Posted on 04/29/2006 12:07:27 PM PDT by groanup
My daughter's history teacher made this claim in class last week: "I don't believe Viet Nam veterans were mistreated when they came back from the war. I don' know any who were."
Would any and all Viet Nam vets please tell us how you were treated when you came back from Nam? I'll print out this thread and give it to the teacher.
"The Democratic Convention riots of 1968 caused Chicago PD to very gentle with the protestors."
I remember watching these gentle police after Daley decided he had enough of the protesters. LOL, hit 'em again.....
God Bless you Tonk. You are a wonderful Patriot and I am better for knowing you here at FR.
Thanks for all you have done and all you still do.
I still haven't forgotten/forgiven those that perpetrated those acts of cowardice, their lack of compassion, and thanks...
I never will forget my Buddies sacrifices and our treatment coming Home...
I am doing all I can to make sure our HEROS of this current war never go through that...
My husband was spat on in the San Francisco airport when he came home from VN.
Also meant to commend you on your restraint. I think I would pinched this teacher's head off.
would = would have. Dang Dix go to bed
High Desert Minute Men - Viet Nam Vet Loses Contrator Job - Link Here
It is in Windows Media Format. From the link, click on this picture
Jeepers, Tonk, how sad. But thank you for sharing your experiences.
To make matters worse I was still in the Reserves.
BTTT
While not in the armed services at that time, I WAS in high school ROTC and was the target of several epithets including "baby killer" in 1971. Ironically I had never fired a shot in anger at that time. Another story is from a guy I served with while in VA-146, he told me of pulling back into the San Francisco Bay after deployment to Viet Nam in 1970 and while passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, he and several others were manning the rail in their dress whites. The anti-war protestors managed to crowd the rails on the Golden Gate bridge with their anti-war banners and throw paint and piss balloons at the sailors, I guess they were "gutsy enough" due to the distance. There were a few dress white uniforms ruined and the flight deck needed a major scrub down. He also told me that when they had left to deploy to Viet Nam several small boats tried to block the way of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). The Captain gave orders for "Full Speed Ahead" after warning the small boats to give way. He said it was hilarious to see the smaller vessels scatter to avoid being run over by 90,000 tons of diplomacy.
As a side note, most of the anti-war losers I went to high school with dropped from sight and as far as I know faded away.
I know exactly how he felt/feels! I have never been interested in any of these organizations even after the so-called "Welcome Home Viet Nam Vets" push awhile back. What a bunch of hypocrites.
I returned home from Viet Nam in July '69 and at Travis AFB our plane was delayed on the tarmac for approximately 2 hours while higher priority flights (with dependents) from non-combat locations taxiied in and deplaned before us. I vividly remember some yahoo walking up and down the aisle spraying bug spray over our heads.
Before we deplaned an announcement was made over the intercom that we should probably change into civvies if we were headed for SFO to make flights home. Now, I"m no rocket scientist but if someone needed to let us know civvies were preferable, that might indicate wearing our uniforms could be a problem.
I remember seeing a Green Beret get accosted in SFO on a different occasion by a bunch of anti-war types who were yelling and threatening him until he kicked 3 of their asses in about 30 seconds and the crowd kinda melted away...lol.
My personal experience as to how I was made to feel after I returned was the indifference and avoidance on the part of some family members as well as others I knew. Those I didn't know would be friendly and nice until they found out I had been in Nam and then the conversation shifted and they would find a reason to move away from me.
I was mostly away from the computer this weekend. Yes, I can show it. But just do a key word search on "Walter Reed" and you'll get plenty of BillF's threads on Code Pink staining the sidewalk outside of the Army Medical Center.
You probably know this already, but I have read that Vietnam Veterans are significantly less likely to be under psychiatric treatment, less likely to be on drugs, and less likely to have been in jail when compared to equivalent-aged men.
Thanks, Coop.
Go visit this link.
http://www.vhcma.org/fact.html
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