One of my brothers is a Viet Nam war vet. We as a nation were so slow to recognize the courage and sacrifice of these men. They were not members of the extreme right or shoot ‘em up war enthusiasts. They were and are ordinary people doing a job that needed to be done and they did it under incredible circumstances. They did not have full support under fire; they did not have full recognition when they first came home and for many years afterward.
But most were able to go on with their lives – to heal and grow and become other “people” with different skills, with different “comrades.” The pictures from the life of this brother above clearly illustrate a time line of the stages in his life and of most of the “people” he became before and after service - from a school boy to a grand father. He did his job. It took him about 25 years to heal but heal he did. It was so good to have him fully back when he himself knew it had finally happened.
I believe that Memorial Day should recognize more than just those who died in war or as a result of it years later. I believe that we should also recognize the deep sacrifices those who came back made in taking time out from their civilian lives to serve.
Those who came home returned with a view of death at such close range, that they will always carry both the image of their own mortality and the image of their fallen comrades in their hearts and minds. They knew these men and women in a way no one could as they played out their lives under fire and facing certain death. And they remember the good times they all had – moments of bonding as friends -the times that made life easier “over there.” Our soldiers are men and women apart.
And now I know a bright young man who is working his way through college and ROTC. Born in Ghana, he is now a citizen with an enthusiasm for both country and service. He has restored my picture of our military as the finest fighting force. It is a comfort this Memorial Day with so many grave trouble spots around the world.
I cannot even lift one of the back packs he wears at certain times out in the field. Recently he had an exercise carrying that plus a “fallen comrade” in war games. He won a prize for his work. He is an “A” student in one of our nation’s top Universities and he is not satisfied with “B.” He is inquisitive, outgoing and kind. I am privileged to know the next generation of “men and women who stand apart.”
Are the wars we have fought worth it? The young Korean student from Seoul who boards at my house is a wonderful, worldly wise and kind young man who very much appreciates the life he has in South Korea. He counts on our protection so he can continue to do so.
Honoring all of my “reality life” friends and those on the internet who have served. Special thanks for the special sacrifices of ArleneArmy and her late husband. Thanks, Arlene, for letting me know and experience the person you became as a result of your service.
Although Arlene and my brother were both Army, I love the peace and beauty of the Naval Hymn and I dedicate it to ALL men and women of service to their country. Thank you for what you have done and are doing. Peace and grace follow you.
roxannadanna
May 29, 2010
What a beautiful tribute! Thank you!
samhenry
May 29, 2010
Thank you R. I hope you’re not just being nice because you are that – NICE!
steve
May 29, 2010
Your post here is superb. Thank you for honoring our true national heroes. If it’s okay, I’ll provide a link to share this with the regular visitors on my blog. I hope you and your family have a very good weekend.
samhenry
May 30, 2010
I am honored, Steve. I thought your sister was just being nice!
The brother pictured is my “Steve.” He is so good to his sister in a normal kind of way. It is off-hand you understand. He’s very cool. But boy is he a soft touch. I get lectured to and told secrets and hear I love you occasionally – the usual ebb and flow. You wouldn’t want your brother to be anything more than an all-American-I’m-sorry-I-didn’t hear-you-what-did-you-say type!
DarcsFalcon
May 30, 2010
What a beautiful and loving tribute.
My brother was in service during Nam, but he never saw combat.
samhenry
May 30, 2010
DF – Thanks for stopping by. Thank you VERY much. In those days as you may well remember, it didn’t matter if you did or did not go overseas, if you were in the military – even behind a desk – you never knew if that desk could end up on a base in Nam. Also, anyone in uniform was considered a pawn of the government. I remember the Anti-war movement on campus and these “radicals” sitting in the student union eating their juicy hamburgers and talking revolution and anti-war stuff without a clue to what real suffering was or what the real issues were. They lost that war for us. They thought they were doing our men a favor when they were putting them in more danger. Everyone wanted it to end but not at the expense of our troops. I think those people are older and wiser now or we would see them in the streets again. We still may when their unemployment runs out. My boyfriend was a draft dodger in Canada so I had to be tolerant. It was so hard.
DarcsFalcon
May 30, 2010
I was very little during Nam – my brother was several years older – but one image that has always stayed strong with me was the soldiers coming home, stepping off the planes, and kissing the first US soil they saw.
I grew up in the SF Bay Area, and I remember those protests well, for all my being little.
I remember thinking it odd that the hostile, angry ones were not the ones at war. The ones at war came home with kisses. And got spit on.
Powerful scenes. I guess they shaped me quite a bit.
samhenry
May 30, 2010
How well put, DF. You have a way with the language and I guess good writers do what painters do – show us something we’ve seen before but help us really know the soul of a thing through their “filter.” You are a living example of the line “there’s a child among us taking notes” or however it goes. I will pass what you have said on to my brother.