my first two years in the Army I worked at an Army Medical Center on Ft Lewis WA, that was in the 70s after Vietnam was over...
Worked on the Medical Surgery Ward, the most populous in the hospital.. Half of our usual census were all WW 1 vets..most in their 70s and 80s...
next came WW 2 Vets, most in their 50s and 60s, then the Korean War Vets in their 50s or so...
then followed by the smallest group of War Vets, the Vietnam guys...Took care of a couple of thousand patients in those two years there...
had many conversations with them, while giving care, or taking vitals, or just checking up on them...
What a blessing and bless with the memories of the conversations I had with them...
there pretty much all gone now... with the exception of the Vietnam Vets and those that are left are in their 70s and 80s and even 90s now...
and soon they will all be gone.... even over at the local VA, seems that the ones from Iraq, and later Gulf War and Afghanistan service, just ignore the Vets that remain from the days of Vietnam... some times the younger guys won't even give the older veterans the time of day... like they didn't matter... all that matters now are those that served in the Middle East and Afghanistan...
not all like that, but many of them..... wasn't the same back where I served.... the younger guys all seemed to have respect for those that served and fought for our nation before us.... That ship has seemed to have sailed.....Sad but true...
World War 2, lost 3 uncles on my dad's side of the family... and 5 or 6 relatives on my mom's side.... lost no immediate Uncles on my mom's side, because she was from a family with 5 girls...but each of my uncles growing up ALL Served on that side... and survived to make it home...
My dad's wars were Korea and Vietnam....he served 26 years and retired a Bird Colonel....then served another 22 to 24 years in the State Dept.
Mom was Civil Service.... she served for 50 years in that capacity, retiring as a GS 16.... Her coolest job to me growing up.... served as personal secretary to the Commanding General of the Green Berets when the old man was stationed at Pope, the AFB inside of Ft Bragg in No Carolina..
1966 to 1968.....
A salute of respect for all who have served and donned the Uniform in service to our nation...
