thedrifter
02-01-04, 02:06 PM
"Forgotten Soldiers" <br />
<br />
eMail | 2-1-04 | by a daughter of an Air Cav Troop commander, in 1972 <br />
<br />
In 1972, as I took my first breath, thousands of men took their last. I was born during a war, but was...
thedrifter
02-01-04, 02:08 PM
My philosophy has always been that war is unnecessary. Nobody should have to experience the horror of watching their friends die while fighting for their own survival on a daily basis, however, history has shown that it happens over and over again. Fighting in a war requires a kind of strength I am not sure I possess or at least I have never had to test myself in that way.
It is understandable that many people used Vietnam as a chance to promote peace especially since Human Rights was in the forefront of the political scene. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of one of our country’s greatest assets, the few exceptional members of our society willing to risk their lives for the safety of the whole.
The ultimate goal of any good nation should always be that of peace, but without those who are willing to fight to protect it, peace could never be maintained. There are those who seek chaos and destruction and it is a bittersweet irony that sometimes the only way to keep peace is to fight for it. We all understand that now in the midst of terrorism. It offers us the opportunity to understand how vulnerable we really are and how valuable the protection of peace is to our way of life. Now, while we are in a time where our freedom has been threatened, we should look back to 30 years ago and ask ourselves what the difference is between those men and the ones that fight today. The only mistake the soldiers of the Vietnam War made was to be of fighting age in American history’s most unpopular war. The burden of our mistakes as a nation has unfairly been placed on the shoulders of some our most courageous members of society. These soldiers were no different than any other person who has ever fought for our country. Now is the time for us to shout our approval to these brave souls who gave their best a generation ago, our forgotten soldiers. Welcome home daddy. Welcome home to you all.
Note: Lt. James R. McQuade was flying an OH6A (Hughes 500) trying to land next to another crashed OH6, and got hit by an SA7 surface to air missle. All happened 6/11/72.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1069567/posts
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: