The other day my wife’s cousin and his wife gave me a little book of memoirs written by a young man who had been drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. I sat down to read a few chapters and it got me thinking about all our soldiers who are fighting wars in the name of the United States.
This brought up memories of my life as a soldier during the ’60s. Unlike the scribe that wrote the book presented to me, he didn’t ask for entry into the war. He was drafted like so many of the soldiers in those frightful days. I joined the Army in 1961. It wasn’t too hard to get into the Army back then because it was a period of what we called a “Peacetime Army.” That is, there were no real confrontations with any other country.
The Soviet Union was just beginning to stretch their atomic aspirations and was trying to match our nuclear arsenal. It was a time of “Duck and Cover.” We were hiding from a bright light in school and jumping under our desks. There was no thought given to the fact that if you could see the bright light of a nuclear explosion you were a goner. It was also a period where it wasn’t so cool to be a soldier. The main thing I remember is that there were not enough young men joining the Army. Nobody thought we would ever have another war because of the destructive power of our bombs.
I had quit school because I wanted to make some money, but I also discovered I had practically no job skills. Oh, I knew how to drive a tractor and to chop weeds, but those skills I discovered were not the money-making jobs. I wasn’t a bad kid, but because I didn’t go to school and jobs were scarce, I did get into a little trouble. The teachers and counselors had sat me down and tried to tell me that I could be a much better student if I just applied myself. But, at that time, I had no incentive. I was just waiting until I got old enough to join the Marines.
These were days when schools administered IQ tests, and it seemed I could answer questions pretty easily but couldn’t see past the front gate and had no idea of my self worth. Of course, I ignored those teachers because both of my older brothers had already joined the Marine Corps and I itched to join them.
Today I think of the kids I have met through my sons. Most of them have their future printed out for them. The Salinas Valley has many farmers with sons that will take over the farm when they are old enough. Not all of them, of course. But it seems that the kids today have a better shot at making a good life. I have neighbors on both sides of me and even across the street where I have watched the boy children grow into men and provide a good life with children of their own. They are guiding them into what I pray to be a bright future.
I am proud that I even know these kids. I’m sure that most of them will choose a life where they will succeed. As for me, I chose to be a soldier, it wasn’t a conscious decision. Truth be told, I wasn’t very successful at making good decisions when I was a young man. The Army set me on a course that allowed me to succeed.
The general population did not embrace the idea that soldiers were good. I had confrontations with slackers that challenged my decision and therefore me. Sometimes I won and sometimes I lost, but I never gave up. I’m hoping that the soldiers that serve today are as dedicated as the soldiers that served in Vietnam. Of course, none of them wanted to be there. They could see no future from serving their country.
Demonstrations were everywhere and they often resulted in damage to the demonstrators. I remember how mortified I was to read that a young lady was shot and killed at a demonstration at a college. Today there are demonstrations that are far greater in property damage and injuries. Yet they continue. How do today’s soldiers see those demonstrations?
The soldiers today go to war with the finest equipment that can be made, but still they limp off the battlefield with ghastly wounds that are caused by bombs and mines that were not even thought of during Vietnam. When the Vietnam War ended, the returning soldiers were met without admiration. They used their scars and infirmities as proof they served our country even if they abhorred the war. It turns out that the warriors of Vietnam found that the best thing you could put on your job application was, Vietnam vet! I pray that today’s war fighters will find a better life ahead.
These soldiers fighting today are younger, smarter and dedicated to the plans that the politicos are coming up with. They seem to be motivated by the terrible acts of the enemy. That is something that could not be done against an enemy that had never actually done harm to the United States when I was at war. It might be worth saying that the soldiers of today have a successful recovery rate from frightful wounds that will tear out the bottom of the vehicle they are riding in. In Vietnam, it was bombs hidden in the dirt of the trails we followed. This was a different delivery, but the same results.
If you don’t mind, I would like to write for the next week or so my own experiences during what I feel was the most contentious period of the United States. Today we face scary times and we need to pay attention. I also want to emphasize these are just my opinions, but they are derived from experience. Just let me know what you think.
God Bless.
