It had been a busy day at work.  In fact all days were busy (and long).  I used to have a job that supported the family, yet allowed time to do things with them.  And I could play chess.  That all changed on October 13, 2005 when I found a sealed letter my wife had left on my pillow.  That's the day a lot of things changed for both myself and a lot of people close to me.  And the 95 hour work weeks meant a lot less time for chess.

     After a hundred years (maybe a little less) in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) I was reactivated and using my business analyst skills to provide decision support for a Two Star Command in support of the Global War on Terrorism.  In my section we mobilized, deployed and redeployed a LOT of Army Reserves, Sailors, and Airmen.  Things worked in cycles.  For up to a month (maybe) the pace was manageable.  Then things ramped up for about three months.  That meant 95 hour work weeks were the norm.  Sometimes I was so tired I would fall asleep driving back to my quarters.  One time that happened six times on the same trip.  But, I'm still here to tell about it.

     This story happened during one of those weeks.

     The phone rang.  I better answer it.  Could be important.

     "Major Hollingsworth speaking, Sir!"

     "Hey, Jim!  This is Tom!  We won!"

     "We won, Tom C (Tom Crane)?"  Wow!  Great!"

     "Yeah!  We're all here at the Two Frogs Grill enjoying the annual Victory Dinner.  Everybody's here.  You want to talk to Aurelio?

     "Yeah!  Put him on!"

     "Hey, Jim!  We won!"

     "That's what I hear!  What was the final score?"

     "Twenty to eighteen.  It was close to the very end.  We almost lost.  They played very tough!"

     "Wow!"

     "Hey, Julie's here.  She wants to talk."

     And so it went.  They passed the phone around the table.  I talked with all of them. Nick.  Paul.  Helen.  Helen's daughter, Courtney.  Carmen.  Robert.  Kevin.  And everyone else there.

     When I got my orders I was given only thirty days to get all my affairs in order.  That included setting up RRSO IV with a Texas location as far north on I-35 as possible.  This would reduce Oklahoma's travel burden.  Long story short:  Thackerville, Oklahoma was just north of the Red River and had the only suitable playing site.  It was only after I had the final details nailed down and approved by both team captains that I resigned as Watauga Chess Club Secretary.  Everyone seemed a little shocked when I told them and none of us knew for sure if I would be back.

     My orders said "Iraq" and I wanted to go and do my part.  A lot of people tried getting out of deploying to Iraq.  Half had valid hardship reasons, such as a seriously ill spouse and five young children at home.  I felt sorry for them.  The other half consisted of liars, cheats, and scoundrels and I've said enough about them.  For me, Iraq was always an ultimate destination and I wanted to go.  The Army looked closely at my skills and changed plans.

     Sometimes, the littlest things have the biggest impact and change lives forever.  A first kiss.  The first time holding hands.  A tiny granddaughter running up to hug you around your knees.  An unopened envelope on a pillow.  An unexpected phone call from friends letting you know  .  .  .  .

     .  .  .  .  they remember.