In 1966 I joined the Air Force. I didn't have some misguided quest to be a hero or to fight for justice, I just thought it was my duty as an American citizen to volunteer for military service at a time when the draft was still in force. In 1967 I volunteered to go to Vietnam because I thought that was the right thing to do if you were in the military while a "conflict" was going on. Sort of "In for a Penny, in for a Pound" thinking. The ever-efficient military finally sent me over there in 1969.
365 days later I came home. While I was in Vietnam Susan sent me a POW-MIA bracelet she had randomly picked from the "M" box at a protest march. As you can see, the inside of the bracelet is worn away. I wore it everyday through 1975. The custom is to send the bracelet to the family when the POW returns home or the MIA status is resolved.
I did what I thought was my duty. Then I came home. Captain James Clifford McKittrick is still Missing in Action. And I'm still waiting to be able to send his bracelet to his family.
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