re: #73 HappyWarrior

Awesome stuff. Your father seems like he was a great man through and through.

He was deeply flawed as a husband, but I loved him dearly. He did two tours in Vietnam and we pretty much lost him as a father when he was overseas. It was all about duty, and he was an absent father. Almost no communication. It was tough to deal with. Especially tough on Mom. This was not unusual in military families at the time. Being in a war and keeping two balls in the air (balancing fighting and family) is and always will be difficult.

My Da wasn’t very good at it.

Neither was Frank. Not long after the end of Viet Nam, Frank divorced his wife, Ellie. My mom and Ellie remained dear friends for years. His family fractured. Two of his kids (Dana and Frank III [Petey]) did well, the other two struggled, including Gayle.

Damn shame. I remember us, a black family and a white family, being perfectly at ease with each other. Our collective parents in the mid-60’s didn’t give a second thought about race. We were all Marines and Marine wives and kids.

What the FUCK has happened to this country?