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Today walking out of Walmart I saw a guy sitting on a bench inside near the door. He was wearing a hat that identified him as a Vietnam Vet. I stopped and introduced myself and said, "Welcome home" as is sometimes or frequently said to Vietnam Vets because we didn't get much or any of that when we rotated back.
He was a crusty old war dog who earned his chops up around Kontum, in the central highlands. As we sat and talked he still had wonder and amazement in his eyes. You can't fake that.
He had pictures in his wallet he showed me.
We shared war stories and laughed and sometimes just sat there for a while enjoying the company and a mutual understanding that didn't require words.
I love old war dogs. God, they make me proud!
It is difficult to know exactly how many of us are left. Best estimates are only a third of those who served are still living.
Estimates are that between 9 and 12 million men falsely claim to be Vietnam Veterans when less than 3 million Americans served in Vietnam, less than 10 percent of the population during the Vietnam War.
Next week will mark my 50th anniversary of having shipped over. It often seems like yesterday. It will be a huge week for me and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The old war dog I talked with told me how he had a difficult time coming home. He was excited and afraid to come back. Me too! He soon decided that he no longer fit in America and volunteered to go back. Me too.
It never goes away. Sometimes you just miss the hell out of it and that scares the **** out of you. And then you dream about it or you meet some crusty old ****er sitting on a bench in Walmart and neither of you can stop talking about it.
I remember reading once where in an interview someone asked a Vietnam Veteran when was the last time he was in Vietnam. The vet said, "Last night."
He was a crusty old war dog who earned his chops up around Kontum, in the central highlands. As we sat and talked he still had wonder and amazement in his eyes. You can't fake that.
He had pictures in his wallet he showed me.
We shared war stories and laughed and sometimes just sat there for a while enjoying the company and a mutual understanding that didn't require words.
I love old war dogs. God, they make me proud!
It is difficult to know exactly how many of us are left. Best estimates are only a third of those who served are still living.
Estimates are that between 9 and 12 million men falsely claim to be Vietnam Veterans when less than 3 million Americans served in Vietnam, less than 10 percent of the population during the Vietnam War.
Next week will mark my 50th anniversary of having shipped over. It often seems like yesterday. It will be a huge week for me and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The old war dog I talked with told me how he had a difficult time coming home. He was excited and afraid to come back. Me too! He soon decided that he no longer fit in America and volunteered to go back. Me too.
It never goes away. Sometimes you just miss the hell out of it and that scares the **** out of you. And then you dream about it or you meet some crusty old ****er sitting on a bench in Walmart and neither of you can stop talking about it.
I remember reading once where in an interview someone asked a Vietnam Veteran when was the last time he was in Vietnam. The vet said, "Last night."