Be prepared for many dark days and nights ahead

I have been reading about the push to 100% electrification in America and much of the world. With all those pressing for a "greener" planet, in their fervor they have lost sight of the big picture. Let's look at some points the fossil fuel haters never seem to consider...

1. Battery production is a dirty process. Mining for minerals to make the batteries scars the earth and the damage to the environment is significant, not to mention the child labor in many countries used to mine the minerals. 

2. Recycling is touted but there is little recycling taking place for batteries, solar panels or windmills. In fact, studies show that it costs thirty to forty dollars to recycle just one solar panel and that produces just two to four dollars of recoverable materials, so recycling is a losing proposition. Windmill blades are an alloy that currently cannot be recycled so there are thousands of those huge blades laying in scrap piles with no place to recycle them at this time. Batteries, in some cases, can have individual cells replaced, but manufacturers of vehicles are using the battery packs as structural members of the cars, meaning they will not be replaced and as of now, those vehicles will become scrap at the end of their electric service life. Recent articles show a seven year old electric vehicle selling for eleven thousand dollars used, will require a fourteen thousand dollar battery replacement, but none are available as the manufacturer discontinued replacement batteries and none are available on the aftermarket. So what we have is a giant useless paperweight.

3. We have gas appliances in our homes because gas is much cheaper than electric for most appliances. In the rush to curtail natural gas usage, and make everything electric, nobody seems to understand the huge increase on our already fragile electric grid when we move to all electric. Remove gas hot water, cooking, heating, clothes dryers and replace those with electric gobbling devices and it will severely impact electric availability.  For example...Electric dryer 4000 watts, electric stove 2000 watts, electric tankless water heater 8800 watts, electric home furnace 15,000 to 50,000 watts. Considering the average home duty cycle, on the low end that will add several hundred dollars to a family's electric bill and further tax the grid. In many areas we struggle to maintain the lights on due to lack of grid capacity, along with aging infrastructure. It's sad but comical to know that when the grid needs additional power the electric companies rely on gas fired "peaker" generating plants or the lights would go out!

4. Solar and wind power is great except when it's snowy, rainy, dark or the wind doesn't blow. In Texas their windmills froze several winters ago when it was inordinately cold and they could not deliver power. Homes froze, pipes burst and it was a general mess.  Also this year in Texas, there was a huge temperature inversion with no wind so they again went dark. Solar panels have a finite life span, usually 20 to 25 years so they need replacement as well. The cost and the recycling or lack thereof is again a problem. Nobody seems to care about this.

5. To add insult to injury the electric companies charge a minimum fee to solar users which in our area is currently ten dollars or the equivalent of about twenty six kilowatts at the .39 cents per kWh we currently pay in a tiered system first tier. (We have the highest electric rates in the nation). The utility wants to increase that to thirty five dollars or about ninety kilowatts minimum. So, why give the utility all that extra money for nothing when we can simply use more electric to offset that charge? And, since we send any excess from solar back to the grid, and are paid less than what we are charged for incoming electric, just quit conservation and use more electric which will result in the same bill? Once again, those on the headlong rush to go green have no clue about the backside of this quest. Solar was the carrot at the end of the electric bill stick but that carrot has withered away.

6. The cost for families and industry to turn from fossil fuels to electric will be huge. People who heat their homes with oil or gas will be forced at some point to change over to electric, and those costs for a new furnace will be enormous. Same with stoves, water heaters and clothes dryers. Looking at current pricing of those items it will cost about ten thousand dollars or more for the transition to electric and the bills to operate those appliances will be increasing as well. If there will be subsidies for those who have to make the change, the costs will simply be divided and borne by the taxpayers yet again. There is no "free lunch" for anyone but the utilities and the government in this deal. And large industrial users will have an even bigger challenge...grain dryers for example use natural gas and converting to electric would shut most down. No grain means no food, folks. But the politicians never think of these consequences.

7. California has decided no new fossil fueled vehicles can be sold as of 2035. Only electrics or non-fossil fueled vehicles will be allowed. Yet they have zero ability to charge all those vehicles and won't have anytime in the near future. Imagine an apartment complex with a thousand vehicles, which is about normal for a four to five hundred apartment complex. How will they get enough chargers, how will they put one in every parking space, how will they meter the electric, and what will that do the already sky-high rents? Then consider that many chargers on current networks are out of order, won't charge properly, won't charge every vehicle configuration, are vandalized, etc. And how will the already fragile grid handle that increased load? And of course all the new electric buses, trucks, trains, and other vehicles that will further impact the grid. Nobody wants to talk about that like there will be some magical unicorn who will grant us unlimited power for all the new "green" needs. 

