Tag Archive for Vietnam

Thank You & HB, Navy

This week, some 243 years ago (1775), the U.S. Navy came into being. Today,300,000+ men and women are active duty Navy service members.

I didn’t serve in the Navy, but my husband did. He served two tours as a submarine sailor, with a stint on land and in the air over Viet Nam installing and servicing the radios that broadcast to the Vietnamese people. That’s where he was exposed the Agent Orange that likely was the cause of his cancers and, later in life, the antibiotic-persistent lung disease that killed him.

The Navy gave him much that was positive, though. Lifelong shipmate-friends. Experience and training that led him to a career in electronics. Stories of near disaster on a nuclear sub. Long, lonely months at sea brightened by letters from home.  The awesome vastness and power of the sea. Dolphins jumping over the bow of their ship, greeting them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. And, yes, a bar fight or two (this IS the Navy, after all!).

I salute all of you Navy personnel, and thank you for your service.

And to the U.S. Navy–happy birthday!

Thank You & HB, Navy

This week, some 243 years ago (1775), the U.S. Navy came into being. Today,300,000+ men and women are active duty Navy service members.

I didn’t serve in the Navy, but my husband did. He served two tours as a submarine sailor, with a stint on land and in the air over Viet Nam installing and servicing the radios that broadcast to the Vietnamese people. That’s where he was exposed the Agent Orange that likely was the cause of his cancers and, later in life, the antibiotic-persistent lung disease that killed him.

The Navy gave him much that was positive, though. Lifelong shipmate-friends. Experience and training that led him to a career in electronics. Stories of near disaster on a nuclear sub. Long, lonely months at sea brightened by letters from home.  The awesome vastness and power of the sea. Dolphins jumping over the bow of their ship, greeting them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. And, yes, a bar fight or two (this IS the Navy, after all!).

I salute all of you Navy personnel, and thank you for your service.

And to the U.S. Navy–happy birthday!

Julian Bond: The World’s Loss

The world lost a force for good last Saturday, when Julian Bond died.  For those of you who don’t recognize his name, he was  a civil rights activist, former NAACP chairman, educator, politician, and leader.  Many people disagreed with his stand against the Vietnam war and against discrimination, but he lived according to his conscious.  An interesting note is that he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives but, because he was Black, was not allowed to serve until after taking his case to the the Supreme Court and winning.

It’s only appropriate, then, that today’s Thursday Thought comes from him:

 

 

Movie Review: “The Butler”

You MUST see the movie “The Butler.” It’s an historical drama based on the life of Eugene Allen, who spent 34 years as a White House butler for 8 U.S. Presidents.  Forrest Whitaker plays the man who starts his life on a cotton farm and spends much of his adult life watching civil rights history being made and the Vietnam War take its toll on our country.  We see how his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and two sons are affected by his job and historical events as they unfold. It’s also interesting to watch how the various presidents are played by actors like Robin Williams (Eisenhower), John Cusack (Nixon), and James Marsden (Kennedy).

I don’t recommend movies often—I think the last one was “Lincoln”—but this one really affected me.  Maybe because it basically covers my lifetime and reflects my prejudices (I worked for civil rights and protested the Vietnam War).  But it’s more than that.  The emphasis isn’t so much on the history as it is on how people are touched by it.  That appeals to me.  And makes for an engaging story.

As I said, you MUST see this movie.