memorial day - Vietnam

by Glander 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  Glander

  They called me in to the draftboard for an interview shortly after I turned 19 in 1964. I had registered at 18. Got married at 18 yrs. and 10.5 months.

  I sat at a long table before five uniformed officers. They asked me if there was any reason I could not serve. I explained my religous stand as a JW. They asked me about serving as a consciencous objector in a non combat capacity. I had already been coached to say no by the society. They dismissed me from the hearing. Shortly thereafter, my wife received a personal visit from the FBI at our humble cottage in Santa Barbara one day while I was at work. A couple of months later I received a letter from the Draft board that I was not to be drafted.

  Almost 50 yeays later I look back and wonder. I know the names of more than one school pal that has his name on "The Wall".

  I feel lucky and guilty at the same time. I will fly the flag tomorrow as I have been doing for almost 30 years.

  I truly respect our armed forces.
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  poppers

  I will fly the flag tomorrow as I have been doing for almost 30 years.

  I truly respect our armed forces.

  Thank you, Glander - Cpl. Poppers
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  jamiebowers

  Don't feel guilty. You did the best with what you knew at the time. My husband was drafted at the age of 19 in 1969. Despite being a star athlete in baseball, football, and wrestling in high school, he failed the physical. He worked in a factory between graduation and the draft and developed a double hernia. The military didn't want him even after he had it repaired. He feels guilty to this day.
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  talesin

  Survivor guilt -- yes, those young men's names are on that wall, and never should we forget that they were mostly from poor families, conscripted into an amoral law, and most who returned, were not complete. Have you ever seen a thousand-yard stare?
  
  Count your blessings, continue to support the troops as you do, and realize that living an honest life, and being the best person you can be, is all that's required. Instead of looking at the past with regret, look in the mirror, and see what you can do TODAY, to be that 'best'.

  tal
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  Left in the Cold

  My stepfather saw the end of the Korean Conflict and did 2 tours in Vietnam. On one of those tours he was a gunner in a helicopter. He was brave and received the Bronze Star among many other awards. He was a Marine. But he says he doesn't like it when men say to him they feel guilty for not joining back then. He holds no bitterness toward men who didn't enlist. He is bitter about how he was treated upon his return to America. If he has animosity, it's toward those people, not men who didn't enlist.

  I hope that helps a little, Glander.
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  LV101

  Thank you for this post, Glander.

  My cousin served in Viet Nam and passed away couple of yrs. ago. At one time we didn't know if he was dead/alive when he was a prisoner of war. He and some of the guys a few yrs. ahead of me in highschool are on the wall.

  I, too, respect our military.
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  Glander

  Thank you, Left.

  Your StepDad sounds like a great guy.

  I agree that Viet. Vets were generally treated badly when they came home. That was very unfair and many of those vets who survived the war came home to a hopeless future. Anyone who thinks that PTSD is no big deal just doesn't understand how fragile human beings are. War is a destroyer one way or another.
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  blondie

  My grandfather was in WW1

  My father in WW2 and Vietnam

  Their return to civilian life was not easy nor for their generation.

  Even now returning military men and women have to face getting a job that supports their families, to come back to a world not full of bullets and bombs, to people who don't understand that you can't just turn it off. And every family member have faced difficult times and pressures who never signed up.

  I have played cards with the guys at the VA hospital. I was surprised how many have no one left. So it is more than words we need to give.
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  ohiocowboy

  Glander, I'm glad that you didn't go to prison like others did! You were very fortunate and I am glad that you are around to share your story with us!

  Vets were generally treated badly when they came home. That was very unfair and many of those vets who survived the war came home to a hopeless future. Anyone who thinks that PTSD is no big deal just doesn't understand how fragile human beings are. War is a destroyer one way or another.

  Yes, it is very sad that our Vets do not get the care that they deserve when they return home. It is absolutely shocking to see the number of Vets that succomb to suicide from PTSD, and the general feeling that they are not wanted. Very Sad. Every time I see a Vet or Soldier in uniform, I always make it a point to shake their hand and thank them. A couple of them have even gratefully accepted a brotherly hug.

  HERE’S a window into a tragedy within the American military: For every soldier killed on the battlefield this year, about 25 veterans are dying by their own hands. An American soldier dies every day and a half, on average, in Iraq or Afghanistan. Veterans kill themselves at a rate of one every 80 minutes. More than 6,500 veteran suicides are logged every year — more than the total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined since those wars began.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/opinion/sunday/kristof-a-veterans-death-the-nations-shame.html?pagewanted=all

  Bless our Soldiers who fight to keep us free as a nation.