Our Vietnam Vets are still left behind?
598960
My father's a Vietnam Veteran, and I can tell that his scars from Vietnam will never completely heal. He suffers more now that when he served his tour. Our family has learned to understand this, live with it and continue with life as best as we can. \n\nMy father suffers from numerous physical and psychological disorders originationg from his tour. There are many horror stories about how VA treats veterans, but I have to admit that VA has been wonderful to my father and our family. \n\nThe VA medical system is the only system that was able to properly treat my father's issues, and we've been through a dozen doctors in private practice to try and help him. My father's needs have increased as he grows older, and VA has provided assisted care so my Mother and I can have breaks from taking care of him. \n\nThe VA system is not perfect though. It is a federal system, and sometimes things take a long time to happen than it seem it should. I can see how veterans easily get lost in the system, and that is where Veteran's support organizations come into play. The organization that my father belongs deals with much of the paperwork that can be extremely confusing.\n\nI would suggest that you contact a Veeteran's support organiation in your local area as well as a Veterans's support group. Your husband didn't serve alone during his tours, but served with other brave men who shared the same experiences. You and your husband should not deal with your issues alone, and should share it with other just as he did in Vietnam.\n\nGod luck to you and God bless...
641467
buddy i am a vet, two tours in iraq. and i want to thank you for saying such a good american thing and having the courage to post it here. i finished my military sevice couple of weeks ago and people like you are the reason we can keep going. even though our wives leave us, we lose most of our money, never get to see our kids born and miss thier birthdays. it helps to know there are still people left that have a love for this nation we serve. its hard to put up with the things we do and most every morning we'd rather stay in bed. thanks for makeing getting up every morning worth something good. my name is sgt curtis wellman, 6 years usmc 3 years us army
852143
well it depends how long the US government is willing to keep them over there before realizing tis a lost cost and that we can't fight insurgency. don't worry it only took 25 years with Vietnam....\nand they didn't even have oil....
399497
I understand exactly what you are experiencing.  I went in in 1966, went to Viet Nam and got out in 1970.  Everything I did for the next two years was hollow.  No sense of urgency, no real need for me, and I missed the JAZZ (to borrow a term from the A-Team).  I ended up going back to the Air Force in 1972.  You may be like I was.  If you are, nothing will fill that void except the military.  You need to be awakened at 0400 because someone needs you.  You need to work two or three back to back shifts because you are the only one with the skills necessary.\n\nThe only thing I really regret is the way the country is going.  There are people here who have no idea what is going on around them but they have the same rights as everyone else.  I was part of the mechanism that insured they could keep those rights.\n\nI have a friend who retired after I did, we communicate on a regular basis.  I have sent him dozens of articles about some dead head or another and all I ask is for him to tell me why we did the time.\n\nI sure this helps.  Best of luck in whatever YOU choose...
1014561
PLEASE STOP COMPARING VIETNAM TO IRAQ THEY ARE NOTHING ALIKE EXCEPT THAT THEY ARE BOTH WARS!!!!!!\n\nKnock it off with your stupid walk of shame crap too! For a supposed veteran you bring more shame to yourself for spewing this waste than anything else! Total US losses in Vietnam were 58,193 us soldiers. That's out of an 18 year war and we werent' there for ALL  of it even! We were there for 12 years, let's see, that's 4,850 us soldiers a year. Compare to a currently 3 year war with 2500 deaths that rings out to 833 soldiers a year at this point. NO COMPARISON!!! You really need to get your facts straight!
1158416
Good point! As a Vietnam vet decorated 26 times, however, I will assume the right to comment on any American war, and you guys are doing a great job and should only be commended. People forget that good soldiers do their duty, wherever it is. If they didn't, they wouldn't be very good soldiers, would they? God bless you all and hope you do get home soon and safely. Liberals, especially those who have avoided service, should SHUT UP!
