Consequences
Accepted into Julliard because of his rich tenor voice, he longed to sing opera.
His goal, to make his Italian family proud. Add his name to the list of the
other Italian tenors that went before him; Caruso and Lanza. Instead, he chose
to serve his country in the war that was never declared and that vilified the
enlisted.
Exposed to Agent Orange and the other horrors that he can never speak of, he
survived and came home.
Never to sing again.
Author’s Note: A true story. However, my cousin was able to sing nearly
thirty years later at his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary as they renewed
their wedding vows. His angelic voice filled the church from the balcony. I
cried as he managed to sing "Ave Maria," my mother’s favorite hymn. It was the
one and only time we’ve ever heard his beautiful voice again since Viet Nam.