The Face of My Enemy

[39mto39g]

I regret that my country would only let me call in B-52 stricks on a limited basis. If they were more plentiful, I for one would have used the store up. At least from the Oasias to hanoi. Could have used a big lake in that area. Say about 60 miles wide.

Don





Halo, yea right

[BLUEHAWK]

FRIEND
FRIEN
FRIE
FRI
FR
F

ENEMY
ENEM
ENE
EN
E

WAR
WA
W

FACE
FAC
FA
F

PATRIOT
PATRIO
PATRI
PATR
PAT
PA
P

PEACE
PEAC
PEA
PE
P

[39mto39g]

What???? The hell was that about?

we spelling words down to one letter for a reason?

Vietnam
Vietna
Vietn
Viet
Vie
Vi
V

Nope, didn't work, there still there.

Ron

[BLUEHAWK]

Yup... jus' kinda makes it simpler to remember in case we forget

[exlrrp]

Well Brice, I think that the honest truth is that we hurt the Vietnamese a lot and they hurt us a lot. This is what we need to forgive them for and ask their forgiveness. This is so inherent in the AA program, I wonder why you don't see it.The program gives us a real mechanism to work on our defects--inventory, revveal it to God an another human being, became ready to have God remove our defects, then ask Him for help--we can't do it ourselves. Have you been sober long enough you don't have to work on your defects anymore? How did you know when you finally got good enough? I'm still working on it myself, long way to go, may never get there. I'm sure you may have noticed. The war didn't help.
I think they hurt you a lot--they HAD to-- like they hurt me--did you see friends killed, have to write letters home to parents? That must have hurt a lot. War is unjust and painful on all sides.
It is the part of a hero to brush off all the pain, anger, resentment--thats the way the Duke would have done it--but the Duke never got closer to combat than Fortress Hollywood, just like Ronald Reagan.

One of my defects I grew up with was racism,grew up with it like everybody else my age in America. I always thought I was free of racism too--untill I got in my first fight with a black kid. Its something worth looking at and I think its impossible for us to say we're free of it--that takes someone like the Dalai LAma and whoops: he hates gays.
I( don't think anybody can say theyre entirely fre of hatred or racism--We need to ask the minority people around us for their opinion to get some perspective. I wasn't a racist either, I felt sorry for the gooks--and that is what I called them and everybody else I knew. Now I don't, but it takes consciousness to remember this..

I have no doubt that you saw different stuff than I did and drew different conclusions. I think we all tend to generalize from our own experience and I had a very rare one indeed
I was an Airborne Ranger (aka lrrp) in Vietnam and only a few thousand people out of 2.5 million can say that. I got in some pretty rare strange places and did some pretty rare strange things whan I was a teenager
Let me show you a picture of a "Don" but we'll call this one Worth because thats what the Army called him. I think if this isn't the 1000 yard stare, it's about 911 yards of it
Worth has been in the Army for 2 years now and in the War for 10 months.
Worth has only one principle left now: whatever gets Worth home in one piece, Worth will do. Does he look like someone whose going to care about Vietnamese life? Not to me.
No, Worth is standing high on the precipice looking way off into eternity and he knows his life is very very cheap. And when you know your life is cheap, so is everybody else's. Does he look like someone who can make good rational decisions as regards the Vietnamese welfare?
Maybe he tried but he had some bad days. Maybe he didn't try some days
Worth is only 19 years old

I think there were a lot of Worths out there. Sorry if I canceled out all the good you did, I was just trying to stay alive in the worlds baddest places

Bye for now, keep working on it

James

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by 39mto39g I regret that my country would only let me call in B-52 stricks on a limited basis. If they were more plentiful, I for one would have used the store up. At least from the Oasias to hanoi. Could have used a big lake in that area. Say about 60 miles wide.

Don

Halo, yea right

Thanks for your incredible honesty, Ron
I'm glad we're friends

James

[SuperScout]

Bro. James ( and I spelled it right this time!)

After reading your last, I get the distinct impression that you're trying to send the entire nation on a guilt trip, and just was wondering what travel agency you worked for! By your logic, we should all embark on a surrendipitous 12 Step program for all our actions during and after WW II as well as Korea, Vietnam, Panama, etc. etc. etc.

It is part of the person in recovery to accept things that one can't change, to change that which one can, and smarts enough to know the difference. And I for one have just enough wisdom to know that America doesn't need to and will not embark upon an inventory of all real and imagined harms done to any other people during any war, anymore than any other nation will pick up their collective Big Book and do the same. Such rosy lens paradigms is simply off the chart in the total Serenity Prayer scheme of things.

I never had the impression, thought or indication that my life was cheap, nor did I convey this attitude to any other person I met since my first cognitive brain wave. Growing up with spiritually blessed parents, I was imbued with a sense of values that precluded viewing another human being any different than myself. During my time in country, for the most part I was blessed by having good commanders who also practiced moral leadership. Those that didn't were either relieved of command by their superiors, or were marginalized by the normal course of events.

My passion, and as it was spelled out sometimes in rounds going downrange, was directed at the evils of communism, and how those evils were manifested in threats to my men or to the civilian population we were securing. And in closing, if you would like to read some really mind-boggling propaganda and genuine babble, go read the Unit History I posted in one of the other Vietnam threads! It is almost hilarious in how wondrous the NVA conducted themselves during Tet, and how much "accomplished" against those nasty American imperialists.

[39mto39g]

sorr

[exlrrp]

Myself:
VSC
VMC
NDSM
CIB (had to apply for it 3 times)

Question: Does anybody know if GW Bush has more medals than me?

I'd like to hear it if he did, it would make me fall back in my chair roaring with laughter. Definitely brings medals into their proper perspective. My didnt he look heroic with that flight suit on claiming Mission Accomplished. A real Tough Guy

James

Happy Just To BE Alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[exlrrp]

These are indeed sour grapes from someone who still carries resentment. I can only work on my defects, not others and I have a hard time telling whats real sometime. But it sure gave me a sense of irony. This stuff is the hardest thing in the world for me to look at, I want to cover it over with Pixie Dust more than anyone--but there it is. But what was it? What did I REALLY do, after all the bullshit--thinbk thats not tough to look at?
Things To Do Today
A)
1) Show Up And Tell Truth

You guys are probly dam right--I'm generalizing too much from my own experience and it was a completely strange experience, no doubt. Good thing there are others around to point that our for me--when did you stop doing it and how did you stop??
See that kid up above?? You 'll be glad to hear he didn't die in Vietnam, no I carry him around all the time--he is my default position, that was the default look for many years untill I learned to plaster a big huge phony smile on Now THATS my default position but the old one slips in sometimes yet. Thats what they pay me for.
There's still a pist off kid in me wondering if GWB got more medals, I know its petty--Its hard to sit on him all the time, the only thing that works is The Program.. He's a good kid but he likes to smoke pot and drink Jack Daniels and go to whorehouses too much--that can get you in trouble, take my word for this, especially in the army. I know, I know, its hard to believe about our cleancut GIs but there really were such horrible people, I'm sorry to say.
I don't let him run my life anymore but I always live with him.
Sorry if he gets loose sometimes. What works best for him is to work programs other people figure out because his best thinking only gets him in trouble
Ask me how I know this
More is being revealed

Thank you all for participating in my life

James