It is irrelevant. Whether the war is just or not, fighting for one's country is an honour. Those who volunteered deserve even more respect than the drafted one's.
most hippie were and are wankers anyway. bunch of jobless lazy parasits that hate and preach against the same system and people thay free load off lol look what came out of the hippie system...the manson family, that was the reality of them
Your first point is completely false. 66% of Vietnam Vets joined the military by themselves. Not justifying any of the behaviors of protesters against vets during that time, but don’t spread fake news.
I was also called a baby killer in the San Francisco airport by a group of hippies. If I hadn't been looking at the girls I probably wouldn't of notice. I changed direction and walked toward then. They all scattered except one guy. I suppressed My first reaction and instead said "I can also kill adults". I know it was juvenile and petty but it sure made Me feel better. I didn't talk about My experiences for over 20 years then decided that I had nothing to be ashamed of that it was their problem not mine.
Tom Sherman what you did was necessary. They were spoiled brats who betrayed their country in its time of need. They wanted their own revolution of society and within 6 years their utopian communities and ideals came crashing down. I'll admit I wasn't alive at the time but this is the conclusion I came to. Vietnam had its own underlying benefits but they aren't exactly noble or just but they would certainly benefit the nation. Thank you for your service and I apologize if my opinion sounds like dumb rhetoric or hypocritical.
How on earth you can spit on your own veterans is beyond me! I bet half of the people who were abusing the veterans wouldn't have the guts to pick up a weapon and serve their country!
mcsquare77 Although many believed they were “serving” their country, none actually were. They were serving a few select corporations/war profiteers. If you didn’t know it then you didn’t know it and you can’t change it. I remember I guy I served with saying he’d rather be fighting “them” here than in Hawaii or California. When I recall that I always picture sampans loaded with NLF patriots coming in on the waves in Waikiki or Huntington Beach. “We’re gonna kill........Surf.....Cityyyyyyyyy.”
I still cry every time I hear these vets tell how they were treated. They are the cream of the crop of our men in this country and still are. God bless all of them.
@@capncake8837 Obviously you didn't live back then and you drink the "Kool Aid" about Vietnam. If you watched enough of these BS videos alone...you'd know many of them got away with BS....at Vietnam's expense.
@@MrBillyRivers You confuse "little bitch" with a man who stands up for himself and what's right. I'm a Vietnam/Draft resistor. Guys who went to Vietnam were cowards in their own way b/c they allowed their Government to bully them with consequences if they didn't fight in an illegal war. Real men stand up for themselves. I am a son of a bitch though...and proud of it.
When i came back home in 1970 after a full year in vietnam, my dad insisted that we had to go to visit relatives who lived in new york and comneticut, and i really did not want to go because they were all opposed to the war before i left for vietnam and they were still opposed to the war when i got back. They all made very bad comments to me about the war and about the men and women who served there saying that we were losing the war or that we should neber have gone to war over there bevause it was not a good war like world war one or world war two, or the korean war, and they treated us as if we were the bad guys instead of the communists that we were fighting over there. I hated them ever since that day and i refused yo talk about the war with them after that. I would only talk about the war with other vietnam veterans that i met after i got out of the army in 1971, or with my psychologist and my psychiatrist at the va. When i started getting treatment for ptsd. I became permanently and totally disabled for ptsd, and i have disability ratings for several other service connected conditions that i acquired in vietnam. That war changed me forever, and it destroyed my health, and i almost got killed there at least three times in three different places in vietnam, so after all of these years, if anyone asks me about the war, i choise not to talk about it unless that person is also a vietnam veteran
Hey man; You did what Uncle Sam sent you to do. The blame is on his MF'g shoulders not yours. Everybody got shit on their boots too but I damn sure wasn't going to be any ones fool again. and damn sure not AUNT so and so or some dip shit cousin with a big mouth. I got whacked in the head and face from flying power canisters and rocket debris and no sob was going to negate scars and my 3 years for their happy anti war BS. BUT TODAY IS DIFFERENT. We are more informed and wiser Vietnam should have been the teacher. That's NOT the tack I took at age 17. STARTING ON DAY ONE in AUG. 18th 1970 when I enlisted. I popped my Step brother square in the mouth for calling me a baby killer and doper and I hadn't even seen one day of active military service or had no idea what dope even looked like. I have seen too many guys break after Vietnam. Good, hard core dudes. Well I still get riled up and as far as what we as piss ants did; we were fucking ordered to do everything we did. Let the politicians say, " I'M SORRY!" I have done everything the hard way in life since then and I know it's partially because of a sense of unfinished duty. Well; that's on UNCLE SAM AS WELL! Everyone had their own degree of shit to deal with and the man put us there. So; in your case it's his duty to care for your needs. That was the deal. GOD BLESS! AND HEY; WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO; send you to F'G VIETNAM? Remember the SOP of the day is; DON'T FORGET TO DUCK!
Korea and Vietnam lead to the end of the cold war. I believe they could of saved the world from nuclear destruction. They are heros and my brother and sisters. I would love to drop kick Jane Fonda in the snatch.
Nick Bellantoni I was only 12 in 1970 my dad was a Forward Observer in Korea. In my family I never heard nothing but praise for you men. Some of the high school girls my buddies sisters wrote to guys they didn't know that were in Vietnam and had copies of soldiers dog tags on that they didn't know except for writing them. They were all working class girls, great girls. I guess the people that cared about our soldiers then never had their story told. Thanks to you and your buddies for your service.
Nobody spit at me, I took the train home from Oakland to Ohio and was respectfully treated by everyone on board. People offered to pay for every one of my meals and most of the people in the club car tried to pay for my drinks. When I arrived home, most of my younger sister's high school class were there waiting to greet me on the platform. I spent most of my time while in Vietnam doing road patrols and convoy escort duty. I have no great war stories, no regrets, no trauma, proud of my service, proud of wearing the uniform of the United States Army. I served with the best kind of young men America could produce. As Shakespeare said: "Let he who is not with us on this day, forever hold his manhood small."
Robert -- You were one of the lucky ones. I was home on leave and returned through the San Fran airport. Yup, I was verbally attacked and someone spit at me but they were too far away for me to get hit. This was before I ever got to Vietnam. I was most fortunate to fly straight from the base in Okinawa to MCAS El Toro and didn't see a single civilian.
And my grandfather as far as I know was with the 7th Calvary. I never got to meet him as he died in 1983. If any Vietnam veteran on here served in the 7th please message me I want to learn more about my grandfather.
Don't thank me for "my service". Service is what you get from a car mechanic or a waitress. I was sent to the other side of the world to help kill Vietnamese people who had done nothing to me, my neighbors, or my Country. They didn't do anything to you, good, bad, or indifferent, so why are you thanking me for killing them?
After I came home I went for a job interview at the Ohio Edison Company. The interviewer saw I was a Vietnam vet and the look on his face changed to contemptuous. Looking me in the eyes he said to me, "we don't hire baby killers." That was the end of the job interview. I walked out of the door feeling like someone had taken a knife and gutted me. If you meet a veteran, or someone in uniform please thank them for their service. I sure do. It's a small thing to do, but means so much.
There are no words to describe the graditude to the vietnam vets. It makes me sick to think of what you guys went through coming home. You guys had it the worst. God Bless! I am also a Veteran so I understand some of what you went through, but coming home is supposed to be the time of praise and support! Time to heal! Thank you!!!
why can't they just thank YOU, since they're currently talking to YOU? smh You think they aren't sincere enough unless they seek out someone mistreated 40something years ago first? Sorry, but comments like this are just silly.
Unless you were in the military you won't understand. USAF 79-92 Desert Storm. I knew many that were in Vietnam. Highest respect for them. They paid a price that can never be paid back.
@@user-lq2fb4sx1e what the hell are you talkin about men. Your assumption is out of line. Of course I accept praise and thanks for my service. I just mentioned to them to make sure and thank a Vietnam vet. Get out of here with all that you were saying Jesus Christ through trying to say something good. People like you got to analyze it and put it in the category of something being wrong. Get a life move on. You probably weren't even in the military anyways. Shut your mouth
@@leviackerman6552 Most of them did like My Lai Massacre, but i aggre its not everyone did it.. One of american War Hero at that time was Hugh Thompson Jr, theres a coverage of him.
I came back in 69 and landed at Travis and we four officers rented a cab to take us to the airport and as we pulled up to the terminal we were immediately behind a military bus which was being "attacked" by protesters who appeared to be throwing garbage and feces and blood and everything else at the poor bastards. They didn't even notice us! I was so glad I had not been on the bus as I might have done something that a protester would have regretted and that I would have regretted! My next stop was New York and I was numb and my wife had us go out to dinner and as I sat there a guy about two tables away was complaining about his meal. The next thing I knew I was standing there berating the guy for complaining about his meal because my buddies back in Vietnam just wanted to live another day and his meal wasn't right? You get the idea! The next thing I knew the manager came to me and shook my hand and had moved our table to a small area where my wife was sitting. I was very upset and the manager knew it and we talked a lot. His son was in Vietnam as we spoke and I don't know how long we talked. I really was numb and I had it easy compared to the grunts as I was a helicopter pilot and we slept in bunks each night, most of the time. As I've gotten older the memories of deaths bother me more. I awaken every night at 0330 as that was when the typical rocket attack took place. I don't awaken alarmed, but just look around and am grateful to be home! Thanks for the video and best of luck!!!
