Untold War Stories 5-25-08

Untold War Stories 5-25-08
Peter Macdonald 465 Packersfalls rd Lee NH 03824 603-659-6217
People say that they want to hear the untold stories of the Veterans from WWII. News reporters tell me that Veteran’s do not talk about what happen “in country”. You that have never been there, can not conceive the hardest part is not the battle. The hard part is the waiting or the normal work day. The lonely parts of not knowing what your loved ones are doing or seeing your children grow up. Believing that your girl friend is cheating on you. Your wife is spending your checks on dating other men while you are just waiting for that last second of life. The day after day of just waiting for the battle or fire fight to happen. I was a child Sgt counseling other Marines on subjects that I had no idea of.
I am no hero and I never want to be. I was lucky I was in the Marine Air Wing so my service was on the run way launching and stopping fighter jets. I was only TAD to Vietnam for a 36 hours mission. I lived through only one firer fight where a bullet came with in inches of my head and a enemy mortar exploded with in one hundred feet of me. While stationed in Thailand I did eight convoys across Thailand, Laos and Cambodia to bring surplus supplies to friendly camps deep in the “Bush”. I was an American Advisor living with others that did not speak “American”. I rode on a wooden bench seat up to 21 hours a day on convoys lasting 1 to 3 days. I only saw one enemy killed by my direct actions when I took my bayonet out of his gut to escape and continue my mission. I learned to control my emotions, have no feelings, and ignore pain where to kill was normal protocol.
We the children that become Veterans do it to keep the U.S. safe and free. I live a great life since I came home. I am reminded every day of the inhuman, discussing actions I did as a U.S. Marine by you the public. I relive my actions in flash-backs constantly trying to live in a place that I do not belong. Yet on memorial day weekend at the UNH graduation ceremony not one speaker thanked the Veterans that gave their lives. The Key note speaker CEO of City Year gave an inspiring speech on Volunteering to help others but never mentioned the Veteran.
You do not want to hear the untold stories. You just want to hear of the exciting times of battle and the heroic actions of participants. The Battles were not the excitement, they were the easy times when we did not think of home, because we did not have the time. We do not want you to thank us we just want you to respect what we did it for. We want you to respect our Constitution.
Peter Macdonald Sgt USMC Semper Fi