Make sure to read what you sign

Dear editor:

Once upon a time, in the early spring of 1966, a nearly 18-year-old high school graduate sat in a Marine Corps recruiter's office in San Jose, Calif., while the recruiting sergeant went through the "pitch."

There were stories of glory and valor, and portfolios filled with color photographs, that included a young Marine in those magnificent "dress blues." He was posed in front of Paris' Eiffel Tower with a breathtaking blonde.

A few pages later there was another Marine in HIS "dress blues" standing in front of Buckingham Palace, with TWO pretty gals, one on EACH arm. Yes, these were "just a few of the places and a few of the assignments one could have."

Lots of window dressing, as they say, but fame, adventure and distinction surely awaited on the dotted lines that lacked only a pen, and the eager young man signed each page as quickly as the recruiter could place them in front of him. With the entire world solidly in his grasp, he left home for San Diego and what lay beyond.

About a year and a half later, Lance Corporal Mike Bradbury found himself just south of Quang Tri, South Vietnam, waist deep in a rice paddy, holding his M-14 over his head, with leeches crawling up his legs, mosquitoes all around, slogging along with the rest of the guys in K Company. On the other side of the dikes were a lot of unfriendly people with AK-47s getting set to "roll out the red carpet."

In the stench and humidity of the moment, it became pretty apparent that there would be no dress blues. No blondes or redheads, either. How could this be? I saw the photographs myself, and Uncle Sam would never lie to one of his own, would he?

It was there, at the innocent age of 19, young Mike Bradbury learned a valuable lesson in common sense that has remained to this day, but it's tragic for us all that this government has never learned it at all.

When you sign your name to ANYTHING based upon "window dressing" and nothing else, and you do not bother to actually READ what you just signed, it's usually not very long until you find yourself waist deep in leeches with a lot of unfriendly folks waiting on the other side.

Mike Bradbury