“When blue stars turned to gold
The families had to be told
Their loved ones, brave and bold,
Would be no longer theirs to hold”
In case you haven't been paying attention these past few decades after our war in Vietnam, the clock has been ticking.
"Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam , Less than 600,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran's age approximated to be 67 years old." How must it feel to be among the last quarter of all the Vietnam Veterans who served on the ground in Vietnam to be alive? Even more telling is how many Vietnam combat veterans are still alive today? Combat Veteran means being awarded a CIB. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! Perhaps one reason for this is that there were times we had to drink out of bomb craters that were in areas sprayed with Agent Orange. Vietnam veterans are dying at annual rates estimated to be high enough that there will soon be only a few of us alive.
I don’t know about you, but it kind of gives me the chills, especially when I note the dwindling numbers of Korean and WWII combat veterans.
I write about these numbers mainly because I know that these are the brothers and sisters who most appreciate the meaning of Memorial Day, who know that this is not Veterans Day, but rather a far more important time in which we keep our pledge to honor the fallen, to remember, to reflect. It is not a day to wish others a “happy” anything, nor is it a special day to thank vets for their service, though there’s nothing wrong with doing so every day. So, my advice is to wish everyone, but especially the combat veterans, a day of peace, maybe tell them you hope that they are having a meaningful or thoughtful day, wish them well. Save “happy” for the mattress sales and BBQ restaurant promotions.
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