The day was bright and clear. The weather was cooperating and the city was wearing its patriotic colors proudly. Flags were displayed proudly and red, white and blue balloons were floating here and there. It truly was a beautiful sight to see. The honored guests at the swearing in ceremony were being walked through the security checks and loaded on to a bus that would take them directly to the site. The families were going to be shuttled to Ellis Island as soon as they were cleared by security. The mayor was personally escorting Justice O’Leary to the site and staying in contact with his people - making sure everything was going smoothly on all counts. The ceremony was scheduled to start at exactly 9:00am and he wanted to make sure they weren’t running behind.

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June 14th - 8:20am

The couple walked into the offices of NY Skyline Helicopter Tours hand in hand. “Can I help you?” asked the receptionist.

“Good Morning, my wife and I are on our honeymoon and would like to schedule a helicopter tour for today. Would that be possible?” asked the young man.

“Definitely, today is actually a great day. The skies are clear and you should be able to see all the sights perfectly. Tours are approximately 15 minutes in length.”

“How soon can we go up? My wife gets nervous so the sooner we can get up in the air the better.”

“We have a 9:30am appointment available. That will be $150.00. I just need to have you fill out these forms and will you be paying in cash or by credit card?”

“Cash,” he replied as he started filling out the paperwork. While he filled out the paperwork the receptionist tried to engage the woman in conversation to no avail. She looked about 24 years old, beautiful and seemed to be pregnant.

“When are you due?” she asked her and when she didn’t answer her husband replied, “Oh, I’m sorry my wife doesn’t speak English. She is trying to learn but she hasn’t been here that long. Our son is due in October.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” He handed her his driver’s license as she wrote down his pertinent information and gave him a copy of the paperwork. He paid her in cash and mentioned that they would return in time for their appointment.

“There is a small cafe a few blocks over in case you want to rest before your appointment.”

“Thank you, my wife was saying something about craving some pastries earlier so we might just do that.” The receptionist watched them walk out of the office and hurriedly picked up the phone to contact the pilot and let him know he had a customer in about an hour.

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9:00am

The National Anthem had been sung by the choir of one of the local public elementary schools. The students had been bused to the ceremony and were being seated before the ceremony was to begin. They were exceptionally well behaved, no doubt because they were also scheduled to sing the National Anthem and God Bless the USA right before Lady Gaga was to perform next week and they didn’t want to mess that opportunity up by misbehaving.

The mayor welcomed the honored guests, thanked the choir and introduced Justice O’Leary. After a brief speech he turned the podium over to Justice O’Leary who congratulated the immigrants who were about to become American citizens. He asked them to stand and repeat the oath of allegiance.

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9:30am

The couple walked with the pilot towards the helicopter. He explained the emergency procedures and made sure they were belted in tightly. He didn’t need his customers falling out of the chopper if he had to make any sudden moves. He mentioned that he would be able to hover for a bit if they wanted to take photographs from the air. They were to tell him if they wanted a particular shot so that he could find the best angle for them to take the picture.

Bob had flown choppers in the first Persian Gulf War and he had finally retired from active duty a few years ago. He loved his job which combined his love of flying and his love for his country. He loved showing off the Statue of Liberty to his customers and that fly-over always gave him chills. He knew that they were having that special citizenship thing going on at the Statue and he wouldn’t be able to get as close as he normally did but he figured they could still get a decent picture from where they would be hovering.

Bob never knew what hit him. One minute he was narrating the history of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and the next minute he was shaking uncontrollably. He had been tasered and was been pulled to the back of the helicopter. The young man took control of the helicopter and aimed it at the crowd.

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The 5th grader was starting to get a little squirrely. Sitting was not his forte but he valiantly tried to stay put. He really wanted to perform on the same stage as Lady Gaga next week and he really needed to focus on behaving. He heard a noise and looked up to see a helicopter kind of flying all wobbly up in the air. He had seen the helicopters that flew around town especially the police ones that constantly flew around his neighborhood. This one looked like it was coming a bit too close but they pilot was probably trying to impress his customers and would probably swoop the bird up at the last minute.
He kept staring and waiting for the helicopter to right itself but it didn’t happen. A sliver of fear started crawling down his spine as he saw that the helicopter kept coming straight at them. He couldn’t control himself any longer. He jumped up and ran as fast as his legs could go but soon realized that he had nowhere to run – he was on an island of sorts surrounded by water. He could hear his teacher calling his name but his fight or flight instinct was too hard to ignore as he dived into the water. As he cut through the water he felt the explosion.

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Kurt was dead tired. He had fallen asleep by 8:30am after an intense workout at the gym. He hadn’t slept well the day before because he had accompanied his grandparents to Pensacola. His grandfather’s friends were throwing him a party and he had been invited and couldn’t find an excuse to not attend. He had planned on taking a nap before going in to work but that didn’t happen. He had called his dad before going to sleep letting him know that he was going to turn off his cell so that he could sleep uninterrupted and that his grandfather could find him in case of an emergency. He knew Blaine wouldn’t call during the day because he knew Kurt was sleeping so when he heard the pounding on his door he woke up so startled that he fell off the bed.

He quickly wrenched the door opened and his heart about stopped when he saw his grandfather at the door. “Did something happen? Is my dad okay?”

“Everyone is fine son. Can I come in?”

“Ummm yeah, what’s going on?” Kurt looked at his clock and noticed it was only 1:00pm. He had only been asleep for a few hours and his brain felt fuzzy.

“A helicopter flew into the Statue of Liberty. It was carrying enough explosives to literally blast Liberty Island out of the water. It happened this morning but the authorities still don’t really have all the facts yet. I knew you were sleeping but I wanted to make sure you were with someone when you heard the news. I spoke with your dad and he wanted me to make sure you were okay. He is worried that this would bring back memories or the nightmares that haunted you after May 13th.”

