Linda Robideau: One day he just broke. He didn't make any sense. He was in the living room sharpening knives. I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "I'm getting ready." I said, "Getting ready for what?" Read More
Paula Elvick: My dad was a real GI Joe. He wore his fatigues around the house all the time, and he had a military strictness. You didn't obey the rules, you got put in the brig. Read More
JMF: My dad was awesome. Maybe I do put him on a pedestal,
but I think that's where he deserves to be. Read
More
Judy James: Judy James Suicide is a selfish act, and Ben was not a selfish person. What finally put him over the edge twenty-six years after he came home from Vietnam, I will never know. He probably didn't even know himself. Read More
Joyce Garcia: Bobby used to tell me stories about his days in Vietnam and I didn't understand. He was a paratrooper and saw a lot of the war from the air. I knew it was hard for him to tell me about the killing. Read More
Barbara Chism: I would never remarry. I'm in a relationship now, and I love Eliot, the man I'm with, but I don't want to be that close to anyone again. It's not really the institution of marriage I'm against, it's just the whole idea of being committed to someone and having them hurt you so bad by killing themselves. Read More
Kim Chism: Sometimes I wonder if the memories I have of my father are really mine or not. They might just be stories that people have told me. I was three when he died. I have memories of riding in his wheelchair with him. Read More
Emilia Parrish: We had decided to have a natural childbirth. After Noel's death my mother became my Lamaze coach. It was so hard to go to the class and see all the other happy couples, and there I was-with my mother. I didn't want to hate them, but I did. Read More
Debbie Paterakis: He was back from Vietnam in November of 1973, and it wasn't long after that I ran into him. We knew each other when we were kids. He was fun; he was a dancer; he was outgoing, good-looking. I was drinking at the time myself, and it was party, party, party. We both woke up one day, hung over as hell, and he said, "Let's get married today." Read More
Gloria Fluck: We were part of a generation brought up to believe in family, God, and country. You had your family and your ability to worship God because of the country you lived in. You defended it. You stood up when the flag went by. You honored the president and the office-which I can't say I do now. But then I did. Read More