Chapter 1
It was in the middle of August in 1957.
All across American, the vast majority of young boys were growing up with dreams of being pilots. Many teens recently bragged how they were going to become jet pilots. They wanted to be like John Glenn. Marine Major John Glenn set a transcontinental record in July of 1957. This was for a flight from Los Angeles to New York in an F8 Crusader. So many young boys wanted to be like John Glenn. But other young boys had dreams of flying different types of aircraft like helicopters.
The evening was cooling down in Glendale, California, to comfortable seventy-two degrees. All the young lads in that town were inside homes with their eyes glued to their favorite TV shows. Many had their eyes glued to the TV to watch Gunsmoke with dreams of being Cowboys or a famous Marshall.
But at the Grayson home, young Michael had dreams of going on high-flying adventures. He was one of those youths that had dreams of being a helicopter pilot.
Micheal was a typical blonde-haired boy. He wore denim blue jeans, plaid colored shirts, and black converse sneakers. He sat in the middle of the living room with his eyes glued to the black and white Zenith brown wooden console TV.
On TV, this evening was his favorite show called Whirlybirds. This was a helicopter adventure show. Pilots Chuck Martin and Pete (PT) Moore flew around saving the day. He never missed an episode since the show first aired in February. Tonight was the new episode called Cycle of Terror.
The opening credits of Whirlybirds appeared on the TV. It showed a Bell 47 helicopter flying through a rocky mountainous area. This TV show sparked Michaels dreams of becoming a helicopter pilot.
In the kitchen, Elaine Grayson was Michael's shapely blonde haired mother. She had an apron around her dress and waited by the oven. Inside it was baking cookies for Michael to munch while he watched TV.
In the garage, Harry Grayson was Michael's brown-haired crew cut father. He was tuning up the V-8 engine of his green 1953 Chevrolet four-door Bel-Air. He finished wrenching in the third new spark plug in the engine.
Harry had a Zenith transistor radio on the workbench. He listened to the local radio station that played the Chances Are song by Johnny Mathis.
Harry whistled Chances Are while he removed the fourth old spark plug from the engine.
Kevin Coogan had flaming red hair with freckles sprinkled all over his pale skin. He ran down the street toward the Grayson home. Kevin was a regular at the Grayson home in the evenings since his family did not own a TV.
Elaine pulled the pan of twelve mouth-watering chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. She placed the hot pan on the top of the stove to give them a few minutes to cool off.
She walked over and opened the refrigerator. She reached inside and removed a milk bottle and poured some into a glass. She placed the milk bottle back into the fridge.
She walked over to the stove and scooped up four of her delicious chocolate delights and placed them on a plate.
She grabbed the glass of milk, and plate then walked out of the kitchen.
Elaine walked into the living room and over to Michael.
He sat on the floor with his eyes glued to the Whirlybirds show. After placing the plate and glass on the floor, she kissed Michael on the top of his head. "Don't spill your milk or get crumbs on the floor," Elaine reminded him while she headed back to the kitchen.
"I won't," responded Michael. His eyes were still glued to the scene where Chuck and PT took off in their Bell 47G helicopter from the airport.
Michael grabbed a cookie and took a bite while he watched the Bell 47G ascend into the sky.
Back in the kitchen, Elaine walked over to the refrigerator, opened it up, and removed a can of Olympia beer.
She walked over to the counter by the sink and removed a can opener from one of the drawers. She heard a knock on the front door while she opened the can of beer.
She walked out of the kitchen and went through the living room to the front door out in the hallway.
Michael was too involved in the Whirlybirds show to answer the front door.
Elaine opened the front door, and Kevin Coogan was anxious on the front stoop.
"Hi Misses Grayson," Kevin said out while he bolted through the opening and bolted down the hallway.
"Hello Kevin," Elaine said with a light chuckle. She closed the door and watched while Kevin bolted into the living room.
Elaine walked back in the kitchen and headed into the garage to give Harry his beer.
Kevin ran up to Michael. "Mom was late with dinner," Kevin said while he plopped down by Michael's side.
Kevin snatched one of the cookies off the plate and took a bite. "Did I miss much?" he asked Michael who had a mouth full of cookie and watched the commercial for Post Cereal.
"Naw. Some bad guys on motorcycles are shooting at people. They shot at the Chuck and PT while they in the Whirlybird," Michael said while he grabbed his glass of milk and took a sip.
Kevin looked concerned. "Did they crash?"
"Naw. They're okay. Only hit the gas tank and some gas leaked out," Michal said while he grabbed another cookie and took a bite.
Kevin looked relieved and wiped his forehead with his left hand. "Whew. You scared me."
Elaine walked back into the living room. She had four replacement chocolate chip cookies and another glass of milk.
She dumped the cookies on the plate and set Kevin's glass of milk in from of him.
"Thank you, Misses Grayson," Kevin said while he snatched up one of the cookies.
Elaine gave Kevin a loving smile then she walked out of the kitchen.
Michael and Kevin pretended they were flying helicopters while they watched the show. But that changed in five minutes. They both had two sawed-off broomsticks in their hands.
One broomstick was the cyclic control.
The other broomstick was the collective control.
In their minds, they were flying helicopters chasing after the bad guy on the motorcycle.
"You can't get away," Michael yelled at the TV.
"Let's get him," Kevin called out from his pretend helicopter.
On TV, Chuck flew the Bell 47G inches over the head of the motorcycle rider. The rider hit the ground with his motorcycle and rolled down an incline.
Chuck descended the Bell 47G and PT jumped out and went after the motorcycle rider.
Michal and Kevin clapped and cheered when PT and Chuck again stopped the villains.
