or redistributed. Many Vietnam Veterans, including this writer, tried college but the anti-Vietnam Veteran attitude that prevailed at that time on college campus made many of us turn on backs on higher education. Upon There was more civilian anger directed at Vietnam Vets than any other conflict in our history, hence the name calling, Primarily due to it being the first televised war. Thanking veterans for their service today does not absolve us of our guilt and we can Fatima Jaghoori is an Afghan refugee, a former U.S. Army medic who fought in Iraq, a Gold Star wife, and is now a student at Kansas State University. In 2004, the VA called the house and said because of Agent Orange, I was welcome at the VA and I went and still there. Welcome back where you belong.you know there shoulda been a ticker tape parade (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais). For meand I think most others returningwe transported in a civilian airplane, that landed on a military base, which would have greatly restricted civilians from being where they could protest against us. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Legion Logistics is a third-party logistics provider (3PL) based in Newport, Kentucky. Vietnam veterans are again doing what they did in the 1970s and helping their fellow veterans from Afghanistan to aid, evacuate, and integrate refugees who are at great risk. Since then a thank you for your service culture has arisen that has all but eliminated public displays of disdain and disrespect. CH: There's a book named "The Spitting Image" by Jerry Lembcke that lays out the facts. Kissinger measured how we were winning by body count in an unconventional war. A persistent but unfounded criticism leveled against those who protested the United States’s involvement in the Vietnam War is that protesters spat upon and otherwise derided returning soldiers, calling them baby-killers, etc. Why were people angry about the Vietnam War memorial? Some found it hard to get close to others because they had to hide that they killed in combat. Conners decked him. You can also access information from the CDC. But Lembcke is refuted by many other sources, including Jim Lindgren, a Northwestern University law professor who cited news accounts that documented many spitting incidents. Mistakenly kill a civilian and push the populace into the hands of the Viet Cong or kill a Viet Cong before they got you. Bob Feist, of Medina, is an Army veteran and a retired Navy pilot. Your email address will not be published. The anti-war movement didn't even condemn Lt. Calley of the My Lai massacre infamy, seeing him as a scapegoat while his commanding officers walked free (in the event, Calley served something like two days in jail for murdering 22 people). They witnessed the suffering of the Vietnamese and they served even when an ending to their war and a clear meaning for it seemed increasingly elusive. He is a 30-year veteran of the United States Army, retiring in 2011 as a Special Forces Colonel with his final assignment serving on the military faculty teaching national security strategy at the National War College. Made us question why we ever joined the fight But we took it out on you, and now its time to make things right V1: On the TV, in the papers, you were treated so unfair You got blamed for Vietnam instead of the ones who sent you there Some folks called you baby killers, called you monsters and worse With no idea of what was waiting for you back in your home town 2023 The Regents of The University of California, University Development & Alumni Relations, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, Killing in War Leaves Veterans with Lasting Psychological Scars, Study Finds, Screen Time Tied to Suicide Risk for Tweens But Dont Panic, Out of Adderall? ", "The perception was that you were either mentally unstable, or you were on some kind of a drug," Louis Vlahakes, NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial Trustee recounted, "and that was the beginning of the acknowledgment of what society had expected when we came home.". An overwhelming majority of Vietnam veterans served honorably and bravely. And David Sirota is wrong about the history and policies of that war and about the treatment of returning military men and women ("The myth of the spat-upon war veteran," June 8). This term is a derogatory remark to Vietnam WebUS personnel were in Thailand for 10 years, so closed to 300,000 served there, not just 3-5000. also, according to DCAS-Vietnam Conflict Extract File, dated April 29, 2008, the Reviled by the draft dodgers and war protesters even up until the mid-1980s, Vietnam Veterans endured the disrespect but still stood tall, but life was not easy being a Vietnam Veteran. Many probably never served a day in a military uniform, and who knows, some of them might have been the anti-war protesters, draft dodgers and others that met returning Vietnam Veterans with garbage, dog feces and urine and other foreign objects, not to mention words of hate. Eighteen were Vietnam veterans and eight were deployed in Iraq. Vietnam veterans were treated in despicable ways by Americans from being spit on to being called baby killers. The Gulf war starting with the build-up of troops, weapons and supplies