Herewith, in memoriam, the names of comrades and the dates of their deaths. They are among the 14,844 Marines killed in Vietnam: LCPL. CARROLL FANKHAUSER 7/30/1965; PFC ROBERT FERNANDEZ, 5/20/1965; CPL. BRIAN GAUTHIER, 7/11/1965; LCPL. REYNALDO GUZMAN, 1/25/1966; 2dLT. WALTER LEVY, 9/18/1965; PFC CURTIS LOCKHART, 7/30/65; PFC PATRICK MANNING, 7/30/1965; LTCOL JOSEPH MUIR, 9/11/1965; PFC STEVEN PAGE, 1/25/1966; 2dLT. JAMES PARMALEE,7/14/1965; LCPL. KENNETH SEISSER, 7/11/1965; 1stLT. ADAM SIMPSON, 1/25/1966; PFC LONNIE SNOW, 7/30/1965; SGT. HUGH SULLIVAN, 6/15/1965; 1stLT BRUCE WARNER, 2/3/1966; SGT. WILLIAM WEST, 3/28/1966.
Heart, you were never hot/Nor large, nor full like hearts made great with shot/And though your hand be pale/Paler are all which trail/Your cross through flame and hail/Weep, you may weep, for you may touch them not.\
—Wilfred Owen, Killed in Action on the Western Front, Nov. 4, 1918.
Phil;
On this Veteran’s Day as I have done in past years, I visited two grave sites in Arlington National Cemetery.
1LT Michael E. Kraft (Co B, 1/7, 1st Air Cav Div) and CPT John Young (5th Special Forces Grp). Michael was a classmate of mine in OCS(Inf), 1965 and all of us were members of the US Army’s, The Old Guard, at Ft Myer, VA. Needless to say that prior to our own deployments to Vietnam, 1967, we had spent much of our duty
time in the cemetery leading military honors funerals of fallen Army comrades. Michael deployed first but was
KIA on April 8, 1967……….ironically……..the day I got married by a Justice of the Peace in Arlington, VA. We
honeymooned enroute to Ft Bragg, NC; I to attend MACV Advisory/Language training. At the same time, John
was attending Special Forces training. I never saw John again, as he was KIA on January 16, 1968. For myself, I spent my tour as an infantry advisor to two separate ARVN Battalions in Phouc Long and Binh Long
Provinces and was medevaced 20 days prior to my DEROS in June 1968….spending almost 7 months recuperating from amoebic hepatitis. So today, as I have in the past, I communicated with Michael and John, remembering the good times we had together.
On a lighter note; I had a discussion last evening with my 10-year old grand daughter about a book report
assignment she had to do for school. I told her I had just finished reading your book, The Longest Road, and she said that I would have to do a book report on that book for her. Just a few minutes ago, I handed her my book report on The Longest Road, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and if I could sit with you sometime, I would share my own “Rt 66/Jack Kerouac” experiences in the early 60’s,
So……. reflecting on the above………..I continue to ask, and I do understand that no answer is forthcoming……when I think of Michael and John, their wives, kids, grandkids they missed……and those that
I have enjoyed over the years………but really…………WHAT WAS IT ALL ABOUT???????
P.S.
I received your book from a client; Tom Furlong(formerly of the Los Angeles Times) and a fellow Chicagoan as I am with the proviso that I pass it on to another person to read. A big ‘THANK YOU”, Phil for a great read!
That’s quite a saga. So you, too, fell under Kerouac’s spell. In those days, if you had an ounce of red blood in your veins, it was hard not to. Hope your granddaughter gave you an “A.” Thanks for your comments and for reading The Longest Road. About Vietnam, I tried to answer what it was all about in A Rumor of War, which I urge you to read if you haven’t. The name Tom Furlong rings a bell. There was an editor by that name at the Chicago Tribune when I was there, but he would be over 100 if alive today. Could your client be his son or a relative?
answer – The late Tom Furlong, who left City News in 1928, went on to spend 49 years at the Chicago Tribune, rising to executive editor. He had three sons, all City News alums: Jim (’58), Rob (’69) and Tom (’72).
May they, my “Wall” and all our Walls, Rest in Peace. May we get through tomorrow without some well-meaning virgin telling us, “I know how you feel.”. May we never romanticize the horror of our youth and encourage our grandchildren to follow in our footsteps. Semper Fi, Mac!
Not many virgins left these days. Even well-meaning non-virgins can make you choke with their contrived empathy. Tim Page, the wild combat photographer in Vietnam, once said that it’s impossible NOT to romanticize war. Sometimes, the horror itself is romantic — the appeal of the Satanic. Makes me wonder if total silence is the way to prevent children/grandchildren from following in our footsteps.