Vietnam was a very different kind of war to fight in. My dad was drafted while taking some time off from college to work and make some money. Everyone knew someone who had died over there. People protested in the streets and held riots. It was a bad war with many lives left in ruins and families left with devastating loss. My mother remembers them having a parade in Blackfoot, ID where she grew up and people marched holding pictures for all of the boys who had died from their town; there were so many. The young men who had served and returned home were many times not treated well by the public.
My dad has not shared much about his experiences during the war, but the few things he has told me are pretty amazing and heart wrenching. Growing up I always wondered how he could go out at night by himself to the farm and check circles and climb down at the pump stations in the dark to check everything. But I guess after you've gone through some of the scariest things a person has to experience, little every days things like driving out to the farm at night pale in comparison.
I'm so proud to have a father who is a true Patriot to his country and has instilled so many great values in me, which I in turn can pass on to my children. There are a lot of people out there who can talk the talk (politicians especially), but can't walk the walk. I'm so thankful for those men and women of every part of the country and background who have proudly served our nation and the sacrifices they and their families have made. There is no payback great enough we can give them, except our utmost respect and appreciation.
