If you carry your childhood with you, you never become old. ∼ Tom Stoppard Sunnyside, later to become Grewenow School In 1956 a new elementary school opened on the south side of Kenosha, Wisconsin just one-half block from our home. The new school was dubbed “Sunnyside”, after the area in which we lived. […]
I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music. ― Billy Joel The Fifth Dimension Many articles have been written about the music of the Vietnam War. Like most other […]
With friends and family on a Canadian fly-in fishing trip, some years ago Every fisherman who’s gone on a Canadian fishing trip, has many stories to tell, and most everyone has a favorite trip. (Or two) I’ve gone nine times and very much enjoyed all but one. That trip was ruined by severe […]
Military justice is to justice, what military music is to music. ~ Groucho Marx Introduction Long Binh Jail Vietnam was hell on earth Military life was at times terrorizing, and other times numbingly boring. Some GI’s got into trouble during those times, as a way to escape the terror…or […]
Memory… is the diary that we all carry about with us. ∼ Oscar Wilde While living in Southern California during the 1970’s, I found employment at a plastics manufacturing facility in Pacoima, where I was hired to handle the inventory and stockroom. It was a small facility, owned by one man, Adolf, […]
We were the Blue Foxes While serving with the US Air Force at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota from December of 1968 to December of 1969, I was assigned to the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron as a member of the supply team. Primarily a SAC (Strategic Air Command) base, with a […]
Dave Wagenblatt and I both arrived at Phu Cat Airbase, Republic of Vietnam in January of 1970 and left (fortunately) in January of 1971. Dave and I served multiple functions at Phu Cat and the surrounding area, with various functions of supply being our primary task. We are still friends and in contact […]
Tom Keating is a writer and veteran of the Vietnam War. His memoir of his military experiences in the US Army, “Yesterday’s Soldier, a Passage From Prayer to the Vietnam War” is the story of his journey from Infantry Officer Candidate (OCS) to conscientious objector in Vietnam and is available on Amazon. His latest […]
What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote it. ∼ E. M. Forster Within the soul of every Vietnam Veteran there is probably something that says “bad war, good soldier”. Only now are Americans beginning to […]
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. —Dalai Lama Mathew Nelson grew up in California to parents born in Wisconsin (so he shares a bit of their mid-western charm but with a west coast attitude). With not many […]