(In memory of Michael Levine) His red beard copper in the sun, he battled patiently in the black field against the sumac, sassafras, Canadian thistle. For years his forehead burned as he looked toward the oaks’ cool shade and gouged sweat from his eyes and bent again to address his enemies. The fine needles of the thistle took residence in his skin and the sumac spread in his dreams, red
One good thing that came out of the Gulf wars, maybe the only good thing, is a belated recognition of Vietnam veterans. Somewhere in all of the “Support the Troops” fervor that gripped much of the country came a wave of guilt over how veterans of Vietnam were treated. What M.A.S.H. did for Korean War vets, “Mission Accomplished” did for Vietnam survivors. I received more thanks in one year than
The End There are as many lessons and stories that came out of Vietnam as there are soldiers who went there. It remains a signature moment for my life. Until 9/11, America declined to send troops all over the world for insignificant political reasons. Now that lesson seems to have been forgotten. But I learned that dying isn’t to be feared. The accident that killed me also saved my life.
Shattered For the Romans, death required crossing the River Styx. It is as good a metaphor as any. I can say that dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It is just one more river to cross. I had worried for the entire year I was in Vietnam about dying. Then I went and did it on a barren Kansas road. The physical stuff is easy enough to describe.
Crimson and Clover As I watched the pink soap bubbles floating on the dirt, grass, and clover, I couldn’t get over how pretty they were. “Shit,” I said, staring at the ever widening pink puddle. TJ, Captain Brown’s driver and whose jeep we were scrubbing, nodded. “Nobody back home will believe this,” he said. TJ deftly scooped up bits of white bone, grey brain tissue, and black hair that kept
Love the One You’re With It was hard getting to know the Vietnamese on a personal level. Language was certainly a problem, but culture and economics made things far more difficult. These people had been at war for centuries. They had been invaded by the Thais, the Chinese, the French, and the Japanese. Sure, Ho Chi Minh and General Giap had finally thrown the French out with the help of
