Vietnam Soldiers Were Pissed Off At Americans
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Full video here: • Magnificent Vietnam Wa...
Green Beret David Christian was unquestionably a war hero in the Vietnam war and as he says, fought valiantly on behalf of the USA. My team and I conducted more than 200 interviews in 1989 from people who had lived through the 1960s and had strong feelings about what they had witnessed and lived through, not only during the war, but in the 1950s growing up and in the time since that war has ended. David Christian was wounded 7 times receiving 7 purple hearts as well as the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism. When he returned from the war, he worked as he does today, to help Vietnam veterans. Bill Ehrhardt, who presents his story in my very popular video clip, “Magnificent Storyteller Soldier” shared his personal experience. Many of my subscribers have reacted to it. I feel that David Christian is an equally powerful storyteller whose war perceptions and experiences were quite different. In this video he reflects on his early upbringing in the 1950s, his Catholicism, his powerful relationship with his mother, his experiences with college protesters in the antiwar movement, his return to America and his battles to help his fellow veterans deal with PTSD, job opportunities and other issues that they have confronted. His story evolves during the interview as he expresses more and more deeply, how he felt and what he saw and how he dealt with it.
Here is what CHATGPT writes about him:
David Christian is a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a recognized war hero in the United States. Born on October 26, 1947, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Christian enlisted in the United States Army in 1966 at the age of 18. He served as a combat infantryman in the 1st Infantry Division and later as a Special Forces officer.
Christian's military career is distinguished by numerous awards and commendations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and seven Purple Hearts, among others. These awards attest to his courage, leadership, and sacrifice during his time in Vietnam.
After returning from the war, Christian became an advocate for veterans' rights and worked to improve the conditions and benefits for his fellow veterans. He has spoken openly about his experiences in Vietnam and the challenges that veterans face upon their return to civilian life. As a result, Christian has made significant contributions to the understanding and support of veterans in the United States.
Christian's story, both as a soldier and as a veterans' advocate, highlights the importance of recognizing the sacrifices and bravery of military personnel, as well as the need for ongoing support for veterans as they transition back into civilian life.
Not even fighting the real enemy. Just the guys you're told are the enemy. The real enemies are safely behind them and safely behind you.
No the real enemy is American imperialism.
And I’m very sorry for him. Not only bc he had been drafted, but also that after all he still believed all the bs pumped up into him.
Who are these enemies?
@@uioplkhjthe enemy is the bourgeoisie and their imperialist policy of using military power to open up markets for their monopolies. The communists were right and the deeper this world goes into an abyss the clearer it becomes that Lenin was right.
@@uioplkhj the enemy are the small handful of ghouls who own and secretly control the Federal Reserve.
The military industrial complex never ever seems to get blamed.
Why is it that old men send young men and women to fight and die without it being clear as to why they are fighting and dying? Vietnam and Korea were referred to as "police actions" but they were wars dammit!😮
That’s part of the larger issue of capitalism
@@thelastarcadegamer6655so it had nothing to do with communism? The reality is that politicians were making a lot of money as long as the war kept on going and going. The military industrial complex only exists because of crooked politicians. And senators don't send their sons off to war.
I can’t imagine how horribly annoying your personality must be.
@@klpittman1 You literally just described capitalist practices bred from capitalist intention. What does Communism have to do with anything there?
Every word spoken here is the gospel. I'm 74. I served. I was proud to follow the example of my parents generation. And for my efforts, upon my return, I was met with hostility. Over the years after the war, I was villainized , demonized. We were portrayed as damaged beyond hope of salvation. All this by the ones who, by the grace of God and the fact they had money and could buy a deferment. Today, these same people thank me for my service. It makes me want to puke.
I've served unsuccessful campaigns in two different theaters. Your generation was not glamorized like your parents, but you deserve all the same honor and respect. Salute 🫡.
Nobody gives a shit anymore….. you don’t see mass demonstrations against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars because .. like I said in the modern world we are immensely selfish
It is tragic that the politicians in your parents' generation chose to throw away so many young lives for nothing. Now Putin, Xi, Trump, Biden, and other elder leaders will do the same to your kids and grandkids in the upcoming World War they will probably die before seeing through.
I served in the Navy during the GWOT and I will tell you I received similar treatment. Not as bad as Vietnam vets but I'll never forget being home on leave in uniform and this young woman walked up to me and tore into me calling me a "baby killer". And despite having all kinds of training and credentials when I got out I couldn't even get a call back for a janitors position.
I don't disrespect the guys that had to go over there and experience what they did. That is completely unfair and really awful
However, I have nothing but disdain for the politicians of the time that created the mess. And worse, unnecessarily prolonged the war. I thought possibly that we had learned something from that experience. Then came Afghanistan and Iraq
Vietnam caused a lot of pain for my stepdad. Served on a river gunboat. RIP Richard O Clark. Miss you very much.
I was just in high school when the war ended. It had a tremendous impact on my view of the world. I’m immensely sad and sorry for those who went and died in this tragic horrible war.
YES❤
YES❤
Be more sorry for the people they killed, the communities they destroyed, and the country they tried to ruin.
@@dankmartin6510 why not be sorry and compassionate for both. Of course I feel extremely sad for the people in Vietnam whose lives were taken in such an ugly way. And for those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Gaza. I’m no fan of war of any kind.
you forgot useless
That's how i felt about Afghanistan comming home in 09. Our gear was ancient. We lacked everything from water to basic equipment.
I am sorry for how you were treated, that you were sent out there without adequate support, and you were cold- shouldered on your return.
I thank you from my heart for your service
Yeah, you sure did help protect those poppy fields🙄… WAR IS A RACKET no American benefits from these wars. Last I recall the gas prices in the US went up during the Iraq war where we stole all the gas for free. Stop serving corporations
Thank you for your service.
Thankyou for your service sir .I appreciate and respect your sacrifice.
I saw a vet in 1969 just back. He said it was a given shyte show. It was at the smoke shop. I was 9. Always remember that day
I prayed for you all every day. I was twelve years old, I also taught my children to respect you.
I believe I felt your prayers and you gave us hope. Thank you!
Vietnam, Panama, Iraq 1, Lebanon, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq 2, Syria, Djibouti…..the list of false wars are getting longer and longer. And Americans are “proud to be American?”. Becoming a AfghanistanWar veteran at 19 shouldn’t have been in my past, and now my nation is failing. What a nation.
Don't forget korea
@@samsosa98 technically yes, but also no. Korea was the last war we actually fought like a war. What I mean is, korea we sent our military to fight and they stayed until the war was over. Vietnam is when we started “tours of duty” and soldiers only served one or two tours then went home. Losing that combat experience is what made us lose all the wars I listed.
@JeffAnotherJeff the Korean War never officially ended we Still have troops there
@@samsosa98 are we having the same conversation Sam? I already told you why I didn’t include korea. It may have never officially ended but we are not conducting operations currently and in no manner the same way wars should be fought.
Our government has tricked a lot of men to do terrible things for the military industrial complex! World war two was the last righteous war Americans fought! My father
I was too young to realize how our vets were treated. They were my heros growing up.
My return after a double tour in 68 was met by friends and family with a sign of silent indignation.
Only my mom met me at the airport cause she was a red cross volunteer caring for my wounded buddies coming home in pieces. She died from cancer in 1980. I love you mom!!! Vietnam 66-68
God bless your dear Mother.
I am sorry for how you were treated. Thank you for your service.
@@alripley5335 thank you 🌹
@@jamesalexander3530 💖I thank you, and pray blessings for your mother.
Love to your mom.
Lack of concern from those being protected.
I was 20 years old on my second tour in mostly Dong Ha, CuaViet, and Gio Linh. We were hit mostly by rockets and mortars, but I think I came closest to actually getting taken out was a night when my outpost was attacked by an ARVN patrol. We were told not to return fire because they were friendly.
I wish i could go back and tell the soldiers coming home and thank them, im sure it would have meant the world to them to know that they had someone appreciating what they did.
What we would have appreciated most was having everybody in the states not making staying alive harder than it had to be. Everybody cared about the war but nobody cared about us. That was a valuable lesson to learn. My life was a political abstraction to everybody but me.
Shouldn't have been there to start with. There is no strategic advantage to losing wars. There never was a reason to send 1 American.
There was a reason. A few gained a lot of status by getting the rest of us killed. Westmoreland became the Army COS through his incompetence. Twenty years later, the Pentagon was inhabited by the incompetent officers of Vietnam. Lowly Congressmen became Senators. They did that with our blood.
Part of being a soldier is nobody cares. I do so I go.
As Vietnam Vet, he doesn't represent all of our feelings. Personally, I felt we were protecting the South from the efforts of North Vietnam, China, and Russia to overthrow the South's fledgling democracy from being overwhelmed by a one-party totalitarian regime with few personal freedoms. I agree most Americans failed to support our efforts and the anti-war movement was really the anti-draft movement.
Exactly!
It don't mean nothin'. That's what we said and it was true about the whole war. We were there, they said, to stop Communists from taking over SE Asia all the way to Australia but we were letting the Communists take over our colleges and nobody was doing anything to stop them. The Communists won on both fronts and the loss in Vietnam was of lesser impact than the loss at home. The lesson of Vietnam was that we never learned the lessons of Vietnam.
@@neilreynolds3858 don't mean nuttin
Totally agree. Fighting for democracy and the sovereigny of a nation.
@@prestonihamburger hill 😂
We should not have been there anyway, it was a waste of life, especially the kids who were forced to fight it.
My mother class of 1965 and my aunt 64' Said they supported the troops but not the war.
I was class of '64, and feel the boys we sent off to war deserved our support. I was anti-war in those days, and didn't know to have compassion for the kids who were sent to the jungles of Vietnam.
@@shilohndrah very chaotic and confusing times...
These men didn't get the respect they deserved.
No, they did not.
We shouldn’t have went there.
No one ever does. Not just soldiers.
Respect for surviving? Maybe for that. For fighting in an unjust war? Definitely no respect for that.
Respect? We were reviled.
Thanks, David Christian, for your service and sacrifice during the Vietnam conflict and the service to your fellow Vietnam Vets and helping with their needs both physically and mentally and being one of David Hoffman's filmmakers 1989 "Making sense of the Sixties" interview subject 😊
War not conflict. 1965 to 1968. Nightmare NOT over. We have NO leadership.
It was always about money for the banks. Never about American freedom.
Vietnam had nothing and I mean nothing to do with banking or money
take your tin foil hat off
The leadership was horrible.
I don't understand it myself.
According to one guys account who was there - one person trying to make a peace deal with the Viet Cong - the Dems threw a wrench in it.
Heard him on the radio speaking about it around, 2019, 2020, I think.
@@artvandelay94lol, tell us you don't understand that war is racket without telling us you don't understand war is a racket. What are they even teaching you kids at school nowadays? All wars are multifaceted banker's wars strategically planned out from beginning to end.
We never should have been there but thanks to LBJ we lost many who never should have been there.
Politicians got us into that war!!!
Kissinger in particular
And they wouldnt have been able to do it without Americans willing to go there so stop trying to pass the buck off to politicians that soldiers voted for anyway.
@dankmartin6510 no one is passing the buck, yes only American GI's when to fight the war the Politicians started! But the soldiers shouldn't have been treated the way they were! By cowards who didn't do anything to help stop the war!!!
@@travismiller2821 Hippies protested, bombed buildings, shut down traffic and did a whole lot to help stop the war so what you say isnt even accurate. Soldiers did all the killing, all the bombing and the war wouldnt have happened at all if hundreds of thousands didnt decide to chase glory to go and fight it. You boomers are delusional.
Yes! And if you really look deep into it enough, America was sending in Military advisors shortly after the Korean war was drawing to a close, all because the french government wanted to hold on to some land they tried to colonize hundreds of years prior and we had to pay the ultimate cost of our young men and some women in order to help the French once again!
First of all Viet Nam was not a war, it was never declared, so we the USA were actually terrorist in Viet Nam. I lost family , friends, school mates, neighborhood kids in this so called “war” and so many who came back injured( like my brother and family members) that were not given the heroes welcome because of this , was shameful to the American government for putting our young men through this horrendous ordeal that haunts many to this day. Teenage Wasteland , bless our military soldiers, keep them safe and protected , #stophumanexploitation
@barbaradollard4186... I know the Vietnam conflict to this day is an open wound to our Vietnam Veterans the men and women who served our country and to their families.
Thanks, you Barbara for sharing your comments and the service and sacrifice your family made during the Vietnam conflict.