Being British I am grateful my country stayed out of Vietnam. I have seen that wall in Washington and in 1998 I went to Vietnam. I cannot imagine the hardships that those poor American boys went through, the constant terror, never knowing when danger could come, the heat and the hostility of their own people when returning home. We must also remember the suffering of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people too, always under the constant threat of another air raid..I recall passing through the old DMZ and seeing cemetery after cemetery, all with Communist symbols over the gates, hundreds of young men, many little more than boys buried in each one, and I saw scours of such cemeteries. As I said I saw the wall in Washington, the names etched onto it, like the Vietnamese in the cemeteries I saw in Vietnam, the men behind the names on the wall were mostly young men, with all their lives ahead of them, back during the war these men and the ones buried in the old DMZ cemeteries were enemies, but no longer, now they are united, united in death and I hope in peace. . I remember a woman I met in Vietnam, I complimented her on her excellent English, she told me she had been married to a GI who promised to take her to America but he was killed in the Mekong Delta, so much misery and grief all around, civilians and soldiers from both sides, only time will heal the scars. Though my country stayed out of Vietnam and I know no one who fought in that war I give our American cousins my respect. My own father is dead now,(He died in 1998) he fought in Normandy in WW2, I remember he never talked about the war, most vets don't , they just want to forget, not wanting to be reminded of that terrible times in their lives. Yet I can still see my father with tears in his eyes when he watched on TV as the queen placed a wreath of poppies on the Cenotaph (Memorial) in London. 50 years on and the sight of the Queen laying the wreath still brought tears to his eyes, somethings a person never forgets, no matter how hard he tries. I believe all veterans are deserving of respect, whether they fought in WW2, Vietnam or the Gulf, for people like me who has never been to war we cannot even begin to imagine what the vets went through and with many of them are still going though, the dreams and nightmares that will torment them for the rest of their lives.
When I came home from Vietnam, I somehow expected that, having done my duty, I would be recognized and respected. To this day I feel disrespected. It has been fashionable for the past few years for folks to tell me "thanks for your service". I immediately recognize that they have no understanding of the union that was build in combat.
I'm 23 years old and recently eas'd from the Marine Corps and was raised to respect and thank the men and women in service, and I always recognize military members. A big part of why I joined honestly. But there is one thing my father said to me that really stuck, one of the best things to say to a Vietnam veteran is "welcome home"...so from one generation vet to another. Welcome Home to you, and everybody else who didn't get theirs either.
David, I am a Viet Nam era Navy vet, Never served in VietNam. For years I have felt guilty about not serving in VietNam. I think of all those thousands of boys and men who lost their lives in the steaming, hot, leech infested jungles fighting an enemy who was tough. Whenever I see someone wearing any kind of cap or hat with some kind of military shield on it, I make it a point to thank them for their service. Do not underestimate the true appreciation we feel towards you Nam vets. Mine is sincere. No, I don't have a true understanding of the brotherhood that all combat vets probably have experienced, but that doesn't men I do not appreciate the sacrifices made to uphold freedom. Freedom is a very precious thing and the price to maintain our freedom has been high. In closing I will tell you this: Thanks for your service. God Bless
Thank you for your service the say ww2 is the greatest generation but you and the baby boomers are equally as important when it comes to fighting for our country idc about the political aspects of war and you and every other soilder who came home deserved more than the disrespect and utter disgust from the protestors. You and every other man who served in Vietnam are truly heroes
I was 10 in my grandmothers living room. I heard my uncle John tell my dad that they spit on him when he got back. I swore when I grew up I would pay the check for any one in uniform. there are some really stupid hostesses out there that don't get the concept, and won't let you pay. My uncles ship was halved by a Japanese sub. How are we treating vets now in 2014????????????
My grandpa told me he was spit on coming home. Damn this video kinda teared me up, being a millenial I geuss maby not since I'm 18 you never hear about this side of the war in school. This is horrible why would people spit on them
Hippies that are today successful, and influential. Teachers,politicians, professors,all brainwashing generations of children in our public schools and universities
To answer the question, the people needed a scapegoat. They’d heard about all the bad things in the war, so they became angry. Instead of realizing that the politicians were at fault, they took out their anger on the soldiers.
@@capncake8837 They simply were drug head cowards looking for an excuse not to go . People will use anything except admit they are cowards. They would rather a Soldier die for them to be able to stay high. COWARDS!!!
As the son of a GI I thank God everyday my Dad was spared from Vietnam. He was trained for artillery and supposed to go there but when he graduated AIT he received his orders: Due to shortage of combat engineers in Germany you've been re-designated 12B and will report to Germany. Germany at that time was probably the best duty station you could hope for.
I also went to Viet nam and when I came back I have never talked to ANYONE. I am 72, now . My youngest daughter has asked me questions and I will change the subject, But, about 7 or 8 years ago, Killeen Texas had a Parade on veterans day just for Vietnam Vets. I was watching the parade with another Viet nam Vet and we both had our arms around each other. You should have seen the silent tears coming out of my eyes. Many that saluted us were Viet nam vets. Now at my age, after I have seen many documentaries, on Viet Nam, do I understand why our enemies fought that hard. IT WAS THEIR COUNTRY. Our politicians should be more carefull of what they do in the future. Ho Chi Minh was in his rights to try to make the French and anyone else who try to make them bow to them out of VIET NAM. I would do the same they did, if they invaded us. I am proud of all my Viet Nam Vets, and, those that died there following orders. All the hippies are all gone now, but were are still here. Let it RAIN on my parade.
I'm a Vietnam Draft resistor. I'm just as proud of that as you are about your fellow veterans. You made a great post and should be confronting all your fellow vets with what you wrote. Just remember, the "hippies" and other like-minded people were the ones that hastened the end of the BS war you just described. As an American, I don't die "following orders". You can do that in communistic, totalitarian countries as well. The US Government was incredibly dysfunctional and erroneous in its foreign policy.
@@joes4990 That's where you show you are F'd up on the issue. I never said I burnt my card and spit on anyone. I never did anything disrespectful to veterans. We were protesting an illegal and immoral war that was screwing up our country for 10 years. That's called patriotism.
@@topgeardel Top, This is Rob a Vietnam vet. I was just going to blow off a comment and keep it to myself just as I have for so many years about my service. I too was drafted and had a choice. I chose going into the Navy. I knew a fellow high school friend who was a “ draft dodger” as they were called back then. I had no hard feelings for his decision. I know it was a big decision at the time to maybe never get to see family again as it was illegal. How ever, you miss the point here , when you give credit to the abusive hippies and resisters for doing something for us vets. You don’t know how it feels to be ostracized and shamed for putting you life on the line and being traumatized by the inhumanity . If you went to Canada nobody other than your family knew where you were, and when you returned under Jimmy Carters amnesty, nobody held it against you or abused you for it, you gratefully blended in. If you resisted in the stated , you were just part of a group, again nothing physically distinguished you from the crowd of protesters. I truely don’t hold any of that against anyone who’s heart was in the right place. It did make a difference. Cudo to thst. But the big mistake that the resistance did, was in chastising those of us who did stand out like a target for the bitterness of the war. You may have done your part, bit you didn’t get to feel the trauma of being sent over when we saw the protests and still didn ‘t understand the whole thing. We were blind sided while in service and traumatically blind sided by the treatment of those how had our best interest at heart. So , after keeping my service to myself for so myself for so many years, I appreciate the”thank you for your service”, but I don’t need it . I am proud of my service I know what it was and why I chose to do it. I don’t think it is ever justified to be treated as we were,. So , in understanding your pride in your part, I guess , thank you for your part. But you can’t understand the treatment that that we got and how it felt. So again, thank you for your part in helping end the sencless war . But please don’t equate what the abusers did to us when we were most vulnerable coming home, because it had nothing to do with ending the war, it was just plain hatred, arrogance, and group think. Let’s leave it to history.
I came back from Vietnam in the spring of 1971 but was only home for a month and a half before continuing on to my next duty station in Germany. The two things I remember most were being turned away from both the local American Legion and VFW posts by the World War Two vets and turning on the TV one night and each of the 3 TV networks were airing at the same time police/private detective shows with each show having a plot about a psycho Vietnam veteran.
I lived those days as a Vietnam/Draft resistor. I didn't give any of you guys sh*t b/c I had my own life to live. But you guys aren't the victims you present. You guys had a bad reputation for some legitimate reasons. You chose to be a Vietnam veteran. What you got came with the "territory". Hell...some of the jokers doing videos on this channel should be up for war crimes from their own testimony.
@@topgeardelHey topgeardel. Always happy to see you in all these bs videos. And I was debating with some lady about Vietnam. She apparently drank the koolaid. Anyways it was post about Roy Benavidez. I don't if you heard of him. He won the medal of honor. What he did was all well and good. But as for him saving the other u.s. troops. Like what the were they even doing there in the first place. Essentially he was just cleaning up the mess America made in the first place. Anyways I was posting something similar to the post in these videos so that less people will drink the koolaid about vietnam. And this is what she had to say, " the first place, I am a woman who was too young for the draft if I had been a man. In the second place, I tried to read your info on here but you chose not to share anything. You really don’t sound like an American at all, and not one of that era. It was an era of unrest in this country, largely due to race, our involvement in Vietnam, and the proliferation of illegal drugs. You sound like you are full of hatred and long lasting vitriol. I am sorry that you cannot find peace. I have many friends among the dead and injured of Vietnam and some who were ligitimate conscience objectors. I admire them all. You, unfortunately, do not fit in that category as you haven’t found the peace that comes with pride and acceptance. I feel sorry for you."
