I am a Viet Nam era vet. Thankfully, I never went to Viet Nam though I did, in fact, actually volunteer for that duty at one point. But, in reality I am a veteran of two wars. . .the Viet Nam war AND the war AGAINST the Viet Nam war. You see, before I enlisted, I was a war protestor.
I am sure to many, those acts must seem entirely incongruous. It is probably difficult for people younger than me to understand just how confusing those times were. Being a war protestor in those days was far more radical to the average American. The victories of World War two were still fresh in the country's collective memory and a good many of those very proud World War two vets were still around. As a group, they did not care for us stinkin' damned hippies much and they told us so. Their vile hatred can best be exemplified by the recent antics of the Tea Party "patriots" (idiots!). Protesting the Viet Nam war often felt like it had a life threatening aspect . . .as the Kent State protestors (4 dead in Ohio) found out so sadly.
I was faced with the prospect of being drafted. That almost always meant serving in the Marines or the Army and dodging bullets. I was not then opposed to defending my country and I still am not. I simply didn't want to risk my life for a cause I did not believe in.
Another option was to go to Canada. This was not an option for me for several reasons, mostly the scorn I would have recieved from my family who did not feel as I. They simply thought that when your country needed you, you went and that really was the prevailing attitude of most of the country.
So I enlisted, before my draft number was pulled, in the US Air Force hoping that I could serve and avoid conflict in one fell swoop. I recieved my draft number in basic training and found out I would not have been called up for duty but I was still just a couple of numbers from it. This is very near the same time I discovered that I hated military service. . .I could not stand the idiocy of many of the orders.
But, I was lucky because I tested very high and really had my pick of almost any job in the Air Force. I picked Ground Radio Electronics Repairman because it was one of the longest schools and I figured they weren't likely to put me anywhere I could be killed if they spent so much money and effort training me. I must have guessed right because they sent me to a repair station in the middle of a cow pasture in Southern Illinois, a long way from the cow paddies of South East Asia!
Near the end of my duty, I strongly suspected that I was going to be sent to Point Barrows Alaska, one of the few outposts that had my specialized gear. A fellow soldier had gone there and when he returned, he just wasn't too right in the head anymore, so I wasn't keen on that assignment either. They offered a deal wherein you could volunteer for three overseas duty assignments and the computer would attempt to place you there. By now, the war was winding down so I volunteered for three places I didn't think the computer would send me: Viet Nam, Thailand & Germany (the exchange rate was unbelievable!). it must have worked because I wasn't sent anywhere but volunteering for Viet Nam took all the cajones I could muster.
So look, I know I am rambling but here are my thoughts. I am proud of my service to my country. . .damned proud. . .even though at times I felt I had made a very bad mistake. But I am also very proud of protesting the war and am firmly convinced that my efforts alongside those of my friends and fellow protestors, changed the course of this country's foolish excursion into Viet Nam. Marching past the FBI building, 100,000 strong (at the very least) and giving the finger to that FBI guy that day who was watching us in total amazement as he spoke into his phone on a very long extension cord, I believe that very day we sent a loud and clear message to the war machinery.
So, on this Veterans Day, countless war memorials in Washington DC and around the country will be staging special events with special speeches and waving flags and proclaiming how great America is. And that's fine, I understand that and appreciate it.
But, I also appreciate and value those, like the shooting victims (Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and Bill Schroeder), who fought a very different kind of war, a truely American struggle thanks to our Freedom of speech and Freedom of assembly.
And, I wonder where exactly is the national memorial to those wars, the wars for peace?