in August of 1990 with Operation Desert Shield, and then combat operations called, Operation Desert Storm, from January 17, 1991, until February 28, 1991, had two high ranking generals planning and carrying out the tactics that were Vietnam Veterans. Anyone can read what you share. Other spitting incidents were reported by Pulitzer Prize winners Max Frankel in the New York Times (November 1969) and Carl Bernstein in the Washington Post (May 1970). Your email address will not be published. Most importantly, today she is a key member of Shona ba Shona, an organization dedicated to helping Afghans escape to safety. You can listen to her describe her life and work with the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, Jack Tilley, on his Your Mission Continues podcast. She and fellow veteran and founder of Shona ba Shona, Jason Ghormley, describe their experiences and the work they are doing to help Afghan refugees. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In the era when the North Vietnamese invaded the South, the world was facing Russian colonialism, the spread of communism, nuclear arms, the Cuban missile crisis and other threats to world peace. About 17,000 soldiers remain unaccounted for today and remain listed as missing in action. The only reason to not accuse a person of a misdeed is lack of evidence that person committed that misdeed. Because they had to endure so much pain and even felt abandoned by the their own people and country, more than 100,000 Vietnam veterans (the actual number would be even much higher) committed suicide after the war, which is nearly two times the number of soldiers had died in Vietnam. And what made it even worse was how it ended Why were soldiers not welcomed back to the United States after the Vietnam war? Shira Maguen, PhD, UCSF associate professor of psychiatry and mental health director of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System Integrated Care Clinic, which treats Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, said these emotional scars sometimes last for decades. WebOther people being guilty of your misdeeds does not make you innocent of your misdeeds. Many Americans blamed Vietnam Veterans for the loss of the war even though all the main American combat forces had been brought home as of March 1973. Lembcke is an avowed socialist and has tried to use incomplete or dishonest research to lend credence to his government-as-pro-war conspiracy theories, to use the 9-million-plus Vietnam-era veterans as anti-war pawns. Nick Wilson, Chief Revenue Officer , for Legion Logistics talks with host Jim Fausone about the company, its veteran owner and why NVBDC certification as a veteran owned business was so important to Legion and the power of NVBDC networking. Vietnam was an unpopular war where 58,200-plus combat soldiers were killed and more than 300,000 were wounded. Like most Veterans of any war, Vietnam Veterans had their share of traumatic memories they could not leave behind, but these men and women that served and fought in South Vietnam also had to fight a war with their countrys conscience when they returned home to the United States. Market data provided by Factset. Civilians, including mental health professionals, have an opportunity and an obligation to better understand veterans experiences and to join them in confronting difficult truths about the violence of war, its meaning and its consequences, they stated in the paper. Then More baby boomers died in Vietnam than went to Canada or to prison for refusing to serve. Many described confronting a dark side of themselves that they did not know existed before they had killed in combat. Powerful, often unshared, memories remain. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a charge to any veteran or family member for our services. The race became a referendum on the issue, which was bad news for Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The politicians lied, and sixty-thousand died Soldiers called Baby Killers during the Vietnam war? The number of personnel that are considered to be Vietnam era Veterans, those that served during the Vietnam War but NOT in-country are 9,087,000. It is not uncommon for Vietnam Veterans to hear from the younger generations that wore the American military uniform after our service, Thank you, you and other Vietnam Veterans paved the way for us. Those are powerful words and make one very humble coming from this younger generation of patriotic, strong and ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE of Americans. Other wars were identical, however, no one knew the carnage and damage of Allied bombers to French and German Civilians- AKA no one cared. The journalist Philip Caputo was a young Marine officer who went ashore with the first American combat units in Vietnam, in 1965. And number two, they probably wouldn't believe you anyway if you told them what you saw, and what you experienced. Since then a thank you for your service culture As Americans, we have a collective guilt over the way our Vietnam veterans were treated. Theirs was the Apocalypse Now war. It was about walking through jungles and rice paddies and elephant grass, and about being wet, infected and dirty. As Americans turned against the war, as political leaders danced around the subject, these young men and women slogged through it. Maguen and the studys first author Natalie Purcell, PhD, who directs the Patient Centered Care Program at the SFVAHCS, have initiated research, outreach and model therapies for veterans with moral injury. As Americans became disillusioned by the war, some of their sons and daughters, siblings and friends continued to go to Vietnam. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. WebAnswer (1 of 2): I served with the USMC in Vietnam in 1966.1967 and when I got home, I didnt want anything from anyone, because I had my life and all of my parts too. America was seeing so many casualties in a conflict that most He worked with a ton of vets who would tell outrageous, obviously false, stories. In doing so, we can begin to break through the postwar silence that masks moral injury, sustains isolation and reinforces trauma.. Again, according to the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, the figures of people claiming to be Vietnam Veterans, serving in-country, for the 2000 census count was 13,853,027. David has been writing in Nashville for more than 25 years and for Operation Song for more than eight years. He also was part of a motorcycle club and was asked to start wearing the VietNam patch because not wearing it was upsetting members who weren't really ever in VietNam (they may have been "VietNam Era" veterans) but referred to themselves as VietNam veterans. This left little room in the Vietnam narrative for stories of courage and sacrifice. My dad was a vet during the war, but was always stationed in the US. Montana-Class Battleships Would Have Been Powerhouses, Nitro Express: Worlds Most Expensive Bullet ($149 a Round? President Donald Trump bestows the nation's highest military honor, the Medal of Honor to retired Army medic James McCloughan during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 31, 2017. For more information about CERTIFICATION with NVBDC. Some folks called you baby killers, called you monsters and worse Here are three examples of refugees from conflicts who have gone on to become great Americans and have given back to America in ways most of us could not. Market data provided by Factset. Always Remember, Your email address will not be published. As Churchill wrote, The Statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events. He argued, Let us learn our lessons., https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/opinion/the-baby-boomer-war.html. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Why were people angry about the Vietnam War memorial? Youre all heroes now so come and get what you deserve This younger generation started to say, thank you to the Vietnam Veterans in their community, and that helped to enhance the image of the Vietnam Veteran that was maligned and lied about by those from their generation that did not want to serve their country. This younger generation that was welcoming home their generation of returning Veterans began to ask why the Vietnam Veterans were treated and greeted in the way they were when they returned home and thought this was wrong. Vietnam was the first war captured on color video and broadcasted on the nightly news. The My Lai massacre was one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed during the Vietnam War. Killing in war often triggers a moral conflict in veterans that can damage their self-image, relationships and spirituality, according to a study by UCSF researchers at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Those born after the boomers may find it quaint to read about a president asking citizens to sacrifice, to pay any price. Nonetheless, their parents or grandparents, the baby boomers, will most likely remember a brief shining moment of energized promise and of unfulfilled dreams. and political warfare. Before VT Nuclear Education: The Beirut Nuclear Coverup, The Hidden History of the Incredibly Evil Khazarian Mafia. How much money does leasinging a factory cost in vietnam? The anti-war movement had extensive outreach programs towards veterans and active duty personnel which would be impossible if they were as hostile as commonly believed. To the protesters and critics, by 1967 the troops had become objects of pity for serving on a dangerous assignment in a cruel and unjust war. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals,UCSF Medical Centerand UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospitals inSan FranciscoandOakland, and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area. Vietnam vets were raised in a society that honored veterans. in '68 came the My Lai massacre spit on troops coming home and call them baby killers. Required fields are marked *. And even though its 50 years overdue. Story tips can be sent to yael.halon@fox.com. These are coordinated with PTSD and general psychiatry programs. Many did, but many also served. I was not a baby killer. After Greene made his best effort to check the truth of the accounts to be printed, he inserted a minimum of his own commentary in the text, preferring to let the veterans' words speak for themselves. This changed as the numbers of troops grew, their casualties increased, as draftees made up more