The Young Patriot - by Jerry Ogles from Contemplations one the Ways of our Lord P 63

    I must say without reservation that Ken was a patriot from the time he came to know, as a

small child, what the Red, White, and Blue represented. We lived on a mountainside

overlooking the narrow Dug Gap passage which was approximately one-quarter mile

passage between two stone-faced mountains. It was the gap that General Joseph E.

Johnston successfully defended against Sherman’s hordes as they advanced south into

Georgia. Around the skirts of these two mountains could still be seen dugouts and abatis

(rotting away, of course) and strewn with mini-balls. Ken and I conducted war games

around those mountains. He was always the Union, and I was the Confederate – with

Kenneth, it was the ‘good guys against the bad guys’.

    Kenneth learned the pledge of allegiance earlier than most kids. To him, there was

practically no visible line between God and Country. He believed what he had learned

from his history textbooks – that America was founded by Godly men on Biblical

principles; therefore, God must be the true Sovereign of America. When it came to Old

Glory, Kenneth was simply a fanatic for his time. Kenneth would listen to stories told by

our father of his exploits during the Second World War and marvel at the heroism of the

American soldier at arms. He dreamed of becoming one of those heroes, but worried that

his chronic bronchitis would prohibit his ever serving on active duty with the Army.

When a senior in high school, Kenneth appealed to our father to consent for him to join the

U.S. Army. Since Ken was only seventeen, parental consent was required. Our father

refused fearing that he would be sent to the Vietnam War. So, Ken conceived a brilliant

idea: he would get our father to consent to his joining the National Guard. Feeling that the

Guard would be a safe assignment, he agreed to sign. After joining the Guard, Ken

immediately volunteered for active military duty with the Army.

    After basic and advanced training, Kenneth was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division

(Airmobile) and sent to Vietnam. At last, he would be able to gallantly serve his country

as a red-blooded American patriot. He was excited at the prospect of bringing the fruits of

liberty to a people whose culture and values were alien to his thinking. He truly believed

that his going to Vietnam would make a difference in the lives of the men, women and63

children who had endured savage tyranny under a host of despotic rulers and ideologies.

This was the fulfillment of his life’s dream.

    After his posting to the Republic of Vietnam, Ken’s letters arrived on a regular basis. His

letters were hopeful about how the American side was defending the freedoms of the

Vietnamese. They were like Situation Reports of his daily experiences in jungle warfare

and the plight of the people. Later, after six months, his letters were less hopeful – a lot

more pessimistic. His heart was burdened for the people of Vietnam. During this time,

Kenneth had written and pleaded with me not to come to Vietnam. He said the fatality rate

among aviators was extremely high. He felt that we should have treated them better and

with greater respect. He believed we were not doing much to help the Vietnamese, in

reality. He also believed that the U.S. was not in the war to win, but to simply fill the

coffers of the bankers by financing both sides of the belligerents.

    I   do not know about the banker, but the rest of it is verifiably true. I was extremely

disappointed to go to England instead of Southeast Asia when I got out of F-4 RTU, little

did I know how blessed I had been. We never recognized the war for what it was -- an

invasion of South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia by the North Vietnamese backed by the

Russians and Chinese. Our civil government imposed Rules of Engagement and concepts

of operation designed to “send a message” to the Vietnamese when we should have been

winning a war. Our spear chuckers did what our soldiers have done since the French and

Indian Wars; they performed admirably, bravely and incredibly. They were stabbed in the

back by politicians and flag officers, almost without exception. We were there almost

10,000 days; tactically we won every day. When we finally decided to actually fight,

Linebacker II, the North sued for peace in less than a month. The Paris Peace accords

reflect a victory for our side, we pulled out and abrogated our portion of the treaty with

regard to the South and they fell; sold out by us.

    Nine months passed and Kenneth was looking forward to coming home. His letters

became hopeful and cheerful. He was planning to marry a childhood sweetheart who,

unknown to Ken, had already found another fellow. His last letter was dated February 14th

– Valentine’s Day. He restated his optimism about coming home soon.64

Well, Kenneth did arrive home to Dalton, Georgia on the 21st of February 1967. The flag

for which he had fought and died draped his casket. He was given a military funeral. It

seemed a bit out of place to hear the sweet words to the children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves Me

this I know,” being played in the presence of a military honor guard. But this would not

have been a contrast to Kenneth. He left this earth as he had lived, loving his country and

his flag. He was nineteen years old when he came home. Kenneth was just one of more

than 50,000 young men who gave their lives for freedom for a people whom they had not

previously known. That is the glory of the American Spirit – to be concerned for the

freedom of others.

    To this day, I still miss my younger brother, Kenneth. I can almost hear his youthful voice

quoting the Pledge, or calling cadence in our childhood army. He was a Young Patriot and

I’m remembering, most appropriately all those heroes who gave their lives in all our many

wars that we might enjoy the fruits of freedom beneath the canopy of Stars and Stripes

which has ever been our Ensign. Well done Young Patriots!