The Iraq/Afghan theater vets can just join the large list of Vietnam vets who, castigated as a group in every news story for decades if found to have served either actually in Vietnam or just been in the service in that period. The news terms as they read of any crime or incident would always contain the words ‘who served in Vietnam’, ‘was a Vietnam vet’ and the oh so common ‘served in the Vietnam era’ placed all of them in the bizzarro world of Vets are all crazy looney toons. Biggest problem with this latest shooter will be the pulling of all vets with a PTSD rating or complaint of PTSD, having courts render them incapable of owning a firearm ‘just in case’ they go bonkers like Lopez.
All my friends and most of my cousins that were of age served in Viet Nam almost a hundred people. Most served one tour and others served two or more tours in the Combat Arms, Army and Marine.
Except for my step brother, we have questions, came home, were wild for a while, nothing serious, in the face of serious defamation, and are now Grandfathers and were the most part successful in their lives.