VIETNAM CLUTTER

SPEAKER FOR VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE TRAINING GRADUTION

Today I literally wrap up a project started over a year ago.  I am sending to The Vietnam Archives at Texas Tech University my memorabilia, writings, pictures, books and letters.  This is a small step in cleaning out the clutter in my office and storage room. What is more import, perhaps, I can review and put behind me again, some experiences that reallly do belong in the past. I have not given this era much thought for years and now I am summarizing it from a more objective space. What I realize from this review is that the perspective I had of that war was not only vastly different from that of people who have not been there and equally different from all peacetime perceptions. As soon as we label some others “evil” and ourselves “good”, all understanding, reason and communication is distorted. This does not mean there is no such thing as good and evil, but that we rarely have adequate data for making such a judgement. (Only God has it). Hence we prejudge (prejudice) and operate on the facts and rumors we have. What this project can mean today is that I have a renewed appreciation for what our troops are going through and pray for their safety.