“From the firefly, a red orange glow
See the face of fear
Running scared in the valley below…”
~ U2.
August & September 1965.
Charlie arrives in Vietnam with the 1st Air Cav at Camp Radcliff, An Khê, and names his tent “The Jungle.” He soon settles into a routine of periodic patrols beyond the camps perimeter punctuated by long stretches of boredom.
In California, Liz treats a new patient named Nick who’s diagnosed with cirrhosis and can’t stop making inappropriate remarks about her appearance and what he’d do if he was twenty years younger. After a few encounters with him, she’s convinced that he’s Patrick’s biological father and calls Colleen to confirm.
April returns to NYC to resume her studies and meets a student at Columbia University, Clayton Theodore Radcliffe, III. For Clayton it was love, or infatuation, at first sight. But April is understandably leery about getting involved with someone new, especially when that person is just a touch arrogant in the way old money people effortlessly seem to be. However, after a few “dates” she slowly warms to him.
Meanwhile, Patrick’s transfer request is finally approved, allowing him to attend the Army Aviation School located at Fort Wolters, TX.
