As a Vietnam Veteran, I’m remembering the 50s and the 60s, to showcase a three-dimensional view, a keepsake in the minds of the reader, if you will, hopefully to put an immediate memorial to this present conflict, while aiding a diminishing tone to an ever-growing decline in our democracy. The Vietnam conflict, being the example, began while I was still in elementary school and lasted until 1975.

Baltimore integrated its schools in 1954 following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Clifton Park Junior High School was my first experience sitting in a hostel environment. Although I didn’t understand it at the time, it was my mother’s tutelage in love thy neighbor as thyself, compounded by my dad’s demeanor, that kept my ship afloat..

I was in an all-boys honors class in the 9th grade. The Gym teachers took us to a baseball game at Memorial Stadium, the year I finished junior high, which was right across the highway from a prestigious high school. Baltimore City College High School, nicknamed “The Castle on the Hill.” The castle, which for me inevitably turned into a dungeon where the horror began, and I became a high school dropout.

The Vietnam conflict lasted over 20 years. Over eight million Americans served, with over 58,000 killed. People can demean and judge others, but no one can predict the duration of conflict. Cause and effect in philosophy refers to behaviors or events that lead to further causes, initiating a ripple effect that could further create a Tidal wave.

Understanding this concept is fundamental for analyzing human behavior. Being called the N word on the daily, with no repercussions was a “cause” that disabled my ability to learn. The tidal wave hit me.

What the montage now appears to do is shadowbox imagery, fear, and economic messaging into supporters’ minds, visualizing monetary gain while throwing good money after bad. A sandbox framing of a vivid picture. A sad reality for our children’s future and those yet to be born. No one can predict the outcome or time frame of a Conflict where people are dying. The four-letter word for hope is ‘wish’.

Henry L Faulkner, NCC, US Navy Ret.