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7/13/09 12:01pm

why does the military hurt people (their own soldiers)?

I don't understand them, they are against me, the enemy of the state.

Is their glory amongst thieves.

Theyres the fool and his blood in the wrong neighborhood and what price does he pay?

Crazy man jon

Smomdukes

7/13/09 12:32pm

Merely I read your interview with this soilder, and I was so disapointed, because he must have been one protected soilder. Most of the soilders I hve seen and known that have some back from vitienam, and the more Kuwat hve been so scared until it is so shameful. When I visited Hawaii, I saw so many Vietman vets that landed their and just stayed their because they found it a safe haven. The folks there treat them nicely, most of the VA hospitals are expertimental at least that is what most of the vets say I don't know I would not use one. There are many war vets wandering the streets of many cities because they refuse to use the VA facilities, because as one vet told me when I asked him why he did not go becasue it would not cost him anything, his response, was, "I am not a human pin cushion damint, now leave me alone," I apoligized. People do not put much faith in the VA, my father is a vet, he stoped going to the VA even though his meds were free, he said he would rather pay for better treatment. Something is wrong with this picture. When these guys come back, they are not normal, no matter what this guys says, they are not normal, there is stress, trama. That is why they kill their families, and do other things. I am not impressed with this person at all. I have two brothers that are Desert Storm vets, there was trauma, yes trauma, and some depression, the first rule of thumb is admission! sherry/smomdukes

7/13/09 3:23pm

Jon...

I am glad I am doing these interviews. For that very reason that...most of us can never understand what people go through when they serve our country. I feel that this was a very honest interview...and very heartfelt. Regardless of politics...and I can tell anyone here that I am bleeding heart liberal....there is a certain respect due.

I would like to get some more discussion going on this topic.

7/13/09 3:35pm

Sherry...

I was but a little girl when the Vietnam war was going on. I saw it on TV. I saw it as something which interrupted my cartoons. I didn't have any capacity to understand what I was seeing. To me...it was something I could read about in history class or see in a movie. It was and is surreal. But for those veterans who served in that war or any other...it is very real and I think only they can know what it truly was like. We who have not experienced war firsthand cannot know what it was like for them.

And such were the times that mental health issues were not spoken about. It just wasn't done. It is a different world we live in now...we are more open about such things but the stigma still exists.

As I told Jon...I am glad I am doing these interviews so we can discuss this topic openly. I feel there is much we do not understand.

7/13/09 6:02pm

I'm sorry,

My uncle was in vietnam he was blood thirsty but all I hear is how great he was,How he got a purple star.

Saving a fellow soldier, I understand that is a very good thing.

I don't understand is why he brought up my cousins like little soldiers.

I'm sorry, maybe I missed the point is that war is hell.

I still miss the point, Maybe I'm selfish, Maybe its the american way.

I dunno. I saw my brother turn from being a kind hearted human being to be a serious cold business person that wants money.

Ok ok I am being a bit harsh, My point being is "they never come back the same"

well I've got to go.

Oh god please help me, save me from myself.

I love my brother mind you but I feel a cold distance ever since he went into the navy.

Like he was a different person

My apologies,

If you want more stories there out there

Jon

7/13/09 6:06pm

It is better, but world conditions are much worse.

So, the health care system is not adapting as fast as the world is disuniting.

If there is help left for me,Please god let me see it

Sorry for the anger, Carl Strock I'm not, But I can be very vocal when need be

Jon

7/13/09 6:18pm

Jon... it sounds like you miss your brother...can you tell us more about him? It seems everyone here has been affected in one way or another by war...and so here we all are...we can help each other. That is what it is all about.

