Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. I was an 11b20 combat grunt with the 199th L.I.B. You mean compared to a world without medicine, or transportation, or instant communication? 1,326 520. I signed up for the second tour. A former prisoner compared them to coffins. So even if you were stationed in South Africa passing out basketballs at a gym, you qualify to call yourself a Vietnam Vet, because that term has no legal standing and is a colloquialism. Moreover, the mission had been a humiliating failure, and officials worried the commandos were undercover Communists. In 1974 he received parole. To the Editor: Although Joseph Kurtz Jr. attempts to make an important point about Vietnam veterans, his obvious anger confirms for me why he left so much unsaid. According to History, lawmakers lambasted him for waging war without Congressional input. Even those who were adopted were sometimes given away by their new parents. They later performed a shoddy surgery on his leg, leaving him with a limp. According to one estimate, the number of veterans without stable accommodation was … It's hard to quantify the harm caused by combat exposure and torture because, as the Lancet noted, soldiers tend to be healthier than the average person. The Khmer Rouge went on to implement oppressive policies and engage in atrocities (including cannibalism and genocide) that resulted in the deaths of between 1 million and 3 million people. Some struggled with PTSD and substance abuse 40 years after coming home, not to mention increased the back, joint, and neurological problems. They protested for days and set an ROTC building ablaze. Song further alleged that his men beat Hall and Marshall to death. What are you gonna do when Russia sends tsunami. I know it sounds very ignorant, but here's my question. Why are Vietnam veterans honored? Arizona Senator John McCain was never physically the same after surviving over five years as a POW. But Koh Tang was crawling with up to 200 amply armed and battle-tested combatants. A alot of White People like to treat Asians like slaves in America. Protesters hurled rocks at wary guardsmen who responded with tear gas and gunfire. It was dragged into battle by U.S. bombs. These symptoms generally started off with blurry or burning vision with episodes of violence, anger, depression, frenzy, memory loss and lack of concentration. This is America. In 1994, I joined a group of volunteers on a goodwill project that was organized by the Friendship Foundation of American Vietnamese, a nonprofit based in Ohio. **** all you guys i was just asking a question holy **** your all bitter, not all of them are messed up in the head, but yea there are a lot that are.how about you go sit in a jungle in the dark, so dark you can barley see your hand in front of your face, with no sleep, or better yet go to sleep,and have some one come through there and try to kill you, then the next day go out and look for the ones that were shooting at you, and hope they don't have the area booby trapped some how, or have a sniper waiting for you to walk in to his sights. The first official flight crashed, killing 138 people, 78 of whom were children. It wasn't America's first Cambodian rodeo. The commandos were actually under duress. The vast majority of us came home and went to work etc. Post Oct 25, 2017 #1 2017-10-25T16:36. However, hundreds had actually survived. Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Last. In 1964, Uncle Sam unleashed the dogs of war after North Vietnam allegedly attacked American vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin. So It saddens me that a Vet has to defend himself just to get answers. They butchered babies and burned down homes. As Smithsonian Magazine described, many of their mothers didn't view them as tiny humans but humongous burdens. In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson seemingly agreed, telling his national security adviser that the Vietnam War wasn't "worth fighting for." The war had gore galore and rage to spare as napalm and incendiary policies scorched physical and political landscapes. So, the beat goes on, and the left-wing liberals of today still disrespect us with backhanded insults while pretending to be "sympathetic." As Time detailed, in 1969 the Green Berets conducted a top-secret operation to ascertain the effectiveness of the Cambodia bombings. The broadcasting is all lines on my TV and it's cutting off alot .. As a former member recounted, "We weren't even keeping count. Most Vietnam vets are well adjusted and productive citizens. Peers picked on them for being poor and parentless. and here’s the story: One night in early July we were set up in an ambush position during the day. The dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982 began the process, but many identify the Gulf War of 1990-91—with its national flag-waving, yellow … War is organized barbarism on an enormous scale. Declaring the POWs deceased allowed the military to stop monthly payments to the deceived and grieving families. Future Congressman Sam Johnson suffered seven years in captivity. This bloodshed bled into the Vietnam War. A pair of sisters arrested for attempting to aid Communists spent seven years in tiger cages, where they were