Some of Pranee's favorite music has been quite a revelation, starting with Hank Williams Sr., Doris Day, Elvis Presley, Peter Paul & Mary and of course a universal favorite The Beatles.  It has been a lot of fun figuring out who she was hinting at liking.  The Hank Williams Sr. revelation was the most difficult to accept, but after that I realized that she was truly a music connoisseur.  She rarely watches TV and listens to the "oldies" all day and half the night while working.  She does love movies and it is simply a treat to introduce her to my favorite movies.  She is a BIG Indiana Jones fan and her latest favorite was "Shakespeare in Love".

My name is Michael (Mike) Collins and I was a Ranger Qualified Infantryman and served with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam and Cambodia, October 1969-October 1970.  I was with B Company 1st Battalion 5th US Cavalry.  I attended basic training at Ft. Benning, GA A/9/2.  I went to Infantry AIT at Ft. McClellan, AL.  I went back to Ft. Benning for NCOC and Ranger School.  My Ranger class was Class 1-70,  July 1, 1969, our class motto was "Ranger one, second to none."  When I hear the saying, "July hot in Georgia",  it makes me think of Ft. Benning, Vietnam and hell in that order   Ranger25 is a handle I picked  because 2/5 are the call numbers of the second platoon sergeant.  I used 'ground pounder' as a call sign when I was driving an 18 wheeler, but that e-mail moniker was taken when I first got into computers.  Before I became disabled (I assure you that I will overcome this) I was a heavy equipment operator and truck driver with over 1,500,000 accident free, ticket free over the road miles.  I am a disabled veteran,  I use an electro larynx to communicate, because I have had a total laryngectomy due to cancer of the larynx and my swimming days are over.   I also have  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), because of what happened on my senior class trip to SE Asia.  So, why can't I get over it?  Good question, I suppose that this site will be a good way for me to work it out.  So why do some of the men from the same unit seem to have made the adjustment so well while some others have not been so fortunate.    Every time I go to the VA hospital I am reminded how lucky I am, just because I can WALK through the door, OPEN the door with my hands or SEE the door.  Do I feel like a charity case, yes, but I am thankful and a little bit proud that I live in a country that takes care of her veterans.  Am I afraid of work?  I don't think so, I LOVE to work from can to can't.  Am I distracted, depressed, agitated, detached, sleep deprived, angry, frustrated, paranoid, yes, that and more.  So what do I want to be when I grow up?   A writer that writes like Leon Uris ("Battle Cry", "Trinity").  Fairly improbable but worthy of an effort.   COLLINS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT  is a name I chose to call whatever it is that I do on the computer.  I have a strong inclination to research the Vietnam Experience and the aftermath,  account for all of 1/5 casualties and provide a rallying point for other 1st Cav vets on the world wide web.  Vietnam was the defining moment of my generation and continues to have a tremendous impact on our here and now.  This web site is not about me, it is about some of the bravest men I will ever know or wish to know.  I honestly believe that America won the cold war in Vietnam in spite of all the distractions.  From the Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, "not for fame or reward, not for place or for rank, but in simple obedience to duty, as they understood it."  I highly recommend reading the James Webb article on the patriotism page.  There is also a link to his site on the home page.