From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
He had made E-6 but had so many mental {that he tried to solve by drinking} issues, that he had been busted back to E-2 several times.
He was a Spec 4 when I met him and was trying to stay in until 1966 for his 20 years.
On the way back to the States in 1962, he re-upped {again} for a $1,500 bonus to go to Viet Nam as a "technical advisor".
I have prayed for him and all Viet Nam Vets ever since.
Memorial Day is to remember those that gave their lives but there are many that gave more than their lives, including limbs and their sanity.
The ghosts of war are devastating, and some of these living vets have mental and physical agony that put them into a place worse than death.
I haven't had an American flag fly at my house since 01/01/2021 until today, but it will come down at dusk on 05/31/2021.
The American flags flew at my home for over 40 years until recent events.
SAD.
Below is a blast from the past on TV by Steven Spielberg.