Cousin Ramses

Cousin Ramses

fiction
edward w pritchard

see Dear Grandma 10-10-10
and Grandma discovers youtube 01-19-2011

Our town had been dieing for a long time but what mattered to us was when Grandma Weathers passed away. We have a big family and of course everyone showed up for the funeral.

I sat with cousin Ramses and we talked a little about his experiences over in Pakistan. He is shy to talk about the war but I promised my sister Katey I would draw out cousin Ramses on his war experiences. Me a psychologist; still I am having trouble assimilating the little he told me.

Ramses was a highly dedicated pilot and officer but he came home as a private. Ramses has changed a lot since he got back and is now kind of low functioning and remembering how he was in College it is hard to believe he is the same person. I guess the military can change you. Still, speaking as myself in my professional capacity, Ramses always seemed to have a gentleness about him, which probably wasn't good for a soldier; and may have made him ineffective as a pilot and squad leader over in Pakistan. It must take an iron constitution to condone some of the things we do over there in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of protecting democracy.

I have decided not to follow traditional reporting and documentation style in transposing my notes of my two meetings with Ramses. Since he is a relative and the work is pro-bono I am going to reproduce a few of the short stories of that writer Edward w pritchard and then write out my case summary. I hope my efforts can help Ramses with the disability hearings with the State. I have come to believe from talking to Ramses that not everyone is cut out to be an effective soldier; especially in the kind of silent and secret war we are now fighting in Pakistan where Ramses served.
end part 1