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Another Memorial Day has passed. The kids and grand-kids are gone. The television is off and all is quiet.
I’m alone with the ringing in my ears. And the names.
I have a book, a yearbook of sorts, that presents the highlights of my unit’s accomplishments during one of the years I served with them in Vietnam. Somehow that book survived the years when I tried furiously to burn my bridges and forget.
In the back of the book are 11 pages of names, listed in alphabetical order, white lettering on a black background. They’re the people of my unit killed in action that year.
483 of them.
From: SP4 Angel L. Acevedo-Millian
To: SP4 Larry E. Zapolski
I no longer try to forget… to deny my part… to act like it didn’t happen. And now that everything is quiet, it’s my time to remember.
T. W. Dittmer 
Oh, so glad you are speaking.
Full of admiration for you and your fellows.
We love all of you!
Inadequate, I know.
But true nevertheless.
Thank you for your service, and for surviving your trauma, so you can write about it.
Thank you.
For so much.
On memorial day.
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It is good to remember; we never want to forget. Everyone in my family thanks you for your service, Tim.
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Oh, Tim. I’m so sorry you had to go, so glad you came home, so sorry for the guys who didn’t. Thank you for your service. No one can ever thank you enough.
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Deep and sincere gratitude, Tim. I appreciate the opportunity you give us to tell you that.
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So powerful. Thank you for this piece and your service.
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Speechless.
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Tim, I believe there is a special place in Heaven for men like you and your fellow veterans who have served so valiantly in harm’s way.
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It’s so important for us who haven’t served in any war to remember those who have fallen and I know how hard it is for those who have served to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. A beautiful piece, Tim.
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What a beautiful tribute to those men, Tim. Thank you for your service and we will never forget those who have given their lives for freedom…
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Thank you for your service.
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OMG! Well said, my friend. Well said.
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goosebumps Tim, thinking of you x
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Powerful stuff, Tim.
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My uncle Johnny died in Vietnam at 19 yrs old. He was a hero. All that remains is a small plaque with his name, rank, and ribbons. But everybody knows the weight of that thing. And every man after him in our family remembers.
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It is time to remember and maybe even smile about the people we knew. Touching post, Tim
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Thanks for stopping by, Dannie. Some smiles.
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I don’t know how I missed this post – thanks so much for sharing, Tim.
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Fellow Vietnam vet. I know…I know. But forget, we cannot. Even if we want to. But our remembering must be tempered with reason, seasoned with mellowness.
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