Dorothy & Russell Balisok

This photo was taken at the annual reunion of the 101st Airborne Division in 2003. As a little background, in 1969, Russ was a 23-year old Captain in the Army and a helicopter pilot in Vietnam with the 158th Airmobile Unit attached to the 101st Airborne Division. He started attending reunions of the 101st around 2000, after some fellow pilots and crew members in his unit located him on the internet. Re-connecting with the unit of "Lancers" has been a very healing experience for Russ and many of his buddies after what was a horrible time in our country's history. The reunions are wonderful. Not only do we see folks we knew from Russ' unit, but attendees include soldiers and families who were in service covering the span from WWII through Iraq. Their stories are amazing, running the gamut - as you might imagine - from comedy to tragedy. Political ideologies vary, but the common thread has been sharing the bonds of experiences like no other - The bottom line is always "War is hell" and those who suffer the most and are often scarred for life are the young men and women put in harm's way.