@@topgeardelShe also said please, give up your anger and venom. This man behaved heroically in the situation into which he was placed. It was not his choice to be there, it was his choice to act heroically. What because I didn't drink the koolaid about Vietnam and tried to get others tob wake up about Vietnam.
@@robertisham5279 It's essential that people understand as Americans that they DO have a choice. Until people own that reality for themselves, they really are not free people. I've said several times that what separated people regarding Vietnam was their response to consequences. Many felt risking their lives for 1 year was worth not facing prison, unemployment or Canada etc. Therefore, no choice. I don't have "anger and venom"...I have a commitment to get younger people from accepting the propaganda that they "don't have choices". People must be critical thinkers as we are talking about life and death...of ourselves and others. America is a sick nation.
If anyone is reading this comment in 2019, I just saw Tarantino's 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' and at every possible time, the characters make fun of or disrespect the hippies, even beating and killing them. It made me so happy, especially considering I am researching all of this about the Vietnam War recently. I'm playing a Vietnam vet diagnosed with PTSD in a play in a month and it makes me genuinely angry and sad to see how the vets were treated upon coming home. Whether anyone agrees with the war or not, serving your country is an honour and I will always believe in that. Cheers to all Vietnam vets.
My father is a Vietnam veteran and he watched his birthday come up on the national lottery. His birthday was the first on the second column. He said his family screamed and cried and he was in shock... He said his first thought was he wasn't coming home.. he did come home and he said he was treated so badly that he didn't want to tell anyone that he was there. 😢 He is 74 years old and he still has nightmares about being there. My father is my hero. He's everything to me and he said he was more scared coming back home then he was in Vietnam. 😢
I remember missing being drafted by about 6 months or so. I was afraid and I imagined what it must be like patrolling in a foreign jungle. I was young and like many other Americans I was patriotic and I certainly would have gone also. I have nothing but the deepest respect for my fellow Americans that served in Vietnam. Instead of being loved and helped many times our Vietnam Vets were treated horribly - after experiencing so much pain and horror. God Bless our wonderful Veterans for going to hell for us and making it back. Deepest regards to the living and the dead.
You should be having great respect for the Americans who resisted the Draft and Vietnam and didn't support such a BS, illegal war. It was b/c of protestors and resistors that the end of the war was hastened. Quit boo-hooing over the veterans. Draft or no Draft....they are responsible for their choices.
I served with the U.S. Army; 4th I.D.; 2/8th Inf.; RVN 1969-1970. Thanks to all Vietnam Veterans for their heroic and patriotic service in Vietnam. We now know that Soviet Intelligence services were responsible, at least in part, for the terrible treatment that returning Vietnam Veterans were subject to through the anti-Vietnam Veteran propaganda that they promulgated in the USA. Another fact was the Cultural Marxist internal revolution in the USA during the late 1960's and early 1970's which, naturally sided with the Vietnamese Communist and viewed Vietnam Veterans as class enemies. My squad leader in Vietnam actually developed severe PTSD from the horrible treatment that he received when he returned home from Vietnam. He died from complications related to the same about 15 years after his return. That and the horrible treatment that I and other Vietnam Veterans received continues to make me extremely angry!
I’m so sorry for the homecoming Viet Nam vets received.I was 11 years old.I had a brother returning.We were so proud of him, and so grateful to have him home.Thank ALL of you for your service.You deserved so much more than what you got.Not everyone felt negative .I know it was hard to hear the positive thru all the negative, but know you are loved, valued, and so appreciated.🇺🇸
Vietnam veterans are among the best Americans. a great generation that was unfairly treated. We need to finally put the record straight: These people, myself included, could have skipped our duty but we didn't. God bless them all.
As a son of a vet never forget to proudly let my dad know how proud i am of him. You guys will live on through the ages as warriors the people who spit on you will always be seen as traitors
God bless you men. I was a child during the war but respected and prayed for you every night. You are the greatest of your generation . You are the reason I joined the military .
Thank you for your service. My Dad was a Navy veteran. He served in WWII. He loved this country. The people who would treat a veteran like they treated you are reprehensible. They need to realize that all the freedoms they have were earned by somebody who served this country in battle & a lot of them didn't make it back home.
@@topgeardel Maybe so but the soldiers going over there were serving their country & absolutely deserve to be treated decently when they return home. If you have a problem with the war you protest the government you do not take it out on the soldiers. There were soldiers who did very bad things but you don't take that out on all servicemen.
@@thedonleroy Let's back up here. THEY chose to allow themselves to go to Vietnam and in THEIR head they were "serving" their country. They did their part to keep a national disgrace going for 8 years...and then blame the politicians for everything and act like victims. They were representatives of the USA...and NO they didn't all represent us well. I never disrespected a veteran when they returned simply b/c I was living my life in peace....as they should have chosen. They all need to quit bitching about everyone else and just focus on the fact they made it out of Hell alive. How they were treated upon their return should have meant NOTHING to them.
@@topgeardel You do realize that thousands of Vietnam vets were drafted & did not volunteer for the military? How did the men that were drafted choose to go to Vietnam. They would have to become criminals to not go once they were drafted. How they were treated should mean nothing to them you say. I would sure like to see how you would have felt to be treated the way they were for doing what they thought was their duty.
@@thedonleroy Lmao. I am a Vietnam Draft resistor. What would you like to tell me about the Draft? And btw....I AM NOT A CRIMINAL b/c I stood my ground and resisted serving in an immoral and illegal war. The US never declared war against anyone. Let me be more precise. I registered for the Draft...legally. I resisted the Draft by applying for Conscientious Objector status....legally. And the US Government accepted my petition....legally. And if they did not, I hear you ask? I would have easily gone to Canada which was an incredibly safe, sane, friendly and peaceful country. AND IN MY HEAD...I did that "legally" regardless of what my dysfunctional Government defined it in regards to their illegal war. You really do need to redefine what "criminal" meant in relationship to the Vietnam war. Maybe your country was "criminal" ??
I didn't get spit on or had rotten vegetables thrown at me when I returned home from Vietnam. My experience was a women in the Chicago airport with her little daughter sitting next to her. I sat down next to the woman and the little girl and the woman told her daughter that they had to find other seats, she said the solider that had just sat down next to them was a baby killer and didn't want her daughter to get hurt by me. I am almost 70 years old now and I will never forget the look on the little girls face, it was a look of terror. That woman didn't even know me and she had her little girl terrified of me. It was a horrible experience for me.
I got back in 68 the only people glad to see me were my parents somebody gave me a Calvary ball cap recently. People come up and thank me for my service. I tell them to thank the returning Vets now. 52 years is too late.
I arrived at Cleveland Ohio air port on crutches from being wounded, I was hit n spit on cops just walked away. being a Marine if I could have I would have done something. not one single person would help me.
You are a HERO to me Sir! those IMPOSTORS pretending to be cops and the hippie TRASHPILE belong in the same North Korean Prison! God Bless you for fighting Communist-Atheist CRIMINALS!
we heard from the Marines who replaced us that there was protesting at the airports. when i got to Ohare in Chicago, we went into the first restroom and changed into civvies, we were just glad to be home, and didn't need any bullsht from anyone... 3rd Batt. 7th Marines ChuLai,RVN 10/65-11/66
My reserve had 4 guys that served in Vietnam and when they got back they were welcomed and treated with great respect. And were always seen as warriors. Of course we were in Canada, but to serve and fight was their dream. How a citizen could treat a warrior the way many Americans did is a crime.
A friend of mine's uncle totally beat the shit out of a hippy who fucked with him after he got back in 69. He had been a Marine grunt. The cops arrested the hippy which made the Marine feel great.
I think it was dependent on where you were from, and where you came home to. I was from semi-rural central Florida (Brevard county. Cocoa Beach/Titusville right beside Cape Canaveral) and I was treated like a returning war hero. I always felt bad for the vets who came home to liberal areas and faced such a hurtful and painful return (a U.S. Marine vet. who was in country from Nov. 14th '67 thru Feb. 1st '69...2/7 and 3/1)
That's why I said what I did, just for that purpose! Someone that spits on you, and calls you baby killer wouldn't be called a fellow citizen in my book! More like a enemy.
A perspective from a Russian: The problem of America and its involvement in wars seems to be that they try to play the knight in white gloves and shining armour. They care too much about being "the good guys" in the conflict. Your Russian soldiers, who served in Afganistan and in Chechen wars also many of those problems: PTSD, indifference of the authorities and the society... But they were never called "baby killers". They understood that they were fighting the "enemy" for the sake of fighting the enemy, that they were not knights in the shining armour. It is easier to overcome frustration and PTSD if you do not care whether you were a "good" or a "bad" guy in the war.
Wow.... this is completely new information to me. Just, wow. These guys certainly didn't deserve to be treated this way... Thank you, Vietnam War Veterans - we do appreciate you still!
it's infuriating to hear what these brave men had to endure from these brainwashed idiots after having to survive something so awful and traumatic. God bless our vets.
Hearing stories like this make me sick. Shame on every single person who has disrespected a veteran of the United States, regardless of what war they served in. Talk about politically incorrect.
