Top Ten Things Not to Do on Vietnam Veterans Day

~ John W. Howell
Unsplash photo – Vietnam Memorial Wall – Photo by Caleb Fisher

 

Today is Vietnam Veterans Day. A day to remember those among us who answered the call to serve and to the over 58,300 Americans who were silenced forever.

The Top Ten things today are all the same. Do not forget those who gave of themselves despite the turmoil that surrounded this war.

These are individuals who deserve our respect and gratitude no matter what we personally believe regarding the conflict.

 

100 thoughts on “Top Ten Things Not to Do on Vietnam Veterans Day”

  4. Thank you, John, for the reminder. For our generation, the Wall and the Day have special meaning. Friends, family, and the masses who served – thank you. 💗

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    1. Thank you, Gwen. I always think of my cousin who served three tours with the Marines. He was wounded twice and came home to a life filled with his own personal nightmares. He tried to chase them with hard living and died way too young.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I loved this and too didn’t realize there was an actual day to commemorate it. I’ll just bet that Wall, in Washington, is covered with notes and cards. Other than the Lincoln Memorial, it’s my favorite on the Mall. There’s a wonderful book called, A Riff in the Earth, about the building of it, how many people hated Maya Linn’s conception of it, only 21 when she won the commission. I’m always moved how the wall rises as the names of the fallen increase.

    The most poignant time is Christmas when they put up a tree. Anything left, is collected and archived, doesn’t matter what it is. It was such a bloody, senseless war so at least in their sad, missed absence, they’re treated with the respect they so deserve.

    Thanks for this.

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    1. The wall is now one of the things that bind us together. You can’t help but be moved as you stand in witness to the sacrifice of those who are so silent. Thank you for your comment, Susannah. Those who served were treated horribly and we as a nation we all need to correct that miscarrage.🌷

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        2. It’s so incredible to visit. You can spend the day there in awe. JFK’s grave site, as moving as it is, is a mere preview of what’s there. Bobby’s simple white cross never fails to take my breath away, along with those Civil War tombstones that are darkened and frayed. sigh You’ve popped another file John.

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        4. But ya know, isn’t that great, that we have such reverence, that we don’t just phone it in? I know so many people who have never been to Arlington when it should be mandatory to go pay your respects. The fallen who fought so we could live our lives the way we do…a grace we take for granted while they fertilize the earth. sigh

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        5. I used to give people my Grandfather’s grave location since one priveldge of knowing an internee is the ability to drive to the site. No one has even hinted they want to visit for I can’t tell you how long. You are right. It should be mandatory.

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        10. I do believe in talking to the dead…or our ancestors as a girl I know puts it. I used to go converse with Alexander Hamilton in Trinity Graveyard way before he became a Broadway rock star. I’d leave change on his tomb, a combo of Hebrew custom and a salute to our first Secretary of the Treasury. See why I can’t get a date John? I roam cemeteries packed with crullers, talking to the dead. 🙂

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    1. There are many in this country who would like to forget and who treated our Vets with a total lack of respect. The government even turned its back on them. Thank you, for sharing this, Resa.

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        9. Don’t laugh, but I woke up thinking about Mrs. Herbst’s Hungarian Bakery who’s known for her crullers. They ooze with butter that well, they should come with a heart surgeon. I do recall a time one never worried about fat grams. sigh

          Liked by 1 person

  25. I had no idea that March 29 was National Vietnam Veterans Day. I feel a little better since finding out that it’s only been in effect since 2017, but, gee, I’m married to a Vietnam Vet so I should know these things! Thank you for enlightening me, John 🙂 Thankfully my husband did not go to Vietnam, but he served and has been active in veterans’ advocacy groups. Thank you for this post, John xoxox

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  27. I saw the title, took a deep breath hoping this would not be a regular Top Ten, and then breathed a big sigh. What followed was my throat closing and my eyes watering. Thank you, John!

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        1. Thank you, Jennie. I was heartsick the way some of my family members were treated. My nephew was a Bronze star, Combat Infantry Badge recipient who did three tours. He was an officer with a four year commitment and then had to command a reserve unit upon completion of active duty. He had no choice. My cousin was wounded three times (once in the head) and returned to duty each time. He was a Marine and it took my uncle going to his congressman to get him out of country. This was the government. This doesn’t even talk about how the public treated them.

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        2. It was a terrible time. Hubby was on the carrier headed to Vietnam when the war was cancelled. Upon his return, the treatment of anyone in a uniform was atrocious, so no one was allowed to wear a uniform in public. Sad.

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