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War Story
When the Call Up Came in the Summer of 2025
Heroes and Cowards
Dave signed up immediately. Told me we were going to smash those Russkies. Take a stand, make a difference, be counted.
That was Dave all over. Always the hero. The guy who’d rush into impossible odds to defend a friend, a lady, or his own principles. A heart of gold and a brain… well. Let’s say there were no shades of grey with Dave. It is what it is, he would say at every opportunity. And with Dave — it was what it was.
I didn’t sign up straight away. I checked every damn exclusion clause I could find. The internet was full of them. Religion, gender — I checked all the angles.
You might think my best mate would have been aggrieved by my obvious cowardice. Not Dave. He knew I wasn’t cut from the same cloth as him. He gave me a pass on it. I waved him goodbye as the trains left for Europe.
It wasn’t easy for me. Everyone in the neighbourhood knew I was a coward. I didn’t bother saying pacifist, there was no point. And it didn’t stop me from being sent to prison for six months. That was hard. Criminals have a surprisingly high sense of duty to country.
When I got out, no one talked to me. I avoided the news, it was too depressing. Endless victories with no end in sight.
