Fionn - yes, you spelled it right. Thanks for the tribute.

Brendy - "I'm sure it was a difficult time for the Vietnamese also." Damn straight! Best comment I've seen yet. As a Canadian, living in New York State during that era, it never ceased to amaze me how little concern there was for the hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of Asians who suffered and died in that war, and saw their countries ravaged by high tech weaponry. I never heard one other person in Skaneateles, New York express concern over that, except for my mother.

I did know some boys who went to Vietnam. Two of them came back with an interesting story about the Tet offensive. They were both stationed in the huge airbase at Da Nang. They told me that every serviceman they knew had a Vietnamese servant (usually a young woman) to do his laundry, shine his shoes, and whatever...I leave it to your imagination. These were young people from the city of Da Nang, trying to eke out a living. On the morning of Tet, none of the servants showed up. Everybody was cursing, "Where the f*ck is that girl?", and then the rockets started coming in and blowing up helicopters on the airstrip, and the whole place went nuts. They said it was not long after that that they realized they had no business in that country. Some others didn't come back. Too bad. They were pawns in a game not of their own making...but if more of them had said "no" the dirty game could have been ended a whole lot sooner...which is the point of "Universal Soldier".

My favourite songs from that era...

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carol Visions of Johanna My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying - Buffy S.M. It's All Right, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Gates of Eden Mr. Tambourine Man It's My Way - Buffy Sainte-Marie It's All Over Now, Baby Blue It Ain't Me, Babe Love Minus Zero (No Limit) Just Like A Woman Boots Of Spanish Leather Catch The Wind If Today Was Not An Endless Highway Farewell Angelina It's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall Season Of The Witch Like A Rolling Stone Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues The End - the Doors Get Offa My Cloud As Tears Go By I Pity The Poor Immigrant All Along The Watchtower St. Augustine Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again Pack Up Your Sorrows - Richard Farina Masters of War Blowin' In The Wind

and probably a hundred and fifty others...

I remember.