Blue Tiger
by
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EPILOGUE
In part, I attribute my Viet Nam survival to my high school coaches and my Army drill instructors who instilled in me from day one to never ever give up no matter what happens.
The Viet Nam War to me was very frustrating to say the least. The VC took a page out of our own history books concerning guerrilla warfare. In our own American Revo- lution we fought the British in much the same way. Hit hard and run. Many times we never saw the enemy. To me the war was nothing like the John Wayne movies I had watched as a boy. Many times a "grunt" could not tell the good guys from the bad guys. The war did not seem as personal when the enemy was shooting at you in a fire fight. You shot back because it was either you or him that was to die. The unconfirmed kills didn’t seem to bother me as much as the kills where I saw the haunting eyes of the dead staring at me. I had numerous nightmares about those eyes when I returned home. I still on occasion see those eyes staring at me. They are locked in my memory, and I’ll never be able to forget. I have learned to live with the memories and put them back in the hell where they belong, but I still remember.
Various days and times of the year still to this day jog my memory about Viet Nam. Memorial day reminds me of the death of a friend, John Sinnock. My wedding anniver- sary on July the first reminds me of the pleading eyes of a dying boy and his father. The fireworks at night on July the fourth reminds me of illumination rounds, trip flares tracer bullets, LP, and ambush patrols. Veterans Day reminds me of all my buddies from Viet Nam. Some of which I have never seen or heard from again, and I feel like a small part of me has died. The playing of taps reminds me of our dead and wounded and the ceremonies we never had for some of them. At times when the wind blows, I think I can still here helicopter blades slapping the air. The rain reminds me of the rainy season and the question-- Will it ever stop raining? For me, Ben, after all these years the rain has finally stopped. Forget! How could anyone ever forget?
Thou shalt not kill. I have asked God for forgiveness, and I still ask God to forgive me from time to time. The Bible makes it clear in Hebrews 9:27 that "it is appointed for men to die once", but I believe that warriors die many deaths.
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About the Book
Blue Tiger is a book that is the result of the healing process of one Viet Nam Combat Infantryman. The book is taken from the daily diary of the author. Blue Tiger tells his story and it helps put the past to rest where it belongs in the past. The Viet Nam war tore the nation apart, and the military men were caught in the middle. They were blamed for things that they had no control over. They fought to stay alive in a no win situation. For many the war will never be over. Blue Tiger just might help those searching for an end to their war, and explain to others the truth about the combat soldiers in Viet Nam and why some are still bitter.
About the Author
He was born in Guymon, Oklahoma in November 1944. As a boy, his family moved around a lot. But two places in his young life stands out as contributing to his love for writing. Ulysses, Kansas is where he attended junior high school, and Dumas, Texas is where he graduated from high school. He attended Oklahoma University for a short time. He received his BA in 1970 from Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma. He received his MA Degree in 1972 from Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico. He also did graduate work at East Texas State University at Commerce, Texas in 1978. He has had many poems published beginning in high school. He has written many unpublished works to date.