from Neighborhood to 'Nam......and back.

Growing up in a close knit neighborhood during the ‘50s and ‘60s was not unusual, it was the norm. Friendships were long and the bonds were tight. Friends walked to school together; joined scouts together; played sports together; grew up together. They dated and married girls from the neighborhood. . .And, most of them went to war together, not as a group, but as single individuals….and those same friends parted ways for a time. Each moving on to a new phase of their life.

The neighborhood was ‘Kaisertown’, a Polish-American community on the far east side of Buffalo New York. . .the war was Vietnam.

This blog is a collaboration of stories and experiences from this group of men, childhood buddies, all now in their sixties, whose friendships have lasted a lifetime.

These are also recollections from those young men who stayed behind. . ’caretakers’, as you will, of the old neighborhood that was a part of them . . .keeping the memories alive until all returned.

6.29.2011

2 comments:

eric kancar said...

the color tone in the top 3 photos is perfect! love them! look like movie stills from the 60's!

Jerry K. said...

Mike, these photo's tell me one thing just by me knowing you from those early years in "Kaisertown," "WAR is HELL" and it certainly made all of us look at life threw different eyes when we returned. We've lived and seen the GOOD, BAD,and UGLY and I might add it made all of us a better human being in many ways.