Saigon, was a place. Walter told me so.

Football jamboree, scouring the bleachers for lost money, Vietnam was some country far away, all our older brothers hated. The ice cream truck was how we kept time, we built forts and rode our bikes. Evil knevil was our hero, we watched every jump, broken bones and bedlam, but he was our guy. We swung nun chucks, made brass knuckles, amd throwing stars. We made homemade explosives and blew s**t up, at night we raced home to eat dinner, and watch Walter Cronkite read the evening news on black and white TV. Every night was the body count from the previous days fighting in Vietnam. Older brothers went missing forever from Thanksgiving meals. There became a " thing" that made us Learn to hate. Kennedy and king were dropped before our eyes, no rules seemed to ever apply.hippies were everywhere, and we liked them just fine, they taught us things we still carry today.

We watched man land on the moon, Woodstock was happening. Music was everywhere, and it was good. High school loomed before us in 1974, we started getting high, and built up our walls and then before you knew it we were driving cars.

Now I'm 64 and it was all just yesterday, no possible way we saw and did all that, how can I be in my 60's? it's absurd. If we are in our 60s then our parents are gone, that means we are in charge. Every body should be scared. We shouldn't have been left in charge.

They say we are all going to die soon, it doesn't bother me , because I believe in God and have walked a long and wonderful path to get here. This Just seems to go on forever. . .

Reviews

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

this was a very interesting write that explored the sociological imagination. first, going over historical events from your perspective, events i only read about in textbooks, now given an emotional and sentimental colour. the memoir than turns to the present and future where all the craziness has not at all subsided, some will say it's worse than ever. but now the leaders of our socity are incompetent and uncaring - but might i add, millenials are no more trustworthy than boomers.
this has awakened the cultural anthropologist in me. i like hearing about your experiences and perspectives in this way.

[D. Mansfield]

Things have indeed changed drastically, I know that every generation feels this way but I can't imagine any 50 year time slot having had so much . . . Music. . So much war. . So much love. . .and all with an innocence that has is gone forever. I lived 1 block from my high school, 2000+ kids attended in 79 when I graduated, we were a force. Today they learn a different math, history has been erased, values and morals thrown out the windows with prejudice. Today that school houses 500 students less than my class in it.they are not and won't ever be a FORCE like we were in the early 70's. Our will could change things and it did. More proof that you have to be very careful what you wish for