One last Memorial Day request...I'd like every one of you

[Redstone]

to go to this web page: http://www.npr.org/programs/lnfsound/stories/000421.stories.html

And listen to the audio files. You won't be sorry you did.

Mike Baronowski was my next-door neighbor, my friend, and my "big brother" when I was a young, skinny, brainy, shy teenager. I shut down for a long time when he died, and went looking for him six years later...

I think you all should get to know Mike a little bit, and I guarantee that your life will be the richer for having done so.

I've never asked any of you for anything, but I'm asking now: Please keep this thread kicked up through Monday if you'd be so kind; I know that once you listen to the tapes, you'll agree that everyone should have the opportunity to hear them.

Thanks,

Redstone

[Nite Owl]

1. I got the page up and

will listen tomorrow. I got to get to bed.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. kick Nominating for greatest..and bookmarked

[K8-EEE]

3. kick!

Will go give a listen right now...

[Historic NY]

4. A life cut short.....outstanding find his taped experiences.

[mark414]

5. i am about halfway through it redstone

this is some incredible stuff

thanks for sharing this with us

kicked, nominated, bookmarked, and saluted

[Redstone]

10. Are you done listening yet?

Powerful stuff, yes?

Redstone

[mark414]

21. yeah

that was great redstone...you're really lucky you were able to know him...thanks again

mark

[Mnemosyne]

6. Kicked Red!

:hi: :kick:

Nite!

[leftofthedial]

7. thanks!

[enigmatic]

8. You got it

[knowbody0]

9. thanks Redstone

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Listening now

[EFerrari]

12. kick

[Nite Owl]

13. Kick

for Sunday am

[Redstone]

14. For the afternoon crowd...

If you don't have time to listen to the tapes now, please bookmark the page and listen to them later.

Redstone

[nuxvomica]

15. Well I was just going to listen to a little and save the rest for later

But I couldn't stop listening. The way he said the word "good" near the end will stay with me.

[havocmom]

16. Bookmarked for a time when it can be given the attention it deserves

Probably late this evening, when the house is down for the count.

Thanks, Redstone.

[Redstone]

34. I know you, and I know you'll understand.

You'll get more from it if you listen without distractions.

I'd appreciate any commentary you may have afterward.

Redstone

[hickman1937]

17. I was ok until the end, when the longing for his family came thru

in his voice. Thanks for this. Too bad that none of the links seem to work.

[hickman1937]

18. I did find this .

http://capmarine.com/capvet/ Very good site.

[hickman1937]

20. Please read, I Keep It in My Heart and Wait for You,

at the above link. It is wonderful.

[Redstone]

24. Yes, Tim Duffie is a hell of a guy.

If not for his persistence, all this would have been lost.

There goes a man, indeed.

Redstone

[enigmatic]

19. kick

[BikeWriter]

22. Kicked again, Brother.

[auntAgonist]

23. Thank you for posting this

I've taken the liberty of reposting the URL on my own forum!

It is well worth sharing.

sincerely.

aA.

[Redstone]

25. Thanks for re-posting the URL.

These tapes need to be heard.

Redstone

[auntAgonist]

36. kick

[Redstone]

47. One more time for the evening crowd...

Listen to the tapes and let me know what you thought of them, please

Redstone

[enigmatic]

26. kick

[vince3]

27. Thanks for the link. That was something. And you knew him? Wow.

What a shame. Cpl. Baronowski would be 58 years old.

[hickman1937]

28. again.

:kick: :kick:

[Redstone]

30. Imagine how cool it was, at 13, getting to cruise

around in the car with an older, hip guy like that and his pals, smoking Marlboros and listening to their dirty jokes...

Redstone

[xmas74]

29. kick

[LynzM]

31. Have it open right now....

I'll check back in after I listen...

[LynzM]

32. Wow. I'm glad that was found....

What a person... to go into that situation and find that kind of humor, and preserve those kind of memories. I'm sorry that you (and so many countless others) had to lose people in their lives to that... I hate war. :( You should tell your stories sometime, too, so that they also lost, either. :hug:

[Redstone]

33. Thank you, but MY stories, I don't know, I don't think

they'd inspire anyone the way Mike's stories do...I have some fragmented memories of various horrifying moments...I've tried to put them into a running narrative, just as an exercise in catharsis, but the linearity isn't there; it ends up, always, being just a series of "I remember" vignettes.

And I'm not sure that anyone would benefit from hearing the things I remember...

Redstone

[Zuni]

35. wow

That was deep. real deep.

[LynzM]

37. Wow. I'm glad that was found....

What a person... to go into that situation and find that kind of humor, and preserve those kind of memories. I'm sorry that you (and so many countless others) had to lose people in their lives to that... I hate war. :( You should tell your stories sometime, too, so that they also lost, either. :hug:

[In_The_Wind]

38. Redstone, tell us your own memories ~ too!

:kick:

~ thanks for bringing this to DU

[Redstone]

50. Thank you for asking, but my memories would not

be enlightenting or illuminating for anyone, being essentially full of blood, blunders, harrowing escapes, and startling idiocies on my part. And I never found what I was looking for by going to that place, and furthermore knew I wouldn't, but went anyway.

