This is what I remember on Memorial Day and why.

Memorial Day ping.

Thanks to Ben for this piece. Sadly, that time period wasn’t the best time to be in uniform regardless of you duty station thanks to the socialist communist POS agitators. Still proud to have served. And, there was a lot of good done. Thanks to those who gave all.

Yes, there are over 58,300 plus inscribed on The Wall, but how many heroes came home and died younger than they should “because” they went to Nam? How many came home and died early because of the crap they were sprayed with and endured?? Their names aren’t on The Wall, but they died because of Nam just not in combat.

My husband lies in a National Cemetery that had 9,400 in that cemetery when his ashes were interred there. In five years, it has grown to over 22,000. Many of these men and women served in Vietnam and died because of it. How many children were born deformed or with health issues because their father served in Vietnam? The horrors of that war live on.

In the spring of 1975 as the Vietnam war was winding down I was a young USAF loadmaster, and we were evacuating orphan refugees out of Vietnam. I was flying C-141's but we got word in the middle of the mission that a C-5A went down out of Tan Son Nhut. Everybody was freaking out that it was a Viet Cong sapper that got onboard to sabotage the aircraft but it wound up being a rapid decompression due to faulty locks that blew out the pressure door. All three loadmasters, pilot and a flight engineer died in the crash along with half of the orphans and many civilian USAID personnel who ran the orphanages and refugee program.

American military personnel die every day in training and relief missions in an effort to make this world a little more secure and safer. Along with those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to this country in time of war, this Memorial Day I also honor all those who gave their lives on routine training and relief missions in service to this country.

RIP Airmen

Link

Memorial Day ping.

Thanks for the ping.

zot,

Thank you very much for posting your Vietnam memories.

Grey Friar

thanks, ..

"Why are you here?" I said, "We don't want you to be conquered by Communists. We want you to be our friends." He nodded and said, "We see what you do." I replied, "What do you see, Papa-san?" He said, "I think the American is the only soldier ever to come to Assam and bring his own food." I said, "Yes, we bring our own food." He said, "And no other soldier ever did this …" and waved his hand toward the scene in front of us. There was the sun-shelter tent over the doctor and his technician treating patients, and another over the dentist and his technician doing likewise, and over there a half-dozen GI's with their helmet liners on the ground full of soapy water, washing the little children and drying them with big bath towels. Washing with surgical soap and doing it again a week later would cure 95 percent of their skin diseases. As we were leaving, the old man smiled at me and his eyes said, "We see what you do."

Very interesting difference from what I saw in Iraq. Over there it's more of a "Why aren't you doing more? Gimme gimme gimme!" attitude. It makes it very difficult to want to do anything for anyone in that hellhole.

Thank you for your post #5. I also remember those who died in air crashes during the Cold War. They aren’t often mentioned anywhere.

BTTT

49 years ago my brother was killed in Viet Nam, headed to the grave to put a US flag on it!

49 years ago my brother was killed in Viet Nam, headed to the grave to put a US flag on it!

“49 years ago my brother was killed in Viet Nam, headed to the grave to put a US flag on it”!

I am so sorry for your loss. I wish I could join you, as I live in the DC area, but I’m working today.

I will always have a special place in my heart for the Vietnam vets, since their sacrifice made my service more bearable. Also, they did not come home to a grateful nation. Unfreakinforgivable.

Went to the Michigan Vietnam memorial, located in nearby Mt. Pleasant, today. Very well maintained memorial. I've only been back to the state a year.

Lots of families, not many Vietnam era aged visitors. Only one with the trademark blue ball-cap emblazoned with service ribbons.

The memorial is large; MI must have sent a lot of its sons and daughters over there!

Beautiful day for remembrance.

I am sorry your brother was killed. May he rest in peace.

BUMP for Troops/Veterans!

Thanks for the ping. This is always a good time to read the Vietnam vets’ stories and maybe touch base with comrades I’ve met on FR.

My wife and I are retired now as I suppose most of us from that era are. We don’t have a lot of money to travel but we have a small camping trailer that we use to hit some of the national and state parks during the summer. I mounted a Vietnam Veteran license plate on the back, opposite my regular license, and it’s great how many contacts I’ve made with other vets from those days.

It doesn’t matter what branch of service or where you were located or what your MOS was; the brotherhood is all that matters. Walk through the campground, spot a plate or a window sticker, stop and say hello, and if it’s my campsite, I can just about bet there will be a chair and a cold beer (or soda) waiting for you.

And thanks so much for your service. As Red Green might say, “We were all in this together.”

Thanks for the ping, friend.