Thank You Vietnam Vets

I’ve got to get something off my chest in a good way…

If there are any IDO’ers who are Vietnam War Veterans, or for those of you who know any, this goes out to that crowd. I’ve got what I feel is a great story dedicated to you:

In the summer of 2007 I was on my second deployment to Iraq and got to come home for mid-tour leave. To get back home to the great upper midwest (MN!) I had to get a connecting flight in Dallas. When we landed in Dallas an entire plane-load of deployed soldiers got off the plane to disperse to our connecting flight. What I experienced when I got off the plane warms my heart and gives me goosebumps to this day. As we made our way through the terminal we were greeted by volunteers, well-wishers, veterans of all eras, and a large contingent of Vietnam veterans.

For those that know American history, if there’s any group of veterans who would be justified to be bitter it would be Vietnam veterans. When they came back home in the 60’s and 70’s they were treated by some with scorn and contempt. They were treated (by some) as cold-hearted killers, all because they answered our nation’s call and defended our flag day in and day out. When put in that position most would agree that human nature would cause most people to be bitter and angry. Yet there they were, proudly wearing their Vietnam-era patches, wearing leather vests dispplaying their service, volunteering their time to welcome a new generation of veterans home.

There is nothing I can say to express my gratitude. To be greeted and welcomed by warriors that were shunned themselves is beyond words. There is truly nothing to describe it.

For those Vietnam veterans who were treated less than heroes, yet take the high road and still support our bad-a#@ country and its veterans, thank you so very much for what you’ve done for our country. You never quite received your due appreciation, but your sacrifices and service to our country are very much appreciated.

Well said.

From this Marine Corps Veteran, THANK YOU for your service AND kind words. VERY well said and truly appreciated more than you might know.
Take care and God Bless America!!

MANY,MANY,MANY THANKS from this Viet Nam Vet (68-69) in the 82nd Airborne. I remember my flight home from San Francisco to Minneapolis. Not one person talked to me which was just fine, because I was telling myself how lucky, how lucky, how lucky I was and thanking the man upstairs for bringing be back alive and in one piece.

WE VETS WILL ALWAYS STICK TOGETHER

Thank you for your service and well written post Dan!
My brother, Gordy was killed in Vietnam. My mother was never the same person after that. Outside of family it went pretty much unnoticed.
I’m confident our country will never make that horrific mistake again.

“Well said” X2!
I shudder to think where this country would be today without all our past and current warriors.

Thanks Dan S. I’m a Veteran of that era, 1972 -1975. this was the tail end of that era. I was in the medical core. I had left AIT from Fort Rucker Lister Army Hospital, given two weeks to ‘go home and get my affairs in order’ before being sent over. Orders were “Saigon Evac Hospital, final destination, NA!” That I think was harder on my whole family than it was to me. Anyway, as the good Lord would have it, having left Travis Air Force Base, Calif, we landed at Hickam on Oahu, Hi, about 1pm Hi time. We (bunch of guys) proceeded to go over to the honolulu airport and started washing down suds, and we watching the TV in the bar there. Thought we heard CBS news Cronkite say Nixon wasn’t sending anymore tropps to Vietnam! We blamed it on the beer! At 2000hrs, we had a formation on the tarmac back at Hickam Air Base, were we were greeted by the General of the Pacific Command (from Fort Shafter) and said we would be his guests for the night and reassigned in the morning!!!!!!
That next morning, I was assigned to Tripler Army Medical Center there on Oahu, Hi for the rest of my tour of duty. Lucky, yes. that was Sept 73. From then til about May ’75, when the last left ‘Nam, all our wound brothers and sisters were triaged all across the Pacific. So everyone came through TAMC. We had 16 operating rooms, and ran 8 of them 24 hours a day, alternating the 8 every other day. Some of the toughest and ugliest surgical cases of my life. (I still work as a Surgical Technologist today, here in Rochester @ Mayo)
I will say that by the end of ’74, things had ‘settled down’ and we were seeing fewer and fewer patients from the field. In Dec ’74 I volunteered to accompany a medical C-130 flight back to the states. Eventually going back home to (Western) Nebraska where I’m originally from. I remember the stares from the ‘civilians’ as I got off my flight in Denver. My parents there to greet me and take me home. It was no different when I went back to Denver to go back to Tripler Med. That commercial flight was really strange and all the hours flying back to Hawaii I had wished I’d worn civilian clothes instead of being in uniform. Yet, I was proud to be serving, knowing all those whom I helped the best we could and giving everything we had medically to offer, which for many we treated, wasn’t enough and they paid the ultimate sacrifice……I will never forget.
Yes, it is different now days, being recognized for our service. I does make now make me feel appreciated, and I am very moved by your words you shared here Dan S., thanks you very much. And from me, and those that served then, I can pretty much say, we’d all say, “your welcome, and it’s good to be home.”
(Tim, aka, Flatfish)

Was there for 2 tours 2 /1 1ST. Marines recon. Got off the plane in Mpls. and a guy spit at me. Guy behind me picked him by his throat and slamed him on the wall. To this day I think it was Jessie Ventier.SP.

And there’s this:

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