It is not about "Political Correctness" as people who are acting in a 'politically correct' fashion are merely acting or talking in a way that goes against their personal beliefs and feelings so they don't catch any flack. Your genuine feelings are something you can't hide -- and certainly not to someone who has endured a war and witnessed the loss of humanity and has an entirely different perspective of what Life is all about. Being 'politically correct' is nothing but fake b.s. that is seen right through by the few "real" people left in this world.
I don't believe these stories about soldiers being spit on. I was either welcomed or ignored when I came home. And I processed through Oakland Army Terminal and flew out of San Francisco airport. I faced no problems and don't know anyone who did. 1st Cav, 1970-71.
@@harryhirsch8527 bruh, you are so annoying bruh, you literally have nothing better to do than to bitch about our soldiers, so hey, if you can, give me your phone number so i can curse you out real quick, i mean, unless you wanna meet up..........
What is the difference between Korea and Vietnam? korea we ignored the bad media and stuck it out and look at all the people who now live free because of it. If only we had stuck it out in Vietnam even more people would be free today.
we should've never been in Vietnam in the first place. The "Democratic" government we were fighting for was worse than the Communist government. Why do you think there were Vietcong, they didn't like the the South government so much that they were willing to fight the best fighting force in the world, and it paid off. Democracy doesn't always mean freedom, governments who treat there people right and fair is freedom.
Connor Blasing Conner, I have to respectfully disagree with you. And disagree with jokerface23 as well, but probably just in the details His statement "we should've never been in Vietnam in the first place." is accurate. But you have to know the history of the French in Viet Nam. to understand why. Very briefly, France invaded and conquered Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Laos in the mid to late 1800s, creating French Indochina. For about 50 to 70 years prior to WW2, the French were harsh in their treatment of the people they had conquered. As far back as 1919, Ho Chi Minh appealed to the USA to support Viet Nam's efforts to obtain some measure of relief from France's oppressive rule. In June-July of 1940, Hitler invaded France and set up the 'Vichy' Government. In Sep, 1940 Japan invaded French Indochina. With no support from the homeland, the French Forces put up virtually no resistance. The Viet Minh, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, began a guerrilla war against the Japanese. When the USA entered the War, following Pearl Harbor, we armed, trained, and supplied the Viet Minh. 2 Sep, 1945: Japan formally surrended. That same day, Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh issued the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, formally declaring their independence from France. According to the Truman Doctrine, "it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." And that, right there, is the reason we should never have been involved in Viet Nam. At the least, we should have remained neutral. At most, we should have supported Viet Nam instead of France. If we had been true to that guiding principle and either of the above courses, the Viet Nam War probably would not have happened. After WW2, France was incapable of waging war in SEAsia without our help. (The French forces that re-invaded Viet Nam had to be transported to the region in US provided Liberty Ships.) If we had said, "We support an independent Viet Nam free of French Colonial rule." or even, "We're going to remain neutral on this one." France probably would not have even attempted it. Instead, during the years 1945 - 1954, the US supplied France with $3Billion of aid, and in the months immediately prior to DienBienPhu, the US was supplying French forces with up to 80% of the supplies they were using. At either of those times (1945, end of WW2, or 1954, French defeat at Dien Bien Phu) we could have and should have recognized Viet Nam's right to exist as an independant country. We probably would have gained a valuable ally in that region, and we certainly wouldn't have a black marble wall in Washington DC inscribed with the names of over 58,000 Americans.
4y6857 I know the history. I'm not arguing about us going in or not. I'm saying since we did go in we should have stayed in. Honor our treaties when we left them in the lurch we broke our treaty with them.
Ken C I can't tell if you're a troll or of you're just delusional. Could you imagine if I was saying the things you see saying regarding your beliefs? Try to put yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment and analyze your own actions. It'll help you be more self aware.
What were you fighting for? Did you ever stop to think? Or just blindly follow orders? What are we fighting for now? It's pointless death and destruction. Live your own life. Don't give your life away to a country who only cares about the big dollars. I feel for you all...
As the son of a Vietnam veteran I heard a lot about what it was like overseas. All I can say is God Bless all of you who served, and you deserve all the respect and recognition for the service to your country.
I take it you've possibly seen "Coming Home"... IF you have, well, yeah - she could use a little ass kicking.for screwing around with another guy - also a Vietnam vet - while her husband was in 'Nam.
Yes I've seen home coming. That was a movie. I'd kick her square in the snatch for going to hotel Hanoi and trying to convince our guys to admit to war crimes. That is treason. This guys our guys where in enemy jail and she wants them to admit they are criminals. Fuck her and the horse she rode in on. That is a fact. There is a bunch of bullshit out there she turned in note to enemy guard and got men beaten. That did not happen. Hell maybe I'd like to kick anyone in the balls or snatch that does not despise her.
I joined the USAF (and spent 22 years flying cargo jets ) in 1975 I got in fights in bars for no other reason than I was a GI (this was after the war ) To this day I see a Vet from VN and offer my hand and welcome them home. Vietnam vets you have my undying respect. thank you my older brothers.
when i came home from Nam in Nov 66, we went into the first restroom at Ohare airport in Chicago and changed into civvies so know one would know we were in the service... 3rd Batt. 7th Marines ChuLai,RVN 10/65-11/66
I served with 101st Airborne 1969. No one spit on me, and good thing for them.I came home to the Bronx N.Y. I wore my uniform home and I stood proud. God forbid anyone spitting on me.
2 things hippies forgot about
1: most boys got drafted
2:soldiers don't choose their war
It is irrelevant. Whether the war is just or not, fighting for one's country is an honour. Those who volunteered deserve even more respect than the drafted one's.
absolutely
the guy in the thumbnail looks like will feral
most hippie were and are wankers anyway. bunch of jobless lazy parasits that hate and preach against the same system and people thay free load off lol look what came out of the hippie system...the manson family, that was the reality of them
Your first point is completely false. 66% of Vietnam Vets joined the military by themselves. Not justifying any of the behaviors of protesters against vets during that time, but don’t spread fake news.
I was also called a baby killer in the San Francisco airport by a group of hippies. If I hadn't been looking at the girls I probably wouldn't of notice. I changed direction and walked toward then. They all scattered except one guy. I suppressed My first reaction and instead said "I can also kill adults". I know it was juvenile and petty but it sure made Me feel better. I didn't talk about My experiences for over 20 years then decided that I had nothing to be ashamed of that it was their problem not mine.
Tom Sherman what you did was necessary. They were spoiled brats who betrayed their country in its time of need. They wanted their own revolution of society and within 6 years their utopian communities and ideals came crashing down. I'll admit I wasn't alive at the time but this is the conclusion I came to. Vietnam had its own underlying benefits but they aren't exactly noble or just but they would certainly benefit the nation. Thank you for your service and I apologize if my opinion sounds like dumb rhetoric or hypocritical.
People like you are who Americans should admire. God Bless. I mean it thank you for what u have done.
Thank you for your service sir Welcome home
Thanks for your service!
Tom Sherman welcome home soldier. And thank you.
Thank you Vietnam Veterans. I love you with all my heart.
+Kyle Collins Me too!
+Kyle Collins What do you think of the people who lied about the Gulf of Tonkin?
Democrats. What else is new..
And what do you think about the crooks who lied about WMD?
arnibah vanst. Shitheads politicians who got us into Nam and tied our hands. Don't equate the two.
How on earth you can spit on your own veterans is beyond me! I bet half of the people who were abusing the veterans wouldn't have the guts to pick up a weapon and serve their country!
You so right. An it goes for the one today also
They are the same ones who donned camo fatigues in the eighties and tried to pass themselves off as Rambo.
They are communists.
mcsquare77 especially since most didn't really have a choice since they were drafted
mcsquare77 Although many believed they were “serving” their country, none actually were. They were serving a few select corporations/war profiteers. If you didn’t know it then you didn’t know it and you can’t change it. I remember I guy I served with saying he’d rather be fighting “them” here than in Hawaii or California. When I recall that I always picture sampans loaded with NLF patriots coming in on the waves in Waikiki or Huntington Beach. “We’re gonna kill........Surf.....Cityyyyyyyyy.”
I still cry every time I hear these vets tell how they were treated. They are the cream of the crop of our men in this country and still are. God bless all of them.
cream of the baby killer crop
@@harryhirsch8527 Piss off. Being a soldier at the wrong time doesn’t make someone evil.
@@capncake8837 Obviously you didn't live back then and you drink the "Kool Aid" about Vietnam. If you watched enough of these BS videos alone...you'd know many of them got away with BS....at Vietnam's expense.
You took the words out of my mind!
@@MrBillyRivers You confuse "little bitch" with a man who stands up for himself and what's right. I'm a Vietnam/Draft resistor. Guys who went to Vietnam were cowards in their own way b/c they allowed their Government to bully them with consequences if they didn't fight in an illegal war. Real men stand up for themselves. I am a son of a bitch though...and proud of it.
My respect to all Vietnam veterans.Greetings from Croatia.
Dario Štenc hrvatska jej
When i came back home in 1970 after a full year in vietnam, my dad insisted that we had to go to visit relatives who lived in new york and comneticut, and i really did not want to go because they were all opposed to the war before i left for vietnam and they were still opposed to the war when i got back.
They all made very bad comments to me about the war and about the men and women who served there saying that we were losing the war or that we should neber have gone to war over there bevause it was not a good war like world war one or world war two, or the korean war, and they treated us as if we were the bad guys instead of the communists that we were fighting over there.
I hated them ever since that day and i refused yo talk about the war with them after that. I would only talk about the war with other vietnam veterans that i met after i got out of the army in 1971, or with my psychologist and my psychiatrist at the va. When i started getting treatment for ptsd.
