The reason

  August 9 is a date that sticks in my head. It was August 9, 1971 when, along with my best friend, we entered Fort Hamilton, raised our hands and took the oath of enlistment in the United States Navy. That was fifty four years ago. I remember the day and the experience quite well. Following the yellow footprints painted on the floor, going from station to station. I remember the sound of those huge pedestal fans blowing hot stale air. And I recall getting a service number D12-13-09 and instructed to memorize that. Later, in 1974 that number was no longer being used, replaced instead with my social security number. Just a few years ago my social security number was removed from my military identification  card. That number is supposed to be private. Now there is a bar code in its' place. Just scan and go.  

  In 1971 the war in Vietnam was still raging on amid all the protests and demonstrations here in America. It wasn't the best time to be a military person here on home soil. We were advised to not wear our uniform out in public as a matter of safety. It wasn't coincidental that it was during that time civilian clothing was authorized to be kept on ship, in your locker, and you could leave the ship in those. Prior to that there were locker clubs where you rented a locker to store your civies and changed there, changing back into the uniform of the day prior to returning to your ship. I remember in 1973 when the end of the Vietnam war was announced. It was just another announcement over the 1MC. The 1MC for you land lubbers is the public address system on a Navy ship. And  no, they don't say, "now hear this" before making an announcement, that's Hollywood. 

  I was thinking about all that this morning and how that "war" was declared over. First off, it was never officially declared a war at all, the United States made no declaration of war. But as with a lot of things these days, we will call it whatever suits the political climate at the moment. You know like abortions on demand being healthcare. I can say I'm a veteran of the Vietnam war. It isn't something I claim often having never been "in country" as those that actually served in combat would call it. I was simply a member of the armed forces during that time period. I don't normally say, I'm a Vietnam vet because it implies combat or being in harms way. The closest I came to that was being off the coast on a warship. I could have doesn't qualify me in my way of thinking.     

  Today I hear about all the issues some of those veterans suffer through. PTSD was a term first applied to them. In other wars it was called being shell shocked or having battle fatigue. Many commit suicide. And I'm thinking about all those that served, and all those that are now gone. Between 1 and 1.6 million servicemembers served in combat roles or where regularly exposed to enemy attack. 2.7 million servicemembers served in country during the Vietnam war era. Over 9 million servicemembers served during that time. I am one of the nine million. 

  It is estimated that only 1.3 million Vietnam veterans remain today. I read that number and the explanation that the majority of Vietnam veterans are aged 70 plus. Yes, that's me alright. After reading that my thoughts turned to my own father. He served in WW2. It is estimated that .4% of all WW2 veterans are alive today. 16.4 million people served in WW2. .4% represents 66,000 people left, approximately. It is estimated the last one will pass in early 2040. That's just fifteen years from now. I'm thinking heck, it was only 54 years ago that I first enlisted! I've known many Vietnam vets, Korean War Vets, WW2 vets and WW1 vets. It's strange how WW1 seems like some old time war I just read about and now WW2, Korea and Vietnam are getting to be that way. Just old wars, old battles fought. Well, war is something the young folks do.  " Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die." (Herbert Hoover) I'd add that the youth that survives also pays the price for those old men that made that declaration, they just do that on the installment plan. There is no debt forgiveness. 

                                                                                

 I don't know his name, it's just a stock photo. But he was once a young man just wanting to stay alive. He did his duty and paid the price. If forgiveness came to him it was achieved by himself. "Forgive yourself for what you think you’ve done or not done. At every moment, you had your reasons for all of your actions and decisions." - (unknown author)