Oh, what will this year bring?

Thank You, Vietnam Vets

February 13, 2008 on 10:51 pm | In Soldiers | No Comments

As part of the ceremony to present gold star banners to the parents of fallen heroes, the Blue Star Mothers wanted to express their appreciation to veterans of the Vietnam era. I was asked to write something which was then read by two Blue Star Mothers. Here it is:

For our country, the Vietnam war was different from any war before it. In World War I and World War II, the country supported its soldiers and were proud of their service. But during Vietnam, many Americans disagreed with the war and took it out on the military. When vets came back from serving in Vietnam, they were not treated with respect but were spit on and cursed.

A lot has changed since then. Americans have learned to separate their feelings about war from their feelings about the soldiers who have pledge to fight it. Since then, regardless of whether they support any war our country is involved in, Americans support the troops because of the lessons they learned from the wrongs done to the Vietnam vets. There have been vast improvements in services provided to all vets because the Vietnam vets showed us what was wrong with the system. Life is vastly better for today’s troops because of the sacrifices of the Vietnam vets.

Today, we want to thank the Vietnam vets. We want to thank them for their serving despite an unappreciative nation. We want to thank them for performing their duties regardless of their own feelings about the war. We want to thank them for the lasting effects on our country. You sacrificed and suffered for it, but we have learned important lessons from you. Our current troops have benefited from your service, with better health care, better mental health services, but most of all, they now receive expressions of appreciation because you did not. We may not be able to go back and undo the unfair treatment you received, but rest assured that your service has made a great difference for all of us – citizens and soldiers alike. We thank you for your service during a troubled time, and we thank you for your lasting contributions to our country.

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