Judging by shrtrnd's other posts I think I can safely assume he was just being facetious.
Btw, that's why I never joined the VFW.
Chris
Political argument (Yeah, this is going to end well)
- Thread starter CDRIVE
- Start date
Judging by shrtrnd's other posts I think I can safely assume he was just being facetious.
Btw, that's why I never joined the VFW.
Chris
GonzoEngineer & CDRIVE, I DID go into the VFW when I got back. It was just like
GonzoEngineer said. All I heard was the media hype (FROM THE VETS THEMSELVES), about how drugged-up, screwed-up, and generally useless the guys
like me were, who were coming back.
Not only didn't I join, I've never been in one of their Posts since.
Yeah, I was making a joke.
I don't think some of the Australians here think war is a joking matter. I was making
a reference to the sorry situation, not the combat.
But I will second the observation, that having Aussies in the rice paddies with us, was
a privilege.
GonzoEngineer said. All I heard was the media hype (FROM THE VETS THEMSELVES), about how drugged-up, screwed-up, and generally useless the guys
like me were, who were coming back.
Not only didn't I join, I've never been in one of their Posts since.
Yeah, I was making a joke.
I don't think some of the Australians here think war is a joking matter. I was making
a reference to the sorry situation, not the combat.
But I will second the observation, that having Aussies in the rice paddies with us, was
a privilege.
I have never been to war. it is a luxury I have from those that fought before me.
I have heard stories of what vets from the vietnam war had to endure upon returning to a country they were fighting for (indirectly of course, they were helping an ally in the hopes they would help them in return if needed).
hippies preach love and peace, but unfortunately not all people preach this. it is the worst part about war that those who have not been there have no idea what went on. and even those that fought in world war 1 or 2 or in Korea, afghanistan, Iraq, or any of the multiple other wars will not know what it was like to fight in vietnam and in return no one will understand what it was like to fight in those other wars.
I try not to weigh in on any war as most I was not alive to see and the rest I was not there to fight. for any that have fought for our flag, or their countries flag and have the ultimate aim of peace then I for one thank you.
I get tired of "do gooders" with a limited sense of vision. they want peace, well fine you go have your peace, don't fight any war... in fact don't even carry a gun or weapon of any sort. then lets put you somewhere natural away from all the heavy industry..... like south africa. then when the next war starts up lets see who is begging for people to fight for them.
I have heard stories of what vets from the vietnam war had to endure upon returning to a country they were fighting for (indirectly of course, they were helping an ally in the hopes they would help them in return if needed).
hippies preach love and peace, but unfortunately not all people preach this. it is the worst part about war that those who have not been there have no idea what went on. and even those that fought in world war 1 or 2 or in Korea, afghanistan, Iraq, or any of the multiple other wars will not know what it was like to fight in vietnam and in return no one will understand what it was like to fight in those other wars.
I try not to weigh in on any war as most I was not alive to see and the rest I was not there to fight. for any that have fought for our flag, or their countries flag and have the ultimate aim of peace then I for one thank you.
I get tired of "do gooders" with a limited sense of vision. they want peace, well fine you go have your peace, don't fight any war... in fact don't even carry a gun or weapon of any sort. then lets put you somewhere natural away from all the heavy industry..... like south africa. then when the next war starts up lets see who is begging for people to fight for them.
GreenGiant
- Feb 9, 2012
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Joking about that stuff is wrong, just wrong what is wrong with you shrtrnd, blah blah blah
Yup that's how us Americans are these days, make a joke about something like that and you'll get crucified. I find that making jokes about the uncomfortable subjects makes them easier to bear. I don't necessarily agree that war is a joking matter, but I can totally understand why, and I would probably make the same type of comment.
Gotta be PC (politically correct) nowadays though, don't want to offend anyone now
It's a basic human mechanism to deal with uncomfortabel subjects, it's been in practice forever.... But yes in today's PC world how dare
anyone use a time proven mechanism to help people deal with anything that is if it's the least bit controversial in itself...I started this thread, yet I've been conspicuously AWOL throughout most of it. I guess it just dredged up too many painful memories. Most of us, that God blessed with returning home alive and with all our parts found the battle at home far worse than in country. How many of us were constantly calling long distance to buddies because we needed confirmation that there wasn't anything wrong with our selves? For many of us family was not a respite from a citizenry that wished we would simply fade into oblivion.
Two months after returning stateside I found myself at my older sister's home for Thanksgiving. My kid sister managed to find her way home for the occasion. At the time, she was a full blown radical Hippie who seemed to salivate at the chance to opine on my service to my country. I will not repeat what she asked me about my time in Nam but I will tell you that she made certain everyone heard what was more of an accusation than a question. After that day I didn't speak to her for 10 years! We've since mended that wound but I avoid talking politics with her.
Chris
Two months after returning stateside I found myself at my older sister's home for Thanksgiving. My kid sister managed to find her way home for the occasion. At the time, she was a full blown radical Hippie who seemed to salivate at the chance to opine on my service to my country. I will not repeat what she asked me about my time in Nam but I will tell you that she made certain everyone heard what was more of an accusation than a question. After that day I didn't speak to her for 10 years! We've since mended that wound but I avoid talking politics with her.
Chris
- Joined
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- 25,510
I think that was a time when people against the war blamed the soldiers rather than the politicians. Even worse, they blamed conscripts.
I'd hope that we've all learned something from that. I'm pretty sure that even the most radical anti-war hippies these days don't target returning soldiers. (Or at least I'd hope they didn't).
Political correctness affects war too. I'm pretty sure that one of the reasons many countries went into Iraq was because they thought Sadam Hussein was a bad enough man that he should be removed (and because he had oil). As unpopular as the Vietnam war was, it was at least fought for a principle that was fairly honestly stated.
I'd hope that we've all learned something from that. I'm pretty sure that even the most radical anti-war hippies these days don't target returning soldiers. (Or at least I'd hope they didn't).
Political correctness affects war too. I'm pretty sure that one of the reasons many countries went into Iraq was because they thought Sadam Hussein was a bad enough man that he should be removed (and because he had oil). As unpopular as the Vietnam war was, it was at least fought for a principle that was fairly honestly stated.
GonzoEngineer
- Dec 2, 2011
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I apologize if I seemed a bit touchy on this thread.
I had three brothers and a sister, and between us we did 9 tours in Vietnam.
(Sis was a Navy Nurse at DaNang).
None of us were drafted, and my brothers and I all enlisted for Airborne Infantry.
It's just a touchy subject for me....I still think we should have kicked more ass here at home!
What we really lost in Vietnam was a generation of leaders. If they didn't die in Vietnam, their spirit died when they came home.
I had three brothers and a sister, and between us we did 9 tours in Vietnam.
(Sis was a Navy Nurse at DaNang).
None of us were drafted, and my brothers and I all enlisted for Airborne Infantry.
It's just a touchy subject for me....I still think we should have kicked more ass here at home!
What we really lost in Vietnam was a generation of leaders. If they didn't die in Vietnam, their spirit died when they came home.
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