Part 125, Chapter 2114
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Fourteen
12th January 1972
Brandenburg an der Havel
Sitting on the couch in the parlor listening to his parents arguing with each other had become something that Christian had been enduring since he had come home the prior Saturday. The subject of their argument was him and how they were not exactly thrilled with many of the choices that he had made over the last few years. He was sitting there as a captive audience because he had found that getting up and going up to the bedroom just made things worse. His younger brothers didn’t know exactly what had set their parent’s off, just that it was trouble they wanted no part of.
His grandmother was happy to have him finally come home. It was a reminder of how decades earlier her oldest son had left home and never returned. The worst part for the family had been that Christian’s uncle had died in such a manner that they had not been left with a body to bury afterwards. A few years later, the Government had belatedly acknowledged the sacrifice that he had made, but to Christian, his Uncle Karl had always been a picture in a dusty frame on the mantlepiece with a medal in a case beside it. When he had been twelve, he had taken the medal out of its case to look at it and his grandmother had caught him. It was one of the few times that he had his normally kindly grandmother had been furious with him, so he had not repeated that mistake.
Now, he was holding the same Rank that his Uncle had held and had earned the same medal. That had caused a great deal of consternation among his family, and it wasn’t helped by them acting as if he were still teenager as opposed to nearly twenty-three. His father had suggested that he should come home and take a job at Opelwerk Brandenburg like nearly everyone else in his family when his current term of enlistment ended in a few months. The cause of the dispute was that his mother felt that it should be more than just a suggestion. What they failing to consider was that Christian had joined the Army after working in the auto plant and had been bored to tears when he was seventeen. That held even less appeal now than it had six years before.
He had also not told them that he had been told by two of Field Marshal Tilo Schultz’s aides that if he applied to become a Professional Soldier, he would have the Field Marshal’s endorsement. To sweeten the deal there was also an appointment to the First Foot Guard that had been thrown in as well. Manny had told him that it was fun, wear a dress uniform and put on a show for the tourists. As a highly decorated Oberfeld, Christian would probably be rather popular in that role. Eighteen months of that and he would be given his choice of assignment. As the same time though, there was always the chance that he would one day find himself back in a situation he had been in on the Argentine-Chilean border and might not be so lucky. That was the only argument against it that he could think of. As it was, Christian found presently that he had difficulty lacing his own boots. He was already considerably better than when he had first arrived aboard the SMS Prinzessin Antonia, then he doubted that he could have gotten his boots on. The Heer had told him that he could give them his decision when he reported back to Wunsdorf in a few months. As if it was a difficult decision for Christian to make.
There was a knocking on the door and that ended his parent’s bickering, for now. His mother went to answer the door while Christian’s father sat down in the recliner and listened to his mother talk to their guest. Oddly, from the sound of it, Christian’s mother didn’t seem to have a great deal to interject into the conversation. Something that rarely happened before.
Two men entered the parlor in dark suits. To Christian’s eye, they looked like retired Noncoms with an eye out for trouble. Their employer entered the room, and it was not who Christian was expecting.
“I was just telling your wife that you should be proud of your son” Manfred von Richthofen said, “Christian stood beside my grandson where most men would have lost their nerve.”
“We try to be” Christian’s father said. That was probably a mistake because von Richthofen gave him a look that Christian knew from having observed senior Officers in the past. The one that said, “I will remember this.” His father having worked in a job deemed essential during the Soviet War and had been exempted from conscription. So, he was oblivious to the subtle menace of a look like that. As Manny had told Christian many times, Opa von Richthofen was not a man to be trifled with.
“Very well then” von Richthofen said, “If you could excuse us, I have an important matter I wish to discuss with your son.”
With that, his parents making the wise choice retreated to the kitchen. Christian noticed his younger brothers and little sister peeking in from the doorway before the door was closed.
“They mean well, but they don’t understand” Christian said.
“I find that to be very common” von Richthofen replied.
“Just what is this important matter?” Christian asked.
“Me cago en tu puta madre” von Richthofen said with a wry smile. “You really said that to a Chilean Officer pointing a gun at you?”
“Manny must have told you” Christian replied.
“That didn’t find its way into the official record” von Richthofen said, “My opinion is that it should have, let the whole would know what a real man does in the face of death.”
“I’m glad you think so, Sir” Christian said.
“Instead, they gave you that REK for generic bravery and conduct, what a load of tripe” Richthofen said.
“I’m sure they have their reasons” Christian replied, wondering where von Richthofen was going.
“I came to give you this” von Richthofen said pulling a box from his coat pocket and handing it to Christian. “I had the citation written to reflect what really got said.”
Opening the box Christian saw that it was a medal based on the House Order of Hohenzollern with swords, except it was gold with dark green enamel paint and the family crest of the House of Richthofen. It had a crimson ribbon.
“Isn’t this for Officers?” Christian asked.
“Normally, yes” von Richthofen replied, “But as the head of the family and the Grand Master of the Order I can induct whoever I damn well want. Besides that, I think that you’ll grow into the role.”
“Well, thank you, Sir” Christian said.
“And a bit of advice” von Richthofen said, “You might want to consider calling my granddaughter Katherine. Manny thinks she’s looking for you.”
“Who?” Christian asked.
“Everyone calls her Ina” von Richthofen replied, “Apparently the two of you met a few times in Rio Gallegos.”
“Yeah, but I tried to not be too forward with her, she’s Manny’s little sister.”
Christian got a knowing look from von Richthofen who chuckled at that answer. “You have to remember that these things cut both ways” He said, “You may have kept your distance to keep my grandson from beating your brains out, but that didn’t stop her from taking an interest in you. So, call her and see how things work out.”
