VIETNAM

To some, this post is just a "yeh, so what's the big deal". But somthing just happened that brought out a bit of emotion in me, almost a tear in my eye. I've always made it a point to not talk much about my time in Vietnam - I think most who talk about it a lot probably was not really there. I've never put a "Vietnam Vet" sticker on my car or motorcycle - I just though "hey, I know I was there" what does anyone else really care anyway? It was a wasted war and there were no hero's return for us, you just came home. Home was different than it was the day I left. Most of my friends were in college, or moved on to other things. I lost a girl I really loved to one of those college guys. A few like me were home on leave from the military, one, a pretty damn good friend - came home from Vietnam - walked into his parents garage and blew his head off with a shotgun - I never forgot that. Nothing was the same, I couldn't relate anymore to the people around me who were protesting the war. So I went back to my family - the Military - where I spent a great and rewarding 22 year career. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

So what's my point? When we got off the airplane at SEA-TAC all we all wanted to do was just get to our flights to home. We were wearing our dress blues (that was the requirement then) and as we ran through the termnal their were protesters awaiting our arrival and they were cursing and spitting at us. That really bothered me but I didn't stop to confront them, I just wanted to get home. I don't remember who picked me up at the airport but I don't think it was either one of my parents - and I didn't think about it till later but I got the usual "Hey, glad to see you back" No thank you for your service like they get today. It pretty much seemed like a non-event. My 30 day leave at home was pretty bitter-sweet - but I put it behind me and moved on.

It's 41 years later now - and all that stuff is just a bitter memory. I married a great (really awesome) wife who just retired from the Military after 34 years of service (thank's babe)... and I've had a second great career with the Airlines... but underneith it all there is a slight anger that I just don't speak about. I really didn't do much in Vietnam - I just patched up airplanes 12 hours a day, spent lots of nights in the bunker during motar/rocket attacks, pulled perimeter duty once a month and did one secret mission up North - that's it... no big deal - but I did go - I thought it was my duty to my country - I didn't run away to Canada, I didn't hide behind a college deferrment - I went - like hundreds of thousands of other guys/gals.

I recently put a Vietnam Vet sticker on my motorcyle's panniers - only cause I thought I just might get a break from some of the crazy car drivers on the road. Maybe it works, maybe not. But today - I had just rode into the Kroger parking lot to pick up a loaf a bread. An old guy (like me) a bit crippled and working as a bag boy limped over to me and said "Hey, I see you got a Vietnam sticker on your bike - you over their? I replied yes, he said what year? I said all of 1968 most of it in Phan Rang. He held out his hand and said Tiu Wai 1967 - "Welcome Home Bother". I teared up just a bit - nobody had ever said that to me - ever in 41 years back home. Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to anyone else - but it was to me. Over & Out.....