I became permanently and totally disabled for ptsd, and i have disability ratings for several other service connected conditions that i acquired in vietnam.
That war changed me forever, and it destroyed my health, and i almost got killed there at least three times in three different places in vietnam, so after all of these years, if anyone asks me about the war, i choise not to talk about it unless that person is also a vietnam veteran
Hey man; You did what Uncle Sam sent you to do. The blame is on his MF'g shoulders not yours. Everybody got shit on their boots too but I damn sure wasn't going to be any ones fool again. and damn sure not AUNT so and so or some dip shit cousin with a big mouth. I got whacked in the head and face from flying power canisters and rocket debris and no sob was going to negate scars and my 3 years for their happy anti war BS. BUT TODAY IS DIFFERENT. We are more informed and wiser Vietnam should have been the teacher.
That's NOT the tack I took at age 17. STARTING ON DAY ONE in AUG. 18th 1970 when I enlisted. I popped my Step brother square in the mouth for calling me a baby killer and doper and I hadn't even seen one day of active military service or had no idea what dope even looked like. I have seen too many guys break after Vietnam. Good, hard core dudes. Well I still get riled up and as far as what we as piss ants did; we were fucking ordered to do everything we did. Let the politicians say, " I'M SORRY!" I have done everything the hard way in life since then and I know it's partially because of a sense of unfinished duty. Well; that's on UNCLE SAM AS WELL! Everyone had their own degree of shit to deal with and the man put us there. So; in your case it's his duty to care for your needs. That was the deal. GOD BLESS! AND HEY; WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO; send you to F'G VIETNAM? Remember the SOP of the day is; DON'T FORGET TO DUCK!
Korea and Vietnam lead to the end of the cold war. I believe they could of saved the world from nuclear destruction. They are heros and my brother and sisters. I would love to drop kick Jane Fonda in the snatch.
Thank you for your service sir. Welcome home Godspeed
Jerry Dickey what's ur problem b?
Nick Bellantoni
I was only 12 in 1970 my dad was a Forward Observer in Korea. In my family I never heard nothing but praise for you men. Some of the high school girls my buddies sisters wrote to guys they didn't know that were in Vietnam and had copies of soldiers dog tags on that they didn't know except for writing them. They were all working class girls, great girls. I guess the people that cared about our soldiers then never had their story told. Thanks to you and your buddies for your service.
Nobody spit at me, I took the train home from Oakland to Ohio and was respectfully treated by everyone on board. People offered to pay for every one of my meals and most of the people in the club car tried to pay for my drinks. When I arrived home, most of my younger sister's high school class were there waiting to greet me on the platform. I spent most of my time while in Vietnam doing road patrols and convoy escort duty. I have no great war stories, no regrets, no trauma, proud of my service, proud of wearing the uniform of the United States Army. I served with the best kind of young men America could produce. As Shakespeare said: "Let he who is not with us on this day, forever hold his manhood small."
I guess, California was a particularly unfriendly place for vets.
You were one of the few Robert. God Bless!
Robert thank you from a fellow Ohioan
Robert -- You were one of the lucky ones. I was home on leave and returned through the San Fran airport. Yup, I was verbally attacked and someone spit at me but they were too far away for me to get hit. This was before I ever got to Vietnam. I was most fortunate to fly straight from the base in Okinawa to MCAS El Toro and didn't see a single civilian.
@MrShirye you're jealous
This is sad, shows how pathetic society could become. To every Vietnam veteran I thank you for your service.
And my grandfather as far as I know was with the 7th Calvary. I never got to meet him as he died in 1983. If any Vietnam veteran on here served in the 7th please message me I want to learn more about my grandfather.
+Karen Wigley I believe so
Don't thank me for "my service". Service is what you get from a car mechanic or a waitress. I was sent to the other side of the world to help kill Vietnamese people who had done nothing to me, my neighbors, or my Country.
They didn't do anything to you, good, bad, or indifferent, so why are you thanking me for killing them?
After I came home I went for a job interview at the Ohio Edison Company. The interviewer saw I was a Vietnam vet and the look on his face changed to contemptuous. Looking me in the eyes he said to me, "we don't hire baby killers." That was the end of the job interview. I walked out of the door feeling like someone had taken a knife and gutted me. If you meet a veteran, or someone in uniform please thank them for their service. I sure do. It's a small thing to do, but means so much.
Maybe, maybe not.
Disgusting treatment.
@@SandfordSmythe WTF does that mean? Let me guess, you're an America-hating Liberal turd. You don't mind letting actual men fight for you
There are no words to describe the graditude to the vietnam vets. It makes me sick to think of what you guys went through coming home. You guys had it the worst.
God Bless!
I am also a Veteran so I understand some of what you went through, but coming home is supposed to be the time of praise and support! Time to heal! Thank you!!!
Gulf war Vet. And when some one tells me thank you for your service. I tell them to tell a Vietnam Vet.
yeah right
why can't they just thank YOU, since they're currently talking to YOU? smh You think they aren't sincere enough unless they seek out someone mistreated 40something years ago first? Sorry, but comments like this are just silly.
Unless you were in the military you won't understand. USAF 79-92 Desert Storm. I knew many that were in Vietnam. Highest respect for them. They paid a price that can never be paid back.
@@user-lq2fb4sx1e what the hell are you talkin about men. Your assumption is out of line. Of course I accept praise and thanks for my service. I just mentioned to them to make sure and thank a Vietnam vet. Get out of here with all that you were saying Jesus Christ through trying to say something good. People like you got to analyze it and put it in the category of something being wrong. Get a life move on. You probably weren't even in the military anyways. Shut your mouth
@@michaeledlin9995 Thank You 3rd Batt. 7th Marines ChuLai,RVN 10/65-11/66
This is a disgrace. They deserve the up most respect. The war in vietnam was a real shit storm. It was hell. God bless them.
they deserve respect for killing women and children? then you must have a lot of respect for the Nazis!
@@harryhirsch8527 harry,not all of them killed childrens
@@harryhirsch8527 quit thinking. You don't have the brain cells for it
@@leviackerman6552 Most of them did like My Lai Massacre, but i aggre its not everyone did it.. One of american War Hero at that time was Hugh Thompson Jr, theres a coverage of him.
@@harryhirsch8527 they were forced to go to war you stupid
I came back in 69 and landed at Travis and we four officers rented a cab to take us to the airport and as we pulled up to the terminal we were immediately behind a military bus which was being "attacked" by protesters who appeared to be throwing garbage and feces and blood and everything else at the poor bastards. They didn't even notice us! I was so glad I had not been on the bus as I might have done something that a protester would have regretted and that I would have regretted! My next stop was New York and I was numb and my wife had us go out to dinner and as I sat there a guy about two tables away was complaining about his meal. The next thing I knew I was standing there berating the guy for complaining about his meal because my buddies back in Vietnam just wanted to live another day and his meal wasn't right? You get the idea! The next thing I knew the manager came to me and shook my hand and had moved our table to a small area where my wife was sitting. I was very upset and the manager knew it and we talked a lot. His son was in Vietnam as we spoke and I don't know how long we talked. I really was numb and I had it easy compared to the grunts as I was a helicopter pilot and we slept in bunks each night, most of the time. As I've gotten older the memories of deaths bother me more. I awaken every night at 0330 as that was when the typical rocket attack took place. I don't awaken alarmed, but just look around and am grateful to be home! Thanks for the video and best of luck!!!
That is bullshit.
Being British I am grateful my country stayed out of Vietnam. I have seen that wall in Washington and in 1998 I went to Vietnam. I cannot imagine the hardships that those poor American boys went through, the constant terror, never knowing when danger could come, the heat and the hostility of their own people when returning home. We must also remember the suffering of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people too, always under the constant threat of another air raid..I recall passing through the old DMZ and seeing cemetery after cemetery, all with Communist symbols over the gates, hundreds of young men, many little more than boys buried in each one, and I saw scours of such cemeteries. As I said I saw the wall in Washington, the names etched onto it, like the Vietnamese in the cemeteries I saw in Vietnam, the men behind the names on the wall were mostly young men, with all their lives ahead of them, back during the war these men and the ones buried in the old DMZ cemeteries were enemies, but no longer, now they are united, united in death and I hope in peace. . I remember a woman I met in Vietnam, I complimented her on her excellent English, she told me she had been married to a GI who promised to take her to America but he was killed in the Mekong Delta, so much misery and grief all around, civilians and soldiers from both sides, only time will heal the scars. Though my country stayed out of Vietnam and I know no one who fought in that war I give our American cousins my respect. My own father is dead now,(He died in 1998) he fought in Normandy in WW2, I remember he never talked about the war, most vets don't , they just want to forget, not wanting to be reminded of that terrible times in their lives. Yet I can still see my father with tears in his eyes when he watched on TV as the queen placed a wreath of poppies on the Cenotaph (Memorial) in London. 50 years on and the sight of the Queen laying the wreath still brought tears to his eyes, somethings a person never forgets, no matter how hard he tries. I believe all veterans are deserving of respect, whether they fought in WW2, Vietnam or the Gulf, for people like me who has never been to war we cannot even begin to imagine what the vets went through and with many of them are still going though, the dreams and nightmares that will torment them for the rest of their lives.
Brits were treated like heroes in Malaya.
