I would not classify myself as a coward. At times in my life, I have acted bravely in the face of danger. Most men—and increasingly more women—wonder, as I did in my youth, how they would respond under the fire of enemy guns. It is an age-old question that cannot be answered until you are…
Confused and disheartened, tears trickled down my face, dampening the sheets, as I lay half awake in my bed. ”What is the point of my being,” I asked, “if all that I do comes to naught? Who am I and what is my worth?” I shouted to nobody there. “Why are you so hard on…
The idea of predestination has always bothered me, and yet, as I experience Life, it seems that we are not all created equal. Some appear to have been given special qualities for successful living, while others lack the ability to cope with Life’s obstacles. We all experience trauma, some more than others, and trauma leaves…
Most of us, I am sure, can remember singing OH BE CAREFUL LITTLE ONES WHAT YOU DO as a child. Perhaps it was Sunday school or maybe Kindergarten that it was introduced to you, and if you are like me, you can still do most of the actions. I didn’t know it then, but this…
In a recent post on Next Door, I referred to people, who found fault with my post, as “ignorant”… which of course set off a barrage of responses, both favorable and disapproving of my position. I do not wish to make enemies of my neighbors and in my defense would like to share with you…
Having lost three good friends in the past couple of months, all of them much younger and appearing in far better physical condition than I, it has occurred to me that each day I live, each word I speak, and each writing I post, may be my last… and for that reason I would like…
Lovable is not a word one would use to describe Chhang … and he was well aware of that. At one time, before the sores started, his looks were a little more tolerable but he never did gain weight in his lifetime, and having AIDS was something he could not hide from others. Too weak…
I came across this photo of Leroy the other day and realized I still had tears left in me that I haven’t cried for him and for many others. Leroy took my place on point some years ago. He was fairly new to the field and the Captain wanted him to get some experience. That…
As a writer, I enjoy creating characters for my fictional stories. Each character develops its own personality as I type it into existence. Although they may only be a name to me in the beginning, by the end of the story, they have become an intricate part of the completed work. By creating them, I…
In 1984, U.S. Congressman Henry B. Gonzales awarded me the Purple Heart in San Antonio, Texas. I was not given it in 1968 after I was wounded because Operation Mallard Duck was a suicide mission, and I was not supposed to be rescued. I was the last survivor off the field, and although the medivac…