Against The Odds

True grit gave this soldier determination.

- Roger Comer

Although his name was Edward, to all of us he was simply Junior. He was 14 when I was born, and I idolized him.

The earliest stories about Junior came from my parents and brother. They told me that when Junior was very young, he suffered from severe asthma attacks. At times, my father brought the doctor to our house in the middle of the night to administer medicine.

One night, my brother started to turn blue and the doctor took him outside into the cold air, where he soon recovered. My mother used that same procedure during future attacks.