J W Kelley

Five Vets and a Funeral J W Kelley

On March 8, 1965, the United States Marines went ashore at Da Nang, South Vietnam, as the first wave of U. S. combat troops. The Vietnam War was a jarring experience for both sides. The soldiers lost their friends, families, arms, legs, eyes and lives during this Asian conflict of extreme violence. The main composition of those who fought the good fight were old enough to die but not old enough to vote or buy beer. And when the young soldiers were lucky enough to return home, they were changed forever. The five old men were all in their seventies with weather-beaten faces chiseled by time and Vietnam combat. Their clothes were worn and threadbare from continued use and the passage of years. Their voices were no longer boisterous, but now a tremble above a whisper. However, today, they were there for a more somber reason... Five Vets and a Funeral