I Want To Live

Chapter Twenty-four

    Sergeant Morrison and Corporal Harrison boarded the bus to Claremont the day after the Salvation Army truck arrived to pick up their camping gear. They stayed at a local YMCA while searching the want ads for likely jobs that would match their expertise. 

    Charles noticed that the police were hiring recruits. He signed up, passing the rigorous physical and background tests easily. Law enforcement favored hiring former qualified veterans. He was assigned as a rookie officer to the Mittenwald Police Department, taking Criminal Justice night classes at the local Community College. 

    Ron was hired by Medvac, a private ambulance company, based on his military medical corpsman experience. He took classes to become a Certified Paramedic. Medvac transported accident victims to hospitals, attended sporting events on standby, drove the elderly or handicapped individuals to medical appointments.

    Once gainfully employed, they moved into an apartment in Claremont, sharing expenses. They thrived, living in the midst of such a vibrant outdoor environment: rugged mountains beckoned, the Columbia River encouraged water sports, challenging rock climbing opportunities, rapids for rafting, and downhill ski resorts. Both men were fit, felt positive about their futures, and joined the local Search and Rescue team. The surprising bonus, their uplifting lifestyle resulted in fewer nightmares around past tours in Iraq.