Larry Tucker, Editor

When I was in high school my Dad and I would watch the nightly death toll from Vietnam.

On Tuesday, April 28, the corona virus US death count reached 58,365 surpassing the total death watch from Vietnam, which would be 58,220. It was a stark reminder of a time in my life which led me to question my beliefs about almost everything.

It was 1969, a time of civil unrest with the war going on along with anti-war and civil rights movements prominent. It was just a year after the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. It was a time when some parents kicked their sons to the streets for having long hair.

It would be the spring of 1970 when I spent a highly unsuccessful academic semester at North Texas State University. It was a time of Woodstock and some great music. It was a time when I started parking cars at Memorial Auditorium in downtown Dallas. It was during that time I got to experience concerts ranging from the Temptations and the Beach Boys to the Moody Blues, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, the Who and many more.

Many friends from my beloved W.W. Samuell High School deep in the Pleasant Grove (yes, I’m a Grove Rat) community of southeast Dallas were in a war far across the ocean.

I had started questioning my beliefs and seeking answers for things I did not understand. A good friend, Earl David Broach, had quit school and joined the Army. We got word in August 1970 that David had been killed in action.

I will never forget the last time I saw him alive. He was heading back for another tour in Vietnam. We were at the Site gas station on Buckner Boulevard. As we hugged and parted ways, David put on his headphones, got on his motorcycle and roared off listening to Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild.” The next time I saw him was in a casket at his funeral.

For the life of me, I never figured out why we were really in Vietnam. Apparently the government didn’t either. It’s hard to believe, but during this time, in 1970, students were killed during an anti-war protest at Kent State University in Ohio by members of the National Guard.

I tried to volunteer for non-combative duty, but a bad back would keep me out, even though my draft lottery number was a seven. I decided to file as a conscientious objector, but the bad back kept me out of any kind of service at that time.

I wish I could file as a conscientious objector in the COVID-19 war, but we must all be on active duty in this new war on the coronavirus.  

Due to my age, multiple surgeries and a bout with cancer, I’m in that elderly group of high risk folks even though I am only 69. Like everyone, I’m ready for things to get back to normal – for kids to be able to go to school, go to the swimming pool, go to work, play summer baseball and go to a concert. I want 2020 high school seniors to get to have graduation, have a prom, to take a senior trip and be able to make memories with their friends. I want to see all of my grandkids. 

As I write this, we are passing 100,000 deaths from this virus. It worries me so many are still not taking this COVID-19 pandemic seriously enough. I do believe we will see permanent changes in how we look at life in the future. We can whip this thing, but we are going to have to do it together. Heck, I didn’t like being told I had to wear a seat belt, but now I know it saves lives.

Social distancing and constant hand-washing are here to stay for a long time. It has been proven these things save lives. It’s not going to hurt any of us to wear a mask when in public.

It’s time to face facts and fight together against this menace. A special thanks to those on the front lines at the hospitals, clinics, on the fire trucks, in law enforcement and the ones who take out my groceries and pick up my garbage. 

We must remember this is the United States, not the Divided States of America. It is a time to set aside differences and join this fight together, or our way of life may perish forever.