“When I talk with Vietnam Veterans, over and over I hear the same thing — they maybe had already arrived in Vietnam when — ‘then it hit me — I could get killed.’ Somehow — this message does not come across as real to many people until it’s too late. The soldier often believes he or she is special. They are smarter and/or stronger than everybody else. Their training is good. God will protect them. ‘Don’t worry ma, everything will be ok.’ I learned these are all lies. I learned that death and injury in a war zone is a lottery. First prize may be a college education. But second place is getting physically or emotionally wounded for life. Third place is death.” (07/01/09)