4 Comments

Thank you for your beautiful writing, Jim. I am especially moved by stories of soldiers and sailors and pilots who have fought in wars and experienced the mayhem and if they come home physically in tact, they are rarely fully psychologically intact. My dad, served several tours in Vietnam as I’ve said before, two brothers served combat duty in our Middle East wars, my son served in war zones in the Persian Gulf, and now I have two nephews in military service. I can’t finish reading your article, not because it isn’t excellent and important, but because I can’t see through the tears. I cannot watch war movies either. I tried the other night to watch the new “All Quiet on the Western Front,” but couldn’t get through the first 10 minutes. But thank you for writing the life stories of those who served and those who perished. It’s important work.

Expand full comment

Really great, honorable telling of this story, Jim. Of one thing I do have confidence, to our national shame, we will never learn.

Expand full comment

....Further, Pokorney’s story hits hard this morning. No way to start the day with Fred on my mind. Or maybe it is. Maybe we all have to have a bit of Fred shrapnel embedded in us to remind us of such sacrifices and to blister the thought of "is it worth it?"

Expand full comment

All you have to do is see Arlington with its perfectly aligned crosses all standing at attention from you to the horizon, or stand at The Wall where a list of names is etched into the black slab resigned into the earth. You have to ask yourself, through tears, if we'll ever learn.

...I'm so sorry, Fred. So very sorry.

Expand full comment