SwiftVets.com

[Vidrick]

I'd like to express my deep appreciation to all Vets both retired and active for their service to our country. I have three children under the age of 11 and thank god every day for the men and women who serve our country. My children walk out the door every day and I don't worry about it because of our military and the people who serve. I thank you all!

I have a memory from my childhood that I wish to tell for the first time. It puts all Vietnam vets in perspective for me. This memory is really "seared in my mind" verses what some others have recently said.

I am 39 years old. My family travels to Canada every summer for vacation. Around 1972, a distant relative brought a friend to the family cottage for vacation. I can't remember his name, but he had recently left service in the army in Vietnam. He was a great guy and I remember that everyone treated him with the utmost respect.

My father, myself, and the vet went camping. There is a part of Canada known as "Queensland" which is off-limits to development. It is absolutely gorgeous with lake after lake and pristine wilderness. We hiked for several miles to get to a lake called "Scrabble" for camping and fishing. We made camp on an island and had a great day. That night, we all went to bed in a 4 man tent. During the night, it began to pour rain. At some point, I woke up and realized that the vet was not in the tent. I put on my rain gear and went out to look for him. I found him sitting on a large stone hunched over with a log in his lap. He had no rain gear and was soaked to the bone. I went over to see what he was doing. When I got about 10 yards from him, he jumped to his feet and yelled at me to "HALT!" I was scared to death. The look of terror in his eyes chilled me to the bone.

Later, he told me that he could not sleep laying down in the wilderness. In Vietnam, he always had to be alert even when sleeping. He was most comfortable sleeping sitting up with his gun at hand. Rain, cold, heat - it didn't bother him. He apologized to me and was very sincere. About 6 months later, he commited suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun.

What's the point of this story? Even to a 7 year old, it was clear that the men and women who served in Vietnam gave up everything to help our nation. He went through hell to protect me. Whether or not the war was "right" or "just" didn't matter. To this day I remember the look in his eyes and weep over the self-less devotion of our people in uniform.

With this story in mind, I must express my love and respect to the swiftboat vets. It burns me to the core that a politician would use his sketchy service as a political tool. I've met many vets, including my father (WWII Air Force - French Morocco) who do not talk about their service. Not because they are ashamed, but because it is something they HAD TO DO. It was their responsibility to answer the call of our nation. I appreciate the Swiftvets effort to set the record straight and remind us that true valor does not have to be explained or advertised.

God bless and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Rick K. Columbus, Ohio