Vietnam Vets-Does the level of rancor and vitriol in America today remind you of the Vietnam War era?

Question

This is the same atmosphere I remember encountering when I came home from my last Vietnam tour; except for chrome hardhats and rioting college students.

I strongly suspect the lack of a military draft is the main reason for the latter.

What do you think will help the US come together besides a new terrorist attack?

Please - No BS about either Obama nor McCain making a difference. It's much deeper than politics.

Ex US Navy

Answer 1

Fight political bigotry, wherever your find it.

Yes, they have the free speech to say it.

YES, we have the free speech to speak up against it and make clear how contemptible we find it when they:

slander

libel

call-names

spread unfounded rumors

use "guilty until proved innocent"

believe "the ends justifies the means"

say "well they use it so I can too"

etc.

I've been called Republican or Neo-Con so many times I suspect it's now my middle name.

I'm an old-style democrat.

Not a socialist.  I don't hate half the country.

I speak up every time, and they always assume I'm from the other party, because they can't even IMAGINE that what they are doing is wrong...

...because good men and women are silent while they do it.

Speak up.

Have a backbone.

Have some ethics.

When you see such behavior, give them an education.

It's time for it to be patriots (of any political party) vs. political bigots.

Answer 2

While I am not a Viet Nam Vet, you can see from my years of service that I was but a short distance from all the anger and caught some of it when seperating from active duty in 1976.

Grew up 23 miles south of Berkley. Saw a lot of the stuff up close and personal while in High School. Had a cousin KIA in Apr 69. His parents got at least one call from a wonderful human telling them that the "baby killer" deserved to die. Another cousin did several months at Oak Knoll, he was bringing 2 other Marines to my parents house while they were convelesing. There were comments from some nieghbors to the 2 as they were amputees, not kind comments.

My welcome back was at 2300 at SFO in July 76. Was attacked by a man and woman. she was spitting at me, trying to slap me and screaming "baby killer". 2 cops came running and dealt with them in very unprofessional manner. Even got asked by 2 women in job interviews "So how many babies did you kill?"

The point is I have asked recruiters if this same stuff is or has happpened to them or others they know. The only postive hit was the spitting. Seems that is still going on. At least a little improvement!

During the 4.5 years in the Reserve at Presido SF there were several other run ins while in uniform...right up to 82.

I have HIGH hopes that the incidents of such c**p is very limited.

Last but not least. I have been involved with a cute little thing that grew up in Trah Vinh and was in Saigon in 75 when it fell.

They love all of you that were there! Her, her sister and brother in law and a total of 14 others that escaped have never said a bad thing about your help and would all glady cut off John Kerry's manhood for being the lieing SOB that he is. The brother in law was a Major ARVN 1955-1975. To say he and the others were hostile when they learned of the things that went on here during the war is a gross understatment.

SSG US Army 73-82

Answer 3

Yes, it does.

The US can't come "together" under the current circumstances.  The entire design of the social agitators is to divide the country and demonize their "enemies."  Nobody is simply wrong anymore, it's not enough to disagree, look at the hatchet job that's being done of the Governor of Alaska and her family as an example.

Answer 4

Wow... at least where I live things havn't approached that kind of stuff at all... I was always under the general impression that people either respected what the troops were doing, or were angry at the administration, but not the troops.

Answer 5

Yes. I do see some similarities. And it isn't the absence of a draft. It's the presence of something else. That's the most diabolical invention since the end of the Korean War. The "instant on" switch on TV sets. We are being conditioned to expect all problems to be resolved instantly, like the acquisition of sound and picture on a TV. That anticipatory "entitlement" has even worked its way into the world of the internet. I've witnessed people on laptops at airports and coffee bars developing anxiety because of slow down loading of some images and data.

So, if we begin military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and those same operations are still ongoing beyond the 27 minutes and 30 seconds (plus commercials) allocated to solving problems on some TV show, we get restless. Even though every person in a position of civilian leadership in the nation since September 11, 2001 has told us this is the Long War and it's going to take time.

All of this is further complicated by two diametrically different hordes of hypocrites in our society. First are the members of the "Petey Patriot Platoon", engaged in cheer leading and "support the troops" rites when many of these same people would not have given the time of day to a man or woman in uniform on September 10, 2001. They are in political combat with the "Bleeding Heart Brigade" who moan and wail over every military death (combat or non-combat) when their silence was almost total when it came to the 7,500 men and women who died in uniform in the previous U.S. administration. Of course, their animus towards George Walker Bush blinds them to recognition of those earlier casualties. That animus is also symptomatic of their overt elitism, equating President Bush's Texas accent with signs of below-average intelligence. The same situation showed up during Vietnam with regard to Lyndon Baines Johnson. One can also see similarities between the "9-11 Truth" group and those who believed LBJ was behind the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.