"I am a Marine Corps veteran who was in the Nam early in the war (2085339). I am now 74. Memories from those 13 months are still the most difficult to accept and integrate in my soul. I am still angry that I was betrayed by our government and that all the lives lost appear to have been wasted. No event since has had a greater impact on my life than my service there. I do not discuss the war with my wife or children. I went to see the dance because a student in the company invited me. I am not sure I would have gone had I known it was about a company of soldiers in a battle. I was riveted, I marveled over the beauty of the dancers and the astonishing choreography. Some of what I have held inside came flowing out; there was the pain of loss over the men I knew who died in other battles, the sobbing which I did not know I was capable of, the relief, the gratitude that a choreographer could tell the story of my suffering that I have never voiced for myself. Our current veterans who have had multiple tours would benefit from seeing this remarkable dance. The piece is an Iliad for our times."