Spitting on Vietnam Soldiers

yeah.. true.. you can resist to go when you drafted.. and end up in a prison where you (as a traitor) probably wont be treated very nicely..

It is soooooo easy to say 'I would never go'.. but untill the day you are actually drafted you have no idea what you will do.

And most vietnam vets were just very young men at that time.. that's not too different from childsoldiers in Africa (where children have far more responsibilities at an age we western people are still pampered by our mommies and daddies). You can't blame the US part of the vietnam war solely on the vets.. neither can you blame any war solely on the soldiers. The biggest part (and I'm talking 99% here) is due to the government, it's force, it's system and it's pressure.

If the majority of the US can't seem to be able to have the common sense NOT to vote for Bush.. how do you EVER expect people not to fight a war? Hell.. I'd go as far as saying that ever single person who voted for Bush (esp. the second election) is more to be blaimed for Iraq than the soldiers who are serving there.

 

i was 18 in 74 you didnt go to prison just had to dissapear and do neither ....register or seek employment of killers [i.e.gen.electric or electric boat ] ive suffered by the measure of others sucess but am truly glad of my hard road decision ...........im not talking as someone who wasnt confronted buy that situation .i can look anyone from southeast asia in the eyes and talk about what went down cause i stood up n dids the rite thing ....this 1% of which you speek is all the fulcrum u have personaly to change this world from a sadistic hell into the fun place it was designedcto be .... henery david thourouh ...civil dissobidience //tolstoy ,,,thoughts on the moscow census 1880 -what is to be done ...slavery of our times

 

gdhmomchild;I quoted you since you went where I'm going ,but I am sure I am going to piss some of these kids off.I am sick and fucking tired of hearing this pissing and moaning from these pacifistic twits,who's perception of the world is seen while still dangling from the tits of home.Whining about shit that they haven't spent any time researching before they open their mouths.These puesdo-intellectuals should stick to subjects that they have an understanding of,instead of attempting to emulate a life style out of the past.since they choose to be blind to all the facts,they have to realize that there was bad as well as good to the hippie culture.Back to the issue at hand.

Homebudz .....I extend my hand to you ,to say thanks.The snot-noses raising shit over this aren't worthy of your presence.I too,am a 'nam vet.That is why I can give the cry babies shit.I was just like them,only difference was I was in the fucking army.Tricky Dick said the war was over and all troops were coming home,no prob,join the army to stay out of jail,cool.Not so cool,being part of air defense unit,my ass got sent to Siagon for the evacuation.I was part of the security detachment to guard the air-strip and keep the air space clear of hostiles.I was there when there was no disputing the fact,we fucking lost.That was April 1975,30 fucking years ago,these kids have no idea what they are saying,I strongly believe not a one of them have the backbone to endure the hardship side of the hippy lifestyle.
Homebudz.....from one vet to another,and like I said I never made it into the bush,what I was a part of was enough for me.So you have my respect,you were in the meat of it,and made it out to talk about it.Me on the otherhand,opted for the chicken shit way,I brought back a heroin habit that damned near killed me,whing and crying about where I was at.
That was another bullshit aspect of that war.....a full blown jungle vet couldn't get any help from the very government that sent him into the jungle.Yet I was viewed as a causuality of the war,because I came back with a drug habit.That is far from fair to the guys who endured the nightmares of the jungle.

So you crying ass bunny huggers can think whatever,just leave shit alone that you know nothing about.Say what you want about me,I can handle it.I have no problem standing in front of a mirror and pointing my finger at the root of my problems.Until you can do that ,I don't need your shit.

 

who do you think set up the highland lao growers into a heroin cartell ....and a lot of folks back home me included picked up the same thing ...well dad bush thats who in his cia days ....read the crimes of patriots and endless enemies by jonathan quitney .......van pow bernie houghton nugan hand bank .....the mony men sold everyone and everything out to profit on everyons needless suffering on all sides ....se la guerre mon amie

 

Fylthevoyd: all you proved in your post is that staying in jail would actually be easier than going to nam. Not one person here says that it was easy being a soldier. Hell, I'm pretty sure that if I was sent to nam or Iraq or Afghanistan I'd be dead. No question about it.

But I fail to see a logical connection between how tough war is and how immoral it is from a soldier's point of view.

To summarize:

We say: "You killed children just because you got the order from your superiours!"
You say: "But being a soldier is not as easy as you think!"

Where's the logic?

P.S: Don't get me wrong. I don't believe it's fine to spit on Vietnam veterans, any other veteran, or any person in general. But I do believe that a soldier can't maintain his innocence just because he got orders.

 

It doesn't really make me feel all that bad because I am completely anti-war. Wait. No, it's not right what they did, and now would I myself have done such a thing? No, I have a little more respect than that, but the rage I feel when I see the men in uniform and how some people bow down to them saying "God bless America!" I have to bite my tongue. All I see is war.