7/13/09 8:01pm

We are all products of our environment and we should expect that we will change and those around us will change due to all that we experience in our lives. The "blood thirsty" and cold behaviors you describe are common among military people. The blood thirsty behavior is a result of the "fight or flight" programming we all were born with. Some people are very efficient at going into an aggressive and confrontational mode (fight) when stressed. Others go into an anxious fearful mode (flight). Most have some combination of these. I'm no expert but the way I see it is that we run into problems when we can't get unstuck from these modes. It seems, from my distant vantage, that your uncle carried his problems on to his kids. Not good.

There's a good book entitled "On Killing", written by Dave Grossman. I recommend it if you have time. It goes a lot into the psychological and physiological results of life and death struggles. This author has written several other books and related to violence in society and in the media. I think he gets it right and makes it all understandable.

7/13/09 8:16pm

I try to be objective about what happened.

when I was born, he smothered me with a pillow, probably because I was crying.

After that incident,my father and my mother agreed to divorce when I was three.

He was then made the man of the house at eight, a role he begrudingly took on.

He always said I hung around him like puppy.

Truth is I was a lost puppy or lost sheep as I call myself.

he took care of me helped extensively with homework and acted as protector against the numerous bully's I inadvertantly threatened!?!

It just hurts because I was in an abusive relationship,I coulld not or never knew how to get out of.

I didn't realize how bad this character was until he nearly molested me.

Then my brother was gone, off to boot camp and then to the navy.

He joined the ranks like most of my uncles.

Fortunately my brother didn't see kuwait or other war torn countries.

He did "see the world"

I unfortunately didn't get farther tha mayfield,ny where my father lived.

30 miles or so from where I now reside fort plain,ny an otherwise obscure town 50 miles west of albany,ny the state capitol.

Hospitably,

Jon

Lufbury 18

7/14/09 2:13pm

I can see most of the replies have very little understanding of the Vietnam era. I was not there but had many friends who came back from there.

I am not a liberal or a right winger but I am a strong believer in logic over emotions as a thinker.

To say our military is a bunch of "killers" or "victims" completely misses the point. The Draft was eliminated in 1975 and nowadays the various branches of the Armed Forces are made up of highly professional volunteers.

Yes there will be some who break down in combat but that is nothing new. And saying we don't need our military is the height of emotion driven folly. ( I could talk forever on that subject as I am steeped in history and econ)

But I do like MM's attitude. She is a Liberal but still has empathy for the men and women who make their living protecting us. Peacenik or not these people make a lot of sacrifices and they BELIEVE in what they are doing. My stepson is in the airforce and he believes that their job is a necessary one as do all his friends that I have met. So treating them as "victims" with condecension is not only wrong, it is extremely rude.

JLK

7/14/09 3:13pm

Lufbury 18, this is true, no matter who is in charge of policy decisions and leadership of our country, they can do little to influence events in the world without a strong, committed, professional military.

I think that ideal has been achieved, though when the draft was eliminated, I felt we could not find enough young men and women to staff such a force.

Boy, was I wrong!
As long as the military is allowed to train, discipline and motivate these young people without undue interference by our courts and leadership, and as long as they are equipped to do their job, they will remain the finest military force in the world.

They serve our leaders, be they liberal or conservative. We all can be so proud of them.

I'm glad Merely Me is doing this, perhaps opening up an avenue of help for veterans to join and discuss, and enlighten perhaps, our group. The current state of the military is being well described today, in KJ's interview. They are after all, us.

Kate, Editor

7/13/09 3:59pm

Paul,

You are a true American hero. I thank you, first, for your service to our country and, second, for everything you've shared with us here, not to mention the compassionate wisdom you've exhibited in our community time and time again. This interview was incredibly powerful and I am eager to read more from both Paul and Merely Me.

7/13/09 4:11pm

Thank you, Kate, for those kinds words. I am most grateful.

Thank you, Merely Me, for the opportunity to talk, to open up to the many fine people, who suffer as great deal and yet find something within themselves to reach out and help others. The work you have done has been unbelievable.

You are the finest thinker and writer I have ever known.

Smomdukes, I'm sorry for those who you know, who cannot live anymore. I do believe it.