He watched Kurt sit on his bed lost in thought and was starting to worry when he saw his grandson shake his head and straighten his shoulders. “Thanks for coming to let me know. I’m not sure what to think yet especially since there are no concrete details yet. I’ll be fine. I’ll make sure to call my dad and let him know I’m okay.”

“Your grandmother and I will be here for a few more weeks so if you need anything let me know. Also, the Air Force has mental health specialists that are available if you need to speak with a professional. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak Kurt – it makes you smart.” He left the dorms making a mental note to see Kurt as much as possible while they were in town. He knew Kurt had been plagued with nightmares for a few months last year.

Kurt jumped in the shower so that he could wake up and then called his dad to let him know he was fine. He checked his phone and saw that Blaine had sent him a text to call him no matter what time he woke up. He quickly dialed his number and waited for him to answer.

“Kurt – have you heard what happened today?

“Yeah, my grandfather came by to make sure I was okay. Do you know what happened? I haven’t had a chance to turn on the television or log onto the internet.”

“They were having a citizenship ceremony at the Statue of Liberty to kick off the 4th of July celebrations and it seems like a helicopter flew straight into the crowd. There was some type of explosion and it was so big that it basically destroyed everything and everyone. The news stations are speculating that this was a terrorist attack because the explosion was too big but there are no details being released yet. Our base has been put on stand-by and rumors are everywhere but I’m not sure what is going to happen.”

“I haven’t been called in yet but it’s probably because I should still be asleep so I don’t know anything at all. How many casualties?”

“No one has an exact number yet but the mayor of New York City was one as well as Supreme Court Justice O’Leary.”

“Blaine, I want to know if you are okay.”

“I’m fine babe. It does bring back memories but I’m fine. For all we know it was an accident not a terrorist attack. How are you?”

“I haven’t had a chance to process any of this. I think I’m going to put this on hold until there is more information released. I am going to try to get some more sleep and then go to work and see what they tell me.”

“Okay – sounds good try to rest. Love you,” Blaine hung up and got back to work while Kurt tried to go back to sleep for a few hours more until he had to get ready for work.

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Burt was sitting on the couch waiting for the second inning to start. The Dodgers were playing and he had a running bet with Finn whenever the Dodgers played. All of a sudden the game was interrupted by a Presidential news brief. President Obama walked to the podium and began his statement.

“At approximately 9:45am this morning a helicopter was hijacked in New York City. It was flown into the midst of the citizenship ceremony taking place on Liberty Island. The helicopter was hijacked by two unknown individuals carrying enough explosives to completely destroy the Statue of Liberty and damaged Ellis Island as well. The number of casualties is still unknown but we know that the mayor of New York City, a Supreme Court Justice, 100 newly naturalized American citizens, an elementary school choir and others were among the victims.

No one had come forward to claim responsibility for this heinous act of terrorism. However, I promise that we will find those responsible and they will pay for their crimes against America. I have asked Congress to formally declare war on those who are found responsible as well as for those countries that are offering them asylum. September 11th, May 13th and now June 14th, we will add no more dates to this list. Although I have fought to bring back all American soldiers home from the Middle East it is clear that the War on Terrorism is back in full-force. America will not stand by and see its citizens killed by cowards. I will be sending troops to the Middle East and wherever they are needed to fight this war.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost their lives today. Ladies and Gentlemen there will be no further questions since this is still under investigation. As soon as more information is known I will personally address the nation. Thank you and God bless this country and its citizens.” There was a moment of silence before pandemonium set in as the reporters hasten to send in their reports. The President of the United States had effectively promised retaliation. It seemed that most service members had just returned from the Middle East and were to be sent back again.

Burt just sat and stared at the screen as the interrupted game came back on. His stomach was in knots. He worried about Kurt and the possibility of him being deployed. He was also worried about Blaine. That boy was part of the family and he was loved just as much as Kurt. He picked up the phone to call his father-in-law to see if he had any information about a possible deployment.

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September 2013

Blaine was sitting at his desk trying to process the paperwork needed for those troops being deployed from F.E. Warren AFB. Ever since June 14th there had been thousands of troops mobilized to the Middle East. The helicopter hijackers were identified as jihadists who belonged to a sleeper cell of Al-Qaeda in New York. President Obama, as promised, asked Congress to declare war and Congress signed on the dotted line. They had no choice. The public would have crucified them had they not signed. Americans had seen all the small coffins that held the bodies of the American school children. America had buried their future and that was unacceptable to the voting public who demanded Congress act on their behalf.

So far neither Blaine nor Kurt had been ordered to deploy. Blaine never got a chance to go visit Kurt on the 4th of July and all leaves had been cancelled. Everyone was on standby and nervous as hell. Tim had been sent to Randolph right after the attack on Liberty Island and Blaine had been too busy to keep in touch with him. His office line rang and he picked it up absently, “Personnel Office, Airman First Class Anderson, how may I help you?”

“Anderson – Blanken here, I wanted to call and tell you as soon as I saw his name come up for orders.”

“Tim? Orders for whom? Me?”

“Not for you for Kurt. They just came across my desk to be processed - Airman First Class Kurt E. Hummel.”

Blaine froze – he couldn’t speak – he knew what this meant, “Where is he going?”

“Iraq.”

“I need you to get me there Tim.”

“Not sure what I can do but let me work on this and I’ll let you know. Kurt should be receiving these orders in a few days. Are you going to let him know before he gets them?”

“Probably – I appreciate the call – thanks.”

“No problem – I’ll call you if I can work something out. It might take me a while but I’ll keep trying.” Blaine hung up the phone and looking at his watch he realized that Kurt was still asleep. He would have to wait until he was done at work to call him. Iraq. Damn.