Warriors of Hill 881 Memorial
Semper Fidelis Memorial Park
Quantico, Virginia

I read the story of Bill Bryan several times.   I am truly sorry that it is a friend of ours that gave his life so that we could continue to have our freedoms that we enjoy today.  How do you remember such details? 

I know for a long time after I got back to the states I could remember everything, details, dates, etc.  It kept me awake at night and made me a bitter person.  One day I realized that I could not continue going on with this hatred and bitterness, so I went to where I had all my military belongings, pictures, souvenirs stored, and threw most of them away hoping to forget about most of the bad parts of the war.  I do remember keeping my FIGO calendar and a few pictures.  I remember giving my clothes to the homeless in Dallas over the Christmas holidays, and I kept my dog tags.  I gave them to my Mother and after she passed away I kept them as a reminder that I promised her that I would come back home.  I gave two of them to my sons just a couple of months ago, and traded one for a POW bracelet.  I still have one. 

I remember reading about Bill’s death in Start & Stripes.  It was, of course, a real shock, but I knew what kind of activities that were going on in and around Khe Sanh.  In the beginning we were able to fly in and land there, and later on make low level approaches to drop supplies, since the Viet Cong had destroyed much of the runway and could hit a C-130 like it was a bubble in a bath tub.   

When I got back to the states, I was out riding around in McKinney with no job, girl friend, or any friends that were not in the military, so basically nothing to do.  One afternoon I went by my old home on College Street and saw Mrs. Bryan sitting on the porch, of the house that I used to live in.  Knowing that Bill had been killed I stopped to talk to her; she was a very special person.  I can remember working in the Cafeteria at MHS, so I could eat lunch free.  Mrs. Bryan was kind of like my boss.  She made sure I got enough to eat, had time to eat it, and if I didn’t finish washing the dishes she would tell me it was ok.

I expressed my condolences to Mrs. Bryan and we begin to start talking about Bill and Viet Nam.  At first she was not aware that I had been there.  After talking about Viet Nam for several hours, really a lot about the day-to-day activities of what life was like in Viet Nam, the conversation turned to Bill.  While I could not talk about the real activities of a Marine, I assured her that Bill and all the rest of us from McKinney were doing what we felt had to be done, and that it took all of our contributions and efforts to try to win a war that was not supported by the majority of the people in the US.  She gave me a hug with tears in her eyes, a sight and time that was very hard for me to accept, knowing that Bill had made a contribution that was 'above and beyond' for a cause that most could not, or would not, understand.

Viet Nam is long past.  The memories will be forever in our minds.  Our country was worth fighting for then as it is now.  The underlying cause is always about our freedom. The freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the way of our life in the United States.  With out people like Bill and the other 58,000 military men and women that gave their lives for our freedoms it would vanish within a single generation.

I am a proud Viet Nam Veteran who still suffers from the effects of a horrible war, but realizes that our contributions and sacrifices were not in vain, and it took contributions like the ones Bill, James, and others that we knew, made to keep America the Land Of The Free.

 Your friend,
 Paul Ferguson

The chapter about Bill is quite a tribute!  It shared so many things that I had either forgotten or never knew.
I do remember when we were notified of his death and the days prior to his body arriving back in McKinney.  During that time (10-11 days) Pauline had convinced herself that there had been a mistake and it had not really happened!  How we wanted to believe with her.  We just didn't have Bill long enough.  He had so much potential and was able to accomplish great things in his 20 years; we can only imagine what was ahead for him, had he lived.
     I especially appreciate your mention of Bob and Pauline and what wonderful parents they were.  I think we have to become adults and parents ourselves to realize just how much our own parents influenced our lives.  They were wonderful people and great role models.
     And yes, I too remember Pauline's cooking!  When you mentioned the blond brownies, I couldn't help but smile!  So...I looked in my recipe box and found her recipe:

            Pauline Bryan's Blond Brownies
    1 1/4 cup brown sugar
    1 stick margarine
    1 egg
    1 cup flour
    1tsp. baking powder
    1tsp. vanilla
  Cream sugar & butter together; add egg.  Add flour & baking powder.  Bake in 8: square pan, greased lightly.

Hope you'll make them and that they will taste ALMOST as good as you remembered.

Charlotte (Post) Potter