Community Chat

[Sueliz]

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@barbara in Virginia wrote:

We actually met Senator Edward Kennedy on the flight back to the US.  When the stewardess told him that two Peace Corps volunteers were on the plane after a medical evacuation, he invited us to travel with him and his entourage on the bus that carried them from the plane to the Dulles airport.  So we gladly accepted with my cat in tow in a wicker basket, who looked up at the senator and meowed.  They were very cordial and Senator Kennedy told me to call him if I had any difficulties in DC.

At Bethesda Naval there was a small protected patio in the sunshine outside the ward where I would talk with many of these young men,many of them practically babies.  It was there that I learned that there would be no further contact with them once they left the hospital.  I was so alarmed and upset that I called Senator Kennedy and told him what they had told me.  He told me that he would get on it, and he DID!  He made arrangements for all those in that ward and they at least had proper follow up.

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@Barbara in Virginia Thanks for sharing that story and for your volunteer work with the PC. 

[Carmie]

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@Ms tyrion2 wrote:

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@KathyM23 wrote:

How could we ever forget.  So many of our boys lost their lives or were physically and emotionally maimed.  Such of waste of a generalion of brave soldiers - they were just boys.  My brother served and did come back.  Many friends also served, some returned, some did not.  Makes my heart ache.  My good friend lost her husband to that war - he never got to see his baby son - he was only there two weeks when he was killed.   My husband's best friend was also a casualty.  Many other sad tales to relate, but I just can't.  To this day I cannot think about, read about or watch anything about Vietnam - makes me so sad at the losses and mad at the lack of support for our troops.  Our boys lives were put on the line and for what.  Now we buy clothes that say Made In Vietnam.  I do not.  The vets are still dying from the effects of Vietnam - Agent Orange and cancer. 

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It was a tragic and unnecessary war.

Agent Orange was a defoliant used by the United States military not the VietCong or the North Vietnamese army. The south Vietnamese people suffered greatly also.  I hold no grudge against the people of Vietnam. 

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@Ms tyrion2   I have visited Vietnam Nam and those wonderful people hold no grudge against Americans either.  South Vietnam Nam suffered greatly and family's of South Vietnam Nam soldiers, especially those of officers still suffer and will for many generations.  They are being punished by their government.

i visited an American War Museum in Saigon where I saw horrific things.  There were hand drawn pictures and other art made by the children who were caught in the middle of the war.  The art was very moving and I cried the whole time I was there.

i visited a place where babies and children exposed to agent orange reside.  They are taught to make things to sell and some of them are quite talented.  It is heart wrenching to see how deformed they are.  Without this " school" they would be left to die.

here in America, we also have children born to father's who were exposed to agent orange as well.  These children suffer many deformities too.

War is horrific in every way for all parties involved.  I always pray for a peaceful earth for all people.

[Annabellethecat66]

It was originated by THE ANIMALS.  They were one of my favorite groups.

Go here and you can hear it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJnceNaPWK4

[viva923]

I do remember that song. I remember the protests around the U.S..  

I too was in nursing school when i met my husband. He is retired military (Navy). He did do 2 tours over there. It was a very nerve racking time. I just had our 1st child when dh left for Vietnam the 1st time. 

So many young men passed over there. Had several young men who graduated from my high school never made it home alive.

[Barbara in Virginia]

We had that same kind of camraderie in the Peace Corps.  The work we did was very, very hard and the conditions unlike anything we had seen in the US.  Or could really explain. We lived as the people there did. One in my training group died while in service.  We saw things that were very upsetting.  I learned to tune much of that out as I couldn't have functioned and achieved what I was able to achieve if I dwelled on what I couldnt do.  But I would have nightmares at night, especially if a child had died.  We volunteers kept each other going emotionally and formed close bonds.  I also formed very close bonds with the people  where I lived and worked with that continue now with their children and grandchildren.  I now get emails rather than people knocking on my door!  When I returned to my site a few years back I was absolutely thrilled to see the changes that had come about there, changes I never in a million years could have imagined from those small beginnings.  Former Peace Corps volunteers will tell you that it was a life-changing experience, but in good ways.

We can serve our country in different ways.  I just wish there were more Peace Corps and less need for war.  This is not a political statement but a value-based one.  Some of the volunteers had also been in the military.  My boss was a former Marine.  At age 80+ he is still returning to help in countries that need emergency assistance.  As he is fond of saying, we get "Fire in the Belly"!

[151949]

I remember one day in nursing school we got a patient into the ER and he was just filthy and all covered with lice.He had many open infected wounds etc. so they assigned about 3 students to get him cleaned up so the doctors could work on him - we were in there completely covered head to toes literally in protective gear - shaving scrubbing and picking maggots and lice off this hobo. And the patient started singing We gotta get outta this place - so we were singing it with him, and dancing around as we worked. The patient was really rocking to the music - he was hystertical. It turns out he was a very nice man, but he had a breakdown and couldn't take cate of himself anymore. 

[AuntG]

Never tied the meaning of that song to war protesters.  However, I was young so I thought it was about school.  

[cater]

151949  This story brought me to tears. I admire all the things you did as a nurse. I myself would want you to be the nurse who would be looking out for me. Be proud of yourself I bet there were many doctors who wanted you to be the nurse taking care of their patients.

[151949]

thank you,cater. My grandma was the ER supervisor so they were always hard on me down there, but I didn't dare complain!

[Evie2004]

I remember it well, and a song named "19" don't remember who sang it, but it was the average age of a soldier in Nam that year..& my husband, (fiancé then) was that age when he enlisted in USMC in 1966..my "big sister" in nursing school was an army brat & almost had me talked into enlisting..my 1 regret in life..

Edited..PBS has a series set for this September, ""The Viet Nam War", I believe, with never seen before original pictures, clips, & interviews with former Viet Cong soldiers, & the music..my husband does want to watch it..I was surprised..