My recollection of the time is that while there were protests against the war, most didn't think that way about the individual soldiers participating in the war.
The draft was in effect then and most soldiers weren't volunteers but were doing their required duty no matter what they thought about the reasons for the war itself.
The Jane Fonda types got a greater amount of attention that was out of proportion to their numbers.
Most people I knew felt sorry for those that had to go through the experience and appreciated their service even if they didn't show it as much as many do now.

Well, Viet Nam gave us this headline:

No Coups is Good Noups

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Viet Nam is how it is written in the native language.
Vietnam is the American way it is written.

What about 'Nam?

'Nam is badass/slang term used by the GIs.

Viet Nam, Vietnam, 'Nam, The Nam, Vietfuckingnam, are all accepted by most knowledgeable scholars, and if not, well then fuck 'em, it don't mean nothin'.

Thanks, 12131, for the spelling clarification. I have long been a proponent of using original spellings for place names (except when it would hopelessly confuse people).

And as for the war itself, we could point to countless examples throughout history of lost opportunities or other mistakes, but what if we had accepted Ho’s overtures? Is there any reasonable basis for believing that he would have said, “Oh, now we’re friends with the U.S., so we won’t try to reunite the country under our despotic rule by force”?

That’s what Viet Nam meant to me: Fighting to prevent the forcible takeover of yet one more country by Communists. Despite being in my 20s when I requested to be assigned there, I already knew enough about Communism and such things as the Nazi’s rise to power that it seemed perfectly clear to me. I never saw it as trying to straighten out a mess left by the French, and I never heard that argument at the time.

Placing blame for the Viet Nam war on U.S. presidents is like blaming Neville Chamberlain rather than Hitler for World War II, or blaming a bank’s having money for being robbed. They may have made mistakes, but if it hadn’t been for the North’s decision to reunite the country by military force, there would have been no war. Period.

Added: I was convinced then and am convinced now that the primary reason for the antiwar movement of the day was military conscription. Without the compulsory draft, I believe there would have been no more concern about our military involvement there than there is about our military involvement in the Middle East today. Yes, there would have been tut-tutting about the bad consequences, including U.S. casualties, but down deep the vast majority here would have been thinking, either consciously or unconsciously, “It’s not me, so it doesn’t matter.” There would have been no more general outrage about little girls’ running down the street naked after a South Vietnamese airstrike or General Loan’s shooting a handcuffed Viet Cong prisoner than there is about the killing of civilians by chemical weapons or the countless atrocities being committed by our enemies today.

The protests were not, of course, only by people subject to the draft, but also by people who had something to gain by opposing the draft in particular and our policies in general—such as U.S. opposition to Communist (leftist) gains.

Added, part deux: I have always had less animosity toward the people who opposed the war during the war than those who decided that the U.S. shouldn’t live up to its promises and obligations to the South after we tucked our tail between our legs and ran home. Whatever their true motivation, be it because they didn’t want to get drafted or for their sons/husbands/brothers to be drafted, or because they really were outraged by baby ducks’ being killed by our bombers*, no one could say they didn’t make their positions clear.

* A very obscure Doonesbury cartoon reference.

My brother was drafted, must have been late 68.
He then transferred to Airborne(82nd). He then signed up to got to Green Beret training. He won his Beret. He contacted me and told me to join the National Guard, he felt the normal training was very lacking to fight a war with.
My draft number was very high and I would not have gotten drafted, but I did join the Guard. I was going to college at the time and would not have been drafted for that reason.
But, having gone to a huge anti war riots at Ohio State, I saw how there were different groups stirring up students who knew nothing or cared very little about the actual reason they were rioting, most seem to be in for a good time or they did it not thinking deeply about it.
Some of the groups riling the students were SDS,
some college professors as well as other smaller groups.
I saw first hand how a couple of professors tried to turn a peaceful, meaningless protest into a violent one. This was just after the Kent State tragedy. The professors would say things like lets rush them, they will do nothing, or they will turn and run or there is only 15 of them and 300 of us. Then when it looked like the violence would begin, the professors were gone.

I later talked to a guy I graduated with from high school, who said he was protesting and he really could not explain why...except that it was something to do and everybody else was doing it....

Hell, I knew lots of protesters. Graduated from the University of Washington around 72 and they were everywhere.

