I was 11. We watched the war every night on tv. MLK and RFK were heroes to my mom (don't even ask). I remember her crying when they announced King's assassination and the absolute shock when Bobby was killed. My older brother was 20 and took me to an anti-war protest in Raleigh but that might have been in '69.
Then, in December '69, the whole family sat on the couch and watched them pull those damn blue capsules to determine draft status. Fortunately, my brother was in the 300's - I suspect he still remembers the exact number. My brother-in-law got 27...went out the next day and joined the Coast Guard. My older sister's (ditto) first boyfriend went to Vietnam. Came back...graduated from Wake Forest...got a great job...put a gun in his mouth and ate a bullet. Those injured in VN who later died of their injuries, even if it's decades later, can have their names added to The Wall...I think Richard's name should be there, too.
