by Father Thomas P. Hall, CSP, CMDR U.S. Navy
November 2, 2009

My first military duty began in September of 1966, during the beginning days of the Vietnam War. I was a Midshipman Third Class at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. It was a time when our nation was divided like no time since the Civil War. Our university campuses gave voice to the great divide. Some young men proudly wore the uniform of the U.S. military. Others waged protest against U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia. Some men went on to serve with distinction in Vietnam. Others served with reluctance. Some renounced their homeland. Some went to prison. Some turned out just fine.

All of these once-young men are now much older. Old like me. I am 61. And, at 61, I look back at my peers and see the casualties of a great war. It was not the Great War fought by our fathers. It was the great war of our American generation. And, we, our generation, are all casualties of that war. Those of us who fought in uniform. Those of us who protested in the streets. We are the veterans of OUR war. We fought. We endured criticism. We sustained casualties. We lost loved ones. We enjoyed victories. We survived defeat. We buried our dead.

For the past quarter century, I have been a U.S. Navy Chaplain. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve my country. I have worn the uniform of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard. I have buried nearly 200 sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen. These were my kids. They all called me “Father.”

Some of my kids served with distinction. Others served with reluctance. Some believed their cause was just. Others just wanted a cause.

At 61, I have no illusions about the glory of war. For those who been there, they know war as hours of dulling boredom punctuated with moments of fury.

I am edified by those who choose to go to war when our nation calls. This intimate brotherhood and sisterhood of warriors knows so well the real lesson of war. None of us dies for a flag. None of us dies for a way of life. On the bloody, sweaty field of battle, the warrior lays down his life for the guy to his right, the guy to his left. In the end, we die for each other. And, “no greater love is there than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Paulist Father Thomas P. Hall serves as a Navy chaplain with the rank of commander, and is currently assigned to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.