Kevin jumped off the floor. "I gotta go home," he said while he watched the ending Whirlybird credits.
"I'll see ya tomorrow, Kevin," Michael said while he stood up and collected the two plates and glasses.
Kevin ran out of the living room.
Elaine was finishing up with a little light cleaning of the countertops in the kitchen.
"Goodnight Misses Grayson," Kevin called out while he ran out and slammed the front door closed.
"Time for bed, Michael," Elaine said while he walked into the kitchen.
"Can't I stay up late?" Michael said while he handed her the two plates and glasses.
"Best you get to bed early, since you're hard to wake up in the morning," she said.
Michael looked disappointed while he walked away and headed down the hallway.
"Pick up those broomsticks in the living room," she said while he headed out of the kitchen. She knew it was a tradition of Michael and Kevin pretending to be helicopter pilots.
Elaine placed the plates and glasses in the sink and started washing them by hand.
Later that night, Michael had the covers pulled over his head. He used a flashlight to read his favorite magazine. This was the June 10th issue of Life magazine about a helicopter safari. Michael loved this article since it contained pictures of the Bell 47G helicopter.
The next day arrived, and Michael and Kevin decided to play in the backyard since it was a sunny day.
Last night's Whirlybird episode show stirred their imaginations.
They played their usual game. This was where Michael would climb and sit on the horizontal pole of his mom's closeline pole. This was his seat of an imaginary Bell 47B helicopter. Kevin sat on his bicycle, pretending to be the bad guy causing terror with his motorcycle.
The boys recreated last nights Cycle of Terror Whirlybird episode.
Kevin rode his bicycle in circles around the clothesline pole.
Michael made helicopter sounds while he looked down at Kevin. "You can't get away from me, as I always get the bad guys."
"You'll never catch me, whirlybird man!" Kevin yelled while riding circles around the clothesline pole.
"I'll get you because I'm the best helicopter pilot in the whole world!" Michael yelled down at Kevin then made more helicopter sounds.
Michael leaned to his right side to bank his imaginary Bell 47G to the right.
In her kitchen, Elaine washed dishes in the kitchen sink wearing her yellow rubber gloves. While she scrubbed a breakfast plate, she glanced out the window to check up on the boys. She cracked a joyful smile when she saw the boys playing and glanced down at the dish she was washing. Her eyes lit up with an idea.
She rushed out of the kitchen and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.
Elaine returned with her Kodak Signet 30 camera in hand.
She rushed back to the kitchen window and snapped a picture of Michael and Kevin playing. She snapped another picture for Kevin's parents. She set the camera down on the counter. She glanced out the window in time to see Michael while he leaned to his left to bank his imaginary 47G. He leaned too far and fell off the pole. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw him fall. Her body tensed the second Michael slammed hard on the ground. "Michael!" she yelled out, then dropped the dish into the hot water in the sink.
Elaine ran out over to the back door in the kitchen.
Out in the backyard, Michael lay in the grass in pain, crutching his right arm.
Kevin jumped off his bicycle and ran over to his best friend. "Are you okay?"
"My arm hurts!" Michael cried out in pain, still crutching his right arm.
Elaine ran over to Michael and immediately knelt by Michael's side.
"My arm hurts, mommy," he cried out in pain.
Elaine got Michael up on his feet and rushed him back to the house.
Kevin looked worried while he stood in the yard and watched Michael go back inside with Elaine. He walked over and picked up his bicycle and headed back to his house.
Later that evening, Michael sat on the floor and watched TV with his right arm in a cast.
Harry worked as an animator for Disney and took a break from his work in the garage. He drew up a cartoon of a pilot falling out of a helicopter on Michael's cast.
Michael started the fall term at school in September, and he was somewhat of a hero with that cast on his arm.
Michael and Kevin were inseparable during the rest of their high school years. They spent their summers surfing and chasing after the sexy bikini-clad girls at the beaches. But becoming a helicopter pilot was still a dream of Michael's. He knew he could fulfill that dream by joining the US Army. Michael would take countless rides on the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier. This gave him the feeling he was flying in the sky.
Michel and Kevin graduated from high school in June of 1968. They spent two weeks at the Santa Monica Beach and tried their best to inside the bikinis' of sexy girls. That did not happen. But Kevin did meet Nancy Myers, and he fell in love.
It was now late June, and Michael was old enough to enlist in the Army without his parent's permission.
This upset Elaine. But Harry was proud his son wanted to serve for his country. But deep down inside, he was a little nervous with the potential that Michael could fight in Vietnam. He knew that there was a high potential this would happen.
Kevin opted not to join since he started a loving relationship with Nancy. Plus he got a job at a local grocery store stocking shelves. He had planned on working his way up to one of the manager's slot then he would marry Nancy in a few years.
On Monday, July 15th, 1968, Michael left for Army boot camp at Ford Ord in California.
It was ten weeks of a rude awakening for Michael. Everybody dressed the same in those plain green fatigues. They all had the same buzzed haircuts. They lost their privacy with sleeping in bunks in a huge opened aired room. Plus taking a shower with other guys was awkward. Especially if you were not blessed down in the groin department. Michael endured his training missing his mother, father, and best friend Kevin.
Elaine would lay awake at nights thinking about her baby. She recalled those sleepless nights when Harry was in the Air Force stationed in the Korean War. Harry worked for the Stars and Stripes newspaper in Korea. Elaine still worried the communist might take away the love of her life.
Harry was still concerned that Michael would be fighting in Vietnam. He tried to believe this was his son's duty to stop the evil communist aggression in Vietnam. He and Elaine never mentioned the Vietnam possibility to each other.