BRENDA

A Note from the Author: I was drafted into the Army in 1967 after dropping a college French class and falling below the quarter credit minimum. Within months, I found myself in the middle of the Vietnam War with Charlie Company, 2/501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. The Tet Offensive had just ended and my unit suffered tremendous losses through the remainder of 1968. My R&R in Sydney, Australia was a welcome relief from the near nonstop combat. Brenda was a “Good Time Girl” I met in Kings Cross, the epicenter for GI’s on their one week R&R. Young women like her were not prostitutes, but simply loved to hang out with soldiers willing to spend lavishly on them during their brief visit. This short story captures that time with Brenda. 10% of the profits from this short story will be donated to The Surfrider Foundation.   About the Author: James Hansen is a business advisor with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program administered through Long Beach City College. Previously he served as executive director of U.S. VETS-Long Beach, the largest nonprofit in the nation providing shelter and vital services to homeless veterans. The facility in Long Beach houses 550 vets each night.