June 14 Etchings at The Wall

A somber part of this day was our special visit to the 3/4 scale Vietnam Memorial Wall. It sits outside the Grand Palace and beckons every time you go to the Palace for one of the events. We had just finished watching a very entertaining opening ceremony in the Palace and moved out into the sunlight on our mission to pay our respects.

As we approached, I sensed Gary had halted in his progress and I looked back to find him in tears. A bagpiper had approached from afar and the lilting bars of music had instantly melted his stoic resolve. We embraced and then moved on to the tent where the volunteers use computers to look up the location of a name for you.

Gary had three names he wanted to seek out and we were provided with the information we needed. They provided a pencil and a strip of paper for you to take an etching from the surface of the wall as a memento of your visit. The number of names on the wall is staggering.

When Gary was drafted, his original basic training group ended up going to Vietnam at least 6 months prior to him. Gary was selected for advanced training as a Non-Commissioned Officer which took more time and delayed his departure. As a result, his original group were sent right into the middle of the big "Tet Offensive" that saw very large casualties. Several of them were killed before Gary even arrived in Vietnam. It was sobering to see the rapid pace at which the names were added to the list during this period of time. That delay may have very well saved his life...or at least put him in a different portion of the war and a different mode of operation. All a matter of fate as we look back on it now.

As I watched the sorrow expressed by others at the wall, I could not help but remind myself of how fortunate and blessed we have been and continue to be in this life.

"There but for the grace of God go I"...
Linda