burned with quicklime. In the process, he broke both arms and a leg. Tufts University explained that the Johnson Administration bombed Cambodia in 1965 because the country severed ties with the U.S. while allowing Communists to cross its borders. Per History, World War II bred bedlam in Vietnam when Japan wrested the country from French colonizers. The empathy we Vietnam Vets feel for each other is something none can describe from any other war. Are they honored because they were forced to fight and then honoring them is sort of like a way of paying them, or are they honored because of their fight against "evil communists"? However, military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (above) discovered the cover-up. However, the majority of Vietnam Vets are healthy and productive members of society. Answer Save. 11 Answers. One hundred Marine reinforcements were sent to the Cambodian island of Koh Tang after the ship and its crew had already been recovered. I served with the 3BN11thREG1stMARDIV from 1970 to 1971. Per ABC, in 1967 McCain's plane was struck by a missile, forcing him to eject. It was literally overkill, just like the war itself. Then his captors wrecked his right shoulder before bayoneting him. The campaign killed between 150,000 and 500,000 noncombatants. Shell shock is something that affects a large portion of veterans, whether or not they served in Vietnam, Iraq or any other place. In 1971 he received a life sentence. And there is no time to hear who he is.” Well, here’s who he is: Neighbors served three tours in Vietnam during … But few people knew the true extent of his dishonesty in 1969. No wonder so many were messed up. The reinforcements were informed they would face up to "40 old men and farmers." Congressmen visited South Vietnam in 1970 and reported the horrors they witnessed. ? Many GIs in Vietnam made love and rape and war, creating embattled children. Some soldiers raped women and girls before gunning them down. What kills people is not COVID. Nixon's chief of staff described the carnage at Kent State as "the beginning of his downhill slide toward Watergate.". Chuyen's wife uncovered the killing with the help of a general who despised the Green Berets. Eleven hours later a ceasefire officially commenced in accordance with the Paris Peace Accords. Nixon beefed up the bombardment over a four-year period during which fighter jets dropped 540,000 tons of bombs. In March the demoralized men marched on the village of My Lai with orders to eradicate Communists and Communist sympathizers. Even so, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that Vietnam veterans "with high exposure to warzone stress were nearly twice as likely to have died" between 1987 and 2013 than those who experienced less stress. Tiger Force member Gerald Bruner threatened to shoot his fellow soldiers if they kept killing civilians. Volunteering to give him or her a ride to and from their appointments. No skill usable on the outside, plus they got so messed up, one way or another, that they couldn’t hold a job if somebody had offered them one. However, the military at least tacitly condoned the atrocities. A temporary peace ensued but was shattered on May 4. Reuters reported that when "Pol Pot's chief torturer" stood trial for his crimes, he partly blamed Nixon's carpet-bombing campaign for the Khmer Rouge's reign. War: What is it good for? A My Lai survivor said soldiers laughed amid the slaughter. Yet people tend to accept it more than less frequent instances of torture. That soil also assailed solders' children and their children's children and millions of Vietnamese children and adults. So many from then and even now don't stand up for the benfits they deserve. Vietnam does not have the capacity to undertake a South Korea-style fight against coronavirus, which has so far involved carrying out 350,000 tests. And we are all suffering from sever PTSD as a result of all the atrocities we committed while deployed to Vietnam. Eventually a Congressman did Tricky Dick a solid by threatening to block defense funding if the Army didn't block the case. True Face of the Vietnam Vet by Malcolm McConnell [Reader's Digest (May 1994)] Fed up with the stereotype of his comrades as bedraggled losers, one man decided to expose [1] the frauds.. On the State Fair grounds in Dallas, B.G. The New York Times described the original cages as "small concrete trenches with bars on top" which tightly packed five to seven people. How many people are you talking about? . But, in my mind's eye, I didn't perform all that well; and I can't forgive people until I figure out some way to forgive myself. Suddenly the rescuers needed rescuing from a needless battle. The last GI to die on Vietnamese soil during combat perished in 1973, according to History. The National Guard arrived to establish order, but disorder ruled the day. I was born in 81 so … ... Asians Americans (especially Asian Men) have been treated badly especially by the Vietnam Vets like we are lower then them. In 1945 a French-backed Vietnamese emperor gained power, and Communist honcho Ho Chi Minh mounted an uprising that gave rise to North Vietnam via the First Indochina War. Cottingham served as part of the Tiger Force, a unit assembled in 1966 to "out-guerrilla" the