Following In My Father's Footsteps

Gus shook his head. He could still see himself and his mates when they were young boys, playing games of war. Never again would war be a game, he thought. It was real now. Before this, it had never seemed quite real. You could watch the protests on the TV, you could hear about people setting their papers on fire and going to jail. It was not until his number was the one pulled from the barrel that it hit him that all of it wasn’t just a work of fiction constructed for entertainment. No. This stuff was real. There was a war, and he was headed straight for it.

Once, back in his Granddad’s day, there would’ve been a line out the door of young boys volunteering to go out to war. To fight for their country and do their part for Australia. In his Dad’s day, they made some go, but a great deal still put their own hands up, his Dad included, having had the importance of doing his bit ingrained in his mind. Not anymore. Now, they had the balls in the barrel and the birthday lottery with no winners. Now, they’d make you go, whether you wanted to or not.

Gus remembered the war games played as a child. He knew, staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent he lay in, that war would never be a game again. His grandfather and his father had both done their part, now it was his turn to do his bit for Australia. But unlike them, he wasn’t so sure he was so eager to go to war. Not that it mattered. He didn’t have a choice anyway. But still. The fearful cries of his mother when they’d pulled his number, his birthday from the barrel had him on edge. That woman was never afraid of anything. She was the strongest person he knew. So if it was enough to scare her into tears, then there must be something to be concerned about.

“Gus!” The sound of his friend’s whisper from the sleeping bag beside his own caused Gus to jump, and he gasped at the unexpected break in silence. He rolled over on to his side to see his friend, Ernie, was covering his mouth with a hand. Slowly, he let it fall away, before speaking in a voice that was softer than before, if that was possible. “I’m sorry! Did I wake you?”

“No,” said Gus, his voice equally quiet. “I never went to sleep. Haven’t been able to.”

“Thinkin’ about tomorrow?” said Ernie. Gus nodded. “Yeah, me too. But, some say this’ll be the last bit of piece we’ll get for a while. We want to make the most of it. How’re we possibly gonna sleep in a war zone? I wouldn’t be surprised if I went of sleep deprivation rather than something to do with the war.” Ernie chuckled, but Gus remained silent.

“I’m sure we’ll find a way,” he said, choosing to ignore Ernie’s last comment. “I just… I don’t know that I want to go out there,” Gus said, more to himself than to Ernie, but he still heard.

“We don’t have a choice though mate. What’s the point of dwelling on it?”

“I don’t know. Grandad and Dad were both excited when they went off to war. I’m not. If I’m completely honest,” he said slowly, “I’m scared.” 

Ernie’s face softened. “People know more about wars now, All your dad and his old man had to go off was the excitement and push of everyone else. They had no clue what it actually meant to go to war.”

“That’s the thing Ernie,” said Gus. “They’ve been to war, yet they’re still telling me I should go, when they know what it’s like. Why would they do that, once they’ve been exposed?”

Ernie shrugged. “You got me mate! I mean, we probably weren’t. It was a whole different time when they went to war. Back in their day, going to war was honourable. So, when they’ve had that instilled in them their entire lives, and told what heroes they were for going out and fighting, of course they’re going to drum it into us.”

Gus nodded. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I just… I don’t really want to go. Not after the look on Mum’s face when they called me number.”

“I don’t really want to go either,” said Ernie. “We’re just doing our bit. We’re doing what we’ve got to do. But hopefully, this’ll be the last generation to go out and fight. Hopefully, our sons won’t have to follow in our footsteps like we followed in our Father’s.”