I dedicate these two songs from SSgt Barry Sadler 1966 record album "Ballad of the Green Beret." to your brother and all of our Vietnam Veterans the men and women who server our county during the Vietnam conflict thanks, you for your service and sacrifice, and welcome home,
"I'm a Lucky One"
SSgt Barry Sadler
I'm going home my tour is done.
I'm going home I'm a lucky one.
But I left friends behind me.
who won't come home no more.
Yes many friends remain forever.
On that bloody shore.
But at night when I sleep I know my dreams will be.
About my friends I left across the sea.
I'll hear verbal young men harn laugh again out loud.
We'll all be together in a happy crowd.
But then I hear the sound of bullets whining overhead.
Feel the crash of morters and all my firends are dead.
My friends they fought and gave their all.
My friends they died for freedoms call.
As my dream is ending they'll come and say goodbye.
Though I'm sound asleep a tear I'll cry
And they say something which fills my heart with pain.
Tell them about us Sadler don't let us die in vain.
I'm going home my tour is done.
I'm going home I'm a lucky one
"Salute to the Nurses"
SSgt Barry Sadler
After the battle after the fight
many owe their lives to the ladies and men in white
And all of the men in this war torn land
salute the nurses of Vietnam
They know the awful toll of war each day
they know more than any the price we pay
A soldier his hands too burned to write
a nurse takes down his words through the lonely night
They have gone to the front where men fought
in the night from Pleiku to Qui Nhon
where war these men fight
Many a wounded soldier pain is eased for a while
by opening his eyes to see a nurses smile
To each of the wounded on the operating shelf
these nurses give a part of themselves
I know every soldier to the last man will
sometimes say a prayer for the nurses of Vietnam
After the battle after the fight
many owe their lives to the ladies and men in white
And all of the men in this war torn land
salute the nurses of Vietnam
You seem to forget who the government of this country is. It was the people of this nation that allowed the politicians to send boys like me to their death. And it was those same people who treated us like shit when we returned.
Because it wasn't DECLARED, it's not a WAR. Your still on ACID aren't you
@@kevinbriscoe2223living, killing and dying, sounds like war to me, she may need a declaration so it’s official for her, it damned sure was real to everyone there regardless of official title.
it was a war even if not officially declared. they had a draft and men not women who sit around and give their goofy uneducated opinions about it got off scott free as usual. if you didn't go they would put you in a cage unless your a woman . these men did what they were told to do and should be treated with respect.we were trying to free a group of people who were victims of a radical communist group to the north. it wasnt terrorism lady it was a humanitarian effort largely! get your facts straight !
Everyone that went over there is a gallant hero. They took the Oath and serve their country
That's how they trick you into getting your ass shot off so they can look tough while they spend the war behind a desk thousands of miles from the fighting. There are no heroes. There are just people trying to live by any means possible until the war is over. There's just blood, and pain and death.
Zero reflection. Guy thinks the peace movement should have supported him while he’s literally pro-war just complaining about the lack of support.
Vietnam was not commendable, it was not heroic, we never should have been there.
I had lost friends,.even in basic, during Vietnam. I cared then and I still care about our soldiers. That has not changed. 💙🇺🇲
The Korean war was also a forgotten war . Never talked about ...
SAD !
All the while, the military was testing new weapons and oil companies were drilling off the coast of Vietnam. The war went on and on for very specific reasons it was about money, not the "domino effect".
All wars are about money.
Testing ground for new weapons and tactics
You didn’t lose any battles and no greater generation existed that showed the level of valor and gallantry shown in Vietnam. Vietnam veterans exemplified being soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. You fought just as hard as any other vet in any other war and nothing was on the line back home. You did what every warrior has ever done, you fought for your brothers beside you!
Proud of what? Killing innocents on their own land?
All that valor was spent for the worst objectives set forth by the government and the ruling class. The German army was a very professional army in WW2 but it didn't make their fight just and honourable.
@@dorinpopa6962most people understand that the majority were drafted. When you're forced to fight or be jailed and labeled a coward. Society dictates what you do. Especially in today's time. These kids didn't really have a choice in most cases. All the allies were fighting communist at that point. Unjustified to you may be justified for others. Times and reasons change but the underlying reason is power. Would you rather be communist speaking Chinese?
