A Vietnam Memory and Lessons

 I got a message today from a friend who was in my unit in Vietnam.  Those contacts always bring back lots of thoughts.  I was and am blessed to have not experienced debilitating injuries or recurring nightmares as some have.  Out of those memories, a while back I wrote down some of my,

Lessons Learned in Vietnam:

People you do not know and have never even met can have a huge influence or impact on your life.

I went to Vietnam as a Chaplain's Assistant fresh out of training with orders for the 18th Engineer Brigade and then would receive further orders from there.  When I got there I learned that I had been scheduled to go "up north" to one of the Battalions operating in bad news territory.  But, some of the Clerk Typists who worked in the Personnel Section at Brigade Headquarters had looked at my file with my background information.  They saw that I had a background of working in various ministries.  

They thought I might should stay at the office of the Brigade Chaplain (who was over the other Chaplains of the 18th Engineer Brigade spread out over the country) and sent me down to interview with him.  As a result, he said yes, he would like me to stay there.  So, I spent a year there instead of in a much more dangerous situation.  We only were shot at during the night and experienced pretty normal days.

A fascinating fact about some of these "Clerk Typists" is that three of them were graduates of Harvard Law School.  One had been Editor of the Harvard Law Review and another had served as an Assistant Attorney General of New York.  One day on KP Duty in the mess hall, we were peeling potatoes, I learned there is no difference in how a Harvard Law Grad peels potatoes and how an Arkansas State Speech Major peels potatoes.

How would my life have been different had these men I did not know made a decision about me? 

Your Past Influences Your Future!

We can never forget that what we did in the past....good or bad.....can affect the opportunities or lack of opportunities that come our way later.

Live your best NOW to live for the best days, weeks, and even years down the road.  It all counts!

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and 7 Red Flags In A Dating Relationship is at Amazon.com/dp/B0DTTRJH38.