You might be interested in my Cold War military service where I didn’t go to war, but I did go to infantry and airborne school at Ft. Benning, dropped out of the Ranger Indoctrination Program at Hunter Army Airfield. got a state side swap to Texas and rode with the then 1st Cavalry Horse Platoon (now a detachment), was an Indian Wars costumed guest with that platoon at President Reagan’s inaugural ball, after being on a runaway wagon through part of Washington before the parade, which I also rode in, as a muleskinner/swamper, was in the 6th ACCB (helicopter brigade) in their Pathfinder section (now a platoon) where I did a lot of jumping, static line jumps, a some at 5 and 6000 feet, was the Soldier of the Year of III Corps and Foot Hood in 1981, and then I went Special Forces but only did one ‘mission’, parachuting with my team into West Germany with a tactical nuke we had to put in place, a practice mission (it would bear explaining that 3 others and I from my team, 331, pulled security for the nuke team, 334, and so it was a one-shot deal). After teaching summer camp at West Point, a duty of SF, I got an honorable discharge as a sergeant E-5.

Sounds great, but what’s missing? The heart of all that, the military payload.

From the book, its beginning:

Have you ever heard the term military healing? We know we need cops; we just need the whole cop thing to be healed so police keep us safe and not hurt or kill anybody, unless they absolutely have to to keep us safe, having tried their best to keep the person they’re policing safe. Many people are right now trying to define what that police healing would look and sound like. But what about the military? Can you be opposed to war but still support the institution that carries it out? If you hold your humanity close, put that before your own sweet self, and by humanity I mean not the group but that higher part in you that does not act like an animal, is never a beast, you just want to end war and not prepare for it, but let’s be real about this: if we didn’t have a strong defense our humanity would be in danger of being wiped out. Okay, so how to be a beast and at the same time wear your humanity, if not on your sleeve, then at least in the restraint of your hands and in the feel of your heart?

I think I can answer that. The book I’m introducing is a genuine book of healing, military healing. Reading it, you’d understand the military would be reluctant to want you to.

All to do with an interview.
Round to the streets,
it’s easy for me
I’m a poet.
Throw me aside, will yah?

The link to the PDF on this blog:
An American Story, The Service Reflections of Donny Duke