The Perils of War Book 3

by Don Wright

  The next morning Sammy was walking through the doors of the VA hospital when he was met by a gentleman in a suit. “Are you Sammy Evans?” asked the stranger. “Yes” said Sammy. “My name is George Brown. I am an accountant and I’m here to help you set up your community center account.” Sammy told him he would need to work the matter with his assistant Linda who was also his wife.

  After Sammy took Mr. Brown to Linda, he returned to his own office. Jeff and Dale came in. Jeff told Sammy that Kenneth had called him and said the news conference would be at 1400. He wanted just Jeff there to explain what they were trying to do. “Ok” said Sammy “after work we will go down to the center and get things started. In the meantime, Jeff, I suggest you get a crew out there to put up a fence.” Jeff said he would take care of it, and they all went back to work.

  After work Sammy, Dale and Jeff went down to the community center. There was no one on the streets. Jeff said “What is going on? Where is everyone?” An eerie feeling came over them. Dale said “I don’t like this! This is just like it was in the jungle just before an attack.” Sammy said, “Let’s check the center and make sure it’s ok then we will get out of here!” As they were walking up to the door of the center, a car came speeding by; shots rang out! All three men hit to the ground and the car sped away. Jeff got up, “Is everyone ok?” Dale said he was, but Sammy never moved. Dale ran over to Sammy and he was lying in a pool of blood. “Oh my God!” Dale yelled. “Sammy is hit! Call an ambulance!” Jeff called 911 and Dale checked Sammy carefully; he was still alive but bleeding badly. Dale took off his shirt and put pressure on the wound. He was shot in the stomach and shoulder and blood was going everywhere.

  A few minutes later an ambulance arrived with the police. The streets were quiet. No one from the neighborhood was in sight. A police captain told Dale “One of you will have to stay here and walk investigators through what happened.” Jeff volunteered since it was his crazy idea in the first place. Dale called Linda and told her he would meet her and the family at the hospital. This was going to devastate Mama!

  After Dale and the ambulance left with Sammy, Jeff gave his report to the police. He was standing next to the captain when another policeman walked up to them. “We got them sir.” With a look of surprise, the captain asked, “Got who?”

  “The gang members who shot Mr. Evans!” What? How? “There was an anonymous phone call. We found the car parked two blocks from here with all four gang members tied up. The weapons were in the car and there was a trunk full of drugs. We have them in custody, but they aren’t talking. They will not say how they got like that. One of them was David Sharp one of the gang leaders. We have been after him for a while; just couldn’t make anything stick. Never enough evidence. Now we have him on not only drug charges, but attempted murder.”

  “You have any clue how they got like that?” asked the captain. “No sir. We found a note pinned on one of the gang members that said, ‘This is just the beginning.’” The captain looked at Jeff, “You have any ideas?” Jeff responded “Why are you asking me? I was here. Remember?” The captain sounded a little skeptical, “Somehow I don’t believe you know nothing about this.” He smiled as he turned and walked away.

  When a policeman dropped Jeff at the hospital, the family was there. He walked into the waiting room and Vickie gave him a hug. “How’s Sammy?” Jeff asked. Linda said he was in surgery. He had lost a lot of blood, but they were optimistic that he would recover. Jeff said, “I am sorry, guys, this is all my fault. It was just a crazy idea; I should have let it go.” Dale told him not to go there because they were all in on it. Jeff went over to Mama and knelt. “I’m sorry, Mama.” Mama said “Don’t, son, I admire you for what you are trying to do. I am proud of all my children and what all of you are trying to do. You saw a problem, stepped up and took the bull by the horns. There are some good people in that neighborhood and they deserve to be safe. My Sammy will be ok! He is a fighter! It is going to take more than a low life gang banger to bring him down.” She gave Jeff a big smile and a hug.

  Linda said, “Well we do have some good news. The director of the VA just called me, and he is sending some people tomorrow to handle things at the hospital till Sammy recovers. So, we don’t have to worry about our jobs.” Just then Kenneth walked in. “Any news?” he asked. “Not yet” responded Linda. She introduced him to Mama. Mama thanked him for what he was doing for her family. “Not just me, ma’am, there are thirty-five other vets at the center right now getting settled in. We are here for the duration.”

