When I came home, the older VFW guy's were just as disrespectful as the hippies.....I will not make the mistakes of my Father's generation!
You get the same respect from me for being a Vet......no matter when you served.
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Vietnam was a long time ago......
- Thread starter Skysoldier
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When I came home, the older VFW guy's were just as disrespectful as the hippies.....I will not make the mistakes of my Father's generation!
You get the same respect from me for being a Vet......no matter when you served.
dustoff22
NES Member
Same experience. I went to a local VFW with a couple friends shortly after returning from Vietnam. Knowing nothing about requirements etc., I asked a couple gentlemen at the bar, who I assumed to be a WW2 vets, about joining. One asked if I was a vet and whether I'd been involved in a foreign war. I told him that I had one tour in Vietnam. His answer was that to join you had to have been involved in a "real" war. The other guy sort of snickered.
I got the message and have never been back.
M60
NES Member
Dustoff, there will be a jerk or two in every crowd. They were probably remington raiders (office poges ) in WW11. You can bet your bippy that they didn't fly medivac. Why not give the VFW another shot. I probably should too.
OfficerObie59
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Bill's take is what I meant.
My point reiterates that I look back at some of the stuff that happened in Vietnam, Korea, and WWII, and none of what I did can hold a candle to that sacrifice.
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Yup, same with me and my brother. We were in at the same time. Me in the Army, him in the Navy.
It's weird that I still dream about re-enlisting.
In the dreams, I'm my current age and the Army never turns me down, even at 66 years old. That makes for interesting dreams scenarios...each one is different and memorable...I always remember them...and enjoy them.
I don't regret my 4 years at all. At the time it seemed like it was forever, but it seems like a short blip in my life now.
My military service sure had a greater long term effect on me than I ever thought it would.
To all the vets past and current I have the utmost respect. Two of my brothers served in Vietnam era and lost good friends. My dad served in ww2.
On a personal note and to this day I can't understand ot but i want to share. Some time ago I had gone to Arlington to inter my wife's grandfather ( a bombardier that flew 37 missions over Germany ) . After the ceremony I had promised my brother I would take a rubbing of his friends name off the wall. What I wasn't prepared for was my own reaction to that monument. As I fumbled for a pencil and paper a lady came to me and handed me one of the "official" sheets to take names off the wall. At that moment I couldn't hold it in anymore and began to cry and weep.
I never served and barely even knew the man whos name I was getting.
I still get emotional just thinking about it
Sorry but I just had to share, lately I have been really bothered that our troops are not being brought home and are still being sent into harms way.
For those that it matters to I thank you for your sacrifice.
On a personal note and to this day I can't understand ot but i want to share. Some time ago I had gone to Arlington to inter my wife's grandfather ( a bombardier that flew 37 missions over Germany ) . After the ceremony I had promised my brother I would take a rubbing of his friends name off the wall. What I wasn't prepared for was my own reaction to that monument. As I fumbled for a pencil and paper a lady came to me and handed me one of the "official" sheets to take names off the wall. At that moment I couldn't hold it in anymore and began to cry and weep.
I never served and barely even knew the man whos name I was getting.
I still get emotional just thinking about it
Sorry but I just had to share, lately I have been really bothered that our troops are not being brought home and are still being sent into harms way.
For those that it matters to I thank you for your sacrifice.
M60
NES Member
The wall is sobering at the very least.I visited once because I was already in D.C. . Probably shouldn't have.
I had the opportunuty to man the travelling wall when it came to my town. The purpose was to help visitors find names on the wall. I had the graveyard shift. I was in awe of the numbers of woman "vietnam era" that showed from 1am on. They came from surrounding towns as well to see the wall. Most said that their husbands were at home sleeping and they had to come to the wall while it was still in town to see and touch the names of their former boyfriends that had gone to Viet Nam and not returned. Some had come for husbands lost at such a very young age.The loyalty and affection that they still feel after all of these years for their men was very special to witness.
The VFW we belong to is very friendly. We have the only female commander in the state to my knowledge as well which is pretty cool. While this is just one example I'm sure things overall have changed. As I said before the Vietnam vets have done a great job taking in the OIF OEF guys.