When I came home from Vietnam, I somehow expected that, having done my duty, I would be recognized and respected. To this day I feel disrespected. It has been fashionable for the past few years for folks to tell me "thanks for your service". I immediately recognize that they have no understanding of the union that was build in combat.
I'm 23 years old and recently eas'd from the Marine Corps and was raised to respect and thank the men and women in service, and I always recognize military members. A big part of why I joined honestly. But there is one thing my father said to me that really stuck, one of the best things to say to a Vietnam veteran is "welcome home"...so from one generation vet to another. Welcome Home to you, and everybody else who didn't get theirs either.
David, I am a Viet Nam era Navy vet, Never served in VietNam. For years I have felt guilty about not serving in VietNam. I think of all those thousands of boys and men who lost their lives in the steaming, hot, leech infested jungles fighting an enemy who was tough. Whenever I see someone wearing any kind of cap or hat with some kind of military shield on it, I make it a point to thank them for their service. Do not underestimate the true appreciation we feel towards you Nam vets. Mine is sincere. No, I don't have a true understanding of the brotherhood that all combat vets probably have experienced, but that doesn't men I do not appreciate the sacrifices made to uphold freedom. Freedom is a very precious thing and the price to maintain our freedom has been high. In closing I will tell you this: Thanks for your service. God Bless
Rodney Hayes Thanks, Rodney. Semper FI.
***** Thanks, Casey. Semper Fi.
Thank you for your service the say ww2 is the greatest generation but you and the baby boomers are equally as important when it comes to fighting for our country idc about the political aspects of war and you and every other soilder who came home deserved more than the disrespect and utter disgust from the protestors. You and every other man who served in Vietnam are truly heroes
I was 10 in my grandmothers living room.
I heard my uncle John tell my dad that they spit on him when he got back.
I swore when I grew up I would pay the check for any one in uniform.
there are some really stupid hostesses out there that don't get the concept,
and won't let you pay.
My uncles ship was halved by a Japanese sub.
How are we treating vets now in 2014????????????
My grandpa told me he was spit on coming home. Damn this video kinda teared me up, being a millenial I geuss maby not since I'm 18 you never hear about this side of the war in school. This is horrible why would people spit on them
Eskimo227 Because hippies... Fucking hippies.
Hippies that are today successful, and influential. Teachers,politicians, professors,all brainwashing generations of children in our public schools and universities
To answer the question, the people needed a scapegoat. They’d heard about all the bad things in the war, so they became angry. Instead of realizing that the politicians were at fault, they took out their anger on the soldiers.
@@capncake8837 They simply were drug head cowards looking for an excuse not to go . People will use anything except admit they are cowards. They would rather a Soldier die for them to be able to stay high. COWARDS!!!
@@capncake8837 agree but I can get why the population would be mad at the soldiers
As the son of a GI I thank God everyday my Dad was spared from Vietnam. He was trained for artillery and supposed to go there but when he graduated AIT he received his orders: Due to shortage of combat engineers in Germany you've been re-designated 12B and will report to Germany. Germany at that time was probably the best duty station you could hope for.
Religion is the cancer of the intellect of our planet! Try to awaken your brain! Best of luck!
I also went to Viet nam and when I came back I have never talked to ANYONE. I am 72, now . My youngest daughter has asked me questions and I will change the subject, But, about 7 or 8 years ago, Killeen Texas had a Parade on veterans day just for Vietnam Vets. I was watching the parade with another Viet nam Vet and we both had our arms around each other. You should have seen the silent tears coming out of my eyes. Many that saluted us were Viet nam vets. Now at my age, after I have seen many documentaries, on Viet Nam, do I understand why our enemies fought that hard. IT WAS THEIR COUNTRY. Our politicians should be more carefull of what they do in the future. Ho Chi Minh was in his rights to try to make the French and anyone else who try to make them bow to them out of VIET NAM. I would do the same they did, if they invaded us. I am proud of all my Viet Nam Vets, and, those that died there following orders. All the hippies are all gone now, but were are still here. Let it RAIN on my parade.
I'm a Vietnam Draft resistor. I'm just as proud of that as you are about your fellow veterans. You made a great post and should be confronting all your fellow vets with what you wrote. Just remember, the "hippies" and other like-minded people were the ones that hastened the end of the BS war you just described. As an American, I don't die "following orders". You can do that in communistic, totalitarian countries as well. The US Government was incredibly dysfunctional and erroneous in its foreign policy.
I appreciate you my friend..god bless you.
@@topgeardel Ok so you burnt your card. Why did you spit on the people that came back home? Why were you even protesting in the first place?
@@joes4990 That's where you show you are F'd up on the issue. I never said I burnt my card and spit on anyone. I never did anything disrespectful to veterans. We were protesting an illegal and immoral war that was screwing up our country for 10 years. That's called patriotism.
@@topgeardel Top, This is Rob a Vietnam vet. I was just going to blow off a comment and keep it to myself just as I have for so many years about my service. I too was drafted and had a choice. I chose going into the Navy. I knew a fellow high school friend who was a “ draft dodger” as they were called back then. I had no hard feelings for his decision. I know it was a big decision at the time to maybe never get to see family again as it was illegal.
How ever, you miss the point here , when you give credit to the abusive hippies and resisters for doing something for us vets. You don’t know how it feels to be ostracized and shamed for putting you life on the line and being traumatized by the inhumanity . If you went to Canada nobody other than your family knew where you were, and when you returned under Jimmy Carters amnesty, nobody held it against you or abused you for it, you gratefully blended in. If you resisted in the stated , you were just part of a group, again nothing physically distinguished you from the crowd of protesters. I truely don’t hold any of that against anyone who’s heart was in the right place. It did make a difference. Cudo to thst.
But the big mistake that the resistance did, was in chastising those of us who did stand out like a target for the bitterness of the war. You may have done your part, bit you didn’t get to feel the trauma of being sent over when we saw the protests and still didn ‘t understand the whole thing. We were blind sided while in service and traumatically blind sided by the treatment of those how had our best interest at heart.
So , after keeping my service to myself for so myself for so many years, I appreciate the”thank you for your service”, but I don’t need it . I am proud of my service I know what it was and why I chose to do it. I don’t think it is ever justified to be treated as we were,. So , in understanding your pride in your part, I guess , thank you for your part. But you can’t understand the treatment that that we got and how it felt.
So again, thank you for your part in helping end the sencless war . But please don’t equate what the abusers did to us when we were most vulnerable coming home, because it had nothing to do with ending the war, it was just plain hatred, arrogance, and group
think. Let’s leave it to history.
I came back from Vietnam in the spring of 1971 but was only home for a month and a half before continuing on to my next duty station in Germany. The two things I remember most were being turned away from both the local American Legion and VFW posts by the World War Two vets and turning on the TV one night and each of the 3 TV networks were airing at the same time police/private detective shows with each show having a plot about a psycho Vietnam veteran.
I lived those days as a Vietnam/Draft resistor. I didn't give any of you guys sh*t b/c I had my own life to live. But you guys aren't the victims you present. You guys had a bad reputation for some legitimate reasons. You chose to be a Vietnam veteran. What you got came with the "territory". Hell...some of the jokers doing videos on this channel should be up for war crimes from their own testimony.
@@topgeardelHey topgeardel. Always happy to see you in all these bs videos. And I was debating with some lady about Vietnam. She apparently drank the koolaid. Anyways it was post about Roy Benavidez. I don't if you heard of him. He won the medal of honor. What he did was all well and good. But as for him saving the other u.s. troops. Like what the were they even doing there in the first place. Essentially he was just cleaning up the mess America made in the first place. Anyways I was posting something similar to the post in these videos so that less people will drink the koolaid about vietnam. And this is what she had to say, " the first place, I am a woman who was too young for the draft if I had been a man. In the second place, I tried to read your info on here but you chose not to share anything. You really don’t sound like an American at all, and not one of that era. It was an era of unrest in this country, largely due to race, our involvement in Vietnam, and the proliferation of illegal drugs.
You sound like you are full of hatred and long lasting vitriol. I am sorry that you cannot find peace. I have many friends among the dead and injured of Vietnam and some who were ligitimate conscience objectors. I admire them all. You, unfortunately, do not fit in that category as you haven’t found the peace that comes with pride and acceptance. I feel sorry for you."
@@topgeardelShe also said please, give up your anger and venom. This man behaved heroically in the situation into which he was placed. It was not his choice to be there, it was his choice to act heroically. What because I didn't drink the koolaid about Vietnam and tried to get others tob wake up about Vietnam.
She also said that I'm without peace.
@@robertisham5279 It's essential that people understand as Americans that they DO have a choice. Until people own that reality for themselves, they really are not free people.
I've said several times that what separated people regarding Vietnam was their response to consequences. Many felt risking their lives for 1 year was worth not facing prison, unemployment or Canada etc. Therefore, no choice.
I don't have "anger and venom"...I have a commitment to get younger people from accepting the propaganda that they "don't have choices". People must be critical thinkers as we are talking about life and death...of ourselves and others.
America is a sick nation.
If anyone is reading this comment in 2019, I just saw Tarantino's 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' and at every possible time, the characters make fun of or disrespect the hippies, even beating and killing them. It made me so happy, especially considering I am researching all of this about the Vietnam War recently. I'm playing a Vietnam vet diagnosed with PTSD in a play in a month and it makes me genuinely angry and sad to see how the vets were treated upon coming home. Whether anyone agrees with the war or not, serving your country is an honour and I will always believe in that. Cheers to all Vietnam vets.
