This seemed like a good weekend to re-post something I wrote about my feelings concerning Memorial Day from childhood til now:

I think the American version of ANZAC Day would be called Memorial Day, and it takes place the last Monday of May, the start of summer vacation for the schools. If I may, and I hope I'm not out of line with this, because I mean to honor ALL Veterans by pasting this piece that I wrote about 7 years ago. Every country has a day set aside for honoring the remembrance of our Brothers-at-arms who gave it all so others would not have to. Please adjust the dates, places, and if you're down under, winter for summer, in order to localize it for your country. I wrote this to first convey the progression of PTSD, followed by the slow, hard-fought recovery from the effects of war on young, impressionable youths who fight them.
With all due Respect, here it is:


Here's a lttle something i wrote for my brothers, hope you enjoy!!

Memorial day: the changes thru life

Remember when Memorial Day marked the start of the summer adventure?
Then I went to Vietnam

Remember when Memorial Day meant you put down your c-rations for a moments silence for the guys who wouldn't be going home with us?
And then I came home

Remember when Memorial Day was a time to be so busy planning cookouts and road trips and staying drunk, that you didn't have time to think about what this Day really meant?
Then I lived life as a Namvet

Remember when Memorial Day was a time to be envious of our brothers who died, because they never had to endure the nightmares and cold sweats that became a normal part of living for us?
Finally, I found Therapy

Remember when Memorial Day was a time our tears started washing out the bitterness we carried for so many years?
I visited the National Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.

Remember when Memorial Day was a time to honor our fallen brothers and pray that someday we'd be ok again, too?
Something melted within me, my heart maybe

Remember when Memorial Day changed!!! And we no longer pitied ourselves. And we were finally, truly able to honor our deceased comrades, and feel sorrow for their families, who never got a chance to see them make the journey back to peace at heart.
Today, I’m happy to be alive, and I wouldn’t change any of this for anything, because it has molded me into someone my Mother would have been proud of.

Peace Brothers, WarHippy (MONGOLS mc)
1st Cavalry Division (AIRMOBILE)
VIETNAM ’69-’70-‘71
The First Team

It's in all of us, the ability to recover. As Anthony points out numerous times in this forum, you just have to want to bad enough to work at it.
Thank You, Anthony, for this forum, you are blessed by God for your efforts.

Wow you wrote that? It's very good WarHippy, very touching. Kind of hard for me to read, since I come from a military family. It made me a bit sad for the family I've lost on various operations and also indirectly because of combat PTSD. We don't celebrate Memorial Day here in Canada, but my family does make a point to think of soldiers in other countries on their commemorative days. So I do hope you have a decent day and know that my family and I will be thinking of you and of all the American vets.

Bitter sweet. My dad was shot down 7 -17 -70 there. I do not speak to him but respect what he did.

Very touching, War, I got chills,even. My ptsd came from same time frame, and I still find it hard not to envy the ones who were killed. I was the one the heavens kept shoving back into a frail body. (I'll get even with them some day, lol)
I say I'm still waiting for a wwII frame of mind, but slowly calmer waters seem to sneak up on me.
You have traveled steps so many who never ever take, but in a way you took them for them too.
We are our own paths, and not all lead forward, thank goodness your's did.
Ignorance is bliss, wanna bottle the stuff and throw a huge party.
By the way, I say happy veterans day to any vet I meet and all thru out the year. Blessings,,,,,,,,

My brother served in Nam, wonderful sentiments Hippy

I live in DC, WarHippy, and was downtown for Rolling Thunder yesterday. It takes my breath away every year. My dad's in Arlington Cemetery but I don't like to go on Memorial Day--too many people.

Thanks to you and all the other vets on the forum, today especially.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words. To kers, I rode in the Rolling Thunder Parade in 1998. They estimated over 200,000 motorcycles took part in the parade that year. I was part of a group of bikers that rode from Long Beach California every year called, "Run For The Wall". Thanks for helping me remember a good memory, sometimes they are too few and too far between.
Respect,
WarHippy1%