13 Comments
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Tabby Ivy's avatar

breathtaking piece of writing, Luciano. thank you

Luciano Conte's avatar

Thank you Tabby. Your kind words are much appreciated.

John M.'s avatar

This was wonderful, Mr. Conte. Grazie.

Luciano Conte's avatar

Thank you for taking the time John,...

Jeremiah Austin's avatar

The stones speak different languages. For those who dont notice they speak platitudes. Lip service payed to nebulous Jesus at a church. Nothing more than ephemera. For tge ones like you, sir, they speak a human cost driven by a system, and you see that and say that very cleanly. For those of us that were there when it happened it speaks the words of family, choice, effort, and shared pain. Memorial Day hurts. Taps makes me want to stuff my fists and my ears and writhe on the ground. A day of phonecalls and cemeteries and sad thoughts. Winkler was my smoking buddy. Woodcock had the best laugh and was cocky. Big Chile was a terrible team leader, but a great grunt, and our one hit knock out artist. Different units, different deployments, same men. Same family. Same shared struggles. Same people trying to kill us on both sides of the ocean. But some days it was nice that someone cared enough to throw hand grenades at you, ya know?

Thank you for thinking about my brothers and sisters. Thank you for choosing words that tell real things, but dont let the system overshadow the decisions they made or the people they were. The end was awful, but it wasnt the story.

Luciano Conte's avatar

"For tge ones like you, sir, they speak a human cost driven by a system, and you see that and say that very cleanly. For those of us that were there when it happened it speaks the words of family, choice, effort, and shared pain."

What makes you think that I wasn't there as well?

I do thank you, much, for taking the time to add a few words.

Jeremiah Austin's avatar

If you are family, bud, then I apologize for commenting at all, other than to say welcome home. Are you a vet? If so who were you with? When did you deploy and where?

I just wanted to add a couple words. We lay our children and our siblings down, and they fade for everyone but us. For me the day is for keeping them here, and the other 364 are for making sure there's less of them and better reasons.

Luciano Conte's avatar

No need to apologize. My thanks for your additions were sincere—again, thank you. As for my past, there’s a difference between learning from it and digging it up; I prefer to leave it where it belongs. As for the essay, its core argues against glossing over the reasons behind the loss of life in war and nothing else. I hope you’re faring well.

Jeremiah Austin's avatar

Welcome home brother

Constance's avatar

I would not know how to lose a soldier. I have never watched one in life die. Only through the stories of others do I understand my mission on those days of remembrance. To honor the sacrifices of those who care for the soldier and remember too that each was a human being, warm, full of purpose and goals, not a statue or sliice of cement, that there is no good way to die, but in war seems the worst, not that I know a thing about the profound and forever loss it has to be, not something ever to get over, but to be more than wary about the lies you, Luciano, mention. Too often it is about the con. This piece is about the truth, nevertheless, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing it. Constance

Luciano Conte's avatar

Thank you for taking the time to add a few words.