Two National Treasures

Professor Moore looked up when he heard the knock at his office door. It was Basil Hobar. “Come in, Mr. Hobar.” Professor Moore stood and extended his hand. “Nice presentation.”

Basil accepted the handshake. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate all the help you’ve given me.”

“Nothing really. I just pointed you toward some ideas. That’s all you needed. It’s a good dissertation.”

“Thanks. There’s one more thing. I have the papers here somewhere.” Basil lay a folder and a small yellow book onto Moore’s desk. “I need your signature three times before I run these papers over to the graduate office.”

“Easily done.” Professor Moore pulled out his favorite black pen, leaned over, and wrote his name on the last line of the first sheet. He paused and picked up the book that lay beside Basil’s folder. “Where in the world did you get this … a first edition even? Our library doesn’t have a single copy. What a treasure this is!”

"It was my grandfather’s. You’ll remember I referenced the book in my dissertation.”

"Yeah, but I thought … . Do you know what this is worth? Where are you going to keep this book? It’s a priceless piece of math and physics history?”

“I’m about to be deployed. Remember? The Army gave me a chance to come back here to graduate school, but now I’ve got to spend time with the troops again.”

“You’re not taking this into a combat zone.”

“Yes, sir. Taking it for late night reading for when I can't sleep.”

“You can’t! You should loan this to our library. Or, let me keep it for you.”

“No, sir. My company will be pretty isolated. I’ll need something for the quiet times. Out there, it’ll be two sergeants, a lieutenant, and me holding the company together. The last company commander was medically evacuated. The executive officer wasn’t as lucky.”

Professor Moore flipped through a few pages. “Then you mustn't. There’s good stuff in here. Seminal. This is a national treasure.”

Basil Hobar straighten. “Yes, sir. We both agree that there are important things inside the cover of that book.” When Professor Moore looked up, Hobar was unbuttoning his shirt. “Look, sir, I’ve got a cover, too. And important stuff is inside this cover. Yet I’m going.”

Professor Moore’s voice seemed colder. “Button your shirt, Mr. Hobar. Where else do I sign?” He scratched his name on two more sheets.

Thus, it was that Captain Basil Hobar and a bright yellow book … two national treasures … shipped out to the Korangal Valley of Afghanistan in the late summer of 2025.