AUTHOR’S NOTE: GOOD LUCK CHARMS AND SUPERSTITIONSWhen writing ‘When Can I Stop Running?’, it brought to mind many of the Alpha Company group discussions that took place at least once a month, either at a firebase or back in Cu Chi. The subject of good luck charms, superstitions, and religion was one of the most frequently debated. Most of the soldiers in Vietnam carried a talisman of some kind – an object believed to protect them from evil. These items became an important part of their daily lives. We were young and needed something to hang onto... something to give us hope... something to help keep our fears at bay... something to give us strength... something to help us get back home alive and in one piece after twelve months in Hell.
The most common of these amulets were religious item
