On this Veteran’s Day, I’d like to pay tribute to my four brothers.
Michael Edward Lynn passed away last year, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/sports/mike-lynn-former-vikings-general-manager-dies-at-76.html?_r=0 but I remember when our younger brother Jim received his First Lieutenant Bar and Mike had to salute him! He was 22 by the time I moved back with my family of birth., and was already out in the world seeking his fortune. But Mike served the Army proudly in Korea.
James Joseph Lynn was an Intelligence Officer in Vietnam. My psychologist brother had just graduated from Columbia University when he enlisted in the Army and was sent to Monterey Language School. He met his wife in California and only told me one story about the war. He was at the bar on the top floor of the officer’s club in Saigon when an air raid siren rang out in the night. Only one guy did what he was supposed to do, go back to his bunker. That was the soldier who was shot by a stray bullet.
It made a big impression on teenage me, that subtle message of karma, bravery, and fate all rolled into one little anecdote.
Eric Berla (step-brother) was an original beatnik. He introduced me to Pete Seeger and rebellion. We were both against the war. Not wanting to kill anyone, but still having to face the draft, he enlisted as a pilot and flew Med Evac helicopters all over Vietnam. I imagined it was like being in a continuous replay of MASH, but in fact most of his fellow pilots never made it home. The red cross on his Huey was like a target.
John (Brian) Cerullo (half-brother) was career Air Force. He was stationed in Germany and later married a German woman. The Flapper’s second child never went to college but rose through the ranks and wrote books about radar, finally becoming a teacher. Though I didn’t know him well, I think we share a certain dry sense of humor.
Here we are at the wedding: Jim is seated in the red tie, and Eric is behind him to the right. Mike’s wife Jorja is in red, but he and Brian were not able to travel. I’m so proud of my brothers, but somehow just saying thank you for your service doesn’t seem like enough.
MountainMornings 
Lovely tribute, Chris.
Thanks Lisa. Vietnam shaped so many of our lives and many families were divided at the time.
You might enjoy this poem about families and absence, “While He’s Away: A Poem About Being Gone.” http://wp.me/p3BzWN-lB
Beautiful and touching on this Veteran’s Day Jason, thanks!
Thank you. Please share if you know anyone else who can relate.
Hey sis a correction. Most of my fellow pilots made it home. All had a lot of heart,, many had purple hearts and some didn’t make it home. Thanks for the honor of your post today.
Sorry Eric, memory is a funny thing. But I do remember you saying how strange it felt to be in a tropical jungle, in a war zone and back in NYC in the same day. Previous soldiers had a transatlantic voyage to transition back to home.
It was weird – that memory is correct.