It just said a bunch of young men who could've gone off and done better things in life had to go off and fight for their country instead. I guess if I learned anything, it's that a lot of 'em didn't really want to go. Many students say they've gotten various impressions of the war from parents or relatives. One mentioned two uncles who'd been involved in the war and how both turned out to be alcoholics with turbulent family lives. Another, Molly Abernathy of Aspermont, told of an aunt's boyfriend who found fireworks for the Fourth of July horribly nerve-racking, thanks to experiences under fire in Vietnam.
Students also report sensing bitterness left by what was clearly an unpopular and unwon war.
As a result, his father views the government with a fair measure of contempt, to the extent he refuses to even vote anymore. Such sentiments are not uncommon. I mean, he still has pictures and things from the war. He has a tape of a bomb attack where he was and you can hear the sirens going off. I guess I never asked.