Month: July 2023

Memorial Day has passed as has D-Day the 6^th of June, and so has the 4^th of July, but still to come are November 11^th Veterans Day, and lest we forget Dec 7^th Pear Harbor Day.

These five days are marked down to commemorate the sacrifices of American Soldiers who served in the armed forces of the United States.

The days mean and meant different things to those who served in the many wars that America has fought in.

I know it did to Joe Scout.

He was simply a Cherokee ndn from the hills of Adair County.

Scout was not his real last name. Joe graduated from Sequoyah High School and then was drafted during the Vietnam war.

His tour of duty was in Nam he served in country with the 23^rd  Infantry Division known as the Americal Division. He came home to a country that did not like him or want him around.

Even though his roots went back further than the land known as America roots go.

But there were people who missed the draft or had deferment or crossed the border. They missed the luxurious living quarters that Joe enjoyed. A nice sandbagged bunker on top of a mountain surrounded by lush forested hills and valleys. He said “It could be a bit noisy with the big guns i.e. artillery going off at all hours of the night or day.”

All he had to worry about was the nocturnal visitors such as the rats, mosquitoes, and those black clad people from the north.

He also mentioned that right on time came those goodies from base camp. The ammo for the one-ohh-deuces and one-ohh-fives.

Rest came after fire missions or what he called the mad minute of firing the guns. A lot of work for ammo bearers whether in the heat or during the muddy season.

The draft dodgers missed the gourmet c-rations that Joe enjoyed as all service personnel have during their time of service.

Who can forget the fruit cake, ham and eggs, gravy and potatoes, and of course the all time favorite spaghetti and meatballs!

This idyllic resort that was his to enjoy while in Nam did come with some not so enjoyable happenings.

Like the time the Chinooks accidently dropped their ammo into the valley. Joe and company went down to retrieve it and he stumbled upon a black clad body lying in a stream bed. His world suddenly changed as he viewed the body, the war had come closer to his bunker.

He recounted the time one of the sergeants had caught a Vietnamese worker pacing off the measurements of the base.

Joe said “Dean I never saw the guy again.” And the time an owl would sit on top of the security fence post. Maybe it was the same Sergeant or not who walked by with some det-cord and wrapped it around the post. The Owl came as usual and settled on top of the post and blam! No more Owl just some feathers floating down!

Yep, Joe still wondered whooo was that sergeant?

He got bit by a rat later that year but that was why he got sent to Japan for some rest and recuperation. Some things are better left unsaid.

His greatest thrill during this was seeing Mt. Fuji.

He came home shortly afterwards and after some years got married. He kept some things closed off as all veterans of war do. He made it home alive and wondered for years why he did and others did not. He dealt with guilt about lobbing artillery at nameless and faceless people.

He even kept the Americal patch hidden away. Too many people who never served raised their voices in protest and called all those of the Americal Division “baby killers.”

Later, on he found the grace of God and forgave those who did not go and hated him for being there. He wore the crest of the 23^rd Infantry Division with the four stars. The four stars represent the Southern Cross of the Americal Division.

He started to enjoy life, playing softball, walking in the mountains, and fishing and of course the 4^th of July. The fireworks maybe brought back memories of firing off some bigger fireworks from the arty guns.

We found out later his health suffered from exposure to Agent Orange.

He passed from this life unto the next.

There are no statues of him nor did he have any songs written about him. All he wore are those of the National Defense ribbon and the Vietnam service ribbon. As taps are played signaling the passing of service people being laid to rest. Reveille is sounded for those who have Jesus as their saviour to awake unto life eternal.

Joe Scout was the nickname I gave him to all others he was simply Joe Scott. Or Jock. To others husband, dad, son, friend….

He served as other NDNs’ because this was still his country.

While taking my two-mile-walk today, I found myself thinking about running again. Only I had to remind myself or, rather remember the verse in Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, lest you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.”

I was sorely tempted to run but, naw too many years have flown by.

My cross-country days are almost fifty years behind me now. I must be content with walking though the time it takes me to walk two miles is nothing to brag about!

When the subject of running a race comes up, I know for a fact that NDN’s are very good at it.

Some excel at it more than others.

Which brings me to the prefix of ex and its’ many uses.

We see ex-presidents, congressmen, and women, ex-actresses, or actors, and ex-athletes. From this one can surmise that ex means past or before, even used to be…

Like an ex-wife one who is no longer the wife or in the case of the male an ex-husband.

Though one does not say my ex-job it, it just does not seem to roll off the tongue smoothly. Does it?

The armed forces do infiltrate and when the muck hits the proverbial fan, they have to ex-filtrate pretty darn quick.

Ex-filtrate would have been a pretty fancy, word for the ndn’s to use but they just used the words like run or hide!

At least, I think they did.

I know we used a different word than ex-tract or ex-tracting, when we uhh borrowed a farmers’ watermelon, tomatoes, or picked some fruit from his trees.

Ohh yeah, how about when you re-lax can you ever ex-lax?

When one meets a veteran, he, or she is not an ex-serviceman, or woman, they are still soldiers it never leaves them. One of my pet peeves is when people talk about princess Diane. People conveniently forget she was divorced.  She lost the title of princess and become just an untitled person.

There are no ex-princesses in my neck of the woods.

Remember Prince he said “that he was now the artist formerly known as Prince.” He did not want to be called an ex-Prince.

One more point to ponder about the so called, X-men are they no longer men?

Maybe too much to stretch it that far huh?

I know of one entity that practices ex-communication does this mean you are not able to talk too, or hear from them?

I am glad that at least I can not become an ex-ndn at least until, there is an ex-ecutive order to that effect.

Might be too much for this simple ndn. If you can help me out please do so!

Now I must ex-it until the next time.

That means get out of Dodge!