Sorry for this vanity..just have been stewing about him and wondering if he is alone in his thinking. Wondering if I could have said more to help him.

Vietnam Vets got screwed real bad. I don't begrudge this man his bitterness.

Not a Vietnam vet, so I don't know, but I don't blame him though.

I've not heard this, but I will be monitoring your thread to see how it develops. I sincerely hope your friend is the only vet that thinks this way, but we shall see...JL

He's probably not alone. But he certainly isn't typical.
No, I don't think there's anything you could say.
Some scars never heal.

That man is callous and bitter beyond any standard of decency. Steer clear of him in the future would be my advice. He may be dangerous.

Tell him not to worry. There will always be a core 10-15% of Americans who hate and despise everything America stands for. In fact, with the exception of WW II and Civil War vets, this nation has always treated its veterans like garbage. Once things cool down, those folks will be ready to spit on the veterans of this war, as well. It was just cooler and easier in the 1965-75 period. (If you want to read about a sad homecoming, check out MacArthur's return to NY harbour after World War One).

All the more reason to be behind our troops 100%. People want to protest for peace. Hey- it's a free country. But when they start to undermine the support of those on the front line, that's just not right. When our servicemen come home they should be treated like what they are- Heroes. We need to lift the warrior class of our society back up to the position of esteem they deserve. IMHO

It was a terrible thing for him to say. He is bitter and unforgiving.

To show no sympathy for fellow Americans (women, children, fire-fighters) murdered on September 11 by this Vietnam vet means nothing except he lost more in Vietnam than his pride. He lost his soul.

I doubt if you could change his mind at this point.....for years after I got back from VN I was bitter, but the realization that I couldn't change what happened eventually seeped in.

Your friend is carrying something that, unfortunately, will come out when he least expects it.

Just from my, and I mean MY experience, don't push the subject.

Sincerely,

K

Although I was on active duty during the Vietnam era, I didn't go over there. Plenty of my friends did, some of whom came home in boxes, some came home physically but not mentally right, some seemed OK. Many of them were angrier at the way they were treated at home than at the War. I don't know anyone who was so bitter as to go as far as the vet you described.

I'm a Vietnam veteran and I can't understand how anybody could feel the way this man does. No innocent person should have to die in the way these people did. I'm afraid your friend has some big problems, not all of them related to his military service.

Vietnam vets got a raw deal, that's a fact. However, as a nation, we've recognized our error and tried in many ways to repair the harm that was done. We can't go back and do it over for them. We can only try to make things right and let them know that their service is appreciated, while trying to ensure that it never happens to another generation of our military.

Well said and appreciated.

"Vietnam Vets got screwed real bad. I don't begrudge this man his bitterness. "

Yep they did. There may be another reason - the knowledge that in war people are killed. We are all in this together - we are overdoing the 'innocent civilian' theme. Today, the GI is not the only one with a target on his back. If your country is at war, you are at war. The 50,000 died too.

Your friend sounds like a man who feels utterly betrayed by his country. I can assure you that he is not the only one who feels this way. There are legions of very bitter people out there, who for a wide variety of reasons feel a great deal of anger against our government. Now our government expects these same people to rally around the flag. It is not surprising that many are choosing not to do so.

I see two directions this could go. Yes, we can understand his bitterness, and understand his point of view.

Or, we can look at it as what I think it is..an excuse for him being the way he is, and how his past has held him back. I see to much of people excusing their current behavior because of what happened in their past.

I am a Viet Nam veteran. My first reaction to the WTC was "wow", simultaneously with old reflexes kicking in, the reflex to suppress any emotional reaction to what was happening. I learned long ago that curbing your emotions with all your strength when the s**t hits the fan is the only hope you have to survive. My second reaction is that the losses were not important, just an office building on the East coast. 40,000 people die every day in this country. My third, that people were taking this too emotionally. My fourth, that this event was the end of the Republic. That September 11th was the end of the Republic comes from Jerry Pournelle's first class web site.

You know nothing.

stillafreemind, Thanks for the post, I too am a Vietnam Vet (Non-combat) and feel the same way too. We gave our lives for this county and when we came back, America spit on us. This has been documented by author Bob Greene, in his book Homecoming.

When I came back I could not get a job, and was told that my four years in the Air Force “Did not count for anything.” Friends have been called “Baby Killer,” the press will always tell you if a criminal was a Vietnam vet. When a vet used a gun they blamed him no the gun.

I have been rejected for jobs because I was too, white, male, old, young, not trained enough, over trained. I have been told that “All Vietnam veterains are “unstable” and might go “Postal.”

One company told me they had enough “whit males,” so they hired an Asian Female fresh off the boat. Her English was so bad that they sent her to school to learn English, but would not hire me. Even after I had worked for the company for two years as a temp worker and got good reviews.

If the company has one Vietnam vet, you can’t sue for discrimination. If your under 40 you can’t sue for age discrimination. I was almost 36 years old before I got my first full time job, even though I had an MBA.

One of the curses that I would tell those who discriminated against me for not giving me a job was “May your children suffer the fate you have pushed on me. May they feel my pain..”