Letter to the editor: Fireworks remind vet of soldier friends in Vietnam

As I was watching the July 4 fireworks on TV, I remembered my first night in Vietnam. The company commander told me to report to C Barracks until they formally could give me an assignment. I walked down the hill and was met by a young Black soldier. “Come on in and join us in the back,” he said.

When I put my bags down we went outside, where I realized I was the only white soldier there.

The guys were sitting around with their shirts off, drinking beer and listening to the sounds of Motown. One of them asked where I was from and I told them Pittsburgh. A few of them said they were Steelers fans and they handed me a can of beer.

We spent the rest of the night sitting under the stars in Long Binh. Most of them had been here for almost a year. They gave me advice on how to survive. We talked about just wanting to get out of here alive and get back to those we loved.

They made me feel at home. Maybe it was the beer. Maybe it was Motown. I think it was the stars.

Everytime I watch fireworks I think of those guys. I would like to believe we all got out of there alive and back to our loved ones. But I have a feeling some of their names are on a black wall in Washington, D.C.

Howard Bronder

Harrison