I was fairly young when the Korean War took place; in fact, I was unaware until I became a college student that the war really never ended.

It turned into a “cease fire” and the troops came home, so quickly that few people, save for families and government officials knew they had been gone.

They returned to little fanfare and certainly no disrespect, a contrast to the return of the Vietnam veterans who were called names and spit upon.

I still awakened in knowledge, but not fear.

Fast forward to 2017. For the first time I awaken clinging to the hand of God and fearing for thousands of persons I will probably never meet.

With nuclear power in his hands, North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un is issuing daily threats, mostly against the United States. Government intelligence — an oxymoron at best — one day an “expert” says Kim doesn’t have the capability of deploying a hydrogen bomb; the next day, another says he can and will.

Whether the mainland United States is in danger depends upon who is doing the analysis.

For the first time, I can’t really depend on national TV for the truth, since some are “for” the current administration and others are “against.”

Just as people in the San Luis Valley are safe from the effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, so we will likely be fairly unscathed if war erupts on the Pacific Rim.

Fairly unscathed. That’s easy to say. Every one of us will suffer some sort of loss.

The mass wildfires in California and some of our neighboring states will affect us more; in fact, they already are. The haze that obscured Mt. Blanca when I left for San Luis early yesterday was surely smoke from some of those fires, and as it cleared, the Culebras were shrouded, then the “Brownie Hills.”

Is it only a matter of time until another wildfire hits locally?

The prognosticators are silent on that and the administration hasn’t announced any aid at all for the areas that are burning.

Floods are possible, but not probable.

I was young when my parents first spoke of wildfire danger — my dad was a firefighter — and I grew up with that.

As time passes, I think about my loved ones and fall asleep with my hand in that of The Lord.

May He save us all.