Who are the TRUE "American Heroes"?

Greatly appreciate these links, my friend.

I will indeed be reading through them later today.

From what I have read in the past of personal accounts (of 'Nam vets in the past) so much sounds like the most harrowing fiction, when, indeed, it was all stark, brutal TRUTH.

I have in my military collection a GI Joe figure standing with his hand against the Vietnam War Memorial in DC; when a button is pressed, a haunting, illuminated image of his fallen comrades is illuminated, with one soldier seemingly reaching out to grasp the hand of his still-living comrade.

This still humbles me to this day.

How long it took this country to fully recognize the great heroes of the Vietnam War.......that, in itself, is indeed a sad commentary on our country..........

 

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Wikipedia

May the legacy of these fallen men never pass from our hearts, nor from our minds.........

 

More interesting, in-depth reading (photos/maps/etc.)..................

Vietnam veteran - Wikipedia

 

Thoughts on 'Nam vets........

When these brave young men enlisted (or were drafted), they were about to fight in a conflict that is still a highly-volatile topic today.

Every soldier in every war ever fought has experienced every sort of hardship and horror imaginable; the men who fought in Vietnam not only had to combat the enemy, but, also, fight in a hot, humid, energy-draining climate, where tropical disease was rampant, not to mention the horrors of Agent Orange, whose hideous affects are still being suffered by thousands of veterans today.

"Battle scars" are not always physical; they are also emotional and mental, and, to that end, the men who fought so valiantly in "The 'Nam" are still bravely fighting many an ongoing battle, a battle, sadly, they will be engaged in until they pass on to their final rewards.

Next time you happen to meet a 'Nam vet, just give him a quick salute and say:"Thank you!"

Life is far too short NOT to thank a deserving veteran........................

 

Just came across this excellent page, "VIETNAM SOLDIER: A YEAR OF MY LIFE"...............

Vietnam Soldier A Year of my life - Vietnam Soldier (there's a great deal of "human interest" here, courtesy of a proud veteran)

 

I'm 'finally' going to file for service-related disabilities..

hell I'm 72 now but non-genetic/non-diabetic peripheral neuropathy & foot drop has me walking 1/2 my reg pace and tripping/falling monthly.. it's getting old (as am I)..

VA presumes AO caused this if I was exposed (they sprayed atop of us and we slept in wet foliage)

hypothyroidism..
75% hearing loss from artillery..

oh well.. I can't say I got cheated out of experiencing life..

AND, I have the memories and scars keep me happy..

I didn't want to claim disability because I had a full working life, raised a family, owned homes, and a lucrative accounting career and pension.. .but this BS is starting to get to me..
one of these days I'll hit my head in a coffee table like William Holden..

every system/bloodwork us xlnt..

BP usually 118/62
fasting glucose under 85
A1-c is 4.4
cholesterol is 140

gotta lose weight though.. thinks hurt..
knees/lumbar were replaced/fused.. two carpal tunnel surgeries, surgery for macular hole in right eye + two cataract surgeries..

lots of other stuff..

best thing I ever did was stop drinking/drugs/smoking in 1986

just a tad of THC and some CBD/CBN at bedtime..

my Dad's grandfather was born in 1860 and died 1957 (he saw Civil War, was 16 when Custer ate the weenie and saw Elvis on TV)

my Dad was a life-long couch potato.. 5'8" and usually 250lbs.. diabetic, his glucose was never kept under control.. but he didn't drink/smoke.. he lived to 88...

so I could very well be around awhile.. yard work hurts now.. I'm an artist and everyone wants me to start painting again..

I probably should..
I had an exhibit "BIRDS of CALIFORNIA" I painted on butcher paper and taped together displayed at LAX in 1964.. it was 45' wide by about 3'(?) tall..

I'm a much better drawer than painter..
BTW: if I might ask, within 200 miles or so where are you..

 

You are indeed living proof that,even though a CONFLICT may be long over, that does NOT mean, by ANY means,that the "WAR" is over....far from it.

That you (and thousands of other 'Nam vets) are still dealing with the "battle scars" decades later, really makes one think:

WHY were we in Vietnam in the first place?

WHY did we fight?

What did we GAIN?

I still remember (I was about 11 at the time) hearing a huge group of anti-war protesters (on the New York television news) loudly chanting:

"HEY! HEY! LBJ! HOW MANY KIDS YOU KILL TODAY?"(LBJ was in Manhattan on this particular day)

Those words still ring in my ears today, over 50 years later.

From what you have written, you are, without a doubt, a true FIGHTER.

Good God, it is a miracle that you have been able to lead ANY sort of a normal life (you obviously have been quite successful throughout the years; bless you, my friend)

You must, I am sure, wonder what your life MIGHT have been like, had you NOT been fighting in 'Nam; most certainly, you would have been in much better health.

