Consequences





Accepted into Julliard because of his rich tenor voice, he longed to sing opera. His goal, to make his Italian family proud. Add his name to the list of the other Italian tenors that went before him; Caruso and Lanza. Instead, he chose to serve his country in the war that was never declared and that vilified the enlisted.

Exposed to Agent Orange and the other horrors that he can never speak of, he survived and came home.

Never to sing again.

 

Author’s Note: A true story. However, my cousin was able to sing nearly thirty years later at his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary as they renewed their wedding vows. His angelic voice filled the church from the balcony. I cried as he managed to sing "Ave Maria," my mother’s favorite hymn. It was the one and only time we’ve ever heard his beautiful voice again since Viet Nam.

 

Return to War Is...