Served With Honor.

It's been almost 38 years since the Vietnam war ended. I was just turning 18 at the end of the war.  The draft was not something I personally had to consider but I had many friends and relatives served in Vietnam. I had one cousin who came home minus a foot, casualty of a bamboo spike. I had another cousin who never really recovered from a drug abuse problem picked up over there. I had a friend at work who used to wash his hands in agent orange after servicing the aircraft that dropped it. He had years of test and procedures to endure. I worked with another friend who had PTSD and never slept soundly again.

There are a lot of myths about the war and the veterans who came home. Here are a few facts to think about..

Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. 79% had a high school education or better.

2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted.  Approximately 70% of those killed were volunteers. Many men volunteered for the draft so even some of the draftees were actually volunteers.

Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes.

Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.

91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served.

74% said they would serve again even knowing the outcome.

There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non veterans of the same age group (from a Veterans Administration study).

Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than our non-vet age group.

87% of the American people hold Vietnam Vets in high esteem.(Who the hell are the other 13%)

The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter.

One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served.

THE UNITED STATES MILITARY DID NOT LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM, THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE DID after the U.S. Congress cut off funding.  The South Vietnamese ran out of fuel, ammunition and other supplies because of a lack of support from Congress while the North Vietnamese were very well supplied by China and the Soviet Union.

The men and women who served in Vietnam are a very special group of people. They did a job and they did it very well. Sometimes they had their hands tied by political indecision at home but they did their job. They did not come home to ticker tape parades but they came home heroes in my mind because they Served With Honor. This plaque is my thank you to all the Vets of Vietnam.



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