Captain Nathan Holland

"Alright, listen good Marines." I say, as my men look at me. "Command has assigned us to escort medical volunteers into a village that suffered from a hurricane. Another way to win the hearts and minds of the people." I say, placing my helmet on the desk.

"I want you all to remain vigilant, aircraft are grounded so we're moving on a dirt road via convoy, while the area is clear of VC activity, keep an eye out for anything that even makes a damn twig snapped." I told them as I turned to Diego, giving him a nod to disperse and organize.

As Diego began shouting orders, I grabbed the opened letter from my breast pocket, looking at it. I felt my eyes soften in pain, but I didn't let that stop me, I have men I have to bring home...Can't worry about a Dear John letter now.

As I walked out the tent, I glance and see one of my men conducting inappropriate actions to a nurse as I quickly turn, both of them not noticing me. "Come on baby...you look good in green but I bet you look-"

"Corporal Benzoyl Hacksaw, report to your squad lead." I ordered him as he turned to him, quickly straightening out, I could see in his eye he had something to say to me, but he shut it. "Yes. Sir." He said slowly before dispersing as I turn to the nurse.

"You alright ma'am?" I ask her as she nods, only having an annoyed look. "Happens all the time, Nurse Dash, Dash Loreen, I'm part of Doctor Richardson's volunteers." She says as I gave her a reassuring smile, offering my hand for a handshake as she takes it.

"Captain Nathan Holland, I'll be leading you to the way." I say, as she smiles a bit. "Thank you sir, looking real forward to work with you." She says, her Texan accent slightly peaking through as I stood to the side, letting her go back as I looked up to the sky, seeing the clouds darken.

"Well...little rain didn't hurt nobody."

I gasped, sitting up as I quickly tense up, until I realized, there was no boom of a grenade, no shrapnel hitting him and tearing him apart, nothing, as he looks around.

Instead of the foxhole, or the jungles of Vietnam, filled with gunfire, the screams of the wounded, explosions running through, the wet mud and dead environment was replaced with a lush green field.

I blinked twice, making sure what I was seeing was real as I reach up to my face, rubbing my eyes. When I opened it again, it was still there.

The green field was surrounded by a nearby beautiful forest, and a dirt road, the sun shining through the clouds. I looked around, slowly getting on my knees, the fields we're beautiful, as I slowly reached my hand out, to feel the lush grass, it was real.

As I went to scratch my face, I felt something odd. The small stubble I had growing...it was gone. As I looked down to my body, something felt odd, I was more energetic, strong, I felt great, unlike the beaten battered up thirty eight year old captain I became.

"Captain?" I heard Diego call out as I turn to see him next to me, I quickly rushed over, pulling him up.

"Are you alright sergeant?" I ask him, but he looks at me with a surprised expression. "Cap...tain? Is that you?" He asks me as I look at him with confusion as I notice, he looked more...vibrant, more young, he's twenty five.

"Yeah, it's me, come on lets get your leg-" I was cutoff, as I pulled up the sleeve of his trousers to see...no bullet hole, nothing, as I look at him with shock and confusion.

Then I quickly pulled up my trousers too, checking to see the blood that stained my leg was gone, and the bullet hole gone too, everything looked...new.

"What the fuck..." I muttered in confusion as I help Diego up, as he still kept looking at me.

"Sir, you...look..." Diego says, but didn't finish, unable to find the right words as I reach for the small mirror I had for shaving in my pocket, as I pulled it up to see.

Me, but younger, I looked like I was in my early twenties, maybe I was even eighteen as I stared at the mirror in shock, my hardened light blue eyes replaced by vibrant ones, my stubble gone, the small scars from combat, gone.

I heard groaning as I turn, to see Cole and Dash, they both haven't changed one bit except for their clothing, as Dash looks at me.

"Woah." She says, stunned and her eyes softening as I glance at her with confusion while helping Cole up. "Check for injuries!" I ordered them, right now I need to get a grip of where we were.

"What the fuck is going on, Captain?" Diego asks me as I turn to him, I knew Diego for a long time, when he was still a private and I was still a lieutenant, I would consider him my best friend as I look around, grabbing my M16A1 rifle which was noticably clean. "I don't know...Cole!" I call out as he rushes to me, still processing how I looked like while Dash was taking in the view. "Check that dirt road." I told him, handing him my binoculars as he nods. "Yes captain!"

As I watch Cole run off, I checked my M16, removing the mag, and to my surprise, the magazine was full. "The fuck kinda..." I muttered as I turn to Dash." Your alright Miss Loreen?" I ask her, walking to her as she looks at me again, before looking away a bit slightly with an...expression I can't make out. "Yes just...well, still processing your young, captain." She says as I chuckled.

"Me too." I told her as suddenly Cole ran over to me as I turned to him. "Sir, incoming...carriage." He says as I look at him. "Incoming what?"

Then my answer appeared as I saw an old wooden carriage appear on the dirt road, with two horses pulling them as I quickly approached it, holding my hand as I see the elderly man stop his carriage, his clothing was...odd, he wore garments that looked...well, old, not as in worn down but, something you would see in a history book, as he turns to me.

"Sir, my squad is a bit lost, mind telling us where we are?" I ask him, as he only looks at me with confusion.

"Jaka gofa he jolu fa hi Naka du?"

"...son of a-"