I can see in a way where someone would feel that they would want to protect their homeland, yet I don't feel that killing one another is the answer. What is? That I don't know, but taking the lives of the innocent is not something that should be easy to brush under the rug.

 

I assume you hate me then.

 

Is that post directed to me?

If it is, no, I certainly don't hate you. I don't hate anyone. The whole war thing just isn't something I believe in.

 

I wear a uniform proudly.

 

If it's something you believe in, and something you support, it's your personal right to do so, but not everyone has to agree with it.

It's not that I don't support our troops, I don't support the WAR. I think about all the lives lost, I think about the families here in America who's parents are deployed, it just bothers me. I wish there were another solution, that's all.

 

Considering that there was no reason for the war, and therefore no problem to begin with... Was there a need for a solution?

 

My grandfather fought in Vietnam, my other grandfather was in the military and stationed in Germany. All three of my husband's uncles, as well as his father, served in the military. I do have respect for them for serving our country, yet I also feel a great sadness because I know that they have witnessed a lot and it has affected them for life, and not in a positive way.

I would have never done things such as spitting on someone, throwing bottles, or picking fights, that's not me. Inside I would have harbored some fury and sadness, but I would have never done anything to harm anyone, or show disrespect. I would have done nothing.

The reason I get so angry is because of what I said in the previous post, I don't support the WAR. I think about all the lives lost, I think about the families here in America who's family members and friends are deployed, I think about the families that lost their husbands, wives, children...it just makes me feel awful. And, when I see one in uniform, it just makes me think of all of that. That's where my rage comes from. It's not against the person, it's against the war.

Standing up for your country is admirable because you are putting your own life on the line, I will say that, but the fact that you have to be put in that situation is what I have a hard time dealing with. I just hate war, that's all.

 

Tis very true...

 

bless these kids,they're trying to do what we couldn't.As one who "lived through it"i appreciate them.

 

.. you kinda keep repeating yourself.. with bad spelling I might add.

For a lot of people there is no other way out of their miserable lives (no work, abusive parents etc) than to join the army.. it offers them a great chance to get food, a roof over their heads ànd make money they can send home to maybe their wife or kids. There are lots of reasons why people would join the army. Plus.. in Vietnam times we are talking draft. You were considerd close to being criminal for not responding to your draft.

Again.. sooooo easy to judge others..

 

makno is awesome. his bad spelling is part of who he is... and dont think for a second it isnt on purpose.. his words of wisdom are clouded with drunken rambling to give those an escape route to his truth.
There are plenty ways out of your miserable life other than the military... shouldnt use t he military as an escape route... who knows what unjust mission you will be sent to carry out? Makno sounds like a hero to me for not responding to the draft.

 

Hmm... Guys in uniform can look sooooo good! But maybe it's just an sicko freudian thing since my dad was in the army and when he got stationned in Germany I had to live between soldiers (Dutch, English and American) for 4 years.. as a kid that was just an amazing time.. seeing all the huge tanks.. huge roads there as well.. all the tough looking soldiers.. hearing the windows rattle when they were target practising..

.. And all of that to keep those evil commies out! Hehehe.. the year after we got back home the pulled down the 'iron curtain' and the Berlin wall.. ah well..

 

Just as all protesters shouldn't be lumped in the same category as those who spit on returning vets, all soldiers shouldn't be lumped in the same category as war criminals who killed children. That's like saying all soldiers who served in Vietnam are just as guilty for My Lai as William Calley.

I respect those who dodged the draft during the Vietnam war because they felt the war was wrong. Likewise, I respect those who didn't dodge the draft because they felt that draft dodging was wrong. Hate the war, not the soldiers.

 

Hey.. don't get me wrong.. I'm not saying that people who refused to go to Nam were not really cool and all.. deeply respect them for standing up. But it's just different for each person and each person has to pursue their own life goals, walk their own paths. I still firmly believe that the real issue lies on macro-level: governments (or maybe even in evolution, like I stated before). Again, you can say that it's the soldiers who are doing the fighting.. but who is sending them? Right.. the governments.. and who elected those goverments? Right.. the voters. So.. in the end.. the people themselves are to blame for voting (and the ones who didn't vote shouldn't have a say in this AT ALL.. if you didn't speak up when you had the right to.. you sure as hell have no right now.. unless you're a minor ofcourse).

 

I pretty much agree with you on that... cept i wouldnt bring evolution into it.
Also tis' assuming that americas elections arent completely fraudulent... honestly, i have no way of telling whether or not America's elections are legitimate or not... they could easily be fraudulent. But when we have options like... vote for this guy, and he'll continue the war... and ban gay marriage.. ORRR... vote for this guy, and he'll continue the war, and tax MNC's... there's no difference... So therefore the whole SYSTEM is to blame.. lesser of 2 evils bullshit.