7/13/09 4:03pm

This is what I get. For opening my mouth for the first time in over four decades. I felt I found a place where I could open up a little bit and share. I have never discussed my Vietnam service but with other veterans. This seemed a place that would understand.

I did not imply that there are not men walking around stuck in their history, in fact I said some chose to stop their lives there because it was the last, safe place they knew, and have not allowed themselves to live past that year. I said that there was little help for veterans needing help that I knew of; that I had never heard of such help except for VA hospitals.

I am sick of people insisting that we are all raving, homicidal, baby-killing maniacs and that if most of us came back and started living again, with a career, got married, had children, played ball with the neighborhood kids then we must have all been "protected" somehow. But if someone's relative drank himself into oblivion for decades, or shot his wife and family, then he must have seen some bad sh*t, which would explain his savage rampage against innocents.

There were over a million men sent there. Some like myself were in the Army or Marine infantry. They and I saw enough, that's all I'll say to defend them, the majority of men who suffer to themselves, as opposed to some who could never come back inside themselves.

Heroes are dead and have been since they were 20 years old, four decades ago. Heroes walk with prosthetics, blind, burned and disfigured. These men have a right to be despondent and blame the rest of their lives on their country. Many didn't.

World War II, it is said, was fought by our greatest generation and I would agree, but for the most part, those men who saw much, came back and established possibly our finest growth period ever and perhaps, cried at night.

I won't play who saw the worst carnage game with anyone. I only answered as I felt, to the best of my recollection. If it doesn't jive with what someone else remembers, I am sorry, I do not doubt what they say. Some people did stop living.

I will remember that, for myself, perhaps silence is the better way to handle depression. I apologize for offending anyone.

Dargan

7/13/09 4:28pm

Paul -

I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience with Vietnam. I agree with you, there are many military heroes out there who have not gotten the respect and honor they deserve.

My boyfriend is in the Infantry in the Marines Corps and is currently in Iraq. The sacrifices anyone in the military makes is unparalleled. The commitment, time, training, etc. is so admirable.

Please continue to share your story, I really enjoyed it.

7/13/09 8:58pm

Thanks, Dargan, you are very kind and encouraging.

I think your young Marine is very fortunate to have you as a friend.

I hope you will pass on my thanks to him for keeping our families safe.

Their job is so hard; he is in good hands, those of his fellow Marines.

I join in with everybody, wishing they all come home safe and soon, for good.

Lufbury 18

7/15/09 1:26am

Untitled

Don't despair. There are people like me out there who actually feel guilty about avoiding service. I was given a 4F as I am a physical (and mental as it turns out) basket case.

I can't imagine adding the strain of combat to what I have already been thru. Of course you have to include the kind of reception you got from turncoats like Kerry and his ilk as icing on the cake.

I personally thank you for performiing the service you did.

I had many friends in Vietnam in the years from 68-70 and none of them much enjoyed the experience. So I know a little (very little) about what you went thru.

Do not let anyone tell you your service and sacrifice was not honorable in any way. These wre people with very little understanding of the way the flow of history works therefore their comments are not really worth reading.

Being a victim of DD for most of my life I can empathise at least to that extent. I am open any time for your thoughts.

Lufbury

BTW my "tag" comes from a WW 1 fighter pilot who was killed in 1918 trying to save a fellow airman.

7/15/09 1:20pm

Lufbury 18, thank you for what you said and for honoring someone from long ago with your name. We each serve our country somehow, wanting it to be a better place. Our efforts to contribute to the what is the common good through taxes, charity, work, raising families, voting, military, is all but an effort to improve things, or keep what we have.

I was 18-19 years old. I loved my country more than anything, I believed what I was taught and embraced the ideals of freedom. Not only for us, but anyone who was being threatened back then. That is why I volunteered for Vietnam, I, perhaps naively, perceived people wanting to be free, being taken over by communism. Such were the times...

