12/08/19 - NNHS Newsletter

http://nnhs65.com/12-01-10-NNHS-Happy-Hanukkah.html

See THIS DAY IN WWII:

The last entry says "The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II." in December 01, 1969.

I can tell you that this wrong. I was drafted in early September 1969. I had my car packed and was getting ready to drive back to VA Tech to register for graduate school the next day, when the mail came. It said "Greetings..." If I had been registered, I would have been eligible for a year's deferral. Instead of going back to Blacksburg, I stayed home a day or two. The very next day Nixon made his first speech on television about cutting back on the draft. That day I went downtown to the Main Post Office where the Draft Board office was. I asked the lady there if there was any chance that the draft list had been decreased because of Nixon's speech. She said that the list had indeed been reduced, and if they had removed one more name it would have been mine. I have always wondered if she just thought that this was funny or something.

In a couple of days I went back to Blacksburg to inform Dr. Murphy, the Chemical Engineering department head, of my induction. He promised me that my position and full fellowship would be waiting for me when I got back from the Army.

I had a month to wait to report. In that time I decided to enlist in order to have some control over what I was to do in the Army, committing myself to an extra year. This turned out to be a foolish mistake, at least from my point of view at the time. I ended up doing everything I wanted to avoid doing. I ended up serving eleven months in Viet Nam and eleven months in Germany. When I was drafted I would have done anything to get out of it. But, looking back, I think of this time as among most significant, valuable years of my life. I would not trade them for anything. I learned a lot about people in the Army. One of the insights I learned from my experience, that I have thought of writing you about before is this: There is no correlation between character and the amount of education a man has, or whether he has a commission or not. If there is any correlation, it is a negative one. I am sure many will not believe this, but I know it to be true.

When I got back from the Army and tried to go back to school there was a new department head. I don't remember his name. When I brought up Dr. Murphy's promise to me he denied any knowledge of it, or that there was any obligation to me. I had to insist pretty hard to get him to change his mind.

Doug Nelson

Thank you so much for this correction, Doug! I have caught a couple of errors from this source on occasion in the past, but would certainly not have had the first-hand knowledge of this subject that you do. I've made a note on that Newsletter:

http://nnhs65.com/12-01-10-NNHS-Happy-Hanukkah.html

Your story will surely strike a chord or two to many of our readers; I really appreciate your sharing it with us - as well as your service during that troubled time, of course!

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE, MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY, WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO, IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE. I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE. NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES, OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBER THOUGHT, CAME THROUGH MY MIND. FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE, CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR, IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.	THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED, A TRUE BRITISH SOLDIER. WAS THIS THE HERO, OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALISED THE FAMILIES, THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS, WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE, A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM, EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I COULDN'T HELP WONDER, HOW MANY LAY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE, IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES, AND STARTED TO CRY.	THE SOLDIER AWAKENED, AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, "SANTA, DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE; I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.." THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP, I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP. I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL, AND WE BOTH SHIVERED, FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL. I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE, ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOUR, SO WILLING TO FIGHT. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE." ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. "MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
This poem was written by a Peacekeeping soldier stationed overseas. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable. PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favour of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to all of the service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.
Thank you so much, Catherine! We've run this poem in year's past, but I think never from a British perspective! It seems even more sobering, somehow.

		This is my daughter Laura's dog in a contest to be on the cover of a bag of dog food. Vote every day for Grace. Thanks. Oh, Laura is your daughter, Norris! Well, that makes it all the more important! http://www.adogslife.net/photo_gallery.php?pg=&limit=40&sort=tnid&type=tnap&field=dog_name&keyword=grace#14296


Grace was named the September 2010 People's Choice! This is the last month we can vote for Grace - the last 31 days we have to make a difference. It only takes about two seconds to cast your allotted daily vote)!!! Doncha wanna go shopping and spot Grace's image on a bag of dog food and know that YOU played a large part in placing her there?!? http://www.adogslife.net/photo_gallery.php?pg=&limit=40&sort=tnid&type=tnap&field=dog_name&keyword=grace#14296