Wow... Am I really reading what I am reading? So there are people here on this board who DENY that any spitting took place on returning Vietnam Vets, but will gladly buy into the myth that a black Congressman was spit on during the Obamacare debate by Tea Partiers? The things that happened to returning Vietnam Vets were despicable. Those who would DENY those things are just plain ignorant or are trying to justify the fact that THEY supported a "cause" that used tactics that bothers or ashames them now.
I spent 13 months and 4 days in Saigon, assigned to a security police detachment at the International Airport at Ton Sa Nhut. It was a different time to be sure. 1973 to 1974. American GI's were leaving Vietnam by the plane load every half hour. When they left, they were receiving "unofficial" briefings that as soon as possible, they were to change out of their uniform and take the contents of their duffel bag and put it into a civilian suitcase. The only thing was the haircut was a dead give away. There were stories of how good looking girls would come up to you, engage you in conversation, and eventually ask you if you were coming back from Vietnam. If you said yes, then they would throw urine on you, or spit on you, or a group would then come over and berate you as a "baby killer" or "criminal". One place to AVOID was San Francisco. LA was just as bad, as was Seattle. I was lucky. I caught a flight from Honolulu to Salt Lake City and then to Kansas City. I met and talked with several transport pilots who had it happen to them. One of them I spoke to had a cigarette mashed into his cheek by this girl that approached him in a bar. He was sure that she set him up.
So now, because their is no pictures of the activity, no definitive PROOF, just the word of some veterans, we have those on this board who would assign such acts as URBAN LEGENDS. Bull shit! You crapped on us when we returned. You ignored us literally to DEATH. You tried to make us ashamed of the fact that we served our country. Yes, the war sucked. But it sucked because of the politicians and the anti war protestors, NOT THE TROOPS. American servicemen have a history of doing the impossible with almost NOTHING. We did the same thing in Vietnam. LEARN God Dammit! Read some ******* history. Or go find a real ******* veteran and ask him. He'll tell you. Find out what those troopers did in the Na Trang valley for instance. Out numbered, out gunned and still they prevailed. Yeah, they lost a lot of men, but by God in heaven, they prevailed. We didn't lose that ******* war, YOU didn't know how to win it.
Finally, during my last trip to Seattle I was in a Starbucks. There was a line waiting patiently to get served. There were two Army E-5's standing just in front of me. When they got to the front of the line this pin headed little prick ignored them and asked me what I wanted. I told him that what I wanted was him to show a little respect to some people that had put their lives on the line to preserve his freedom to be an asshole. I told him that he had better by God, get them what they wanted and that I would pay for ANYTHING that they got. And I said it very loudly. They were embarassed, thanked me and told me that they had come up against it before. I was mad as hell. Even today...
So for those of you who would DENY the crap that those vets had to put up with, the only thing I can say is you're as worthless now as you were then...
