Before making any decisions, Eric was curious to learn how other historic battlefields had been treated or preserved. Maybe they could simply erect a monument marking the site and that would be sufficient. But in his heart, he knew it wasn't. A quick Google search led him to historical sites from the War of 1812, the French and Indian War, and the Civil War. Actually, he was surprised by the number of battles that had taken place across the United States. On the east coast, there was the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Saratoga, the Battle of Princeton, and the Battle of Long Island. Mississippi was home to the Vicksburg Campaign, and Chalmette was the site of the Battle of New Orleans. Both the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto occurred in Texas. Among the most tragic were the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which took place in Montana, and the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota. And these were only the tip of the iceberg—those that were considered some of the most important in U.S. history.

Notebook in hand, he wrote down every name and the dates that corresponded with them. Then he dug further to learn about who now owned the land and how it was being used. The largest and most historic battlegrounds had become national parks and were owned and protected by the federal government. Insofar as documented smaller sites were concerned, it was clear that most of those had also been preserved in some way, rather than becoming parking lots, shopping malls, or even housing developments. It was becoming readily evident to Eric what they had to do. Whether they rightfully owned the land or not was a moot issue. The eastern section of the property was not theirs to develop. It belonged to those who had fought and sacrificed. It represented freedom and liberty and needed to be recognized as such.

It was time to call Max.

“Max, I've been researching the history of our country's battlegrounds, and I have to tell you it's been quite a learning experience. First, you need to know that the larger sites have become national parks. Even the smaller ones that I found are left untouched and undeveloped.”

“Okay, so what do you propose we do? Remember, we do own the property,” Max reminded him.

“I admit I'm not well versed on the mechanics of these things and how to officially proceed, but if we're going to do the right thing—and I don't think we have a choice—we cannot build on that land. It simply has too much historic significance. Besides, it would imply a lack of respect and compassion for the military, veterans, and their descendants, not to mention patriotism. I'm unfamiliar with how to do it, but this isn't our land anymore. It belongs in the hands of those who will preserve its rich history and will pay homage to it.”

“Are you saying we should sell it? To who?” Max asked.

“No, not sell it. You see, it was never ours to buy. That land belongs to history, not whoever legally holds the deed. We need to separate the parcel and deed it back to the government.”

“That's our only option, huh?” Max asked. “That's not what I wanted to hear, but I guess you're right. Now that we know what we're dealing with, we can't ignore it.”

“No, we can't. We have to take into consideration what happened here and respect the feelings of those who serve our country and their families. This might be a setback for us, but it's something far bigger for them,” Eric agreed.

“Both my dad and grandfather were enlisted men, Eric,” Max said softly. “Figure out what we have to do to make this right and let me know. I'll contact my legal staff and make sure they're on board and ready to expedite matters.”

Eric made some phone calls, inviting key people to a meeting, hoping they would know how to proceed. Before any official moves were made, he wanted to hear their thoughts and ideas. Maybe they knew of other options or were entertaining different ideas. When he walked into the meeting later that week, he recognized the two gentlemen who had visited the job site, who had brought with them a couple of others from their organization. Also attending were several county officials, including a representative from the recorder of deed's office, a county historian, the president of the park board, and even the mayor. They had all agreed that there was some urgency to the issue and were willing to change their schedules to accommodate the meeting.

After introductions were made, Eric thanked everyone for attending and brought them up to date on what had transpired.

“First, I'd like to thank you for coming today. I hope I can provide you with some insight and information that will assist us in moving forward. As you know, we are in the beginning stages of creating a new housing development, but it has been brought to our attention that a segment of the property is the site of a historic battle that occurred right here in our community. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the battle and the area,” Eric said.

“Before I continue, I do want to let you all know we had no knowledge of this, nor was it ever disclosed to us before we purchased the land, which I understand includes about 20 acres of this battlefield. If we had known, we probably would not be sitting here today,” advised Eric. “But now that we do know that the property includes a historic site, we want to work with the community and the government to rectify the situation.”

Eric then opened the floor, asking the attendees to share their thoughts and opinions. The unanimous consensus was that the battlefield was a historic site, even without official recognition, and it should be treated as such. Several people added that they understood this was a unique situation and offered their understanding to Eric and Max, noting the hardship it placed on them.

Eric advised that although no final decisions had yet been made, they were roping off the area and creating a buffer zone. Any work on the east end of the property had been temporarily halted. He then requested assistance in determining the official boundaries of the battlefield. From there, they discussed a few other options, including rezoning the land, which was currently zoned as residential. They also asked the historian if she could provide the group with information about the necessary steps, should they opt to declare the land a historic landmark.

