Kickass remembers Korea

Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper today on his annual patrol of the Korean no-man’s-land along the 38^th parallel.  As usual, the two pals from Michigan are missing—permanently, due to a direct hit earlier on a platoon observation post.  But for that artillery shell, the two Michigan pals might been old men now—like the keeper, with great grandchildren and a loving family and someone special in their lives.  Another shell on another day on that OP buried the keeper in a tangle of splintered wood and sand and deafened him for several days.  The keeper remembers that, and now on this annual Korean patrol he recognizes the awful luck of the draw when old men send young people out to kill each other in the name of power, territory, religion or narcissistic perversion.