Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance
As We Were
1 reviewTakes place during WWII. Gerard Way is a newly drafted soldier and Joan Lux is an army nurse. Can they find love while war clouds gather around them?
1Exciting
March 5, 1941
Every newspaper in America was in shock and terror when Mr. and Mrs. U.S. citizen read the following headlines:
GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON UNITED STATES
World War II was well under way.
Adolf Hitler, the reigning German dictator, had already declared war on Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The U.S. was next.
Gerard Arthur Way, 20-year-old sophomore at New York State University, was sitting on a brick wall in the quad when he read the newspaper. He felt his heart drop all the way to his stomach innards. He looked up from the paper ocean of haunting printed letters and looked at the other students around the quad.
They knew. You could tell by the way they walked, talked, and acted. Hell, the way they held the papers could give away their fear and concern. The world’s situation looked bad. Really bad. Who could think of college dances, frat/sorority parties, or sports when their whole way of life was in danger?
He was in the dorm with his roommate Bert and his little brother Michael, who was a freshman and was affectionately known as Mikey, when heard the news again on the radio later that night.
When the news ended, Bert turned the radio off and looked at his friends, “Well, that’s the news. We’re at war with the world yet again.”
Mikey fidgeted a little, “D’you think we’re going to get drafted?”
Drafted? Thought Gerard. I never thought of that.
“Let’s not even think about it,” said Bert.
All of them were silent. What else could they think about if not that?
The draft came quickly over the last two weeks. Bert took the test for the air corps and passed as an air cadet. When Gerard heard the news about Bert, he ran to the dorm to find Mikey.
“Mikey!” Gerard shouted to him when he saw him. “Bert’s in the air corps!”
Mikey turned to his older brother and before he even got a chance to let out one syllable, Gerard noticed a sheet of paper in his hand, “Mikey, what is that?”
Mikey said, “Even bigger news than Bert’s.”
“What?” Gerard asked.
Mikey took a breath and said plain as day, “I’m drafted.”
Gerard sat on the steps of the library later on that day. He was sad and worried.
Drafted. Both Bert and Mikey are now in the military. Gerard felt helpless. His roommate was going to the air corps in a couple of days and Mikey was leaving for the army in four days. He wished he was drafted along with his brother. He had trouble sleeping that night.
“Why don’t you join up?” Mikey suggested to him the next morning.
Gerard looked at him, bewildered, “Join up?”
“Yeah,” said Mikey. “You could walk into a recruitment office and sign up for the army. Then we could go together.”
“I-I don’t know,” Gerard scratched his head.
“Oh come on!” Mikey urged. “I’ll even go with you when you get enlisted! What do you say?”
Gerard thought about it for a minute. Join the army and fight the enemy or stay in school and live in cringing fear. The decision needed to be made.
So he did, “Let’s go.”
“We have a lot of openings in the army,” said Master Sergeant Philips to Gerard. He and Mikey were in the recruitment office, listening to the possible placements in the army.
“He only wants to be in first rank,” Mikey explained.
“You wish to be in the infantries?” Master Sergeant Philips asked Gerard.
“Yes, sir,” Gerard replied calmly with a tint of nervousness.
Philips produced out a couple of inducement agreements from his desk and slid them over to Gerard, “Strictly statement of business. Sign these and you’ll be in the army.”
On April 5, 1941, Gerard Arthur Way signed into the United States Army.
Their parents, who were still living in New Jersey, were shocked when Mikey told them over the telephone that Gerard had joined the army.
“Why would he do that?!” their mother cried. “How could he do this? He had such beautiful plans when he graduates from college! Now they’re gone!”
Gerard motioned Mikey to hand him the phone. He did that and Gerard spoke to his mother, “Mom, I’m a soldier in the army of the united states. I can’t enjoy a gay, carefree life while civilization is in danger of the war. You may not see this as a good idea now, but one day, you’ll see that it’s for the best.”