@@sunnylk6991how many innocent drafted kids do you think the innocents over there killed? Since we're all innocent now. 😂
@@pipelayer92 I'm a communist by worldview and I would have preferred to live in the USSR. I'm from Moldova, a former republic of the USSR. I know my history and I saw the consequences of the dismantling of the socialist system. It was an intentional dismantling that happened by those who wanted to transfer the common means of production into their private property. China is also not communist anymore. It has long since become capitalist with some more government oversight, but the means of production are privately owned for the most part. The genuine Bolsheviks improved the lives of whole nations giving them opportunities that were never accessible to those people before.
Someone should do this kind of interviews with veterans from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've seen some stuff, but not long interviews like this. I bet it would be really interesting no matter how they feel about the war now
Watch the documentary style movie called Restrepo. It is exactly what you are asking for. Afghanistan is the conflict covered by It. Very good.
Welcome home soldier. Thank you for your service.
No disrespect I appreciate everything our armed services have done. Thank God for Vietnam it proved to the military that you must have a professional volunteer Force you can't be pulling people off the streets and sending them to war. God bless the Vietnam veterans and everyone who has worn the uniform.
I was 18 in 1970, my draft number was 75. I never went to Nam. I was lucky, a senseless war, that we should have never been in. U.S. pulled out defeated.
Lives lost for no good reason. Now we are a trading partner with Vietman.
You didn't lose buddy. We love you.
Politics aside, this dude does a lot for veterans and veterans groups. No greater advocate for us.
Not if he’s still throating the state and the narrative that he and his comrades deserve flowers for murdering people in their homeland because the state told them to.
Good soldier, bad war. Big mistake, thank-you for your service. What was it like when you came home? I was 8 years old when Tet happened and my next door neighbor who came back from ‘Nam gave me a button. It said, “I support Vietnam Veterans Against the War. “ my dad ripped it off my jacket. Then, I donated money to an organization that supported POW-MIAs and I got a bracelet with a man’s name on it who I never knew and died for me a world away. I understood how to support our soldiers without drawing any anger from ignorance
I was asked by a relative what the draft was like. I replied you went to your Senior Prom in early May and by Christmas you were fighting for your life.
LBJ was a horrible president.
We've mostly had horrible Presidents in my 75 years. That's why it's so hard to decide which was the worst. I'm surprised we've lasted this long with continuous incompetence at the top.
Even with my youth and age, I purely supported anyone that was sent to Vietnam. LBJ created a lost war. But, all the blame was pushed on Nixon. I respect and honor any veteran that was called to service. Thank you.
Born in 1991
Was turned 19 in Afghanistan
I turn 33 next week (8July91)
I'll never forget the feeling when I came home (and still can't fully shake it to this day)
Everyone else is just doing errands
Or
Going towards that next dopamine kick
I'm just sitting there after being medically discharged
"Someone is bleeding out right now, under fire, waiting on the 9Line to go out and hopefully the chopper gets to them without getting too much ground fire that they can't land again...
And this guy is bitching because his Donuts coupon isnt working? Holy shit this is like a fever dream"
I'm a tattooed, ears gauged, long-haired hippie type now
I'm anti war in the current state of how our MIC runs things
But don't get me wrong
I'm not gonna bow down or kneel either
I'm still going out on my feet, fighting till my last breath if I have to
How's it feel fighting for the MIC?
A war we shouldn't of been in
This guy is so to the point. They should teach this to every school kid. To Everyone! Respect, Sir!
Thank All You Vietnam Veterans For Serving ! 🇺🇲
This is a sad reality. My uncle was in Vietnam and I find that pretty amazing myself. 🙂❤ That's alot to have lived through. Any war is .
It’s not their fault, but they shouldn’t have been over there in the first place. Their country betrayed them in every possible way.
Hooah Dave! I joined the USAR in 1959 & completed my service commitment in December 1965. I missed Nam. Thank you for your service.
Thank you sir.....much respect.
The Government ; Deny , Deny , Deny until we die !!! Veterans know this too damn well !!!!
There was a movie about Bomber Harris I just saw. They told him to firebomb the cities of Germany and then pretended that it was all his idea. You can never trust any politician.
We should have never have been there in the first place. We failed a generation of young men and our people in uniform. Thanks to JFK and McNamara's mistakes, 58,000 Americans lost their lives.
