Chapter 161 Section 10

However, no reinforcements came, nor did the bomber swarms.After several hours of fierce fighting, the amphibious vehicle platoon fired almost all of their ammunition, and was forced to retreat from the front trenches into the underground bunker behind under the still fierce enemy offensive.At this time, Mike Peterson had only the last grenade left, a grenade for himself.At one point during that time, he felt that the North Vietnamese had really taken their position, and he could hear the English shouted with a Vietnamese accent.The fuze ring of the grenade had always been on Mike's right little finger. At this moment, he pulled it suddenly, and silently recited a rhetoric to the effect of "surviving and dying with the position".However, the grenade rolled down at his feet without exploding.It turned out that due to quality problems, the fuze broke by itself before pulling the cover on the handle.

Years later, whenever Mike Peterson told people about his brush with death, he never forgot to add: "I have used more than one hand grenade from recruit training to live ammunition on the battlefield. Hundreds, but only this one has quality problems." And then concluded: "Death is up to fate, I don't deserve to die." Even more fortunately, the enemy's attack was their last attack.As soon as dawn broke, the North Vietnamese troops retreated, with no intention of taking positions and staying there. Mike Peterson and the others learned afterwards that that night, the North Vietnamese launched their long-planned multi-corps "New Year Offensive" and attacked all US military stations on the northern and southern borders at the same time, causing the US troops to lose their heads and suffer heavy casualties.

In contrast, due to the good command of Second Lieutenant Mike Peterson (he emphasized on preserving himself during the entire blocking process), there were only two deaths and two injuries among the more than 30 people in the amphibian vehicle platoon, which was regarded as a relatively light loss. That brutal night battle earned Mike Peterson a "Silver Star for Combat Valor" and left him with a horrific memory of watching his radio operator die in front of him, and a heart with " quality problems" grenade.The grenade remained on Mike Peterson's desk until after the incident, when it was seized by the police as possible physical evidence.

After leaving Vietnam, Mike Peterson's unit switched to Japan, and Paddy Xia also came from Europe to reunite with her husband.One day, the couple invited Mike's friend, Sergeant Pavillier, to dinner, and Mike drove the sergeant home after the meal. On the way, Mike's car collided with a truck, and Sergeant Pavilli died at the scene.It took more than 30 minutes for the police and emergency personnel who heard the sound to "pull" the bloody and delirious Mike out of the squashed car.Although he managed to save his life, he was left with a lifelong disability and walked with a limp, which ended Lieutenant Peterson's military career.

Paddy Xia found a teaching position at the Rein May U.S. Air Force Base Elementary School in Frankfurt, Germany. Mike Peterson first followed his wife to West Germany. In the fall of 1972, he returned to Duke University as an honorary disabled soldier. Law school graduate student.The couple stayed together less often, until December 13, 1974, when the eldest son Clayton Peterson was born, and the family settled down in Germany. On March 14, 1976, Ted, the second son of the Peterson family, also came into this world. In the same year, when the Peterson family returned to the United States to visit relatives, they took their two sons to the church to be baptized.The children's godfather is Dr. Richard Adams, Mr. Peterson's professor of English literature at Duke University. Clayton's godmother is Liz Mocker, and Ted's godmother is Pet Fern. They are both Mrs. Peterson Padisia's friend and colleague when she was teaching in West Germany.Liz Mok was also the mother of the Ratley sisters, later adopted daughters of the Peterson family.But at that time, she was not married yet.

The Petersons watched Liz Mok go from being in love, to getting married, to being a mother. In 1978, a new Texan-born pilot, Captain George Ratley, arrived at Leine May Air Force Base. It didn't take long for Liz Mok to spend the night in George's dormitory. At the beginning of May 1980, Liz Moeck married George Ratley on a warm spring day in Frankfurt.Liz was 40 years old and married for the first time.George was seven years younger than his bride, but was married for the second time.Patricia Peterson was a bridesmaid at their wedding.A year later in the winter, Liz gave birth to Margaret, the eldest daughter of the Ratley family.

Another year passed, and in 1983, several major events happened one after another to these two very close families. In January, the Ratleys' second daughter, Martha, was born when Margaret was just one year old. In July, Mike Peterson's first novel "The Immortal Dragon" was published.Although it was always Mike's desire to write about the war as he experienced it, the story of his first book was set in 19th-century French-colonized Vietnam—a rich Vietnamese family and a powerful Vietnamese family. The famous French family lasted three generations of friendship, strife, hatred and final mutual injury. Of course, it is also interspersed with lingering interracial love.

Mike Peterson dedicates the 527-page paperback edition to his wife, Patricia, and their sons, Clayton, 9, and Ted, 7.Except for the Petersons, only Liz and George Ratley know best how Mike has spent all these years forgetting to eat and sleep in order to realize his ideals, and how Paddy has worked so hard to help her husband realize his ideals .Mike Peterson hadn't worked since leaving the Army, and the family of four survived on Paddysia's salary as a teacher and Mike's disabled veteran's allowance.Not only does Paddysia have to earn and support the family, she also has to run the house, force the children to be quiet in their cramped apartment while Mike writes, and endure Mike's bad temper when he's struggling to figure it out.

But no matter what, Mike Peterson's first book is like a difficult baby, after a lot of hardships, it finally came out.The Ratleys and the Petersons were equally excited, equally joyful, equally fond of holding books, and equally reading until dawn with the lamp on. In October, Captain George Ratley was sent on a "secret mission".He often performs such missions, flying the plane from Rhein May Air Force Base, turning around somewhere in the world, and returning to Rhein May a few days later.Liz Ratley was used to it.But before this departure, Lishi felt a little uneasy.Another pilot, Capt. Bruce Ballon — as did he and his wife, Aimee Beth.