Writers Tribe Review: Sacrifice Writers Tribe Review, Vol. 2, Issue 2 | Page 41

Gloria’s letters followed him all the way, each one closing with an “I love you,” and, it seemed, a PS. about another family in Rockville hanging a gold star in the window. His Mama wrote too: Your Daddy is home, Jerry Wayne. Still no word about Earnest.

***

“You dropped this,” Kurtz Heineman said, and handed Jerry Wayne a censored letter from his Mama.

“Dankee-shane.”

“It fell out of your pocket, I think.” Heineman was standing in formation with the other 2999 Ulm prisoners, most of whom served with the Luftwaffe as pilots, gunners, and navigators.

“You speak English very well.”

“And your German is lousy.”

Jerry sent for him when he got back to his office. Heineman’d make a great interpreter, if he could be trusted. He pulled his file, and had it on his desk when the shackled Heineman hobbled in. “Sorry about the security precautions, but I’m still not very quick. Sit down, please.”

“You were wounded, yes?” Heineman settled into a wooden captain’s chair requisitioned from the old Morganfield courthouse.

“Yes. I lost that letter yesterday. Did you read it?”

“I’m sick of propaganda. We have much in common.”

“Everybody has a mother, Heineman.”

“And a father. Like yours, mine was called up again. He served with Goring’s Jagdgeschwader in the First War. Now? The last I heard, he was somewhere in France. I don’t expect him to fare well. Do you know that when the Allies killed Baron von Richthofen, they gave him full military honors?”

“No. But we Americans don’t hold much with fancy titles.” He felt like telling the man he’d ask the questions, but reconsidered.