One Question that Changed My Life

this letter was written to Fred Varney who went to the same high school, Osborn HS, after I did and recently wrote about his life and time in the service in South Korea in response to a discussion about alumni who served in the military in celebration of November 11, 2018

He was responding to a message I wrote two years ago on a list of graduates or students who had served in the military that is posted on the Osborn High School Alumni Group Page



"thank you for sharing Fred...I went to OHS from Sept 1958 to June 1962
then I went to LIT from 1962 to 1966 to study architecture"

One Question that Changed My Life

In June of 1966 3 weekends stand out

1st Fort Wayne Draft/Induction
2nd Graduation Day from Architectural School
3rd My wedding day

I went prepared with letters that I thought would disqualify me for the draft for Vietnam.  Throughout the day as we went from one line to the next standing in our underwear, carrying our street clothes, one letter after another reviewed and refused.

I still remember memories from the last line.  The potential draftee in front of me was a tool & die apprentice who had lost one job after another because his toes were curled under and he could not stand for long periods of time.

There were two doctors at the end of the room seating/standing on either end of a 3 x 6 table in their white coats inspecting each candidate for acceptance or rejection.

Our line was the right side.

The doctor we were inspected by almost accepted the young man with the curled toes but then stamped his form REJECTED.

Then it was my turn.  The doctor opened my file and took out all the unaccepted letters and put them on the table.

"Open your mouth." He looked inside to inspect my cleft palette.

"Looks like they fixed it."

The other doctor had no more young men to ACCEPT or REJECT and was just sitting there.

Suddenly he asked me one of the most important questions I have ever been asked in my life.

"Do you have trouble drinking from the bottle of pop or a water fountain?"

"Yes sir.  All the time if I don't cover up the roof of my mouth with my tongue.  It comes out of my nose."

He shook his head. Implying REJECT.

The doctor who was inspecting me was pissed.

After what seemed like a long time.  He finally stamped my form

REJECT.

One question and my life was given back to me.


In 1985 when I was working for a week in Washington, DC doing training about Fundamentals of Marketing one night I walked the GRAND MALL from Congress to the Lincoln Memorial and up the steps to Abe's statue.

I had been there 2 or 3 times with my parents on Summer vacations and was alway impressed by the Grand Mall, especially Abe's Memorial and his statue.

As I walked down the steps heading back to my hotel I saw

THE WALL.

While I was an architectural student from 1962 to 1966 I read about THE WALL but this was the first time I saw it in person.

Between midnight and 5 am as the sun rose I walked THE WALL looking for names of young men I had known who had gone to Vietnam but never returned.

Because I was born with a cleft palate and hare-lip I was REJECTED in June of 1966.

Hundreds of thousands were sent and over 58,000 never returned.

Thank you to all who served.

My wish for those of you who returned alive have lived lives you are happy with.