His Boots Are A Reminder Of The Trauma Of War
The sounds of Texas.
David Bedard/U.S. Air Force (Public Domain)
This Texan didn't want to identify himself. But he did want to tell the story of his boots, what the inscription in them – APOSCATH8878 – means and how they're a reminder of a time in his life that's left an indelible mark on his psyche.
“CATH was the same religion as Spc. Pendergrass, one of the few Black Catholics I’ve personally known. They took his body back to Louisiana.”
“8878, the last four of my Social – the anchor that ties me to that day and others like it.”
A camel spider. There are many myths about these creatures, including that they’re massive and deadly.
“I can’t toss the boots. I can’t toss the sudden fear at home while watching the Spurs game. The sudden mistrust while eating a sundae at DQ, waiting for the mortar round to fall. Defeated, I stumble back inside and put the boots back. And in my drunken state, I mistake the laces of those boots for the long legs of a camel spider.”
Web story by Caroline Covington.
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