I was in college towards the end of the Viet Nam war. I strongly remember meeting returning soldiers at parties on campus where no one would talk to them. So I did. They were still haunted by what they had been through over there but they were filled with hope as they attended college courses and tried to build a new life for themselves.
After a few months, some of them just couldn't take the ostracism and ended up in institutions. How do I know? I continued to be friends and wrote to them in those institutions! And they wrote to me. I swore that they would not be mistreated around me.
As I saw the Kerry campaign go down exactly the same pathway now toward the Iraq war, I was furious. They all said they supported the troops but they didn't. Talk is cheap. Instead of suffering with our boys, they complained that they were the ones under attack for their lack of patriotism.
I worked for President Bush to be re-elected because our current soldiers do not deserve the treatment they got after Viet Nam. I am so grateful that the Swiftboat Vets gave us their memories. And fought the battles again. This country was truly damaged by the violence those 'peace' protestors perpetrated on our soldiers. I saw it. This author is a liar.
I got out in 1973, went home to a pretty conservative area in Western Michigan. My only negative experience was that there were some people when I went back to my college who would not speak to me or shake my hand. This was in a generaly pro-military area (My home county went 75% for Bush)