My grandfather entered the Military under this program. He grew up extremely poor and had received very little education. He was illiterate, downtrodden, and suffered from low self-esteem. It was a very difficult time for him. He was pushed hard, belittled, called a Moron, and given the worst jobs to do. However, it changed his life. He learned to read, drive a truck, and accomplish things he was not expected to be able to do. He survived, returned home, got a job driving a truck, saved up, and bought his own truck, then two trucks hired his brother got some contracts and bought a third truck, hired a woman to drive it, over ten years he increased his fleet to 13 trucks. He married, raised a family put four kids through college ran his business, and retired comfortably. Thank you, Secretary McNamara, You provided my grandad with an opportunity and opportunity was all he needed to get started. You changed his life and two generations of his family's life.
When i was kid at home, there was two men that went to Vietnam and both came back severally wounded, mentally and physically. Mother said they weren't right in the head when they left and the war just made it worse. One was a tunnel rat, was shot and stabbed i dont know how many times, some said he was captured and tortured but i dont know. He walked around town wrapped in a green army blanket pulling a little wagon. Didn't matter the weather or season, he slept and lived on the riverbank. The other was a helicopter door gunner, got blowed out of the sky, burning him from head to toe. He was hard to look at, his face was melted. We lived across the street from the courthouse, in the yard were crosses with the names of soldiers going back to the revolution. He sat on a bench there all day, sometimes you could hear him crying. Mother said if she heard any of us making fun or mocking these men, we would never sit down again as long as we lived. I left home in the mid 80's, i dont know whatever became of those men.
I dropped out of high school in my senior year in Dec '67 as a below average student to enlist in the Marine Corps; arriving in the RVN in September of '68. After retiring from the Corps in October of '88, with BS-EE in hand, I joined the U.S. Dept. of State, serving as a Foreign Service Officer from 1990 - 2012.
All jokes aside. They were people, too. They; lived, loved, laughed, and served. More than I can say for myself. Just because they weren't as smart doesn't mean they deserve to be 💩 on. In high school I took at least twice as many notes as any other kids in class, studied, always showed up to class (I never once skipped a class ever!) and was a C student at best. I'm not sure my gpa was 2.0 even. And I tried. Maybe not as hard as I could have, but I made a goddamn good effort. I'm sure these lads did, too. Just because we're not as smart doesn't mean we don't deserve respect, or kindness. Most of us- we're trying our hardest. Please be kind to those less fortunate than you. You never know what a person might have went through or could be going through right now.
During this time college students were exempt. So were government workers and farmers. The politically connected went into the national guard to avoid combat at that time. Some with money left the country. The draft was grossly unfair. Both my myself and my twin brother were drafted. I went to Vietnam and he went to Panama. Later I went to college on the GI bill. The poor always get drafted first. Then the handicapped.
Is this what Forrest Gump went through?
Some of them survived and are now the top military brass of the USA.
When I was drafted in 1969, if you could breathe, you were eligible.
"Providing opportunities to the impoverished" is a heck of a spin of "taking advantage of people without any other options."
My grandfather entered the Military under this program. He grew up extremely poor and had received very little education. He was illiterate, downtrodden, and suffered from low self-esteem. It was a very difficult time for him. He was pushed hard, belittled, called a Moron, and given the worst jobs to do. However, it changed his life. He learned to read, drive a truck, and accomplish things he was not expected to be able to do. He survived, returned home, got a job driving a truck, saved up, and bought his own truck, then two trucks hired his brother got some contracts and bought a third truck, hired a woman to drive it, over ten years he increased his fleet to 13 trucks. He married, raised a family put four kids through college ran his business, and retired comfortably. Thank you, Secretary McNamara, You provided my grandad with an opportunity and opportunity was all he needed to get started. You changed his life and two generations of his family's life.
This system is now utilized by most cities to recruit new police officers.
Crazy that the rich politicians children didn't have to go to war
They still served with honor and deserve our respect
No one should be forced into combat unless the enemy is in your country.
When i was kid at home, there was two men that went to Vietnam and both came back severally wounded, mentally and physically. Mother said they weren't right in the head when they left and the war just made it worse. One was a tunnel rat, was shot and stabbed i dont know how many times, some said he was captured and tortured but i dont know. He walked around town wrapped in a green army blanket pulling a little wagon. Didn't matter the weather or season, he slept and lived on the riverbank. The other was a helicopter door gunner, got blowed out of the sky, burning him from head to toe. He was hard to look at, his face was melted. We lived across the street from the courthouse, in the yard were crosses with the names of soldiers going back to the revolution. He sat on a bench there all day, sometimes you could hear him crying. Mother said if she heard any of us making fun or mocking these men, we would never sit down again as long as we lived. I left home in the mid 80's, i dont know whatever became of those men.
All those men were cannon fodder for a war in a country we had no business being in...
I dropped out of high school in my senior year in Dec '67 as a below average student to enlist in the Marine Corps; arriving in the RVN in September of '68. After retiring from the Corps in October of '88, with BS-EE in hand, I joined the U.S. Dept. of State, serving as a Foreign Service Officer from 1990 - 2012.
All jokes aside. They were people, too. They; lived, loved, laughed, and served. More than I can say for myself. Just because they weren't as smart doesn't mean they deserve to be 💩 on. In high school I took at least twice as many notes as any other kids in class, studied, always showed up to class (I never once skipped a class ever!) and was a C student at best. I'm not sure my gpa was 2.0 even. And I tried. Maybe not as hard as I could have, but I made a goddamn good effort. I'm sure these lads did, too. Just because we're not as smart doesn't mean we don't deserve respect, or kindness. Most of us- we're trying our hardest. Please be kind to those less fortunate than you. You never know what a person might have went through or could be going through right now.
"Opportunities for the impoverished"
The referal to them as "morons" is insanely disrespectful to those who fought unwillingly
It doesn't matter if they're not mentally fit or what have you. They are heroes to me.
During this time college students were exempt. So were government workers and farmers. The politically connected went into the national guard to avoid combat at that time. Some with money left the country. The draft was grossly unfair. Both my myself and my twin brother were drafted. I went to Vietnam and he went to Panama. Later I went to college on the GI bill. The poor always get drafted first. Then the handicapped.
The "Poor"and "Uneducated" have always fought our ward.
“ Have you given some thought about your future, son” biggest bull💩 line ever.
My Uncle was drafted under this. A North Alabama, teenager who dropped out of highschool, (he had severe dyslexia).