It’s been a pretty good week. Thank goodness for some down
time now. There were 27 guests in town for a reunion of old friends from more
than forty years ago. I guess that I don’t have the energy that I had back
then, but this is a welcome exhaustion. My fatigue will quickly pass, but the
wonderful experience of revisiting one of the most productive learning periods
of my life will remain with me.
Reunions are funny experiences that bring with them all
sorts of odd reactions, unpredictable behavior, and unanticipated emotion. Over
the years, I have listened to friends and acquaintances tell their stories.
Most have fallen into the realm of what I would refer to as “classical” – folks
trying to fool old classmates with tales of adventure, achievement, and
association.
My first experience was with some of the friends who were
visiting during this past week. We are Vietnam Era veterans that, although none
of us served there, played a significant role in the Cold War. We are veterans
of the United States Naval Security Group. We were involved in intelligence
missions. Many enlisted to avoid the draft and escape going to Vietnam. It was
a bright, creative group of young men who were selected by the Navy for a
purpose that most of us had never dreamed of. Our military mission was “operational”;
had real meaning; was important; and helped to define us.
Twenty years ago, we were able to locate enough of these
friends to gather in a Missouri state park not far from St. Louis. This was not
easy to accomplish, however. Because of the nature of our work, when separated
from the Navy, we were simply debriefed and sent home. We were not encouraged
to remain in contact with our friends. It was the 60s and mostly we just wanted
to go home, let our hair grow, go back to school, reconnect with the friends of
our youth, and get on with our lives. Years later, if one were to feel
nostalgia for the friends and experiences of our time in military service,
there were no open doors to access our old duty rosters. We were “classified”
still and simply not available to each other.
Fortunately, each of us had maintained a contact or two. Some
of our group had been amateur radio operators. We had worked with technology
and communications. So, when the
internet became a tool for the modern world, there were early users from our
group of lost friends. With no organization, no alumni group, no school
fundraisers, it was necessary for us to find ourselves. This has been a slow
process, but every connection made has been a new promise of success at
broadening our group.
Last year, a small group of us found a way to get together
once again. Some are retired now, some have aged well – others have passed away
or are experiencing debilitating signs of aging. A combined sense of getting on in years,
available time, and the urgency of having lost some of our friends paid us a
visit at that meeting last year. But, mustering up the energy to continue to
work finding and reconnecting is not easy. The length of time that has past and
so many other distractions in people’s lives today are difficult obstacles.
Even as we were working towards this year’s gathering, our effort has been
shadowed by illness and death.
Still, we pulled it off! Our partial group of veterans,
their wives or partners, some grandchildren even, were able to sit down
together in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. We laughed, remembered,
and shared openly. Our efforts have been
wonderfully rewarded, our exhaustion earned, and our memories have been
enriched. I can’t wait until we meet again!
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