Dover

Dover My eleventh grade psych teacher,Wayne Petteck, had served asan Army Chaplain in the Vietnam War.Wayne served stateside in Cleveland.At the end of class one dayhe recounted the worst war story he had. A young soldier had been killedbehind enemy lines.Wayne's job was to inform the boy's mother,and arrange a proper burial. Like all soldiers killed in the line of dutythe kid's remains were flown on a C - 130and unloaded at Doverdown a gently sloped ramp,to be accompanied to a waiting hearseby the gloved hands of an honor guard. The boy's motherreceived a letter from her sonpostmarked two days after his death.Because of this she held out hopethat there had been a misunderstanding. Wayne told herthere was no mistake.Her boy had stepped on a land minein front of his entire platoon.Still, she believed. The morning of the funeralthe mother was hysterical,understandably.She insisted that she open the casketand see her son's body;just to be sure. Mr. Petteck, officer Petteckbegged her not to,he told her to remember her sonin the good times.She threatened to open the coffin herself,so Wayne compromised.He offered to view her son's body,and if he was presentable,the woman would be called into the room.To this, she relented. Wayne Petteck,US Army Chaplain Wayne Petteckgently undid the latch on the coffin,and opened the lid. Inside was a picture,a neatly folded uniform,and a rubberized bag,no larger than you could put a sandwich in.In the bag was a fragment, like cooked meat, about two inches or so in diameter. Obviously unidentifiable. Wayne did the most sensitive thing he could;he lied through his teeth.""Yes, your son is in the casket. Yes, I could tell it was him. But he's really banged up, you should remember him as he was." The young man's mother was finally satisfied,and went hometo a childless house.