I’ve written about Bobby several times—one piece was quite extensive. Another received more comments than perhaps anything I’ve ever written. All these years later, when his name comes up, you never hear an unkind word.
His remembrance is one of kindness mixed with sorrow. Why does a 20-year-old have to die? I don’t know. I know the United States has had about 800,000 combat deaths throughout its history, and when non-combat deaths are included, the total rises to as many as 1,600,000.
When I was practicing law in Lancaster, one of our more experienced attorneys, a Vietnam veteran, calculated the number of people affected by a divorce. Although I can no longer remember the exact number, it was high. The death of a single soldier would impact far more, and with the ripple effect, we’re talking about tens of millions of lives touched by this kind of loss. Yet wars continue.
Bobby was a volunteer. However, many of us around his age witnessed the draft lottery come into effect. By then, as hawkish as he had been—so much so that he wrote a scathing letter to the Supreme Court about the Ali decision—he had begun to soften. The old World War II veteran, now facing the prospect of his son possibly being drafted, saw deferments come to an end.
My birthdate was number one in the first year, but I wasn’t eligible for it. Still, my friends and I sat around the television for the lottery, watching and waiting. We discussed whether we would make good or bad soldiers, and we talked about Canada—but mostly, the conversation was just a way to distract ourselves from the dates being drawn.
One thing I know: if we had been called, we would have gone. Maybe reluctantly, but we would have gone.
My dad’s criticism of Ali’s decision was based on the rationale. By then, he had also begun to believe Walter Cronkite—that the war couldn’t be won in the traditional sense.
By the way, if you ever wanted to make an enemy for life, say to me that our soldiers in Vietnam died in vain. BOBBY DID NOT DIE IN VAIN! He died doing his duty—a duty he pledged to God and his country.
For that, we owe Bobby and others like him a debt so outstanding that we can never truly repay it. Please remember Bobby and the many like him today. At 3:00 p.m., take a moment to reflect.
Attached is a video of Ripcord. I took it from their website. I won’t say I like its tenor, but it’s interesting just the same:
https://youtu.be/2loma_YIulg?si=S_NkhyFbDnZ_CEwq