Ethan Halsey 

Ms. Lukecart

American Literature

3rd October 2019

Cares more about Desert 

In the heat of battle, the whizzing shots of bullets fly past, in unbelievable speeds. Friends drop dead on the ground with his bloody brains spilling out and soaking into the soft soil of the ground, but the group still pushes forward. To think that being a soldier is an american dream to good old Don Halsey. If anyone dared to ask jolly old Don Halsey, what his American dream consisted of, his answer would change based on where and when he stood in his life. Like the 60’s, where the struggles of the Vietnam war raged, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King had been assassinated, poverty lurked around every corner and race issues still prolonged, Don wanted to be a soldier. 

“I spose a Soldier in the army would be nice.” Don quotes, He pushed through the Vietnam war, through the Booming of the Union pacific and through the crazy hassle of having a family. His american dream went from being an American Soldier, to a woods worker as a grandpa to many children and grandchildren. In his earlier ages, he stood a careful eye for strict formality in his short buzz cut hair, his buttoned up uniform, and strong proud posture. Now he is seen in his colorful polo’s, torn jeans and wired glasses. Nowadays he cares more about tonight’s desert, rather than how he looks or stands.  

Don Halsey grew up in an old, broken down farm on a street corner. The House reeked of moldy baseboards with the remains of bugs and dirt, the roof held together from the flimsy rafters and the door creaked every time it opened. 

”It was a run down house and it wasn’t anything compared to the house I live in today.” Through the struggles of living, Don had always seen himself as a military soldier who fought for America. His green army men stood ready and armed as Don would play with them, imagining himself in those men’s feet. Growing up, he always made sure to get good grades, dress well and get the chores on the farm done. When Don graduated Tilden High School, he enlisted straight to the army, to help fight. The Vietnam War raged on for some time, and Don sprung right into the action of it. Don went to Boot Camp,  where the beds lay in perfect formation with not a sheet wrinkled and not a speck of dust on the wooden floor. The blast of gunpowder and cling of brass bullet casings echoed in his head for the next 2 years In the Army, he put his good etiquette to the test in keeping his uniform clean of any stains, powder or wrinkles, his bed made properly with nothing out of symmetry and his M1 Garand clean and fully functional. He served 2 years from 1963 to 1965, and when he left the military, He was met with a struggle that hindered his coming of age and american dream. He didn’t know where to go. 

From this point forward his american dream changed. No longer did he dream of being a soldier. Now He wanted to find a humble wife and settle down. For 25 years it took him to come of his age.   

“I just wanted a simple life with the many delights of having a wife and family” He said. One minor detail though, he didn’t have a job. So he went to school again and he degreed in engineering. Lucky for him his status came to be more of the higher social class and he did not have the constraints of racism or poverty that went on during the 60’s or even later decades.  He lived in a cramped Apartment in Omaha where he bared college. Once he achieved his degree he went and found a job at the Union pacific. There he went from rock bottom to a high social class, making a ton of money. At this point he found a spouse named Dorothy. She appeared as a curly haired, tall and vibrant smiled woman who never went to school, but instead taught at a church. Together they had three kids, each one looking just like the next. They settled down in a home right here in Omaha Nebraska. The house stood very nicely, with large concrete steps to the porch, three flower beds gleaming with color, and a garage door that could hold two cars.  Here, they supported a family of 5 with a great income and a great life. Life moves quickly and eventually, the three they had been raising went off to college, met people and had families of their own. Which led up to right now, at age 76, don likes his craftsmanship and hangin with his grandchildren. He loves extra desert and would never say no to a visit from family. If Don happened to be asked what his american dream consisted of now, He would simply say 

“For good health to me and my family, and to spend as much time as I possibly can with my family. Truly though, the American Dream is something that is not gained through earthly things but the happiness that forms in family.” Now did he reach his american dream? The answer to that question can be easily found in the happiness he has now with his family, and that certainly is a yes.