Smart reflects on lives of fellow Vietnam vets

Tuesday, March 30 is Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.

Reflecting back over the years, for me it's been 52 years next month, it is satisfying to me to see how our generation of veterans has fared in this great country.

The Vietnam War generation has suffered from PTSD and the effects of Agent Orange for sure, but other generations of veterans also suffered.

And, like those other generations, we have regrouped, recovered and marched on down the road of life.

Far too many have died from causes directly tied to those issues, but modern medicine has probably saved many more than would have not been in saved years past.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA, gets mixed reviews on their service to our veterans, but for me they have been responsive, professional, knowledgeable and a great resource for me and my family. Wish it were so for others of my brother and sisters.

The American people were angry, resentful, misinformed by our government and disinformed by the liberal media about the Vietnam War, as they were about the Korean War, and reacted accordingly.

The people were confused, we were confused, and the resulting effect on both sides was exacerbated by all these factors — ergo, hard feelings, by our generation.

But time heals all wounds, well, most of them anyway.

The Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Parade in 2011 in Sonora did a lot to ease these feelings we had, and it gave the people a chance to say, “Sorry.”

For some, that was not near enough. For me, it was enough, and I greatly appreciated their comments that day.

Another event that went a long way to reconciliation was when Desert Shield/ Desert Storm occurred in 1991.

There were over 100 young men and women from Tuolumne County in that war, and a group of family and friends gathered together in a group called Operation Troop Support to show their appreciation to those who were serving.

They did care packages, organized flag marches and demonstrations, and right alongside them were members of Chapter 391, Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., which I had founded in 1987-88.

We were living out the VVA motto: “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

For us, it was heartening that people finally understood that the guy in the foxhole did not start that war but were the pawns of politicians who did not know how to conduct a war.

But, home we came to an angry population. We suffered harsh treatment and tried to move on. Most did, many did not.

Then, there were the Veterans organizations — the VFW, the American Legion and others — who would not readily accept our generation into their ranks. That caused more hurt feelings, more pain, more lack of acceptance, and those feelings still linger among many of our generation.

The average age of an in-country Vietnam veteran is about 72 years, so the clock is ticking and we will soon age out. Like General Douglas Macarthur said, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

But understand this — our generation may not be what Tom Brokaw dubbed “The Greatest Generation,” but our generation has left its mark on this country and on the world.

Our people have been preeminently successful in the fields of health, education, science, politics, engineering, and many other endeavors.

Many others, like General Colin Powell and General Norman Schwarzkopf, served on up to the most recent Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And all of us in veterans organizations like the VVA, the VFW and the American Legion, still serve on.

We serve our fellow veterans, our community, our state and our great country, and will continue to do so until it is time to go to Fiddler's Green. That's our Valhalla for those who served in my unit in Vietnam, the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

So, if you see a Vietnam veteran, thank him or her, and any other veteran you might encounter. And even if you don't do that, be thankful for their sacrifices for your way of life.

I am a proud veteran of the Vietnam War. I took an oath and so far I have never been relieved of that duty. Only death will release me.

I didn't ask for it, but when it came my way, I did the right thing and I served.

I am an American veteran — a title no one can take away from me.

I don't have a PHD, but I have a DD 214.

Soldier on, brothers and sisters.