Comments on: July 17, 1969 — Welcome to the United States Army

By: Philip

Philip — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:33:47 +0000

I want you to know I’ve appreciated and reread many times this response to the Army blog.

By: wishy the writer

wishy the writer — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:21:40 +0000

I just found your blog! Love it! Love your writing and I'll be back! Thanks for letting us know on FB that you're writing this thoughtful, terrific blog.

Best,

Amy

By: Vanessa Gonzales

Vanessa Gonzales — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:22:02 +0000

I second the Wow! That was intensely fabulous. Thank you for sharing. And I can’t get over the resemblance between you and your mother—what a gorgeous woman! Not that you’re a gorgeous woman, but semantics are working against me here no matter what order I put it in so I’m just gonna quit while I’m ahead. =)

By: Ned

Ned — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:49:24 +0000

Wow! Thanks for posting the NYT piece about 1969. It's amazing to see it now. Our youngest and final child, Jean, was born in October of that year. She joined her four sibs, the oldest of which, Lynda, was a ripe old 6 years and 8 months. I was one year out of evening college with my fresh engineering degree and a promotion to a supervisory position at the sprawling turbine factory of Westinghouse near the Philadelphia airport. Trying to be a good daddy to the children, a good husband to their mother, my faithful and wonderful wife, Mary Ann, and keeping the washing machine and dryer going every day was more than enough to keep me busy. I knew about all the events of that year as they happened but didn't have the perspective that time gives. I was glad our childen were so young and hoped all the craziness would be over by the time they weren't. Thanks, again, Philip, for posting this piece and the link.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:12:26 +0000

I hope you get that sabbatical in France, Monsieur Deaver. You've earned it. Bienfait.

By: Philip Deaver

Philip Deaver — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:10:05 +0000

Thanks to you each for these comments. I predict that the old hippie "back to the earth" movement of the '60's will sweep in again soon. It will combine with the "Green" initiatives world-wide. It will most likely be way too late, but anyway thanks for the comments.

By: Michael Kurz

Michael Kurz — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:33:35 +0000

I remember the body counts on the news and I remember thinking we must be winning. I was only 9, 10, 11, and that was the way it worked in baseball, or even when we played "army" in the neighborhood. It was amazing how you could be so detached - they were just numbers, after all.

And then someone decided, "if we don't show them the coffins and body bags, they won't lose support for the war." ?? "We'll tell them it's to protect the privacy of the families ... Yeah ... That's it." "They won't see the irony when, after 5 or 10 or 20 people are massacred by some nut job with several assault rifles in a shooting spree, we'll stick microphones in the faces of devastated parents, spouses and children and ask them how they feel about their loved one being slaughtered."

I have concluded that it is a very sad but unavoidable truth that, if not most, than certainly a very large minority of Americans are nothing more than sheep: so terrified of new ideas or any potential challenge to their belief systems that they beg, for and willingly chew, a daily cud of brain-sapping celebutard and 'reality-TV' nonsense. "We'll keep you safe! We kept you safe for 7 whole years! Those socialist Democrats are making you less safe. They're APOLOGIZING for God's sake! You never saw W apologize for anything!"

"The intellectuals are ruining our country!

"Don't listen to those whiners or their talk about torture, illegal wiretapping, or rendition! You need to keep up with what's happening to Michael Jackson, (dead for 2 weeks before they stuck the poor SOB in the ground). After all, you don't even know what rendition means!" Why do they care how these terrorists are treated?

I truly worry about the world my daughters have inherited.

By: Katie Riegel

Katie Riegel — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:17:12 +0000

I'm impressed by all this piece says through not-saying about the current crop of boys going off to be killed and our continuing inability to figure out how to just get out.

By: Ned

Ned — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:46:37 +0000

I love the photo of your mother. I can't help thinking of your story about listening to her play the piano without her knowing, and the poems you've written about her, and many more related things, many more. Ned