slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Liberty Tree

Much better than the leftwing groups who just want to use veterans to push their agenda.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

L-T, I posted the second link late. It is of our larger Forever Young group visiting Washington D.C.

Rose42

Nice to see some recognition for these men. As a group they were treated abysmally.

Nice post

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

It helps a lot . We were mostly draftees and our own generation labeled servicemen as "Baby K**lers" . I never wore my uniform in town and even afterward I forgot that I was a veteran . I am not a combat veteran but many of my close friends are .

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

very good post....... I once worked for yellow freight down in the cities and a group of vets went to Washington and came back with similar photos.. I could not join them but they showed many of the photos.. Other then the long bus ride it was a good trip../we got very little recognition at that time..

Radar OReilly

I don't remember a lot of what my dad told me about VietNam till I was in HS. I was born in 73 the year he retired from the AF and did notice he was active in the American Legion and wore his uniform at times but always wore his cap. I also am a Legionaire. I have spoken to a lot of Nam vets early in my AF career and they said how difficult it was in the late 70's and 80's to talk about their time in Viet Nam. My dad was a combat pilot(Flew F111's) he lost friends and one was a POW he later introduced to us when I was 14. When I was stationed at Shaw we took a trip to DC to visit the Wall with Dad and Mom. I can't understand why they were so mistreated and forgotten when I was growing up. I guess it was because Viet Nam was such an unpopular war and the young then(Now I wonder how many are conservative Republicans)were liberal students who wanted to change the world. I still interact with VietNam Vets at Legion functions and of course here on OPP.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

The Viet Nam war as lost right here at home .The soldiers who fought there came back feeling that it was all for nothing .

Radar OReilly

Yes I have heard that from many Viet Nam vets including my Dad and fellow Legionaires.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

You would have to lived in the times to fully understand .From the time I was 11 years old I saw neighbors and friends be drafted . All through high school my class mates were drafted some before they even finished high school . Every neighborhood had a deployed soldier and a grieving family who had lost a kid who was not even 21 yet I was told by my parents that I was no better than them . I enlisted and president Nixon signed the moratorium December 8th 1972 while I was in Basic training .

Radar OReilly

Thanks for telling me this. I know no one from my generation had to worry about this.