I thought we could do something to help. The political and civil maelstrom which came later just confused me. It did not fit with what I had thought.

Now the era is all but over. But fine people like KJ, continue to defend us.

No, my service was honorable, I am proud of why I went and what I did. I'm just forever sorry so many fine people were killed or maimed on both sides. Especially when many did not believe in why they were doing it.

I appreciate your comments, I hope you'll stick around and contribute to this site.

Lufbury 18

7/16/09 1:49am

Hi paul

Thanks for your comments but I am much more excited by finding out you were a member of the "Big Red One". Outside pof maybe the 82nd you can't have a much better history than that!

You know when I hear people complain about Vietnam using the usual half truths and conventional wisdom I tell them the story of the Battle of Huertgen Wood. And how the "heroic" Eisenhower and Bradley sent 2 diviisions including yours for a while unnecessarily into a frontal assault on the strongest defensive position in western

Germany. Even the Germans thought we were nuts.

The reason was political because we did not want our ally Montgomery to feel bad about being left behind. So the decision was made to have a grind out massive straight line front and the Huertgen got in the way. Result 10000 DEATHS and 40000 casualties ...a much higher casualty/death ratio than the normal 10% in WW2. And this was the "good war"

Anyway I apologize to the others on this site for tyhe off-topic rant, but I get excited about this kind of stuff. It has been therapy for me over the years to lose myself in my favorite disciplines history being one.

Lufbury

BTW Paul you are one hell of a guy considering your polite and considerate response to the people who have the knee jerk reaction to the word "war"

jayinla

7/13/09 4:55pm

I fail to see how Smomdukes, the commenter earlier, could refer to Paul as "protected." How can that be said of anyone who has seen war? Doesn't seem to me he was protected, but that he's worked hard to live a good life. In this interview I saw the honest opinion of someone wishing to help.

And yet you say you're "disappointed." By what? Disappointment would imply you had some expectation that wasn't met. Do you think Paul owes you something?

He freely spoke of his experience and freely shared what helped him. He has my gratitude.

7/13/09 9:15pm

jayinla, thank you for understanding what I was trying to do, just answer questions as I was able. Thank you for your kind words.

I have a lot of respect for Smomdukes having known her from the MS site on Health Central and this site, where she has unceasingly tried to spread encouragement and humor to other people, when she herself has gone through much, only a small part of which I know.

I'm glad to see people speaking their mind, I'm a little sad that even now divisions show. I really appreciate your support. Thank you.

Anonymous

7/13/09 5:14pm

A good and honest interview by someone who was there at the time. I guess some folks do not understand that people are different and handle things differently. So now I guess your supposed to feel guilty for dealing with the hurt in your own way and having your own thoughts and feelings. You can not be someone elses definition of the war so don't buy it. You said what you thought and that is what you were asked for. Thank you for that.

As for the interview itself I found it very powerful. Things were so different then as to how a shell shocked person was thought of (or ptss or whatever). Just like people with depression were labeled differently and treated differently than today by many. You were almost expected to deal with it on your own. I think this comes through in your interview; how "on your own" you were, except maybe with the guys you served with.

You were honest here and spoke with experience about the time you spent in service to your country's people. It is hard to impress some of us, but I am impressed. Thank you for sharing all this with me.

7/13/09 9:25pm

That is it exactly, in a number of ways.

The stigma of not handling your problems on your own was powerful. It was expected and anyone going near a psychiatrist then was thought "crazy." Why else would you go? At home, you had to try, there was life yet to live, but not for some. That made all the more important.

Personal problems, I forgot this part, were reserved for a trip to the Chaplain. If you even recognized that you had issues to deal with, there was no place to go, you dealt with them, or you got into trouble.

You said it very well and I do appreciate your comments. Thank you.

Strange thing about the interview, I held so much back yet was amazed to see four pages listed!

