David’s father told him once that Zach had two purple hearts from Germany. One he received when he and Carl, both hit with shrapnel, made their way to an aide station that the field medic believed no longer existed. Carl also told him that prior to that, Zach received a Purple Heart and was decorated for bravery. Carl’s unit had been sent to reinforce another unit along the frontline in a sector where there was heavy fighting. When he was almost there, Carl received orders to rendezvous with an officer in the next sector. Zach and the unit continued to the front. Different units were dug in along a line extending from a large creek to a steep hill. No reinforcements after Zach’s arrival could be expected any time soon. All units would have to hold their positions. The Germans were probing the line, and the American troops became nervous when they saw that Waffen SS were involved. By this point in the war, they were the best-armed German forces. They were also tenacious fighters. Zach reminded the men that Waffen SS die like any other kind of soldier. The fighting in the area lasted for about 12 hours. Mortar fire took a toll, and much of the battle was close-quarter fighting. Then the Germans suddenly pulled out. They were pulling back all across the frontline. By the time it was over, only Zach and a corporal were still alive. There were bodies strewn all around them. Zach was in a foxhole with a bullet in his shoulder. A unit sent to reinforce them arrived and a medic began bandaging his shoulder.
“You’re lucky we got here when we did,” the medic said. “Or you’d be dead.”
Zach looked at him. “Don’t worry about me.” He pointed to a foxhole off to the right.
“The corporal has a broken leg.”
Back at the field hospital, Carl told Zach about the decoration he put in for him. As it turned out, the wound wouldn’t force his discharge. He emphatically stated that he wasn’t going home yet.
“Are you kidding? This is the most fun I’ve had in I don’t know how long,” he told Carl.
“Well, you’re one lucky son of a bitch, Zach!” he said, sitting on a chair next to Zach’s cot.
Zach smiled at Carl. “Luck had nothing to do with it.”
******************************************
“Shit, you’re bad luck, you son of a bitch!”
Zach was clutching his knee, but looked at Carl and laughed. “I was doing fine until you showed up!”
A medic arrived and gave Zach a shot of morphine and wrapped his knee. He approached Carl with a syringe full of morphine, but Carl pushed him away. The medic looked at him.
“Sorry sir, no ambulance units anywhere. You two will have to wait.”
“Til when?”
“No idea. But he’ll lose his leg.”
Zach looked up at Carl. “That’s ok sir, I have another one!”
“Yeah, bullshit. I thought there was an aide station near here.”
The medic pulled out a torn map. He pointed to a spot with a red circle around it.
“There was one there.”
“Where’s it now?”
“Contact was lost. Probably overrun. There are a lot of Germans in the area.”
“Come on Sergeant, get up!” Zach slowly got to his feet and leaned on Carl.
“What now?”
“We’re gonna find that aide station.”
The two made their way through pretty rough, frozen terrain, with machine gun and artillery fire off in the distance. Zach was leaning on Carl, who every once in a while would peer into the darkness looking for German troops.
Eventually they reached the aide station, which was very much still there. Putting Zach on a cot, Carl fell down to the ground.
“You’re supposed to be overrun,” he barked at the surgeon.
“No, but they shot the hell out of our radio.”
They helped Carl onto a cot and began administering blood. Then the surgeon reached around and handed him a sizeable chunk of shrapnel he pulled out of his side. Carl turned it over, and saw several small markings. He began laughing.
“Hey, Zach, you son of a bitch, it’s one of ours!”
****************************************
Clear Water Advertising was a local business that produced TV and radio advertising for its clients. They were famous for making rather inane TV commercials for a local car dealer. But they did work for a lot of other high profile local businesses. Reginald O’Brien owned the company. He was one of Zach’s golf buddies from the country club. Reggie served two terms as the town’s mayor, before being elected to the House of Representatives. He served three terms before launching an unsuccessful bid for the Senate. Reggie was a very good client, since he was well connected with government officials and local businesses. Zach once told David it was fitting that Reggie owned an advertising company.
“Know why?” Zach asked.
“No,” David said.
“Because politicians and advertisers are both full of bullshit,” Zach said, slapping David on the back.
