My dad as a Green Beret did his 'boy scout duty' training the Montagnards in the Mountains. That's why he invented the hand grenade method of catfish fishing.

Two of those men - he helped sponsor to come here about a year after we came back to the United States. Those were their 'brothers' - and the South Vietnamese men who stepped up were ferocious fighters.

from Vietnamese who liked what the French culture had brought them. But they lost. And we allied with them and lost a lot of our own men in that conflict. I didn't want my son to be killed or maimed in that war and so I marched against it. I do not regret it one bit.

with something there was no name for in 1978 - PTSD.

He died in August 2011 due to exposure to agents Pink, White, Green, Blue, and Orange. He actually walked 20 miles to join the army after graduating from Tuskeegee because it was a way out of the South. His mother had hid all of the keys to the cars/trucks -as she already had one son serving. When he was home on leave in 1964 - it was too dangerous for him to vote . . . so he didn't vote in that election.

I had a few friends as a kid whose dad's also served in that war and Korea as my dad did.

We could relate to waking up in the middle of the night to our dad's screaming. We once found my dad in the downstairs coat closet.

You are very lucky to have avoided that. When Desert Storm broke out - my dad was hustling to get my brother to Canada. He made a promise to my mom's dad (WW2 Veteran) that he would never let his only grandson go to war. Both of our families left enough blood and SOUL on American and Foreign Lands.

Still - he never hated the Vietnamese people. He loved the culture and kindness they showed to a very dark skinned Black American with Blue eyes.

When my dad was dying from his service - I was taking him to Chemo and had a Pink CD in my car. This came on and he started crying. Then I started crying. He had never cried for himself until two months before he died. It was "just a job" that burned his soul.

I think it sums up what MANY children of the Vietnam war vets have experienced - with our father's being 'throw aways'.

you're right, I was lucky that I didn't suffer the effects of Agent Orange, but I did suffer from severe PTSD, if not for my late wife, I would've stuck a gun in my mouth more than a few times.
Unfortunately, back then, we were expected to be Marines and suck it up, there was little to no help for us from the govt., I was lucky that my wife found a group of combat vets I could talk to and share our experiences.

I've adjusted pretty well in the decades since that useless fucking war although I still suffer from the occasional flashback.
Thanks again for your reply.

Yesterday hit home for me - you guys do have a thing called *ptsd* and your generation of men weren't allowed to cry.

and occupation. I HAD to do it. In no way was it a choice in my estimation. Some people in my town thought I was bad for marching against the war (I still have some of the buttons we wore!). My then husband was upset with me but eventually came around.

It was also wrong for the soldiers returning from Vietnam to be hated and spit upon.

I remember there was a song then "Tell Me Lies (about Vietnam)" I forget who sang it.

I served two tours in Vietnam and the S. Vietnamese soldiers we worked with were very brave, I know, I was there, I saw first hand the bravery of those we worked with.

Theres this old joke that goes something like this: M-16 for sale, never fired, only dropped once by a S. Vietnamese soldier.
That "joke" wasn't funny at all, because in my experience, that never fucking happened.

Their bravery was impressive.

And I know it was just a 'job' - but thank you just the same. You are never a 'throw away' to me. Never ever.

And what did "winning" even mean? Forever occupying it? Accepting the propping up of the South Vietnamese government at the time?

Like it or not it was continuing the occupation of another country. It was not comparable to occupying a defeated Germany after WW2.

I interpret things differently than it was meant.
My apologies.

It was a useless war that we should have never gotten involved in and hundreds of thousands of us, military, our families and civilians paid the horrific price for the assholes in DC.

and for explaining your lived experience. My late father in law served two tours in Vietnam but never talked about it. Miss him.