RENO REUNION A SUCCESS!!! Recap and Pictures to follow in the June Dogman and will be posted on the web as soon as possible. ************** by John R. Harvey March, 2024 After the tears. AFTER THE TEARS. What do you do after losing a close friend or loved one one? Some cultures perform a wailing ritual as they do carry the individual to their final resting place. Much to my wife's dismay, I don't cry a lot. During our seven years together, she has probably only witnessed me cry three, maybe four times. The first time was when she showed me a letter that she had written to God asking him to bring to her someone who would love and honor here. I quickly volunteered AFTER THE TEARS. What do you do after losing a close friend or loved one ? Some cultures perform a wailing ritual as they carry the individual to their final resting place. Much to my wife's dismay, I don't cry a lot. During our seven years together, she has probably only witnessed me cry three, maybe four times. The first time was when she showed me a letter that she had written to God asking him to bring to her someone who would love and honor her. I quickly volunteered. The second time was during a trip to Las Vegas. We had tickets to see a band called the “Bronx Wanderers.” As a tribute to the veterans in the audience they sang "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and originally performed by the Animals. As we sat in the audience the tears ran down my face, much to my wife's amazement. I was transported back to the rice paddies of 1967. In that moment, she saw the most tears she has ever seen throughout our relationship. After the show she went to the band and thanked them for allowing her to see a side of me that she had never seen before. Generally, my eyes may swell up and a single tear rolls down my face. Most times I am accused of simply looking angry and ready to rip someone's face off. Three weeks ago, I got on an airplane and flew 1,600 miles to be by the side of my friend. He was also my racket ball team mate of 50 years and business partner of 37 years. As he lay in bed dying of brain cancer, I spent two days standing by his bed holding his hand and reminiscing about the great times we had and the clients we served. He was generally unresponsive but he let me know that he knew I was there by periodically squeezing my hand when I said something he appreciated. When I started to leave, his wife gave me a huge hug and that single tear flowed down my face. When I returned to Florida to await the news of his passing, my wife met me at the door. She became upset when I did not express to her the deep emotions that she knew that I was experiencing. I simply asked her to leave me alone; that I would grieve in my own way. He passed away four days later. We immediately got back on a plane for the return trip to Connecticut. I was honored to have been asked to be one of his pall bearers. Even though we had spoken throughout his illness, I still felt like I hadn't done enough to let him know how much I loved and appreciated him. The past eight months have been an emotional roller coaster. The VDHA family first lost my close friend John Sciascia in July, and then John Dupla in November. I am sure that there are others I haven't mentioned. The void that is left in our hearts is filled with a sadness. So "After the Tears" my suggestion is that if there is someone in your life that you care about, reach out and tell them, as much as you can. I would invite everyone to attend this year's reunion in Reno to provide the opportunity to express your appreciation for their friendships. If you cannot join us or know someone who for health or financial reasons cannot join us, pick up your phone and give them a call. I thank my VDHA family for the chance to say my goodbye's. I would remind everyone that the election of officers takes place every other reunion. This year, the President and Treasurer positions are up for election. We also have several Unit Director positions to fill.
The Deadline to submit Articles for the June 2024 DogMan issue is May 23, 2024. Please send to dogman@vdha.us
The VDHA was organized in 1993 by a group of six veteran war dog handlers that served during the Vietnam Conflict. One of their original goals was to search for and re-unite veteran war dog handlers and honor the memory of their war dog partners.
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