Forgotten Heroes

Forgotten Heroes They were the best of times; they were the worst of times. The effects on a man’s soul are limitless; when it comes to a bloody game we call war. Whether it is from a movie, novel, or personal testimony, the entire account can never be retold. There will always be facts missing, exaggerated points, or skewed visions. You can never tell when a war story is real or completely made up. You can only close your eyes and pray to god it wasn’t ever that bad. During the Vietnam War, or the ‘unpopular war’, many men faced things unimaginable today. Soldiers kept quiet to avoid the pain and humiliation that American citizens put them through upon coming home. Often times the soldiers discarded their uniforms to avoid public humiliation. They faced rejection and verbal, sometimes physical assault. Needless to say the war was not a welcomed topic. Just as in Tim O’Brien’s short story of ‘How to Tell a True War Story’, the American people were not so supportive. Just after Bob Kiley lost his best friend, Curt Lemon, he decided to write his sister and speak of how great of a brother she had had. He went on how they became brothers and how he was one of the best men he knew. He told her how he had made the war almost fun, and what a great sense of humor he carried. (pg.543) His letter was never given a response. Just as quickly as curt had died; Bob’s letter would be forgotten. There’s a story of two Vietnam Vets from the state of Massachuses who had always felt as if they were forgotten heroes. They heard mention of a war memorial in Washington that would consist of a wall with the names of every lost soul engraved into its granite. As soon as they heard of its release date they hit the open road. In some way they felt as if it were to be a homecoming long denied for the veterans in a black period in our nation’s history. They had hoped their participation in the war would be put into a better perspective, that even though the war was bad, the soldiers were not. To them it was as if the memorial brought the Vietnam War out of the closet, and into the public consciousness.