Sitting here thinking about it, I didn't know anyone who thought that war was a just and well thought out war. My old man was a WW2 naval officer who saw considerable action in the Pacific and we had a few conversations about Viet Nam. Even though he was in the Naval Reserve at the time, he made it very clear to me that we had no business being there. I didn't agree with all that he said, but I always seemed to lose the argument as he was a pretty polished debater.

quote:

Originally posted by Aquabird:
I saw how there were different groups stirring up students who knew nothing or cared very little about the actual reason they were rioting, most seem to be in for a good time or they did it not thinking deeply about it.
Some of the groups riling the students were SDS,
some college professors as well as other smaller groups.
I saw first hand how a couple of professors tried to turn a peaceful, meaningless protest into a violent one. This was just after the Kent State tragedy. The professors would say things like lets rush them, they will do nothing, or they will turn and run or there is only 15 of them and 300 of us. Then when it looked like the violence would begin, the professors were gone.

I later talked to a guy I graduated with from high school, who said he was protesting and he really could not explain why...except that it was something to do and everybody else was doing it....

That sounds very familiar today with protests against President Trump and the police...

I didn't know any protesters I was a country boy living in the country. I was at Fort Polk in a classroom when a Drill Sgt. came in the room yelling 'No one else going to Nam' Nixon had signed the paperwork I guess. There was a bunch of happy Soldiers in that room. Thanks 12131 for that info it's always good to hear from someone that knows.

I was too busy with my military duties to pay any attention to protesters at the time. I always considered most of them to be naive kids manipulated by communist/socialist/leftist operatives to perform for TV cameras. Kind of like today. What astounds me even today is how America fell for the bullshit. April 29, 1975 is a stain of shame on America's history.

I was born in 1968. The war ended a couple weeks before my 7th birthday. I had to look that up though because honestly I didn't know it was going on. Never once was it talked about in school, never once did I see a soldier honored or chided, no one ever mentioned it to me. Was western Pennsylvania that secluded from the world?

I was in the 1974 lottery.

I was over number 190 and they were only taking up to 100.

I would have gone if drafted.

I went back to class.

Some of my friends numbers came up.

They all went.

Considering the state of things today when Viet Nam is one of America's allies against Chinese expansion, I'd say it's time to reassess both the war and the protests.
The people of Viet Nam had been fighting China for a thousand years before we moved in to take over the mission of French colonialists. There was a window at the end of World War II when Ho Chi Minh was studying the American revolution to gain his country's independence, but the opportunity to avoid the war in Viet Nam was lost.
The myth of our soldiers being spit upon comes more from Chuck Norris movies than reality. Most war protesters were there because their brothers or friends from high school were at risk of coming home in a box.

Those of you who went..

WELCOME BACK!

And Thank You for your service!

quote:

Originally posted by MTJbyrd:
The myth of our soldiers being spit upon comes more from Chuck Norris movies than reality.

Interesting comment, and something I have long wondered about myself.

I would never doubt those veterans who said it happened to them personally, but it wasn’t something I saw or even heard about at the time. I got back in 1969 and that was before the peak of the antiwar movement, plus being either in civilian clothes or in Korea for part of the period I may have missed some of it. I did, however, travel in uniform (military standby was a great deal), and spent a year in uniform in the Northern Virginia/DC area without experiencing any overt hostility.

I am nevertheless curious why you refer to it as a myth and what your basis of that knowledge is.

"The myth of our soldiers being spit upon comes more from Chuck Norris movies than reality"
.
I've only posted a couple of times here not much of a talker. As a Viet Vet who got spat on I'll Confirm It's NOT a Myth! Happened in that "Great" city(cesspool) of San Fran. Was detained for 10 or so hours by city cops for slamming idiot who did it into a wall. Picked up by MP's given a lecture and sent back to unit, another lecture on playing nice with idiots and back out on patrol 3 days later.

quote:

Originally posted by bdesavage:
Happened in that "Great" city(cesspool) of San Fran.

When was that?

Was in 69 was home to Michigan for Fathers funeral, had some time relatives lived in Oakland stopped there for a vist before heading back. Uncle wanted to take Me out and wanted Me to wear Uniform to show Me off(had the Green Beenie) at the local VFW.

Vietnam - the war the US military won and our politicians proceeded to lose.

Here is how some chose to protest.


POS Hollywood commie


Oh look two commies - Hanoi-Jane and Hanoi-John

quote:

Originally posted by 2012BOSS302:
Vietnam - the war the US military won and our politicians proceeded to lose.

Here is how some chose to protest.


POS Hollywood commie


Oh look two commies - Hanoi-Jane and Hanoi-John

I was there at the same time Fonda was in N. Viet Nam showing her ass. The powers that be at the time would not let any of us fly anywhere near where she was located. It did NOT set well with any of us, including the ground crews.

quote:

Originally posted by MTJbyrd:
The myth of our soldiers being spit upon comes more from Chuck Norris movies than reality.

Bullshit.