My father is a Vietnam veteran and he watched his birthday come up on the national lottery. His birthday was the first on the second column. He said his family screamed and cried and he was in shock... He said his first thought was he wasn't coming home.. he did come home and he said he was treated so badly that he didn't want to tell anyone that he was there. 😢 He is 74 years old and he still has nightmares about being there. My father is my hero. He's everything to me and he said he was more scared coming back home then he was in Vietnam. 😢
I remember missing being drafted by about 6 months or so. I was afraid and I imagined what it must be like patrolling in a foreign jungle. I was young and like many other Americans I was patriotic and I certainly would have gone also. I have nothing but the deepest respect for my fellow Americans that served in Vietnam. Instead of being loved and helped many times our Vietnam Vets were treated horribly - after experiencing so much pain and horror. God Bless our wonderful Veterans for going to hell for us and making it back. Deepest regards to the living and the dead.
You should be having great respect for the Americans who resisted the Draft and Vietnam and didn't support such a BS, illegal war. It was b/c of protestors and resistors that the end of the war was hastened. Quit boo-hooing over the veterans. Draft or no Draft....they are responsible for their choices.
@@topgeardel Amen
I served with the U.S. Army; 4th I.D.; 2/8th Inf.; RVN 1969-1970. Thanks to all Vietnam Veterans for their heroic and patriotic service in Vietnam. We now know that Soviet Intelligence services were responsible, at least in part, for the terrible treatment that returning Vietnam Veterans were subject to through the anti-Vietnam Veteran propaganda that they promulgated in the USA. Another fact was the Cultural Marxist internal revolution in the USA during the late 1960's and early 1970's which, naturally sided with the Vietnamese Communist and viewed Vietnam Veterans as class enemies. My squad leader in Vietnam actually developed severe PTSD from the horrible treatment that he received when he returned home from Vietnam. He died from complications related to the same about 15 years after his return. That and the horrible treatment that I and other Vietnam Veterans received continues to make me extremely angry!
Brave men.
yep...so brave to kill kids
@@harryhirsch8527 pussy
I love you brothers when I got back and did 8months left in Army it helped me getting back from Nam in a military town.
I’m so sorry for the homecoming Viet Nam vets received.I was 11 years old.I had a brother returning.We were so proud of him, and so grateful to have him home.Thank ALL of you for your service.You deserved so much more than what you got.Not everyone felt negative .I know it was hard to hear the positive thru all the negative, but know you are loved, valued, and so appreciated.🇺🇸
Vietnam veterans are among the best Americans. a great generation that was unfairly treated. We need to finally put the record straight: These people, myself included, could have skipped our duty but we didn't. God bless them all.
best Americans my a**...it was not your duty to kill babies!
@@harryhirsch8527 they didnt kill babies stupid
As a son of a vet never forget to proudly let my dad know how proud i am of him. You guys will live on through the ages as warriors the people who spit on you will always be seen as traitors
God bless you men. I was a child during the war but respected and prayed for you every night. You are the greatest of your generation . You are the reason I joined the military .
welcome home vietnam veterans thank you for your service god bless you
Thank you for your service. My Dad was a Navy veteran. He served in WWII. He loved this country. The people who would treat a veteran like they treated you are reprehensible. They need to realize that all the freedoms they have were earned by somebody who served this country in battle & a lot of them didn't make it back home.
And YOU need to realize 2 things. Vietnam was NOT WW2 and "serving" in Vietnam was NEVER protecting American safety, security and freedom.
@@topgeardel Maybe so but the soldiers going over there were serving their country & absolutely deserve to be treated decently when they return home. If you have a problem with the war you protest the government you do not take it out on the soldiers. There were soldiers who did very bad things but you don't take that out on all servicemen.
@@thedonleroy Let's back up here. THEY chose to allow themselves to go to Vietnam and in THEIR head they were "serving" their country. They did their part to keep a national disgrace going for 8 years...and then blame the politicians for everything and act like victims. They were representatives of the USA...and NO they didn't all represent us well. I never disrespected a veteran when they returned simply b/c I was living my life in peace....as they should have chosen. They all need to quit bitching about everyone else and just focus on the fact they made it out of Hell alive. How they were treated upon their return should have meant NOTHING to them.
@@topgeardel You do realize that thousands of Vietnam vets were drafted & did not volunteer for the military? How did the men that were drafted choose to go to Vietnam. They would have to become criminals to not go once they were drafted. How they were treated should mean nothing to them you say. I would sure like to see how you would have felt to be treated the way they were for doing what they thought was their duty.
@@thedonleroy Lmao. I am a Vietnam Draft resistor. What would you like to tell me about the Draft? And btw....I AM NOT A CRIMINAL b/c I stood my ground and resisted serving in an immoral and illegal war. The US never declared war against anyone. Let me be more precise. I registered for the Draft...legally. I resisted the Draft by applying for Conscientious Objector status....legally. And the US Government accepted my petition....legally. And if they did not, I hear you ask? I would have easily gone to Canada which was an incredibly safe, sane, friendly and peaceful country. AND IN MY HEAD...I did that "legally" regardless of what my dysfunctional Government defined it in regards to their illegal war.
You really do need to redefine what "criminal" meant in relationship to the Vietnam war. Maybe your country was "criminal" ??
Hearing their stories brought tears to my eyes.
All of these Men served our country and deserve Respect.
The last man talking has the type of character that's admirable and rare.
I didn't get spit on or had rotten vegetables thrown at me when I returned home from Vietnam. My experience was a women in the Chicago airport with her little daughter sitting next to her. I sat down next to the woman and the little girl and the woman told her daughter that they had to find other seats, she said the solider that had just sat down next to them was a baby killer and didn't want her daughter to get hurt by me. I am almost 70 years old now and I will never forget the look on the little girls face, it was a look of terror. That woman didn't even know me and she had her little girl terrified of me. It was a horrible experience for me.
Don't buy this.
I got back in 68 the only people glad to see me were my parents somebody gave me a Calvary ball cap recently. People come up and thank me for my service. I tell them to thank the returning Vets now. 52 years is too late.
Glad you made it back.
I arrived at Cleveland Ohio air port on crutches from being wounded, I was hit n spit on cops just walked away. being a Marine if I could have I would have done something. not one single person would help me.
God bless you mate
I remember Cleveland in those days. they had a motto: never waste a good lunger; send it to a returning veteran. preferably between the eyes.
You are a HERO to me Sir! those IMPOSTORS pretending to be cops and the hippie TRASHPILE belong in the same North Korean Prison! God Bless you for fighting Communist-Atheist CRIMINALS!
Litle bit hard to believe.
I love all you vets, thank you Soo much for your time and sacrifice.
we heard from the Marines who replaced us that there was protesting at the airports. when i got to Ohare in Chicago, we went into the first restroom and changed into civvies, we were just glad to be home, and didn't need any bullsht from anyone...
3rd Batt. 7th Marines ChuLai,RVN 10/65-11/66
My reserve had 4 guys that served in Vietnam and when they got back they were welcomed and treated with great respect. And were always seen as warriors. Of course we were in Canada, but to serve and fight was their dream. How a citizen could treat a warrior the way many Americans did is a crime.
I didnt know Will Ferrel was in vietnam war.
damnit i came here to say that
I thought it was Thurman Merman all grown up.
Touching
Thank all of you for your service
Thank you so much guys! If I was around back then I would of been on yalls side! I’m so disappointed in the way y’all were treated!
A friend of mine's uncle totally beat the shit out of a hippy who fucked with him after he got back in 69. He had been a Marine grunt. The cops arrested the hippy which made the Marine feel great.
My father got spit on. absolutely unbeleivable
Its real messed up but they also got dog feces thrown at them, sad but I'd rather take spit than dog shit.
Full Respect to All .
Thank you for your Sacrifice
You gave your lives & it does Matter❤❤
Thank you for your service sirs
I think it was dependent on where you were from, and where you came home to. I was from semi-rural central Florida (Brevard county. Cocoa Beach/Titusville right beside Cape Canaveral) and I was treated like a returning war hero. I always felt bad for the vets who came home to liberal areas and faced such a hurtful and painful return (a U.S. Marine vet. who was in country from Nov. 14th '67 thru Feb. 1st '69...2/7 and 3/1)
They should have let them come back home with there M 16's! It would have been a different story then!
LOL ROFLMAYO ZOMG WOW
That's why I said what I did, just for that purpose! Someone that spits on you, and calls you baby killer wouldn't be called a fellow citizen in my book! More like a enemy.
Fuck You! Bleeding heart!
sam harris keep dumbing it up
Fuck you!
Thank you for your service ❤️ and sorry that you young men was treated like that, it’s truly sad 😢
Thank you fellow vets for your service and bravery in war. I was only a youngster during the Vietnam war missed it by 5 years I feel lucky.
So sad how you guys got treated. Not right at all. Thank you for your service
We should have stayed in Nam, where for the most part, the people there respected us more than anyone here then.
So sad. I work with veterans like this and it’s still saddening. Thank you for everything
Thank You for your service and God Bless You all.
remember the soldier dont chose your war your government dose respect to these guys
heroes
All of you are heroes. Thank you so much for all your sacrifice. God bless you all
"Thank you very very much for helping me go home." Welcome home sir...
