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That night, I saw a new side of my husband. One that was there all along. An aspect beneath the surface that helped form all he is today. As he talked to the man on the barstool beside him
it became apparent that veterans didn’t have to fight in the same war or join the same branch of the military to feel camaraderie. I sipped my martini and listened. The bond he had with this
complete stranger was stronger than the ones I had made with fellow protesters, whom I lost touch with decades ago. Our lives were so different back in that era, we could have lived on
adjoining planets. While I was dabbling in illicit substances and swaying to psychedelic music with longhaired boys I thought were the finest my country could offer, my husband was sleeping
rough in Southeast Asia among soldiers who truly were the best of America. I was spending my weekends painting peace signs on love beads and partying. He was flying into Firebase T-Bone from
Da Nang while stationed with XXIV Corps. Riding in my car to the beach, I sang along with Creedence Clearwater Revival shouting, “I ain’t no senator’s son.” My husband later told me that he
had sat on a sandbag letting “Brown Sugar” from the Rolling Stones carry him away to sweeter surroundings. We did have something in common. I didn’t understand much about the war I was
protesting and the men dying in it. He knew very little about the war he was fighting or those marching against it. I wouldn’t change anything. We took different paths to our destination:
each other. I’m still a liberal. When I look in the mirror, that hippie chick, her curly hair now white, smiles back at me, surprised yet pleased with how our life has been. My husband
remains a proud conservative. Our votes cancel each other out. But after 43 years of marriage, nothing can cancel out our love. _You can _subscribe here_ to _AARP Veteran Report_, a free
e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please _contact us here_._ _Janie Emaus is the author of two books with a third to be published in early
2023. Her essays, stories and articles have been published in numerous magazines, anthologies and online publicatiuons. She lives in Southern California with her husband, a veteran of the
Vietnam War. More about her work can be found at www.janieemaus.com._