Date posted: 12-13-01

Editors: You are encouraged to use this story in your publication. Please credit the author and DeKalb News Service as shown. And, please send two tearsheets to: Jim Killam, Department of Communication, Watson Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.

The worries of war

By Ryan Ator
DeKalb News Service
FRANKLIN GROVE, Ill. - Vietnam and Afghanistan may seem worlds apart, but for families whose loved ones serve in the military, the anxiety today isn't much different than that of three decades ago.

Vietnam veteran Bill Kessling of Franklin Grove has experienced first-hand the terror and devastation of war.

"The smell of death, the smell of 'Nam, is something I'll never forget," Kessling said. "It got into your skin. For two months after I got back, no matter how much I showered, I could still rub my hands like this and get dirtballs out of my skin. The dirt just went down your pores that deep."

Kessling and his wife, Beverly, can only hope their son Chad, who has served 10 years in the Army, never has to endure the hardships of war. Fortunately, Chad is now training Army Rangers, meaning he will not be sent to Afghanistan in the near future.

But there is always the possibility Chad could eventually become involved in overseas conflicts.

"I'm not going to worry about it until it happens," Beverly said.

"There's no sense in it," Bill added.

Gary and Sonja Kinn, who live just up the road from the Kesslings, have two sons, Nate and Josh, serving in the military.

It is not likely Josh, who is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, will be sent overseas. He is a mechanic who works on tanks, which are not being used in Afghanistan.

"As long as this thing doesn't escalate to any other level, he's going to be out in 10 months," Gary said.

But Nate already has been sent to Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan. The Kinns have no communication with him, and to make matters worse, Nate has a wife and a 1-month-old baby waiting for him.

Gary said Nate was not anxious to go, primarily because he would be leaving his newborn son.

"He's very, very, very sad about that and probably rightfully so," Gary said. "It's a real give on his part that he's over there. Fortunately, I don't think physically he's in harm's way, but I think he's still making the sacrifice mentally if nothing else."

Gary said Nate's sacrifice allows Americans to enjoy the freedoms they have become accustomed to -- simple things like watching football games or going shopping on weekends. He added that Josh definitely would be willing to help defend the country if needed.

Even though Gary never served in the military, the Vietnam years stick in his memory. He was scheduled to be drafted in August 1969. But just prior to his number coming up, President Nixon announced that soldiers were no longer needed that year.

Gary vividly remembers entering the cafeteria at Sauk Valley Community College the day after the draft.

"You could tell just by looking at the tables," he said. "You could tell someone's number. It was quite striking."

On one side of the cafeteria sat a group of quiet, reflective young men - heads down, sipping their beverages. On the other side was a group of boisterous young men - playing cards and socializing.

"Just two different worlds," Gary said.

About as different as Vietnam and today's conflicts.

"We are all pulling together as one entity against a common enemy," Gary said. …"We were not united in Vietnam. Not at all. In fact, it tore our country apart."

One major difference between then and now is the amount of respect Americans have for those in the military.

When Bill returned home from Vietnam in 1966, he was not received warmly. His plane landed in Berkley, Calif., where protests against the war were getting under way. He and two companions were told to wear civilian clothing if possible. But they didn't have any.

They entered a restaurant at the airport, still in uniform, and ordered something to eat and large glasses of milk.

"I hadn't had milk in the year I was over there," Bill said.

"When it came time to pay, they charged us something like a dollar for the milk, and back in '66 that was an awful lot of money for milk," Bill said. "They said the reason they were charging us that much was 'cause we were soldiers from Vietnam. I never did understand that."

Gary can't understand it, either.

"They did what they were told to do," he said. "Those people fought for our country. They fought in a valiant way. They gave their lives. They deserve all the respect that they should get."

Bill, a national chairman of VietNow, an organization for Vietnam veterans that is active in the prisoner-of-war issue, believes it is foolish not to respect the reality of war. While he supports America's retaliation for the Sept. 11 attacks, he stressed that it will come at a high cost. He tells a story related to him by a VietNow national officer. The officer was at a restaurant and overheard a conversation at another table.

"We're gonna go over there and kick their butt," he heard.

The officer sat at his table calmly and said, "America has forgotten about body bags."

"We'll see what they're feeling when they start coming back," Bill said.

It seems the reality of war has yet to register with Josh.

"There was one time we called and talked to Josh," Sonja said. "He was like, 'Send me over, I'm ready. Get me a gun.' I thought, 'Oh, good grief.' That's all you want to hear your son say. But they are pumped up and ready to go."

Sonja said she and Gary try to follow the news closely to keep up with new developments.

"But things go on that aren't on the news," Sonja said. "That's the scary part, what you don't know."

She does try to block out that fear.

"I try not to really dwell on it," Sonja said. "No good can happen from dwelling on it."

Sonja said while this is far from a pleasant experience, there are worse things in life.

"It's not like we're dying from cancer," Sonja said. "This isn't as bad as that or the people in New York dealing with the total devastation. I just don't look at it as too much of a negative thing. I just have a feeling everybody will come back and be OK. I try not to live too far beyond that."

"I think we've learned to accept the fact that Nate's over there and Josh may have to, and we're dealing with it," Gary said. "We don't like it, but I don't think anyone else would like it in their situation, either. …Someone's sons and someone's daughters have to be over there, and we're proud that Nate has the opportunity to serve. We hope he doesn't get hurt doing it."
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