimbo later finds an accomplished and affectionate woman he cares for, he is unable to suppress the lingering feelings he has for Kathy. He is unable to understand how the memory of her maintains the grip on his thoughts, and wonders if he will carry those feelings to his grave.