Memories of those who gave all

 When I first got to Vietnam, I was initially assigned to the 3rd Marine Division Communication Center reviewing message traffic and getting it to the right person in the command.  Casualty reports were part of that routine.  I was eventually assigned to be the Executive Officer of a company of Marines.

On joining the company I saw a stack of bodies waiting to be loaded on the chopper I came in on along with the realization they were more than statistics on a piece of paper or stats in a news article.  I was eventually wounded in combat and spent time in a field hospital listening to other Marines suffering from their wounds. Memorial Day becomes a time for reflection on those who didn't make it and those who still suffer from their experience in war.

I am proud of my service in the Marines and my association with fellow Marines.