Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan Page A

kerosene over his head and sets himself on fire outside Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s office at the Pentagon in an act of self-sacrifice to protest United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

Mickey
    USS Hermitage LSD-34 Puerto Rico
    Â 
    Dear Cheryl,
    Â 
    Guess what?
    Â 
    I got relieved of one of my jobs.
Guide Bearer. My CO said (quote),
“What in the hell makes you think
you can laugh at everything?
This is the Navy!”
    Â 
    Me, “I know, Sir.”
    Â 
    Him, “When you can stop laughing
you can have your job back.”
    Â 
    I haven’t stopped laughing.
    Â 
    That job had a lot of responsibility I
didn’t need. I’d rather just be Mail PO.
Get the same thing on my uniform.
    Â 
    Love, Mickey
    Â 
    P.S. Tell Don I tried to qualify for a golf
tournament and shot a clutch 89.

Phil
    Dear Cheryl,
    Â 
    Is Ozzie and Harriet still on TV?
I used to think that show was corny as hell.
Now I dream of being married
with a buttload of kids.
    Â 
    I’d be pretty strict.
But no spankings.
I’d never hurt a kid.
Not even here.
I don’t care if orders came from
General Westmoreland.
    Â 
    I carry memories of Nancy,
praying she’s still waiting for me
in that other world where she sleeps
on clean sheets and a feather pillow.
    Â 
    We’re going out on operations tomorrow, so
I thought someone should know there’s a few
feelings under these filthy fatigues.
    Â 
    Love, Phil
    Â 
    P.S. This goddamned country rains horse piss–just emptied out my boots again—in case you meet a POG who wants to trade places.

Thanksgiving
    Commander’s Message
    Â 
    â€œThis Thanksgiving Day we find ourselves in a foreign land assisting in the defense of the rights of free men everywhere. On this day we should offer our grateful thanks for the abundant life which we and our loved ones have been provided. May we each pray for His continued blessings and guidance upon our endeavors to assist the Vietnamese people in their struggle to attain an everlasting peace within a free society.”
    Â 
    â€”W. C. Westmoreland, General United States Army
    Â 
    Thanksgiving Menu
    Â 
    Shrimp Cocktail
Crackers
    Â 
    Roast Turkey
Giblet Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Cornbread Dressing
Cranberry Sauce
Candied Sweet Potatoes
    Buttered Peas
    Â 
    Assorted Crisp Relishes
Hot Butter Buns
Butter
    Â 
    Fruitcake
Mincemeat Pie
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream
    Â 
    Assorted Fresh Fruit
Assorted Nuts
Assorted Candy
Tea Milk Coffee

Phil
    Dear Cheryl,
    Â 
    My sister sent a present with her
last letter, a stuffed duck.
We named him Daffy—
he’s our “unofficial mascot.”
    Â 
    You otta see these
salt-dripping haggard rag-tags
having conversations with Daffy.
He wears a helmet (crushed beer can)
and jungle fatigues (woven razor grass).
    Â 
    Cap’n donated a soggy cigar.
    Â 
    Love ya, Phil
    Â 
    P.S. We’re having Spam for Thanksgiving, probably left over from WWI.

Alice’s Restaurant
    1964 Alice and Ray Brock purchase a gothic
revival building in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
The small, pine church is transformed into a refuge,
where young people escape establishment pressures
and the hell of Vietnam.
    Â 
    Agitated neighbors shout at the long-haired,
nonconformists living in this beatnik commune .
    Â 
    Thanksgiving 1965 Arlo Guthrie, son of folk singer
Woody Guthrie, and a friend haul garbage from the
Brock’s home to the city dump. Discovering it closed
for Thanksgiving, they toss the trash down a hill.
    Â 
    The pair is arrested, appearing before a blind judge,
who’s unable to see the 8 x 10 glossy photos in evidence.
They plead guilty, pay a $25 fine, and clean up the mess.
    Â 
    â€œAlice’s Restaurant Massacree” evolves into a satirical
18-minute talk-song that records the events. Later,
lyrics critical of the war are woven in.
    Â 
    Who says you can get anything you want?

Nancy
    Tonight our professor is