Boocoo Dinky Dow
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Veterans Day musings

11/12/2018

2 Comments

 
"Still Life with C.I.B."
By Julie Titone

Six years of sharing Grady Myers's Vietnam War story has changed my reaction to Veterans Day. Maybe "intensified" would be a better verb. I've always felt gratitude on this holiday for folks who devoted part of their life to military service -- my dad, brother, son and friends among them. But ours was not a "military family," and my patriotism has not been of the flag-on-the-porch kind. It has been something I felt in my bones, especially when putting the First Amendment to practice as a journalist.

But co-authoring Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War, publishing it after Grady's death, and doing my best to get it in readers' hands has affected me.

I have met many more combat veterans. I've been moved and enlightened by the stories they shared with me in return. I've met their family members, and talked with folks who have deep and often conflicted feelings about both the Vietnam War and our military in general. In bookstores, museums and living rooms, people have come up to chat and opened their hearts.

Here are two questions on my mind this Veterans Day. I'd appreciate your thoughts on them.

As one Marine Khe Sanh survivor told me, "No one hates war more than a soldier." So shouldn't we have a Peacemakers Day to honor those whose work on making or keeping peace wasn't (or perhaps was) in uniform?

Despite its humor and easy-to-read storytelling, "Boocoo Dinky Dow" is ultimately the story of a young, peaceful man forced to kill for a cause he didn't understand. Beyond telling stories like this, how do we do a better job teaching younger generations about the cost of war?

2 Comments
Ray
12/7/2018 10:55:55 pm

Dec, 7 2018
Fort Lewis ~ Basic Training Oct to Dec, 1970
1 PLT E Co 2 BN 2 BDE Drill Sgt. Gills
AIT ~ 3D BN, 26th Arty Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Germany ~ Ernst Ludwig Kaserne ~ B TAB 1st BN 26th ARTY

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Brandon
4/6/2019 06:15:35 am

I think a 'Peacemaker's Day' is an excellent idea. Unfortunately, holidays come from two places - from an ingrained cultural legacy and/or from a government attempting to impart some feeling in the populace - the feelings are seldom peaceful, and even a day to remember and celebrate the sacrifice of military veterans gets hijacked to serve a different purpose. To make it difficult to separate a respect for the fighting man (and woman) from respect for one's country - and thus make it easier to go to war. Sounds at odds with a 'Peacemaker's Day' though I wish it were a thing.

All of the best!
- B

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    Julie Titone is co-author of the Grady Myers memoir "Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War." Grady was an M-60 machine gunner in The U.S. Army's Company C’s 2nd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division in late 1968 and early 1969. His Charlie Company comrades knew him as Hoss. Thoughts, comments? Send Julie an email.

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