The End

The Wall is down and on its way to Middleboro Mass as I write this entry. With few exceptions you would never know the wall was ever on the soccer field. The well worn path of thousands of people walking being one of those exceptions. The volunteers are are exhausted from long hours of walking the wall, and talking to people for hour after hour, but I am sure if you talked to any of the people who volunteered their time for this labor of love, they would tell you they don't regret a moment of it at all. Every minute spent in Constitution Park, in Center Ossipee NH was well worth it, educating children on a period in our history, working with adults coming to grips with their past, and just remembering their part in this historic event. There are over 58,000 reasons why each person volunteered whether it be for a specific name on that somber wall or for all 58,000+ in general they came day after day for five days to pay their tributes, and the volunteers where there to help them.

If you have the chance to visit the wall I strongly suggest you do, it draws you in like a magnet, and almost refuses to let you go. Even better if The Wall is near you, become a volunteer, the people you meet make it worth all the effort you put into it. Unfortunately now it is gone only a memory in some many peoples histories, but it is a memory we can take with us forever., knowing that in some very small way we are forever linked to those men and women listed upon that wall. Lives who never met intermingled in the history of this country

Moving Wall Part IV

Brenda, who blogs under the page ENROUTE 365 posted a comment on my last post...."I was just wondering if there were any commonalities in the stories told during this event? Or any thoughts on what you think the greatest benefits are from events like this? Obviously it's good for the young to learn and understand part of the country's history. But it's good for us adults, too. A cousin of mine who served in Vietnam is now also just started to discuss his war experiences ... something that I think is good for us, his family, as well as for him."

I think it is time to answer these questions. There is a commonality of the stories I have heard on this occasion and it is that of putting a face on the name of the wall. giving a more human look on the causalities. We have to remember that these are more than just names on a piece of aluminum in the case of the moving wall, or marble in the case of the Memorial in Washington.. These were people, who had brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, wives, and sons, and daughters. They were people who lived, loved, laughed and cried. They were scared, and bewildered in a foreign land. I talked to a man who had left a can of beer in front of his friends name because he owed him a drink from their last time on liberty. Another Veteran left 29 cents at the wall because he had borrowed it from his buddy to buy a pack of cigarettes the morning before he was killed, and this was the first time he was able to pay him back. A veteran from Iraq left his CID (combat infantry badge) and jump wings in tribute to all who lost their lives in Vietnam. In church this morning they showed a video that talked about Milton Oliver III who won the Medal of Honor because he picked up a live grenade cradled it to his stomach and then fell on top of it to protect his platoon. My 21 year old daughter picked some lilacs and left them in front of panel 9 East in honor of this brave man to let him know that people in New Hampshire appreciated his ultimate sacrifice. A veteran came under the cover of darkness to visit the wall as he walked along the wall looking at the ground ahead of him. He could not bring himself to look at the wall. I walked over to him in my camouflage shirt with my ribbons on it, I took his hand and said Welcome Home. He looked at me, then the bars on my collar, his eyes then glanced down to the ribbons on my chest, he dropped my hand and gave a bear hug, thanked me then wished me a welcome home. The next thing I knew we were walking across the field to the name tent to look up the only name he remembered, we then walked back to the wall and looked up the name as John then stood there and told me how this kid had just come the the United States from Turkey, and could barely speak English, but he joined the Marines, and he was one hell of a Marine. He died one night on patrol when he stepped on a mine. When he heard the click he froze, and warned the rest of the squad to get out of the way before he lifted his foot off the mine. John then sat on the bench in front of the east wall and told me in tearful eyes, how he was transfered to another platoon, never had a chance to get to know all the guys in the platoon, but they were ambushed . He couldn't remember any of their names but he knew the date, so I gave him the link to the wall website in Washington so he could do a search by the date of casualty. He then told me what happened, they were on the top of a hill when an artillery round landed right in front of him. He was wounded but the impact of the shell mainly mushroomed up over the top of him. The only survivors were the four closest to the impact. He was going to go home and do a search and get their names. We talked for an hour and he gave me another hug and walked out of the field with his head held high.

A woman asked me to help with a rubbing, as we rubbed the name she told me about her brother that she had hardly known because he was 12 years older than her, who had proudly enlisted in the Navy only to be killed when the tragic fire happened on the Forrestal.

We had a gentleman drive from Bangor Maine about 4 hours because he heard the Moving Wall was coming to us, and he felt it was finally time to say goodbye to some long lost friends. Another gentleman came to the name tent with a long list of names on tattered crinkled paper, as the volunteers looked up the names they could only find one fo the names, they wrote down the location of that one name, and while handing it to the man they apologized for not finding more of the names for him. He wiped a tear form his eye, and told them not to apologize, because the list of names were of guys he had served with, but lost contact with, he was very sure of the spelling he had for each man so if their names were not in the directory, then they had lived and he could finally put his nightmares to rest.

