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Those of us who
went to Nam and
found ourselves
many thousands
of miles from
homes, our girl
friends, and
everything knew
and loved — then
you will
remember how
nice it really
was to be
visited out in
the boonies by
one of those Red
Cross “Donut
Dollies.” Oh, I
know at the time
how silly we all
acted just
trying to be
noticed by one
of these
visiting young
ladies. It
brings back many
memories of a
time and a place
that was our
generations
defining moment.
Holley Watts
captures some of
that feeling and
those memories
as she takes us
back down a
nostalgic and
sometimes sad
pathway to our
youth and our
time spent in
hell. It was
young women like
Holley who made
that stay in
hell a little
easier even if
it was just for
an hour’s mental
escape through
silly and
mindless games.
She brings us
back and
reflects with
that old
question, “Who
Knew?”
From her book:
Who Knew…how
depressing
the monsoons
could be.
Everything
smelled
musty. The
air was
heavy. Gray
days made
even waking
difficult,
sapped our
energy and
dampened our
spirits.
Mud covered
everything
and sucked
down shoes
and tires.
Playing
cards stuck
together.
Men worried
about their
weapons
clogging.
Their mail
getting
delivered,
the limited
visibility,
and if their
feet would
ever dry.
We climbed
into our van
one soggy
morning
saying
nothing to
each other,
our tempers
short. As
we headed up
to the
Center
vaguely
outlined in
the low
clouds ahead
a voice
broke the
silence with
a sigh—
Well, at
least it’ll
make the
flowers
grow.
They
could hear
our laughter
all the way
up the hill.
Just a taste for
the mood and the
pace set up
through out
Holley’s book.
It is not a
driven race to
the last page
but a stroll
down memory lane
with old
comrades and
friends. It is
also a sad look
back at times of
people who are
no longer around
— robbed of
their young
lives like
flowers crushed
under a heavy
foot in the mud.
I enjoyed
Holley’s book
and strongly
recommend that
you put it on
your list of
books to buy and
read. It also
has many great
old photos of
times and places
long gone. |