Vietcong, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Maybe your just too dumb to know what your talking about. Official: COVID-19 prompts Rose Bowl move out of Calif. As end nears, Trump gets doses of flattery, finality. It's no secret that Richard Nixon had a hostile relationship with the truth. To the Berets' dismay, one of their operatives, Thai Khac Chuyen, appeared to be a Communist spy. A disabled veteran may struggle to get to appointments. In January 1968, fighting intensified with the Tet Offensive, which saw North Vietnam land a series of sucker punches on the U.S. and South Vietnam. Cheese and red wine could boost brain health, Struggling Americans fear stimulus won't be enough, Big retailers buoyed by 'once in a lifetime' convergence, Trump won't put aside grudges, even for good news. 1,326 520. Tired of the government's seemingly inexhaustible dishonesty, Ellsberg eventually leaked the Pentagon Papers, showing shocking chicanery by the government during the Vietnam War. If you researched before posting I would not be forced to respond to stupid questions. It’s really about people not getting a chance to know they have a choice. Russia sends tsunami your way. Declassified documents and a slew of interviews reviewed by Newsweek depicted a mission mired in mystery and mistakes. Initially hailed as heroes, the Tiger Force soon saw killing as "the way to live," according to one Tiger. Defense officials knew about the fighters, but nobody told the Marines. Nevertheless, he immersed America in the "biggest damn mess" he ever saw. Their blue eyes made numerous Vietnamese see red, and their curly hair became a curse. Get your answers by asking now. Are high school sports in need of radical reform? Cambodia placed a crimson exclamation point on the war in 1975. Per the Associated Press, in 1959 the CIA began recruiting South Vietnamese men for espionage and sabotage efforts. The U.S. government insisted it didn't instigate the incident, which didn't really happen as described. In 1969, the same year the public learned about My Lai, more lies were told about a separate massacre. :-) Seriously wait a few years until the Iraqi boys start showing their problems. Being despised makes the bond tighter than ever. Twenty-seven members admitted that collecting ears as trophies "was routine." For America, the Vietnam War ended with a bang that made men whimper. Eventually, being hard-headed and 20, I decided to piss on the fire and call in the dogs. Led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge were ruthless Cambodian Communists who employed guerrilla tactics. The exception might be John(I want to be president ) Kerry and Al(I invented everything) Gore. In 1967 the jaded GIs executed untold numbers of defenseless villagers. That doesn't include the life-shortening disorders and severe disabilities suffered by the children of those exposed. Will nuclear war happen this month or early next year? Other POWs endured having all four limbs bound together (sometimes behind their backs), whereupon they were hung from meat hooks for hours or days. Tingling, numbness, headaches, twitching and loss of sensation are also symptoms related to the neurological impact of Agent Orange exposure. Vietnam vets and their advocates believe a brutal calculation may lie at the heart of why their claims have gone unexamined. In reality, commandos had raided nearby North Vietnamese targets as part of an operation originated by the CIA. Why is the vets game so messed up. not knowing if you were going to live through the night, or through the day for that matter. John1953. Reflecting on what he witnessed in Vietnam, platoon medic Larry Cottingham remarked, "There was a period when just about everyone had a necklace of ears." Often the offspring of white or black men and Vietnamese women, these babies resembled blended enemies. Frequently hired out of high school, the commandos were promised $2,000 annually plus $100 monthly to their families. By the early 1960s, South Vietnam’s conventionally trained … No not all of em I think ,lookout for Iraq people. Eight men faced criminal charges, but Nixon wanted officials to scrap the case. McCain became incapable of lifting his arms above his shoulders. Some vets expressed episodes of severe personality changes and suicidal behavior. A Marine-led rescue effort ensued. The Vietnamese dubbed them "children of the dust." Why Vietnam Vets Are America’s Greatest Heroes January 22, 2012 by Raymond Bechard 46 Comments Raymond Bechard pays tribute to the men who … The U.S., however, continued counting them as "unaccounted for.". Vietnam's soil contained one of the war's dirtiest secrets. Although he swept the carpet-bombing under the rug, in 1970 Nixon invaded Cambodia in broad daylight. A group of American infantrymen known as Charlie Company took a huge hit, according to History, suffering 28 casualties. But South Vietnam used them to detain anyone deemed "politically dangerous," including civilians with "anti-Government" leanings. I confirm that I am a U.S. Caring for and compensating veterans … How come people who fought in WW2 aren't as messed up as Vietnam Vets? North Vietnam, meanwhile, had its own incarnation of tiger cages, claustrophobic bamboo enclosures (above) used