In my case even though I did not serve in Vietnam it finally gave me the chance to put some demons of my own to rest by sharing these stories with men who had gone through Hell and back. Even those who had never serve were able to put heir hand on someones back while their heads were bent in sobs over names of friends who never came back.

I strongly suggest if you have the chance to work on an event like this the rewards you get back far exceed any inconveniences to you for the time you spent doing the event. Every man woman and child that worked here is walking away from it much richer in their lives for the stories they hear. One lady walked over to me gave me a huge bear hug, kissed me on the cheek and thanked me for my service, and all I could do is croak out a thank you to her as I tried to hold back my tears. The children were very respectful and some kids got to meet the memory of a grandfather they never knew. I know my kids are walking away much richer for the time they spent at the Wall. The high school students who came to help set up were working shoulder to shoulder with battle hardened veterans, and hearing their stories.

Talking and crying are good at an event like this and it allows people to voice the demons that have haunted them for years. It is very important for our kids to learn the history of our past for those who do not study their past is doomed to repeat it. One of the greatest men I had the opportunity to meet during this visit is Major Frank McCarthy USMC. He is a Marines Marine, and presented opening remarks for the Wall on Friday night, his talk did not leave a dry eye. My intention was to leave a wreath for the Sailors and Marines who lost their lives in Beirut when the Marine Barracks were bombed,Frank found out about this and informed me there would be a formal wreath laying at 1600 hours Saturday, and all I could say was "Yes Sir" Frank then dug up another Veteran of Beirut and got us in formation and He made a small speech and and saluted me as I laid the cross I had purchased for my quiet impromptu wreath laying. When we dismissed the formation, Frank Saluted me and said "Well done Sailor, now you are Home". Another battle hardened Vietnam Veteran took my hand, placed them on my ribbons, and told me you've done well sir, you've done well.

The Moving Wall Part III

This is going to be a very simple short post as all I want to say is Thank You.

Thank You to David and Susan for letting me help

Thank You to all who came

Thank You to all who shared their stories

Thank You to Major Frank McCarthy for helping me put some problems to rest

Remember on this Memorial Day on Monday, that Freedom is not Free, and that all our soldiers, sailors and airman gave some, and some gave ALL.

The Moving Wall Part 2

Today was the second day of the moving wall and I had the honor again in being the Officer of the Day. We had quite a few schools come in today and learn about Vietnam and the men who fought there. The National Guard brought in a Huey today for a display the kids loved it. Again I was totally impressed with the quality and range of questions the kids had. They were also very impressive in their behavior and the respect they showed The Wall and the 58,246 men and women whose names are listed their.
I ran into a Marine tonight who visited the wall and for the first time he was able to look up the name of a kid he knew g who was killed over their. We stood in the V of the wall and discussed the his service in country and the men he knew. I am learning so much working on this event and bringing closure to an aspect of my life.

The Wall Part 1

We worked hard this morning. After we had received the bad news that the driving force behind the Wall David Dube was in an accident on his way to meet the Wall in Tamworth. He required 20 stitches in his head and back. After things got sorted out we ramped up into full speed when it arrived in Constitution Park. A group of High School students from Kingswood came to help with the assembly. They were such a joy to watch, eager to work, and willing to learn. The wall went together without incident, and we were pretty much open for business by noon. While the attendance at any one time was not very high, it was a steady stream all afternoon into the evening. I stayed until about 8:45 and to see it lit up was inspiring.

I so hope many people take advantage of this visit to the area, and visit this tribute to our Vietnam Veterans, and grasp how many of our finest young men didn't come home from that remote area of the world to see their loved ones

How I plan to spend my long weekend

In watching the news they are talking about the weather and how people plan to spend their long Memorial Day weekend. Let me tell you how I plan to spend my Memorial Day Weekend.

