Saturday, May 28, 2005

Forever 19

From Minnesota, but applies to the rest of the country, then and today.

The medals are still displayed below an Army photo of Roger Jr. on the wall of the family bungalow in Richfield. The photo is fading. The memories are not.

With young soldiers dying in another distant war today, the echoes of 1970 can seem as fresh and as painful as ever.

"I think people worry that Iraq will turn out the same as Vietnam," says Luella. "It seems such a waste. You can't print what I think about it."


*May require registration, but the Star-Trib has been as tough (i.e. rational) on the Bush Junta as any paper in the country, so it is worth it for more than just this article.