Discharge

Actual Date: May 27, 2010
Historical Date: March 26, 1968
I’ve been discharged. I was leaving Saigon, the war, Vietnam, via helicopter to an aircraft carrier on it’s way back to Hawaii for a short stop, then back home. It’s only been three months and my life has already changed dramatically because of the war. On the bright side I finally get to go home to see my wife. I’m amazed with myself actually, going such a traumatic war and coming out the other side with only a leg missing. They gave me some crutches for now, but they said they’ll give me a wheel chair when I get back home. As we were leaving I saw another soldier pushing off Southern Vietnamese trying to get on the chopper with us. I didn’t notice how many of were there, standing there asking to be taken away from the gates of hell. We didn’t say a single word to each other on the way back to the carrier. (1)