My Father Ordered Me to Strip Off My Uniform at His Cookout

If I kept quiet, I was acting superior.

If I left, I thought I was too good for my family.

By seventeen I could’ve predicted his reaction to almost anything.

The Army was simpler.

Pass or fail.

Right or wrong.

Do the work.

The work answers for you.

Uncle Raymond Says It Plain

“You think patches are souvenirs,” Raymond said.

Nobody around us moved.

My father’s continue reading …