I’ve started the week off being very constructive, scrubbing our tile floors.  I would have not even thought to have undertaken this project, as they looked perfectly fine to me.  The off-white tiles are marbled with dark specks to hide the dirt, but my wife’s eyes saw things differently.  She took a wet paper cloth, wiped up a spot, and showed me the dirt.  That was the first hint, followed by several others, plus a couple of threats to bring in a cleaning crew, and I finally grabbed a scrub brush and mop.  Hopefully, she’ll be pleased with my work.  I also used some bleach and an old toothbrush around the tile in my shower stall, as an added service.  It was an all out war on dirt, grime, and mold this morning.  I more than exceeded my hour of household duties for the day.  (See Post #270)

I followed that up with REAL war, moving into 1968 on the Ken Burns Vietnam War series.  I was a Junior in High School that year, with my biggest challenge being to find a date for the prom.  I could not be bothered with war and politics, even though I was approaching “Draft Age. ”  I was driving to school every day, and had wrestling practice after classes.  There was a lot going on in the world around me, but I somehow remained oblivious.  President Johnson announced that he wouldn’t seek another term of office, as his favor-ability ratings on handling the war reached its lowest point.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.  Bobby Kennedy announced his run for the vacant Presidency, but soon after was gunned down himself.  The Tet Offensive left heavy casualties on both sides in Vietnam, and General Westmoreland was calling for MORE young men.  “Westmoretroops,” as he should have been called, already had 485,000 under his command, but wanted 210,000 MORE.  Riots and protests in major cities and college campuses, meant that those who had returned from Vietnam, were using similar weapons against fellow Americans at home.  Who was I going to call for the prom?

I have four more episodes in the series to watch, as PBS makes them available.  Our country was a mess, as we continued to fight a war that we couldn’t win.  Eisenhower recognized that long before Kennedy took the first steps to escalate our involvement.  Johnson had now given up on his re-election battle, but refused to give up on Vietnam.  Only about 13,000 MORE were called-up, in response to 2,416 U.S. lost lives in May of 1968, the bloodiest month of the war.  We put a halt to the bombing, and were able to draw the Communists to the bargaining table for the first time.  It turned out to be all talk and no action.  By then, I had a prom date, and was enjoying the summer before my Senior year.  I don’t recall any protests or riots in my hometown, but everyone was turned to the television.  I remember the reports on the assassinations, thinking primarily of the Kennedy family losses.  I also hadn’t yet been exposed to marijuana and other drugs.  I do however, remember the release of Planet of the Apes and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but not the name, Richard Nixon.

It’s hard to believe that the Nixon years are yet to come, my 18th birthday, and college.  I was so “out of it” when it came to war, drugs, and politics that were all around me.  I was a blind teenager, but only two years younger than those serving our country in Vietnam.  While I was driving a 1964 1/2 Mustang convertible, they were driving tanks in fear of their lives.  I would have to mow the lawn each week that summer, play golf at my dad’s country club, and then go for a swim.  They would be wet and miserable, clutching weapons, dodging booby traps, and watching their friends die.  My parents were undoubtedly panicked that I might become part of that MORE.