By Tom Davis, Vice President, Susan Davis International
The envelope is faded and yellowing slightly.
On the lower left side in blue it says Laos, Thailand, Cambodia. Running by them on their right, in stark white, North Vietnam drops into South Vietnam. In block letters, off the coast of Vietnam, lies the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Where a stamp might rest, free is written, one of the benefits of serving your nation in a war no one really wanted.
Inside, a letter from an old friend. We grew up together, hunted, fished, played baseball, football, basketball. I smile thinking about his favorite play, tossing the ball wide toward the cheerleaders so he could launch heroically in their direction.
The words he wrote spill out in a stew of excitement, pragmatism, fatalism.
“I’m in charge of a machine gun, and a bunker on the perimeter. They wanted an N.C.O, so I volunteered. It’s skating, except at night. There are three of us, usually work in two hour watches so you don’t fall asleep.”
“I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell my parents. I keep as much from Mom as possible, don’t want her to worry.”
“We were air lifted in by chopper, that’s almost the only way things get in and out of here, except for an old road leading to Khe Sanh. We only have two vehicles. One is a stolen Army six by. The exciting thing was we got 1600 cups of ice cream. It was like an angel brought it. No one could believe it.”
“Sure is a beautiful night out tonight. You can hear the B-52s bombing. It’s 10 P.M. here. A lot of times I wonder what everyone is doing back home. Home sickness and athlete’s foot are real common. Hah!”
“I’d give anything to have a cold root beer and a tasty freeze. If I’m lucky enough to make it home, I’m going to scarf up on them like crazy.”
Then Corporal James M. Pliskie did make it home. He had demons to process, but eventually he did, and moved on to become another hard working American, who people pass in the street, without any sense of the young man so far from home who wrote that letter.
Countless letters have been written over generations spanning our nation’s history, each story unique, but all connected. The experiences of our veterans tells a story of our nation from its founding. Younger veterans may have shared their stories through emails, and messages and videos, but the core of their stories will echo those told around campfires as the Revolutionary War raged.
Congress set aside a single day to honor the men and women who have served their nation in the military.
On the 11th day of November, do remember the nation’s veterans, but don’t let that be the only time you give a thought to the contributions of over 50 million Americans who have earned the right to the term Veteran!