7/13/09 5:19pm

I thought this was a great interview and very honest and to the point. I was too young for Vietnam but I've been to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once and what Paul writes is really how it was for most. We like to concentrate on the extreme cases; stories of raving maniacs, guys living under freeways, or patriotic heros. I think the reality is in the middle.

My hobby lately is geneology and I've got the pension records and other military records on a lineal relative who fought in the Revolutionary War and two who fought (on the losing side) of the Civil War. When I read what they did and the hardships they suffered, I'm totally in awe. Yet these men went back to lead successful lives and raise big healthy families. Why should we think that the veterans of Vietnam or Iraq should be any different.

One of my problems in returning from the Middle East/Central Asia is that I feel I'm over-reacting to things. People around me saw the same bad and good things that I did and don't show any depression or serious issues. I do have some issues but I'm working through it and don't need sympathy. Suicides are relatively high in the military right now, but as a percentage of the entire veteran population (or the same age group as those who never served) I doubt they're too out of whack. Correct me if I'm wrong, someone.

Paul, thank you for your service.

(Former member of 1st Infantry Division [1-4 CAV])

7/13/09 10:01pm

KJ, you old horse soldier! Do you have your yellow card, I think it was the Society of the 1st Infantry Division, or of The Big Red One, something! I still have mine around here somewhere. When I was in the 4th it was in M-113's and 114's. Antiques. :)

I'm grateful for your kind comments and understanding. I know you have been going through a lot from reading you on the MS site and here. Especially with the undiagnosed symptoms, possible MS or neurological problem; your vision and waiting to see specialists. You have been very kind to others on that site, as they have to you.

I thought it especially good of you to help that girl looking for hospitals in Germany, among so much else you do.

I've read Shelby Foote's three volume Civil War series and I will agree with you completely about the stoic valor of so many men on both sides.

I'm looking forward to further interviews too. I wish you the best of luck, that you receive all and any help needed to rid you of physical pain and problems and thank you very much, for giving such measure to keep our families safe.

7/14/09 7:23pm

Thanks Paul,

I was at Ft. Riley in 1980. I mostly worked at Division but was assigned to the "Quarter Cav" for awhile. We had M113 ACAVs but I had an M577 Command Track in HHT.

You may have not appreciated it the same way when you were in Vietnam, but the battle streamers on the various unit guidons in that division tell a real story of valor and perseverance.

You've got to feel proud.

7/15/09 1:39pm

I'm still proud of that outfit, KJ. Every time I'm watching a movie and I see the Big Red One patch, I have to point it out to people, with a lot of pride.

I was there at the end of '64 into June of '65 when the division was around Barstow, CA. training for the desert, no less! :) when I got the call.

When I first got to Ft. Riley, I wanted volunteer for Vietnam. They sent me to the Battalion Sergeant Major. I was scared poopless! But I requested it. He said they weren't taking anything below E5 but that he would keep me in mind.

He did! On July 1st, I was there. As much as I loved where I was, when the Division came over I tried to get back to the 4th Cav. but got waylaid! to the 18th. I had to walk!

I looked recently on the division web page and I did not see the 2nd battalion of the 18th listed, only the 1st battalion...I don't know what happened to it.

I'm glad to have met you KJ, I do wish you the best.

IAN

7/13/09 6:30pm

This is powerful stuff. You are my generation and I remember those days entirely too well. I'll never forget them. I'll never forget a childhood neighbor who came back after voluntarily completing two tours -- he was Canadian -- but ultimately suicided. Nobody ever knew the complete story about that. Not being a veteran I can only appreciate the first-hand accounts of those who have been there. Two people in our town have died in Afghanistan (this is an air base town) in recent months and it brings it all home. And war is war no matter when it takes place. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

7/13/09 10:22pm

Ian, you are welcome and thank you for what you've said.

You bring forth the powerful after effects which haunt one sometime to the point of seeking peace through any means. But how much to attribute to their service, how much to other forces, I don't know.

