Reflections

I did not join the Army because I did not want to be an infantryman. I served as a forward observer with the 1st Infantry. I served with the 377th Combat Support Group on special assignment to the 1st Infantry Division.

I have total admiration and respect for members of the Infantry. Base Camp for the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry was Lai Khe Vietnam field camps for me included; Loc Ninh, Tay Ninh, An Loc, Song Be, Iron Triangle, Phuoc Vinh, Quan Loi, Michelin Plantation. I spent about half my year at base camp and the rest of the year on field operations. 

Lament of a Patriot

The young soldier believes in “Duty, Honor, Country” 

The young soldier believes in what he is doing, this is his identity. 

In the war zone, you wake up every morning wondering if this is your last day and have the same thoughts every night. To survive, you shut down your inner feelings. 

There is never a time to turn those feelings back on again after you come home. When you’ve made a commitment that you’re willing to lay down your life for your country and later find out that nobody gives a damn, it is hard to live with that reality. This may be his last identity. 

Nobody cares when the soldier comes home. ...wars do not always end when the soldier comes home. On the home front, they last a lifetime.