His Death Was the Beginning of a Long Journey - Tapa blanda

The near death of a soldier in a far remote country begins the story, for a few moments an out body experience changes his whole life. Driven by madness for the ones that he had failed in the past, he gives up all hope of returning home. The brief moment that his body lay lifeless and before he and his soul could be one, a lost soul enters his body that died in a tragic death in 1929. The memories that they share at first threaten to send them over the deep end into a living hell of madness and death. But the love that they felt for the ones left behind was the only thin veil that prevented the madness that was all consuming. A death of a grandmother, a fierce ambush, a large body count and a memory as a child was both their tickets home

The story is based upon my death and a trip into the light that was cut short do to the desperate calls from the men under my charge. I was a sergeant in Vietnam, my past came back to haunt me and I was slowly going mad. As I re-entered I felt that I was not alone, memories of a family that I loved dearly but had no ideal who they where, places that we visited that seemed to be out of a history book flooded my dreams at night. Up to this point all hopes of returning home alive were lost, after watching fellow soldiers wounded near death loaded upon a helicopter never to be seen again, a decision was made. A bad command decision, no longer would I allow the men under my charge to be placed in harms way, I will be the next one on the skid of the helicopter, I will not see another man die. The soul that enter my already over crowded body was a kind soul that died on a farm in 1929. Some how managing to find our way home into the arms of our love ones. After the death of my beloved grandmother, which was his wife, a fierce fire fight, a large body count and a memories of a seven year old child, he was able to take total control and give the sergeant a much need rest. At the grandmother's they both parted and went their separate ways