Daddy's On the Wall

Viet Nam and the war fought there have left a lasting scar on the psyche of the United States that will never be erased but will, like all scars, fade in time to be almost unnoticed. About 14 years ago I visited the Vietnam War Memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C. As always, I was moved as I walked slowly down that gleaming black wall inscribed with the names of the fallen, the missing and the POW's who have never come home. I saw more than a few names of friends, buddies and team members inscribed there from my 3+ years of duty in the war zone.. As usual my eyes filled with tears, a huge lump arose in my throat and I was overcome with a strange sense of relief, guilt and melancholy. I noticed a young lady with her had against a name on the wall, silently crying and whispering. She seemed so forlorn and so alone. I asked her if she was OK. She replied that she was, but had come to tell her dad that she was going to get married and ask his blessing. She explained to me that her dad had been killed at Ia Drang, in the II Corps sector of the Central Highlands of South Viet Nam. I knew it well! My unit worked that area on a regular basis. She told me that her mom was 5 ½ months pregnant when her dad had been killed. She never knew her dad but she knew of him and loved him none the less. She explained that several times each year she would come to Washington from her home in Raleigh, NC, just to commune with her father. It made her feel comforted and she felt that it kept him in the family loop, so to speak. Her mom had remarried when this young lady was 8 years old and she agreed that she loved her step-father, another Nam vet. It he who had brought here here at age 9 to see her dad and it he who had explained to her the feelings of Nam vets. He encouraged her to come to see her dad here at "the W" and to communicate with him there. I was moved beyond words for the love of this living vet to share the joys of a daughter with his departed comrade in arms. I have often thought about this incident over the years.

If you have never visited this hallowed memorial in Washington, plan to do so. It something needs to be done so the wounds can be healed albeit, scarred by the treatment of the Nam vets by their nation. Now people like Jane "Hanoi Jane" Fonda, a traitor of the worts kind, espouse their "sorrow" at having acted as they did. I will never accept her apology! I forgive her but I cannot and will not accept her apology. It is too little, too late and way too insincere! Nam vets have made it a point to never ever allow another vet to come home from battle without a hearty... "Thanks for your service, well done and welcome home!" being offered to them......warrior-to-warrior!

At the time of this incident I wrote a piece about this but could not bring myself to publish it. Now I feel that it is time to do so.

MY DADDY'S ON THE WALL

My daddy's on the wall,
He sees me as I come to him.
He is safe here with his brother warriors.
His honor shines through!

Warriors died so others might live,
Here those warriors are honored,
As no where else are they so seen.
Bless the fallen warriors, bless my daddy!

My mom has told me of my daddy,
My aunts and my uncles also,
so him, I have come to know!
All of the fallen are here to see their kin!

America turned on these brave warriors,
But some of us never did!
Pride is what I feel but sadness as well,
As I come to talk to my daddy!

Only warriors know truly how the fallen feel,
Yet many falsely claim to know.
As I touch this cold, black wall,
I feel his spirit and his love for me!

I am your child father come to see you!
Please know how I love you.
Make my loneliness fade with your spirit.
Know me as your child!

Know my life as I grow and flower,
Know my children as they come to me.
Be aware of our family in life,
As we honor you in death!

Rest easy father I am here,
My love as your child is my only offering.
Accept my love and my pride,
Daddy I love you!


Copyright © 2009 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.