The Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, came to Ventura a few days ago and this evening seemed like the perfect time to go see it and pay my respects. It turned out to be a more emotional experience than I thought it would be. More than 58,000 names adorn the replica – what an unbelievable loss of life.
I think most of the emotion came from thinking of my father, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army. Equally as impressive as his service, and surviving the experiences that he did, he returned to the United States, served as an FBI agent and raised a family with a love and tenderness you might not expect from someone who endured such a war. How he managed to put the war behind him, I’ll never begin to understand.
To all the veterans who still fight the war every day, my heart goes out to you and your families.
To my father – I hope you know how proud I am of you and how thankful I am to have had such a role model in my life.
