The Silver Ring

THE CALL

I was in my history class. Nothing all that exciting, but that was about to change. A secretary came to the door and spoke to our teacher. She pointed at me, and the teacher nodded his head. He said, Mr. Gray, the principal wants to see you in  his office. Everyone was looking at me like I had committed the crime of the century. I could hear the whispers. Was he involved in drugs? There must be a problem at home. Yeah, that sister of his, she's a real...You get the point.

Trying to look calm, I walked out of the classroom and followed the secretary to the office. She told me to take a seat. It seemed like forever before the Principal, Mrs. Watkins open her door and asked  me to come in.

Matt, she began, you probably wonder why I called you down here today. I agreed, I was indeed curious. Matt, it is about the report that you turned in. Is there something wrong, I asked. No, Matt it is something very good. I've  never read a story like that before, especially from a high school student. You wrote like you were actually there and saw the action first hand. I smiled, and said, I guess you like the story. Did I pass, I mean did I get a good mark? Good mark, she laughed, off the chart.

There is something I would like to discuss with you, and I know I will need to talk to your parents, but I would like submit your paper to  historical group in Washington, DC. There is a prize, a thousand dollars,  plus a trip to Washington if you win. You would present the story to these historians. They would ask you questions. The article might even be published in their journal. Is this something you would be interested in? Interested, I said, of course. Going to school, hopefully, next year, I need all the help I can get.

Mrs. Watkins smiled, and said she would call my parents. If they agreed, she would fill out the application and send it in with a copy of my paper. Then we would see what  happened.

Needless to say, my parents were pleased. Even my little brother could not get me into trouble. I was golden that night. Even my sister seemed to think better of me, and not such a dork after all.

Two weeks passed. and once again I was summoned to the office. Mrs. Watkins was beaming. Matt, they loved the paper. They want you to present it to their meeting next month in Washington. They will send airline tickets for you and one of your parents, they will get you a hotel room in the facility that they are meeting in. Yes, Matt, you got the thousand dollars too. I was walking on air.

When I got come, and went to my room, I had a visitor. It was Curt. You are doing well, Mattias? You will see how the plan will work out. I think you will be very pleased. OK, Curt, you are the guide, I am in your hands. he laughed and promptly disappeared.

Mom decided to go with me to Washington. the flight from Detroit to DC did not take that long. We were met at the airport by a delegation from the Committee sponsoring the event. We were taken to the hotel and conference center. The host from the Committee handed me a schedule. I was supposed to present my paper at 7:30pm that evening. 

The time went by very quickly. I was getting ready for the dinner. Mom had a nice dress. But we could tell that was a more formal event than what we were used to. I had by blazer and khaki slacks. We went to the dining room and were escorted to the head table.

Our host made introductions, and when we were getting to dessert, he got up and went to the microphone. He began, "One of our presenters tonight is very young. Matthew Gray is a student at Verdun High School in Verdun, Michigan. He wrote a paper  on the battle of Seelow Heights. His school found  it superior, and they forwarded it to me. I was very impressed that a young man would have such an eye for detail. It is without further comment that I present to you, Matthew Gray. Matthew, please come to the lectern. It seemed like the longest walk in my life. I shook hands and began to adjust the  mike. I began, a"thank you for the honor of inviting me to share my paper with you. I am strictly a novice at this sort of thing, but the deeper I got into the stories of these men, many not much older than me, it took on a special importance. "April 16th, 1945, the shelling began. followed by air attacks. The German positions held the first attack, but the superior number of Soviet troops eventually prevailed. The soldiers were at their posts, many just tired, other frightened of being captured by the Soviets. I continued on the end of my presentation.

There were applause. I smiled, and took a bow. Our host asked if there were any questions. Reporters got up, waving their hands for me to acknowledge them. I started pointing at various members of the press. Their questions were fair, and how I interpreted the battle. I answered the questions. Another reporter raised his hand. I called on him, and he said in halting English, my English not good but..I surprised by myself, would it be easier for you in German?, I asked. The man looked relieved. Please go ahead. The man asked the question, and I answered him in German. The people looked astounded. My mother nudged me, and said, where did you learn German? You have problems enough with English. Our host remarked, this is another surprise not only does he understand the battle and the psyche of the solider, but he speaks in German. Matthew, your German is very, very good. There is no trace of an accent. I would even say that you spoke with a Dresden dialect. I just smiled.

The program continued. At the end,our host called me to the microphone again.  Matthew, we were so impressed by your presentation, members of the Association from the Recovery of the Fallen have made it known that they would like you to accompany them this summer in additional searches for the fallen so that the families might have closure. Would you be willing to take the summer to work on this project? I jumped at the chance and said yes. I looked back at my mother who was not smiling, but she did not look mad either. 

On the plane back, Mom said, I was so proud of you, but I thought you would have asked me first before accepting the offer. Mom, I am sorry, I was  just so excited. She nodded, smiled and that was the end of it.

Shortly later we were in Detroit. Dad, and the rug rats met us at the airport. Soon we were back on on our way to Verdun. Mom never stopped talking about the adventures in Washington.I must confess I feel asleep.