to torture trapped troops. But Em Son, the former special forces commander for the Khmer Rouge, later stated that Hargrove had been captured, questioned, and shot. It saddends me that the Vets in Vietnam have been put through so much bullshit. Not everyone found it acceptable, though. A four-year investigation by the military confirmed 18 culprits, none of whom faced formal consequences. Suddenly, court proceedings couldn't proceed "for national security reasons." Per official testimony, Private Paul Meadlo had been kidding around and giving kids candy when he received the order to shoot them. New research looks at why so many veterans end up on the street. The US Government does not recognize “in-country” identifiers (Just like … do this for 13 months strait then when you come out you get back here and tell us if your not messed up in the head to. The operation ran like a legless racehorse. So people don’t know. I don't feel we are any more messed up than any other group of people. Guards starved detainees and hit them with sticks. So the public back home in America treated anyone arriving back home in military uniform as nothing more than "baby killers" or "war criminals". More questions for military and veterans who fought in a war? Puppies Behind Bars is a program whereby prisoners train companion dogs for veterans with PTSD. After the war, 281 survivors sought payment, but their service was no longer officially acknowledged. Nice lumping and steretyping. So basically, they laid down their lives for a cause just to push communism back, over 50,000 of them died for that caused, some of them were forced to basically commit war crimes, they saw some really messed up shit. Why is it that most homeless people are Vietnam Vets. He spent 42 months in solitary confinement, his legs confined by stocks or shackles while he laid on a cement bed. Students hammered him for perpetuating a conflict that he promised to end and for being Richard Nixon. Jump to page: Results 1 to 30 of 76 ... so to speak, while Vietnam was a completely unnecessary ****fest with tons of grey area. Nixon desperately wanted to keep that under wraps, even if it meant wrapping up a murder trial before it started. But Cambodia had never formally joined the fighting. One former bully recalled that the forlorn orphans "would just look down and walk away." It was a disgrace how our vets were treated, but that how it was back then. Thousands of Vietnam vets who returned home unaware that they had been exposed to the same toxic dioxin that was meant to combat their enemies. As North Vietnamese troops prepared to topple Saigon, rumors circulated that the incoming Communists would slaughter anyone connected to America. The country's medical system is also limited. PBS explained he didn't even warn Cambodia's head of state, who was a U.S. ally at the time. That’s why I went to Vietnam. Meadlo's mother would later lament, "I sent them a good boy and they made him a murderer." Well, first off, the Nixon administration. I was eighteen and stupid when I finally got to Vietnam. Two days after launching the invasion, Nixon announced it on television, conveniently leaving out the lethal aerial assaults that accompanied it. Do the rank insignias on the military uniforms include the battle or military service rewards ? Even if a lot of people saw the war as unjust why treat the people that fought the war like garbage? This question is mainly for someone on my contacts who asks similar questions. Sponsoring a companion dog for vets with PTSD. I suggest reading about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which was not identified during the Vietnam era. Right? This was very offensive to me. I was recently asked why I was so angry and why I couldn't forgive people who, in my estimation, didn't perform as well or do as much as I did. Relevance. Why were Vietnam vets treated so badly when they came home? Based on eyewitness accounts and government documents, the Toledo Blade (which broke the story in 2003) estimated the Tiger Force killed hundreds of helpless people. Now it dragged America back into combat. I have a docket # that is 4 years old? Can you threaten suicide to get out of basic training? I have many viet nam vet friends and family members that are just fine. Update: John where I live most Vietnam vets are homeless. Why is ebenefits so messed up? Meadlo wasn't alone. Edwin Starr would say "absolutely nothing." They fought for us to be where we are now. Would it be messed up to say that I don't care to acknowledge Memorial day? Charley Company savagely murdered 504 villagers. By 1965 the U.S. military had taken charge and started telling the relatives of captive commandos that their loved ones died in the line of duty. And then when they got back home, they were treated like the scum of … Pride can kill a Vet. Some soldiers later grappled with guilt and needed psychological counseling, but others remained remorseless. Even then he managed to keep everyone in the dark for as long as possible. President Gerald Ford green-lit Operation Babylift, which evacuated 2,547 orphans via airlift. You make assertions that simply are not true. To force a false confession, guards beat him "every two or three hours" for four days. The media made it that as if the entire U.S. military perpetrated the atrocities in Vietnam. A second dissenter was also silenced. Four students died, and nine sustained injuries. We know they experienced more combat though, than anyone else. Seemingly out of nowhere, American soldiers swarmed the country. The military maintained that the men "disobeyed orders" by failing to reach rescue choppers on time and had likely died. Curt J. