The COVID-19 and Vietnam eras do share unfortunate similarities, including officials ignoring reports and warnings, and confidently insisting on their capacity to control events. Had they lived, these 22 men would be among the most vulnerable to COVID-19. United States military involvement in the Vietnam War officially began on August 5, 1964; however, the first U.S. casualty in Vietnam occurred on July 8, 1959. Most of California bans vacation stays, but travelers, lodgings aren’t in line. Ten Woburn residents between the ages of 18 and 29 also died in the war. Counterpoint. According to federal law, the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. Enforcement is a question. Vietnam Veterans. The dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982 began the process, but many identify the Gulf War of 1990-91—with its national flag-waving, … Low-income minority families hit hard by COVID-19 wait their turn for the vaccine as the wealthy try to buy their way to the front of the line. The first combat troops arrived in 1965 and fought the war until the cease-fire of January 1973, America’s involvement in Vietnam actually lasted from 1957 until 1975. In the wake of COVID-19, a mass move toward remote work could change L.A. and other cities — and affect housing prices, commuting and where people choose to live. Editorial: Let L.A.'s feral cats get neutered and die out. During the war, over 58,000 U.S. military members lost their lives and 153,000 were wounded. So every time I traveled through O’Hare, I would grab the phone book, back in the days when they still had phone books and pay phones, and I called every Henry in the Chicago phone book and relay the story: ‘So, do you know this guy, I’m trying to find him.’ ‘No, never heard of him.’. “We appeal to North Vietnam, if they really want peace, to stop bombing the United States — or else get the hell out of Vietnam!” stated a group named Veterans for Peace in Vietnam. In both crises, unspoken politics, personal ambition and arrogance too often have framed public statements as well as military and public health strategy. Comments: 0. “We fought in a very terrible war. There was fire coming from the Vietnamese village across Highway 1. Like most Vietnam Veterans, I returned home from the War to a somewhat hostile political environment in the United States. L.A. County outlines wrenching moves to ration healthcare if COVID-19 hospital crisis worsens. And I bent down below the sandbags with just my head and my helmet peering over, and I peed my pants.”. Letters to the Editor: More billionaires should be like MacKenzie Scott and give away their fortunes. Mike Tharp (middle) at the 16th Public Information Detachment. And that gave us, in most cases, a significantly different view of the war than people who were in your typical American units, who simply viewed the Vietnamese as ‘the other guys,’ so to speak. The nation has been stunned by the many who have died in this pandemic. That was an easy call. And when I speak of Agent Orange, about 4 million Vietnamese were exposed to Agent Orange, and several hundred thousand of them died, and many of their children and grandchildren are messed up because of it. In the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal, the bodies of the two Marines were left behind. 1 of 5. With the surge showing no signs of slowing down, L.A. County facilities are preparing for how to allocate care in a crisis situation. | WHEREAS, on March 28, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017, designating every March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans … Most vivid memory: being shot at for the first time, “I was on guard in a wooden tower on the front perimeter which faced Highway 1, which ran into Saigon about 30 miles south. We think of them today, Memorial Day, as we pause to remember and grieve for the nearly 60,000 U.S. service members who died in Vietnam — and the hundreds of thousands of other Americans who gave their lives in other wars. Most vivid memory: being wounded in a blast on patrol, along with a wartime buddy, Willie Henry, and not knowing what happened to his friend until 26 years later, “After two to three weeks of recovery, I was back out in the field and never did find out what happened to Willie. Decoration Day started on May 30. Effects of war lasting for IP Vietnam veteran Local News. What Americans should know: Most who served volunteered for duty. And so when the [Vietnam] memorial was built, I looked for his name, didn’t find his name, which was a good clue that he was still alive. Sign up for AARP's twice-monthly Your Health newsletter for the latest on coronavirus and more, Many Vietnam veterans don't know they qualify for Agent Orange benefits, Vets urge President Trump to uphold ‘blue water’ benefits, 8-Month No-Penalty CD from Marcus by Goldman Sachs®. Reasons for the disparity in PTSD prevalence could include social and racial discord during the war, institutional racism within the military, and racism after the war. You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. What Americans should know: Too many lives, both American and Vietnamese, were lost. Harman was drafted in 1967 and served in Vietnam in 