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Veterans of Vietnam and World War II in my thoughts By Linda Waggener In just one week, the Vietnam War and the men and women it affected stayed in my thoughts. I'd had the privilege of sharing lunch at the Black Stallion with fellow Metcalfe County High School graduates of 1966, two of whom were Veterans of that war. Teddy Pedigo and Bill Blaydes spoke quietly of a few of their shared war experiences and then we remembered our classmate lost in that war, Billy Smith. He was killed not long after going into the war. He was the type personality to step out front when the going got tough. We remembered his nature, he would have gone in guns blazing, fearless, ready to die for America. I remembered Billy as a tall strong farm boy who should be alive today, sitting with us at the table at lunch. As that week came to a close, I found myself reading a book about the Vietnam War and the nurses who served there. The book chronicles the war in such detail I had to put it aside often. The hardest part to remember is how veterans were treated when they returned home - absolutely unacceptable. I feel our country cannot do enough for the people who serve. I recommend the book, The Women, by Kristen Hannah, whether you're a young person who wants history in excellent detail, or if you are a Baby Boomer like me who lost friends and have lived enough to learn there are no winners in war. Today, I think of classmates who served, and Billy and other friends who were. hurt or killed in Vietnam. And always on Veterans Day I remember my dad, Earl Reid Marcum, who served in the Philippines in WWII. While I was in high school, an Army recruiter convinced me to think about enlisting for my future. I went home excited and told my parents I'd like to join. Generally, my soft spoken Dad almost never commented about the war experiences that left him hurt and living in pain. However, at my question about joining the service, he raged, "absolutely not! never will any daughter of mine join the service." I don't remember the rest of his bold, brief speech but both my mother and I left the subject right there. She probably have been my champion if I had wanted to demand it, but we left that idea there and it didn't come back up. He knew firsthand the bad that could happen and would not allow it for his child. This story was posted on 2024-11-10 21:09:06
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