On Thursday May 22 The Vietnam Veterans Moving Memorial commonly called The Moving Wall is coming to Center Ossipee for a stay. I will be taking two days vacation and arriving at Constitution Park around 8 a.m. to wait for the walls arrival. As soon as it arrives among its escort, we will swing into action and assemble the display. One of the most moving moments of the morning will be watching Mike Gaudett, whom I have had the honor of working beside since the inception of the weekend, will with his son carry the panel with his brothers name and put it in its proper place on the assembly. Other Veterans have asked permission to carry the panel with their buddies names on it. We plan on making this step in their healing process a very solemn event, and memorable for all those involved. Over the next five days I plan on walking the wall, talking to people, and learning their stories. My wife has volunteered to work in the name tent, along with my oldest daughter. My 16 year old is doing her part as a gopher to help the volunteers on duty at the wall. My 10 year old is going with her 4th grade class on a field trip to the wall to learn more about Vietnam, and veterans in general

Even though I did not serve in Vietnam, my time of service was not until some five years after the United States pulled out of Vietnam. Preparation for this event , and the event itself leads to the first time I have put on an article of my time in service and wearing the awards I earned during my time in Service with several tours with the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in Beirut, Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, and other cruises while in the Navy.

I take part in this weekend not because it will bring honor to me. I take part in this event to bring honor to all those who have ever put the uniform of this country on, and answered the solemn call of duty and honor, specifically those who served in Vietnam , and more specifically the 58,246 who gave their lives in a far away land, that few even knew existed before we were involved there. It was the first war we fought where there was no defined front, there was no push to gain new ground and move the enemy back. It was a war where it was a constant struggle just to stay where you were. The enemy was hard to tell, some were shaking your hand during the day, and sniping at you during the night. It was a challenge to an army used to conventional style fighting.

What do I expect to get out of the weekend? I expect to hear stories, see acts of contrition, and share pats on the back with brave men. My brother fought in Vietnam in the Seabees, and a brother in law was there as a brown water sailor with the riverine forces. This weekend is a way to connect with my brother in a way I have never done before, and honor the memory of my brother in law. It is a time to reconnect with my past, and dig into some memories I have. Friends who were blown up in Beirut, reconnect in my mind with friends whom I have lost ouch with over the years like the Tree Dave Walls, one of the most honorable men I have had the pleasure of knowing. It is a time for me to remember the service of my father as a motor machinist mate on landing craft in World War 2.

I expect to leave this weekend with a stronger connection to my past, and a stronger connection to my fellow vets.

Welcome Home Brothers and Sisters Welcome Home

Politics as Usual

Again I can not take credit for the following, it was sent to me in an e-mail recently, but it is so true. I think it is time we re-evaluate our government and those who serve there. They say they are the solution, but they seem to be more and more of the problem. We hear politicians speak and say the solution to high income taxes is more taxes on corporations...I don't know if they don't stop and think of the economics of that or if they just don't want the American people to know the economics of the fact that corporations don't pay taxes people do. If corporations taxes go up, in order to insure that their share holders profits continue to be there, the cost of the products they produce will go up to cover the increased taxes, therefore we the people pay the taxes in the form of higher prices. Now for the text of the e-mail I received.....

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices -- 545 human beings out of the 300 million -- are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party.
She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They and they alone, have the power.

They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses -- provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

It is more than time to drastically look at our government officials and evaluate truly how effective they are in solving the problems of this country. Are they the solution or are they a part of the problem!!!!!! Think before you vote, and in the example of the movie BREWSTER's MILLIONS maybe it is just time to vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE

Welcome Home

My deepest gratitude goes out to Dave and Susan Dube of Lazy Susan's restaurant in Ossipee New Hampshire for their tireless effort in bring The Wall to Ossipee. I have been very involved in the project since the early days attending countless meetings and planning sessions. The time is coming up quick with the approach of May 22nd. You can feel the excitement among the volunteers and executive committee. So much to do and so much to worry about and it is soon to be here and the planning put into motion. Are we nervous, I guess you would have to say just a little bit.

It will be my first time viewing any version of The Wall, and while I didn't lose anyone close to me in Vietnam I lived amidst the tumultuous time that was the war. I had a brother volunteer to go over and serve as a Seabee in Da Nang, now suffering from the ravages of Agent Orange. I also had a brother in law serve with the Swift Boats in the brown water Navy, who not only went over once but volunteered to go back a second time. He has since divorced my sister, and there is no way to know how the tours in country affected his psyche.

It was a war in which our soldiers, sailors, and airmen did not come home to open arms of welcome as they are today. It is a war where the country was deeply divided by a chasm that will never be completely healed,but we have been closing it slowly over time. In preparation for the event I have been studying up on the wall. I found this quote from the designer of the memorial
"I felt the memorial should be honest about the reality of wall and for the people who gave their lives...I didn't want a static object that people would just look at, but something they could relate to as on a journey, or passage, that would bring each to his own conclusions... I had an impulse to cut open the earth... an initial violence that in time would heal...It was as if the black brown earth were polished and made into an interface between the sunny world and the quiet dark world beyond, that we can't enter...The names would be the memorial. There was no need to embellish." Maya Ying Lin. In my estimation she met her goal. Friends of mine who have visited the actual wall in Washington said that there is a stark difference between The Wall and the other monuments. The other monuments you can hear people talking about what the monument means how they were built, what they mean, however when they get to The Wall you can hear a pin drop, and tears are evident on the faces of many. Children can be seen touching the names of loved ones they will never know. Mementos left to honor those who will never be forgotten. Letters left telling loved ones how they are missed.

