Special Dedication
Feisty Family & Friends is dedicated to CWO Luis G. Holguin, MIA, Viet Nam War.
In 2018, author Elaine Palen contacted me about helping the National League of POW/MIA Families from SE Asia. They held a raffle to choose a name for one of my books.
I’m honored to say that CWO Luis Gallegos Holguin’s name was chosen and his character has a special place in my heart. I included some information about his family and imagined what he might be like if he had returned after the war.
On January 3, 1971, CWO Luis G. Holguin was onboard an aircraft flying from Quin Nhon to Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam. Luis was a helicopter pilot for the US army. The purpose of this flight was to pick up additional helicopters for the war effort. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost approximately fourteen miles southeast of Phu Cat at 1120 hours. Search and rescue efforts were called off after six days when they found no trace of the aircraft or personnel. CWO Luis Holguin has been Missing In Action ever since.
Growing up, Luis and his family were migrant workers following seasonal crops throughout the Western states. Luis’ high school dream was to become an airline pilot. With no money for college, Luis voluntarily joined the Army and received pilot training.
Thank you to the Holguin family for allowing me to imagine a different future for Luis. Moreover, thank you to all of the military, past, present, and future, for your sacrifice to keep our country free.
I received this message from his sister:
Bonnie,
I did receive your marvelous book. I read it immediately and loved it!!
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH. My entire family really appreciates your book and the special dedication to my brother. I’ll keep an eye out for hardcopies available as I am sure my seven other siblings will want a copy of their very own.
May GOD bless you in all future endeavors,
Josie Holguin Gerende
Read an excerpt
Chapter 1
The Riverside bungalow smelled like cinnamon and toasted pecans with hints of butter and yeast. Joe Linden opened the oven door and smiled.
"We did it, Little Bit."
"Smells good. We make a good baking team, but the truth is in the tasting. Are they ready?" Tillie Linden asked, fingers crossed.
"I think so. Golden brown and bubbly goodness." Joe slipped on two mismatched but equally stained oven mitts and removed the oversized pan from the oven.
Tillie slid off the kitchen stool and smiled. "Good job, honey. They look perfect."
"I don't know why it took me so long to join you in the kitchen. I guess I thought it was women's work, but it's great fun, and you're a good teacher." Joe stood with mitted hands on narrow hips, a grin spreading across his slim face. They exchanged a high five before embracing.
"I love you, tall man. Thanks for helping these last few weeks."
A foot taller than his wife, Joe still wore his hair cut short, "high and tight," Air Force style, even though he was retired, and the brown had turned to gray.
"Thank you for trusting me in your domain and sharing your expertise. These sticky pecan buns are my final test, right?"
She laughed, and her white curls bounced. "Yes, I think so."
"They're what totally cemented my love, after falling for you at first sight." Joe cut the corner roll and slipped it onto a white saucer. He watched as his petite wife took a small corner of the bun, blew on it and popped it into her mouth. Her dark eyes closed as she chewed.
"Well?" His warm voice was anxious.
She opened her eyes and swallowed. "Damn, good stuff. You get an A+."
He scooped her up and swung her around, laughing. "You're the best thing to ever come into my dreary existence."
She kissed him soundly. "As are you, now, I need a nap," Tillie said.
"I'll clean up and join you once I've delivered the goodies to Peggy's."
"Thanks, love."
Tillie's feet and heart were heavy as she flopped on the bed and instantly fell asleep. When she woke thirty minutes later, the house was quiet. Running her hands through her mashed white curls, she sighed, heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water and assess what cleaning still needed to be done. Her body ached all over.
"Oh, what fresh hell is this? Not again," Tillie spoke loud enough to be heard in heaven. "No third time's the charm for me, please, God, please." Alone in the kitchen, she slammed a dirty cookie sheet into the sink and stomped her small foot. "I'd scream at the top of my lungs if it would do any good, but it would just make my throat hurt. You're really going to let this happen again? Haven't I been a kick-ass friend, pastry chef, and wife? I gave up both breasts, what more do you want from me? What do I have to do to stop this? What about Joe?"
The garage screen door slammed, making her jump. "What about Joe?" he asked, planting a kiss on a tear-stained cheek.
"I'm not feeling well," she mumbled.
His eyes became huge. "Go lay down. You're just tired. You've been working too hard."
She turned and stroked his smooth chin, "I don't think so, tall man. It's time to call the doc."
"Dammit. Dammit, all to Hades and back."
"My sentiments exactly," she said.
His eyes filled, but no tears fell. His flushed cheeks puffed out with a cleansing breath. Joe grabbed the phone and dialed the number from memory.
