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That was a great poem, Ty. I salute all my brothers, living and dead. May God bless us all.
A great big HOOAH to all of our fallen brothers on this Memorial Day! May you and all the other names on the black granite wall never be forgotten! RIP borthers!
I came across this today:
Eulogy for a Veteran
by Author Unknown
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the mornings hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
( I hope for a peaceful rest to our fallen brothers.)
Bill:
The Memorial is in Frankfurt. It’s actually run by the Vietnam Veteran’s of America Kentuckiana Chapter right there in Louisville and they were the ones gracious enough to let me speak. They have a website, but I don’t have a link to it.
The Grayson County I referred to in that letter is down here in Texas, where I live.
Gary,
Where in KY is the Memorial? Where is Grayson county? I am orginally from Louisville. Very good letter.
Short Round,
I to have a tough time with Holidays. Memorial Day being one. Depression is one I struggle with on Holidays. Not with self medication but I become very quiet & want to be left alone.
SR,
Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” I have inlaws in Vietnam and life is not that bad for the general population. I certainly feel they are a hell of a lot better off now not having to wonder when the next bomb or bullet has their name on it. The folks in charge now are not dumb and want as much of our almighty dollar they can get their hands on. Talk about proper immigration, I am sponsoring my brother-in-law and his family to come here as permanent residents. It has been 10 years since we applied and we are now close.
Short Round:
Without wishing to open a debate on Communism, I would point out that what you’re describing is a result of the totalitarianism which accompanied Communism in the 20th century, not Communism itself. It’s just an economic model, not a form of government. However, our generation was fed such a relentless diet of anti-Communist propaganda by the schools, our government and the entertainment industry during our youth, that even today we have trouble separating Communism from it’s tyrannical traveling partners.
I too stayed away from the VFW and Legion for over 30 years. I heard one too many, “Now, let me tell you about a REAL war,” comments and walked out, intending to never return. But, 9/11 and the War on Terror brought me back. I swallowed my pride and anger at how we were treated and got back into it for the younger Veteran’s. I feel I personally owe them anything I can do for them, even if it means putting aside old hurts and joining forces with the VFW and Legion.
As for Memorial Day? It varies from year to year. Like a lot of us, I suffer from periodic bouts of deep depression, usually brought on by approaching anniversary dates and Veteran’s holidays. Now that I’ve learned to identify the triggers, I find that in recent years I’ve gotten better at not “self medicating,” to get through it all. For years, I’d realize after the fact that I’d been drinking a LOT more, but never knew why. Now, I do know why and it’s easier to control. And, last years opportunity to honor Stout with his family was a HUGE step in the right direction!
gary–yes–many of us nam vets have ignored the traditional veteran groups. i am 1 of them. my only visit to a DAV meeting–in 1971–well, i got less than a “welcome home “greeting. but you are correct–we should support those groups so there will be something for the current troops.
seems like every memorial day gets a little rougher on my psyche, for several reasons. any 1 else feeling this ? any comments ?
a few years after kennedy said–do what you van for your country–words to that effect, i read a couple books by doctor tom dooley–who started medico-to aid people`s in rural laos. his descriptions of what the north viet agressors did to rural people left no doubt in my mind that the north viets were Godless . the events after we left the south–the “re-education ” camps, and worse, prove dooley correct.and dooley wrote in the late 50s. compare south and north korea for more proof of communist actions and results. we in our limited way, did try to help the south viets, as the korean vets helped the south koreans to a better way of life. yea, not all that happens in wars is pretty. i`ve talked to a fair amount of south viet americans and all appreciate that we tried. they that have families still in vietnam don`t like what has happened and is happening there now. in plain language, communism sucks.
By the way, I also sent this to the local paper, in hopes they’ll print it. See what y’all think.
MEMORIAL DAY AND VIETNAM VETERAN’S
Another Memorial Day approaches and, once again, we’ll pause to remember those who died in service to our country. Once again, we’ll put flags on their graves and hold a ceremony and parade to remind people of just who paid for the freedoms we enjoy. In spite of the fact that many people confuse Memorial Day with Veteran’s Day, the emotions and thankfulness we’ll feel are genuine and appreciated by those of us who have served in harms way.
But, is that all we should do to honor their memories? Is that enough?
No, it isn’t. There’s more we can do, something else which will give meaning to their sacrifices. That something is to support the troops coming home from this war. They need us just as much as have previous generations of Veteran’s and if we’re not helping them re-adjust into civilian life and offering them our thanks and support, we’re leaving a task begun by those who went before us undone and unfinished.
