I received this email from the author and want to share his work with you:

This is an ode of sorts that I was able to put together to pay tribute to my father-in-law’s unit in Vietnam, and ultimately all our Vietnam veterans.  I am so pleased with the results and the reactions from the Troopers that I’d like to share it with you. 

My father-in-law is Charles Alan Loomis – 2nd platoon ‘67-‘68 – H Troop, 198th LIB, 23rd Americal Div., Chu Lai, Vietnam – LZ Bayonet.

Many of the places here will not ring out for those outside this unit, but the themes of the life of a veteran, the incalculable measure of those lost to the war, and the effects on friends and families should be familiar to any Vietnam veteran. 

Please enjoy.  I hope it resonates with you.

P.S.  While the ideas and details and many, many edits are mine – I’d be embarrassed to say I wrote the entire piece from scratch.  It took me over a week from beginning to end.  I’m sure if I was given a year, as much as I like to write, I’m not sure I could have come up with something so good.   It came out so well – you’d think I was a full-time author.  Anyway, I had a week-or-so-long battle with an AI program that acted like my editor – giving ideas, details, bookmarking thoughts shared with me, texts and emails, trading lines back and forth until it took the shape it has now.  Clearly it only came out this good because of what was fed into it – firsthand testimony from my father-in-law and his fellow troopers, whom I’ve been blessed to have many long conversations with over the years – written and oral.  I am driven to keep a clear conscience that this is a standard I could not repeat without similar help – and I like to write. The result has brought my wife and sister-in-law to tears (my father-in-law Al’s daughters), which has only confirmed how good this is and that I’d love to share it where it would be most powerful and appropriate – with other Vietnam veterans. 

There are a few small typos in there, but I left them in – as if an old veteran had typed it by candlelight on an old typewriter…

Welcome home. 

Anyway- now that my conscience is clear… please enjoy! :

The Ballad of The Hellcats
https://youtu.be/u1zhEGdW1DE

Highest regards,

Scott Fedigan

Admin comment: I truly loved the story and the reading. It’s a 25-minute-long video, but it’s well worth watching. Enjoy!

*****

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