Ever have a day, that for what ever reason, an old memory slips in? Maybe of a passed relative, or close friend. Silly as it may be to some, I still have thoughts of our Irish Setter of nearly 14 years, who passed a couple years ago. And have any of those memories brought a tear, when those around you don't understand?
I miss our dog Cali. I miss my Uncle Charley, who seemed to know more about fixin' "stuff" than anyone I knew. I miss other family members, who have long passed. I miss friends too.
But some days, for no real reason, I think about a couple guys in particular, that I knew from days gone by. A couple guys, just red-blooded Americans, doing their jobs, and doing it with honor. I miss them. And some days, I can't help but get a bit teary eyed, and maybe a lump in my throat. But today, Veteran's Day, I know why.
While I still miss them, I have to remind myself, to celebrate their lives. Celebrate, that I knew them for a short time, knew their smiles, as I knew their anguish. I knew Foreman's laugh, but it was a quiet laugh, unlike Brock's, who was so "kid like", and sometimes loud. Brock smiled ... a lot. It's hard to even imagine, either of them being soldiers, "warriors". Wishing they didn't have to, I know, but warriors who each and every day, did their jobs, as the military expected them to do. Every day, they would dredge through rice paddies, or sweat the jungles, and do everything they could to take care of each other, as well as taking care of all those who walked with them.
Yet, I can't seem to recall a day that I didn't see a smile, or hear a laugh, from either of them. They were good guys. Guys you'd be proud to know. They were good American "boys", doing a man's job in the battle fields of Vietnam. They shouldn't have been taken. They should have seen their date of departure come at their scheduled times. But they left for home early. Far too early. And they laugh no more. That is sad, and worthy of a tear.
KIA's, SSG Terry William Foreman and CPL Robert Lee Brock, are not forgotten. Ever. I can't say, "Happy Veteran's Day". I can only say to Foreman and Brock, and to all Veterans, You Are Remembered on this day we set aside, as Veteran's Day.
Remembering their faces, their smiles, and their laughs. And I cry.
Note: SSG Terry Foreman and CPL Robert Brock were killed by hostile fire on May 24, 1970. Both were fellow unit members of Co. C, 3rd Bn, 187th Inf., 101st Airborne Airmobile Div., I Corp, Vietnam
