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Post by usmcbrat on Feb 27, 2020 19:17:10 GMT
You're not that old. I was in the Navy 1962-1965, stationed on Treasure Island, San Francisco. I was just shy of 15 when the POW on my bracelet got off the plane. My dad served there. I remember a phone call with him when he was actually on a radio. I also remember the call getting cut short when a firefight broke out. I also remember how difficult it was for him to find a job when he retired. No one wanted to hire a Vietnam Vet.
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Post by terrij58 on Feb 27, 2020 19:41:09 GMT
I remember them getting spit on, even as early as 1965 in some areas on the west coast.
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Post by Llyan (Admin) on Feb 27, 2020 20:57:32 GMT
I was just shy of 15 when the POW on my bracelet got off the plane. My dad served there. I remember a phone call with him when he was actually on a radio. I also remember the call getting cut short when a firefight broke out. I also remember how difficult it was for him to find a job when he retired. No one wanted to hire a Vietnam Vet.This was a shameful time. The men returning [mostly] were drafted. Their choices?: 1. Go. 2. Go to jail. 3. Go to Canada. In no way did they deserve to be spat upon and shunned from employment.
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Post by Hari Seldon on Feb 28, 2020 14:47:10 GMT
My dad served there. I remember a phone call with him when he was actually on a radio. I also remember the call getting cut short when a firefight broke out. I also remember how difficult it was for him to find a job when he retired. No one wanted to hire a Vietnam Vet. This was a shameful time. The men returning [mostly] were drafted. Their choices?: 1. Go. 2. Go to jail. 3. Go to Canada. In no way did they deserve to be spat upon and shunned from employment. Most definitely true, and it was being led by the same Hollywood types that we're hearing from all the time these days, until a couple of advocates got through in a big way. The movie First Blood (start of the Rambo movies) really put the spotlight on the treatment of veterans, plus the original Magnum P.I. was the first popular television series to portray Vietnam Veterans in a positive light. Soon after came The A-Team and they all helped this country see the error of its ways.
Side note - First Blood was actually the second movie to be made from the book it's based on. A couple years earlier there was a movie called Ruckus which starred Dirk Benedict of The A-Team and I've heard that one is more true to the book, but I'm guilty of not having read it.
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Post by luckysmom on Feb 28, 2020 23:43:45 GMT
I also remember an episode of the Lou Grant show which portrayed how dismal it was for the returning Viet Nam vets.
If there is any consolation I do believe we have learned from our mistakes. I remember in the first Gulf war an actress (may have been Margo Kidder) had an anti war stance and mad comments directed at the troops. They were quickly condemned - it is okay to be anti war but not anti troops....
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Post by verdun on Feb 29, 2020 15:20:49 GMT
I admit to being bitter still. I was spat upon, called a baby killer, had things thrown at me when I was in uniform. I used the GI Bill to enter college. Some people, including a few professors, called me things I didn't want to hear. I survived all that, got my PhD and spent 35 years teaching history at a university. In some ways, it was my revenge on the jerks. And, BTW, "Thank you for your service" came way too late.
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Post by luckysmom on Feb 29, 2020 16:12:53 GMT
I can certainly understand your resentment. It was very cruel treatment.
I really don't understand humans cruelty towards each other. What makes one group so self righteous that they are justified in mistreating others?
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Post by terrij58 on Feb 29, 2020 22:15:50 GMT
I admit to being bitter still. I was spat upon, called a baby killer, had things thrown at me when I was in uniform. I used the GI Bill to enter college. Some people, including a few professors, called me things I didn't want to hear. I survived all that, got my PhD and spent 35 years teaching history at a university. In some ways, it was my revenge on the jerks. And, BTW, "Thank you for your service" came way too late. I'm sorry that happened to you. It happened to my brother-in-law when he went to his parents that lived in Delaware. When he went back to the North West corner of Missouri he was treated decently. I had noticed in the early 60's that, usually, the middle part of the country treated the Veterans better that either coast. Always exceptions of course. My late husband and I got out in 65 so were ahead of most of that, and we went back to central AR, and they treated the Veterans the same as they did WW2 and Korea, with respect.
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Post by usmcbrat on Mar 2, 2020 14:58:28 GMT
I admit to being bitter still. I was spat upon, called a baby killer, had things thrown at me when I was in uniform. I used the GI Bill to enter college. Some people, including a few professors, called me things I didn't want to hear. I survived all that, got my PhD and spent 35 years teaching history at a university. In some ways, it was my revenge on the jerks. And, BTW, "Thank you for your service" came way too late. Thank you Dr. Verdun, for turning a negative experience into a teaching experience. Unfortunately, so many of us are so ignorant of our history, and we end up in the same awful situations all over again. You did your part to make the world a better place, and I am grateful/
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