Boomers - do you remember???? - Page 6

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@Cakers3 wrote:
@151949 I am truly sorry for the loss of your brother.

Whether one soldier or a thousand experienced hostility doesn't matter. What matters is that they did.

The first full protest began in SF in 1964; most protests were college campus related and non-eventful.

Escalation of the VN conflict in 1965 and espcially the Tet Offensive in 1968 drew out more disturbing trends against returning military.

The whole era was filled with misinformation, lack of support by people who really didn't know what VN was all about (and still don't in some instances) and it wasn't until the 1980's that those vets were finally given the attention they so seriously needed.

Even if one doesn't believe in the eggs, urine, spit, and other things being thrown or the taunts of "baby killer" the treatment medically and psychologically of our military was hostile enough.

A sad era; it wasn't all love, peace, and Woodstock.

Actually , I participated in some war protests, yet none of them were any more than marching and chanting, singing. I know in my area of the world the violence against soldiers did not exist. Heck, most of the soldiers weren't there because they wanted to be - they were drafted.We were protesting the WAR not the soldiers who werre forced to fight in it.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
@Cakers3 wrote:
@151949 I am truly sorry for the loss of your brother.

Whether one soldier or a thousand experienced hostility doesn't matter. What matters is that they did.

The first full protest began in SF in 1964; most protests were college campus related and non-eventful.

Escalation of the VN conflict in 1965 and espcially the Tet Offensive in 1968 drew out more disturbing trends against returning military.

The whole era was filled with misinformation, lack of support by people who really didn't know what VN was all about (and still don't in some instances) and it wasn't until the 1980's that those vets were finally given the attention they so seriously needed.

Even if one doesn't believe in the eggs, urine, spit, and other things being thrown or the taunts of "baby killer" the treatment medically and psychologically of our military was hostile enough.

A sad era; it wasn't all love, peace, and Woodstock.

Actually , I participated in some war protests, yet none of them were any more than marching and chanting, singing. I know in my area of the world the violence against soldiers did not exist. Heck, most of the soldiers weren't there because they wanted to be - they were drafted.

I had the same experience as you had, @151949

The protests were everyday people, numerous doctors and nurses marched. You can look at the photo from the Berkeley archives and see men in suits, well dressed women. There was no rioting at marches, there was singing.

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

@151949 I think some of us are cross-posting. Of course protests were peaceful but some weren't.

I think we are mistaking some posts to read that some of the mistreatment of returning vets happened at protests and that really isn't where I was headed.

I mentioned the escalation of protest in terms of a timeline and mentioned the SF one only as the starting point of protests-I didn't say that they were violent. They also encompassed civil rights issues among other things, especially at Berkeley.

Certainly marches happened during my college years and some vets even took part in them.

I think we are conjoining two distinct issues.

Again, my sympathies for the loss of your loved one.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
@Cakers3 wrote:
@151949 I am truly sorry for the loss of your brother.

Whether one soldier or a thousand experienced hostility doesn't matter. What matters is that they did.

The first full protest began in SF in 1964; most protests were college campus related and non-eventful.

Escalation of the VN conflict in 1965 and espcially the Tet Offensive in 1968 drew out more disturbing trends against returning military.

The whole era was filled with misinformation, lack of support by people who really didn't know what VN was all about (and still don't in some instances) and it wasn't until the 1980's that those vets were finally given the attention they so seriously needed.

Even if one doesn't believe in the eggs, urine, spit, and other things being thrown or the taunts of "baby killer" the treatment medically and psychologically of our military was hostile enough.

A sad era; it wasn't all love, peace, and Woodstock.

Actually , I participated in some war protests, yet none of them were any more than marching and chanting, singing. I know in my area of the world the violence against soldiers did not exist. Heck, most of the soldiers weren't there because they wanted to be - they were drafted.We were protesting the WAR not the soldiers who werre forced to fight in it.

@151949, and therein lie some important lessons. We don't have a draft now and we don't have protests. Coincidence? I don't think so.

The volunteer military and the lack of nightly news of the gruesome battles makes it so much easier for us to forget all the "wars" since then. Out of sight, out of mind.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

More volunteers served in VN (approx. 2/3) than draftees (approx. 25%).

More draftees served in WWII.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

It was incredibly easy for many Vietnam draftees to get out of serving.

