posted on Nov, 28 2003 @ 09:08 AM
I think this is a good conversation to have.
I do see how we seem to be in a loop with our history.
Iraq in some ways is turning out to be another Vietnam in that the US military is once again trying to operate in an environment where we are clearly
not wanted. A guerilla force that can strike seemingly from nowhere has caused havoc throughout the country since the so-called end of hostilities.
Protests against the war increase by the day, with very few protesters seeming to understand the possible effects on the morale of our troops there,
who didn't choose to be there, but went because they chose to serve their country.
It's not their fault that they were sent into a muddled situation by a leader acting on possibly questionable information into a conflict that has
proven less than popular in civilian circles around the globe.
As someone who has friends still in the theatre of operations, who has been lucky enough to have seen others return home, and who has been unlucky
enough to know that at least one will never see his son grow up, I can say that we have to see this from all sides.
Perhaps the cause was just. Perhaps we shouldn't be there. But either way, those sent there from all branches of the service deserve more respect
than they will likely get on their return.
Meanwhile, I know from speaking to someone who returned Wednesday that there is a hard time acclimating to the changes from being back in the world.
That's not to say my friend is psychotic -- there's just a big difference between combat and so-called civilization and those differences are more
glaring when your return from duty is so quick.
I don't know that I've ever heard the song you posted, Advisor, but the lyrics and the sentiment they carry is a lesson all could learn from
today.
Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon" are also very good examples of songwriters paying their respects to Vietnam
veterans. Both point to the hardships that our troops faced, whether in Nam or after their return to the world.
Hopefully we've learned better how to deal with our returning veterans, but I doubt that thought is on the minds of many.