Letter: Vietnam memorial hit me hard
My family and I went to watch the arrival of the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial wall in Pasco. My husband, a veteran, was a flag bearer. He was greatly honored when asked to help install it.
Next morning I decided to go with him to get pictures. I didn’t know how hard it would hit me. While watching, my thoughts drifted to those days when Frank returned so different. Things got so bad I joined Red Cross, thinking the wounded soldiers flown into Travis Air Base might help me understand why he shut me out. I spent three years feeling their pain and realized they would not share that with anyone, especially a woman. No good man wants to see a woman cry.
Tears began to spill, but the angels must have seen my distress as “Tears of Heaven” fell gently to Earth shielding those men building The Wall.
A day earlier my daughter posted, on Facebook, pictures she took to friends, including ladies she met on her Caribbean breast cancer cruise. She received a request from Christine of Colorado, asking her to find the name Don G. Knowlton, telling her “that’s my Dad.” We went back, found the name, did the rub, and framed it for Christine.
God bless our soldiers.
Patricia L. Stafford, Kennewick
This story was originally published June 17, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Letter: Vietnam memorial hit me hard."