My Father served in the United States Army and was in the Vietnam War during the 60ies. Throughout my entire life the war has had some sort of affect on him and our family. It is not just the solider who suffers, but the families of the soldiers suffer right along with them. The war did things to my father that I didn’t know about till I was an adult. My father was in an explosion during the war. They thought he was dead so they body bagged him. I am not sure how long he was in the morgue before he woke up inside of the body bag. My dad doesn’t like to talk about the war. He will share stories about how life was for him while in Vietnam and the other places he had traveled to. He does not talk about the killing, death and the loss of fellow soldiers or the locals killed during the war. He does suffer from PTSD and has received help for it. Once he started those classes his whole life changed and so did ours. Veterans need our love, help, support and anything else we can give to them. My dad declined to go see the Wall with me tonight. He said he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. The memories he has I am sure are very personal. I told my dad I understood and I went with my niece. It was a moving moment to see the Wall, touch it and see all of those names. This was the part of the wall that travels. The rest of it is in Washington DC if anyone ever wants to see it. My father served and fought for our country. Once he got home it took him decades to fight for what he was entitled to from the VA. He is a 100% disabled Veteran and deserves all that goes along with it. He has suffered with his injuries from the war. He has had too many surgeries to count in an attempt to repair the damage done to his body due to the war. I am sure the exposure to Agent Orange he endured during the war has played a roll in how I turned out. It could explain why I was born with a heart murmur and how that turned into so many other medical conditions. I am sure one day that will all come out. It really isn’t about compensation to the Veterans, it is about honor and respect. I thank you Daddy for fighting in a war that should have never of happened. No one wins a war they all suffer from loss in the end. A few months ago a total stranger walked up to my dad, shook his hand and said thank you for your service. He noticed his Vietnam Veteran hat with all of his special pins. It was touching to witness the respect from one solder to another. He was young and about to be deployed onto his second tour to Iraq. The last decade of war has just created another generation that will grow up like I did. Maybe this time the help will be there as soon as they get home. I respect what the men and women in our military do for us. Freedom isn’t free and they pay the highest price so we can sleep at night. Thank you to all of the Veterans out there.
MoMo Out!
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