Remembering all our veterans on Veterans Day

Vietnam was a very unpopular war and tore our country apart. Protestors blamed the “universal soldiers” claiming there would be no war if we all just said “no.” Going to war was not of our choosing, but that of our duly elected government. We were called to serve, and we did.

Others avoided military service by hiding in Canada; later writing books about the “hardships” they endured while away. Their stories were self-serving and ended with assertions that the writers were more moral than those that served our country. The deserters were granted pardons by successive Republican and Democratic presidents, Ford and Carter. Vietnam veterans were betrayed by those we served.

Many veterans served in ancillary roles, such as office clerks, accounting, supply, motor pools, and hospitals. All veterans just the same. However, others did the heavy lifting of war

— in the jungles of Vietnam — hand to hand combat; of which approximately 60,000 are inscribed on a wall in Washington DC. We were serving our country; we were doing what our country sent us to do. Or as one con- gressman stated, “Vietnam is a good war; not too many getting killed, good for the economy.” The dominoes never fell, and we were not allowed to win this war, despite our will and superior firepower.

When we returned, we attempted to blend in, losing our military regalia, but we couldn’t. American society through songs and anti-war films branded us baby killers, rapists, and despoilers, in some instances spitting on us and flipping us off. At that time, a fellow veteran said that he went to apply for a job at the Employment Development Department (EDD) and they wanted him to go work in the fields. He refused.

Somehow the long hair, love beads, and flowered shirts did not quite fit us. You see, for a combat soldier to function effectively, he has to inure himself to what is going on around him. There is no on or off switch. That’s why when a war veteran describes his experiences and is invariably asked “When were you in Vietnam?” the answer is “Last night.” For some veterans, it is never over.

This is what the Vietnam vet got when he got back:

1) Welcome home — denied 2) Respect — denied

3) Treatment for Agent Orange and its after-effects of diabetes/cancer — denied

4) Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder — denied.

Belatedly, and through several presidential changes, veterans started getting the benefits that they had earned, the welcome home, and the respect due them. Regrettably, for too many of our brothers, it was too late in coming.

However, there appears to be a renewed patriotism, new respect for those who served and especially for those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.

To those entering military service; thank you for stepping up and performing your patriotic duty and to those returning from military duty — thank you for your service. And to all veterans from our wars in all branches — Thank you and welcome home.