Wherein two old soldiers, one Northern and one Southern, discuss the import of the American Civil War which started 150 years ago today.
One of my oldest friends, whom I have known my entire adult life, is a true Son of the South. We first met over 25 years ago when as a kid from small town Iowa I showed up in New Orleans for college. Bubba (yes, that's what we all call him), was one of the first people I had met. Being a local, Bubba showed me all the really good bars, bookstores, and restuarants that real New Orleanians frequent and have generally kept secret from all the tourists.
Bubba and I were both commissioned as Second Lieutenants together from ROTC all those years ago and we've kept in touch ever since. Like me, Bubba has had his life up-ended by 9/11, but with the double whammy of Katrina thrown in as well. Bubba finds himself on this important historical day on his third mobilization and second overseas deployment to "Southwest Asia" (Kuwait).
Much as the Civil War was a war of letters, the current wars (3 of 'em now, WOW!) is also leaving a mark upon literature, albeit in e-mail form. As avid amateur historians, Bubba and I have long discussed the impact of "the War" on how we came to where we are as a nation. Follow me below the fleur d' Kos for our latest e-mail exchange from today. After re-reading it, I was struck by how much the Civil War shaped both Bubba and me as well through our ancestors. Enjoy!
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