Sometime around 1990, a new couple moved into my condo complex. I thought I recognized the guy but wasn't sure. This was, after all, L.A. where almost everyone looked like someone. Turns out I did recognize him as one of the principal actors in an iconic '70's cop show.
Not long after, I was invited to sit in on one of his Friday night poker games when there was an empty seat. Until I moved to Denver in 1996, I virtually never left. It was a great game, with other accomplished actors as regulars, and one of the highlights of my social life for nearly five years.
One of the regulars was a former Special Forces officer-turned-actor Tucker Smallwood. We called him Boomer. He was a lot of things...hard drinker, chain smoker, hypervigilant and intense, and hard to get to know for quite a while. Over the years, he has become one of my go-to friends every time I venture back to L.A. and I feel privileged to know him and have him as a friend.
Tucker had a near death experience in 'Nam and still wears the scars to prove it. Still not sure how his serious neck wound didn't bleed him out, he considers September 14th to be his "born again" date and colors several aspects of his life today. His intensity is legendary to his friends and shows in his work. My favorite of his many roles is as the mission director late in the movie "Contact" with Jody Foster. He was born to play that role and it is perfect.
Tucker and I had many discussions about Vietnam in those days, not so many now, but it became one of the foundation stones in our long-time relationship. Hard to believe we've known each other for about 20 years now. The experience of Tucker was another building block in the foundation of my growing consciousness of the aftermath of Vietnam and its effects on us all.
Next time: Women in Vietnam.
Those were halcyon days, weekly poker games that began at dusk and often ended in full morning sunlight. The term "special forces" means something very different today, describing multiple elite groups...but in my day, Special Forces meant Green berets and A Teams. I was not SF-assigned, I commanded a five-man advisory team to Vietnamese militia in the delta. This is a minor distinction for most but one I remain vigilant in correcting.
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