Fort Park in progress

EXT PARKLIKE SETTING AMONG OAK TREES - DAY

Grey sky, strong breeze Lean-to with fire pit, archery target, horseshoe area, tire swing via rope and tree limb, picnic table, the boys and an ATV at a treehouse in progress. They converse and point at the early framing, Hunter and Gil sit with bottles Victorie beers in hand on a bench aimed at a vista to the hills and mesas of the surrounding land, ATV parked nearby where a trail down the hillside, near where FORT PARK has been neatly carved into a tree and painted army green.   

HUNTER: Where does the trail go?

GIL: Downhill to the creek.

HUNTER: Where does the creek go.

GIL: North Prong Medina River, when there's enough water in it. This storm will do that.  

HUNTER: How long have you been here?

GIL: All my life. My dad and his brothers bought the first parcel and started their construction company with their G-I bills.

HUNTER: My grandfather used his to go to school.

GIL: Where did he serve?

HUNTER: Pacific, Navy.

GIL: My dad and his brother Bobby were there with the Marines. Their brothers Rod and Ernie were Army in Europe.

HUNTER: They all came back.

GIL: Bobby did not. Killed on Okinawa. He was the oldest, then dad, then Ernie, then Rod. Anyway, the business did well, Soledad was born, me two year later, dad bought the first parcel, started work on the house. We'd come up from San Antonio when dad wasn't working, camp out, go hunting, work on the house, go tubing. That's how we met the Walker family.

HUNTER: Ruth told me. Will the boys be in the military?

GIL: Good question. You ever?

HUNTER: No. 

Lull.

HUNTER (cont.): Tom had a tattoo.

GIL: I have the same one, same place.

(G. Shows First Cavalry tat.)

(cont.) Same night in Bangkok. Did he talk about it?

HUNTER: No. I saw it when I found him in bed.

GIL: Did you talk about Vietnam?

Hunter shakes his head.

HUNTER: I was going to ask about it later. Would you be willing to talk about it?

GIL: We can do that. 

HUNTER: Thank you.

GIL: Maybe when you're back next week.

HUNTER: I'd like that. 

GIL: I've got pictures.

HUNTER: I'd love to see them. Drafted or enlisted?

GIL: Enlisted. Knew we'd be drafted so figured why not have a say in what we'd be doing. Signed on for what was called the buddy program. Did basic together at Fort Polk, Lousiana, A-I-T together, landed in Danang on the same plane, got split up pretty quickly thereafter at the replacement depot. 

DISTANT THUNDER.  

to be continued.