First day in Vietnam I found the Mimosa plant. It became my lucky charm.

The Lieutenant in the last jeep yelled at us to set up a perimeter around the area of the dead body. He pointed to a nearby tree line thirty yards from the beach and ordered me to take a position in the trees. I dutifully jogged there and dropped to the prone position taking guard. I would learn, while in Vietnam, I would have a lot of silent alone time while lying face down in the dirt. This would happen often, such as while on patrol, after receiving incoming sniper fire, or watching out for other Marines as they disarmed a landmine, or – as in this case-the recovery of a dead Marine. But I had no idea what I was watching for. There were a few Vietnamese around the area; I assumed they were local farmers. That’s when I noticed the Mimosa plant, it was growing everywhere. I remembered it. When I was a child my grandfather showed it to me while we were in the greenhouse at Garfield Park. It was magical; when you touch the leaves they mysteriously wrinkle and fold up. From that day forward it became my lucky charm.