Thanks to all vets for keeping this experimental republic
afloat.
I never served, one of the very few regrets I have had in
my life.
I remember 4th of July parades as a kid where there would
be a whole company of soldiers marching followed by tanks
and jeeps and field artillery. There would be a platoon or
more groups of WWII vets, then a smaller group of WWI vets
and I remember 2 or 3 Spanish American vets riding in a
convertible. One of my Sons in law called BS on me when I
told him that a few days ago. Had to think about it a bit.
Spanish American war was 1989. If the soldier was 18
years old, they he would have been 85 in 1965. Totally
plausible. That’s my story and I’m stickin’t to it. I
remember it so clearly because my grandparents pointed it
out and made a pretty big deal about it. They also had
banners on the car denoting the fact.
Then my mother told me of stories growing up with her
great grandfather that was a Civil War vet. (on the stars
and bars side).
Of course we had hippies, war protesters, and the first
wave of bra-less women libbers too (nice when it carried
over into the population of some of the high school girls).
Do You Know the Way to San Jose, The Girl from Ipanema,
Downtown, smell of suntan lotion and chlorine from the
pool. Summers in the 60s were the best.