I am not against recycling, renewing, reusing and some green energy. But dictating the ways and means you will be forced to go green just is not a survivable future for America. The powers that be have turned their backs on the dirty energy that goes to make the green elements, the sad labor practices, the filthy air and landscapes in countries that make the "green" energy products we import, the closing down of nuclear power plants instead of solving the waste nuclear fuel issue. Every politician wants to be seen as a green savior but when they find they will be very cold sitting in the dark, it will be a sad moment of truth. Politicians and over zealous tree huggers seem to have no consequences for what they do to the country. They get fat and rich while in office, take no responsibility for their bad choices, have no consequences for their actions, and just leave the rest of us to deal with their blunders. 

Another giveaway for votes and another taxpayer burden

The Biden administration just announced a student loan forgiveness program but cannot tell us the actual cost. 300 billion to perhaps 600 billion, but what the hell, it's the taxpayers money so why should the Washington crowd care. They hired all those new IRS agents to beat down the lower and middle class so they may be able to eke a few dollars out of struggling taxpayers to fund the debacle. 

I paid for my children's college education each semester, working two and three jobs when necessary to assure they had a quality education. They never had student loans hanging over their heads as they moved into a productive adult life. I never had student loans nor did I use the GI Bill for my own education. To be honest, I started college too late and my eligibility for the GI Bill had expired long ago. So, in my thirst for knowledge I obtained multiple degrees in my chosen field of endeavor, all the way to a Doctorate. And worked full time in doing so, studying at night and on weekends, and raising a family too. All this on a single income family.

So why are those who took student loans able to receive ten or twenty thousand dollars in loan forgiveness on the backs of taxpayers? And why this burden for many taxpayers who never went to college? Those who sought careers in jobs not requiring a college degree and who were, and are, highly productive members of society? Those who paid their own way through college and are now being required to pay strangers way as well? Why are those who took worthless degree paths like Political Science and Liberal Arts and other courses that they will never get a career in getting a debt payment? Why is the person who took 12 years to complete a 4 year degree and spent the student loan funds on cars, booze and parties getting relief of a debt they legally owe? 

It's all to garner votes for the mid term elections. It's a giant taxpayer funded ploy to give the warm fuzzies to a class of people who don't deserve the taxpayer funded "gift" in the hope this will sway them to vote Democrat. 

The current administration has gone off the rails in reckless spending and is adding to not only inflation, but the grief of American taxpayers who foot the bill for all of this nonsense. Try telling a family that is struggling to keep the roof over their head and food on the table how paying someone else's bills is helping them. Try telling working people that they need to pay more and more for people who don't pay. It's akin to that family eating beans and paying for someone else's steak dinner.

This is like a giant welfare system devised by the Democrats in Washington, the prelude to a socialist society. Take from those who earn their money and give it to the whiners who not only don't work for it, but don't deserve it either. 

America as we knew it is gone...

 

 

Government logic...

I believe everyone has heard the tale of the Dutch boy who put his finger in the dike so that the town would not be flooded. Well, here is a twist on that story:

1.The dike (dam) has a leak and a little boy puts his finger in the hole to stop the leak. 

2. Government officials are notified about the leak.

3. Government refutes the problem is theirs and does nothing.

4. Government blames the boy for the hole and files charges against him for damaging public property.

5. Boy removes finger from the hole as he is arrested and the town is threatened once again.

6. Government asks for solutions to repair the hole.

7. Government refuses the Republicans answer to plug the hole with cement which will stop the leak.

8. Government forms a committee of highly paid "experts" to study the problem.  

9. Town is flooded and town asks FEMA for assistance. 

10. FEMA hires several hundred people to study the problem as the flood waters rise.

11. FEMA "experts" come up with a solution. 

12. FEMA hires five hundred people at $50 per shift and with full benefits, who will each take take 15 minute shifts putting their finger in the hole.

