12

Crabapple Cove, Maine
August 27, 1965

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Elizabeth, Happy Birthday to you!" Everyone sang as Elizabeth Pierce closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew out the candles."

"What did you wish for Betsy?"

"Well Daddy, I'll tell you a joke, I'll tell you a secret, I'll tell you I love you, I'll tell you howdy- do, but I will not tell you my wish!" Ranted the little girl with raven black hair and brilliant blue eyes.

"Well Hawkeye, she certainly sounds like you."

"Now, now Charles, we can't forget she looks like a female carbon- copy of Hawk."

"I would hope so, she is my daughter."

"That's for sure Ben! She looks and acts just like you."

"Margaret dear lets not forget she has your temper."

"Well I don't love her any less. Happy Anniversary!"

"Happy Anniversary hunny!" Hawkeye said as he kissed the top of his wife's head.

Later that evening the adults would go out to celebrate Hawkeye and Margaret's anniversary while a sitter watched everyone's children, but until then everyone enjoyed Elizabeth's birthday party. Hawkeye, B.J., Charles and Trapper stood around talking while everyone else did their own thing.

"So Beej... What is like having a teenager?"

"Funny Hawk."

"No I'm being serious, give it some thought, I know I have."

"Hawk, what are you talking about?"

"Trap, Henry is fourteen, and do you realize in four years he will eighteen."

"What are you talking about?"

"He'll belong to Uncle Sam! Do you realize if the war over in Vietnam lasts another ten years at the most our boys are going to war?"

"Not my son."

"And why not Charles."

"Don't you see this a blue collar war, the poor man's war."

"Charles, you know you're really something."

"Why, thank you!"

"Well anyway enough about that, so uh... where are we going tonight?" B.J. Hunnicutt asked changing the subject knowing that it was a sore topic of discussion. Hawkeye just didn't want to see their boys go through what they went through. It was just that every birthday one of his children had reminded him that they were a year closer to eighteen something he and Margaret dreaded from the day they were born.