Don’t forget Johnson and Nixon too. Both of them escalated the war before Nixon realized he had to get us out of it without the White House getting run over by protesters.
Plus New Zealanders and Australians. Lest we forget
The sad thing is those Vietnam veterans that suffered the hatred and being demonized on both sides. Even worse is that in Vietnam today, they have moved on and actually are the biggest trading partners with the US. Even giving tours to Vietnam veterans that come back. As a veteran you just sit there for many years thinking how you were used and abused and it all came to nothing. Sadly there were those who just couldn't move on while the rest of the world moved on.
Americans never learn from history
They can't learn from history when all they ever hear of read is lies. I've read histories about what I saw. Nothing in them was true.
My ex husband was in Vietnam and when he came back he was called a baby killer. He didn't deserve that at all 😢
What you've got to do , you've got to do ! You don't have any choice , do you ? May you have Peace in you at last ! God bless you ! 😊😊😊😊😊
My Uncle Travis pulled two back to back tours in RVN. I was five in '67 when he was on leave before returning for second tour. Wearing a highly starched tan uniform, I thought he was the tallest man ever. I became a Soldier because of that moment.
For what it's worth. My Godfather was a Colonel in Panama in 1964. I was 7 years old. I remember him telling my father who fought together in Korea, that the mission was to have the same result in Vietnam as Korea. When I was 17 talking to my father who had retired in 1968, I asked him what happened. He told me that by 1967 the US had figured out the the two Vietnams scenario was not going to happen, and the US government didn't know what to do. Nixon is a whole different story as to why he didn't pull out by 1970 like he said he would before the 68 election.
I was there in 69-70. It was still obvious we didn't know what to do then. We would fight over the same ground every year and then abandon it when the monsoons hit. We couldn't supply bases by either road or air. Armchair generals have no idea what a monsoon is like. I'm not sure that staff weenies in country knew what a monsoon was like.
Nixon got Westmoreland out and got Abrams in and started pulling troops out. It took 3 years but I know guys who were still fighting NVA after we said all combat troops were out. One guy here in town was shot in a firefight in Da Nang after all combat troops were out. He was an electrician.
And then we came home to hatred for what we had to do.
Because it was an unjust war with war crimes against civilians.
Blessing dear man.
This man is exactly right.
You are correct sir.
"No one cared" yet it was the first televised war. It was on TV at all hours while the stations were running. My mom grew up watching the war.
They have every reason to be pissed as well as all veterans. None of them are treated like heroes. They the only heroes! Not an actor, singer or athletes can hold a candle to them.
None of us were heroes. We were just trying to stay alive by any means until we could get the hell out of there.
Im 74 now I came home a baby killer I didn't understand all the bullshit I was just 19 years old kid. I got out of the army and got a job at Burke rubber company in San Jose California. Many of the employees didn't want a damn thing to do with me after finding out that I had been in Vietnam. I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere. So after 5 months I reenlisted in army and went back to Vietnam. The army and Vietnam was where I was comfortable.
I never felt like I belonged anywhere until I moved out in the middle of the Mojave Desert where the nearest neighbor was 4 miles away.
The government didn't want anybody to talk to us. We could tell people that they'd been lied to about everything from the very beginning to the very end. I know guys who were still fighting NVA after the government said all combat troops were gone. I knew guys who were fighting VC before we had troops there.
Everything was a lie. The histories are lies. The reasons for being there were lies. The lessons learned are based on lies.
We were trying to turn Vietnam into the Philippines.
*Gallant Americans
I guess the gallon Americans were the ones back home drinking soda pop
In wwii the American oss leaflet dropped Vietnam stating they came to liberate,not to conquer. 20 years later...
At 77 , I will NEVER forget OR forgive being called " baby-raper" and "napalm-dropper" by Americans when I returned from my 2nd tour / 3rd Marine Division in a military-oriented town of Biloxi , Mississippi ...
Exactly!
Luckily, I suppose, I was never treated like that. I was treated with total indifference. Nobody cared. Nobody wanted to think about it anymore. Not even my family wanted to hear about it. I soon left civilization and never went back.
And have to live with the carnage 54 years later. Nobody cares even now.
Did you ever think YOU were the one in the wrong?