I've read that many vets, in later years took up painting as a form of therapy (I have always enjoyed drawing; mostly transportation subjects; also, miniature set building)

When I was still in grade school, I well remember how the names of cities and places we never heard of before, suddenly became as familiar to us, say, "New York","Philadelphia", "New Jersey", etc.

Hanoi, Saigon, Laos, Cambodia........then, in the news, it was "the Vietcong", "guerilla warfare".......for many of us, the concept of this war was hard to grasp.

It was disturbing, to say the least, to hear of someone "local" from my area being killed while in action.

It was NOT a happy time, for certain.

For all the songs so popular then, focusing on "love","peace", and "brotherhood", there certainly was not much of it being displayed in the world, at that time.

ANY war is waste.....sheer WASTE......and 'Nam was indeed that.

God be with you, my friend........you've obviously encountered a hundred hells, and still managed to not only survive, but also, make a success of yourself in life.

I, myself, have lived within minutes of Manhattan, in northeastern NJ, for all of my 66 years............

 

See:

Vietnam - Wikipedia

(see section on the Vietnam War)

 

NJ? dang!! the closest I ever was to you was in July '69.. Newburgh, NY & West Point.. you'd have been 12-13... just starting to sprout pubic hair!! haha..
but we do have digitized communication and at least one common thread of interest (though I suspect there's others)..

smartphones: just the cellular radio-phone portion is a scaled-down version of the PRC-25 radio I shouldered with my other equip.. I bent the antenna forward and tied it.. I decorated it and my radio/rucksack with foliage for concealment.. otherwise, I had the logo for Target Dept Stores emblazoned on me in bright neon orange.. take me out and we can't call in air/artillery support or evac..

it weighed an additional 25 lbs w/battery..,
cell phone? 8-10 oz?

now there's satellite cell service.. chat w/family.. we had to go to a MARS station when in rear base, wait in line and after dark they'd bounce signal toward USA and volunteer HAM operators would get info before we hooked up, call our home, ask if they'd accept charges and we'd get to talk for 5 min..? those HAM guys were great!

I study Native American history; both pre/post Euro contact.. Indian Wars; especially the campaigns to destroy the Great Plains Horse Culture..

I enjoy Caesars Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, Alexander's brilliant military mind, East African fauna.. I enjoy discussing cinema (I love pointing out flagrant errors that could easily have not occurred had they asked experts ( or even me)..

examples:

APOCALYPTO (dir: Mel Gibson).. on the night of a total solar eclipse, scenes show a full moon.. can't happen.. should be a New Moon..

GOODFELLA'S (dir: Scorsese) the big heist at JFK in mid 1960s shows 747 taking off.. they didn't enter commercial service until 1971..
I enjoy cooking for people, garden, read, read, read, meet new people and see old friends.. fish, scout/track for my son or just for fun.. birdwatch, playing with grandkids, dreaming about old lovers and possible new ones..

I sleep maybe 4-5 hours in avg.. don't know why.. I always have.. maybe 2x monthly I'll sleep 8-10 hours.. I'm up all night until dawn since Covid era reworked me..

thinking of you,
Allen

 

Allen:

I, also, have always greatly enjoyed reading on Native American history; many areas in NJ and NY have names derived from Native American tribes, or related words.

I also have read much on the Civil War and the Revolutionary War; also,much on the Air Force and Navy during WW2 (my uncle, a decorated Air Force vet, flew a B-24 that was later shot down over Occupied France.

With the pilot dead, he brought the plane down, with other casualties aboard.

He was in a British military hospital for quite some time before he returned to the States to marry my aunt in 1945; he later made a very good name for himself, in the construction business.

He seldom talked about his Air Force days, and, when he did, he'd speak briefly, and then change the subject.

Understandable.

The Korean War is another war that, today, is largely relegated to distant history (recall M*A*S*H*?); most of the men involved are now long since gone.

This was also the first war where jet fighters were used.

I also am greatly interested in midieval knights, ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, and the Vikings.

The Gulf War I've also found quite interesting (remember those big-azz HUMVEES and "Stormin' Norman", a NJ native?)

Given how many conflicts we have been involved in,one way or the other since Vietnam, it would seem that we STILL have not learned our lesson, regarding senseless combats.............

 

Another war that still can get quite heated, discussion-wise, today.........

Korean War - Wikipedia

 

The Civil War has often been called the first "modern war", as railroads, telegraph, and steam-powered naval vessels were in widespread use.

The First World War* has been called the first "mechanized war", when trucks, tanks, airships, and early aircraft were commonplace.

The Second World War was the first war to use truly modern aircraft; some naval vessels were using diesel fuel.

The Korean War saw, for the first time, the use of jet fighters.

The Vietnam War was the first to use widespread chemical warfare.

*At the time of WW1, London boasted the largest fleet of motor buses in the world (nearly 2,000 in total)

Hundreds of London buses were painted army drab, had their windows boarded over, and were wrapped in barbed wire, before being sent to France by ship.

There, these converted double-decker buses were used as troop transports, ambulances, and moble support units.

