My discomfort rose as I wrote the above Posts. Hence I choose—for whatever reason—to unbind my emotion and end this July 4th Post on a perhaps off key, clearly downbeat note. Irreducible fact: I admittedly carry a grudge 40 years on—bile rises when I think of those who labored, and labored mightily, to avoid service in Vietnam. I am no hero, but that is not the point—I did serve and wear jungle fatigues. Willingly. And despite that white hot back pain described above, I’d do it again if asked. My pen begs me to …
(Sorry, I am unable not to conclude this way—I can only imagine the Comments. Where would I most like to be on the 4th? As I’ve been only once on this date, at the wall with 58,000 names, chatting up a few of my missing pals.)