Decades ago, I ran across this while visiting the VietNam Memorial at Angel Fire, New Mexico. The memorial was built by the efforts of a Father whose Son was lost in the War. It was his way of paying tribute to his Son, who fought alongside a good friend of mine. The following was left there by a visiting Veteran...unknown. As Memorial Day approached and remembering that Viet Nam was a war fought primarily by teenagers, I felt compelled to post it on OPP. I am posting it again, here on FS, just as it appeared at the Angel Fire Memorial.

'LOSS OF INNOCENCE'

We were children.
Patriotic, brave children.
Innocent of Honor.

All too soon,
We were forced to grow up,
To face danger and bloodshed.
Terrors, real and imagined,
Waited there in the dark.
But, grimly determined,
We stood our ground,
Though the reason got lost
In the fight.

And we were proud!
Then we came home....
Some of us whole and some of us not,
And no one cared.

All these years we've stumbled along,
Bewildered and lost, remembering,
And lonely...
Scorned, ridiculed and ignored,
For something out of control.

And now we're men...
Hardened and inside ourselves.
But it's not too late,
Won't you try and understand?
We were just children.

Decades ago, I ran across this while visiting the VietNam Memorial at Angel Fire, New Mexico. The memorial was built by the efforts of a Father whose Son was lost in the War. It was his way of paying tribute to his Son, who fought alongside a good friend of mine. The following was left there by a visiting Veteran...unknown. As Memorial Day approached and remembering that Viet Nam was a war fought primarily by teenagers, I felt compelled to post it on OPP. I am posting it again, here on FS, just as it appeared at the Angel Fire Memorial.

'LOSS OF INNOCENCE'

We were children.
Patriotic, brave children.
Innocent of Honor.

All too soon,
We were forced to grow up,
To face danger and bloodshed.
Terrors, real and imagined,
Waited there in the dark.
But, grimly determined,
We stood our ground,
Though the reason got lost
In the fight.

And we were proud!
Then we came home....
Some of us whole and some of us not,
And no one cared.

All these years we've stumbled along,
Bewildered and lost, remembering,
And lonely...
Scorned, ridiculed and ignored,
For something out of control.

And now we're men...
Hardened and inside ourselves.
But it's not too late,
Won't you try and understand?
We were just children.

But now if you go into the VA every person that you talk to the first thing they say is "Thank you for your service". Even at Home Depot veterans get a discount and I use it and the clerk thanks you as well. I've been thanked in the last 2 years more than in the 20 years before. I never looked for it so it didn't bother me a whole lot. It bothered me more that othes that did go to Nam needed recognition of their service and were mistreated. Not that my service didn't scare the Bagees out of me. The ship I was on was in the Cuban blockade.

But now if you go into the VA every person that you talk to the first thing they say is "Thank you for your service". Even at Home Depot veterans get a discount and I use it and the clerk thanks you as well. I've been thanked in the last 2 years more than in the 20 years before. I never looked for it so it didn't bother me a whole lot. It bothered me more that othes that did go to Nam needed recognition of their service and were mistreated. Not that my service didn't scare the Bagees out of me. The ship I was on was in the Cuban blockade.

I've heard similar stories but Baypines VA in St. Petersburg FL has been right there instantly. I've heard Cleveland Ohio VA is also very good but no personal knowledge. I had a rupture in my groin. It wasn't gonna kill me but they admitted me and fixed it the next day. This was my second rupture the first I was 25 years old and had to lay in the hospital for 3 days before they fixed it and layed in the hospital 3 days before I was discharged. That was private insurance. The VA had me in and fixed and out same day.