13. FEMA goes back to Washington smug in their solution.

14. The Democrats raise taxes to cover the disaster costs, charge every person in town five-thousand dollars in new taxes, and convene a panel to study why the Republicans didn't plug the hole sooner.

And that, my friends, is why the little Dutch boy no longer helps and why everything the government gets involved in costs so damned much.

How Much Better Off am I in 2022?

I tried to imagine how much better off I am now than in 2020, because Joe Biden says I am far better off than I was. So I took pencil to paper to see exactly how great has has made my life:

 1. I am paying over six dollars a gallon for gasoline now and back in 2020 I was paying less than four dollars. Of course the idiot Transportation Secretary in Washington says we should all buy an electric car while many cannot put sufficient food on the table or pay rent. Great solution by Mayor Pete!

2. My food bill has increased about 30% this past year while we eat no better than we did in 2020. In fact, most red meats like steak is off the menu unless it's for making stew or hamburger. Savings for many is just a dream, as there is nothing left at the end of a payday but bills. People living on credit cards with inflationary credit card rates rising. 

3. Products we used to use are no longer available due to the lack of production. Add to that the shipping situation, and now we have to do with whatever we can find on the shelves, or on line, and pay the increased pricing. Overpriced cat food is in short supply and even a simple product like cat litter has increased in price about 20%. Automobiles are way overpriced, of course becoming less affordable due to all the new regulations and chip requirements and of course, dealer price gouging. 

4. Product shrinkage due to the huge increase in raw materials pricing reduces the amount in packages and even affects toilet paper. Imagine, toilet paper narrower and less sheets on a roll while the price increases. 

5. Everything costs more. No matter where it is produced prices have been increasing out of reason. A house is so far out of reach for so many and apartment rents are pushing people onto the streets or out of the state. How can you sustain a $2000 per month roof over your head on a salary of $3200 per month. And that's at $20 per hour no less! The American dream of home ownership has hit the rocks.

 6. Electricity and natural gas rates have risen severely especially since the grid is strained and the quest to make everything in our lives depend on electricity. Electric has increased 40 percent in many areas with one kilowatt of power now costing up to 50 cents in some states on peak usage hours. Cities are banning natural gas in favor of electricity while they cannot support the fragile electric grid now.  In winter, imagine the cost of heating a home with electric, a typical electric furnace uses about 26 kilowatts a day and 182 kilowatts a week. That equates to between $75 and $90 per week for electric just to heat the home. Natural gas would be about $40 for the same time period, especially since there is no "time of use" penalty for using natural gas while there is for electric. 

7. Lack of people to work as a result of governmental handouts over the past 18 months means business has slowed and work doesn't get done in a timely manner. The "Great Resignation" further impacts the economy as people just quit with no future plans to be employed. This results in greater uncertainty in programs like Social Security and Medicare which was funded by those working and whose recipients put in a lifetime of work to receive benefits. 

8. Crime is rampant and has increased greatly over the past 18 months. The "no bail" policies along with restricting law enforcement in doing their jobs has emboldened criminals since there seems to be no consequence for their actions. People being let out of jail before the ink on booking forms is dry is sickening. Going after legally owned guns is a battle cry by the left while doing nothing about criminals with guns. It's more likely a criminal will walk out of jail after shooting someone than someone who steals a can of tuna at the market to feed themselves. 

9. Selective enforcement of laws on anyone who speaks negatively about the current administration smacks of straight communism and is reminiscent of Russia and China.  Rioters can take over the streets and it's called a "protest" with protected First Amendment speech while they damage property, statues, firebomb buildings and injure civilians and the police, with no consequences. But when an opposing group does anything it's called an insurrection or a riot, swiftly curtailed and participants charged, jailed or otherwise harangued. Protests are only acceptable for the leftists and not for those who believe otherwise. 

10. Schools used to be for learning the important elements of a future like reading, writing, math and the sciences. In 2022 they are now a bastion of far left ideology where there are no longer educational classes but indoctrination into depravity and forced learning about aberrational behaviors. Kindergartners are being brainwashed into a world of sex when they are not ready for such. Parents who disagree with this indoctrination are called "domestic terrorists" by school boards who then call on the FBI to investigate them. 