1052229
Hello, Canada!  Have you forgotten all the troops we prematurely pulled out of Afghanistan and sent into Iraq? Tell you what. Why don't some of you nice Canadian boys step up and take some of the load in Iraq, and then we can send some of our guys back into Afghanistan to finish that little job, or haven't you heard? Since we had to cover two fronts without much help from our northern buddies, we kind of let the Taliban regroup, so now we've got to go back and knock 'em back down again.  Who knows? Maybe second time's a charm and we'll get old bin Ladin this go round, eh?\n\nUpdate:  For those of you apparently residing on a different planet, here's a link to yesterday's news out of Afghanistan (excuse me, this ABC report was filed on June 20.) This is the ABC Blog site.\n\nhttp://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/06/us_back_at_full.html
738735
Last time I spoke my mind on this issue i received a violation, #1 As a Veit Nam Veteran, USMC, I resent and am appalled by the fact that a war evader like BUsh and Clinton before him can journey there without first holding the VIet NAmese accountable for the POW/MIAs! I was reported for this satement and told to move on , by non vet Bush supporters! Bush is there to help big corperations find cheap repacement labor so that even more jobs will be out sourced. I think that until Viet Nam answers the questions of the where abouts or returns the remains of our POW/MIAs we ought to sever all relations with them, and maybe bomb them back into the stone age until they do
660394
Helll yea. There are many veteran buisness owners and veterans that look to hire other veterans. American soldiers make us proud and we think that you all are the best humans alive. They are brave and have honor. Thank you military people for your service.
1114015
I thank all veterans I meet, & also look for them (bumber stickers, shirts, etc.) to thank them. With all the liberals out there always bitching about the war it takes away from what they do & what they have already did. American soldiers are risking their lives all over the globe defending America's interests and defending the freedoms that many people take for granted, the only right thing to do is thank them & pray for them & their families. God bless the USA & all its patrons!
658923
We have had 47 Military killed this month alone in Iraq. Iraq is in the middle of a civil war we started and it isn't going to be over until we are kicked out, and we will be.\n\nRemember Vietnam?  I do. I was there. How many more would you like to lose in Iraq? Another 25,000?
742556
We give little credit to the families of veterans, such as yourself.  The sacrifices made by wives and children of veterans are sometimes greater that those of veterans, themselves.  Many times the sacrifices and long periods of waiting and not knowing, don't always turn out the way we hope, and that makes it particularly sad.\n\nI'd like to extend a special thanks to all of you out there, who make up the family unit of those veterans who are out there fighting the good fight.  God bless you, your children, and we pray for the safe return of your loved ones.    Semper Fidelis!
1144575
I sure as hell didn't know we lost the Vietnam war. it served no porpoise so Nixon wisely pulled us out.I sure hope I didn't lose my legs in vane
249674
we could be . perhaps we should be. but we 1st have to have the right attitude, motivation, and leadership. we can only lead[ be the boss] if  others followed ... would you follow someone you didn't respect?.. we 1st need to work on our self respect, then we must work on getting the respect of others ... the easiest way to do that is to show "them "respect. then we must make benevolent and magnanimous decisions..decisions based on what we give , not what we will get. i WANT us to be the boss but first we must earn the position... I'm afraid we're a long way off.... PS , we have the worlds strongest army ?? how do you think we'd be doing if "the insurgents" or anyone else we fought in the past 40 yrs had the same equipment and wmds that we posses??? heck the vietnamese beat us back  wearing "shower shoes" in the jungle... we ain't so "bad"
465185
I am a Viet Nam veteran, serving with the First Cavalry Division in  the Central Highlands.  When I was there, in 1966-67, I supported what we were doing.  After I got home and studied the situation and what was happening in Viet Nam my mind was changed.  After Robert MacNamera apologized for the lies that got us into that war, I knew the US was wrong for going into the Nam.  The Domino Theory was a big fat lie.  We lost the war and I didn't see the whole area turning communist.  In fact Cambodia is a free nation know.  Viet Nam only wanted to be free from foreign domination which they finally achieved.  The US doesn't have the right to tell other countries what to do and how to live, but in todays world, might makes right so we interfer where we shouldn't
240007
not a vietnam vet but was stationed in W.Germany (b4 the Wall came down and went over again after the Wall came down - major difference in the folks over there both times) during the Gulf War in the Army.  Husband was in the Gulf War as a tank commander on the front lines.  My dad was a driver in the Army.  My brother just returned from Iraq.  My father-in-law was in WWII - he hit the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and was in the Battle of the Bulge.  I have a great uncle who was awarded the Medal of Honor and several other uncles who served as well.  My cousin, Tommy, was a Huey pilot in Vietnam.  He still has nightmares sometimes about it.  Had another uncle who was in the CCC.
794555
You're right. I'm a veteran. And I get sick to my stomach when his service is 'honored'. Not every veteran serves HONORABLY. And John Kerry is a DISGRACE TO ALL VETERANS.