Well, yeah, it was obvious at the time. What could we do besides try to stay alive long enough to get the hell out of there? Make our situation even worse than it was? I knew somebody who did that. He ended up dealing with dead bodies until they let him go home. He was able to last 3 days in the world before he had to get away from everybody. When his mom tried to wake him up, he pulled a knife on her. My mom had to send the dogs in to wake me up so she didn't get hit. Were you going to help us or were you feeling too righteous for that?
Because the war was unjust, the soldiers were on the wrong side of history.
The US military killed 1.2 million communist n. Vietnamese and Viet Cong bad guys. We lost 58,000. Don't say that about those 58,000+ US military members. I suppose you think the Palestinians are on the right side of history with their actions last October 7th?
@@brettkowalski You have a very skewed mind if you think the Communists and the Palestinians are bad guys, remember, which international military alliance employed ex-Nazis again?
@@brettkowalski Also, I will say anything about those 58+k, they should've draft dodged.
@@Rebcap05 communists are the bad guys, palestinians aren't. If you're one of these neo-communist types you're a rockhead
@@Rebcap05 and the khamir rouge and polpot could have whiped out more lives. You believe in abortion? Well too bad your mom didn't
I was there the last year. I'm hear to tell you we (at least the military) did NOT "lose the war". In fact we WON the war and FORCED the North Vietnamese to sign a peace treaty in early 1973. The fact that the North Vietnamese did NOT honor that agreement AND the North Vietnamese supporting traitor Democrats in the Congress REFUSED to give South Vietnam the same B-52 bombing support that CRUSHED the North Vietnamese army during their 1972 invasion, is the reason Saigon fell to those SOB's. The military WON the Vietnam War. The leftist gangsters in Congress LOST IT!
As Giap said, we won every battle and lost the war. We know how to win battles. We know how to spend money. We don't know how to win wars. That's the fault of the military, the politicians, and the American people. If you don't know how to win wars, don't start them.
I was active in the anti war movt. History proved us correct.
Pat yourself on the back all you want but both the pro- and anti- war people were making it harder for us to stay alive at the pointy end of the stick. A curse on all of you.
@@neilreynolds3858 That literally makes no fucking sense. The anti-war folks wanted the war to end. Why would they ever be considered the enemy.
It was an illegal war in the first place. Directly focused on prolonging western imperialism in southeast Asia.
I feel sorry for these men my father included it was tragic for them in many ways things happened they never would forget or even speak about my father would tell me about some good times he did have there also
Civilians never understand. They think that war and morality can coexist when they obviously can't so you can't talk to them. If civilians had they way, we'd all die honorably and they'd never have to hear from us again.
Many soldiers came home and joined the protests. My brothers-in-law and a number of my best friends. The war was a waste of young lives, both in terms of the 57,000 dead and the injured, whether physically or mentally. As a protester myself, I had no animosity toward the soldiers, who believed they had no choice but to go.
Oddly enough, it was easier to get along with the people who were against the war than it was to get along with the pro-war crowd. The pro-war people thought we'd come back and be perfect citizens afterwards. Basically, it was thank you for your service but don't get anywhere near my daughter.
So sorry for that
Hense WHY ABSOLUTELY EVERY PERSON OVER 16 MUST DO NATIONAL SERVICE.
Thank you for youer service sir and youer story sir God bless you sir
Take a moment to look through the lens of the person you're speaking to or dealing with. Despite how anyone stateside felt, the men and women who did the job asked of them, should have returned to nothing but appreciation from citizens. Citizens should always direct dissatisfaction with those making the decisions, with those making the decisions. Thanks to every family of, and person who has sacrificed their time/life to maintain OUR freedoms.
The Vietnam war was wasn't about maintaining freedom of any American.
@@greenmenace again please don't hesitate to express your dissatisfaction with those in power. Never disrespect the men and women who stand for YOU.
@@MGMG-lc2fethat's what he's getting at they weren't standing for anyone but the MID and Govt interests not mine not anyone's like the Korea War which even MORE people forget or the Gulf War or the GWOT none of it was for "us" it was for the interests of the 1%
@@J461B Soldiers under contract voulentariily forfeit their right to object while serving, and they do this to protect your right to complain to those making decisions aka the 1%. My sentiment is in favor of brave men and women who choose to do jobs they may not agree with for far more than their own interests.
