Once I was

This blog is dedicated to all who fought. And to those who never returned.

I watched a documentary earlier tonight. Called "Dear America: Letters From Vietnam," it combined archival footage with actors reading actual letters from Vietnam-era soldiers backed by a fantastic soundtrack.

How sad it was. Young men, kids really, writing about the things they saw. Some of them, placards later said, were killed within days of writing the particular letter. The average age was 20.

Vietnam was a two generations ago. But today American troops are still dying on foreign soil. That's where the analogy ends.

Sometimes I wonder if we don't forget that fact. We go about our lives, lost in our personal minutae, and every day the GIs are out there doing what they do. I think about our Halls buddy Dewayne Perry. I think about others just like him. I'm ashamed to admit I don't think about them enough.

There's this folk song from back in the day I like very much.

"Once I was a soldier," it says. "And I fought on foreign sands for you.

"Sometimes I wonder for awhile, do you ever remember me?"

Here's hoping we never forget them.