And from one too young to have been drafted or to have volunteered, let me thank all of you Vietnam Vets, and all the other veterans of other campaigns in the “Cold War”. (Personally, like Norman Podheretz I’d rather call it WW III, even if it was fought in slow-motion and the principals—the U.S. and Soviet Union—never went toe-to-toe. In the end we won WW III: the Soviet Union is no more, and the idea of Communism is essentially dead—the remaining “Communists” are all really fascists now, the bizarre Stalinist dynasty in North Korea excepted.)
My father was career Navy. A veteran of WWII and Korea. A fiercely patriotic man. Because of his influence, I joined in 1966 at age 17. Gave up a full-ride acholarship. Volunteered for flight duty in Danang at age 19. Spent 9 months flying recon with VQ-1 Det Bravo. Was very disheartened when I returned stateside on my way to my next duty station in the UK. I got spit on and called names. At age 20, I didn’t understand why my country blamed me for the war. I was finally medicalled out after 12 1/2 years of service for injuries sustained in the war. I wore my uniform proudly and would have done 30 yrs had I been able. As I grew older, wiser, and more educated, I began to hate the politicians and beaurocrats who caused and prolonged that war. I wanted McNamara personally charged with 58,000 counts of reckless endangerment and homicide. I would have executed him myself. I still rabidly love my country and our armed forces. Looking back however, I do wish I could have taken a pass on that little bit of American history. By no stretch of anyones imagination, was that a righteous war.
To the sailors, soldiers, marines, and airmen worldwide - God Bless You All. Amen.
thanks very much.
1st division, 1965-66, Bien Hoa, camp Bearcat
thanks very much. proud vietnam vet
1st division, 1965-66, Bien Hoa, camp Bearcat
I dropped out after my Rat Year at VMI, killed termites for a year, then volunteered - no idea why, lottery number probably would have been OK. Came from a seafaring family, mostly Navy, so I enlisted there in ‘72. Had always admired the stories of the Corpsmen, so I signed up there.
First ship a sub tender - boring: swapped with a guy in the Gator Fleet on an LST, made two West Pac cruises, the first one including action off the coasts of Cambodia and Vietnam when they fell - three months of hostile fire pay, Combat Action Ribbon and such, but never really felt the right to call myself a Vietnam Vet without having been in country. Others might disagree, but that's just my personal take on things.
The guys who were “in country” were the real VN Vets, IMO, and it never bothered me that I got no thanks or honor when I came home. I never counted myself among them, nor thought much of my “service” to the country until a rally in a small, largely Hispanic town in northern New Mexico right after 9/11.
They asked all the Veterans in the crowd to come up on the stage, where we all got enormous applause, which was nice. But as I again left the stage to resume my place in the crowd people just kept coming up to me and embracing me and thanking me tearfully for my service. It went on for a long time, and I couldn't stop crying.
I still tear up thinking about it, that someone, anyone, especially Americans from a different ethnic group, ever bothered to personally thank me, even years later, and even though I did so little compared to others. I pass the thanks I received on to you vets who really deserved it.
Litekeeper
US Army (ret)
Thanks, SLB. Welcome Home!
Guys, Please don’t forget the Coast Guard, we were there as well. We had EOD personnel, patrol boats and participated in Operation Markettime.
Did you just write this or sometime ago? 30 Years ago would put you there in l980.
What about the several thousand U.S. COAST GUARD that served in Viet Nam???
Great post, thanks. I served 64-68, but never went over there.
You nailed it, SLB, eloquently...
Thank you. This is especially meaningful after the tribute to our Military at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday.
We are crazies dressed in cammo, wide-eyed, wary, homeless, and drunk.Quite a number of those folks never spent a day in the service, let alone Vietnam.
This M48A3 tank commander and Mech Inf squad leader with the 1st Bde of the 5th Mech Inf Div (Northern I Corp, Quang Tri Province) appreciates this post and thanks you very much. Welcome home brother!!!
Tan Son Nhut AB 70-71