11. In 2022 we can no longer call people Mr. or Mrs. or he or she. It has now been deemed appropriate to have as many genders or non-genders as you wish and God forbid you call someone by the wrong pronoun as you will be called out. A person born a male who has a beard and wearing a dress will go postal about you addressing "him" as "sir" and a person born a woman may take offense at being noted as a "her." I have now begun to address everyone as "Hey asshole" and that seems to work without any gender identification. And i find those with the stupid gender preferences answer to it quickly as well. 

12.  And there is a huge increase in illegal immigration. Sure we have always had illegal immigration but instead of a few hundred now we have millions flooding over the border and the current administration sees that as just fine. Catch and release and they never show up for immigration hearings. They end up on our system, from free birthing to medical, food and subsistence benefits and education in our schools. We have so many "English as a second language" courses that take away the learning experience from American students. Criminals from other countries see the US as prime opportunities for gangs, drugs and outrageous criminal behavior. We have lost control of our borders and Washington turns a blind eye. In fact they want to give the illegal aliens an ID card so they can get more benefits while American senior citizens and those needing assistance fall by the wayside.

13. Taxes continue to rise regardless of the economy. When gasoline is at the highest point ever, the idiots in California government would not abate the gas tax increase of July 1, because "the oil companies would make more money." Where that logic came from is bewildering as the motorist pays the tax, not the gasoline company. Instead of stopping that increase the state decided to give money away regardless of whether you drive or not, simply so they can give money to illegal aliens along with Americans who live in California. If they used the DMV registry as the basis as proposed, I suppose many illegals wouldn't get money as they don't register their vehicles anyway, have no license nor insurance. Leave it to Governor Newsom and the idiots in Sacramento to work out a way to give taxpayer money to illegals.

14. This isn't Putin's war or Putin's price hikes as Biden postulates. It's the Democrats war on the American people that has created this. Prices were going astronomical before the Ukraine invasion. Wild spending in Washington that knows no bounds,Willingness to sacrifice America in the quest to go "green" has destroyed many energy sources. Those in control have no backup plans when this all fails. Even the village idiot has a Plan B, even if it means running away. And that's just what the village idiots in Washington must have as their backup plan...run and hide while America suffers. 

So, am I better off now than I was 2 years ago? Not only no, but HELL NO.

Going Green, Going Broke and Dying for the Cause...

As the country is forced into moving to green energy, the huge problem is those clamoring for everything to go green have no backup plans when it fails. I'm not saying if but when it fails as it is and will continue to do so.

Reading about the great droughts, super hot summers and extremely frigid winters back in 1936 and other years. The cycle repeats itself endlessly and even Alaska has 100+ degree temperatures in the past. The insane push to move everything to green energy will destroy the country because those pushing it have zero backup plans when it fails. Instead of slowly transitioning to other energy sources, their answer is to cut off every fossil fuel and energy source we depend on, and maybe some wizard will descend upon the earth to save those who will die due to their idiocy. It is laughable when the electric fails and trains and trolleys don't run, the mess cities and urbanites who rely on these transit systems find themselves in, then advising people to use cars, gasoline powered taxis and alternate transportation or stay home. That will surely help the economy.

We all need to help the earth stay clean and green but not at the expense of life itself. Imagine a world without fossil fuels...electric power outages and loss of heat and air conditioning would kill many, especially the most vulnerable, the very young and the old. Transit systems would sit idle. Hospitals would not be able to run, or even, refuel backup diesel generators and those on life saving equipment would die. Natural gas no longer available for heat, cooking or fuel for industrial equipment, so factories close. Fire protection systems in homes, commercial and industrial buildings would freeze in winter with burst pipes. Pumps required to supply water and fire fighting would stop and any major fire would be uncontrolled. Crops will rot in the fields and farmers will stop planting due to lack of fuel for tractors and harvesting equipment. Natural gas for dryers that preserve our grain crops will be unavailable so much food will become unavailable. Starvation will soon follow.

The anti-nuclear people helped destroy nuclear power in our country. Of course, now that the grid is over-strained, even Governor Newsom is trying to figure what can be done to increase the lifespan of the single remaining nuclear power plant in California. Diablo Canyon, that plant hated by environmentalists and doomsday sayers, and derided for being close to an earthquake fault is now saving our collective asses by provide 2256 megawatts of electricity (18 gigawatts annually) to homes that otherwise would be going dark. And that is 10% of the entire state's generation in one plant. I believe we need to figure out a way to re-use spent nuclear fuel and it seems people are now working feverishly on just that as they find it was a really clean source of energy if the waste could be utilized or otherwise disposed of.

