Dammit if that wasn't the saddest thing i've ever read, and like many of your story's readers, I'm not just crying, i'm sobbing. That was.. Powerful, and heart breaking and I'm a bit ashamed to say I almoat didn't finish reading this, so scared was I of getting attatched to these characters and missing them, because I read the author's note and knew this wasn't gonna be the story where everything is hopeless and then suddenly, it isn't and a miracle happens. I never read one-shot stories, because I always feel like they lack something, like it should continue. But the finality of your character's words at the very end didn't leave anything missing, per say. They were sad, but somehow I got the feeling that they really were... Accepting of the fact that all this had happened, and now Danny, in this older woman's heart, is a memory. I'm too young to comment on world war II, of course. And too young to even begin to state an opinion on the vietnam war. In fact, I'm almost too young to say what my day was like on 9/11, and so my knowledge of war is mostly textbook. This brought the war to life, in a sense and made it bleaker than I ever imagined it to be. sure, you can capture the moment well in a movie but your way of writing it made it feel more down to earth, not like Hollywood, commemorating something they hardly can say they know much about. Is that mean to say towards films and filmmakers? I hope not. I just really love this story. This is such a long review! :]

I thought I'd let you know you had me teary eyed before it was even half way over. Thank you.

This is a beautifully written piece. It almost had me in tears in numerous places.

this seriously made me cry. it was beautiful. aw, now my eyes are red.

This was beautiful. I rarely use that word for a fictional story, but yours was... fantastic. I loved it very, very much. It's definitely one of my favourite ones, especially since I don't really one-shots.

This is beautiful and oh so sad. I was crying at the end even though I knew what was going to happen from the beginning. You've done an excellent job of capturing the disjointed feeling of war and loss and pain. This story reminds me of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. It has the same tragic beauty to it. You say that you think the ending is a bit rushed but I think that no matter what it's going to feel that way. Because after all, no one's ever prepared or ready to hear about the death of someone they love. It's always going to be a shock, a surprise, and you'll always feel as if there wasn't enough time, as if you weren't prepared for it. The ending definitely worked for me. Lovely job. It's too bad it's so heartbreaking. I like to think that there's an alternate universe where Danny Shaunessy came home to his family and Carolina. Thank you for sharing this.

"I once loved a man named Danny Shaunessy, who went away to war and never came home. He was twenty-three years old, and died with his boots on before he knew what hit him. He was everything to some of us, and now he's gone."

I haven't cried for a story in - well, a long time. But I cried for We Would All Go Down Together, and for Caroline, and for Danny. And I cried for all the people who actually went through this situation.

Thank you for an amazing story. One of the best I've read on this site.

That was nicely written. But really so depressing. :) Hahaha! I don't know why I'm smiling though. But, I've always wondered, doesn't writing about depressing things also depresses the writers (maybe even more than it does the readers)? :)

So depressing. I had a feeling Danny would die in the end, but there's always that hope. Very well written, and I really enjoyed it (as much as I could, with Danny dying). Great job! Congrats on winning the SKoW award!

This was beautiful, and lovely, and sad all at the same time. I got a real sense of the character's feelings, and I couldn't help the tears that filled my eyes when i read this.

Thank you for writing it.

This was such a beautiful portrayal of the horrors of the Vietnam War. From the kids who thought they'd be finding glory, to the scorned veterans, to the families they left behind, you truly (I believe) showed how much suffering was felt. I also liked that you used the Summer of '65.

Absolutely WONDERFUL!

Aw, that's so sad! But so lovely. Congrats on the nomination, you deserve it! :)

Warning: I'm not American, and I know very little about the Vietnam War. However, I love reading about American history, yeah.

1) Congrats, you've written a wonderful introduction-it's concise and it informs me that Danny is the Main Male Character.

2) I don't know whether I should laugh or sigh when I read that Danny doesn't know how to locate Vietnam on a map. My very 1st Geog teacher feared that her classes would have problems locating countries on maps, so she told us to study the atlas every day, and she occasionally tested us. Hmm, maybe she doesn't want us to end up like Danny?

3) "So many other countries had pulled out of Vietnam—Australia and New Zealand just a month ago." I'm very sorry for being blunt, but this sentence reminds me of an overheard conversation.

A: Hey! Have you heard of the Freedom Fries incident?

B: At least the French are smart, unlike the Brits. Never, ever, participate in any war. Countries shouldn't waste money on wars.

4) I've expected Danny to run off to Canada, but if I were him, I would still have to fight in Vietnam.

5) "I once loved a man named Danny Shaunessy, who went away to war and never came home. He was everything to some of us, and now he’s gone." Do you know why this ending hits me so hard? It reminds me of the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I bet that their loved ones are still waiting for them to come home.

absolutely beautiful. i cried. you're amazing, awesome job!

I literally have tears pouring down my face...oh my goodness. That was so beautiful. You did an awesome job.