The Iowa Sisters #2 The Red North

Chapter 24

BREMERTON WASHINGTON NOVEMBER 1963 "IOWA"

Forget the fact that we were in Washington State at the time. Forget the fact that it was pouring down rain as usual in the Pacific Reserve yards of the Mothball fleet while over in Dallas it was sunny and 900. News travels fast and it wasn't long before the whole yard was swarming with it.

Missouri didn't even blink when a blubbering workman spoke the two words that would fill any citizen with sorrow "Kennedy's dead."

President John F. Kennedy Jr. aka: JFK was on an election tour for his second term when an assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, shot him in his open convertible on the streets of Dallas.

I gritted my teeth together. It wasn't so much the fact that our president had been shot that disturbed me, it was who did it. Oswald was a Russian and it just went to prove my point that you couldn't trust a Russian.

"Russia will pay for this." I hissed. "Hey now easy does it, it was one man who killed JFK not a whole country." New Jersey said.

"Of course, you're fleet healer. I never expected you to understand." I muttered. New Jersey's eyes flashed with a mixture of pain and anger.

"Iowa that's going too far." Missouri growled harshly. Feeling the weight of her order, I backed off still muttering curses under my breath.

"You think I enjoy this job?" New Jersey asked. I sighed. "No, I don't." I replied, calming down a little. She looked at the trees that were now being shrouded in a ghostly mist.

"It's been three years since I last heard from her. I should've been expecting it, she was old and useless after all." She muttered. "It was her time New Jersey, and she knew it. But we will all miss Enterprise." Missouri murmured.

In 1958, fleet healer Enterprise had been sold for scrap by the navy. Hearing of this, many veterans of both World War 2 and the Korean War protested this and tried to raise funds to buy her back from the scrapyard but it wasn't enough. Enterprise went to the breakers in the state of New Jersey in November of that year.

For all I knew, she'd died sometime during 1960. Most likely it was September though for I did hear that she met her successor, the new Enterprise who was a loner in her class of aircraft carrier and one of the first nuclear powered ships in the world.

She was an eager young thing and since Kidd's appointment to become a museum in Baton Rouge Louisiana, Missouri chose her to become deputy. It was a position that Enterprise relished in and she threw herself bow first into it at full throttle.

She handled much of the fleet activities now that Missouri was in reserve but she did occasionally come by to talk with her leader.

I yawned hugely. "Not bad sis." New Jersey praised me. "Your turn." I said. Still grinning, she opened her mouth wide and gave a huge yawn. "Missouri?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"You go ahead Iowa, no thank you." She replied. "Wisconsin?" I asked, turning to my youngest sibling. Wisconsin was staring off into the distance, her blue eyes unfocused. "Wisky, earth to Wisky." I said, nudging her fiercely.

"Wha, what?" She asked. "New Jersey and I are playing biggest yawn wanna join us." I asked. She glared at me. "You broke my concentration Iowa, no thank you." She huffed and turned back.

Within minutes, the dreamy expression on her face returned. "Ok fine, go ahead and daydream." I muttered.

New Jersey frowned. "You know, something doesn't seem right with Wisconsin." She said. "I have to agree with you, she never passes down an opportunity to play with us." I replied.