If you think the way we are going about greening is somehow okay, look at countries that decided going green was the only way. Look at their before green and after economies. The survivability for them is based on the UN and World Bank infusing cash and help, which of course we would never see in the US. They too had no Plan B and after Plan A failed it was too late.

The insane rush to green will have catastrophic effects on everything we hold dear as Americans.

 

Why we are in dire straits in America

I found the exact reason the country is in such dire straits...two words that clearly are the backbone of what was America.

RESPONSIBILITY

and

ACCOUNTABILITY

The current clamor about abortions is based on no responsibility for actions. Thus failure results in an unwanted pregnancy and no accountability for the life that forms inside the womb. Of course in cases of rape or incest, the victim was not responsible and the current system doesn't hold the perpetrator accountable.

Parental abdication of responsibility has filled the streets with thugs and actors who might have well been saved from that life had parents actually taken upon themselves the role of parents. Not friends, or bystanders but parents. And when a child lies dead in the streets at the hands of another, the parents turn away from accepting any accountability for their failures, blaming someone else instead.

 People have become so comfortable blaming others for everything, making excuses for other's actions, feeding their zero accountability. Blaming inanimate objects for the actions of humans has become commonplace; guns, not criminals, are the cause of crime yet vehicles are not the cause of drunk drivers who maim and kill and eating implements like the fork is not the cause of obesity. Of course not...people choose to shoot others, drive drunk or overeat, but that seems to be out of the realm of comprehension for many.

Teachers abdicate the responsibility to teach based on the principles America was founded upon, rather spouting rhetoric and indoctrinating children into whatever their own warped sense of reality may be. And when they go too far and are caught, there is no accountability as the education system defends their actions while the children suffer the long term consequences.

The public screams for law enforcement to be help responsible and accountable for every action, even those actions taken to protect the public against the worst of mankind. While fighting for the public, they are vilified at every turn. Yet the public turns a blind eye, and ear, to the transgressions of crooked politicians and refuses to hold them responsible and accountable at election time, voting the same bastardizations of destruction back into office time after time.

Things need to change in America or we are a doomed nation. Two hundred and forty-six years as of Monday we built this country on the blood sweat and tears of our ancestors and us. Those of us with generations of family in law enforcement remember the stories of how policing was "back in the day" and lament how it is today. Respect by the public has severely diminished and our justice system is no longer just. Catch and release has become the norm of the land, where criminals are out, often committing more crime, before the ink on the paperwork is dry.

Have a safe and happy, healthy Fourth of July holiday and maybe hoist a cold one or a good aged Irish Whiskey or single malt Scotch to all the brothers and sisters, those who led us to the path, those who lost the good fight and those who continue the fight today and tomorrow!

Cheers and sláinte

 

California Gold has turned to....

I once thought California was such a great place to live. Yet somehow I came to my senses and realize it's a great place if you want to be over regulated, over taxed, over burdened and have government decide how every facet of your life should be impacted.

The latest solar debacle is only one of many reasons the rest of the country laughs at California. Imagine legislating that every new home must have solar as of January 2020, then figure a way to denigrate the value of that solar in favor of the power companies, who pleaded for solar contribution to the grid and energy saving. Imagine paying $15-20,000 for a solar array with the hope it would offset most of the electric bills, and finding out your investment has lost significant return on investment. Adding a huge fee to your monthly bill because you have solar and also reducing the price the utilities pay for the solar you generate. And this is what California government is doing...penalizing those whom they commanded to have solar.

And the reasoning behind this is so asinine...because the government wants to give solar to those who allegedly can't afford it. And charge you for it in taxes and loss of ROI.

IF every solar owner consumed every kilowatt they produced, the electric companies would be forced to build more natural gas powered plants to supply the grid, that "devil" natural gas so many cities are trying to ban in new homes and commercial construction. And gas powered electric "peaker" plants take years to build, so any help from their generation could be 5 years or more away, even IF they were built.

IF there was no "solar farms" like many communities with much solar, that produced an abundance of excess power to the grid, more and more blackouts would be inevitable. Electric cars may be the wave of the future but charging them still impacts the grid in a negative way. And that grid is supported by mostly fossil fuel plants since since nuclear power is all but shut down in California with the exception of Diablo Canyon...one that environmentalists have been trying to shutter for years. But with the grid fragility, now the State is trying to keep it open as long as possible...another flip flop in government planning, or lack of as it appears.

