[washley1]

Gramps,

I, too, am one of the lucky ones who served '68 to '72 but did not have to see combat. I spent 2 1/2 years getting spit on in northern California because I wore a uniform, and 1 1/2 years freezing my Florida butt off in Alaska. I used to go down to the flight line chow hall late at night at Elmendorf AFB, AK, to get a quick bite to eat. Many of those nights the med evac flights touched down, and ambulatory patients were allowed to deplane and come in to eat. These guys were setting their feet on US soil for the first time since getting wounded, and we always stepped aside and let them go through the line ahead of us. I will always be haunted and humbled by the looks on their faces. It used to bother me that they had made that sacrifice while I was safe at home, but like many others, I just went where they sent me. In the Air Force at least, there are always more support troops than actual combat forces, and we all had a part to play. The fact that you made a career in service and I only did 4 years humbles me as well. Thank you for your service, Gramps.