Thirty seven years ago I came home from Vietnam.  For the next thirty two years I was home, working, raising a family and living a life, and my life was about to take a turn for the better.  Five and a half years ago, one of my squad members from Vietnam decided to try and find some of our platoon members and have a reunion.  He found four of us and we had a reunion.  The four of us started searching and two years later there was fourteen of us at another reunion and we kept searching and again, two years later there was eighteen of us at a reunion.  Now, our research has allowed us to know the whereabouts of approximately thirty five of the combat soldiers who were, at one time or another, a part of First Platoon, A/2/12, First Calvary Division during the period of September, 1967 to May, 1969. 

We did not all served together, at the same time, but we all are interlinked as our tours were staggered and each of us served with somebody who served with somebody before our tour or after our tour.  This makes us part of the same team.  

These reunions, with the best friends of our life, are great healers and forge additional communications through future phone conversations, e-mail etc.  One of my two best friends, and I talked weekly for four years, until I lost him in 2004, after our reuniting in 2000. My other best friend and I talk daily.  A reunion will make most combat soldiers lives better.  They have brought a peace to me that my family said they had not seen for thirty two years.  I truly believe that true combat soldiers, from our time, need each other today almost as much as we needed each other then.  The saying “unless you have been there, you don’t know” does not apply to us.  We do know, we were there and we do understand.

So vets, don’t wait, get on the internet, go through the associations, go to the websites and find your lost brothers.  It will put a hop in your step, a tear in your eye and bring you a better peace.  It will not only be good for you, but good for your families. Communications with your fellow combat soldiers will make your life better.

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