[thechat] Re: How do Americans feel about their wars

[Erika Meyer]

Many of the long-haired homeless guys standing on street corners are 
Vietnam vets.

I know this guy in Arcata, we call him Rasta John... he'd let his 
hair grow out in one big ol dreadlock and then cut it once in the 
spring.  He's an alcoholic and I worked in a brewery, so we were 
pals.  He liked our porter.

Sometimes we'd hang out and talk.

He'd spent a good deal of time in Vietnam... I believe he was a 
Marine. He doesn't go into detail about his experiences.  To him, 
mainstream culture is "Babylon."  He does go on about how the 
government and hospitals and all the institutions are out to destroy 
us...

His health is poor, he treats himself with herbs, and he usually 
sleeps outside.

Most of the time he greets me like this, "Hello Erika!  It's a 
beautiful day!  Positive!"

Erika

>The people I know who fought that war and came back alive hated it 
>because they felt that they did, saw and felt terrible things and 
>then realized when they came home that they weren't sure what the 
>purpose was, and that people were not happy about what they had 
>done. They felt shame and remorse, combined with having fulfilled 
>their duty. What an awful feeling to live with.

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