Thanx Richard...tho the post wasn intended not to impress but to show how diverse can b the reasoning behind a servicemans service in spite of other factors that might seem to rightfully preclude such actions.... For instance, during my tour in Nam i was just the 2cnd black flight engineer in the history of my units tour in country. THAT, as was the case with the original post was to show the danger of assumptions and stereotypes when u would try to determine the reasoning for a soldiers life being on the line. The fact is that FEW BLACK folk Volenteered for service during the Viet-Nam era, and even fewer DID NOT AGREE with Muhamed Ali, especially among those who admired and STILL admire him as I do, tho i didn't a gree with his stance, I DID reconize even then the courage he must have had to TAKE it, and i certainly don't know if I WOULD have made the sacrafice he did for a principle.
Also, tho i diagree vehemontly with those folk who protested returning troops, burned draft cards and such, i have NO JUDGEMENT to pass upon those folk who simply ran away out of fear of serving in combat, since bravery isn't the absence of fear but determined by ones actions in the face of fear and NOT EVERYONE can b expected to b brave.