September 25, 2015

September 25, 2015

I have always loved Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers.  I had absolutely no plans to illustrate this song, I just would not have known how to start.  But, again, one day my Sirius 60s channel played Unchained Melody and an image popped into my head.  It was a Vietnam soldier sitting on his duffel writing a letter home.  This was so appropriate because the words fit so well, and Vietnam was a huge part of young people’s lives in the 60s.  The draft, the protests, the demonstrations; every night there were more war images on the nightly news.  It was the first war televised daily at suppertime.  It caused high feelings for nearly everyone—whether you were pro or con.  Unfortunately, the result was that the returning soldiers were rejected and made to feel that their service was wrong.  We lost so many young men, many more were badly injured, physically and mentally.  It tore the country apart.  So including an image from Vietnam is appropriate for a 60s show.  Letters were the only communication that we had with the soldiers.  Letters were the soldiers’ link with home.  I think that my generation may be the last to have used the hand-written word and to know what it is to wait days or weeks to hear from a loved one.  “Oh, my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time.  Time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much.  Are you still mine?”