Dartmouth Veterans: Vietnam Perspectives

Ours Is Not to Reason Why, Ours Is But to Sit and Wait

Ours Is Not to Reason Why, Ours Is But to Sit and Wait ---------------------------------------------------------richard mack : u.s. air force M y decision to make ROTC part of my college years was, as were many of my decisions at that time, not accompanied by a great deal of thought. Yet it shaped the rest of my life, perhaps with more impact than did many of my later and more contemplated choices. The military experience shaped my personal life, my career, and my guiding philosophies. Although I was trained initially to be an airborne forward air controller , a position that only had function in Vietnam, I was never given a Vietnam assignment over my four-­ year commitment. At the time I felt invincible enough to crave such excitement. Instead, I served out my four years as a weapons controller, directing fighter aircraft intercepts from a radar screen during assignments in South Carolina, Taiwan, and Oklahoma. With the exception of the year in Taiwan, my assignments were with Tactical Air Command, a newly formed unit of the Air Force. We appeared to have no mission other than to train and prepare for the deployments that never occurred. We maligned Tennyson: Ours was not to reason why, ours was but to sit, wait, and hone a cynical sense of the comedy of our existence. The remote Taiwan assignment was similarly an act of waiting. With two to four days of missions per month, the remainder of the time was spent reading, walking the beaches of our island in the Straits of Formosa, and traveling around Asia as “advisers.” What was the result of these years of limitless unassigned time? I regret that I was not sufficiently focused to take on a systematic study, 92 : dartmouth veterans although there was sufficient time and resources to develop a PhD level of understanding of an area of expertise. Instead, I read broadly, contemplated excessively, interacted with my fellows in waiting, and traveled extensively. The outcomes were very positive, as I:»  Developed a career directed toward the academic. This was a marked shift from my vague thoughts upon graduation of working for corporate America after the military commitment.»  Shifted my political and ethical stance from being a moderate Republican (we all can remember those now extinct beings , along with all the Nelson Rockefeller jokes) to that of a sometimes-­ Marxist lefty, a position that has moderated somewhat over the years.»  Learned to react to the ludicrousness of the military bureaucracy by viewing it as a great source of humorous story fabrication and retelling. This talent has served me well in coping with academic administration, the politics of the last forty years, and the vagaries of everyday life.»  Developed a love of Asian culture, which culminated in a career specialization in Asian regional economies. This specialization has afforded me many professional stints in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as great adventures such as canoeing down the Mekong and sleeping in caves in China’s Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces.»  Lived in parts of the United States to which my initial “game plan” would never have taken me. Living in the American South in the mid-­ sixties was a broadening experience that was a major influence upon my personal philosophy. It was the military that initially moved me off the East Coast to find a more suitable personal climate in the West.»  Made lifelong friends with whom I continue to share these experiences , the resulting values, and our continuing lives. Above all, the military put me in a geographical position to meet Virginia , my love of forty-­ four years, and to enrich our relationship with our two daughters, Alexandra and Rachel. We have shared friends, extended families, academic careers, extensive travels, and all of those experiences that define life. Richard Mack : 93 Although I pedantically explain to my young scholars that “On choisit le paysage de son âme— ­ One chooses the landscape of one’s soul,” the role of the military in shaping my life was not initiated with thoughts of its consequential changes. Yet its influence has served me well. ---------------------------------------------------------After completing his military service, Richard Mack completed a PhD in economics at Colorado State University. He is now an emeritus professor of economics at Central Washington University, having retired in 2008 from thirty-­ six years of teaching, serving as dean, writing grants, and undertaking contract research. A resolute believer in a “real world” approach...