Where the buck really stops.
I have been thinking about my cousin who was a Navy pilot during Nam. He flew off an aircraft carrier in the bay of Tonkin. When I first saw the movie, Top Gun, I suddenly realized that Tom Cruise was a less handsome version of my cousin.
The family was very proud of him. My uncle Jack was particularly proud as he and other engineers at the Bremerton Naval Base were the ones who invented the steam catapult that basically shoots the plane into the air. When my cousin flew home he would fly his jet over our houses and dip his wings in salute. He was pro war and did not like the fact that there was protest back here.
I have no idea what he is feeling now. I do wonder though. He did not like the fact that I was counseling vets much. He knew my feelings. After he came home we grew more distant. I do remember a couple of conversations with him however.
I remember that he told me that if they had unspent fuel or napalm they had to dump it before they ‘hit the deck’. They were told not to dump it at sea. They were also told to avoid areas where our troops were. I got the impression that they were not told specifically to dump it on civilian areas. But, if you think about it, this was all there was left. While he did not say so specifically, I know it bothered him a lot.
3:03:21 PM 
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