3H  THE BEST OF THE BEST

Throughout my writings, you will notice that I have frequently mentioned the 5th Special Forces. Nothing in my Army time has influenced me as much as the role that the 5th Special Forces played in Vietnam. Their professionalism and courage go well beyond anything that I could write here about them. They gave me the honor of walking in their footsteps, and I have never forgotten it. Further on in my writings, you will read how I had an opportunity to be inducted into the Army Special Forces, but fate had other plans for me, and I turned the offer down. This was a decision which had bothered me my whole adult life, until a large envelope was placed in my mailbox.
In 2017, I gained access to my officer’s evaluation reports and when I finished reading them, I broke down into disbelief; for rather than reading what I expected to be boring routine entries, instead turned out to be nothing but praise for my combat skills and work ethic during my Vietnam tour of duty.
I realize that I am now doing Monday morning quarterbacking, but I honestly believe that if I had been shown those reports in 1969, while still in Vietnam, my life would have taken a different path. I would have stayed in the Army and accepted the offer to join the Special Forces.