”
Vietnam vets reunite after 35 years.
”
What a wonderful, moving story. It brought back memories I
thought were in the farthest corner of my mind; memories I thought
I had buried and left there.
“Vietnam vets reunite after 35 years.” What a wonderful, moving story. It brought back memories I thought were in the farthest corner of my mind; memories I thought I had buried and left there.
I had just graduated from high school and my brother had graduated from the Air Force Academy as a staff sergeant in Colorado when he received the call to report for duty in Vietnam. A month after, my cousin was also called to serve. Both came back alive, thanks to a lot of “Hail Marys” and “Our Fathers.”
I’m mainly writing to commend both Mr. Refugio “Cooks” Chavez of San Juan Bautista and Mr. Roger Blanco of New Mexico for sharing their experiences in such an atrocity as the Vietnam War. I’ve watched countless war movies, but there is nothing comparable to what our fellow human beings have endured in the past and even now continue to endure.
Yes, I too, am against the war in Iraq and whatever country the United States sees fit to protect against tyrants! Yes, I too, want everlasting peace! But if we don’t stand up for our unenviable rights and everyone else’s, what then? Do we begin on the home front? There is so much devastation and ruin in our own beloved country! One of the biggest “sins” in our own country is the savagery in the political arena. People, stop, think, listen. Stop the malicious gossip. Think about the irreparable harm that you are causing. Listen to your most inner self – your heart.
Mr. Chavez of San Juan Bautista and Mr. Blanco of New Mexico, I salute you. You and the countless veterans who gave so much so that my family and I can live in a comfortable, freedom-loving country. I also extend my salutations to those families who have sons, daughters, husbands, wives, grandchildren fighting now in Iraq and other parts of the globe. And to those who have lost loved ones now and in the past: I salute you. You are the pillars of strength and courage who have withstood so much pain and yet still carry on. You truly are the greatest heroes.
Geri Sanchez,
Hollister
