We have embedded in our consciousness billions of bits of memories and motes of images. Some are pictures of good times, but like all humanoids we have a deep genetic link to the darkside. For those of you old enough to remember, just look at that camo-picture above and you will recognize two of the enduring publicity images from the Vietnam war.
I have mentioned before that I have never read a more compelling book on the Vietnam war than A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan. The last time I referred to the book, I got an email pointing me to another Vietnam book, but I was just not in a place to engage with that particular slice of history back then. Now the New Times Review of Books has written about two new looks at the war. Apparently, it is time to once again converse with the ghosts of our collective past, at least for me. I will report back on my journey over the next several months.
Not only will I be reading and rereading some of the recent past history of Vietnam and the US involvement there, but I also need to familiarize myself with the current state of affairs in that corner of the planet. I have exceeded to some gentle but ever so compelling pressure and committed to making a journey to Vietnam late this summer.
I invite you to read along with my preparation and eventually the actualization of something I am not yet sure of.
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art credit: nytimes patrick thomas
