The Beginning of Frank Lot

A new soldier was added to our regiment today. We were all introduced to him quite soon after his arrival and it was immediately clear that he was not yet one of us. His eyes were bright with excitement; his hands were soft and the skin on his face was without blemish. His skin still had color and there was hardly any sign of aging. Sometimes I begin to feel considerably sick when a new soldier joins our regiment, many times because it is directly due to the loss of a companion. Yet this time was different, we had not lost anybody on any recent missions. We were told that this man was different. Frank Lot was his name. A thirty something from Chicago that had yet to fly into a combat zone, yet was still considered to be "top of the line" so to speak. Not to us, though. Respect is something well earned among those in the Air Corp. And as of right now, Frank meant to us about as much as a Kraut means to any true American.


Nathaniel Drew Kimmel