Don, I believe we have some cosmic connection here, likely amongst many of the other followers as well.... On my way driving out of town this past Friday afternoon, I had the same thoughts as in yesterday's article running thru my head -- just how do we get behind a holiday glorifying what I've now come to realize was rather senseless sl…
Don, I believe we have some cosmic connection here, likely amongst many of the other followers as well.... On my way driving out of town this past Friday afternoon, I had the same thoughts as in yesterday's article running thru my head -- just how do we get behind a holiday glorifying what I've now come to realize was rather senseless slaughter?
And our family has some military background, at least on my wife's side --- my better half was in the Navy in the late 80's, her father was Army in Vietnam, her nephew was Army in Iraq, and two of our daughters severed, one Navy, one briefly in the Army (had injury early on in training which lead to medical discharge). Learned early on in life, although not in detail, of how my father supposedly fled to Windsor, Canada to escape the Vietnam draft (my side of the family is all from Michigan). Had some trepidation on this route my father took for many years -- as we know the social programming to 'get behind' war efforts runs deep, but of course no longer.
Thankfully, my father's life definitely played out more fruitful, becoming a successful small business owner that contributed far more to society than anything that could have played out in SE Asia; and while my wife's father made it back from Vietnam, I am sure it contributed to issues he had later in life, especially the terrible ending due to scleroderma that some attributed to agent orange exposure -- was a rather horrific way to go, to say the least.
Enough about me....
Bravo for your efforts to bring this madness to the forefront of our community.
Maybe one day it comes to an end .... but unfortunately seems way off in the distance.
I appreciate you sharing your personal experiences, jwslaw. You bring up a point I left out; starting with Vietnam, we've seen how so many soldiers were mentally, physically, and emotionally impacted by the likes of Agent Orange, and left suffering from what has been termed PTSD. I was planning to flee to Canada if the Vietnam War had continued, but fortunately for me, it ended during my senior year in high school. Thanks!
Thanks Don, i witnessed the mental affects as well when my wife's nephew returned from service in Iraq where he was part of the real deal.... his transport vehicle was hit by one of those explosive devices and i think he was the only survivor. He also fought in the battle of Falujah.
He was medically discharged for back issues I believe, so he had a fair amount of money when he got back to the states and bought this fast turbo charged Mazda. Unsurprisingly, he was heavily drinking and would race that car around at very high speeds. Somehow, he did not kill himself doing so, but did crash. He's doing better now, but still drinks too much.
If i was of draft age during Vietnam and knew 20% of what I now know, then I woulda been headed for that border as well.
Don, I believe we have some cosmic connection here, likely amongst many of the other followers as well.... On my way driving out of town this past Friday afternoon, I had the same thoughts as in yesterday's article running thru my head -- just how do we get behind a holiday glorifying what I've now come to realize was rather senseless slaughter?
And our family has some military background, at least on my wife's side --- my better half was in the Navy in the late 80's, her father was Army in Vietnam, her nephew was Army in Iraq, and two of our daughters severed, one Navy, one briefly in the Army (had injury early on in training which lead to medical discharge). Learned early on in life, although not in detail, of how my father supposedly fled to Windsor, Canada to escape the Vietnam draft (my side of the family is all from Michigan). Had some trepidation on this route my father took for many years -- as we know the social programming to 'get behind' war efforts runs deep, but of course no longer.
Thankfully, my father's life definitely played out more fruitful, becoming a successful small business owner that contributed far more to society than anything that could have played out in SE Asia; and while my wife's father made it back from Vietnam, I am sure it contributed to issues he had later in life, especially the terrible ending due to scleroderma that some attributed to agent orange exposure -- was a rather horrific way to go, to say the least.
Enough about me....
Bravo for your efforts to bring this madness to the forefront of our community.
Maybe one day it comes to an end .... but unfortunately seems way off in the distance.
I appreciate you sharing your personal experiences, jwslaw. You bring up a point I left out; starting with Vietnam, we've seen how so many soldiers were mentally, physically, and emotionally impacted by the likes of Agent Orange, and left suffering from what has been termed PTSD. I was planning to flee to Canada if the Vietnam War had continued, but fortunately for me, it ended during my senior year in high school. Thanks!
Thanks Don, i witnessed the mental affects as well when my wife's nephew returned from service in Iraq where he was part of the real deal.... his transport vehicle was hit by one of those explosive devices and i think he was the only survivor. He also fought in the battle of Falujah.
He was medically discharged for back issues I believe, so he had a fair amount of money when he got back to the states and bought this fast turbo charged Mazda. Unsurprisingly, he was heavily drinking and would race that car around at very high speeds. Somehow, he did not kill himself doing so, but did crash. He's doing better now, but still drinks too much.
If i was of draft age during Vietnam and knew 20% of what I now know, then I woulda been headed for that border as well.
Thanks again for your hard work