I look forward with trepidation to having the honor to work on he Wall, and share my thoughts and insights as we move forward. An to the Vietnam Veterans out there who may read this I have one phrase for you WELCOME HOME BROTHERS WELCOME HOME

"Stress Buster"

Before I start today I have to make a disclaimer the title of this blog post is not my own but borrowed from Pastor Dave Kemper of the First Congregational Church of Ossipee. It was the title of his sermon this morning and I was deeply touched by the sermon. While I try to live a Christian life it is very hard because the minutiae of day to day life seems to always bog us down. We do things that cause us guilt, and we lose people and things close to us that cause us grief, and people do things to us that cause us to hold grudges. Because of the three g's guilt, grief, and grudges it causes us to live tension filled lives, and inhibits our relationship not only with God but also with others.

The three g's drag us down into the mire of our pasts and do not allow us to concentrate on the future where we can make the changes that would allow us to live less stressful lives. Guilt of our past actions, grief of what we lost, and grudges held against people all drag us into the mire of that stress. We cannot change the past but we can change and affect the future. by putting those things behind us and turning them over to God can we look forward to a bright new future with less stress in our lives. We have all done things that are wrong, but through turning our lives over to Christ, and believing the sins of our lives were nailed on the cross with Him then we can live guilt free lives and work on correcting those actions that we know we should not be partaking. When we lose something or someone dear in our lives, by concentrating on what we do have rather than concentrating on what we have lost we work on the future instead of living in the past. We may not have the person in our lives, but we will always have the memories of what made them special to us. My father passed on when I was a young man and just married, my wife was pregnant with our first child. Yes I miss my father deeply, but I have memories of fishing trips and camping trips with him. I also have my home, my wife and my daughters. I have made some bad decisions in my life, and at just shy of fifty years old find myself essentially starting all over again with little left in savings towards day to day living let alone retirement , but I still have modestly good health, I have a loving wife working with me to start all over again, I have dreams of where th e future can bring me, I have three lovely, loving daughters, and I have the ability to start all over again. (It takes a lot for me to be able to admit this on a blog like this but it is in a sense a part of starting all over.)

Grudges for me are the hardest part to give up. We have a tendency to hold things against people for things they have done or things they have said. Who does holding a grudge hurt? The person we hold the grudge against.....guess what for the most part they probably don't care. I held a grudge against a minister for years for things he did an said, such as basically telling me I had nothing to offer in my life. Does he care I held this grudge? I can tell you in retrospect he does not even care that I held this grudge against him. All it did was affect my life and turn me sour against the church for several years.

Let me tell you this, forget about the 3 g's turn your guilt, grief and grudges over to God and get on with you life and making yourself a better person. As Pastor Kemper said the difference between being BITTER and being BETTER is I so it is up to me. This reminds me of a saying that was drilled inot our keads at a sales meeting this winter.."IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME"

Amazed

It never ceases to amaze me to see the eagerness of children to learn. Due to the heavy and frequent snows this winter, two of my daughters had school today to make up some of the excess snow days. It would have struck me that most kids would have talked their parents into letting them stay home on a Saturday school day, but it seems a good majority actually attended school. My youngest daughter Grace went to school and the teachers used today as a day to invite parents into the classroom to view the classroom and projects the children were working on. My wife had to work today, but I took advantage of the initiation and was amazed to see the eagerness of the kids in her class. Grace's 4th grade teacher Sarah Olkkola was doing a project in science called a water table, and when she was going over the project I witnessed kids very attentive to what she was saying and actively participating in the reading of the instructions. When it was time for the actual project, I saw the whole class participating. They all jumped in and took a job in the experiment which was to pour water into a water table and create a stream, then to observe how the stream reacted to the terrain in the soil that was in the table. The group my daughter was in was very observant, and readily picked out the features they were asked to, as well as trying to understand what was happening on the table in front of them. It was very refreshing to see the inquisitiveness that prevailed in the classroom.

The children were also very eager to bring the parents that came into the project and show them what they were learning. Kudos to the school for inviting the parents in, and kudos to the parents who attended to see how excited their children were to learn. Keep up the good work.