WHAT I CAN DO - I WILL -

For some time, I just thought of Vietnam as another war. All I ever thought about the War was that men jumped out of planes and helicopters, ran through the jungle, and killed the enemy, whomever that might be. I do not remember ever studying about the Vietnam War in school, although surely we discussed it some in the Honors World History class that I took in high school. I cannot tell you how I came upon that train of thought, and I apologize greatly to Vietnam vets and others who are offended by such thoughts. I cannot honestly say how I view the war now, but I can say that I no longer view it as "just another war". I cannot even tell you if I would have been for or against the war, although I seriously doubt that I would have been one of the many who called our uniformed men 'baby killers'. Real people, American people, died in Vietnam, and many of them have yet to make it back home. They are what this site is about, and for. The causes of death are varied, but all are tragic. There are those, such as Jack Rittichier, who died while attempting to rescue downed pilots. Just as tragic, in an ironic way, is the fact that at least two Texans (and I have read of several other Americans who) died when they inadvertently let go of a rope while crossing a river. Drowning, to me, is one of the most horrific ways to die. Most of those who lost their life - indeed, most of those who went to Vietnam - were mere boys. At the current age of 27, I have outlived many of those whose names are engraved in black granite. That fact is one reason that I was drawn to the POW/MIA issue. Reading about young men who fought in an unpopular war and have yet to make it back, young men who had their lives ahead of them, young men who may soon be forgotten ... well, the fact that these young man lost their youth is wrong. Oh, I realize that in times of war, young people are going to fight and young people are going to die, but unlike previous wars, these young people weren't called heroes. They were called baby-killers, at least those who made it back. Did you know that only 25% of total forces in country were draftees ? That's right. The vast majority of those who went chose to go, and America let them down. I have been blessed to be welcomed with open arms into the Veterans community, both on-line and in real life. I have the chance to talk with men who served, men who knew the hell of Vietnam and still live it today. Oh, sure, Vietnam Vets are more accepted now, especially since the building and dedication of The Wall in Washington, D.C., but think of all those years they had to live in pain and in shame, just because they did what they thought was the right thing ? Read the poems here, and you will understand what I mean. The POW/MIA issue has become near and dear to my heart, and I now spend the vast majority of my time, both online and off, thinking about America's unaccounted for, and what I can do to help bring them home. Some people might believe that there is nothing that I or anyone else can do to bring home our unaccounted. I majored in political science, and I often heard how either I, one person, can make a difference or how one person doesn't make a difference. True, the latter is usually in reference to voting, but it could also be applied to, say, getting an accounting for a POW or MIA. No matter what, the fact remains that there are nearly 2000 Americans yet to be returned home. I realize and accept the fact that some of these people are never going to make it home, because they died in such a place or in such a way that would never accommodate recovery, but that is not going to stop me from pushing to gain an accounting for those who can be accounted for. We have two choices. We can either say that the government doesn't care, which is very plausible, and not do anything to get answers, or we can look at the cases of those recently returned and say "Hey, our people are still out there and damnit ! I am not going to sit here and ignore that fact!". I hope that everyone reading this will opt for the latter, and do his or her part to make our government get an accounting for the 1,800+ Americans who have yet to be returned to the good ol' United States of America. I think here would be a good place to share my (now) embarrassing misunderstandings of the POW/MIA flag. Perhaps it is just a Southern thing, but if you drive out on long stretches of highway, you often see houses with huge front yards, the latter containing a small building of sorts. It was on such a building that, as a child, I encountered my first POW/MIA flag. I thought that the flag was some type of gypsy (or fortune teller or swami) flag, as I assumed those small buildings were where people went to get their future (and fortunes) told. I cannot remember if I asked my parents about the flag or not (surely I did, because I've always had an extremely inquisitive mind). If I did ask, I don't remember their answers. People might say that I was a kid, how was I to know better. Naturally, I am fully aware of the POW/MIA flag and its relevance now, and am now doing my part to make sure others know the history of the flag and recognize its importance.