@@MGMG-lc2fein that war they only stood for Wall Street.
Gallant* he said Gallant not gallon lol
This man does NOT speak for all American veterans…or even a preponderance of them. Just stating the obvious.
Yet everything he says sounds exactly right. Atleast from what I remember
@@Niiiiithbecause you’re self-obsessed. You want a cookie because in your mind you were a good boy doing what you’re told. You’re just a dumb 🫏 loser that was easily manipulated… and that is the reality Veterans can’t confront, or they video game themselves.
You were doing it to save Michelin Tire and Rubber Company and all their rubber plantations' production! Jackie Kennedy and Charles de Gaulle thank you.
WE were there to guard the opium fields
just like afghanistan.
That's one of the saddest things
Nearly 60,000 Americans killed, hundreds of thousands traumatized. 50 years later my underwear, made by a long standing American manufacturer, says “Made in Vietnam”.
We didn't lose that war because they were better than us we lost because they didn't have the support from back home like they did during all other wars.
You did get a heck of a lot of troops ,1/2 million, and the most advanced military equipment. How much more would you have needed?
@@SandfordSmythe You've got 💩 for brains !!!
@88chevyg20- You are correct because from IA Drang Valley in 1965 to Tet in 68' the enemy had trouble recovering, continuing the bombing forced the North to the table but enemy used the TV screen with the help of spineless politicians, nobody really wants to talk about this actually.
Thank you my friend and fellow American. Welcome home sir.
The truth has been spoken here. Ironically, those men could have made short work of the enemy if only Washington didn't fuck things up by telling the Armed Forces fighting over there what they could and could not do.
Well, no, the problem was with a military leadership that had no idea how to win the war. By the time I left, they'd had 7 years to figure it out but were still clueless. Under those circumstances, nobody can do anything that will work.
The military command was fighting one war and the troops were fighting a different war and the command didn't want to hear what any of us had to say. They were professional soldiers on the way to being generals and we were peasant conscripts.
Soldiers should have been pissed off at the government that sent them to fight for nothing.
Substitute the word Afghanistan or Iraq for Vietnam and not a goddamn thing has changed.
substitute Ukraine...
You did it for the military industrial complex.
Yea the way they were treated was fkn bs!!! They act like its your fault. The crazy thing is a lot of them were drafted so they had no fkn choice then to get treated that way when you came home after going through one of the most stressful wars.
I understand that, but then he still doesn't question of the war was just. He complains that he is not regarded as a hero for his contributions. His contributions to whom? The bankers? Then why is he not blaming and complaining to them instead of trashing the peace movement?
The military and politicians had to blame somebody but themselves and we were the peasant conscripts so we got scapegoated. They at least had reasons to do it. The people who fell for that lie have nobody but themselves to blame for their behavior.
A Vietnam veteran came to speak at my college about two years ago. Said that it was utterly boring and pointless war, and the tiredness got to you because you had to sleep in the jungle. His platoon leader asked him upon arrival “are you a gung-ho motherfucker?” And he replied he wasn’t, which was good because the seargant then said he’d shoot anyone who was a gung-ho mf. He said he was one of the lucky ones because he didn’t get any major PTSD afterward: he never got into any firefight. His platoon did get in a shootout with NVA after he left in ‘68 but that wasn’t a common occurence (according to him). My memory isnt the best and this was in November 2022 so I may have got things wrong here.
They shouldn't expect men to fight wars without clearly defined objectives.
Thats why my dad has anger issues
Best prospective of the Vietnam War I've ever heard.
But America is proud of you.
America is proud of their myth about us. If they knew what we really did, they'd run away in horror. We were not nice people. Even if they were proud, it's 40 years too late to make much difference in our lives. We needed help then and didn't get it. The general opinion from the veterans I know is that Americans wanted us to die as soon as possible. They almost succeeded. The expected life span for anybody who was anywhere near the theater of operations was 65 years. I'm 10 years past my expiration date already and I'm never going to sugar coat anything about the war to make any of you feel good about yourselves.
Yep, and what happened? The same exact thing with Iraq and Afghanistan.
Every war is different. Every war is exactly the same……
Well when we are thousands of miles away im starting to question our government now im a flag wearing patriot nothing has changed only got worse thanks for your service tho