We find out that their will be a 10 hour delay before their plane departs and all Marines have an extra three hours to be with their family.

With our Mom crying non-stop and our Father not saying a word.

You can put any family in the world in that position and no one would do what we did. With their son going off to war in hours, most of America would go to a church and pray.

Rick says "Hey, I got an idea. I hear Caliente race track (that in Tijuauna, Mex.) has the dog races tonight".

And that's what we did. Now am 11 years old and I am watching my brother study the racing form like he has not a care in the world.

I witnessed alot of first things in my life that night.

I had never seen my Mom cry like that, another was seeing my Dad so quiet. And the third was I had never seen so many God Damn Mexicans in all my life.

In all the billions of people, only Rick would have this great idea.