anotherview wrote:
Thanks for the reminder of this special date, Veterans Day. Little considered, the active memory of the living, who recall indefinitely the loss of their fellow service members. Among some of the living, this question haunts: "Why him, not me?" Relief from this lasting concern comes slowly, if at all. A bond with the departed continues. Today, let us honor all veterans who have served their country.
I know how it was him and not me. I was packing my desk to go on outpost duty for a week when Mac, our HQ Draftsman walked into the room and announced he had all his work done for the next 10 days and had never been on outpost duty (I had been.) and volunteered to go. He went, I went back to my work. Three days later was "Tet" and the outpost was the first place hit in our area. The platoon's worth of guys on TDY from various units had 3 killed, Mac was one of them.