Then there are those veterans who move in next door and live in peace, value what they have, the chance to proceed, where not a long ago, they were praying to have that chance. Like your two men in Afghanistan, what would they have wished, if given the chance.

Like KJ said, many are in between. Many live with pain and disfigurement long after the drums have stopped, on both sides. None of them are strangers but they will usually not talk, except in a manner which amazes me, their resilience, their desire to recover and go on.

I'm probably not making sense but you've got me thinking. Thanks, Ian.

LyraStorm

7/14/09 1:05am

I just wanted to say that this is a great interview and I want to thank Paul for his honest answers. I think sometimes people forget that it is PEOPLE who go out and fight these wars. Just as people react differently to everyday situations like going to school and work, car accidents (or almost accidents), health problems, etc, people are going to react differently to going through something more extreme like surviving a war. All Paul did was speak honestly about his experiences and I'm saddened to think that some have reacted negatively to it. Sure there are people who have fallen apart and I'm sure we are all thinking of them but that wasn't Paul's experience and I'm glad! He did his best in serving his country and came through it as best he could, just like anyone would hope.

Thank you Paul for sharing your story - my grandfather fought in WWII and his stories are similar to yours in that he accepts a lot of horrific things happened but he weathered them the best he could and tried to get on with things, drawing support from the men working around him (though he wasn't a foot soldier but a pilot). Thank you very much for sharing and I hope you weren't too upset by the more negative comments - as always there are people here who want to hear what you've been through and get a lot out of it.

7/14/09 9:18am

LyraStorm, thank you very much for your complimentary words and spirited defense, saying what I wished to have said in my comment, I had no intention to disparage anyone, just to speak from my experiences.

Something I wished I would have said is that most people go through a lot in their own lives, which can mirror the worst of any war. We have our own private wars which we fight, we suffer, agonize, struggle, just as hard to win and the consequences of losing are just as dire.

Everyone knows people who have dealt with severe problems all their lives, not just for one year. Many can be found throughout Health Central's varied sites. War is not unique, for even though someone else sends you, not one of us wishes to have been sent to our own private hells either, and we exert just as much effort to survive.

At first I was upset by a few comments and reacted too quickly. There were reasons for that. Then, I thought back to those days of violent protest and strong disagreements and realize that war will not stop bringing those forth, until all the players have passed on. Then arguments will be among the scholars who write history, as is being done for your grandfather's efforts.

I like it here, like the people, and we won't always agree; I hope we do not, those times provide the best comments and often the most helpful experiences of others. I hope other veterans will understand that and come here to use those experiences to heal themselves, if needed, or extend help if they possess it.

Thank you again for your words and help, and those of others here, they were needed.

Quinn C. Bradlee

7/14/09 11:38am

Hello Paul. My name is Quinn C. Bradlee; I am the site manager for www.friendsofquinn.com; a site that HealthCentral help me build. I wanted to create a site for people who have learning disabilities and it is growing and growing. I have also written a book about my life living and growing up with learning disabilities. Metaphorically; I have experienced a lot of what you have experience; where people ignore you; I have fought my whole life to stay alive. When I was just three months old, I almost died from a bad heart, but I am now perfectly fine. But my whole life I, until really now, I have had people tell that I can't do that or that I can't do this. Whenever we would play sports, I was always the last one they picked. But I know have a fiancé after being alone for 26 years. Anyways, my book is called: A Different Life; Growing up Learning Disabled and Other Adventures. Doctors told my parents that I would never be able to have friends, which I still don't really, to school and graduate from high school, which I did with honors, and even one a mathematics award, I would never be able to read, write, spell; the doctors even told my parents that I would have to spend the rest of my life in an institution because they labeled my as retarded. I come from a military family myself and my grandfather was in WWII and Korea, while his father served in WWI and WWII. I have ancestors on both sides that have fought in the Civil War and in the American Revolution. I have always wanted to serve my country but know that I will never be able to the way my grandfather wanted me to, and what makes it harder is that he was a retired Lieutenant General and a Colonel during WWII and Korea. But I have dodged bullets and have taken a few hits myself; I have always felt like I could relate to war veterans who I admire more than anyone else, because it is because of them that we have freedom. All of you are the greatest people in the world.

