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are.”
                  “What do you mean if?”
                  “Well as I understand it the wound was pretty close to the heart, a lot of times they don’t let guys with these types of wounds return to the unit anytime soon, if ever.”
                  “Fuck that, if that’s the case I might as well resign my commission, I don’t want to do anything else.”
    “Well I don’t know what the final verdict is so don’t jump to any conclusions based off anything I said. I’m just say’in what’s happened to some guys in the past.”
    “Fine, fine…I get it, I’ll just have to wait and see.”
    “Pretty much, sorry.”
    “Not your fault, wait…maybe it is…so what the hell happened to me?”
    “Well what’s the last thing you remember?”
    They were pulling up to the hospital where the rest of the team met him, everyone was happy to see the Major.  They got him checked in and escorted him to his room; they all crammed into his room as he got settled in.  Then the Nursing Supervisor came into the room and told them they had to leave.  All of the men looked at her with their war faces, she returned their gaze, she obviously was not afraid of them.  They filed out of the room saying their good-byes to the Major and they would see him back at the team room.  “Damn.” John thought.  “I still don’t know what happened.”
    As the days went by John continued his rehab program and more tests.  He was required to also speak to an Army shrink to determine his frame of mind.  To John it was all bullshit; he just wanted to get back to work.  He played along with all of the doctors; he needed the medical release to be able to return to the team.  His teammates came by the hospital every couple of days; they looked like rough scruffy bunch. There were all sorts of rumors floating around the floor, considering they were treating a Major who had long blonde hair and a beard many of them were putting two and two together and coming up with Delta.  Of course none of them asked they knew there wasn’t anything he could confirm or deny and if they did ask they were pretty sure they would be told to mind their own business. 
    After a couple of weeks in the hospital he got a visit from the Squadron Commander, it wasn’t all that unexpected.  Officers and NCO’s were expected to check up on their men and woman especially those in the hospital.  It was good to see the Colonel, he hadn’t seen him in months, John got the feeling though there was more to his visit then the formal check up on one of the troops.
    The Colonel took a chair next to John’s bed, “How are you doing Major?”
    “Great Sir, I’m ready to get back to work.”
    The Colonel reached into his bag that he had brought with him, “First I wanted to give you this.” He handed over a blue box.  “If you were in a Regular Army unit there were be a lot of pomp and ceremony with this, but since the op was classified so are the events on how you earned this.” 
    John opened the box and in it was a Purple Heart, John starred at it for a moment, “Thank you Sir. I don’t know what to say.”
    “You don’t say anything Major you earned it.”
    John nodded and set the box down on the table next to the bed, “Sir, when can I get out of here?”
    “Well Major that’s one of the reason’s I’m here.  The medical board has reviewed the recommendations from the doctor.  At this time you are cleared to return to the Squadron and to an extent your team.  You’re not cleared to conduct any op’s at this time.”
    “Sir I’m not sure I understand?” John was confused.
    “Understood Major, essentially you would return to the Squadron and work a staff position until they decided whether or not you can start running ops again.”
    “I see Sir.” Said John. “What exactly would I do in a staff position?”
    “Pushing papers basically, writing reports, analysis, things like that.” Replied the