The Vaccine

I’m in no hurry to get vaccinated against the covid-19 virus. That’s not because I object to the vaccine or don’t believe in the danger. It’s because I have, for ten months now, avoided the virus by isolating myself from all human contact. Not everybody can do that. I can keep myself safe where others can’t.

At the urging of my children, I signed up with the Howard County Health Department to be vaccinated. But I’m more than willing to let others go ahead of me to get vaccinated. I’ll wait my turn.

I read in the press about people trying desperately to get ahead of others in the line of those to be vaccinated. Some are willing to pay huge amounts of money to be immunized immediately. Others are trying to claw their way to the head of the line.

Not me. When my time comes, I’ll welcome the protection. Until then, I’ll hunker down and avoid all human contact. I see no reason why I should be given preference.

I suspect that one of the reasons for my patience is that I know what it’s like to put my life on the line for others. I did that for the better part of thirteen years in Vietnam. Working under cover, I supported U.S. forces in combat with signals intelligence, the intercept and exploitation of the radio communications of the North Vietnamese. I did similar work in the years after the fall of Vietnam in 1975, but those assignments are still classified—I can’t talk about them.

So facing death is not new to me. Nor is risking my life to save others. But I’ll welcome the vaccine when it comes to me in due time. I fully intend to live to be at least a hundred years old. I have to. I have too many books left to write to die off now.