Page 50 - Life's Outtakes 8

The Death of Private Orange

l
It was nearly November, and, as our high school
English class was ending for the day, our teacher
announced the next writing assignment. “For Veterans
Day, each of you will write an interview paper. That
means you are to interview someone and write about
what you learned. The person you interview must be a
veteran, and you are to ask them about what it was like
to be in the armed services.”
Most of the students groaned. Lenny was
particularly vocal. “You mean we have to write
something that some old person tells us?”
“I think you might find it more interesting than
you think,” the teacher said.
As we headed out the door, Lenny turned to me.
“Howard, who are you going to interview?”
“I plan to interview my father,” I replied. “How
about you?”
“Probably my grandfather,” he said. “But the big
problem is once he gets started talking about the war, he
never quits.”
Later, when I asked my dad about what it was like

45