When I was a teenager I was able to play the piano beautifully eventually I did learn how to do it with both hands and both my parents enjoyed hearing me play in the evenings and Sunday mornings. Twelve years later I'm twenty-one I have been in the military for four years now but I'll never forget the night I was sent off to a real battle it was raining that day when we ran and got our gear on it was when we were in the drop plane the staff drill Sargent was saying we might not return but that was the warning of every Special forces soldier knew as the Sargent was telling us the plan I could feel my heart racing and my hand shaking and beside me, I knew my battle buddy felt the same way, we all did but said nothing the E.T.A. Was thirty minutes as the mechanic's person was checking our parachutes I was silently praying this fight would go well and we wouldn't lose anyone before I knew it we were all standing in a line waiting for the drop doors to open and in an instant it opened and we dropped from the plane as we were falling I could see explosions down below I could see the smoke as the planes went down I quickly pulled my tab and released the parachute and floated down with the squadron once we hit the ground we all cut the ropes then ran a mile to the base as we were running I could hear the gunshots and screaming as we got close then we did what we had to we threw grenades into the enemy trenches and started shooting at the enemies. I was separated from my buddy fast but I did what I had to the field was a mess of bodies everywhere the medics dodging bullets just to get to the wounded. In the midst of the fight I heard my battle buddy screaming so I ran to him I was almost there when I got to him a grenade landed near us so I shielded my friend with my body then everything went black and the gunshots became muffled as the screaming died down

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everything was a blur I saw glimpses of my drill sergeant above me yelling things I couldn't hear then everything faded away.

The next thing I knew I slowly opened my eyes and saw my sergeant talking to people in white outfits I closed my eyes again and I could hear the beeping of the heart monitor

My entire body felt sore and my right forearm felt extremely painful I opened my eyes once again and tried to sit up but I was hooked to machines then my sergeant and doctor noticed I was conscious and rushed to my side

“Youre gonna be ok Soldier.” my sergeant said

He looked tired

Then the doctor looked at me with a sad expression

“I'm afraid you took a big hit and your right arm didn't make it but your gonna be ok—”

I didn't hear the rest of what the doctor said but I looked down and saw a metal prostetic arm where my arm used to be I tried to talk but coughed up some blood then tried speaking again

“What about Kaneko?” I asked

There was no response my doctor looked at my drill sergeant and the sergeant said

“I'm sorry, but your friend didn't make the flight home he died on the plane,” Sargent said with a sad expression

I couldn't believe it my best friend since college was gone just like that I started to wish I didn't survive either.

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A couple of months later I was discharged from the hospital the war was over and America won just like I knew it would but life didn't feel the same anymore I was forced to retire due to my inability to serve anymore so they sent me home my parents were glad to see me f course but it was hard settling in it felt weird eating with a prostatic arm and I would be so upsetting my fathers said it was just a phase and will learn to live with it one day I came into the living room and sat down at the piano bench I stared at it as I thought about all that had happened my mom saw me sitting there with tears in my eyes he said maybe playing a song would make me feel better but I just couldn't anymore at least I only played because Kaneko loved hearing pain music but now he's gone and part of me is too as I have to learn to live life without him.