Memories still fresh

[grumpy]

Not to suggest that that's ALL the Vietnam vets faced.

[Cami]

If you want to take a drive, this coming weekend, the traveling wall will be at the 3 Sisters Park, Oct. 11 to 15, Chillicothe, IL, north of Peoria. The park is located near the Illinois River and with the changing leaf colors, it is a beautiful scenery to see.

[Gary]

grumpy wrote:

Gary and Mr. Thinky Guy are both right about the different treatment the vets got, but the idiots spitting on them were a tiny minority of zealots who got huge amounts of press because of the anti-war bias of the reporters.
It just seems kind of odd to argue that being mistreated by some draft dodgers here at home justifies giving the Vietnam guys (and women) more special handling than veterans of Iwo, Omaha Beach, and Bataan, all of whom sure faced more than a couple of hippies with overactive salivary glands.

While the Vets of the "Greatest Generation" certainly stepped up when they're country needed them and no one is doubting their experience and contributions, I think the Vietnam Vet's homecoming was such that many, many of them were inclined to withdraw from society and to keep quiet about their service. It's only now that they are being thanked by America and now the feelings are surfacing which some would have dealt with years ago had circumstances been favorable for that! I understand that Vets of ALL wars have to deal with life after the awful experience of war. I just think that the older vets came home to a different environment and dealt with their ghosts long ago!

[Samuel L Clemens]

grumpy wrote:

Gary and Mr. Thinky Guy are both right about the different treatment the vets got, but the idiots spitting on them were a tiny minority of zealots who got huge amounts of press because of the anti-war bias of the reporters.
It just seems kind of odd to argue that being mistreated by some draft dodgers here at home justifies giving the Vietnam guys (and women) more special handling than veterans of Iwo, Omaha Beach, and Bataan, all of whom sure faced more than a couple of hippies with overactive salivary glands.

As a veteran it's tough to disagree, but perhaps the one element more basic to the cause of we Vietnam veterans is how we came home. After WWI, WWII and Korea, the veterans returned as units. The public was more aware of their sacrifices and the attention they received was done as a unit. During Vietnam personnel were shipped out piecemeal, and returned home the same way, alone, and usually upon civilian airliners. Also in the previous wars, veterans had time to relax and decompress after combat. A lot of veterans in Vietnam were in combat until their final day of service, then placed upon an airplane and sent back to the world. Extremely traumatic conditions to face, believe me, to jump from combat and within the next 48 hours be standing back in the United States. Also, there were many celebrations to commemorate the nd of previous wars. Vietnam vets were swept under the rug as quickly as possible, while the media painted all of us as psychopaths in print and on TV.

Then to face a hostile populous upon coming home. Sure I was spat upon, and also found nasty notes on my car. But worse yet was before I completed my time in service. In 1968 my battalion was sent to Chicago during the Democratic Convention riots. Seeing a crowd of rioting citizens, whom you have sworn to protect, running the streets, disrupting and protesting your governmental system, is not the world you remembered when you left to do your duty.

So, I feel that the Walls are not special treatment because of being spat upon by Hippies, but simply a justice of public attention paid to the sacrifices of all Vietnam veterans who were forgotten for so long, and who returned home to a world mixed up and changed beyond all belief.

[Gary]

Samuel L Clemens wrote:

<quoted text>
As a veteran it's tough to disagree, but perhaps the one element more basic to the cause of we Vietnam veterans is how we came home. After WWI, WWII and Korea, the veterans returned as units. The public was more aware of their sacrifices and the attention they received was done as a unit. During Vietnam personnel were shipped out piecemeal, and returned home the same way, alone, and usually upon civilian airliners. Also in the previous wars, veterans had time to relax and decompress after combat. A lot of veterans in Vietnam were in combat until their final day of service, then placed upon an airplane and sent back to the world. Extremely traumatic conditions to face, believe me, to jump from combat and within the next 48 hours be standing back in the United States. Also, there were many celebrations to commemorate the nd of previous wars. Vietnam vets were swept under the rug as quickly as possible, while the media painted all of us as psychopaths in print and on TV.
Then to face a hostile populous upon coming home. Sure I was spat upon, and also found nasty notes on my car. But worse yet was before I completed my time in service. In 1968 my battalion was sent to Chicago during the Democratic Convention riots. Seeing a crowd of rioting citizens, whom you have sworn to protect, running the streets, disrupting and protesting your governmental system, is not the world you remembered when you left to do your duty.
So, I feel that the Walls are not special treatment because of being spat upon by Hippies, but simply a justice of public attention paid to the sacrifices of all Vietnam veterans who were forgotten for so long, and who returned home to a world mixed up and changed beyond all belief.

Well said!

[Jim]

You can still visit an internet version of the Wall on a web site named The Virtual Wall at http://www.VirtualWall.org

[LButts]

This is a moving tribute to 54,000 who gave their all. Every American needs to spend a day just standing in its shadow.

[canoe vet]

hey guys the UAW hall post 933 on tibbs ave. is having a mia/pow veterans day this sat. the 13th of oct. with special guest speaker and medal of hornor recp. sammy davis. also will have food vendors and other vendors that sells all kinds of military stuff. hope to see everyone there.
9am to 4pm

[saigondash]

Not to undercut the service and sacrifice of the Vietnam vets, most of whom came back and went on with their lives just like the veterans of earlier wars, but why is it that this baby boom generation is the first one to need a "traveling wall"?

I notice there's no traveling memorial to the sailors killed on the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, or to the soldiers and marines who died in Korea, or to the doughboys who didn't make it home from WWI.

Anybody look up the difference between pathos and bathos lately?

[grumpy]

saigondash wrote:

Not to undercut the service and sacrifice of the Vietnam vets, most of whom came back and went on with their lives just like the veterans of earlier wars, but why is it that this baby boom generation is the first one to need a "traveling wall"?
I notice there's no traveling memorial to the sailors killed on the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, or to the soldiers and marines who died in Korea, or to the doughboys who didn't make it home from WWI.
Anybody look up the difference between pathos and bathos lately?

This post seems vaguely familiar.

[Thanx2Vets]

Dear Samuel...I'm sorry about the way you, my husband, my brother-in-law, and other Vietnam Era Veterans were treated. That's one reason why I support our current troops by sending care packages to them now.

Anyone else whoe wants to help can do so. Here's a website you can get some information.

Click here for some info:
http://www.grunt.com/usmc-web/iraqhelp.asp

[LButts]

grumpy wrote:

<quoted text>
This post seems vaguely familiar.

Maybe so, but it was full of questions and you didn't answer a single one of them.

[Ron Wilson]

To anyone that missed the presentation of the Vietnam Veteran Traveling WALL that was in Noblesville this past week end ... The "WALL" will be on display in Yorktown, Indiana...

For those of you that made the effort to come out and pay your respects: On behalf of the Hamilton County Veterans Organization... Thank you

Ron Wilson, Event chairman

[Ron Wilson]

To: Grumpy - Don't you have a name ?

Heres a thought, why don't you start a committee and develope a traveling WALL for those you asked about...

I'm positive you will receive help from a lot of Veterans... from all wars...

[DFW spotter]

Military brat,, thanx a lot for posting that link of the schedule for the Wall. Also to the person who posted the link for the vertual Wall. Go Colts!!(even tho I live about 1 1/2 miles from the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington,Tx. Them guys are really goin to town building this new stadium.) I DO have a P.Manning #18 jersey I wear ever so often and get alot of smiles even down here in Cowboy-land.