My Senior Trip

Howard Carson grew up in a small Indiana town. It was 1968, and after graduating from high school he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He wasn't interested in college, not then. His job for the past year had been selling shoes. He had no skills to speak of, and he decided to go into the armed services. He became a Marine, and six months later was deployed to Vietnam.

This story's not about battle plans and strategies. How this battle was won and another lost. It's about feelings and emotions. It's about getting ready for war. The training, and the day-to-day experiences of a living hell. Friends shot or blown to pieces and being splattered with their blood. Carrying a wounded Marine to the helicopter while under heavy fire. Being on patrol during the monsoons. Leeches, tigers, mosquitoes, and snakes. Booby traps and guerilla warfare. A relentless and determined enemy. What Howard and others had to do, and how they dealt with the fear, the anger, and the pain.

It was the early 70's. Howard finished his military service and started college, where he was screamed at, spit on, pushed and hit for being in the military and serving his country. This story's about a different time and a different America. A different story of war.