Big Gray Walls 1

On a warm spring morning in 2000, Allen Miller, or Al to others, wakes up struggling to walk downstairs. He had been battling an illness for a while. While on the steps he loses his balance and nearly his breath. After falling on the steps, he calls for his wife. “Dorothy, come in here” he shouts. Al’s wife of fifty six years Dorothy saw him slumped over by the steps and called for an ambulance. The ambulance arrived at the house, taking Al to the hospital. A doctor confirmed to Dorothy that Al’s illness had worsened in his seventy eighth body. He began thinking to himself about his life as he laid in a hospital bed. While sleeping, he gets a visit from his fifty four year old son Albert. He sees his father sleeping and sits in a chair next to Al. “Dad, can you hear me?” Albert said to him, but he was unresponsive as he continued to sleep while Albert spoke to him. Fed up with Al not listening to him, Albert decided to leave the room. Before he could exit, Al sees him and calls for him. “Son, did I ever tell you about my time overseas?” Albert sat back in his chair after Al said that to him. No, what happened over there? Albert asked him. Around February 1945, Al, his slightly older cousin Peter Miller and his high school classmate Barry Farris had been stationed in Montford Point. Another friend of his, Michael Wilson had been promoted to sergeant for their whole platoon. “I hope you’re ready for what’s coming.” Mike said to Al. Using a weekend pass, Al married Dorothy Scott with Barry being his best man. He did not have enough time to invite his parents Lewis and Maria or his siblings Olivia, Lydia, Claude and Gary. upon finding out about the wedding they were not too thrilled at first. Al was the second born after Gary and the other three followed Al. Upon his return from Okinawa, his parents planned a welcome home party for him. He walks into his old house where his parents still lived. His father had served in the previous war, fighting over in France where he was wounded. In attendance at the party were Barry, Peter, Mike and another childhood friend Thomas Roberts, a sailor. Thomas actually swam to the beach of the islands after his battleship had been exploded because of a Kamikaze plane crashing into it. He and most of the other sailors managed to jump out of the boat and swimmed all of the way to the beachheads. But on the way there some of the sailors did not make it because enemy soldiers were firing into the water. I saw that plane coming straight to us. But we had to get off of there before anything happened. Thomas said to Al. Another attendee was Isaac Stone who was sent to Okinawa with Al, Barry, Mike and Peter. He had also attended high school with Al, Dorothy, and Barry. Ike had dated Dorothy during their second year but had broken up during the following summer. Dorothy then met Al at a dance and began dating afterwards. That had Ike very mad and tried to start fights with Al, despite Dorothy’s plea for him to leave Al alone. At the party Ike continuously stared at Al who did not even notice his presence. “I don’t want any trouble here.” Lewis had warned Ike. Lewis was well aware of what Ike was doing and how he was towards Al in high school. After the party had ended, Lewis was reading a newspaper about the victory in okinawa. As he looked through the paper Lewis was shocked about what he was reading, the lives lost there. “Do you know what happened to Ed?” Lewis asked. “All I know is that they took him.” Al replied. The two were referring to Edward Graham who was in the same platoon with Al and grew up a few blocks away from him. One night in a foxhole in Okinawa, Al and Ed were sitting next to each other with their rifles in hand. “I’ll be right back,” Ed said to Al.