He joined the Army in the fall of
1967.
It was a
dangerous time to be male, aged 19-21, unmarried, and not enrolled in
college. Families dreaded the daily
delivery of correspondence, knowing it was a matter of time before the summons
would come with the news that their sons had to report for duty. There was
little they could do to keep them safe from the draft.
Very few of
them hurried to get married just to gain a reprieve; others were not interested
or could not afford college. Living in Texas, it was ridiculous to consider
making a run for Canada.
He had no immediate plans for the
future, but he was nineteen and very few boys that age know what they want to
do with their lives. The Army promised him a career, he said, and if he waited
to be drafted he would not be given a choice.
He didn’t want to go Air Force or Marines.
He came home at Christmas before
leaving for Vietnam. He promised us all
he would be back in one year; he would be fine.
He died four
months later. It was early May. My
mother returned my dress, a pink organza gown with an empire waist and puffy
sleeves, and bought me a black dress instead.
I don’t even remember the boy who was to be my date for the senior prom.
We waited
almost three weeks for the return of his body, and his mom buried him in the
family plot and not the national cemetery.
Many more young
men died over the next few years. Their names are inscribed on plaques all
throughout the city and their names are read on Memorial Day. We thank them for
their service. We thank them for their
sacrifice. Most of their parents are gone, so others bring the flowers and
others tell their stories.
But I was
there forty-five years ago.
He had just
turned twenty. He was funny, smart, and cute.
Everyone liked him and he liked everyone. The morning he died, he awakened to gunfire. The soldiers on guard duty had fallen asleep
and the enemy was storming their campsite. He grabbed his rifle and came out of
his tent shooting, but he was fatally wounded, taking gunfire to the stomach
and more to his face. He died in a fellow soldier’s arms while waiting to be evacuated
by helicopter.
Thanking
soldiers for their sacrifice will never seem enough.
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