National Vietnam Veterans Day

[Marvin the Martian]

Today is National Vietnam Veterans Day. First, thanks to all who served in that war. Second, our leaders during that war were never adequately held accountable. Johnson, McNamara, Westmorland, Nixon, and more, knew what was happening and 1) got us in deeper or 2) delayed far too long getting us out. That is a group who should never have statues. A case can be made that some of the divisions of that war linger in our acrimony today.

The Apocalypse Now scenes are used too often, so here is a helicopter scene from Hamburger Hill.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Today is National Vietnam Veterans Day. First, thanks to all who served in that war. Second, our leaders during that war were never adequately held accountable. Johnson, McNamara, Westmorland, Nixon, and more, knew what was happening and 1) got us in deeper or 2) delayed far too long getting us out. That is a group who should never have statues. A case can be made that some of the divisions of that war linger in our acrimony today.

The Apocalypse Now scenes are used too often, so here is a helicopter scene from Hamburger Hill.

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Sad. my dad and and three uncles were in vietnam. two came back a real mess. marines.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Sad. my dad and and three uncles were in vietnam. two came back a real mess. marines.

My middle brother served in Vietnam, he was army. He went back into the navy as a corpsman after he couldn't adjust to civilian life, did fine until they sent him to Beirut. Since then, he has all the traditional severe PTSD. He had a son born with spina bifida, common for agent orange exposure. His wife gave up on him and left him, don't blame her at all as he became dangerous. He can be almost OK one moment, completely paranoid the next. He would call family asking for money, then refuse to see us when we tried to take him some convinced we were there to harm him. It really is sad but there is nothing we can do.

Fortunately, the government eventually accepted responsibility for spina bifida. We lost contact with his ex-wife, but she was in the navy too and I suspect that helped her out. But the long delay it took to get that, and PTSD dealt with is part of the government's sin.

When he was doing well in the navy, he was a corpsman at Great Lakes Naval Base. Many of the POWs came there after the war. He had some real horror stories about what they went through.

 

[mcmurtry66]

My middle brother served in Vietnam, he was army. He went back into the navy as a corpsman after he couldn't adjust to civilian life, did fine until they sent him to Beirut. Since then, he has all the traditional severe PTSD. He had a son born with spina bifida, common for agent orange exposure. His wife gave up on him and left him, don't blame her at all as he became dangerous. He can be almost OK one moment, completely paranoid the next. He would call family asking for money, then refuse to see us when we tried to take him some convinced we were there to harm him. It really is sad but there is nothing we can do.

Fortunately, the government eventually accepted responsibility for spina bifida. We lost contact with his ex-wife, but she was in the navy too and I suspect that helped her out. But the long delay it took to get that, and PTSD dealt with is part of the government's sin.

When he was doing well in the navy, he was a corpsman at Great Lakes Naval Base. Many of the POWs came there after the war. He had some real horror stories about what they went through.

That's awful marv. sounds a lot like my uncle. he was a marine over there. came back and was okay for a bit and then wouldn't be. he moved into my grandma's basement and lived there until he died. went to work for my other uncle's asphalt company and one of the guys stole his lunch bag. just horsing around. my uncle put him in the hospital. then back to the basement. drove a cab off and on. same deal. okay for a bit; then paranoid, depressed. to this day one of the finest natural athletes i've ever seen. could hit a golf ball out of the driving range. funny, funny guy but not okay. died a few years back. led a largely miserable life.

was it your brother that piqued your interest in military and military history? you and tmp are almost encyclopedic with it.

 

[vesuvius13]

I enlisted in the Marines and am considered a Nam Marine despite not being in the war zone but I knew a lot of Marines coming from the Nam. Even today our gov't doesn't take care of the people coming from combat unless physical injuries. Or country needs to bring combat veterans into the country 6 months or longer before getting out. Set up a program for PTSD for all them, even if they don't show PTSD, and work to get them ready to be back in civilian society. Combat is far different and changes veterans as you have to be on edge and respond in a different way than in society back home. Give Veterans a chance to adjust to being back home and not create problems with families and friends.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I enlisted in the Marines and am considered a Nam Marine despite not being in the war zone but I knew a lot of Marines coming from the Nam. Even today our gov't doesn't take care of the people coming from combat unless physical injuries. Or country needs to bring combat veterans into the country 6 months or longer before getting out. Set up a program for PTSD for all them, even if they don't show PTSD, and work to get them ready to be back in civilian society. Combat is far different and changes veterans as you have to be on edge and respond in a different way than in society back home. Give Veterans a chance to adjust to being back home and not create problems with families and friends.

Thanks for serving. Yeah my dad was Air Force. He had it a hell of a lot easier over there than my uncles.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

was it your brother that piqued your interest in military and military history? you and tmp are almost encyclopedic with it.

I do not know. I was seven when he went. He refused to talk to me about it except to correct what the family told me. I was told first he delivered mail for the army, layer that he was a corpsman. It turned out he was a machine gunner.

My military history knowledge is limited in that I have never really cared about the difference between a 109E and 109F. I have friends who know every stat of the planes and tanks. I am much more just bigger picture.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I do not know. I was seven when he went. He refused to talk to me about it except to correct what the family told me. I was told first he delivered mail for the army, layer that he was a corpsman. It turned out he was a machine gunner.

My military history knowledge is limited in that I have never really cared about the difference between a 109E and 109F. I have friends who know every stat of the planes and tanks. I am much more just bigger picture.

Interesting stuff. Amazing to think 50 years have passed.