Viet Nam Peace Day 2025 is on Monday, January 27, 2025: On Memorial Day, tell us what you love about YOUR favorite serviceperson.?
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My favorite serviceperson is a Viet Nam Veteran and my brother. He, as did many of our generation, accepted the call of his country to defend freedom for people everywhere -not just the USA. He was 18 when he voluntarily joined the Marine Corps. He served in Viet Nam as a "tunnel rat"and used a flamethrower to do his job. He came home, like the rest of the Viet Nam vets , to derision by the American people. But, because of the sacrifices he made, along with all the other military personnel in our country's history, we are able to live a peaceful life. He is now 63 years old, and a very patriotic American, proud of his service to his country, and would defend it still if needed.
I am proud that he loves freedom to live here in peace enough to gamble his very life for that cause---for you and for me! Semper Fi!
If you have visited the Viet Nam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, DC what effect did it have on you?
Good evening Brainbabe,
ORDERS: You are hereby ordered to report APO San Francisco on December 18, 1967 for the Republic of South Vietnam. December 18th was by wife's birthday.
There were fourteen (14) men KIA and around 100 wounded in my small outfit during my year in Vietnam. I was very close to six of the fourteen KIA's. I call them, the KIA's, "Forever Young."
When I returned to the States, I did not want to have anything to do with Vietnam. I could not even put "served in Vietnam on my job applications.'' One interviewer actually asked me out right, "How much marijuana did I smoke?" I had no reason or desire to see the Vietnam Memorial Wall. For me, the whole Vietnam experience was filled with bad memories, flashbacks, death, and both physical and mental pain. For some odd reason, for years, something in the back of my mind told me to go see the wall. It got stronger each passing year.
On Sept. 4, 2009, I read an article about the traveling 3/4 scale replica of the Vietnam Wall. It was coming to Westlake Village which is about 30 miles away. I asked my wife of 46 years if she wanted to go with me. Her answer was, "yes.''
My wife is not a very emotional person, and she never said much to me about Vietnam. She understood what I was like before Vietnam. She had seen the war pictures and some of my Vietnam buddies. My best buddy from Warren, Pa. came to visit us for three days with his family ten years ago.
The day before the visit to the Wall. I copied down the locations of all 14 KIA's. I did not sleep very good that night. It sounds funny. After almost forty years, I was going to see a part of my past. That morning I drove my newly painted 74' Plymouth Variant. I saluted every name on the wall. The last name I saluted was KM. I turned my head to the side as KM winked back and said, "Nice car." I made no records or pictures. After almost an hour, we drove back home.
I had flashbacks all the way home. I noticed my wife had glass or tearie like eyes. She kept rubbing my neck and saying over and over, "That was so surreal. I am glad I saw the Wall. My wife is difference. Maybe it is me, but she seems to have a bigger understanding of me. More respect or awardness of who I am. Even after 46 years of marriage. I think every wife, girlfriend, friend or relative of a Vietnam vet should see the Wall. I finally saluted the men who will always remain FOREVER YOUNG.
Why did MK wink at me at the Wall? MK was my best friend in Vietnam. MK was short (only four days) time. He had ordered and had pictures of his new 1969 SS (Supersport) Chev Convertible. It would be waiting for him in the States. We would always joke about him riding around with the top down. I have always had good flashbacks of him riding around heaven in his new Chev.
I think the Wall helped me. I am able to talk more about Vietnam, but I will never revisit the wall again. Why? MK drove into the sunset and waved goodbye. He knows I understand.
My wife's word, Surreal: "Marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream, unblieveable, or dreamlike."
If you wish to read more, please read my answer to the question "What is War like?
BrainBabe, you and your family have a beautiful weekend. Peace, from Los Angeles.
Why are vietnam viets always protrayed so badly?
as one who served in the viet nam war i can assure you that i was never a druggie and never lowered my head to anyone i didn't like the war but then if you like war i think you have a screw loose. we went there to do a job that was never intended to be finished. if you recall, if you are old enough, or read about the war you would see that our technology and our fire power was quite extensive and yet we lost. that is the biggest thing i hate about viet nam we were not allowed to win. when nixon got to the white house and hired henry to negotiate we felt that the only reason the nva would want to negotiate again was an effort to resupply. most fighting stopped when the paris peace talks would start up again that is for our side their side was bringing more supplies down the ho che minh trail just as fast as they could and we were supposed to honor their cease fire. we had awsume fire power that scared the hell out of them. one was the b 52 bomber their bombs could come within 100 feet of a target on the ground and they flew so high that the bombs were falling on them almost before the enemy could hear them coming. but since you asked the biggest reason that the viet vet was scorned was the news media. just like this iraq war you can get instant pictures and news almost as it happens. our parents saw the same things we did the same day it happened. the news people didn't show the american gi as anything but a murderer of women children and villages. i believe that pres reagan had the right idea when he invaded granada without informing the news that he was going to do so. it sure worked
