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 TODAY RONNIE IS IN PARADISE, MAY GOD BLESS YOU RONNIE
Tonight I have to say some things that you may not understand. But I want you to try. My buddy, Ronnie, and that is his given name, Ronnie, took the checkered flag tonight. He has been sick for several weeks, and it is a miracle that he lived till tonight. Frankly, it is a miracle that he lived for the last 34 years. He survived the war in Viet Nam. He made it back to The World after seeing his buddies torn apart, and taking a bullet himself. But he left something behind in that war. Please, do not thank him for his service. Ronnie died tonight. Boys like Ronnie, and my pals, Al, Phil, George, another George, Rumsey, Sandy, Jim, Charles, Fitch (my best friend), Duncan (my mentor), Paul, David, Gaylord, and tens of others I went to high school with, and later served with, went to war for all sorts of reasons. Some volunteered, some were drafted, some were given a choice of jail or the Marines...but we all went. Do not thank us. Ronnie died tonight. Neither Ronnie nor the rest of us went because we were heroes or because we thought we were special. Once we were there, we realized that we were there because of our buddies. We did what had to be done because our buddies needed it to be done, and they did the same for us. Some of these boys came home in boxes. Some were shot up pretty bad, and some never slept a night in peace since then. Ronnie died tonight. Ronnie had a hard time sleeping, and he had a hard time when remembering. It is a fact that veterans share the good memories with each other. They will tell you about their poker games, the duty they ducked, the time someone else fell into a latrine or they scored a corked bottle of wine. The other stories come out in unguarded moments, often after a beer or two. Their platoon sergeant who took a hit pulling another trooper out of a burning vehicle, the corporal who saved lives by sacrificing his, the private who fell on a grenade in their fighting hole, and their best buddy who died in their arms. Ronnie never forgot. And Ronnie never escaped the teenage terror of war. Ronnie died tonight. But part of Ronnie never survived The Nam. Far too many of our boys left chunks of their bodies and their souls in The Nam. When they came home, many like Paul, landed in Oakland and went to the toilet, threw his uniform and medals away, put his civies on and avoided the spitting screaming shrews who defiled those in uniform. Far too many of our boys were subjected to hideous torment by politically driven cowards who ambushed warriors from the safety of a civilian airport. Boys, now men, who returned to civilian life individually, not in units decorated by valor, were harassed by protected college wimps with deferments and their drug demented girlfriends. Ronnie died tonight. He fought like the trooper he was. He survived The Nam, he survived the nightmares, he survived the hate mongers of the 70’s, he survived like the man he was. Ronnie would never say he was a saint. Neither would his friends! But he was a man. And so were the boys who went to The Nam, and to all the other combat zones before and since. And none of them needs to be thanked. Ronnie died tonight. What would he have been happy with? I will tell you, and I hope to God that you understand. All he wanted was respect. Ronnie did what he had to do. He did it well. He did what he could for his buddies, and they kept him alive. All Ronnie and his millions of buddies want is respect for the service they did. I have relatives who were gassed in WW I. I have friends who served in WW II and went away in 1942 and came home in 1946. I have friends who served this country in THREE wars, from 1942 till 1971. None of them want the meaningless comment, “Thank you for your service”. The have earned your respect, and that is what you should give them. Respect. That is all. Acknowledge that you are safe and free having never experienced the horror of war. You have the ability to choose to spit on a veteran or respect him. Veterans preserved that right. Please accept the fact that veterans were willing to give years, and lifetimes of fear and horrible combat, with the loss of their buddies and some of their body parts, so you could live a life of relative leisure. Ronnie died tonight. He and all veterans know what they did, and why they did it. We do not need to thank them; we need to respect them for what they were willing to do for their buddies and for those who stayed at home. Ronnie died tonight. And I wish that a thousand Americans would visit a flag tomorrow, take off their hat, put their hand on their heart, and simply say, “Ronnie, I respect you for the man you are and the sacrifice you made for me and my children. Rest in peace. Finally, the warrior comes home and can sleep in peace.” After you talk to Ronnie, please remember to tell the veteran who did what you would not do, that you respect him for doing just that. Respect his and her contribution to your safety and your freedom. Finally, when you visit your spiritual venue, pray that when our boys are called upon to protect us, that they are quickly victorious with the least misery possible. You and I know our freedom requires constant protection. Our youth will always answer the call to arms. We need to respect that sacrifice, and welcome our children home as the protectors that they are. Ronnie died tonight. Please, make his contribution to your freedom worth his sacrifice. I thank you for doing so, Dave
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Opinion 
