This wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I'm still glad I found it...

Nam Vets by Bob Scheyer

When the Lord was creating Vietnam veterans, he was into His 6th day of overtime when an angel appeared. "You're certainly doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And God said, "Have you seen the specs on this order? A Nam vet has to be able to run 5 miles through the bush with a full pack on, endure with barely any sleep for days, enter tunnels his higher ups wouldn't consider doing, and keep his weapons clean and operable. He has to be able to sit in his hole all night during an attack, hold his buddies as they die, walk point in unfamiliar territory known to be VC infested, and somehow keep his senses alert for danger. He has to be in top physical condition, existing on c-rats and very little rest. And he has to have 6 pairs of hands."

The angel shook his head slowly and said, "6 pair of hands .... no way."

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems ... it's the 3 pair of eyes a Nam vet has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through elephant grass, another pair here in the side of his head for his buddies, another pair here in front that can look reassuringly at his bleeding, fellow soldier and say, 'You'll make it...' when he knows he won't."

"Lord, rest, and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord. "I already have a model that can carry a wounded soldier 1,000 yards during a firefight, calm the fears of the latest FNG, and feed a family of 4 on a grunt's paycheck."

The angel walked around the model and said, "Can it think?"

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can quote much of the UCMJ, recite all his general orders, and engage in a search and destroy mission in less time than it takes for his fellow Americans back home to discuss the morality of the War, and still keep his sense of humor. This Nam vet also has a phenomenal personal control. He can deal with ambushes from hell, comfort a fallen soldier's family, and then read in his hometown paper how Nam vets are baby killers, psychos, addicts, killers of innocent civilians."

The Lord gazed into the future and said, "He will also endure being villified and spit on when he returns home; rejected and crucified by the very ones he fought for."

Finally, the angel slowly ran his finger across the vet's cheek, and said, "There's a leak... I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the Lord. "That's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled up emotions, for holding fallen soldiers as they die, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for the terror of living with PTSD for decades after the war, alone with it's demons, with no one to care or help."

"You're a genius," said the angel, casting a gaze at the tear.

The Lord looked very somber, as if seeing down eternity's distant shores... "I didn't put it there," He said.

I've seen this before.
In an Erma Bombeck book, about mothers.
Seeing as how my mother didn't even come close to this, it didn't mean much to me.
But, seeing it in this context...
It makes allll the sense in the world now.

Found it while I was searching (and searching and searching) online for a replacement Nam bracelet.

The one I've had and worn for years is about an inch wide, black with silver letters and it wasn't for any one man, it's for them ALL.

It says on it:

Then, on one end it has "The price of freedom is written on The Wall" and, on the other end, it has the POW symbol (the center of the flag) and says "2300 Americans are still missing in Southeast Asia".

I had to stop wearing it because it's about to snap in half.
Broke my heart to take it off, too...

I've been looking ever since for another one like it.
Can't find one.
Not even close.

I got that one at the Farmer's Market in Delaware over 10 years ago, easily.
The guy who sold the POW/MIA stuff hasn't been there for a while.
I don't know who he was or where he went, but I kinda wish I did so I could find out where he got those bracelets.
His "store" was called "Tom's Mostly Musical T's", or something like that.
Sometimes, he'd wear a rainbow-colored clown wig.
I think he told me a Nam Vet in Florida somewhere made those bracelets.

Hell, it was easier to find my Dad's old friend Lonnie Johnson today (only took me about an hour or so) than it has been to find that bracelet.

Meanwhile, just to have something around my wrist for those unsung, unappreciated and all-but-forgotten heros, I ordered (and just got today) a different kinda bracelet.
It's as wide and it's for more than one guy again, but... *rolls eyes*... it has "NEW JERSEY" in big, bold letters across it.
Under that, are the names of all the guys from Jersey who are on The Wall.
And, I got one for Eric, too.
Early Christmas present...
(The Jersey one was the only one the place had two of and the only other choice was the same thing, but with Massachusettes on it...)

This one has the POW flag on one end and, on the other end, says "American soldiers are still held captive in Southeast Asia... BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!" and has an eagle trying to fly away, but chained by one leg to THE spot on a map of Nam.

I like it but, I'd still buy an exact copy of the one I had.
I'd wear it, too.
On my other arm.
Ain't no such thing as "too much support" or "advertising" for these guys.

Know what I'm sayin'?

In other news...
that potato salad came out pretty good.
If I've ever made it before, I don't remember it.
But, I will again, now that I know I can.
The macaroni salad came out good too, but ya can't hardly mess that up, it's so easy.
Now for all that (damned) baking I've been saying I'm gonna do for the last three days...

I might get around to doing my nails by next year sometime...
(IF I ever stop looking for that bracelet, that is...)

Peace, y'all...

*about 5 minutes later*
I'm back...
If anybody still uses paper checks for anything and wants the best ones ever made, try these.
I've ordered these very checks from this very place before and they're secure and trustworthy and it's said that every time you write a check, by the time it comes back to you 12 people have seen it.
I do most of my banking shit with a card or online these days, but I think I'm gonna order these again in case I ever do need to use paper for something.

Posted by: Stevie at 05:34 PM

Comments

Posted by: Surfie at November 15, 2006 02:12 PM (D/2Hm)

Posted by: Stevie at November 15, 2006 03:02 PM (jfIks)

Posted by: Ole Blue at November 16, 2006 10:43 AM (Lv180)

Posted by: Stevie at November 18, 2006 06:53 AM (cdqxa)

Posted by: Tim Swarbrick Jr. at December 10, 2006 06:27 PM (hcPRk)

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