If only for a moment, dozens of mostly working-class bikers paused on the courthouse lawn Saturday afternoon for a short and bittersweet ceremony. With heads bowed and hands folded, they memorialized Luzerne County's contribution of coffins to the Vietnam war effort. Teetering between yesterday and today, the men seemed stuck in the blinding light of time that inevitably loses luster. Facing mortality is never easy. Beer guts soften.
Divorce haunts many and custody disputes follow.
Alcohol takes its toll. The grim reaper awaits. Still, the old soldiers showed up once again to honor their duty to remember. War and warriors are rarely pretty. Even tales of youthful valor cannot sugarcoat the wretched truths of battle.