Every Veterans Day my Dad, a Navy Vet who served fron 1969-1972, posts in honor of those who would

[Kber]

Not serve.

Background: in 1968 he failed out of college and had the bad luck of having a low draft number. He opposed the Vietnam war and still feels it was a poorly executed policy error. However, he was engaged to my mother and was afraid to go to jail and reluctant to flee to Canada.

His solution was to join the Navy, use his two years of college to test into a non-combat role, and serve his time on an aircraft carrier without ever putting boots on the ground in Vietnam.

To this day he feels a certain amount of guilt for not following his convictions and becoming a conscious objector.

He flew reconisence missions in SE Asia, saw friends die in training accidents, and gathered intelegence in Hong Kong, but considers himself, if not a chicken-hawk (since he has become a dedicated pacifist), at least a chicken.

I know he flew through enemy fire, but shrugs it off as "not really combat" since he never could fire back. Personally, I think he suffers from survivors guilt.

Anyway, agree or not, I honor his honor of those who objected, those who protest and preach for peace, and those who were willing to sacrifice in the cause of peace.

Dad - I think you were braver than you know, but this post, in honor of peace, is for you.

Love,

Kber

[TBF]

1. My dad enlisted in the Navy a little earlier -

he didn't see a future for himself in his small town. He was young when he graduated (these days would have been held back with that late in the year birthday) and did not have the grades or money for college. But he also didn't see a future in waiting around and get drafted into combat duty. There were already rumblings about what was going on in 1963 and sure enough he was shortly on a naval destroyer headed with supplies to Vietnam.

He survived (though injured from chemicals he handled on the ship) and finished his tour in 1967.

Whether drafted or enlisted anyone who gets sent into such a situation is pretty brave in my book.

[Kber]

2. I totally agree!

How did it turn out for him? After, I mean. My dad's biggest physical issue is hearing loss from sleeping too close to the landing deck.

He turned down a spot at the Naval Academy and completed his degree at Michigan State in 1976.

He's become an outspoken pacifist and spoke out against our invasion of Iraq (both times).

[TBF]

3. He worked in a factory for 15 years

and finally agreed with the VA counselors that it was time to retire (I was in high school at the time). He got a small pension at his factory for making it to 15 years and retired on disability (through the VA - he gets checks from Social Security and the DOD). He was a little before the Agent Orange cases but what he handled was likely similar - something or other that they used to kill the jungle plants in Vietnam. He lives in a small town and has an excellent VA hospital about 45 minutes away. He's 68 yrs old now.

He also belonged to a union when he was working and still votes for democrats.

Also, his disabled status allowed us to use his Veteran's education benefits - my siblings and I all graduated from college.

[Kber]

4. And he raised a good kid, apparently, too.

[TBF]

5. ty ...

[indepat]

6. Your father is a wise and courageous man and his assessment that Vietnam was a poorly executed

policy error is magnanimous.