I didn't serve in Vietnam, and thankfully I didn't lose any of those close to me that did. I sent others to that war; no matter how far down the line of diminishing responsibility I worked, that is what I did. My part was small but veterans tell me, "You were there," and some say "Welcome home."
Veterans give me a place to be, but there is no forgetting the enlistees and draftees whose entry into the military and the nightmare of war I was a part of. I am writing to illustrate how widespread and long-lasting the damage of war is, even for someone who was never in danger, never saw any of it first-hand.