Friday, May 6, 2011

It’s hard to believe it’s been 41 years since this photo was taken…

bucket loader 001I was a combat engineer in Vietnam in 1970. Most of the time I did mine sweeping, but there were times my license to drive bucket loaders and earthmovers came in handy when another unit needed a temporary fill-in.

It was a nice break – being able to operate a vehicle - from humping mine detectors for miles every day.

This was taken at Bien Hoa sometime between April and May. I was 19-years old and when I look at myself here it’s like looking at a stranger.

Those were strange days in a strange land that transformed us all to some degree. Some of us lost our humanity. Some of us never came home. Some of us still see ghosts at certain times of the year.If only I could convey my feelings like a grand master on the canvas of life, I would share the madness of war so future generations understood there are no winners…only survivors!

2 comments:

Tom Holloway said...

"If only I could convey my feelings like a grand master on the canvas of life, I would share the madness of war so future generations understood there are no winners…only survivors!"

Having seen a lot of your work and having read more of same, you may NOT be a "Grand Master" my friend but what you do have is rare even for a "Grand Master". You have the experience of the event and the ability to capture those experiences and put them to print.
Some day, God willing, I will possess such a treasure that will help me to understand the hell you endured and "survived"

Jendocino said...

As I gain more experience in life, I try to grapple with this idea that the younger me becomes a "stranger." That person both is and is not you, Dave, and that's pretty weird. But because the "you" who exists now is a good guy, that guy back then must have been a good guy too. And he must have helped you become a good guy now. So I like him. I'm glad he's a survivor.

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