Memorial Day 2005 the Pacific View Cemetery, New Port Beach, Ca VVA 785 Director, Justice Eileen Moore US Army Combat Nurse, Vietnam Veteran
 
The motto of Vietnam Veterans of America is “NEVER AGAIN SHALL ONE GENERATION OF VETERANS ABANDON ANOTHER.” · Vietnam Veterans felt shunned by veterans of WWII and the Korean War. They did not feel welcome into traditional veterans’organizations. To a great extent, it was not just older veterans, but the American Public as a whole who shunned Vietnam soldiers. There were bumper stickers saying such things as: “WANT TO TAKE A VOYAGE TO FAR OFF PLACES, MEET EXOTIC PEOPLE AND KILL THEM?” Somewhere along the line, the word “PATRIOT” became a four-letter word. Until Vietnam, soldiers and sailors were a familiar and friendly sight in America’s neighborhoods. The men wore their uniforms proudly. But soldiers from the Vietnam era were subject to taunts on public streets. People spit on them in airports. In my opinion, the American people confused the great changes and unrest going on in our society at large with the Vietnam War. People are usually confused and unhappy while great changes are in the wind. Things usually get worse before they get better. In fact, Americans were making fundamental adjustments regarding our ideals of freedom and democracy. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and by the time of the war the Civil Rights Movement was at its height The existing order was challenged at all levels Many American cities saw race riots I don’t remember ever seeing a Black, Hispanic or Asian officer at the beginning of the war. By the end of the war, there were many The Women’s Liberation Movement encouraged women all over the country to push their way into businesses, industry and learning institutions The draft ended in 1973 The country was feeling the effects of several U.S. Supreme Court cases which forced major changes in the existing order: Shelley v. Kramer voided restrictive covenants in housing. Baker v. Carr forced changes in dividing electoral districts Gideon v. Wainwright required the public pay for counsel for anyone accused of a felony but too poor to pay for a lawyer. Loving v. Virginia voided statutes which banned interracial marriages. Roth v. U.S.-relaxed pornography laws. Hollywood movies changed. They tended to encourage strong emotions. M*A*S*H challenged almost every exiting practice. Dirty Harry and Death Wish sent the message criminals were being coddled. Cotton Comes to Harlem and Shaft challenged racial prejudice. While all this turmoil was going on at home, soldiers in Vietnam only wanted to remember the America of their dreams, their girls, their mothers and apple pie. When they opened their eyes in a hospital to see an American nurse standing there, they didn’t care where they were. All they knew was that the best part of America was beside them. Wherever they were, they were safe. Often their hand would drift up, just to touch the soft face of an American nurse. When they were told they had lost an arm or a leg or an eye, their first words were usually about home, about America. “Charlie can’t get me anymore and I’m going home” was the typical response. I think that dying away from home was their biggest fear. They needed to know that the loss of their fallen comrades was necessary for our freedom and peace. The point is that our fighting forces need to depend on us at home to support them. They need to believe in their own personal American Dream. Our country is once again at war in a far off place and another generation of soldiers has been placed in harm’s way. We are again thinking about our fundamental goals of freedom and democracy; this time in light of terrorism. No matter what is going on in American society or politics, no matter what changes are taking place, we owe it to our armed forces to honor them for what they are doing for us. Even if people hate this war, they must love the warrior. No other group of veterans should ever have to adopt a motto about how they were rejected by those at home. They need us to say “thank you for serving” when we see them. Our soldiers must believe the American people are depending on them, and that the 1,657* who have fallen did not die in vain. Don’t let them lose hope the way our boys in Vietnam did. They need to believe they will be home someday to a country that honors them. *Click here for Casualties as of 04 May 2010 http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdfshapeimage_2_link_0