Thread: No Respect for Vietnam Vets

as an ex-serviceman I was disgusted by his letter, my father fought in vietnam, my grandfather in wwII, Although i did not see active duty in my stint, I would have served and maybe have died for this Idiot.

I havn't talk to any of the Vietnam vets and am to young for that one. I have talk to one of my previous bosses who endured the peace keeping efforts of rawanda and a couple of the other ops of that time. For what they found and had to endure its mind boggling what people will do to others. Glad I didn't cop what they did.

The actions of this individual have nothing to do with the war, IMHO, and everything to do with himself.

His protest was no about the war or the vets, but about drawing attention to himself. He didn't get enough at the march, so he posted to get more. Obviously deprived as a child, he sees any attention as good attention.

On another point, It's now believed that if the conscripts were kept in the system for 12 months after their return from vietnam, they would have had far less problems as they would have been around other blokes with the same experiences and had time to talk it out. Dumping them straight back into a hostile civvy street was one of the worst things that the govt could have done.

At the end of the day, "only they deserve freedom who have the courage to defend it".

You've all made valid comments. I also agree with the right to free speech - up to a point. However, there are times when it doesn't apply.

For example the (I think) New York Times'printing of how the US found some of the terrorist plotters, i.e., money transfers, etc. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...6/192453.shtml

That information should have never been published - the editor should have killed that story. What it did was show terrorists how to be more circuspect if they wanted to avoid detection.

Having said that, this chap had the right to say what he did - but so happens that I think he was wrong in what he did.

I don't believe that conscientious objectors were cowards. They stood up for what they believed and some had gaol terms. I didn't want to go to Vietnam and was very pleased to fail the medical - but had I passed I would have gone.

Lastly, this may seem trivial but I was annoyed by his reference to Land Rovers and oil leaks in such a serious discussion. In general, I'm not too upset by comments about oil leaks but in this case he has used it to try to put humour into it.

Ron

When peacekeepers, peacemakers and peacemonitors go to other "place's" they defend all their country's people. The Defence force are not always sent to places to "dispose" of the bad people they have other roles to play some are not all good, 90% are very rewarding, seeing the face of a young girl/boy who you know has had there whole family from 15-55 "taken" from them and having them saying "thank you for protecting what I have left" I think says it all.
As an old guy said to me one day on ANZAC day we all don't like War but it beats speaking another language in my country.

If it hasn't been posted yet, I think it might have, have a look at/search "A pittance of time" on the net this song says it all.
The worlds made up of all kinds.

Cheers

I concur with all the comments above, I think and Jamo has touched on it, that his post was aimed at achieving the type of comments that has since resulted, it was purposely meant to be sensational, we all know or have known this type of ****wit. It wasnt about free speech or anything along those lines, I guarantee it was made to incite some sort of backlash, which in the whole it has. He full well knows the type of responses that would be illicited from a post like that, instead he tries to put it across with an air or innocence, may ****.

Whats more grating, its a little bit like trying to walk in someone elses shoes, if you werent there, dont form opinions based on someone elses, have the kahonies to do some fact and research. See the little ***** has caught me in his web..........................silence

Regards

Stevo

Originally Posted by discoute

Hi All,

I have read this post and re-read this post several times over several hours. It makes me very angry and I have now calmed down slightly. But still feel to need to reply. Behind every event great and horrible event like war there are ordinary people who go through things that we can only begin to imagine.

Some years ago I worked with an ex-vietnam vet and over the years we became quite good friends. He confided in me in many things including his experiences of the vietnam war. He sustained a lot of physoligal damage because of the war, his first marriage breaking down because of it. (as I am sure did many) He told me how he had been conscripted and yes he like many others who had did not want to go but were given no choice. He told me of the horrors he had faced on the battle field, he told me that the whole ordeal was horrible. But he said that what upset him most of all was the return to australia, he was in the parade he did have blood thrown upon him and he was subjected to threats and abuse. He said that after the ordeal of war none of his mates (that did thankfully return) ever expected such treatment from their fellow australians. He also told me that this upset him the most.

I would like to also mention that it took him some 13 years before he could even start to open up to anyone about his experiences.

I am all for freedom of speech, however this narrowminded idiot who would not stand up out of respect for these fine men who defended our Country, at the time believing that they were keeping our country safe and allowing us to keep our freedom of speech seriously needs a reality check.

I wonder would he treat all war vetrans in this way. All war is a terrible thing. & yes as someone else wrote in one of the posts the average guy is just a pawn between politicians in any war. Let us not forget that a lot of these brave men didn't want to be there in the first place. They endured terrible conditions that I am grateful my husband, brother etc have not had to endure let alone the advast effects afterwards.

To this narrow minded ****** who would not stand up I would just like to say, you are a complete idiot you were too young to form any opinion on the issure at the time. So was I, I was born in 1965 so I was too young to have or voice an opinion. But I was old enough to finally listen to my friend and perhaps our unpatriotic friend should meet some of these people so that now he is old enough he can finally form his own opinion now that he is old enough to have one.

Yes we do have freedom of speech in this country and you can thank all war veterans for that fact. I would also like to add that the internet is a very amazing thing here we can say whatever we want without anyone knowing where we live etc. Imagine a vietnam vet reading this and knowing where this person lived one can only ponder.

Thank you all for your time I will now get off my soap box.

Regards,
Annette.

My ex girlfriends uncle was one of those men. He was a sniper during Vietnam and copped a piece of shrapnel to his kidney or liver cant remember which but it still haunts him today. My ex girlfriends mum (his sister) told me bits and pieces but also told me never to talk to him about it as it was to hard for him to discuss it.

I added my two cents worth in, its not him having an opinion that gets me angry its the fact that he is shooting the messenger so to say. These men had no say over what happened they just did as they were ordered to, not really their fault. Matt

Its not till you have shared the hardship of combat that forges a brotherhood that only those who have been there would understand. The rest is just hearsay from a bunch of people with no experiance, just opinions, just that, opinions and the reason they get to have opinions voiced is because of those who have shared the hardship of war for the right, for all those non-experianced to have their hearsay opinions...like you Ron I was too ****ed off to reply.