MEMORIAL DAY

[Bill Murphy]

Like John Dallas, I was an Honor Guard member during the Viet Nam era. I served 90 or 120 days in the First Army Honor Guard, working out of Fort Lee, Virginia. Strange, we never buried an enlisted man whose family had a pot to piss in. That is not a political statement, just an observation. We were treated like royalty once we met the family a day or two before the service. We could not buy a meal or pay for a place to stay, although we did not take advantage of the offer of the place to stay. Almost all of our Honor Guard members were Viet Nam veterans except those that were headed there. I think we were all volunteers for the Honor Guard duty, but I'm not sure of that. Once we were in there, all of us, no exceptions, were enthusiastic about our duty.