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"And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen."
-Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried
This is the final post for the May 2010 Big Read. Inspired by Tim O'Brien's powerful novel The Things They Carried, over the past month community members and staff of the Everett Public Library and Sno-Isle Libraries shared their memories of the Vietnam era. We have done so in book discussions, lectures, movies, conversations among ourselves, and in this blog. We've talked about music, food, first kisses and neighborhood street games. We told our stories about our brothers, husbands, fathers and grandfathers who fought in Vietnam; sometimes they told their own stories.
Yesterday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1040 gathered together in Veterans Park, Lynnwood, to remember and to honor all military personnel who gave their lives in service to their country. Later in the afternoon, many of these veterans came to Lynnwood Library to share their experiences and thoughts. Most had served in the Vietnam era and some had served in Vietnam. Although painful at times, they shared with us and treated questions and differences of opinion with wisdom and compassion. This last post is in tribute with gratitude to them.
Photo credits: Memorial Day, Veterans Park, VFW Post 1040 by rg, Lynnwood Library, Sno-Isle Libraries. Some rights reserved.
Very moving, rg, thank you.
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