One thing that keeps certain things in perspective?

[Bobstandard]

3. I was the dependent son of an Air Force Colonel

William Westmorlands son was in my brothers elementary school class and they became friends. The Commanding General MACV was frequently in our house dropping off or picking up his son. He and my Dad became friends and often shared a beer together and told jokes, discussed sports, and shared military gossip while my teenage ears flapped. My next door neighbor, again a frequent visitor in our house, was an Admiral in charge of the Pacific nuclear submarine fleet who also could tell a funny story and lament the futility of the Vietnam war. The leader of my Boy Scout Troop commanded an armored battalion that deployed in Vietnam. He and the other adult leaders would sit around the campfire and dish. My Uncle was a Marine Colonel who served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff for several years. My Aunt was for a year or so the senior enlisted person in the entire Pacific theatre (get someone who served to tell you how much juice she had). My Mom was active in The Officers Wives club at military bases around the world. I heard a lot from all these folks. So I do believe I know the character of military people better than most. I’m sure that naked ambition and a hunger for power is the main motivation for many of these people. And the chain of command is their holy grail.