Thread: No Respect for Vietnam Vets

Makes me sad rather than angry. It's a narrow-minded variation on shooting the messenger, or playing the man not the ball.

Intelligent humans should be able to respect and support the indvidual soliders while disagreeing with their actions as a collective. Those actions are not determined by them but by the pollies, a point the poster seems understand but then fails connect the rest of the dots.

Many people simply do not understand military personnel don't get to choose the wars they fight.

Originally Posted by p38arover

Read this and tell me what you think: http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/i...threadid=21778

I couldn't reply after reading it 'cos I was so angry. I'll have to calm down first.

Ron

Agree with you, Ron. I used to work for Veterans Affairs and it was clear that a lot of the psychological damage of Vietnam versus WW2 was that Vietnam Vets were greeted on return with just this sort of behaviour. It's bad enough to do a tough (let alone potentially deadly) job let alone when conscripted and particularly when you are greeted not with thanks but with hostility. This came through in people's descriptions of the traumas, where the gruesome realities of the battlefield were often overshadowed by the responses of the Australian public.

Steve

Ron

In my humble opinion the letter is a balanced statement of how the guy feels.

For me, what he is saying is wrong. The simple difference in our views is this.

I believe our vietnam vetrans put their lives on the line to do something that they felt was the right thing to do.

They (the men & women that enlisted) believed (rightly or wrongly) that australias soveirgnty and security was being threatened, they were drafted and they were breaking the law of the land at the time if they didn't go.

For this we owe them a deep debt of gratitude, exactly the same as we do all men and women who have offered thier lives in defence of our country. What they fought for idealistically was to keep our country safe so people like the author of that letter could make the public statements like he did with impunity. He just doesn't know how lucky he is to have had people around that did the right thing.

Regards,

Ron, I understand your anger...

As others have said.. I think he has a right to his opinion.... despite the fact that I strongly disgree with it..

He is right that the pollies of the day are those he should have an issue with...

But I feel he is VERY wrong - to respond to the vets like that..

He says...

how can you say "well done" or even "thanks" for doing what you think is wrong?

It just seems to show some basic ignorance to me.... many of the guys that went to Vietnam - did not want to go - they went as it was their legal obligation at the time... unlike those that chose to break the law to get out of going...

Brave young men - who did as was expected at the time - I understand that societies opinions have changed.... but the way these men were treated on their return was disgusting...

Every Anzac day I take my kids to a dawn service.... it is so important that they learn about the sacrifices made. by the troops sent to EVERY conflict Australia has been involved in..

The sort of attitude this guy shows- to me is very sad ...to hold a grudge against soldiers doing their duty for so many years is in itself a comment on his credibility...

Mark

How dare a whimpy little so and so, like this be allowed to write and have published his dribble. He actually has the nerve to put his self preserving gutless brother as a "Maybe" Hero. He held up a flag and got arrested. Big "F------" Whoop !!! Soldiers do not get the chance to say. "I don't want to go to this war, But hay, I might go to the next one".!!!! What a Dum F--K.!!! Its a shame people died in previous wars so this piece of S---T could live the way he does. The Ungratefull B-----d.

I refrained from posting on this one this morning. My view is you may disagree on hte war and that is your right but at least show some respect and acnowledgement for those that went and did their part. He has the right post write what he likes but it does show he's either after the quick cudos or just doesn't respect what sacrifices those who go to war make.

Calm down Grover, the guys that went to Nam did so in the belief that they were ultimately protecting the rights of ALL Australians, even if in means protecting the rights of this sum bag.

The thing that gets me, as already pointed out, is that this brain-dead retard still hasn’t got it and as Ron pointed out, at the time, the ***** wasn’t even old enough to know what was going on.

Won’t go further as this type of no brainer gets my blood boiling too.

Cheers.

Hi All,
Like most ppl I beleive in the ideals of freedom of speech. However I do not beleive such lack of respect should be tolerated, rather it should be pitied for it's ignorance.I was born in 71, too young to see first hand the protesting etc. However,I beleive we have an obligation is this country to support our service ppl , even if we disagree with the politcs.As part of citizenship we have obligations .Not to stand up and show respect for the vets is an absolute insult and Un-Australian....would this guy pull me out of a car crash if I had a vets sticker on my car...I would not count on it..and if I cant count on my fellow citizens in times of need then what's the point...
cheers
OLR-067