A recent highly publicized confrontation in Washington, DC over MLK’s birthday between a Native American claiming to be a “Vietnam Vet” and visiting Catholic high school children highlights the shameful state of American politics and discourse. Unfortunately, more than a few individuals game the system, like this fellow. He was a veteran of the era, but not a certified “Vietnam Vet”, defined as serving in country in Vietnam. In other words, a “wannabe” seeking to gain recognition for some personal agenda. He never set foot in South Vietnam. The media rushed to judgement to foster their narrative until his fraudulent background was exposed. Nothing new, “fake news” goes way back over a half century to Vietnam reporting. It comes as no surprise to me.
What are the facts?
The Vietnam Era is officially defined as 1964 to 1975. Actually, JFK committed military troops ‘on the ground’ in 1961 as “advisors” to the ARVN to fight the Vietcong. This action represented a realistic extended era of our involvement and deserves to be included in the “Era,” but for some reason was not. Also, it is difficult to understand why these troops were not awarded medals or ribbons for their valor and service during this three-year period.
But bureaucracy was a big part of the Vietnam War, marked by controversies. Not until 1964 were troops decorated for their service in South Vietnam. This background is covered in my historical narrative RECALL.
Nevertheless, I dedicated my book to the nine plus million who served during the era. They did not dodge the draft. They represented 9.7% of the draft eligible population at that time. This stands in stark contrast to our current voluntary military which represents 1% of our present population. Most never set foot in Vietnam, but some suffered abuses from the anti-war crowd just because they were in uniform. Therefore, they deserve recognition in my opinion.
It is significant to note that only 2.8 million served tours in country during this era. These troops were the real heroes and remain the authentic veterans. One-fifth served in combat roles, the others in important support roles. Other critical forces were “in and out” of the country on a frequent basis e.g. USAF air evacuations, Yankee Station Navy, Special Forces clandestine missions, etc. If they are included, the number increases, but I could find no hard data to assess this factor. These troops were exposed to danger to a lesser extent than the combat forces, but qualified for “combat pay” and should also be recognized as authentic Vietnam vets.
Many myths persist about the Vietnam Era. I hope these facts I present will put things in perspective for you. Beware of the wannabes and fake news. Be critical and skeptic of what you read and hear. Many reports are disingenuous, misleading, or false propaganda.
For more factual data about Vietnam, please read my blogs and historical narrative, RECALL. Some of the revelations will blow you away. You are welcome to comment, if civil.
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