  Jeff told them about the four gang bangers that shot Sammy and how they were caught. Dale said, “I wonder who did that. You have any clues, Kenneth?” Kenneth shook his head, “Wasn’t any of my guys!” Jeff said one of the bangers was a leader, so that had to have made a big impression on the gang. Dale said, “I don’t know who is doing this, but I sure hope they don’t stop.”

  The doctor came in and everyone stopped talking to listen to him. “We got the bullets out and stopped the bleeding. We have given him a transfusion. However, due to complications while in surgery, Sammy has slipped into a coma. All we can do is watch him and hope he comes out of it. I am sorry the news isn’t better, but we haven’t given up. Sammy is strong and looking around this room he has a lot to live for. When he wakes up I believe he will be ok. Myself and my staff will be here for you. For the first twenty-four hours you can go in a couple at a time for a few minutes. We are moving him after he gets out of recovery to a private room and setting up a bed for his wife. If you need anything let us know.” He turned and walked out. Linda, Vickie, and Sharon were crying. Mama walked over to them and said, “Girls, stop crying. Listen to Mama. Crying is not helping anything. You are going to have to be strong like me. God didn’t bring us this far for nothing. We have a purpose and we will fulfill it. Now come on; pull it together. We may be here for a while.” They all said, “Yes, Mama.”

  Kenneth told Jeff, “I need you to come to the center in the morning early. There are vets waiting for instructions.” Jeff looked at Dale. Dale said, “Go! You heard Mama; we are not going to let the gangs stop us. If things change, I will call you.” Jeff told Kenneth he would be there at six am.

  When Jeff arrived at the center he noticed people of the community were out doing their daily routines. A couple of older guys walk by and said, ‘good morning’ to him. He was pleasantly shocked. The police captain and four police units were parked in front of the center. The city was hauling the junk cars away. Jeff walked up to the captain and asked, “What’s this?” The captain responded, “The editor of the Chicago Sun told the mayor that if he didn’t get this neighborhood cleaned up it would look bad for him on the front page come election year! So, here we are.

  “By the way, last night we got another anonymous call telling where a truck load of drugs from Mexico was. When we got there, we found three million dollars in drugs and six gang members all neatly wrapped up. As usual, they aren’t talking. They fear someone. Are you sure you don’t know anything about this?” asked the captain. “I haven’t a clue” said Jeff. “I don’t know who is doing this” said the captain, “but they are really good. Taking down armed men without firing a shot? Amazing! Anyway, the mayor, the commissioner and a district judge will be here at nine am to talk to you and your vets. I suggest all of you be here. By the way, how is Mr. Evens doing?” Jeff told him Sammy was in a comma, but he would make it. “That’s the spirit” said the captain.

  Jeff went into the center and there sat thirty-five vets, both male and female, around long folding

  tables. The place had been cleaned up and the broken windows had been boarded up. There were several five-gallon containers of paint, rollers, brushes, and a couple of industrial paint sprayers in the corner. Kenneth stood up and shook hands with Jeff and said, “Jeff, these veterans have come to help. I won’t introduce you to each one; you will learn their names as we go along.”

  Jeff told him how grateful he was for what they were doing. Kenn
eth continued, “We know all about your adopted family; not only how some of you served on the battlefield and made sacrifices, but also the dedication all of you have shown to the vets at the hospital. Most of us came through your center. Your family took each veteran under your wings when they were in the darkest part of their lives; having no hope. You brought them back to the light and helped them return to living full productive lives. No, Jeff, we are here to thank you. You have a dream for this community to make it safe and productive again. We are here to make sure that dream becomes reality. We are at your disposal.” Jeff was emotionally speechless. All he could muster up was a humble thank you.