Mike
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OfficerObie59
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Ain't that the truth. When the guys form my VFW found out I was deployed, they signed me up before I even got home.
OfficerObie59
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It's not like that now. I can see why you'd have no desire to ever go back, but I'd be willing to be the expierience would be nothing but positive today.
dustoff22
NES Member
I have no doubt what you say is true. And I mean to take nothing away from America's Greatest Generation. Frankly, I can see why they thought so little of the Vietnam vet considering the disdain had by the public in general for those of us who went to Vietnam. The late 60's and 70's were just downright ugly. We weren't allowed to wear uniforms off post for fear of causing the public to go ballistic. Thing is, the short hair gave us away and even trips to the supermarket (I'm talking Texas, Alabama, and North Carolina....the usual hot beds of patriotism) in civilian clothes were sometimes met with unwanted comment.
I'm happy that such places as the VFW have lost their bias.
Originally Posted by dustoff22
We weren't allowed to wear uniforms off post for fear of causing the public to go ballistic. Thing is, the short hair gave us away and even trips to the supermarket (I'm talking Texas, Alabama, and North Carolina....the usual hot beds of patriotism) in civilian clothes were sometimes met with unwanted comment.
wow I had no idea it was that bad
Yup, when I was at Ft Devens for AIT in 1967, we were told not to wear our uniforms when we left the post.
Just saw this thread.
I signed up for 5 years of foreign legion, in 1982. Well, actually, my father had to sign for me, as I wasn't 18 at the time. As you all know, the Legion has its own ways to deal with things like that, so I was suddenly 19, half an hour after entering the recruiting post. New name and everything.
Anyway, I bouht into the whole "we'll find you a cozy place" bullshit from the recruiter. Found myself in the 2nd REP (airborne unit of the french foreign Legion) and subsequently, was deployed almost 4.5 years out of my 6 years total (signed up for 1 more). I have my dreams, like everybody else. They came AFTER I got out. Never in between deployments. I'm out since almost a quarter of a century now, and the memories fade. What drove me nuts on deployment was not the combat. It was the waiting. The endless bullshit the sergeants came up with to keep you occupied. Digging holes for a day, just to fill them back up the next. Making us build roads in a country where almost nobody had a car. Crap like that. The weird thing is I miss it, every day. It's funny to read Pilgrim's post about how he dreams about getting reenlisted at his age, becasue that's pretty much the same kinda thing that happens to me, every once in a while. That's the good kind of dream. I'd take that every night if I had a choice.
Does it hppen to me only, or do you sometimeswake up from one of these dreams and you still have that "combat smell" stuck in your nose?
I signed up for 5 years of foreign legion, in 1982. Well, actually, my father had to sign for me, as I wasn't 18 at the time. As you all know, the Legion has its own ways to deal with things like that, so I was suddenly 19, half an hour after entering the recruiting post. New name and everything.
Anyway, I bouht into the whole "we'll find you a cozy place" bullshit from the recruiter. Found myself in the 2nd REP (airborne unit of the french foreign Legion) and subsequently, was deployed almost 4.5 years out of my 6 years total (signed up for 1 more). I have my dreams, like everybody else. They came AFTER I got out. Never in between deployments. I'm out since almost a quarter of a century now, and the memories fade. What drove me nuts on deployment was not the combat. It was the waiting. The endless bullshit the sergeants came up with to keep you occupied. Digging holes for a day, just to fill them back up the next. Making us build roads in a country where almost nobody had a car. Crap like that. The weird thing is I miss it, every day. It's funny to read Pilgrim's post about how he dreams about getting reenlisted at his age, becasue that's pretty much the same kinda thing that happens to me, every once in a while. That's the good kind of dream. I'd take that every night if I had a choice.
Does it hppen to me only, or do you sometimeswake up from one of these dreams and you still have that "combat smell" stuck in your nose?
The only times I have dreamed about combat was when I fell asleep with the TV on,.... and they played old war movies.
But the first 2 years after I got out (1973) I had nightmares where I had to go back in.
But the first 2 years after I got out (1973) I had nightmares where I had to go back in.
