{What will the world see this day; children falling out of the sky?}  He reflected upon Tommy and made an assessment of his own thoughts.  Why did he think of Tommy as his son?   Was it because Tommy was the youngest?  He remembered his contemplated strategy to keep all the boys alive through the jump.  Tommy was the key; the main focus of his strategy.  If Tommy, who was five years old, could make the jump safely, then the rest of the unit could take care of themselves respectively.   That was his plan.  That was what he had prayed for all the previous week prior to the jump.  That was what he had been fasting for.  All he had to do was to focus on Tommy.  {I can’t let anything distract me.} Joseph was twelve years aged.
 
He knew the plane would not take flight unless he gave the command.  And he knew he had to give that command, but what was stopping him?  Did he even know the command?  He turned his gaze to his right to see a grown soldier place another child in his plane.  As he observed, he contemplated, {who is that child and what is she doing in my plane?}  Then he reflected on the fact that he referred to her as a she.  His assessment was inconclusive.
 
He looked to the grown soldier who had placed the child in his plane and contemplated.  {That soldier is Latino}  Until then, the General believed that he had been the only Latino at the academy.  Then he looked to the child and contemplated for a third time.  What ethnic background pertained to that child?  He noticed her, sporting braids, reminiscent of cornhuskers and made an additional assessment. 
 
{Only black kids wear that hair style}, thought the General.  {She’s not black.}  Or was she as one of those Mexican-American dudes who think they’re African-American?  She wasn’t a dude.  Was she as one of those privileged American born children, whom because their parents have money, think they can do whatever they want without having to pay the price of earning their way through life?  {Not in my Unit.} 
 
Then the grown soldier geared up the female child and she looked different in the General’s eyes, especially when her helmet was placed upon her head.  {That is a soldier.  But still, no one told me I should be expecting an extra…man…person…soldier…or is she my back up?  She’s definitely not my replacement.}  He smirked.
 
Then the grown soldier turned to face the General.  He saluted, and said, “One less to worry about, Sir.” The young female soldier mimicked the salute but remained silent.
 
{Good.  I don’t have to worry about how to refer to her.}  His assessment was complete.  The General was content that he had been acknowledged by an action he had not been notified a head of time.  He saluted back giving his consent.  And the fact that he was told he didn’t have to worry about her made him feel secure in the knowledge and conclusion that the young female child had been trained.  {One less to worry about}  He made further reflection.

{She’s a soldier.  A girl: in my unit?  The only girl: in the unit?  It’s a good thing the others are married.  I hope they remember that.  I am not married; not according to State laws.  If we die today, the boys are covered.  They are insured.  They can enter into Valhalla because they are insured through marriage.  What happens to me?}  He doubted himself.  The boys knew he wasn’t married according to State Law.  He knew he had to set an example for them.  {Can I enter Valhalla without being married or will I end up an administering angel?  I better not die.  We better not die.} 
 
He thought about Captain Derange, the only other female, he had known then, outside his life, back home.  Looking at the young soldier girl caused him to reflect about home.  He reassessed his thoughts.  They were inconclusive.  He had to probe a further analysis.  He couldn’t do that without looking at the young soldier girl.  He pondered, reflected and thought as he gazed into the young soldier girl’s eyes.  She glanced at him.  He knew instinctively then, that the young soldier girl was different than the girls back in his school.  He glanced at her as she gazed at him.
 
The young soldier girl made him think about school.  He didn’t understand why she did so.  He reassessed his situation.  His situation was inconclusive.  Without the young soldier girl he couldn’t think.  She glanced at him as he gazed at her.  He thought to have heard her voice, “Hi, my name is Michelle.” He questioned such thoughts in him.  He pondered for a moment.  He reflected about his life at school back home.  Michelle was whispering to him, “How was school?”
 
The Young General repeated her whisper.  He stopped in thought not realizing he was gazing into Michelle’s eyes.
 
{What makes her different?}  He thought about Carol.  {Carol has golden hair?}  He thought about home.  {Jennifer has golden hair, the only one in the classroom with golden hair…but she’s German…Carol is American.}  Then he reflected on his thoughts for further assessment and focused on the terms “the only one.” {Am I the only one?}  He glanced at the young girl.  {What if, this was the final battle and we were the last of our kind?  Is she the only one of her kind?}  His assessment was incomplete because he was reflecting on unnecessary ideas pertaining to the event, then;{Oh my God; she’s a tom boy...I want to marry a girl like the girl that married dear old dad!}