  About that time the mayor, commissioner, and a judge walked in. Jeff and Kenneth greeted them

  and they all sat down. The Mayor announced, “We have come down to talk to you guys about what you are doing here. When Mr. Evens came to me with this crazy scheme, I thought he was going to do it with his family only. To tell you the truth I didn’t believe it would happen. I never

  dreamed he would have this much support or have this much news coverage. I guess I was wrong! I understand that donations are coming from everywhere. So, to keep from making a long speech I will get right to the point. We are here to give our full support! Each one of us has come up with our own way to help and we would like to explain each proposal.”

  The mayor began with his plan, “I have ordered all empty lots to be cleared and cleaned up. The condemned buildings will be torn down and cleared. All junk cars will be removed. The community will be notified that all trash and junk around a person’s property will be moved to the street side where city trucks will pick up and haul it off. Fines will be executed for those who don’t comply. If a person is unable to clean their property up, volunteers will assist. All gang graffiti will be painted over. A committee is being formed to try and get small businesses to move back into the area.”

  The police commissioner stood up and said, “I would like to make an announcement. This morning at five am we got another call about where we could find another drug house. When we got there, we found sixteen gang members, guns, cash and about one hundred thousand dollars in drugs. The gang members were all neatly gift wrapped. However, this time one member did talk! He said they were asleep and before they knew what happened, six heavily armed men in black combat gear wearing ski masks had them tied up. As quickly as they appeared, they were gone. I don’t know who these guys are, but they are targeting gangs and not one shot has been fired. They are really making the police department look good! So, if no innocent person gets hurt, we are not going out of our way to catch them.

  “We are putting a task force in the neighborhood to concentrate on drugs and gangs. They will target all known gang members. The mayor and city council have ordered this community cleaned up and that’s what we are going to do. I have ordered more patrols and the mayor has placed a midnight to five am curfew. Any one out after midnight will be arrested unless it’s an emergency.”

  The judge stood up next, “All I have to say is this; anyone that is arrested, short of a felony, will be given probation and community service. If they step out of line one time they will automatically be given the maximum sentence. We will have zero tolerance. They will work at the community center hauling off trash and repainting buildings. They caused the mess, now they will clean it up.”

  A couple months have gone by. Sammy has come out of his comma and is progressing

  nicely. He is still in a wheelchair but is his old self. The center has opened and the people of the

  neighborhood is running it with Jeff as the director. He works at it full time and is enjoying every minute of it. He loves being around the young people and always makes time if someone has a problem. The gangs and the drugs are gone and so are the vets, but you can be assured that if the need arises, one phone call and the vets would all be back. The six men in black combat gear? Who knows where they have gone. Only one man knows who they are, and he isn’t talking!

  Kids and grownups of all ages come to the center daily. The senior citizens sit around talking and playing games. Senior lunch is served every day; so, they get a good meal at least once a day. The kids play sports, do their homework and learning computer skills. Volunteers come in and help tutor the kids. People are sitting on their porches at night; visiting with neighbors and friends that stop by. A few small businesses have opened; the community is beginning to thrive again. Lives have changed because one man had a dream and was determined to make it a reality. With the help of his family, the city government and, most important, the proud people of the community, lives were changed, and the neighborhood became a safe place to live again.

  Epilog

  A year has gone by. Dale and Sharon had a little girl. Sammy has gone back to work and doing what he loves doing; helping wounded veterans return to a normal productive life. The center is thriving; the community is proud of what it accomplished. The young people treat the center like a second home. The seniors look forward to being there every day visiting with old friends. What a difference when everyone bands together to work for a single purpose!

  Mama, precious sweet Mama, has passed on. When she took her last breath, she was surrounded by every member of her loving family. They bade the ‘rock’ of the family a fond and sad farewell.

  The Perils of War series is dedicated to the service men and women who are deployed around the world, and to the veterans who fought to keep our nation free. Some gave the ultimate sacrifice. To the families of these men and women, we ask God’s blessings on them. They are all true heroes. Myself, a veteran, and my staff salute them and thank them for their service and sacrifices!

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed The Perils of War Book 3 as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sammy’s family is a family of love, devotion and support. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all families were like Sammy’s?

  As you know, you the reader have the power to make or break a book. If you have the time, please submit a revue of the book. Also visit the Author’s Page to view other books we have published at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dusty1340.

  In gratitude,

  Don Wright