“THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE” IS NOT ENOUGH (#62): I was never sure of many things. I always knew I would live in Pass-a-grille Beach, Florida and I knew I would never go to Vietnam. I wasn’t a coward, it was just such an insane waste. I also didn’t like being told what to do if it was something I thought was wrong.
Before I go any further, I want to thank those that did go, and express my sympathy for those who suffered or lost a loved one. In the days of the draft it seemed crazy to vent on soldiers who were being forced to fight. Vietnam Vets still don’t get the respect they deserve.
My draft classification was 2A and then changed to 4F because I had asthma. Whenever I suffer an asthma attack as an adult, I don’t complain. It was a blessing that keep me out of Vietnam. And my draft number was 360. I was a fortunate one.
I’ll never forget the night the phone rang and I heard my Father scream and then cry. His best friend was shot down and killed on his last mission before coming home. My brother died years later from an injury suffered in Vietnam. My next post will be about David Simmons and Donny Merry.
So many fought so bravely and so many suffered so much. Friends who made it home tell stories that can bring them to tears. Two of my golf buddies in North Carolina were Vietnam vets. One manned the 50 caliber machine gun in the lead jeep of a truck convoy. The one person sure to get shot at first. Another friend, a sculptor in North Carolina, keeps his full Army backpack in his studio.
A BCHS classmate and Facebook friend lost her husband, a Marine, at age 24. She wrote, “It wasn’t in combat, but it hurts just the same.” I remember hearing that basketball star Eddie Kent was killed in Vietnam. When I went to the Wall, I didn’t see his name. I hope that was just a rumor and Eddie is alive and well. Does anybody know anything about Eddie Kent?
As I mentioned, my best friend Joe Vinciquerra enlisted in the Air Force. He was an MP, which doesn’t sound so bad, unless you were an MP in Vietnam and your base was attacked. I can’t imagine my friend having to go through such an ordeal.
One of the original Characters was an MP in the Marines. He told us about his best friend, Gary Reilly, who was an MP in the Army. Gary wrote 25 novels, including three about his service in Vietnam: “The Enlisted Men’s Club”; “The Detachment”; and “The Discharge.” Gary died of cancer in 2011 without trying to get his novels published. This Character and another friend of Gary’s formed a publishing company and will publish all of them. Number 14, “Jeremy Bannister, or The Ups and Downs of an Aspiring Novelist” will be out shortly. For a great read check out Gary Reilly.
Another Character, my best friend in SMA, flew jets off the USS Ranger in Vietnam. He lost a number of friends and is still haunted by his experiences.
Nearly half of homeless vets served in Vietnam. They deserve much better from us. There is a fortune to be spent and made on the machines of war, but not enough money to take care of the humans.
The 2021 defense budget is 740 billion dollars, yet we have over 40,000 homeless Vets and many active duty military families need food assistance.
It’s difficult to quantify the full scope of the problem, because of course, the Department of Defense doesn’t collect data on how many service members are seeking food assistance. But the advocacy group Blue Star Families estimates that as many of 18 percent of military families and veterans have had someone in their household seek emergency food assistance.
We can and must do better. “Thank you for your service” is not enough.
Editor’s note: I hope you will take 5 minutes to watch this Musical Documentary I made to my friend Tonio K.’s song “That Could Have Been Me”. It is a beautiful song and the images are powerful.
Singer/songwriter Tom Paxton, who has received the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement watched this and Tonio K.’s “Say Goodbye” with me in my studio last year. He actually shook my hand and said, “Brilliant!” To get the full experience you can go to my YouTube channel CAST Of CHARACTERS Live and watch on your big screen TV. It will be worth your time, I promise.