There was no heroism or idealism on my part, though there was more than enough on the part of the people I was with. They never got enough credit for their courage, and still do not to this day. And the ONLY good thing that came out of my involvement was that I may have saved the lives of a few of them, even if only by trying to preserve my own, I think. I don't really know.

A long, long time ago, it was. Long enough ago that I thought, for once, I'd manage not to duck when the A-10s from the Connecticut Air Guard flew over the Memorial Day Parade in our town, as they do every year.

But I did it again today. I have to stop that reflex some day.

Redstone

[JimmyJazz]

39. I've been watching this thread to see if it needed to be kicked

and so far it hasn't so I thought I would respond anyway. Nice post. Very nice. Thanks.

[peekaloo]

40. kick

[cassandra uprising]

41. thank you Redstone

Just thank you.

:hug:

[Taxloss]

42. Redstone, I'm listening now.

This is absolutely remarkable. Thank you so much.

[progressoid]

43. !!

:kick:

[havocmom]

44. Redstone- thank you for putting the human voice to war that we are missing

this time out.

Trouble getting it to play last night. Gave up. Got it to play part of the way this AM. I don't know if it is the computer or my heart that made it stop before it was over.

There's a 14 year old girl, straight blond hair, sitting in a small living room with other girls, her age and up to 18. One of the older girls has a small reel to reel tape machine. We are listening to her boyfriend's voice. Reel after reel, the only smile we hear is when he tells of finding a little black puppy.

Battle after battle, he comes on to tell us the pup is still with him, he has managed to keep it alive in all the hell. He sounds so relieved, so glad the pup is there in his lap, licking his face.

He tells her that he has a friend who had a friend who knows a pilot who is coming home... He's gonna get the puppy to her via this network of fellas who have learned to survive by beating the system. He is so happy. The puppy will be his ambassador to her. The dog will be his surrogate. She can take care of the dog and they can watch him together when this tour is over. He lives for getting the dog to the pilot who will smuggle him back to California, and safety. The dog is growing fast. He has to get him home while he will still fit in a pack.

Then, such sadness. They went to an area where nothing grew. The planes had come and now nothing grew. The people were starving. He sobbed into his little recording device. The puppy would not be coming to her for safekeeping. He had failed in his self imposed mission to rescue that one soul from hell. His voice faded then cracked. The villagers took the dog. In their desparation to survive, they ate his dog.

The girl in the living room, surrounded by so much innocence in that California apartment sobbed without making a sound. Then she held out her hand and showed us a letter from her boyfriend's buddy in 'Nam.

Yeah, Redstone, I remember. I remember the PA announcements in the mornings at our high school. The naming of the lost every morning, year after year. I remember the crack in our principal's voice when he came to names he knew from our school.

I remember the juke box we had at the cafeteria. I remember us playing one song and standing silently on the tables with our fists in the air. I remember when the school Vice Principal had the juke box removed, we never saw the principal much after awhile. And we stood on the tables, fists in the air but we were no longer silent. We knew the words to that song. Some idiot taking a juke box away would not make us forget. Those words were burned into our souls and we stood on tables of the Senior Patio, where no one ate anymore, and sang them every day. What could he do? Suspend the lot of us?

Every June graduation was a terrible time back then. "What is your number?" the question in everyone's heart. Will I see you again?

No, I never went to a high school reunion. Never wanted to face all the empty chairs.

Yeah, Redstone, we remember our friends. Not stern faces in pictures of young men in uniforms. We remember our friends and now we must try and teach the words of the song to new friends fighting an old fight.

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War is something that I despise
For it means destruction of innocent lives
For it means tears in thousands of mothers' eyes
When their sons go out to fight to give their lives

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

War
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War is the enemy of all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
Handed down from generation to generation
Induction destruction
Who wants to die




War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

War has shattered many young men's dreams
Made them disabled bitter and meanLife is too precious to be fighting wars
each day
War can't give life it can only take it away

War
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
Peace love and understanding
There must be some place for these things today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord there's gotta be a better way
That's better than
War

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

[Redstone]

49. Everyone should read your post as well,

so I'm sendint this back to the front page for the night crowd.

Redstone

[auntAgonist]

52. I'm glad I didn't miss this post havocmom !

thank you, ... just simply, thank you.

:hug:


aA
aka kesha

[JimmyJazz]

45. kick because I haven't been here all day!

:hi:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

46. Amazing. Spine tingling even.

[havocmom]

48. Because it is imparative to remember what the junta wants us to forget

That war is hell and heros come from every hometown... keep it kicked.

Make sure others hear.

Never forget.

[auntAgonist]

51. Some may have missed this over the weekend .. KICK