Lieutenant Fisher was in his...
Illustration
Lieutenant Fisher was in his final month of duty in Vietnam when it happened. Helicopter gunships and heavy artillery had leveled a village. He and his men were to scout through the village for survivors. In the very first smoldering remains of a hut, he sighted the bodies of a young woman and her baby. Unfortunately, he had witnessed many such bodies in his tour of duty. He had forced himself to cope by distancing himself from the people and from his own feelings of sadness and frustration with the war. As he and his men moved in closer to begin the work of burying the dead, the body of the baby twitched and then a tiny cry came from the baby's throat. It was alive! Lieutenant Fisher scooped the baby up in his arms, jumped in his jeep and within an hour, the baby was safely under the protection of a Christian orphanage. The young man felt as if he had snatched that baby from the very jaws of death. He talked about her for months after the experience. He even found a way to make contact with the child through diplomatic channels and has been writing to her ever since. She who was thought to be dead is very much alive and making a Vietnam veteran very happy. -- Thompson