7/14/09 1:26pm

Hi Quinn, thank you very much for commenting and the kindness and support in your words is most welcome. I have been a member of Friends of Quinn for sometime now, ever since Merely Me started writing for you.

I think her writing and insight comes from the same caliber of fight as yours, throughout her life, as I read it here, on your site, and elsewhere in Health Central.

One of the first things I saw when I came to your site was the friendship and safe haven you created for people with learning differences and their appreciation, which they show by talking to you and wanting you to make appearances everywhere. :)

Another thing I was fortunate to arrive and read, was your Mom's article on bullying. She pretty much nailed that and each person who reads your work, and many who have not yet been able to read, would relate to those words and your war to survive.

This could not be done without your own long, personal war, to live life as so many take for granted, to show people how capable you are. To fight through each day in school trying and trying when you could have given up at any time. I would proudly serve with a person like you.

The internet provides new types of friends, those we never met but with whom we share every bit as much as any real friend, so in that way, you do have many, just as I feel I do.

I admire you too, Quinn, I hope you'll continue your efforts and give hope and guidance to many who follow. You certainly have the ability, and common sense to make lives easier for many, because of where you haven been.

In that sense and more, you are a veteran, worthy of as much respect as you have given in your comment. I am really glad you wrote, it is thoughtful and I do appreciate what you said very much. Thank you.

Quinn C. Bradlee

7/14/09 2:08pm

You are very welcome Paul; I think that when people share their stories, though it maybe hard sometimes, they feel better at the end; we all need to be heard and I know how that feels.

7/15/09 6:19pm

Hiyah Quinn!

Just wanted to add my thanks for you to stop by and comment on this interview. That was super nice of you.

Hope you are having a great day!

7/15/09 9:32pm

Just wanted to say thank you again, Paul, for giving us this interview...it was very heartfelt and sincere. I think we all learned a lot from reading about your experience. This is definitely a topic that I wish to re-visit. You really put yourself out there for us and your honesty and candor is much appreciated.

Thank you for all that you do.

7/16/09 11:32am

You are very welcome.. Thank you for letting me speak.

I hope you continue to explore this subject, because as long as America sends her young sons and daughters to perhaps die or suffer life long damage for us, some of those kids will need a lot of help, and in their turn some will be able to help others, veterans or not.

Veterans is simply a title, it, like so many labels, simply classify a person for certain reasons. It does not, and can never, define the person. There is a lot more there, than any title.

When they stopped the draft I was sure there would not be enough young people willing to give themselves up for three or more years, placing themselves at a disadvantage, behind those who went to higher education, and would pursue more lucrative, or prestigious jobs. I was very wrong.

They are here, and some will need you and people like those who populate this site now. I hope they come here with respect and are greeted in that manner. I have been, and I thank all those above. KJ's interview should encourage veterans to feel safe and open up here. His was sincere, enlightening and remarkable in it's narrative. He is a fine soldier and writer.

I love we are able to say almost anything we want about any subject.

It is Freedom which owns our hearts. That is what these young people preserve for us.

You, Merely Me, are simply the finest writer I know.

Vicki

7/17/09 6:09am

Hi Paul,

I am an Air Force brat and a product of the 60s/70s -- my Flower Child is still strong -- and I would like to say I enjoyed your interview which sounds open and honest. I also especially liked the interaction between you and KJ.

I have known draftees, draft dodgers, volunteers, people who did not choose the military and most of their stories are in the middle instead of extremes. That makes sense. But I think people benefit when their stories are told. Beneficiaries are both those who hear the stories and those who tell them.

Thank you for telling your story.