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I am a Vietnam Veteran.
I have lived , or tried to live, with the weight of guilt
that the American public has tried to lay at the feet
of those who make that statement.
I am a Strong and Proud man,
who like thousands from Vietnam,
never had a Welcome Home.
I am a Father,
a working man, a Patriot,
a citizen of these United States,
but most of all A Soldier,
A Vietnam Vet.
My numerous pages of poems
tell you in every way...
"Let Me finally come Home"!
I got that chance this past week!
It didn't come from the American public.
It didn't come from my visit to the "Wall".
It didn't come in little bits and pieces
from my years of trying to deal with the pain.
It didn't come from those
I thought would understand.
It came from the Hearts of the Brotherhood,
who like me were waiting.
It came from Joe Shaffer.
It came from Tom Smallridge.
It came from John Adams.
It came from these Vietnam Vets
and their lives
that until now, I had never met.
I flew out to the East Coast to meet these people.
I was searching for the one thing in my life of 51 years
which would make a difference.
The one person or persons
who would make the nightmares go away.
The answer to my search to
"Welcome Home."
Joe Shaffer met me at the airport.
I saw Joe and his friend Robbie waiting,
with Joe proudly wearing his Vietnam Veterans cap.
I couldn't wait to receive the bear hug
that I knew was coming!
I could not know that this man would have such an impact
upon my life in such a short time.
I will never forget it.
From the airport, we traveled to his home
to meet his wife Linda and their family.
They did not know me.
They did not judge me.
They did not question why I had come.
They opened up their lives and hearts and
Welcomed me, a stranger.
They are not rich nor powerful.
They are not shallow nor insincere.
Instead, they are the fabric of America,
the Patriotism of the Soldier,
the Love of the family
as husband and wife and Grandparents.
They are in essence,
what I had fought for in Vietnam.
I saw through Joe and Linda, how
to be a better parent,
a better Grandfather,
a stronger person.
Freedom is what I fought for,
Freedom is what they live.
Pride is why I was successful in combat,
Pride is what they live.
I do not fear death.
I have seen too much.
I do not fear poverty or stature.
I am not offended by words.
Instead I am offended by actions.
The words "I Love you",
are not said without meaning.
Joe and Linda live those words.
What's more, they pass them freely
and I heard them often to Grandbabies,
to me, and to each other.
Joe told me often of his country,
not politics,
but of the Mohawk Indians,
the Civil War, and history.
Of his brothers in combat.
The Operations in Vietnam,
his Father, also a soldier.
His memories of Eddie Kopik,
a friend killed in action.
We visited his grave and
smoked a cigarette with him.
Joe also introduced me to his daughter Munchie
and to her daughter Chichi.
Precious and beautiful both
to me
and to Joe and Linda.
Each day their grandson Joey rushed into the house
to greet Linda with love
and to offer Joe a special handsign
and the words "I Love You Papa!"
Why is it in this home of a Veteran
that Love is so evident.
I have never felt so Welcome.
In fact one of the first things that I did
upon returning home, was to hug my son Greg,
and tell him "I Love You Son."
It had been too long since I had done that.
We traveled to Pennsylvannia to visit the home of
John and Lois Adams,
another Veteran family.
John greeted me and Joe at the door
with the same open-heartedness and
"Welcome Home Brother."
Lois did the same in kind.
What each of us had missed
from our fellow Americans
was simply those words.
Why had they sent us to die
and to protect their ideals,
and then rip out our hearts
with words of disgust and shame.
John and Lois are wonderful people.
They have opened their home to many Veterans
and made them welcome.
Theirs too is a story of love and devotion.
They live each day with tremendous love and devotion
and have weathered more pain
than most marriages could handle.
Tom Smallridge met us all here at the Adams home.
TT as he is known had driven from Ohio to meet us.
What a wonderful Brother to add to
this group of Vietnam Veterans!
Can you see the irony
Combat Veterans traveling hundreds
and thousands of miles to hug
another Veteran and say the words
that people across a lifetime have neglected to say.
I truly love these Brothers as my own.
I miss them terribly even as I sit and type.
Tom gave us all insight into his life and to
the focus of our bond.
We did not sit and talk of
blood and gore and battles.
I sat late into the night
and listened to Tom and the others.
I also learned more of life
and history than in any classroom.
For the Gift of returning home, makes all
the small and wonderful things in life
so very precious.
So valuable as to
never take a one for granted.
As TT so eloquently spoke,
he recounted the fact
that what hurt so badly was
the loss of innocense and youth.
When a boy goes to War,
he kills out of necessity
he kills out of fear,
and soon at this young age,
he has no fear of death,
of feeling,
and numdness overtakes his life.
It is now
that we need to be held.
It is now that we need
the understanding of love.
It is now that we need to lose the guilt
and set down our weapons.
It is now that someone
other than a Veteran needs to say,
"Welcome Home Brother",
"I love You."
I learned more in a few short days of
Love, of Pain, of Guilt,
of Understanding and Care
from these people who I will always Love completely.
For what many cannot see,
these people hold more than Love.
It is simply called the
Brotherhood of Nam.
Dave
The older I get
I find fewer and fewer things
to take Pride in.
Of those things
being a Grunt and a
good one are at
the top of the list.
A good Grunt
can live well on
the bare bones.
All you have to do
is find the truly
important things
and discard the rest.
In the bush I found
the most important things,
were made of Brass.
My Ammo
My Zippo
My Brothers.
I find today,
that's still true.
I give you the lighter
and the Match round,
to complete
A Set.
Two-Tone
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