Some 58,220 American military men died during the Vietnam war. I knew some of them. I stood by their side on the battlefield, not as a soldier but as an intelligence provider. Their average age at time of death was nineteen.
I’ll grieve over those young men as long as I live. And I cry every time I hear Pete Seeger’s “Where have All the Flowers Gone.” Here are the words:
Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Tom Glenn, Writer 
Please let me think loud: No tears will change the past, we all do our best at the time, but self judgement is cruel. Tell self that you are a GOOD person. Do you promise ? Answer me to ajureidini@gmail.com
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I was just playing that song the other day. I am not certain of its history but I believe that it came about after World War 1. I could be confusing it with the Flowers of Flanders Field though. At any rate it is quite a moving and truthful song about war.
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