In the reading of this translation, you will notice I make reference to a quote from President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address in 1961 although the "Diary" entry refers to an earlier time.
The prelude to the actual song translation that I call "Diary" is, In reality, about me. I use "Diary" as a prelude to draw a parallel between my father and myself about the emotions we each felt in going off to war.
I had never seen my father cry until the day I left for the Marine Corps and I never realized, at my young age, the gravity of the war I fought, Vietnam 1966.
As I slowly started to translate this song, I realized how profoundly his words affected me, how similar our experiences must have been; although twenty-five years apart, why I finally saw his tears that day and that those tears were for me.
The song translation itself starts when I say;
" To the United States of America, I dedicate this ballad ....."
