The American Truth - by Nick Shelton
Although the Pentagon employees were experienced with
emergency situations, nothing could simulate the current
atmosphere. The piercing alarm and flashing emergency lights
added to the commotion.
Fear of the situation caused the military personnel to ignore
the protocol of making a calm, orderly evacuation. Within
seconds, everyone made a dash to the exit.
Nathan spotted a security officer getting into position at
the stairwell for an evacuation. He headed toward him to offer
assistance.
“Tell me what to do!” he shouted above the roar.
The security officer motioned toward the door. “Follow
everyone else.”
Nathan had no intention of jumping ship. He surveyed the
mayhem and spotted several older veterans on the
ground, getting trampled by the mad dash to the exit.
Thoughts of his wife flooded his mind as he envisioned her
experiencing the same destruction and chaos in her office.
Nathan’s heart told him to get out as soon as possible, to find
Cindy in her section of the Pentagon. His instincts, however,
pulled him towards the men on the floor.
He ran to the aid of three fallen figures, helping them to their
feet and leading them to the stairwell. Once they were on their
way to safety, he’d go for his wife.
Then, it hit him. My knife. Nathan turned around and fought
through the wave of desperate Pentagon employees.
He got back to his desk and grabbed the knife the President
of the United States had awarded to his father for his service
as a Navy SEAL. It was more than a memento--his father had
earned it by rescuing a band of captured soldiers in Vietnam. It
represented who his father was, who Nathan wanted to be. He
wanted to hand down this valuable heirloom to his own son. He
flashbacked to the moment his father gave him the knife three
years ago--it was the day before he died. His father made him
promise that he’d always strive to uphold the Alexander family
legacy of being true American patriots.
The above text is copyrighted material that appears in The American Truth
by Nick Shelton. Reproduction of this text is prohibited.