This kid wasn't even born before the VN war ended.
I guess somebody's gotta tell the story, Doug
That's probably a good thing, since I can't find it within myself to make much of it. By the time I left that place my perceptions of the world and especially the United States Government had been turned on their head. I felt like we were the bully on the block and didn't give a good shit about the harm being imposed upon everyone.
I'm fascinated by the humanities ability to forget or ignore events regardless of how tragic. Living in an insane world is justification for ignoring it.
My daughter is nearly 50 years old and until I signed up for VA Health she didn't know I had ever been in the military. (I signed up in 2018 at the request of my boss and then avoided the place like the plague for 5 years because of the constant push to get vaccinated. This is not to say that the VA Health System hasn't been a blessing because it has been very wonderful. The upper level management are incompetent while the worker bees are exceptional.
My daughter is nearly 50 years old and until I signed up for VA Health she didn't know I had ever been in the military.
That's a stunning statement. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry you were put through it. I get so mad sometimes at Americans for not seeing the forest for the trees, but I look back at all the shiite they have been put through since they planted the cross in 1607, and my heart breaks. I don't know how much more shiite we'll have to go through, but I think a reversal is coming. My prayer, anyway.
I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry you were put through it.
I wouldn't want anyone to think it was all bad because it wasn't. The camaraderie and travel, new experiences, most importantly respect for the value of life when threatened is priceless. The very worst of the experience for me was being away from family, friends, and ultimately losing faith in the country itself. Having my own conscience seduced to ignore the ravages that accompany wars as if they're simply to be expected. Many of the guys that shared the experience came home addicted to heroin that was being marketed by the CIA and others in the military transport business. In many respects we become our own worst enemy.
I remember having a conversation with my dad after returning home. We were talking about the drug problem in the U.S. I told him then that the only entity big enough and bad enough to supply the drugs coming into the U.S. was the U.S. Government. The only drug traffickers being arrested and incarcerated were the U.S. Govt's competition.