One Final Mission — Jim Miller

OLD SOLDIERS, RETIRED, FORGOTTEN. BUT WHEN THEIR COUNTRY NEEDED THEM, THEY REPORTED FOR DUTY, THE TOUGHEST DUTY OF THEIR LIVES.

WHEN ARE YOU TOO OLD TO BE A HERO? THEY WERE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

...Another volley of shots came from the building roof. Puffs of white dust -- bullet impacts -- all around them. So many. Bullets everywhere. How were they possibly going to survive?

Jerry felt the hit in his right arm. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” It wasn't bad, really, just a bee sting. The kid sagged, probably hit. Jerry took the boy's arm and wrapped it over his shoulder like a fireman rescuer. As they ran, the boy grew heavier. His feet quit working and just dragged, leaving parallel toe tracks in the loose dirt.

The hailstorm of bullets continued to rain all around. Somehow, they survived to make it out of range. With each step, gunfire sounds faded until finally, they sounded no louder than distant firecrackers. The tree line was close..

Five poker buddies, all Vietnam vets, harbor faint but unrealistic aspirations of being recalled to active duty. Then a phone call from an aging general makes it a reality, launching them deep into Northern Canada on a mission so sensitive the U.S. government couldn't risk even a hint of involvement. Despite the physical limitations of their aging bodies and minds, the vets are fired up, brimming with that old military patriotism and bravado. But once alone in the woods, they find themselves isolated, outgunned and overwhelmed. The old “Death before dishonor” motto takes on an ominous reality.