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs lists 14 different diseases, including Parkinson's and seven kinds of cancer, linked to Agent Orange exposure. Society also regarded the kids as garbage. At Kent State University in Ohio, students and activists went on the anti-warpath. Constructed by French colonists in 1940, tiger cages were designed to hold POWs, per Atlas Obscura. Survivors described digging mass graves for the victims. The United States and South Vietnam had Catholic presidents who were shot to death in November 1963. I was in the homecoming parade with the 1STMARDIV on base. They shrewdly used the bombings as a political weapon, amassing enough new members and momentum to overwhelm Cambodia's pro-U.S. forces. Uncle Sam was dead wrong. As Americans were rocked by tectonic social shifts, the war's many faults shook their collective conscience. On May, 12, 1975, the Khmer Rouge â- Cambodia's Communist regime â- commandeered an American cargo ship. If you have suicidal thoughts or plans, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Still have questions? That tune changed in 1975. The My Lai Massacre and subsequent deception fomented anti-war fervor in America and demoralized already war-weary troops, who increasingly coped through drug use. And as the Vietnam War's countless cruelties came to light, many came to see it as a tragic travesty. While war takes a greater material toll, torture nurtures and conveys inhumanity. Also, treatment was not available like it is now. Even so, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that Vietnam veterans "with high exposure to warzone stress were nearly twice as likely to have died" between 1987 and 2013 than those who experienced less stress. Three Marines â Gary Hall, Joseph Hargrove, and Danny Marshall â went missing. In fact, as the Guardian detailed, the military sprayed Agent Orange that was 25 times more potent than its own guidelines suggested. Every commando that entered North Vietnam got captured or killed. its like the things they went through over there scarred them for life, and there incapable of being around people..why is this? … How do you think about the answers? It gets more depressing. Per the Chicago Tribune, in 1990 the VA revealed that the military realized Agent Orange was dangerous but used it anyway. In the aftermath William Calley's supporters harassed Thompson for his heroism. Commanding officer Lieutenant William Calley wanted them dead anyway. They withstood years (sometimes decades) of torture. This meant poisoning everyone in the vicinity, but Uncle Sam assured everyone that Agent Orange wouldn't hurt anyone. Of course, not everyone gets it, my grandfather fought 3 bloody wars, and he didn't seem to get shell shock, which is quite odd as he served in a duty that had a 90% mortality rate. Burkett stood patiently beside five red granite tablets, the start of a Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial. If you’re going to Hell, you might as well go in style. I feel obligated to bitch to make it better. Izzard praised for embracing feminine pronouns, Celeb chef decries 'biggest emergency' in a century, Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine shots leave warehouses. Despite pushback from the Pentagon, the commandos eventually won a court battle for back pay. He reportedly cried as he fired his weapon. That is not true! Who knows what recruiters are promising these days, but there was a time when a stint in the military looked quite attractive to an awful lot of people, for a multitude of reasons. Will Asthma Joe get as much guff as Bonespurs Don for being disqualified from military service? Called the BVA and they said it is waiting to be seen by the judge. A superior officer ordered Bruner to see a psychiatrist and scolded him for speaking up. Sure there are some that suffer from the war, and many more that suffer because of the manner in which our government has neglected the care of these soldiers. They treated their children like literal trash, dumping them in trashcans and at orphanage entrances. One prisoner remembered being force-fed soapy water and receiving electric shocks. They became vagabonds and beggars. Went on ebenefits this morning it said awaiting place on docket. It's estimated that South Vietnam kept 20,000 to 200,000 prisoners in tiger cages, sometimes for years without trial. However, the ceasefire soon ceased, and Vietnam's soil continued ending GI lives for decades. After months of media coverage, in 1996 the government begrudgingly confirmed the cover-up. Then they dumped him in a "murky" body of water. As described military maintained that the incoming Communists would slaughter anyone connected to America the Khmer â-. Phase of the loop for months but Disorder ruled the day for matter... 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