Re: If we go...
I'm in kind of the same boat. My father was in Vietnam as well, and hadn't talked about it at all in nearly 30 years... until last february.
My Senior AP English class was reading a GREAT book by Tim O'Brian called "The Things They Carried" (EVERYONE should read that book. Now.). Is about vietnam, hard to explain exactly, but my English teacher asked us if we knew anyone in the military at that time, and I mentioned my father. My teacher asked if he would mind coming in giving a presentation about it, and the wheels were set in motion. It eventually ended with my teacher coming in to my house, giving sort of a "pre-interview" with my dad, and then my dad going and talking about Vietnam for 90 minutes to my AP English class.
It was probably the time I have been the MOST proud of my father. My dad said it was good for him too. He even showed us the medals he earned in the war, among them were a Silver star, a Bronze star, TWO purple Hearts, and a unit commendation. He said it was good for him to tell us about what life was like in Vietnam back then, and I believe it. Afterwards he seemed very happy, like something was lifted off of him.
He didn't go into too much detail about what it was like coming back, just alluded to a few things. Like "If anyone ever called me a baby-killer, it wouldn't matter if there were 3 fences and two dogs between me and them, they were going to get their face crushed in"
My dad isn't the most subtle person...
The best part were the thank you cards we recieved later though. My english teacher even wrote a line I still remember. "During your presention the author side of me was saying; Man, he should write a book about this. The Father side of me was saying; I sure hope to God my son doesn't have to go through anything like this. And the teacher side of me was saying; Did he just mention how much better the Vietnam marijuana was then the states?" Lets just say my dad told the ENTIRE truth about a serviceman's life in 'Nam.
Sorry to get off topic in that, but what I belive we should do with our servicemen and women has already been stated here and by my Dad. But I also must remember that support of our troops shouldn't come without question. If we committ to a military action, we need to go all the way until completion. We need to make sure that any blood shed is NOT in vain...
Originally posted by beam
I didn't think my dad was a hero. I have not talked to him EVER in my 28 years of life about his experiences in Vietnam. I have heard him mention different stories, like how sweet the sound of an F-4 is. And how you can always tell the new guys when they come into land. But I have never discussed with him his experience upon returning home. Do we understand what a dispicable thing it was to treat men, some of whom had no choice, with such disdain?
I didn't think my dad was a hero. I have not talked to him EVER in my 28 years of life about his experiences in Vietnam. I have heard him mention different stories, like how sweet the sound of an F-4 is. And how you can always tell the new guys when they come into land. But I have never discussed with him his experience upon returning home. Do we understand what a dispicable thing it was to treat men, some of whom had no choice, with such disdain?
My Senior AP English class was reading a GREAT book by Tim O'Brian called "The Things They Carried" (EVERYONE should read that book. Now.). Is about vietnam, hard to explain exactly, but my English teacher asked us if we knew anyone in the military at that time, and I mentioned my father. My teacher asked if he would mind coming in giving a presentation about it, and the wheels were set in motion. It eventually ended with my teacher coming in to my house, giving sort of a "pre-interview" with my dad, and then my dad going and talking about Vietnam for 90 minutes to my AP English class.
It was probably the time I have been the MOST proud of my father. My dad said it was good for him too. He even showed us the medals he earned in the war, among them were a Silver star, a Bronze star, TWO purple Hearts, and a unit commendation. He said it was good for him to tell us about what life was like in Vietnam back then, and I believe it. Afterwards he seemed very happy, like something was lifted off of him.
He didn't go into too much detail about what it was like coming back, just alluded to a few things. Like "If anyone ever called me a baby-killer, it wouldn't matter if there were 3 fences and two dogs between me and them, they were going to get their face crushed in"
My dad isn't the most subtle person...The best part were the thank you cards we recieved later though. My english teacher even wrote a line I still remember. "During your presention the author side of me was saying; Man, he should write a book about this. The Father side of me was saying; I sure hope to God my son doesn't have to go through anything like this. And the teacher side of me was saying; Did he just mention how much better the Vietnam marijuana was then the states?" Lets just say my dad told the ENTIRE truth about a serviceman's life in 'Nam.
Sorry to get off topic in that, but what I belive we should do with our servicemen and women has already been stated here and by my Dad. But I also must remember that support of our troops shouldn't come without question. If we committ to a military action, we need to go all the way until completion. We need to make sure that any blood shed is NOT in vain...
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