There was silence on the phoneline for a moment, then she said, “Well, then. You tell me when you boys are leaving. I won’t let you go until I get a chance to say good-bye.”
Early morning on April 9, 1941, both Gerard and Mikey packed their bags and suitcases and left the dorm. Bert met them along the way and shook both their hands, “Good-bye, you guys. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Bert,” said Gerard.
They said good-bye to their friends, teachers, and Mikey said good-bye to his girl Alicia, who swore to write to him as much as possible. Gerard was a little envious of Mikey. He wished he had a girl to write to and would send him letters full of words of love and devotion.
They arrived at their destined train station on time and were surprised to find their parents waiting for them.
They said good-bye to Mikey first. Their father hugged him, “You be careful out there, son.”
“I will,” he assured him.
Their mother kissed his forehead, “Good-bye, my baby boy.”
“Oh Mom!” Mikey pretended to groan in embarrassment, but he smiled and hugged her tighter than anything.
Then Dad went over to Gerard and clasped his shoulder, “Don’t take any gruff from those sergeants, son. But don’t give them any gruff either.”
“I won’t,” Gerard promised and hugged him.
Then he turned to his mother, “Well, I guess this is it.”
Mom’s eyes filled with tears as she took her son in her arms, “Good-bye, sweetheart.”
The train whistle blew and both the Way boys hurried into the train, waving good-bye to their parents.
“Make us proud, boys!” Dad shouted and raised a victory fist out to them while Mom couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
Later, Gerard and Mikey were sitting in the moving train. Mikey looked out the window, “Hey, Gerard. We’re out of New York now.”
Gerard cracked a nervous smile, “Wow.”
“Oh, and Gerard?” Mikey said.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Mikey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box, “Happy Birthday.”
Gerard was completely taken aback. He actually forgot.
Today is his 21st birthday.
A/N: I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO (Takes a breath) SO SO SO SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK TOO LONG! I’ve been crazy busy at my job and been having computer, car, and family problems since the last time I written. Please forgive my delayness and my stupidity. I hope you like this. Rate and review, please. Love you all!
Every newspaper in America was in shock and terror when Mr. and Mrs. U.S. citizen read the following headlines:
GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON UNITED STATES
World War II was well under way.
Adolf Hitler, the reigning German dictator, had already declared war on Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The U.S. was next.
Gerard Arthur Way, 20-year-old sophomore at New York State University, was sitting on a brick wall in the quad when he read the newspaper. He felt his heart drop all the way to his stomach innards. He looked up from the paper ocean of haunting printed letters and looked at the other students around the quad.
They knew. You could tell by the way they walked, talked, and acted. Hell, the way they held the papers could give away their fear and concern. The world’s situation looked bad. Really bad. Who could think of college dances, frat/sorority parties, or sports when their whole way of life was in danger?
He was in the dorm with his roommate Bert and his little brother Michael, who was a freshman and was affectionately known as Mikey, when heard the news again on the radio later that night.
When the news ended, Bert turned the radio off and looked at his friends, “Well, that’s the news. We’re at war with the world yet again.”
Mikey fidgeted a little, “D’you think we’re going to get drafted?”
Drafted? Thought Gerard. I never thought of that.
“Let’s not even think about it,” said Bert.
All of them were silent. What else could they think about if not that?
The draft came quickly over the last two weeks. Bert took the test for the air corps and passed as an air cadet. When Gerard heard the news about Bert, he ran to the dorm to find Mikey.
“Mikey!” Gerard shouted to him when he saw him. “Bert’s in the air corps!”
Mikey turned to his older brother and before he even got a chance to let out one syllable, Gerard noticed a sheet of paper in his hand, “Mikey, what is that?”
Mikey said, “Even bigger news than Bert’s.”
“What?” Gerard asked.
Mikey took a breath and said plain as day, “I’m drafted.”
Gerard sat on the steps of the library later on that day. He was sad and worried.