Being in college was usually enough, of course that usually meant those from richer families, not the poor.

It was also easy for many to get a doctor's note to get out of it for a minor problem.

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

@151949 Said most didn't want to be there because they were draftees. If all draftees who evaded actually served in VN instead of getting out of it then perhaps the stats would have been different.

However, more volunteers were in VN than were draftees, regardless.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

pitdakota · ‎03-16-2010

I certainly know the song well as it also became the theme song played at the dances that closed out the Vietnam Veterans of America national conventions. It is hard to describe the feeling when all kinds of Vietnam Veterans would come out of the woodwork at the dance, all gather around and sing every last word of that song as loud as they could. And they knew & remembered every single word.

DH has always had a saying that there are a thousand different stories about Vietnam and all of them are probably true. lol The war lasted some time and many changes took place both in Vietnam and the United States over those years.

As far as protests, I think the same is true. There were all kinds of protests...some where violence did occur, but many that were very peaceful. And it wasn't uncommon for some Vietnam Vets to participate in those protests. Many didn't support the war and wanted to try and do what they could to end it in order to spare other young men what they had seen & experienced. Others yet, supported the war effort and despised the protests. Then there are others that fall somewhere in between.

But I do take issue with thinking stories of Vietnam Veterans facing mistreatment on arrival home have been proven not to be true. It did in fact happen to some and I personally know a few veterans that experienced it upon returning to the United States. One of my best buds, now deceased, had raw eggs thrown at him coming out of an airport. Another is a Vietnam Veteran nurse that has an interesting story to tell. She was still in uniform and had a tomato thrown at her while some else in the crowd sceamed at her to ask her how she as a woman could help and assist baby killers. She was in uniform and surmises the young guy knew she "helped" some way, but obviously didn't know she was a nurse. But does that mean that every veteran faced that coming back? No. But it did happen to some and shouldn't be discounted or rewritten because someone else didn't see it or have it happen to them.

Levaing Vietnam, DH was told to change out of military uniform as soon as possible. He laughs at that now saying they DEROSED out of Vietnam, but he still had a couple of days he had to spend at Ft. Lewis in Washington. He came back to the US via Hawaii and then Washington and had no bad experience at any of the airports while in uniform.

I think there are many different stories that Vietnam Vets have along with various experiences. Doesn't mean all of them experienced the same thing or that some of them didn't experience something.

* Freedom has a taste the protected will never know *

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

@151949 wrote:
@Cakers3 wrote:
@151949 I am truly sorry for the loss of your brother.

Whether one soldier or a thousand experienced hostility doesn't matter. What matters is that they did.

The first full protest began in SF in 1964; most protests were college campus related and non-eventful.

Escalation of the VN conflict in 1965 and espcially the Tet Offensive in 1968 drew out more disturbing trends against returning military.

The whole era was filled with misinformation, lack of support by people who really didn't know what VN was all about (and still don't in some instances) and it wasn't until the 1980's that those vets were finally given the attention they so seriously needed.

Even if one doesn't believe in the eggs, urine, spit, and other things being thrown or the taunts of "baby killer" the treatment medically and psychologically of our military was hostile enough.

A sad era; it wasn't all love, peace, and Woodstock.

Actually , I participated in some war protests, yet none of them were any more than marching and chanting, singing. I know in my area of the world the violence against soldiers did not exist. Heck, most of the soldiers weren't there because they wanted to be - they were drafted.We were protesting the WAR not the soldiers who werre forced to fight in it.

@151949 And I concur. Not all protests turned violent. But some in OTHER states did. In fact, you posted that your brother experienced hostility in CA.

We are discussing protests and we are discussing treatment of our vets, be they returning or what happened to them here (Agent Orange, PTSD for examples) after their tours were over.

There was no violence in my state, either. But there was violence in other states.

Violence during protests or no violence in protests-one topic.

Treatment of our vets-different topic.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

lulu2 · ‎03-09-2010

The draft lottery didn't occur until I was in college. Prior to it, unless they were going to college, it was not unusual for young men to join the Armed Forces. The fathers and uncles of my generation served in WWII and Korea. My father's generation felt it was their duty to serve our country.

As the Viet Nam War dragged on, fewer young men joined our services. Once the lottery took place, many families, not just wealthy, did everything in their power to keep their sons out of Viet Nam.

I will never forget the daily, morning casualty count on the news.