12th January 1972
Brandenburg an der Havel
Sitting on the couch in the parlor listening to his parents arguing with each other had become something that Christian had been enduring since he had come home the prior Saturday. The subject of their argument was him and how they were not exactly thrilled with many of the choices that he had made over the last few years. He was sitting there as a captive audience because he had found that getting up and going up to the bedroom just made things worse. His younger brothers didn’t know exactly what had set their parent’s off, just that it was trouble they wanted no part of.
His grandmother was happy to have him finally come home. It was a reminder of how decades earlier her oldest son had left home and never returned. The worst part for the family had been that Christian’s uncle had died in such a manner that they had not been left with a body to bury afterwards. A few years later, the Government had belatedly acknowledged the sacrifice that he had made, but to Christian, his Uncle Karl had always been a picture in a dusty frame on the mantlepiece with a medal in a case beside it. When he had been twelve, he had taken the medal out of its case to look at it and his grandmother had caught him. It was one of the few times that he had his normally kindly grandmother had been furious with him, so he had not repeated that mistake.
Now, he was holding the same Rank that his Uncle had held and had earned the same medal. That had caused a great deal of consternation among his family, and it wasn’t helped by them acting as if he were still teenager as opposed to nearly twenty-three. His father had suggested that he should come home and take a job at Opelwerk Brandenburg like nearly everyone else in his family when his current term of enlistment ended in a few months. The cause of the dispute was that his mother felt that it should be more than just a suggestion. What they failing to consider was that Christian had joined the Army after working in the auto plant and had been bored to tears when he was seventeen. That held even less appeal now than it had six years before.
He had also not told them that he had been told by two of Field Marshal Tilo Schultz’s aides that if he applied to become a Professional Soldier, he would have the Field Marshal’s endorsement. To sweeten the deal there was also an appointment to the First Foot Guard that had been thrown in as well. Manny had told him that it was fun, wear a dress uniform and put on a show for the tourists. As a highly decorated Oberfeld, Christian would probably be rather popular in that role. Eighteen months of that and he would be given his choice of assignment. As the same time though, there was always the chance that he would one day find himself back in a situation he had been in on the Argentine-Chilean border and might not be so lucky. That was the only argument against it that he could think of. As it was, Christian found presently that he had difficulty lacing his own boots. He was already considerably better than when he had first arrived aboard the SMS Prinzessin Antonia, then he doubted that he could have gotten his boots on. The Heer had told him that he could give them his decision when he reported back to Wunsdorf in a few months. As if it was a difficult decision for Christian to make.
There was a knocking on the door and that ended his parent’s bickering, for now. His mother went to answer the door while Christian’s father sat down in the recliner and listened to his mother talk to their guest. Oddly, from the sound of it, Christian’s mother didn’t seem to have a great deal to interject into the conversation. Something that rarely happened before.
Two men entered the parlor in dark suits. To Christian’s eye, they looked like retired Noncoms with an eye out for trouble. Their employer entered the room, and it was not who Christian was expecting.
“I was just telling your wife that you should be proud of your son” Manfred von Richthofen said, “Christian stood beside my grandson where most men would have lost their nerve.”
“We try to be” Christian’s father said. That was probably a mistake because von Richthofen gave him a look that Christian knew from having observed senior Officers in the past. The one that said, “I will remember this.” His father having worked in a job deemed essential during the Soviet War and had been exempted from conscription. So, he was oblivious to the subtle menace of a look like that. As Manny had told Christian many times, Opa von Richthofen was not a man to be trifled with.
“Very well then” von Richthofen said, “If you could excuse us, I have an important matter I wish to discuss with your son.”
With that, his parents making the wise choice retreated to the kitchen. Christian noticed his younger brothers and little sister peeking in from the doorway before the door was closed.
“They mean well, but they don’t understand” Christian said.
“I find that to be very common” von Richthofen replied.
“Just what is this important matter?” Christian asked.
“Me cago en tu puta madre” von Richthofen said with a wry smile. “You really said that to a Chilean Officer pointing a gun at you?”
“Manny must have told you” Christian replied.
“That didn’t find its way into the official record” von Richthofen said, “My opinion is that it should have, let the whole would know what a real man does in the face of death.”
“I’m glad you think so, Sir” Christian said.
“Instead, they gave you that REK for generic bravery and conduct, what a load of tripe” Richthofen said.
“I’m sure they have their reasons” Christian replied, wondering where von Richthofen was going.
“I came to give you this” von Richthofen said pulling a box from his coat pocket and handing it to Christian. “I had the citation written to reflect what really got said.”
Opening the box Christian saw that it was a medal based on the House Order of Hohenzollern with swords, except it was gold with dark green enamel paint and the family crest of the House of Richthofen. It had a crimson ribbon.
“Isn’t this for Officers?” Christian asked.
“Normally, yes” von Richthofen replied, “But as the head of the family and the Grand Master of the Order I can induct whoever I damn well want. Besides that, I think that you’ll grow into the role.”
“Well, thank you, Sir” Christian said.
“And a bit of advice” von Richthofen said, “You might want to consider calling my granddaughter Katherine. Manny thinks she’s looking for you.”
“Who?” Christian asked.
“Everyone calls her Ina” von Richthofen replied, “Apparently the two of you met a few times in Rio Gallegos.”
“Yeah, but I tried to not be too forward with her, she’s Manny’s little sister.”
Christian got a knowing look from von Richthofen who chuckled at that answer. “You have to remember that these things cut both ways” He said, “You may have kept your distance to keep my grandson from beating your brains out, but that didn’t stop her from taking an interest in you. So, call her and see how things work out.”
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