Back to the Future

I took part in a massive transport of National Guard Troops from Wisconsin to Florida last week. Something’s happened that surprised me… set me back a bit. I’m a vet, so I felt an affinity for these folks…. I took vacation from my regular job in order to help drive a bus load of them down there. I got a lot out of it….some of which I hadn’t expected… both good and bad.

Someone asked me “how were the troops different than the ones you served with in Vietnam” ….that was easy to answer, there were marked differences. On average, they were much older…. My NAM buddies and I tended to be 18-21, these NG troops were mostly in their 20’s, 30’s and more. We were mostly single, mostly without careers yet, while many of these folks are married and have careers and mortgages. We, the USA, have really upset some of these folk’s apple-cart. Yanked from their normal work, from their home-making, mayhem may overtake the family they leave behind, both emotionally, and financially. Most of them just didn’t expect to be pulled out of their normal lives, once, twice, or even three times.

I don’t generally tell of my time in Vietnam… I never speak up about being a vet. My life since than has been a hopeful “out of sight, out of mind”. For this occasion though, to show support and affinity with these troops supporting our country, I bought my first military memorabilia, a cap with my military unit on it; the 199th Light Infantry Brigade”. I also pinned a very small medallion depicting my Purple Heart to the cap. Gosh….did I get a reaction. I was embarrassed by all the “Sir” language, the amount of deference and respect. I had meant to do it as a sigh of respect and appreciate for them, but then they turned the table a bit on me.

We’re bringing these folks are coming home to Wisconsin in a couple of weeks….then it’s on to Iraq…and for many its back to Iraq again. All you are good folks and you say nice things about the people who have stepped forward to serve our nation. Keeps your support for them coming, they don’t pick the causes, but they step forward again and again to face danger, isolation and financial hardship for us, the citizens of the United States of America. For 234 years we remain a free society, and we would not be so fortunate today but for the soldiers who have lived and died for us.