Brothers bound, p.26
Brothers Bound, page 26
Two weeks later Jeanie, Bree, and I drove to River Rouge. We met Reverend Brown and his family and talked for hours about Hues. The Reverend was so moved by my story in church the next morning he broke into tears and subsequently held a lengthy conversation with Hues in the form of a prayer that eventually closed the service.
That afternoon he gave us a tour of some streets Hues had used to walk and psalm. He carried a picture of Hues, and when we encountered older people who saw the picture and remembered Hues, the Reverend introduced me as his brother, Buck. We talked with smiling, happy people much of the afternoon while Hues’s spirit lingered nearby.
We also met Sena Park. The Reverend had invited her to church to hear my story. Sena then invited us for dinner that Sunday evening. We shared stories and toasted Hues. She remained sad at his passing because she loved him but never got to tell him so. I assured her that Hues did know, whether she’d told him or not. And he loved her deeply too, talked about her often, and wanted to marry her. Sena became our close friend over time.
Hues still walks with me.
He still carries me.
Every day.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to thank my wife, Joan, and sons Byron and Eric, for their rich love and lives over the years. They helped me finally “come home,” and I cannot imagine life without them.
I also want to acknowledge several relatives and close friends who served in Vietnam: my brothers-in-law, Mark Kastner and Mike Luck; close friends Gerry Bentley, Phil Bohm, Ray Harter, and Richard Meade; and the men who served with me in the Casualty Branch in 1970.
Thanks as well to my great longtime friends Don and Betty Tyler and Nick and Maggie Miles for their thoughtful and helpful reviews of the book.
Finally, I want to acknowledge publisher John Koehler, editor Becky Hilliker, and designers Lauren Sheldon and Danielle Koehler for their excellent work on the book.
Bruce K. Berger, Brothers Bound
