The Catholic Defender: My Brother David The Marine

My older Brother David was a veteran of the Vietnam War and he really did not survive it. Like many other Veterans, David did come home but because of the climate of the times, many Vietnam Veterans never fully integrated back to the States. According to John Draper, the project director of the "National Suicide Prevention Lifeline" states that Vietnam Veterans are the highest of any particular group.

In the news we are hearing that between 20 -22 Military Veterans commit suicide every day and that has caused a lot of problems within the Veterans Administration (VA) .

The subject has become a hot political subject this Presidential Campaign between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

After David returned from Vietnam and was out of the military, he would often go into town only to find himself continually being harassed by the local Sheriffs department in Stockton Missouri.

I would remember David complaining to Mom when ever he would go into town, he was always stopped and searched.

On one occasion, knowing that he was going into town, he found a black snake living in one of our sycamore trees and he placed it in the trunk knowing they were going to stop him. Sure enough, they did and when they found the snake, that earned him a flash light across the back of the head. He felt that he had at least some satisfaction that he earned that one. David enrolled in a local bible college thinking he could get himself set on a right path, but that did not last long. This was one of the hardest things my Mother had to endure watching one of her Son's enduring much pain just to live. David eventually pulled up stakes and traveled west to Kansas for a little while, but he would end up in Seattle Washington where he began working at a hospital working with physical therapy. It seemed like a couple of years went by, I was in college myself with a baseball scholarship when the Chaplain called me to his office. It was then that I found out David was killed. The Chaplain didn't know how at the time, but I spent some time in the chapel and made plans to go home to help my Mother.

Remembering this has been very difficult, I recently rediscovered a song that helped me cope with the loss. It is from a group called White Lion, the song called "Lady of the Valley". The words just fit perfectly with my emotions. The words of the song: Lyrics to Lady Of The Valley :

lady of the valley can you hear me cry in the sillness of the night I have lost my brother in the fights of the war and my heart has broken down in the night I cry but no one seems to hear I step into the light but all I feel is fear

lady of the valley can you bring him back to the days when we were kids once we were together we stood young and strong now it seems so long ago the golden key is at the end of the chain how it hurts ohh lady free me from this pain in the night I cry to the lady of the valley cause I'll die without the lady of the valley in the night I call to the lady of the valley on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley in the valley lies the treasure and the lady guards it well he who bears all the pressure is the one to break the spell there's a sign that I've followed and it has led me to your seat I have brought my fallen brother and I've laid him, yes I've laid him at your feet

in the night I cry to the lady of the valley cause I'll die without the lady of the valley in the night I call to the lady of the valley on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley

This life is but a journey, we are pilgrims in a strange land. We have a God who truly loves us. Jesus is our King, and from the cross he gives us His Mother that we can place our pain before Our Lady of the Valley.

Here at Deepertruth we want to remember and are thankful to all our Veterans who have served our great Country and respect the American Flag which represents freedom.

Freedom isn't free, please pray for America.