A perspective from a Russian: The problem of America and its involvement in wars seems to be that they try to play the knight in white gloves and shining armour. They care too much about being "the good guys" in the conflict. Your Russian soldiers, who served in Afganistan and in Chechen wars also many of those problems: PTSD, indifference of the authorities and the society... But they were never called "baby killers". They understood that they were fighting the "enemy" for the sake of fighting the enemy, that they were not knights in the shining armour. It is easier to overcome frustration and PTSD if you do not care whether you were a "good" or a "bad" guy in the war.
Welcome Home Brothers.
brother baby killer
@@harryhirsch8527 you are nothing
I just want to say Thank you, for your service Vietnam Vets, Welcome home and God bless you !
Wow.... this is completely new information to me. Just, wow. These guys certainly didn't deserve to be treated this way... Thank you, Vietnam War Veterans - we do appreciate you still!
it's infuriating to hear what these brave men had to endure from these brainwashed idiots after having to survive something so awful and traumatic. God bless our vets.
As a teenager at this time, I could never understand Why they were being treated like that, now I understand, it's called , Ignorance and Stupidity!!!
Respect to all the vets.
From UK
We love you all in my military family. You just did what you were told to do. God bless you guys❤🇺🇸🇺🇸
Anyone here who hasn't seen 'Born on The 4th of July' I strongly advise you do!
That movie is pure garbage
Hearing stories like this make me sick. Shame on every single person who has disrespected a veteran of the United States, regardless of what war they served in. Talk about politically incorrect.
It is not about "Political Correctness" as people who are acting in a 'politically correct' fashion are merely acting or talking in a way that goes against their personal beliefs and feelings so they don't catch any flack. Your genuine feelings are something you can't hide -- and certainly not to someone who has endured a war and witnessed the loss of humanity and has an entirely different perspective of what Life is all about. Being 'politically correct' is nothing but fake b.s. that is seen right through by the few "real" people left in this world.
@Paul Pugh Marxism came from the U.S.
Politically correct just means doing something that is correct for your political career or societal image.
Welcome Home to All of my Veteran Brother's and Sister's. Never Forget !
Heros in my eyes. God bless! You gave!!
I don't believe these stories about soldiers being spit on. I was either welcomed or ignored when I came home. And I processed through Oakland Army Terminal and flew out of San Francisco airport. I faced no problems and don't know anyone who did. 1st Cav, 1970-71.
I got one dirty look, from a professor type, who probably thought I was betraying the peace movement.
Funny how "Baby Killer" was such a stamp of condemnation, but abortion was legalized not long afterwards.
I am so sorry you were all treated this way. It makes me very sad. Thank you all for your service.
These stories are heartbreaking. Former 11A. You guys are my heroes.
A professor asked me if I had been a "baby killer."
D Storm are you serious? U were in college back then? How did the other students treat u?
the professor was right, wasnt he?
@@harryhirsch8527 harry,wtf,stop saying shit
@@harryhirsch8527 bruh, you are so annoying bruh, you literally have nothing better to do than to bitch about our soldiers, so hey, if you can, give me your phone number so i can curse you out real quick, i mean, unless you wanna meet up..........
@@harryhirsch8527 you have commented on almost every single comment i clicked on.........you are a pussy piece of shit
What is the difference between Korea and Vietnam? korea we ignored the bad media and stuck it out and look at all the people who now live free because of it. If only we had stuck it out in Vietnam even more people would be free today.
?
we should've never been in Vietnam in the first place. The "Democratic" government we were fighting for was worse than the Communist government. Why do you think there were Vietcong, they didn't like the the South government so much that they were willing to fight the best fighting force in the world, and it paid off. Democracy doesn't always mean freedom, governments who treat there people right and fair is freedom.
jokeface23 That is bs and you know it, but you will not admit it.
Connor Blasing Conner, I have to respectfully disagree with you. And disagree with jokerface23 as well, but probably just in the details
His statement "we should've never been in Vietnam in the first place." is accurate. But you have to know the history of the French in Viet Nam. to understand why. Very briefly, France invaded and conquered Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Laos in the mid to late 1800s, creating French Indochina. For about 50 to 70 years prior to WW2, the French were harsh in their treatment of the people they had conquered.
As far back as 1919, Ho Chi Minh appealed to the USA to support Viet Nam's efforts to obtain some measure of relief from France's oppressive rule. In June-July of 1940, Hitler invaded France and set up the 'Vichy' Government. In Sep, 1940 Japan invaded French Indochina. With no support from the homeland, the French Forces put up virtually no resistance.
The Viet Minh, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, began a guerrilla war against the Japanese. When the USA entered the War, following Pearl Harbor, we armed, trained, and supplied the Viet Minh. 2 Sep, 1945: Japan formally surrended. That same day, Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh issued the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, formally declaring their independence from France.
According to the Truman Doctrine, "it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." And that, right there, is the reason we should never have been involved in Viet Nam. At the least, we should have remained neutral. At most, we should have supported Viet Nam instead of France.
If we had been true to that guiding principle and either of the above courses, the Viet Nam War probably would not have happened. After WW2, France was incapable of waging war in SEAsia without our help. (The French forces that re-invaded Viet Nam had to be transported to the region in US provided Liberty Ships.) If we had said, "We support an independent Viet Nam free of French Colonial rule." or even, "We're going to remain neutral on this one." France probably would not have even attempted it.
Instead, during the years 1945 - 1954, the US supplied France with $3Billion of aid, and in the months immediately prior to DienBienPhu, the US was supplying French forces with up to 80% of the supplies they were using. At either of those times (1945, end of WW2, or 1954, French defeat at Dien Bien Phu) we could have and should have recognized Viet Nam's right to exist as an independant country. We probably would have gained a valuable ally in that region, and we certainly wouldn't have a black marble wall in Washington DC inscribed with the names of over 58,000 Americans.
4y6857 I know the history. I'm not arguing about us going in or not. I'm saying since we did go in we should have stayed in. Honor our treaties when we left them in the lurch we broke our treaty with them.
Thank you veterans
Thank you guys!!
Did your wives or sweethearts left you when you came back?
Hell, liberals still haven't changed.
Liberals these days would never treat troops like this... they may not agree, but today's vets have never been treated like this
The difference is now they are not ashamed to admit that they are Communists. Piss on them all.
Seriously? Leave it to this 2018 or people to make literally anything political. This is the reason people can't get along.
Ken C Do you remember in elementary school when you were taught to be respectful of other people's beliefs? Did you forget that?
Ken C I can't tell if you're a troll or of you're just delusional. Could you imagine if I was saying the things you see saying regarding your beliefs? Try to put yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment and analyze your own actions. It'll help you be more self aware.
Majority of these men were drafted. They left everything behind, and came back to hate. Sad. Thank you Vietnam vets.
My father was there in 66-68 with the 25th Infantry. Thank ya'll for your service to our Country.
It is absolutely SHAMEFUL how these men were treated upon their return. This was probably the earliest show of socialist activity in this country.
Shouldve blamed the politicians instead of soldiers.
The crimes they committed was more shameful
What were you fighting for? Did you ever stop to think? Or just blindly follow orders? What are we fighting for now? It's pointless death and destruction. Live your own life. Don't give your life away to a country who only cares about the big dollars. I feel for you all...
God Comfort You All & God Bless You All Abundantly Soldiers Amen
As the son of a Vietnam veteran I heard a lot about what it was like overseas. All I can say is God Bless all of you who served, and you deserve all the respect and recognition for the service to your country.
To all if you ever get a chance to kick Jane Fonda in the snatch ...jail be damned, do it. I would.
I take it you've possibly seen "Coming Home"...
IF you have, well, yeah - she could use a little ass kicking.for screwing around with another guy - also a Vietnam vet - while her husband was in 'Nam.
Yes I've seen home coming. That was a movie. I'd kick her square in the snatch for going to hotel Hanoi and trying to convince our guys to admit to war crimes. That is treason. This guys our guys where in enemy jail and she wants them to admit they are criminals. Fuck her and the horse she rode in on. That is a fact. There is a bunch of bullshit out there she turned in note to enemy guard and got men beaten. That did not happen. Hell maybe I'd like to kick anyone in the balls or snatch that does not despise her.
darth nader first chance I get I will kick her traitor ass!
@@catmandoo4u1 I respect Jane Fonda she is a true American HERO .(unlike bullshit veterans))))
иван епифан Russian? Your worse then Nazis.
I joined the USAF (and spent 22 years flying cargo jets ) in 1975 I got in fights in bars for no other reason than I was a GI (this was after the war ) To this day I see a Vet from VN and offer my hand and welcome them home. Vietnam vets you have my undying respect. thank you my older brothers.
Thank you for serving our country of you didn’t I would be alive so thank you for your surcease and welcome home men
LOVE AND PRAYERS GUYS. IM GLAD FOR EVERYONE THAT MADE IT BACK. ❤🙏
when i came home from Nam in Nov 66, we went into the first restroom at Ohare airport in Chicago and changed into civvies so know one would know we were in the service...
3rd Batt. 7th Marines ChuLai,RVN 10/65-11/66
As a 42 year old American civilian all I can say is thank you for your service and I am sorry for what you had to experience when you got home.
I served with 101st Airborne 1969. No one spit on me, and good thing for them.I came home to the Bronx N.Y.
I wore my uniform home and I stood proud. God forbid anyone spitting on me.
Hooah Bro!
Thanks god for Vietnam veterans. God bless you.
What an insightful video.
My hubby is a Navy vet and salutes every man from the Vietnam Era.
This insane how these guys where treated.
Love these guys. That last guy was convicting