(Five).

Quarters #1, The U.S. Army Aviation Center Fort Rucker, Alabama 1 December 1964.

Major General Robert F. Bellmon walked into his living room.

His daughter, Marjorie, was sitting before the television but not seeing anything.

"How goes it, honey?" he asked.

"Did you find out anything for me?"

"No. I told you I have no need to know, and I know better than to ask. If something had happened to Jack, we would have heard. Sandy would have got word to us."

"No news is good news, right?" she said sarcastically. He chose to let it pass.

"If I had to make a guess," he said, "Jack is probably on Ascension Island. That's as far as they would let him go. And the planes didn't return that way. So he's out there waiting for transportation." He handed her the New York Times and the Atlanta Constitution. "I asked somebody to get these for me. For you. They'll have more in them than that goddamned Dothan Eagle." The same picture was on the front page of both newspapers over the caption: Bloody-Bandaged, Battle-Weary Belgian Paratrooper Tenderly Comforts Rescued Girl in Stanleyville.

Marjorie glanced at the picture and started reading the story.

"They killed that- doctor," General Bellmon said.

"What?" Marjorie asked, and looked up at him.

"I said, they killed that doctor-the missionary. Carlson? It's in there. Just shot him down in cold blood as the parachutists were taking the town."

"oh, my God!" Marjorie wailed.

General Bellmon looked at his daughter in surprise.

"What?"

"Look at that!" she said, thrusting the Constitution at him.

"What am I looking at?"

"That's no Belgian paratrooper," Marjorie said, tears running down her face. "That's my Jack! I can tell by his eyes! And that girl is his sister. I've seen pictures of her. Oh, my God; he's been shot in the face!" General Bellmon examined the photograph carefully.

"I'll be damned," he said. "I think that's Jack, all right;" Then he raised his voice. "Barbara! Come take a look at this!"

Second Lieutenant Robert F. Bellmon looked at the photo after his mother and then informed his sister that he had been shown a film at West Point demonstrating what miracles of reconstructive surgery were now possible.

Marjorie, her mother saw, was about to respond when the telephone rang.

"Bobby; answer that," Barbara Bellmon ordered very quickly.

"Your brother gets his tact from his father," Barbara said to Marjorie "But Bobby's right, honey, they can work miracles."

"Hey, Marg!" Second Lieutenant Bellmon called.

"W what?" Marjorie snapped.

"You've got a collect call from Sergeant Jack Portet at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. You want to pay for it?"

end.