And, there is more...California is banning sale of all NEW small off road engines (SORE's) such as lawn blowers, trimmers and yes, generators unless they meet a new emissions rule by 2024. Generators and large pressure washers will be required to reduce emissions to 90% as of 2024 and be zero emissions by 2028. New stand-by generators for home use, portable generators for camping, and even in-frame generators on new RV's will not be allowed unless they are zero emissions, which the small engine manufacturers state is impossible. And that includes gasoline, diesel and propane. Zero emissions means electric, yet another blow to the fragile grid.

Your tax dollars at work: "The Legislature has allocated $30 million to be dedicated to sole proprietors and other small landscaping businesses in California to help them purchase zero-emission small off-road equipment, including leaf blowers, lawn mowers and string trimmers." These must be charged and imagine the number of depleted batteries and equipment that will produce. Huge solar panels on landscapers trucks to charge the dozens of batteries needed in a day? So you will be paying for the state to further burden the grid in their quest to completely ban internal combustion engines.

Finally, many communities are mandating ways to build more homes, supposedly "affordable" but in reality each and every home built adds to the electric grid burden. Same as water and other utilities in short supply. A thousand new homes using 400 kW each per month requires almost 5 mW or 5 million watts annually to supply their needs, and more actually needs to be generated due to line loss, etc.

Dreams of the Golden State have turned into a far less precious metal...perhaps mercury, slipping through the fingers of our residents as they try to grasp on to what's left...

 

The Big electric vehicle lie

This is a great video that explains why electric vehicles are actually worse for the environment than fossil fueled ones. People screaming for electric vehicles look only at the cost vs gasoline on their individual drives and tout they are a cleaner choice for the planet. But, wait a minute. All those tree huggers who think they are doing the planet a big favor by purchasing electric vehicles should view this first.

This presenter has no "skin in the game" for gas or electric. He reviews cars regardless of their power source. Take a look and maybe re-think the automobile in your life....

Green Fields of France by John McDermott

Vietnam War Veterans Day

March 29 is Vietnam War Veterans Day. It was signed into law in 2017 by President Donald Trump

29 March is a fitting choice for a day honoring Vietnam veterans. It was chosen to be observed in perpetuity, as March 29, 1973 was the day United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was disestablished, and also the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. In addition, on and around this same day Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged prisoners of war.

U.S. involvement in Vietnam started slowly with an initial deployment of advisors in the early 1950s, grew incrementally through the early 1960s and expanded with the deployment of full combat units in July 1965. The last U.S. personnel were evacuated from Vietnam in April 1975.

Some facts:

9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (August 5, 1964 - May 7,1975).

8,744,000 GIs were on active duty during the war (Aug 5, 1964-March 28, 1973).

2,709,918 Americans served in Vietnam, this number represents 9.7% of their generation.

3,403,100 (Including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the broader Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand, and sailors in adjacent South China Sea waters).

2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (Jan. 1, 1965 - March 28, 1973).

Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964.

Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack.

7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam.

Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.

The oldest man killed was 62 years old.

58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.

Over 130,000 suffered non-mortal wounds

Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old.

11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.

Of those killed, 17,539 were married.

The average age of the men killed: 23.1 years.

Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, (2021) with the youngest American Vietnam veteran's age approximated to then be 60 years old.

Vietnam veterans didn’t come home to parades or welcomes. Many were treated poorly for doing what their country asked of them. They came home in ones and twos, unlike other wars where large numbers of vets were welcomed home with homecomings and festivities. Most vets never talked about the war; some carried the heavy toll it took on them to their graves.

Many of those who served continue facing the effects of that war due to injuries sustained, illnesses caused by chemical agents, defoliants, and environmental exposures, along with PTSD, their children's birth defects and other long term medical issues. They still are fighting a war they will never personally win. Suicide among veterans runs high. Most humans could not remain unscathed by the horrors of war and some simply could not face that continuing burden anymore.

On this day I salute all my Vietnam brothers and sisters, those alive and those who have crossed the bar to meet the Heavenly Father. We will all meet again someday in that big gedunk bar in the sky.

And…

WELCOME HOME!!