After the War, many buses came back to London, where they were re-conditioned for civilian service once more; others were destroyed in enemy action, or were simply abandoned.

One of these buses survives today in the London Transport Museum's collection ("Old Bill") and has been faithfully restored to its WW1 appearance, a living memorial to the soldiers who once were transported across the French battlefields,well over a century ago..............

 

From Judy Collins' autobiography, "Trust Your Heart" (1987)........

"..........the peace has come, the war in Vietnam is over, and yesterday there was finally a parade for the Vietnam vets who returned, the ones whose names are not on the Wall. But our national history is written on that wall in shame......"

".........the last man to die in the war in Vietnam, whose name is carved on the granite wall, is Richard Vande Geer, who died on May 15, 1973........"

Rest in peace, our long-forgotten heroes..........

 

From the book, "THE VIETNAM EXPERIENCE" (David J. Bowman).......

"........in many ways, the men who served in the Vietnam War were engaged in a thankless task. While numerous Vietnam veterans have gone on to successful careers and full, fruitful lives, our contemporary popular media focuses on the ones that were not so fortunate........"

".........the greatest defeat that the United States suffered in any conflict it was involved in was the failure to overcome the overwhelming attitude of coldness and indifference, with which most Americans shunned most of the returning veterans......."

IMHO, the ULTIMATE disrespect to our brave troops that fought so valiantly, and suffered so greatly...........

 

My dad was a field medic / corpsman on the front lines through France and Germany. He was valedictorian in his high school class, graduated early at 17 1/2 and elisted, he looked 14. He got six months medical training and they put him on a ship over to the war with a medical kit and no rifle. Honestly, I don't know how he kept it all together for so long with the carnage he must have seen. Yeah, he had a few pet stories, but never really talked about it, but the PTSD must have been horrific. "Nah, there was nothing we could do for those poor bastards....most times we didn't even have morphine or plasma, it was goodbye, pal, there was no transfer from the front, maybe a jeep if you were 'lucky', guys just bled out.

Of course, we never found out that he got a bronze star or why, or that he turned down a field commendation since he didn't want to be promoted away from his men. So, all that lost to time. In return we got a bronze plaque for his head stone - we couldn't even get someone for a final salute.

 

Your dad, indeed was a "humble hero"....God bless his memory!

I've read too much on there not being enough medical supplies "at the front" during too many conflicts; even the most basic of medical supplies could not be had.

It is truly heart-wrenching to think of so many brave men suffering from such tremendous pain, and nothing to ease their pain.

I've read that, during the Civil War, opium was in such sort supply that it was being used to ease the life out of the living, instead of easing the living out of pain.

My uncle (who flew a B-24 in the European theatre) had his plane shot down over Occupied France; the pilot was instantly killed, but my uncle managed to crash-land the plane in a large open field (several of his crewmen either died or suffered serious injury)

Thankfully, he was not captured.

He did spend close to a year in a military hospital in London, before heading back to the States in late 1944; to this day, my family does not know the extent of his physical injuries; there were, of course, mental issues as well)

Thankfully, he came home, married my aunt, raised a wonderful family, and was very successful for many years in the construction business.

He seldom talked about his Air Force days; and, when he did, he spoke briefly, and would then change the subject.

He was our family's greatest hero.

It's been said that "True heroes never seem to realize that they are heroes".

That was my uncle.......................

 

I dunno what kept him off the roof. Everybody drank then, it was normal for the generation. Maybe that's why he played golf a lot - the solitude and being able smack a ball hard...I thought he just wanted to get away from mom for a while. But looking back....you could definitely see signs. But that was the man he was and I guess he did the best he could with what he had and could handle. Somehow they ended up with the eight of us, and we all turned out great...

 

Eight children?

Bless your Mom!

There was only myself and my two older brothers (who were already working by the time i came along);the uncle I just mentioned, and my aunt, had twin sons and two daughters.

That was largest family in our family!

My uncle did just about everything; he was very knowledgeable with woodwork, home repair, mechanics, you name it.

My aunt was always busy with her gardens and her assorted handicrafts, which she excelled at.

Both my older brothers and I often tried to get my uncle to talk about his Air Force days; we especially wanted to hear about his plane.

But NONE of us ever got much out of him,on this topic; this included both my aunt and my mother (his sister)

He was also decorated for his bravery; you KNEW he was PROUD, but he was clearly relieved to be out of the "spotlight" after the ceremonies ended.

Like my uncle, I have always much preferred to be as far out of the "spotlight" as possible.

He was, also, the last surviving crew member from his plane ("The Tinkerbelle"); he passed away in 2014, in a nursing home, suffering from a number of age-related issues (he was 94)

In his prime, he was a big, distinguished-looking man, who resembled Ronald Reagan.

He also enjoyed great health for most of his life.

When he passed, my family said "farewell" to our greatest hero...............

 

True American Hero goes to are Military Cops Friefighters EMTs and our volunteers

 

My dad who was in the army