Finally, A Parade for You by Molly Burton

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Autobiography, Biography, Educational, Inspirational, Memoir, Military, Mind / Body, Nonfiction, Travel

Finally, A Parade for You is a collection of mini-biographies of United States war veterans who served their country during the Vietnam War. These brave people sacrificed their peaceful lives and joined one of the many life-changing cultural upheavals of the mid-20th century. They were not famous, nor from privileged backgrounds. Today, most of them still battle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and far too many are ill with such diseases as diabetes, cancer, and other related disorders. They now find peace, and though they struggle with it, grace.

At the end of the biographical section are two chapters on PTSD and Toxic Exposure (ie. Agent Orange). A small history, symptoms, individual experiences, and ways to get help either through the Veterans Administration (VA), or through private medical personnel/complimentary health care will be offered. The author’s own tips for the VA personnel to be more helpful to veterans of all battles and foreign /domestic deployments are included.

The stories contained in this book were an act of faith on the part of the veterans who shared their stories. Difficult to face because of the horrors endured and ongoing, the telling and re-telling of their tale during this writing has actually brought some measure of healing, as repetition of an experience makes it just that: a story of long ago. Please honor them before it’s too late, as they are dying every day. Let their stories be inspiring and healing. This ‘Parade’ is for all of us.

Molly Burton grew up in a small Oregon town. She graduated in 1969 from Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon College, in Monmouth, Oregon), She taught middle school language arts for 30 years. For 27 years, Ms. Burton has been a practicing licensed massage therapist and Reiki Master. Her studies in energy healing began four years ago, and she now has a growing clientele in that field as well. Ms. Burton’s interest in the Vietnam veterans began when she first heard about the war in high school. A few years later, a classmate who was a neighbor, and her cousin were chopper pilots killed in the war. During her teaching career, in the 70’s and 80’s, she began to notice her students wearing ‘camo’ outfits to school. These students were wearing actual uniform fatigues of their parents who had served in Vietnam. She became even more interested when her children joined the military. Recently, a Vietnam veteran told his tale of being burned by Agent Orange, and that was the catalyst that began her journey in seeking the stories of the war’s real heroes.