"The Father of All Things," by Tom BissellJoe Eskenazibyline‚ Apr. 05‚ 2007If my father hadn't drawn the ridiculously fortuitous draft lottery No. 363, he likely would have headed to Vietnam. If he was lucky enough to survive — and that is quite an if — who knows what sort of man would have come back? This manner of question is not hypothetical for author Tom Bissell. His father, John, is a decorated Marine veteran. The elder Bissell, quite literally, left a part of himself in Vietnam, and, in an emotional sense, carries a part of the nation with him to this day. The aftermath of the war ushered John Bissell into the sickly embrace of Johnny Walker Red for many a year. His marriage crumbled. Even today, while his sons undoubtedly love and respect him, they make no pretensions of understanding him. |