Right now, Veteran’s service organizations such as the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars and American Legion are hurting for members here in Grayson County. There are barely enough active members to keep the doors open and not enough to run the programs which benefit the next generations of Veteran‘s. In fact, the American Legion in Sherman has already shuttered it’s facility and moved in with the VFW. They could be doing so much more if the “missing†generation of Veteran’s were there.
And who is that “missing†generation? It’s us, the Vietnam Veteran’s. When we came home, we didn’t feel welcome at the VFW and Legion, so we’ve mostly stayed away now for nearly 40 years. They didn’t want us then, so we’re not coming now. But, by doing so, we’re doing future generations of Veteran’s as awful a disservice as was done to us. Why? Because after the World War II and Korean War Veteran’s have carried the VFW and Legion as far as they can, there’s nobody to hand it off to. It’s too soon for the Veteran’s of the Gulf War and the War on Terror to pick it up as most of them are still young, starting families and pursuing civilian careers. It’s up to US to keep those organizations alive until the younger ones can take over and we’re not doing it. We’re letting them die for lack of involvement and, if we keep that up, they may not be there when the younger Veteran’s are ready to take over.
Is that honoring our dead? Are we keeping faith with them if we let the VFW and American Legion close their doors? To me, the answer is no, we’re not. We’ll be shortchanging those young Veteran’s by killing off the very organizations which have fought for us all along and which will be there to fight for them in the coming years. We’ll be telling our dead that Veteran’s really don’t matter to us, to the undying shame of our generation. As the membership of the VFW and Legion declines, so does their influence in Washington and Austin and that translates into nobody speaking for younger Veteran’s. Would our 58,000 friends who died in Vietnam be proud of us for that? I think not.
We have our own organization, the Vietnam Veteran’s of America, but in spite of the wonderful work it does, it won’t be there in the future for younger Veteran‘s. It’s programmed to die off when we die off. When we’re all gone, the VVA will be gone to and can’t help future generations. The VFW and American Legion WILL be there for them, IF we step up right now and do our part.
Will you, Mr. and Mrs. Vietnam Veteran? Will you answer the call and help save the VFW and American Legion? Right now, what few of us belong hold nearly every office, so they’re ours now and we need you to offer a helping hand not only for the younger Veteran’s, but in the memory of our dead. Let’s not dishonor their memory by shortchanging future Veteran’s.
LT:
I did my part too by washing, drying and gathering over 1400 little flags into bundles of 25 for use tomorrow at the local cemeteries. We of the local VFW will spend half the day putting them on Veteran’s graves. Then, Monday, we’ll have our usual ceremonies and I’ll also ride in the parade with the VVA. One Tuesday, we’ll go back and get the flags.
But, it won’t be as neat as what I got to do last year! I was the featured speaker at the Kentucky Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and got to pay tribute to one of our own, Jim Stout, whose name is on that Memorial.. AND I got to do it in company with about a dozen old Charlie Company guys, their wives and Stout’s brother and Nephew. What treasured memory that is!
Ben,
I did my part today by selling Buddy Poppies outside the post office and after that attended a very nice Memorial Day Ceremony at a local community college honoring 23 fallen men from our county. To all of my fallen brothers, May you rest in peace and may God hold you in his hands for ever. You made the ultimate sacrifice!
Whoa! An Adriatic cruise!
It’s nice to know some of us are rich beyond measure! LOL
Have a great time and don’t let any of those Greek babes get you.
Smooth sailing Rick.
Hey, fellas;
I really enjoy sharing of memories and hearing everyone say a lot of the things that I have been thinking for so many years.
I won’t be checking the site for about a week. My wife and I are taking a cruise starting tomorrow. We are going from Venice to Turkey, Croatia, and Greece.
I’ll check in as soon as I get back. Who knows, maybe I’ll run across Jack Bauer, (24), while I’m travelling.
Bill:
I don’t think it’s just us. Other generations of soldiers have dealt with the “Great Disillusionment,” too.
I had a personal friend who was a doggie in WWII, arguably the last just war, and he sometimes referred to that time of his life as “Back when I was doing all those bad things.” He never got over it.
Gary,
I truly understand. Somethings are never understood. Those were strange times which trouble most of us to this day.
Bill:
I didn’t expect it to be glamorous or heroic, but neither did I expect to find the “good guys” doing the things we did. See…I was a true believer at a time when nearly all my friends had written the war off. I really believed that we were bringing the fruits of freedom to those poor, oppressed people and that stopping the advance of Godless Communism was the right thing to do. Heck, I had to cheat my way into the Army and force them to send me to Vietnam from Germany, so badly did I want to do my part.
Of course, I hadn’t been in the bush but 3 or 4 days before I was ordered to burn someone’s house for the first time and even as a PFC, that struck me as not exactly what I thought I’d find us doing in the name of liberty and freedom.
