lzsally.com

Email from JA: Dan, I love this map. Honestly, it is so terrific. Where did you find it?

Response from Dan: Jerry, I think I found the map on the LZ Sally website. About three years ago I started a hunt for information because my son, Shane, wanted to take a 45 day backpacker style trip to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. While in Vietnam he wanted to visit our old AO(area of operation). His trip was an outstanding experience as he spent a week in Hue and explored the area. He wants to take me back on his next trip.


Email from JA: Something that is fascinating to me, especially now that we realize Iraq is here to stay, is how the troops operate there and how we operated in the Nam. I know that all wars have their peculiarities, but the commo and the going out and coming in that they do is so vastly different than what we did. Imagine things like email or being able to literally call home anytime they want. From my perspective, not sure this is a good idea.

If there were problems at home, we didn't know about it and by the time we did, it was over, solved, or something. Imagine a young married soldier who is calling his wife. She's not at home. His imagination runs wild. Is she out with "Jody?" No, she is at the grocery store, but he doesn't know that.

Or, maybe the young son or daughter is having trouble at school: think of the myriad of potential hassles that in our day, we simply didn't know about. Now, of course, with instant commo, soldiers know. How does this affect their soldiering? No small problem and fuels the debate of the married Volunteer Army.

Think about the difference in daily life for the American soldier serving in Iraq. They go out to fight, but then return to base or most do. They could have omelettes for breakfast, Big Macs for lunch, and steak for dinner. And, of course, we know how it was mostly for you guys in Nam. I had it somewhat better. So, what does this say? Easier in Iraq or just different.

My brother who is a Korean war veteran-just drives him crazy with the thought that we are pouring so much adoration on the soldiers serving in Iraq. I keep trying to tell him that it is just a different time, soldiering is still the same.

Hard to know where he's coming from-I think it is a generational thing. In his day, you saw your duty and did it and you suffered the ills of war. And, then when you had problems, you just sucked it up and moved on. Not sure why he feels this way, other than he was not a casual warrior: severely wounded and awarded the Silver Star.

One thing that did disturb me and I've known it-my time in North Carolina reinforced my view- is how truly uninvolved and uninformed most are about the war. It is the "nobody is home" look. And, being surrounded by a bunch of Republicans who are "don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up" was not easy to say the least. Oh well...

Response from Dan: I am convinced that the day the first caveman warrior picked up a club and went into battle/combat they encountered the same emotional, psychological, and spiritual experience as we did in Vietnam. It was hard.

I believe that there is a Universal Warrior Experience that transcends time; the war is different. So what does this say? Any war is hard on warriors, family, and loved ones; Iraq is just different as different as D-Day was to TET. God Bless Dan