We hadn’t heard him come back home so when he walked into the room we were all surprised. He stood in the doorway, his cheeks red from the cold and dried tracks of recently cried tears. I remember thinking how odd it seemed to see someone as solid as my grandfather appearing so fragile.
Grandfather opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then closed his mouth and licked his bottom lip. I remember the words he said exactly; they are etched into my mind forever. “Witnesses said that John had pulled two men from one of the burning boats and had gone back to help another when the fuel tank exploded.”