It sort of went downhill from there and I never have been able to justify our deeds in relation to the rhetoric. There was a major chasm between the two and I haven’t bridged it yet.
Ya! Gary, I claimed about that false advertising stuff when I got there. Told them it was not as glamorus as they told me & I wanted to go home. All they said was “shut up” & keep humping point.
Rick:
I don’t know that those of us who immediately preceeded you were such good role models! LOL We were a pretty fractious and undisciplined lot. 🙂 We probably did as much deliberately wrong as we did accidently right.
Bill: Yes, most of us went because we had to and we fought because we didn’t have a helluva lot of other choices, once we got there and found out the war wasn’t exactly as advertised.
Gary,
We went because we felt we had to go. I did not want to go & felt from the time I got on a plane in Louisville, KY to Ft Lewis, Washington that I would not come home. The generation before me went so I went. I was not brave & scared but went. I came back but as we all know many did not. There is not a day goes by that I don’t think of my experiences. We do what we gotta do.
Gary, Russ, Short Round;
We were constantly hearing rumors about pull outs and other things concerning the politicians. We had good people like you guys who preceded us into that rats nest, so we were pretty well prepared. We still had to prepare for and CA into the Jungle. All that stuff still had to happen.
I know what you mean, Russ, when the 196th or “Gimlet” finally came to a close, I was sent to the 3rd Fld Hosp, (By then it was US Army Hosp Saigon), to spend my last 3 months in Country.
Gary, Ya know that Shortround and I came to Charlie Co. in the fall of 69 because our unit, the 82nd was going home. But we didn’t have enough time in country to go home with our unit and got transferred to Charlie Co. I’m open to correction, but I believe the idea was that the 82nd was first in, and therefore the first out, as politically, somebody had to come at that time….etc..etc.. That was probably the beginning of the end for all us. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think it’s an issue of more pain for one group than the others in the moment, but it was surely clearer for you guys that the support and leadership was done. Put that into the memories, and I’m sure it’s a tougher deal.
Short Round:
By the time I left in Aug, 1971, most of us had come to the conclusion that our primary mission was to keep from being the last poor, unfortunate bastard killed in a war which The People had decided wasn’t worth fighting any more. Troop withdrawls were going on every day, the news was full of protests against the war, our “leaders” seemed to be more intent on advancing their own careers (at the cost of OUR blood!) and there was only the slimmest prospect that ARVN could win the war in our absence. Yet…we saddled up and drove on. I cannot for the life of me, even today, figure out why. Why DID we go out there? Why DID we suffer as only the Infantry can suffer? Why DID we stuff our friends into body bags and get covered in their blood thrown up by the prop wash of dust off’s? Why DIDN’T we say, “You know what? Fuck this!”
I left Vietnam in August of 1971 and it was bad then. How much worse was it after that?
rick low–good to hear from a grunt medic and about some of the last days “out there”. as gary said–that had to be double rough by then. in 1970 some of us complained then about our usual lack of adequate choppers–since we figured the cav had them all. your comment about the cav`s choppers hit home. being grunts, we also complained about a few other things also–kept us healthy and in a “proper” frame of mind
gary cap–good comment about the last grunts out. sure got me to hearthinking. i left the bush near the end of aug of 70–from kham duc. talk about “sweet sorrow”–sweet leaving the bush, and the sorrow of knowing many of your fellow grunts were still out there. more sorrow came on 26 aug of 70 and the shit-hook crash–aways wondering–what if—-.then to recently hear–“maybe military should pay for their own health care, since they volunteer “—un friggen real. tell that to the families of that delta company platoon.
Ben and Russ,
How did the Ed Rimmer scholarship presentation go?
Gary;
As I recall, you are correct. The 1st Cav stood down before us, and, if my memory serves, they still provided us with helicopter support. We were moved all over the place from Phu Bai and Camp Eagle. We were involved in it, but, I’m pretty sure it was primarily ARVN . Also I was there when we were taken to Phu Bai and were told that we would have to mount up on 21/2 ton trucks to be taken to our base camp on Hill 180 (I think that’s the name of it). Some of the older grunts were concerned about being “trucked” to base camp, and some reporter interpreted that as “Unit refuses to make movement”. It was a real mess. I was sitting on one of the trucks, and saw the whole thing. They were just asking a question.
Rick and Jim:
I’m curious to know what role Charlie Company played during the North’s Easter Offensive in 1972? The 196th and one brigade of the 1st Cav were still in country for the duration of that offensive. Were y’all involved with it or was it left totally to the ARVN’s?
glen’s retirement party was a big success—lt and ben the letters were great he really appreciated them—————mr blakenship was there also he states he was with 413/417 jan 70 dec 70 another infintry unit? pics taken will upload when i get any