The tension around me every day made things really tough. It was bad enough that my dad was so far away for so long. But while he was off in the jungles of Vietnam fighting for some elusive principles, people at home were angry and unsupportive. I wanted to be proud of my dad, but I couldn't understand what he was fighting for. Or against. If I could just grab ahold of that shadow, maybe could see things from his perspective. But it always slipped away.