Zachary Taylor Jenkins
Known as Zach, he is the second son of Nedadiah and Deborah Jenkins. Ned's father is Captain Millard Fillmore Jenkins, named after President Millard Fillmore of the Whig party, who purchases large tracks of land in the northernmost area of what would become Green Ridge Valley. He leaves a large tract of land to Ned, whose full name, Nedadiah, is chosen after his father finds it in a list of names in the Bible. Ned plans to divide up the land and leave parcels to each of his eight sons, intending to set them up to be farmers like himself. Zach once explains to Carl that the men in his family were overly attached to politics and this is the basis for the strange names that the men of the Jenkins family bear. Of course, Ned's wife, Deborah Lorenzo's family will contribute to this tradition as well. Zach's eldest brother is also named Millard, and since Ned liked the name so much, his third son is named Fillmore Jenkins. But Deborah's family strongly supports the Democrats, so she insists that they name their fourth son Polk, seeing how President James K Polk is a prominent Democrat. Ned agrees, but only if their fifth son is named Freling after Henry Clay's Vice Presidential candidate, Theodore Frelinghuysen. Further negotiation yield agreement that their sixth son be named Buchanan Jenkins, Deborah's family having thought well of President James Buchanan, a prominent Democrat who served as president just before the outbreak of the Civil War. Of course, Deborah has no way of knowing that much later scholars would rank James Buchanan as the worst president in US history. It's too bad that Buchanan Jenkins would never know that eventually another politician will come along who will make James Buchanan the second worst president in US history. But naming their sixth son after James Buchanan will lead Ned's family to demand that the seventh son be named Fremont, seeing how James C Fremont, the first Republican presidential candidate, ran against Buchanan. Given the fact that Buchanan preceded Abraham Lincoln, with Ned's family having supported the North while Deborah's family had supported the South, the name of a neutral politician was sought. Thus Zach's youngest brother is named Crittenden Jenkins, both families having thought well of John J Crittenden, a prominent politician of the Know Nothing party. Zach will frequently joke that his youngest brother Crittenden was aptly named, as he never seems to know anything.
Zach is frequently in trouble because he often ditches his chores and spends time with his uncle Buren, named after President Martin Van Buren. Zach's uncle served in what he calls the Kaiser's War, better known as World War 1. Buren brought back a German Mauser sniper's rifle with which he teaches Zach how to shoot. He also tells Zach stories of his glory days fighting the Kaiser. Soon, Zach decides that he too will join the army, although he laments that because there won't be any more wars, glory will elude him. Time proves him wrong, and when the US enters the European war by invading Italy, Zach is intent on going.
He comes to the attention of Lt. Carl Larimore during a pre-battle briefing when the others in attendance are asked their opinions of the plan for the upcoming battle. Zach stands up to say that the whole thing is bullshit, seeing how he doesn't want to fight against Italians. The real glory could only be obtained by fighting Germans. Moved by his spirit, Carl requests that Zach serve under him. By the end of the war, Zach will be wounded twice and decorated several times. He and Carl fight a glorious (Zach's word) battle against two German tanks during the Ardennes Offensive. After the war, Zach studies to be an accountant. When Carl is discharged, he convinces his father to bring Zach into the family business that will eventually be called the Larimore-Jenkins Accounting Services Company.
After Carl retires and signs over his share of the partnership to David, Zach basically runs the business. David distances himself from the company over time, but Zach continues to look out for him. He also invests money for David. Those investments will eventually make David quite wealthy. Zach always jokes that he will die at his desk. That doesn't happen, but when he has to leave the business after being diagnosed with cancer, he leaves his partnership interest to David and advises him to sell.
Zach is also a major contributor to the lives of Courtney and Donna, although they never know it. Zach arranges to allow Courtney's band to use the recording studio belonging to Clear Water Advertising and is instrumental in Donna obtaining a college scholarship from the Bateman Foundation. David has fond memories of Zach, counting him as one of the most respectable men he ever knew.
It was a different Zach sitting behind his desk that morning. His face was pale, and he looked like he had lost a lot of weight. David noticed that his hands trembled.
“Thanks for coming in, David,” he said.
“No problem, Zach,” David said, a worried look on his face.
Zach handed him a document.
“What’s this?”
“I’m retiring.”
“When?”
“Now.”
Zach told him once that he would die in his chair at the office. This would not be the case. David knew that something else was going on, but he didn’t feel close enough to Zach to ask him what it was. David skimmed over the document and then paused. He looked up at Zach.
“This says that you’re giving me your ownership interest in the firm.”
“Yes. And I recommend you sell.”
Then Zach handed him a piece of paper with three names and phone numbers written on it.
“These men want to buy the business. I’ve known them a long time. They’re good men, and they’ll give you a fair price.”
Then he stopped and smiled at David. “But they’re SOBs, so run up the price!”
“But Zach, what about your family?”
There were always framed pictures of his family all over his office: kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc. On his desk he had a large picture of his wife, who had died many years ago, and a picture of him and Carl with their Purple Hearts. These pictures had been packed up along with everything else. David noticed the boxes on either side of his desk.
“Yeah, well, they can take care of themselves. Besides, you’re the Captain’s son.”