It was warm on Easter day, 1969. The day started early, but no one could sleep the night before anyway. Already packed, he got up showered and dressed in his uniform. Not really wanting to go and leave his wife and four month old baby behind, but he had taken an oath. He was a man of integrity, a man of character, a man of his word. After a morning of putting on a smile for the sake of everyone and being as positive as possible and taking pictures of family, he left. They were young. Both under 21. A young family, just starting out in life. He loved his family. He loved his country. He was proud to be of service.
Standing at the bottom of the jet planes stair way softly he his kissed his sad wife. Never wanting the moment to end, but it must. With a torn heart he hugged and kissed his wife and baby again, possibly for the last time? He never knew. He hated to go...go he must. With soft loving words he bid her good bye and turned suddenly and walked up to the plane. He turned breifly only to give a quick wave then he disappeared into the belly of the plane. Quietly he left. No good bye party. No crowd to see him off. It was a quiet parting.
The plane ride was long, a full 24 hours or more and when it was over he stepped into another world. A place called Viet Nam. He spent the next twelve months there, looking death square in the face everyday. He was in the jungle fighting, on convoy and working in the mourge. He had never saw a dead person in his short life. He would now see enough in that year to last a lifetime. Thousands and thousands. He was young, he grew up fast. War is hell.
There were no phones, no internet, no IM's, no email. Daily he wrote as many letters home to his young wife and family as he could. Finding a minute or two here and there he would record his day and affection for his family on a small reel to reel tape to send back to the people he loved. It was his only connection to home...home the place he loved where the people he loved were...home, the USA.
A long twelve months later he and many other service men boarded a plane headed for the home land. Going In Country as they called it. It was just another plane. When the plane landed he gathered his belongings and excitedly and quietly got on another plane to go to the home where his family was at. Landing in his home town he walked down the steps of the plane and headed to the airport terminal as queitly as he had left it twelve months before. No welcome home crowd, no banners, no bands. Inside the terminal he wasn't met with looks of recognition, no hand shakes, no thank you. No nothing.
His young wife was in for a surprising shock. She was sitting at the table writing him a letter, hoping it would reach him before he left. In her letter she bid him a safe journey and love. Never realizing he hurring to her at that very moment. Their baby was with her eating candy, when suddenly the young solider walked in, quietly.
My husband came home as quietly as he went.
---Veterans day (Nov. 11) has come and gone. But it is not too late, don't let another solider serve our country without hearing "Job well done" or "THANK YOU!" If you don't know a veteran or a military man or woman there are organizations, everywhere, that you can become involved with to send care packages to our men and women overseas, send cards, send letters. Give them a smile...and if you can meet a plane or bus load of service people. Meet them with ballons, bands, banners, cheers...just thank them...
Thank you to my husband, my nephew that is over seas Thank you to other veterans of every war and thank you to the veterans of peace time. Thank you to every American man or woman serving this great nation today! Thank you, God bless you.
Janeta
