20 | NOVEMBER 5 • 2020 

father died in his son’
s arms 
at Grace Hospital in Detroit 
from congestive heart failure, 
hours after the family’
s Rosh 
Hashanah meal.
After fulfilling his two-year 
Army commitment, Blau res-
urrected his medical career in 
Detroit focusing on occupation-
al trauma, eventually expanding 
his practice to include five clin-
ics throughout the tri-county 
area.
While in Vietnam, Blau, like 
the other doctors’
 stories I’
ve 
shared, regularly sent audio 
messages to his family, captured 
on small reel-to-reel tapes. 
These often included reading 
bedtime stories to his children. 
Turns out Blau, now retired 
since the early 1990s, had one 
final tour of duty in Vietnam, 

only this time it was on his 
own terms and involved his 
grandchildren. In 2013, at age 
73, he returned with grandsons 
Alexander and Max, who were 
14 and 12 at the time. “They 
had a curiosity,
” Blau said, a 
result of his sharing stories 
about his service while he had 
his own lingering desire to 
return to see the aftermath.
He sought out the location 
of the 3rd Field Hospital where 
he worked. Upon his arrival 
he discovered that “at least the 
ground floor had been convert-
ed into a wedding chapel with 
porcelain swans and hearts.
” 
Could two images be more jux-
taposed?
Blau’
s most impactful story 
occurred when he spoke with a 
former Viet Cong soldier, now 

a guide who described the set of 
intricate wartime tunnels they 
were touring in the north. The 
man had lost an arm in the war. 
Blau said to him: “You know, 
not too many years ago, you 
wanted to kill me, and I wanted 
to kill you. Isn’
t that strange? 
You hated me. I hated you. And 
he said to me, ‘
I never hated 
you. Never hated you.
’
 And he 
put out his good hand to shake 
mine.
”
So many aspects of these 
brave Americans’
 stories moved 
me, not the least was that, to a 
man, there was a total absence 
of any hesitancy on their part to 
report for duty. 
“I was chosen. It was my 
duty, and I had to make the best 
of it. I was going to make the 
best of it,
” said Dr. Gold, echo-
ing the sentiments of all the 
veterans I spoke with.
Those conversations also 
revealed, thankfully, that none 
of them had suffered from 

post-traumatic stress disorder. 
Perhaps this commitment to 
serve had to do with the fact 
that these doctors were called 
to duty in their mid- to late-
20s, old enough to remember 
the sacrifices of the Greatest 
Generation and not yet part of 
the intensifying anti-war move-
ment.
After many years of linger-
ing resentment and disrespect, 
there has been a certain mea-
sure of healing and newfound 
gratitude in the country for our 
Vietnam veterans. 
With Veterans Day upon us, 
we are reminded once again of 
their selflessness and sacrifice, 
today similarly afforded our 
frontline warriors battling the 
coronavirus, a battle in its own 
right that is rife with divisive-
ness and incalculable death.
Let us always remember all 
the men and women who have 
served and continue to serve 
our nation. 

IN 
THE
JEWS D
ON THE COVER

continued from page 19

Hillel Day School Grades K-8 Virtual Open House

Wednesday, November 11, 9:30 a.m. and Thursday, November 12, 7:00 p.m.

Prospective families will learn about Hillel’s:

Safe and connected community
Engaging and innovative General and Judaic Studies curricula
Commitment to social-emotional growth
Generous tuition assistance program

RSVP to www.hillelday.org/virtualopenhouse by November 8, 2020

Questions? Contact Amy Schlussel at aschlussel@hillelday.org or 248-539-1484