The Part of the Story the Veterans Don’t Tell | by Linda Brendle
LTJG Brendle: David went into his second tour of active duty as an officer.
David spent ten years in the Navy, two tours of active duty and the rest in the Reserves. His experiences give him an instant kinship with other service men and women. It’s amazing how many hours can be spent sharing stories and memories. They complain about the rigors of basic training while congratulating themselves on having survived it. They talk about who was where during which campaign and how close they were to each other, and they brag about who got in the most trouble while on leave. Sometimes they even talk about their combat experiences. But there are some parts of the stories they don’t share.
David’s first tour was spent as a corpsman on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), and he loved it. He loved being at sea and seeing exotic ports. He loved presiding over sick bay, learning to discern between the slackers and those who were really sick. He especially loved the time when he was allowed to drive the huge carrier for a little while. And then came January 14, 1969. Wikipedia describes it this way: (more…)
