I was working on restoring a hard drive that had crapped out on me. On it were the files that comprise this website as well as old files that comprised the old site. There are treasures here. Not treasures of silver and gold but treasures on memories; memories of comrades lost; memories of days past, some good... some not so good. But we owe it to our fallen as well as to our own sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters, to never, ever forget. There are lessons to be learned. There are lessons to be remembered. Those that fail to heed the lessons of History are doomed to repeat then... and, Lord knows, I would not want my progeny to go through that kind of crap without being prepared. Viet Nam is a lesson on how NOT to fight a war from a desk half a world away. It is a lesson on the consequense of underestimating the enemy. It is a lesson on how a mighty Army can win every battle and have the politicians lose the war by failing to seek, much less define, the objective.
Yet, in spite of the politics and the profiteering, we learned that we, The United States of America, can still field an Army that could kick ass and take names. When they let us, we could beat the enemy on his own turf at his own game. We were soldiers. Our was not to reason why. We fought for each other. The bonds that were forged in that crucible still endure.
The first chapter here is from Clarence "Clancy" Matsuda. It does not deal, directly, with our Merry Band of Silent Warriors but if one reads between the lines, one can understand a little of how we were all effected by the circumstances, environment and politics of that time.
Clancy Matsuda set a standard for us. He is, was and shall always be a man of quiet dignity, noble wit and immense strength of character.
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Thank you, Sir.