Friday, May 17, 2013

Memory

I'd like to talk a little bit about people's memory...

In my younger days, I served 4 years in the US Navy. As is true today, the United States was at war, but back then the war was in Vietnam. There was an active draft. I had flunked out of college, so my choice was either wait around to be drafted and probably end up fighting in the jungle or join and maybe have some say in where I ended up, so at 19, I joined the Navy.

After my 4 years obligation had ended, I got out on June 1, 1970, when my second boat TJ returned to Long Beach, California from South East Asia and Vietnam. I was 23.

As the years rolled by, I became a computer design engineer.

At 50, I joined my second Veteran organization, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). In those days, VVA was very active speaking in the local schools, especially to 11th graders about our experiences during America's war in Vietnam. I even wrote down my talking points for a student in 1999. All those experiences I remembered without a problem then. If you're interested, what I wrote down is here: Students

I turned 66 earlier this week. About 10 years ago, I noticed I no longer remembered exact details like I did back in 1999. I suppose partly because we aren't very active speaking in the schools anymore and also I'm just getting older.

Which brings me to the point of this article.

I think it's important to actively seek out as many bigfoot stories as possible before the details are lost forever to fading memories. If possible, record them on video or audio, so that the expression and body language of the witness is also captured rather than trying to imagine the happenings from a written page alone.

It's been 45+ years since the Patterson-Gimlin film, longer for other encounters. In some cases, not only have the witnesses passed, but also the original investigators as well. Once that happens, first hand knowledge passes with them.

I encourage people who have never spoken of their experiences to find someone who will listen, understand and record them. You don't have to serve in combat to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or survivor's guilt, you just have to experience something traumatic outside your normal everyday living, like an encounter with something strange and unexplained. Keeping something like that bottled up inside will take a toll in time. It helps to talk about it.


"The Thinker"
Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California,
Carol M. Highsmith Collection, Library of Congress


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