The legacy of Vietnam

Every day on the battlefield was different, yet it was the same.

We had our orders. And we went about the planning and execution with as much skill as our training and experience provided. We checked the details until the calculations were as familiar as our names.

There was no room for error. And yet, regardless of our orchestrations, the assignments persistently went south. It was as if a God particle interfered with what should have occurred.

Army intelligence was wrong, the artillery barrage never happened, or the jet fighters were late. Once, we were dropped in a completely different sector and pursued by the enemy. And yet all these events were points on a map with coordinates chronicled by Command. And for all our know-how, we sustained injuries, nonetheless.

The visible scars told of our courage, but we did not see the irretrievable damage to the roadway of our souls. It was the true legacy of Vietnam.

Jerry Glazer — Vietnam Uncensored

Read the first chapter at vietnamjerry.com, get the weekly newsletter and listen to the ghost story of Cpl. Cummings broadcast on NPR.