My Dad and Vietnam

My father died proud of his service during the Vietnam War. Whether he felt the war was justified is still shaky ground. Nevertheless, he was a proud Navy man, proud of the friends he made, proud of the places he visited abroad, proud of the doors opened because of his service, proud of most of the experiences collected.

He understood the protests but died angry at those who protested the war by turning their anger and outrage toward those fighting. When my younger brother returned from the war in Iraq, I sensed some jealousy and a bit of relief that America had learned to protest a war without anger being directed at those who serve. For his part, patriotism would have never allowed my father to burn his draft card. He was a poor kid from Manitou, Oklahoma. He was not headed to college. So, he chose to enlist. If he had to go, he wanted to see the world and he knew the Navy would provide that opportunity.

From Hawaii to Australia, to Singapore, to Japan, to Laos, and many more destinations, this kid from a rural community was able to see the world. Those experiences sustained him. He talked about them often and with deep appreciation. When the travel bug started biting me, he would often encourage me to head for Singapore and the Singapore Hilton. Once there, I had to have a Singapore Sling. That experience is still on my bucket list.