You asked about memories of that era. Mine is about my nephew, David. He enlisted in the Army after he was married. I believe he served two terms in Vietnam. HE was a helicopter mechanic. When he returned home, he didn’t speak much of his time there. He came home a drug addict.
He had twin boys, the marriage broke up. My heart breaks when I think of David. He worked for Boeing in Washington state before they closed the plant. He went south but nothing worked for him after that. He was my parents first grandchild and my mother’s shining star.
I saw David once in the last twenty years. Whenever Nam is mentioned I think of him. Where is he? Is he still alive? Maybe Vietnam didn’t cause his drug habit but it encouraged it.
My three sons served in the military in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I thank each serviceman I see for serving. Vietnam was a heartbreaker, that’s the way I see it.