I didn’t fight for this. I fought against an enemy in Vietnam that I thought was challenging the right of all men and women to be free and express themselves without being forced to do what a small minority wanted them to do.
I didn’t fight for this. I fought in Vietnam against what I thought was something called tyranny, although I wasn’t exactly sure what that word really meant.
I didn’t fight for this. In no way would I have worn a Marine Officer’s uniform to fight for enforcing laws against any minority, or poor people, or the disabled. I had nothing against the Jews, the blacks, the asians, Indians or any other racial grouping. I thought I was fighting to be a part of a whole that they were a part of too.
I didn’t fight for this. I studied WWII. I rowed around the harbor of Pearl with my brother a couple of years after the war. I never met anybody at that time that thought white people were better than everyone else. I thought those people who felt that way had died in the war.
I didn’t fight for this. I didn’t fight for white people to be superior to anyone. I am a white person. The thought of my own superiority over non-whites is a disgusting thought. My skin color means nothing except that I get sun burned easier.
I didn’t fight for this. I didn’t fight for a bunch of rural people to dredge up the twisted selfish values of the confederacy or Nazi Germany and I never would. I would fight this day for just the opposite.
I did fight for the right for everyone to talk about all of this, no matter how outrageous or stupid or silly the conversation.
I did fight so that people could do that without having to fight and kill themselves to do it like I did.
I fought for love and what the words of so many songs of the sixties illustrated in their lyrics.
I did not fight for the Eve of Destruction, like one singer sang.
I was the Eve of Destruction…except I believed I was fighting to destroy what I now understand tyranny to be. I fought in hopes that I could return to a land that was comprised of kindly, loving and generous Americans who might understand that fighting and bleeding for them should require that they be kindly, loving and generous to me upon my return, and to all those I really did fight for. I fought for them, and me and you….back then and now forward through time.
Did I fight in vain?
You sir, most certainly did not fight in vain! It wasn’t that long ago I’d read John Steinbeck. I loved the stories because they made me stop to ask myself what it was about the story I loved. Was it a location in time? Was it the characters? Was it the story or the feelings the story conjured? Couldn’t quite put my finger on the answer until I happened upon a review of Mr. Steinbeck’s “body of work”. The reviewer summarized everything into one term. A term recognized within the literary world as
being “just shy” of the overall quality of truly ” Great Literature”. The reviewer used the term, “sentimental”. I bristled! Having done so, I’d realize the reviewer missed the point of any story…to convey a window of opportunity to “feel”! Alone or together, be the breeze that blows the scarf round Snoopy’s neck behind him! Push on against the surrender of any answer provided by others, know without knowing the how, when, what, or why your heart will inevitably cease to beat despite any motivation provided by a pacemaker. Because whether by shocking surprise or by finally accepting the tiring truth…to have lived is only to have fought for the feelings of love that delivered us to the same threshold, whether coming in or going out. To have loved life is to have lived the immeasurable, sans the mirror of vanity.
Great writing Dennis, as usual. Thanks for putting it up on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you Sir!
Field radio op – MAG 36 Ky Ha Sep. 65 -June 67
Thanks for chiming in here with your data Verl, and for liking the story…
Semper fi,
Jim
God Bless you, James and He loves you very much. Thank you for all that you do for us all by your Amazing writing which speaks to our hearts and minds making us pause to think and do what we can to make a change. Prayers for you always.
Love,Nancy
Thank you so very much Nancy Henderson. Katie was my nurse in Japan, the definitive one, but you are the
one here and now. In a way…and I thank you for looking after me and thinking about me with your prayers.
You keep me going, for sure…
Semper fi,
Jim