Drafted. Both Bert and Mikey are now in the military. Gerard felt helpless. His roommate was going to the air corps in a couple of days and Mikey was leaving for the army in four days. He wished he was drafted along with his brother. He had trouble sleeping that night.
“Why don’t you join up?” Mikey suggested to him the next morning.
Gerard looked at him, bewildered, “Join up?”
“Yeah,” said Mikey. “You could walk into a recruitment office and sign up for the army. Then we could go together.”
“I-I don’t know,” Gerard scratched his head.
“Oh come on!” Mikey urged. “I’ll even go with you when you get enlisted! What do you say?”
Gerard thought about it for a minute. Join the army and fight the enemy or stay in school and live in cringing fear. The decision needed to be made.
So he did, “Let’s go.”
“We have a lot of openings in the army,” said Master Sergeant Philips to Gerard. He and Mikey were in the recruitment office, listening to the possible placements in the army.
“He only wants to be in first rank,” Mikey explained.
“You wish to be in the infantries?” Master Sergeant Philips asked Gerard.
“Yes, sir,” Gerard replied calmly with a tint of nervousness.
Philips produced out a couple of inducement agreements from his desk and slid them over to Gerard, “Strictly statement of business. Sign these and you’ll be in the army.”
On April 5, 1941, Gerard Arthur Way signed into the United States Army.
Their parents, who were still living in New Jersey, were shocked when Mikey told them over the telephone that Gerard had joined the army.
“Why would he do that?!” their mother cried. “How could he do this? He had such beautiful plans when he graduates from college! Now they’re gone!”
Gerard motioned Mikey to hand him the phone. He did that and Gerard spoke to his mother, “Mom, I’m a soldier in the army of the united states. I can’t enjoy a gay, carefree life while civilization is in danger of the war. You may not see this as a good idea now, but one day, you’ll see that it’s for the best.”
There was silence on the phoneline for a moment, then she said, “Well, then. You tell me when you boys are leaving. I won’t let you go until I get a chance to say good-bye.”
Early morning on April 9, 1941, both Gerard and Mikey packed their bags and suitcases and left the dorm. Bert met them along the way and shook both their hands, “Good-bye, you guys. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Bert,” said Gerard.
They said good-bye to their friends, teachers, and Mikey said good-bye to his girl Alicia, who swore to write to him as much as possible. Gerard was a little envious of Mikey. He wished he had a girl to write to and would send him letters full of words of love and devotion.
They arrived at their destined train station on time and were surprised to find their parents waiting for them.
They said good-bye to Mikey first. Their father hugged him, “You be careful out there, son.”
“I will,” he assured him.
Their mother kissed his forehead, “Good-bye, my baby boy.”
“Oh Mom!” Mikey pretended to groan in embarrassment, but he smiled and hugged her tighter than anything.
Then Dad went over to Gerard and clasped his shoulder, “Don’t take any gruff from those sergeants, son. But don’t give them any gruff either.”
“I won’t,” Gerard promised and hugged him.
Then he turned to his mother, “Well, I guess this is it.”
Mom’s eyes filled with tears as she took her son in her arms, “Good-bye, sweetheart.”
The train whistle blew and both the Way boys hurried into the train, waving good-bye to their parents.
“Make us proud, boys!” Dad shouted and raised a victory fist out to them while Mom couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
Later, Gerard and Mikey were sitting in the moving train. Mikey looked out the window, “Hey, Gerard. We’re out of New York now.”
Gerard cracked a nervous smile, “Wow.”
“Oh, and Gerard?” Mikey said.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Mikey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box, “Happy Birthday.”
Gerard was completely taken aback. He actually forgot.
Today is his 21st birthday.
A/N: I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO (Takes a breath) SO SO SO SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK TOO LONG! I’ve been crazy busy at my job and been having computer, car, and family problems since the last time I written. Please forgive my delayness and my stupidity. I hope you like this. Rate and review, please. Love you all!
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