Today is Memorial Day. As a Vietnam veteran, it is a day that awakens my heart each year because, even though it's been 40 years since I participated in that war, there are men and images that will never fade. They are as clear today as in 1970 and 1971.
I offer you "Memorial Day History" at the US Memorial Day website if you wish to know more about the day and how it compares to the similar but different Veterans Day.
When I was in Vietnam, it was a war-torn country divided into North and South. Today, it is a major tourist attraction. However, years ago it was a land where 58,000 Americans died.
As a Vietnam veteran, I was not welcomed home. Soldiers were often blamed for the politics of the war. Today, there are groups trying to make up for that.
If you are part of a family that has had someone in the service, you understand the intent of this day. If you have lost someone to war, you fully understand this day. However, perhaps you are an American who has not had personal experience with war and the military and simply charged up your grill for this entrance to summer. Please put your spatula down.
Let me give you a representation of men and women in war. For most of the time I was in Vietnam, I lived in a "hootch," a small building with about 14 other guys. A couple times, a week the North Vietnamese would send rockets at us. You never knew when you could die. I was in finance for a time and paid troops. I also paid their life insurance when they died. Sometimes they were dead in as little as a week from the time they came "in-country." What these infantrymen faced as far as terror and danger can never be put into words except by the men themselves -- and sometimes even they falter.
I remember the 19-year-old medic who showed me his young wife and daughter. He wanted to be a doctor and, despite the danger, was enthusiastic about the future. He was killed by a hidden bomb within days.
It wasn't just the physical death. Men took drugs and stayed drunk due to the emotional pain. Girlfriends and wives at home, in some cases, deserted them.
And of course, there was always the knowledge that there was something wrong with this war.
I saw many men die back then. Further, I have friends from high school who died. Their memories always come to mind on this day.
I go to the VA for my medical treatment. There are always men looking lost and confused and confined to wheelchairs. These are the casualties over and above the 58,000.
I urge you, if you know a veteran's family or a veteran, take some time, even a few minutes, to let them know you're thankful they paid a price for you.
Your burger will taste a lot better; I promise.
References:
Answers.com Website, "How many people died in the Vietnam War?"
Lonely Planet Website, "Introducing Vietnam"
Department of Veterans Affairs Website, "History of Veterans Day"
US Memorial Day Website, "Memorial Day History"
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