I have wondered for 32 years ........

[Keith_Hixson]

Ever so often I get a reminder from the past. Just this week I got a call and e-mail from a troubled teen that I worked with 10 or 12 years ago. I hadn't heard from her in 9 or 10 years. She said how she had turned her life around, and how well she is doing today. She said she is married and a mother and very happy. Then she said, "If it wasn't for your love and counsel I don't know where I be." To know that you made a positive impact is wonderful!
John, I have no doubt that I would have followed you anywhere. You are a kind and sensitive man. You made a positive impact on those men's lives.

Keith

[DMZ-LT]

Thank you all very much - it means a lot coming from this band of brothers and sisters. I salute yall. Sid and fred are right on - this has been the greatest honor that I could have ever received. I think of the guys that didn't make it every day and as Wazza said i try to honor them by doing the best i can , because of them I am here and have two wonderful daughters , a home , friends and life . EARN THIS. They are forever young and to this day and every day I mourn their loss.Knowing I gave them some comfort while they were here , far from home , is HUGH for my soul. Tiny ended up losing both legs - and one nut- to an RPG , he has 5 kids now. Griz he is from TX and some time this year I am going down there and stay up all night with him drinking beer and telling war lies. Then I am going to give him the hug I missed 32 years ago. Welcome Home to all. Thank yall.

[frisco-kid]

Tiny has only confirmed what many of us has known for a couple of years, now. That you are a caring, compassionate man with alot of intestinal fortitude. I served under enough platoon leaders to know how to spot the good ones and I, too, would follow you anywhere, sir. A fitting tribute to a good man.

[exlrrp]

I have by now come in contact with several people that I served with in the lrrps and one that I served with in the infantry. Fortunately my lrrp company has its own website:
http://e20-lrp-c75-rgr.org/
I think what everybody wants to know is if they were remembered and how.
How did I do? and also: Was it real? I'm lucky in that I have a pretty good memory but in talking to some of these guys I can see that it slipped in places, some I was told about wrong in the first place. Its great to straighten stuff out.
I was also lucky in that everybody Ive come in contact with was someone I was really intersted in meeting. Of all the guys I knew in the 101, the one I met was one of my favorites, we actually saw each other in action and appreciated each other at the time (He was the MG, I was the RTO)
I'm in contact with my old lrrp platoon leader which is good because he was my favorite officer in the Army--An infantry officer who spent the whole year in combat. He's a wheel with Sheraton now. He has a lot of notes journals and picture--Ive talked about collaborating on a book with him. He was the one who really filled in the blanks for me. I went where they told me to go an did what they told me to do but I was way out on the fringe in terms of knowing what was going on bigpicturewise--this guy was standing in the room when they formed my lrrp company, knew all the players well, knows what we were actually doing at any given time. He's also a great guy--he wrote a letter for me for my PTSD case where he just about let on I was as critical to the war effort as Rambo. heheheheh--well, there WERE some exciting stories there in band camp--GOSH I sure filled a lot of sandbags!-- Ive tried to tell some here but got accused of bragging ( and theyre right!) so I'll just chuckle about em to myself.
My favorite was meeting my ol pal Woody who is probably the person with the most similar experience to me--6 months as a 101st grunt, 6 as a lrrp pointman. I wanted to compare myself to how I was doing with my peers.This would be about the baddest little dude you'd ever runacross, he was awesome. Woody is a reculsive locksmith, living on the edge oi Lake Havasu, never,married, no kids. He likes to spend his days photographing nature. Woody told me I was one of the ones he wanted to meet the most also--our other best friend Gary Stuart had died of cancer in 1994
Of the other lrrps I know, One is a forestry supervisor, one is a retired IRS revenue agent, 2 are retired military, one is a real estate broker, one owns a bar.
Then there's me, and I'm still trying to figure who I am, along with everybody else.

James

[39mto39g]

Platoon leaders come from OCS school, which by my account sucks, People are different all over the world and when a person gets assigned to lead a platoon of guys where life or death dissions are made, the good ones don't usually step forward, they are pushed, and it is generally buy the people they are with. Makeing it a year in VN as a platoon leader was pretty unusual unless you were doing a lot of things right. I worked with a few LTs and tried to keep there good qualities as far as leading men goes. You get the respect of your men (especially your RTO) and you have it all. Sounds like your men liked what you were doing, good job.
Ron

[DMZ-LT]

Ron , coming from you that means a lot . Thank you. Hope you are feeling better.

[Andy]

I don?t think there is a more common problem among combat troops than survivors guilt. Matter of fact you can see it clearly in the posts made by a number of people on this site. Wish I had some magic words to make it all go away but no one does.
However, corresponding or better yet, meeting guys from your old unit who can recall an incident and say, ?Ya done good.? is about the best there is. Also remembering if you died or not wasn?t your call, it was determined by someone who way out ranked LBJ, Nixon or Uncle Ho, that?s good to remember.
Once we made it back we have always had an obligation, a heavy duty one, to live not only for ourselves but for our friends. (Which is a great reason why we had to have ?Several? women!) Since Nam if you have done good and you have, if you have helped others, especially when they didn?t expect it, then it's ok that you made it. We aren?t dead yet, so keep doing good things, keep proving to yourself that God made the right choice. And welcome home.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[DMZ-LT]

Thank you Andy , I look forward to shaking your hand in March.

[SEATJERKER]

..."THE WHOLE CITY OF ATLANTA"...

..."MANDITORY LOCKING OF ALL POLICE CRUISERS STARTS 160103 AND CONTINUES THROUGH OUT OCTOBER FOR REASONS AS SUCH"...

...On, or about the year 2002.......................