“What happens from here will depend on us and everyone else who is involved,” Eric said. “I wanted to bring this matter to your attention and seek your counsel and opinions before we make any final decisions.”

After the meeting, members of the American Legion approach Eric.

“You know, we came here ready to be on the defensive and fight to preserve history and respect the lives that were sacrificed on your land. But we didn't need to. We don't often meet with developers who are so understanding and willing not only to hear us out, but also to actually accommodate our wishes. Thank you.”

Those words humbled Eric. “It's become apparent that what we have here is larger, much larger, than a housing development. I respect that, and I respect you and those who have sacrificed for our right to purchase land and build what we want. But that doesn't mean that building what we want is the right thing to do. We will build, I assure you. However, we will have to make some changes and probably some sacrifices. Compared to the sacrifices you gentlemen have made, though, they're minimal. So don't thank me. Thank you,” Eric replied.

When he called Max later, his friend was happy to hear that the meeting was amicable. “I'm glad you brought everyone to the table at the beginning,” he said. “With their agreement and cooperation, we might be able to resolve this faster than we think,” Max said. “Now that you have put the wheels into motion, I think it's time for us to move on and figure out how we're going to adjust our plans for the site.”

* * *

When he returned home, Eric listed his options. First, he could try to apply reason and somehow persuade everyone concerned to allow them to build on the battlefield. It was an option, but not a realistic one. Second, they could build and still pay homage by erecting a monument on the land that conveyed its historic significance. Third, they could maintain ownership of the land but have it rezoned to prevent any development by them or any future owners of the property. Fourth, they could deed the entire parcel to an appropriate organization and turn the control of the land over to them.

Wondering what Carl might suggest, he emailed them.

Carl's reply wasn't what he'd expected, however.

Another solution? Carl wanted him to come up with another solution, but try as he might, Eric couldn't see one. It was either black or white—the area belonged to the developers or it belonged to some other person or organization who could stake a claim to it. Not only had Carl encouraged him to find a win‐win, but he'd also told him to be compassionate and understanding.

Hmm, the tokens again. They seem to keep coming up again, even after he'd forgotten about them.

That night Eric pulled out the box of tokens, thinking that one of them might lead him toward a solution. One by one, he flipped them over, rubbing his thumb across their smooth, worn wood surfaces. He wondered just how many other hands had held these tokens and how many others had found the answers they were looking for by the words engraved on them. Maybe his grandfather had touched each and every one, he thought. Oh, how he wished his grandfather was there to help him with this predicament.

The closest thing he had was Carl, and while Carl had been a strong influence, he had left the ultimate decision to Eric. But not before subtly letting him know that the choices he'd presented hadn't won his whole‐hearted approval.

Knowing that, he pulled out the blueprints. Maybe there was something there that he'd overlooked. Maybe, just maybe, if he looked at them long enough, the answer would come to him—a solution that showed understanding and compassion—one that revealed a tolerance of others and their experiences and passions, both in the past and in the present.

Examining the plans, he wished he knew just how large the battlefield site was—that would impact any plan he made. However, the expert had estimated that it was about twenty acres. Taking into account the buffer zone that they'd established, he blocked off a rough section and then contemplated the remaining development possibilities. He tossed around options, but failed to come up with anything other than variations of the options he'd posed to Carl.

A couple of cups of coffee and an hour later, he'd almost ditched the effort, thinking it was just his luck that his first project as a developer would come with such large‐scale problems. Of all the properties they could have chosen, they just had to choose this one. Shaking his head, he realized that the reasons they'd chosen the land might coincide with why it was chosen as a site for battle. It offered high, dry land that provided cover and shelter, as well as hills and boroughs. There was an open park‐like setting as well, but—unfortunately for Eric and Max—the site could not be a park. It was Eric's belief that nothing should disturb the tranquility of a site that was home to fallen American soldiers.

Then it hit him. He had a solution and one that could not only work for Eric and Max, but also paid tribute to the battlefield and military and veteran wishes. While it would require some replotting and new blueprints, it was feasible. Underground utilities and water supply and drainage lines hadn't yet been installed, so that wasn't a consideration. In the end, Eric smiled. It could even be a selling point for their development. Grabbing a pen, he wrote the words “Liberty Trails” on a piece of paper and began to document his idea.