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We've
got one hell of a
story to tell. In the
past seven years or
so, you guys have
captivated me with
some of the best
stories I've ever
heard--stories that
capture the
essence of what being
in Vietnam was all
about. Each of us has
at least one good
story,
and we need to get
together to tell the
whole story.
Well,
we have a chance to
have our story told
and to have it told
right.
Myra
Colgate, the wife of
Dick Colgate(Alpha
Troop, 70-72), is a
professional editor
who
has offered to pull
our individual stories
together into an
anthology for us and
for
posterity. Myra is a
freelance writer and
photographer who once
served as section
editor for the
Ft.Campbell Courier.
She's a Navy brat
who's married to a
career
serviceman. She's the
best of the best for
doing what needs to be
done.
Guys,
we need to tell our
story before the final
history of our service
is written by guys
like Stanley Kubrick
and Oliver Stone. More
importantly, we need
to tell our families
and our country about
our service. I am
continually amazed by
how many times I've
heard the following
conversation: " I
never ask him about
the war because he
never
talks about it."
" I never tell
her/them about the war
because she/they never
ask about it." Guys,
your families want to
know. Your kids and
grandkids want to
know, and we need
to tell them. We need
to tell them not just
about the heroism in
the AO, but about the
comradery, the
friendships, and the
antics that made us
the best cavalry unit
in
Vietnam. We need to
talk about what made
us the best unit in
the AO. We need to
talk
about the heartbreak,
the tragedies, and the
humor that made those
twelve months some of
the most memorable of
our lives. Each
of us has threatened
to write a book about
the war, but we never
have and
probably never will.
But each of us has one
really good story. It
doesn't have to be
about
combat,and,infact,my
best memories are not
out in the AO but back
in the rear
area. So
this is your mission(
and i know that some
of you have already
started):Write down
that one, really good
story. It doesn't need
to be long. In fact,
it probably shouldn't
be
longer than a Readers
Digest article--short
enough that you can
read it while you're,
well, otherwise
occupied. Send
the Story to Myra. Her
E-Mail address is
: mldcol@juno.com She'll
help you. In fact,
she's even offered to
open up her house in
the Great Smoky
Mountains to guests to
help us write their
stories. If
you can't write a
story your self, get
together with one of
your buddies and tell
a story
together. If you can't
fill a couple of
pages, then write what
you can. I suspect
some of
the best memories are
just snapshots, one
sentence memories
burned into our
memories. I'm
going to post Myra's
guidlines in the
private area, and I'll
keep it updated with
her
advice. I'm also going
to dend her the e-mail
list in case she wants
to get in touch with
us collectively. Let's
get writing. Bob P.S.
There may be room in
this, or another
anthology of wives'
reflections, also. |