[DON WALKUP]

i wish it understood that i'm in no way 'bad mouthing' or disrespecting today's vets, or ANY veteran, for that matter...but...

my dad, my wifes dad both fought in wwII, korea and VN, my brother went to desert storm, i have 3 cousins that altogether, have six and a half years in 'nam alone between them, i did my time in the 'nam war, my wife's son just returned from iraq, so it's not like i have no room to talk, but... it seems to me like the current day media and people in general have forgotten all but what happened last week.

last pearl harbor day and june 6, there was barely any metion at all of them in the media. my dad went thru north africa and the south of france and my uncle went ashore at normandy, my wifes dad went thru tarawa and siapan...

RARELY, is there ever mention of the korean war or it's aftermath and veterans...in fact...you'd probably never know we'd been involved in a bloody war there if it weren't for the veterans of it. my dad would not talk about it, he was along the yalu, my wife's dad went thru the chosin reservoir ordeal, my eldest cousin was with the USMC then.

RARELY is the war in 'nam ever spoken of: especially in schools and in the media and it's vets are spoken of even less. it's like someone or something wants to extinguish all mention of anything that occured earlier than last month...

my dad and uncle are now gone, my wifes dad is very elderly and in ill health, two of the three cousins mentioned are gone, victims of agent orange, the other in failing health.

i'm certain i am not the only one out there with a history like this.

it would be wonderful if, like the bumper sticker i once saw said: "wouldn't it be great if they gave a war and no one showed up for it"?

what will it be like in another sixty three years for veterans?