the soldier's grave,
Some one may seek him
in hope to save!
Some of the dear ones,
far away,
Would bear him home
to his native clay.
'Twere sad, indeed,
should they wander nigh,
Find not the hillock
and pass him by."
- I remember as a young woman, the Vietnam War
was happening
"around me" ...not "to me." I was a child of "the 50's", a time
when you went to school, graduated, got married, and had kids.
..in that order. The guys either went to college or into the service.
All unquestioned and accepted. The "60's"brought about unsettling
changes around me, that I had not been prepared for, nor did I want
to accept. The only knowledge I had of war was in stories told by
my parents of the effect it had on them. I was actually conceived while
my Father was home on a "furlough."
But the Vietnam War brought an end
to our "feelings of the 50's."
I remember the
angry feelings when the news reports were of young
men fleeing to Canada while so many
other young men were dying.
I remember the Peace demonstrations and
the riots, the flag burnings,
and the anger this caused me. How could
this be? What was this all
about? How could "they" do this?
Had Jane Fonda gone mad?
My Father and his Father before him, and
all my uncles ,cousins,
and my brother had served proudly
in the military , and love of
country, patriotism , and pride had always
been a "given" in my
family. What was happening to the people
in my country?
I remember watching the return of the first
prisoners of war, and my
heart swelled with pride seeing some of
them fall on their knees and
kiss the ground of their homeland.
I believed the reports that all
POW'S would be returned. I remember waiting
for the big "ticker tape" parade I had seen in all the movies,
given to the returning servicemen.
But it never came..
- "No hurrahs No tears
of joy
No flags blowing in the breeze
Time has picked your pocket
And only time will tell
If you're really welcomed home.
No parade..No marching
bands
No flags blowing in
the breeze
No cheering crowds
to warm your heart
But WELCOME HOME,
WELCOME HOME
My friend.."
From a song by Willie Nelson.."Welcome
Home"
and wondering why it never came. I remember thinking it was just
a matter of time before ALL would be coming home to go on with
their lives in this great country where freedom abides, and "all this"
would fade into history.
I always "wondered" about all these things, still harboring the same compassion, I thought, for these soldiers, but never pursued it.
..... for I was busy at the time.
Busy with making a home and having
children. Never to stop and
think that the children I was bringing
into the world might one day
be apart of "all this."
I remember New Year's Eve in 1965, the year
my daughter was born it was reported
that there were 184,000 plus
U. S. Military personnel in Vietnam. On
New Year's Eve in 1968,
2 months prior to my son's birth, that
number had increased to
536,100, about 10 thousand short
of what our peak number would be.
There were 30,610 reported as having died
there.
My views began to change somewhat.
Those infamous bumper stickers, "America, Love It Or Leave It" carved out
of the red, white and blue,
are etched in my memory, as I began to
realize that to disagree with a government leader's agenda did not make
me anti-American nor meant
I loved my country less.
So now I face the end results of my own
indifference, and "silent wondering." My son now serves in the military
of the country we have always loved so dearly. The "blind eye" which
I had for "all this" back
then now stares me in the face. At any
given time my son could become
one of the statistics. NOW
it surpasses"just wondering"...
and becomes reality.
For this, on my knees, I ask the forgiveness
of all who served, who died,
who were left behind to suffer or die,
and those left at home to grieve for
those who witnessed the death and destruction
known as The Vietnam Tragedy. A tragedy that squandered so much of
America's young manhood.
The questions from my memory of those
times have never been truly answered. Perhaps it is because no one
else understood either..or cared.
After all..we've been busy...
