AS A SENSITIVE CHILD I GREW UP TO BE A WARRIOR

Me and my dad 1952




Me at Binh Thuy AB, South Vietnam 1968




I was born in July 1948 a few short years after WWII
My mother says that I was always the sensitive child
The one who would cry if I thought Lassie got hurt

She would explain to me that it was only a TV movie
But being a child and loving animals I didn't get it
It looked real when Lassie got hurt it must be real

Even as I got older I was the really sensitive one
But I inherited my grandfathers concern and logic
Everything was analyzed and pondered like he did

I was a very compassionate soul and cared deeply
Whether it was for my friends or our own animals
Each and everyone of them knew my concern for them

I found at an early age that I loved to go flying
I joined Civil Air Patrol a Search & Rescue unit
After becoming qualified I got to fly on missions

Several times while searching for an overdue plane
We flew a search grid over it's last known position
We were the lucky crew who found them alive and well

They'd had a engine failure and were forced down
The radio didn't work so they couldn't call anyone
I was given credit for spotting them among the trees

I later took it to the next level as the war approached
I chose to enlist rather than be drafted into the Army
I chose to be a mechanic on Crash-fire & Rescue trucks

By doing this I wouldn't have to kill any other person
But by keeping these trucks ready I'd help save lives
Which was a better choice for my compassionate soul

Then suddenly I was faced with something I never wanted
I was transferred to the combat security police squadron
Defending our remote air strip from attacking VC soldiers

The thought of taking another life weighed heavily on me
But I knew if push came to shove I'd have to be a warrior
Defending our remote airstrip even if it cost me my life

During my year there I spent all my free time helping out
Doing whatever I could to help save the orphans of Vietnam
Many of these kids had lost their own families killed by the VC

I never thought as a sensitive child I'd grow up to be a warrior
And I'd face the worst evils that mankind could do to another
But I had to think of many others besides myself over there

Regardless of what my own personal feelings were of war
I was now responsible for protecting and defending others
Whether my own fellow airmen or the orphans of Vietnam

Sometimes we are forced by circumstances in our own lives
To do things that we thought we couldn't do in our lifetime
But after you have witnessed the evils of man then you can



© Terry Sasek - Alwaysawarrior - all rights reserved.
(Reposted 08/28/15)


Sometimes we are forced by circumstances in our own lives
to do things that even we never thought we could do in our
own lives, but after seeing the horrible things that were
done by evil men to all those innocent victims of war it
becomes a battle of good versus evil and we find out that
we will do what we have to do to save all those innocent
victims who were facing death and destruction by the VC.

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