Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam

[Procrustes Stretched]

Not that I want or desire to take away the pain any individual veteran feels or want to belittle how tough life can be, but come on... lots of people are fucked up before they enter the military and many come out alright.

A persistent criticism leveled against those who protested the United States's involvement in the Vietnam War is that protesters spat upon and otherwise derided returning soldiers, calling them "baby-killers", etc. Lembcke says he found no evidence to suggest this ever happened and suggests it may have come in part from the common chant by protesters aimed at President Lyndon Baines Johnson, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" One of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its stated support for the troops in the field and the affiliation of many returning veterans with it. At the time he wrote The Spitting Image he had not found a single media report to support the claims of spitting. He theorizes that the reported "spitting on soldiers" scenario was a mythical projection by those who felt "spat upon" and was meant to discredit future anti-war activism. He suggests that the images of pro-war antipathy against anti-war protesters helped contribute to the myth. Lembcke argues that memories of being verbally and physically assaulted by anti-war protesters were largely conjured, arguing that not even one case could be documented.

-The Spitting Image - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know vets who were injured (take Sen. Max CLeland...who conservatives and the GOP trashed during the 20004 Presidential campaign) and who have suffered effects directly related to service injuries...and I believe in post traumatic syndromes, but how many people are abusing the stystem? methinks lots.

 

[namvet]

Christ not you again

 

[Sunni Man]

Give it a rest DevNell

This subject has been exhausted on another thread

 

[trams]

Jesus, give it a fucking rest!

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Not that I want or desire to take away the pain any individual veteran feels or want to belittle how tough life can be, but come on... lots of people are fucked up before they enter the military and many come out alright.

A persistent criticism leveled against those who protested the United States's involvement in the Vietnam War is that protesters spat upon and otherwise derided returning soldiers, calling them "baby-killers", etc. Lembcke says he found no evidence to suggest this ever happened and suggests it may have come in part from the common chant by protesters aimed at President Lyndon Baines Johnson, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" One of the hallmarks of the period's anti-war movement was its stated support for the troops in the field and the affiliation of many returning veterans with it. At the time he wrote The Spitting Image he had not found a single media report to support the claims of spitting. He theorizes that the reported "spitting on soldiers" scenario was a mythical projection by those who felt "spat upon" and was meant to discredit future anti-war activism. He suggests that the images of pro-war antipathy against anti-war protesters helped contribute to the myth. Lembcke argues that memories of being verbally and physically assaulted by anti-war protesters were largely conjured, arguing that not even one case could be documented.

-The Spitting Image - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know vets who were injured (take Sen. Max CLeland...who conservatives and the GOP trashed during the 20004 Presidential campaign) and who have suffered effects directly related to service injuries...and I believe in post traumatic syndromes, but how many people are abusing the stystem? methinks lots.

We already went over this and REAL live Veterans told you it happened. By the way? Cleland blew himself up by picking up a live grenade.