The Longest Monday
by
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Mail call was the single most important event in the G.I.'s life. Getting a letter meant they were not forgotten by people in the world. The sergeant dragged the heavy bags of mail into the open. Stone tried not to anticipate. Usually it wasn't hard, but today, he wanted to hear from home. Was he lonely? No, this was worse. It was about hope, the salivating kind a dog does under the dinner table. If he let himself get started, where would it end? He was here, in Nam, and he couldn't afford to want more. Too bad Jeannie had dumped him right before he got drafted. It'd be great to get a letter, smelling like perfume, written on pink stationary in her curly handwriting. But letters from females weren't all good. He'd seen guys lose it after getting a Dear John. No, he was better off not anticipating. If Mom wrote, that was great, if not, that was better. It meant they were fine. That's all he needed to know. Of course, he'd come to the point where he wasn't writing letters either. Putting pen to paper went something like this. "Dear Mom, my how I've changed. I kill people now. Aren't you proud of me? Dear Mom, I drag women out of holes and shoot them. Aren't you proud of me? Dear Mom, we only put three men in a chopper today. Aren't you relieved it wasn't me?" He couldn't find any words to send home, so wrote nothing. And, he got nothing back. That took one more piece of him and crushed it. First sergeant finished with mail call and Stone began to return to his area. "Hold on, Stone. You've got a letter from the Red Cross." Was this how they notified you if something was wrong at home? Stone quickly crossed to the first sergeant. "What's the deal, Top?" Top looked pissed off. "Stone, when was the last time you wrote home?" He pretended to contemplate the whole issue of writing home for the first time. "First week I got here." "Your mother has written a letter to the Red Cross, asking if you're alive. Would you please write to your mother and hand it to me with the address? I will assure the company commander that you have written home. Do you understand?" "Yes, Sergeant." Stone took the paper and pencil and scribbled, "Mom, I'm alive. Leave me alone."
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About the Book
History has a way of hiding some of the greatest stories. A powerful event on one side of the world is often lost because of the lack of media coverage. Life often presents two powerful stories in one single day. One will be viewed as more powerful than the other. One story will draw the public’s eye. One will be hidden. Each story is powerful enough to change the course of history. Yet only one can be heard. Our inability to hold conflicting thoughts in our minds draws us to one and the other is lost, often forever. “The Longest Monday” provides both stories. Two powerful events on two sides of the world each equally defining and all in a single day. Two stories that will have such lasting impact on the world historically that the media’s coverage directed the course of history. Two stories that are so conflicting that no matter what the power of the story only one would be recalled. The media is often placed in the position of providing the stories we read or review and the story left untold becomes the defining moment of a generation’s life. It becomes a “What if question?” We became a generation of always second guessing ourselves. Viet Nam is a point in our American history that has defined the baby boomer generation. The baby boomers are often defined as rebels, warriors, or lovers. This book brings all three together to help a new generation understand why “boomers” every day step into the shoes of the Prophet. The power of a single story does have the ability to change history by a single degree. I know the reader cannot help but ask one powerful question as they turn the pages, “What if they had succeeded?”
About the Author
Don Clair is a Viet Nam veteran. He served with the 46th Engineer Battalion. He completed a 29-year career with the U. S Government and the Department of Justice. Don earned an undergraduate B.S degree in Sociology and Education and continued with graduate studies at Drury College in Springfield, Missouri. He has 4 adult children and is currently living in Waterloo, IL with his wife, Jane. During his tenure with government service his specialties included Soldier, Engineer, Infantryman, Counselor, Case Manager, Drug Treatment Specialist and Crisis / Hostage Negotiator. Over the past three decades, Don also designed and delivered cognitive behavior coaching programs for individuals and corporations of all sizes. He has a long career of successfully working with the most difficult clients and accessing methods for establishing positive relationships and helping them achieve their visions. Don was the team leader for the “Canadian Foundation for the Prevention of Family Violence” a modeling group that is designing methods to intervene and prevent family violence in Canada. In 2005, Don was ask to be a part of the International Counsel for the Human Rights of Children held at Oxford University, UK for continued service to difficult populations.