Hi gang,
I think you know me well enough to know that I don't go sticking my head in things that I can't extricate
myself from. Likewise you know how I feel about this sudden spate of back-slappers and others who
think that they are doing something really special for those of us who got drafted back in the 60's and
had to go fight McNamara's "project 100,000" war in SEA. There is little to be gained by giving speeches,
organizing parades and various other events to honor the Vietnam vet some forty plus years later. I've
said it before, I feel like Jackie Gareau on the Monday after Rosie Ruiz "won" the Boston Marathon. It's
just way too little and way too late to make up for the slight they gave us on our return from fighting the
politicians war with our hands tied behind our backs.
I am not alone in my thinking, of that I am assured. However, we do have an opportunity to tell our
individual stories. Most of the stories that have come out of the conflict dealt with those of us who
slogged through the rice paddies and humped the jungles and the mountains. Larry Rock is putting
together the stories of many of the rest of us who toiled in the support role of the war. As a Combat
Engineer we were in any one of three categories; combat, combat support or combat service support.
Some of us got to experience all three aspects while we were in-country. This is an opportunity to tell our
stories. Even if they are not published, the act of sitting down and writing out what happened can
become part of your own family history. This was the impetus for Larry's effort in the beginning. Most of
us have shared very little of this history with our own families and when we are gone, no one will ever
know what you did unless you take the time now.
So whether or not you want to share your experiences with Larry, I encourage you to leave your memory
of your tour of duty in Vietnam to your kids and their kids. If nothing else, it might prevent us from taking
the same road in the future if we share our thoughts, feelings and perceptions with the next generations.
Check out the two attachments for an outline of the questions that comprise the jist of the possible book
and the reasoning for the compilation. If you still have questions, write me back and Larry and I will try to
answer your questions. If by chance you want to pass this on to someone else who is a close friend of
yours, please check with either Larry or myself first, please
Ed Hanke
Vietnam, Sept 68-Aug 69