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ENLARGE
VAIL< COlorado — Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer — it's our first chance to break out the barbecue grills and enjoy a long weekend after a long Vail Valley winter.
But the true purpose of Memorial Day can often be lost in this celebration of sunshine and relaxation. Memorial Day is meant to be a day of remembrance for all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the soldiers who have lost their lives in combat.
For the last seven years, the Freedom Park Memorial Committee and our local Veterans of Foreign Wars post have organized a Memorial Day Ceremony in Edwards to honor Eagle County veterans who have perished in combat.
This year, Jack McLean, a Vietnam veteran and author of the book, “Loon: A Marine Story,” will be the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day Ceremony at Freedom Park in Edwards. After the ceremony, The Bookworm will host McLean for a talk bout his book and his experiences in Vietnam.
McLean was not your typical enlistee. He came from an upper middle-class suburb, attended one of the best prep schools in the country, and dreamed of being an architect. Many young men of his generation and background thought of military service as something to avoid. McLean saw it as another option. In 1966 he enlisted in the Marines. This was a time when Vietnam was still just a country, not a war.
McLean became the first Vietnam veteran to be accepted to Harvard. I had a chance to talk with him about his experience and the meaning of Memorial Day.
1. Vail Daily: Has your perception of Memorial Day changed as a result of having served in the Vietnam War?
Jack McLean: In the years after I returned from Vietnam, I tried hard to forget the whole experience, but could never forget those that were lost. I remember one year (back in the late 80s or early 90s), while living in Washington D.C., I decided to attend a Memorial Day ceremony and could find no listing of any in the Washington Post. There were lots of long weekend ideas, but little relevant to the actual day. Thankfully, that has changed.
2. VD: What made you decide to enlist in the Marine Corps?
JM: It was spring term of my senior year at a very rigorous prep school. I decided to take two years off before starting college. There was a draft, so service was compulsory to those over 18 not in school. The Marine Corps had a two-year program, Vietnam was not yet a war, so with all of the sense that god gave 18 year old boys, I enlisted.
3. VD: How did your experience in Vietnam shape your views on war and violence in general?
JM: My Vietnam experience had an extraordinary influence of my views about violence and war. Although I put it in a far away place for many years after my return, I abhor both violence and war. Some see “Loon” as a rah-rah Marine Corps story, others as the ultimate anti-war story. It is, of course, both. I'm proud to have served my country in the Marine Corps and have enormous pride in the manner in which they are currently conducting themselves in harm's way, but absolutely detest war.
4. VD: Do you still keep in touch with any of the men you served with?
JM: I first got in touch with our company commander, Bill Negron, in 1993, 25 years after our return from Vietnam. He was the first person that I'd had any contact with and I was, likewise, the first for him — incredible in retrospect. In subsequent years, much thanks to the Internet, we have been able to make contact with dozens of former members of Charlie Company. They are now my dearest friends and we try to get together often.
5. VD: What was it like returning from war to attend Harvard?
JM: Surreal. I began classes in the fall of 1968 (weeks after returning from Vietnam) when the student protests against the war were reaching a peak. Back then, the warriors were grouped together with the war, so it was not a time to tell anyone that I was a Vietnam veteran. That was when I just began to bury the entire experience.
6. VD: What advice would you give a recent veteran?
JM: Be proud of your service to our country and know that no one will ever be able to take that honor from you. Regardless of what you did during your service — combat or not — there can be no greater sense of accomplishment than serving one's country with distinction.
7. VD: What advice would you give a recent graduate?
JM: Consider several years of service — particularly after high school — if not in the armed forces, then in some other capacity that serves the country or your community. There are plenty of opportunities if you look. They may not pay much, but will do a great deal to enhance your community, your own sense of self and your resume. College will always be there.
Besse Lynch works at the Bookworm of Edwards. Send comments about this story to cschnell@vaildaily.com.
But the true purpose of Memorial Day can often be lost in this celebration of sunshine and relaxation. Memorial Day is meant to be a day of remembrance for all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the soldiers who have lost their lives in combat.
For the last seven years, the Freedom Park Memorial Committee and our local Veterans of Foreign Wars post have organized a Memorial Day Ceremony in Edwards to honor Eagle County veterans who have perished in combat.
This year, Jack McLean, a Vietnam veteran and author of the book, “Loon: A Marine Story,” will be the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day Ceremony at Freedom Park in Edwards. After the ceremony, The Bookworm will host McLean for a talk bout his book and his experiences in Vietnam.
McLean was not your typical enlistee. He came from an upper middle-class suburb, attended one of the best prep schools in the country, and dreamed of being an architect. Many young men of his generation and background thought of military service as something to avoid. McLean saw it as another option. In 1966 he enlisted in the Marines. This was a time when Vietnam was still just a country, not a war.
McLean became the first Vietnam veteran to be accepted to Harvard. I had a chance to talk with him about his experience and the meaning of Memorial Day.
1. Vail Daily: Has your perception of Memorial Day changed as a result of having served in the Vietnam War?
Jack McLean: In the years after I returned from Vietnam, I tried hard to forget the whole experience, but could never forget those that were lost. I remember one year (back in the late 80s or early 90s), while living in Washington D.C., I decided to attend a Memorial Day ceremony and could find no listing of any in the Washington Post. There were lots of long weekend ideas, but little relevant to the actual day. Thankfully, that has changed.
2. VD: What made you decide to enlist in the Marine Corps?
JM: It was spring term of my senior year at a very rigorous prep school. I decided to take two years off before starting college. There was a draft, so service was compulsory to those over 18 not in school. The Marine Corps had a two-year program, Vietnam was not yet a war, so with all of the sense that god gave 18 year old boys, I enlisted.
3. VD: How did your experience in Vietnam shape your views on war and violence in general?
JM: My Vietnam experience had an extraordinary influence of my views about violence and war. Although I put it in a far away place for many years after my return, I abhor both violence and war. Some see “Loon” as a rah-rah Marine Corps story, others as the ultimate anti-war story. It is, of course, both. I'm proud to have served my country in the Marine Corps and have enormous pride in the manner in which they are currently conducting themselves in harm's way, but absolutely detest war.
4. VD: Do you still keep in touch with any of the men you served with?
JM: I first got in touch with our company commander, Bill Negron, in 1993, 25 years after our return from Vietnam. He was the first person that I'd had any contact with and I was, likewise, the first for him — incredible in retrospect. In subsequent years, much thanks to the Internet, we have been able to make contact with dozens of former members of Charlie Company. They are now my dearest friends and we try to get together often.
5. VD: What was it like returning from war to attend Harvard?
JM: Surreal. I began classes in the fall of 1968 (weeks after returning from Vietnam) when the student protests against the war were reaching a peak. Back then, the warriors were grouped together with the war, so it was not a time to tell anyone that I was a Vietnam veteran. That was when I just began to bury the entire experience.
6. VD: What advice would you give a recent veteran?
JM: Be proud of your service to our country and know that no one will ever be able to take that honor from you. Regardless of what you did during your service — combat or not — there can be no greater sense of accomplishment than serving one's country with distinction.
7. VD: What advice would you give a recent graduate?
JM: Consider several years of service — particularly after high school — if not in the armed forces, then in some other capacity that serves the country or your community. There are plenty of opportunities if you look. They may not pay much, but will do a great deal to enhance your community, your own sense of self and your resume. College will always be there.
Besse Lynch works at the Bookworm of Edwards. Send comments about this story to cschnell@vaildaily.com.