of the units, and as the rationale for the war and its conduct were more broadly challenged and unpersuasively defended. On the TV, in the papers, you were treated so unfair Official census figures for August 1995 showed 1,713,823 Vietnam Veterans were still living. Matthew Israel Made us question why we ever joined the fight But we took it out on you, and now its time to make things right V1: On the TV, in the papers, you were treated so unfair You got blamed for Vietnam instead of the ones who sent you there Some folks called you baby killers, called you monsters and worse Losing limbs, and losing best friends, losing half your sanity Their leaders did not, although they were seldom honest about this. Greene believed the tale was an urban legend. Modern Warriors' hosted by Pete Hegseth returns with a new episode in honor of Veterans Day. It doesn't help that a lot of men claimed to be VietNam vets who weren't. The chaotic and tragic end to both wars has much in common. Fox Nationprograms are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. Another topic covered wasBack in the World. The following I do not wish to have my record of service dishonored again. The myth is also wielded as a cudgel to browbeat anti-war public opinion with shouts of "support the troops!" Send this article to anyone, no subscription is necessary to view it, 'Moonshot' CNA program trained hundreds. Also, even though several decades had passed since the war in Vietnam and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there were still some Vietnam Veterans fighting in those wars and serving their country. He recalled, For Americans who did not come of age in the early 1960s, it may be hard to grasp what those years were like the pride and overpowering self-assurance that prevailed. When they marched across rice paddies, he said, they carried, along with our packs and rifles, the implicit convictions that the Vietcong would be quickly beaten and that we were doing something altogether noble and good.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, WWII Medalist James Conners was unable to avoid a particularly obnoxious man yelling, "Killer, killer, killer." just for you. WebA persistent but unfounded criticism leveled against those who protested in opposition to the Vietnam War is that they spat upon and otherwise derided returning soldiers, In 1968, the chant from protesters was Hey, hey, L.B.J. Thirty three veterans gave interviews on various topics relating to Vietnam including: basic training, the trip to Vietnam, being in the field, helicopter and aircraft stories, support groups, the Vietnamese, and their general thoughts on the war and the country. This younger generation started to say, thank you to the Vietnam Veterans in their community, and that helped to enhance the image of the Vietnam Veteran that was maligned and lied about by those from their generation that did not want to Its genesis was a controversial newspaper column of 20 July 1987 in which Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist Bob Greene asked whether there was any truth to the folklore that Vietnam veterans had been spat upon when they returned from the war zone. At the age of nearly two and three Lan-Dinh and Danielle Ngo experienced the fall of Saigon with their family. They were among the last to make it to Tan Son Nhat air base for evacuation. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? Your email address will not be published. Furthermore, the Kent State shootings in May 1970. WebIn First Blood, the inaugural Rambo film, the protagonist, John Rambo, flashes back to those maggots at the airport, spittin, callin us baby killers and all kinds of vile crap. Technology. Who is Jason crabb mother and where is she? UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. Their father served as an officer in the South Vietnamese Army and trained with U.S. Special Forces, but they have never learned what happened to him. Untill several years latter of course, now the veterans of Vietnam are respected as well WW2 Veterans were greated with parades. It may have happened a few rare times, but there is no legitimate documented cases where Veterans coming home were ever called baby killers or spit on. And he espouses that post-traumatic stress disorder was an invention of the government to garner support for the war. I was infantry, in the field, fighting the most misunderstood and unpopular war in American history. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A major difference between Vietnam and Afghanistan is the treatment of veterans at the end of war. Eighteen were Vietnam veterans and eight were deployed in Iraq. These WANNABES did not want to be Vietnam Veterans when we went off to war and turned our homecoming into a lifes event that will never leave us. Partially because the Vietnam war saw far more coverage of war crimes committed by americans than other wars, for example, see the massacres of My Lai and My Khe when a company of US infantrymen killed, raped and mutilated their way through over 500 people (according to the vietnamese government, american sources claim 347 total dead and wounded but only account for the actions committed in My Lai.).
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