Memorial Day by Mark Stone

May 2024. I belong to that narrow generation (about 3 years, I believe) of people too young to register for the Vietnam War era draft, but too old to be required to register for modern Selective Service. So when I think about Memorial Day, I mostly think in terms of the Vietnam War. My older friends and relatives, my friends' older brothers, all have been deeply affected by that war. Two people in particular are in my thoughts this day.

Dick Carroll was a fellow program manager at Disney. He was waterfall; I was agile. He was conservative; I am progressive. He was a climate change skeptic; I am not. We became close friends, spending a lot of time together outside of work. We found deep common cause beyond ideology. Dick was also a Vietnam Vet, and helicopter pilot. He was one of the few veterans I knew who suffered through all the difficulties that war imposed on our soldiers, and yet came through it with his soul intact and a smile on his face. And Dick never lacked for courage; his last official military duty was flying rescue when Mount Saint Helen's erupted. He was the last chopper pilot off the mountain that day. Technically Memorial Day is not about him; he passed a few years ago from heart failure, a retired civilian. But I still think of him on this day.

The other person I think of is someone I never met: Captain James Hockridge. I am, however, good friends with Emily, his widow. Captain Hockridge was MIA for decades before the wreckage and body were found in the jungles of North Vietnam. He was 28, and that fatal flight was his first mission. Though we never met, I have seen the impact of his life, and his death, on Emily and their son Mark. Memorial Day is not just about those we lost, but the impact on the families who lost them.

Enjoy your barbeque and a cold one today. I know I will. We all work hard, and deserve a little respite. And do spare a moment for those who passed in service of their country.

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