1969, as a crew chief and door gunner on a “Huey” helicopter for the Army. I was infantry, in the field, fighting the most misunderstood and unpopular war in American history. Just as the COVID-19 dead have likely been undercounted, so have the U.S. military dead in Vietnam. More than 60% of the names on the Vietnam Memorial belong to those who were 22 or younger when they died. And such tallies often don’t acknowledge that as many as 3 million Vietnamese died in that war. by: Darrell Franklin. Most vivid memory: personal relationships with Vietnamese soldiers and families, “We pretty much lived and worked with the Vietnamese. Here are three ways to help break through vaccine fears. “Many Vietnam veterans did face the problem of coming back and being misdiagnosed and being misunderstood,” said Schnurr. Yet time has proven Vietnam veterans to … The official number fails to include the many veterans who died after the war as a result of lingering medical and emotional conditions. In 1971, he was named the Woburn “Boy of the Year.” He was 21 and died 11 days after arriving in Vietnam. ... Opinion… related to AARP volunteering. Hordes of YouTube vigilantes awaited. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. to search for ways to make a difference in your community at The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in which Americans ever fought. Most vivid memory: his first time landing in Vietnam, after being stationed in Tokyo, “We had flown a 10-hour reconnaissance mission from Okinawa, along the coast of China, then into the Gulf of Tonkin, and did reconnaissance between Haiphong and Hainan Island, which was Chinese. For those of us who served, our experiences as soldiers was very similar in many respects to the soldiers who fought in other wars.”. Sign up for AARP's twice-monthly Your Health newsletter for the latest on coronavirus and more. Op-Ed: The social justice case for canceling college debt. The grief and the sorrow of their families was as profound as the grief of any family who lost a family member at Guadalcanal or the Battle of the Bulge or any of the other battlefields of our wars. One is John Ketwig, a Bedford resident and the other is Keith Young, of Roanoke County. I have been back to Vietnam, and it is altogether different from when I left 49 years ago.”. On National Vietnam War Veterans Day, memories and opinions remain strong Len Kirchner, M.D., 83, of Litchfield Park, Ariz.. Kirchner entered the Air Force in 1961 at age 25. On my first assault mission, my aircraft was badly shot up, but we didn’t go down. Improving access to contraception and obstetric care is necessary, but the best way to improve the health of women is to empower them. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly Many observers have described the struggle against the pandemic as a “war.” The COVID-19 fight is not a war but a public health crisis, striking randomly. In the mid-1980s, African American veterans of the Vietnam War were twice as likely as White veterans to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), at a prevalence of 40%. He served in... Keith Harman, 72, of Delphos, Ohio. And every day. Opinion Political Op-Eds Social Commentary Excerpt From THE VETERAN: Now Online. What Americans should know: Servicemen did what was asked and looked after one another. Then and now we have seen official optimism and an absence of candor regarding projections of what was to come: “It is over; we have won” echoes from Vietnam to 2020. There are persistent stereotypes about Vietnam veterans as psychologically devastated, bitter, homeless, drug-addicted people, who had a hard time readjusting to society, primarily because of the uniquely divisive nature of the Vietnam War in the context of US history. Keith Harman in a Huey Helicopter during the Vietnam War (left); Harman on his return visit to Vietnam in 2017. Not all WWII vets did turn their backs. I was on the board of Vietnam Veterans of America at that time. receive communications related to AARP volunteering. And to be frank, when I think back, I think, How did I get into this John Wayne movie, anyway?”. That war and this pandemic have each been marked by a pronounced inequitable sharing of the burden and the cost by the poor and by racial minorities. Rivers served from 1969 to 1971, as an Army infantry officer advising a Vietnamese military infantry unit. I developed great respect and affection for the Vietnamese when I was there. Taken from John T. "Buzz"Noyes by John Lindquist: Buzz was born on International Women's Day, he was proud of that and always let people know, especially his girlfriends. His most recent book is “Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and its War.”. The McMahon and Judge families had to delay saying farewell to their young sons. By 1969, more than half a million Americans were stationed in Vietnam. Opinion ; Shame of Vietnam War still haunts veterans. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. Both of us were in the 3rd Marine Division. And for some reason, I thought he was from Chicago. We must act … More Exxon Mobil Rewards+™ points on qualified purchases, WW will help you build a customized weight loss plan, Guaranteed rate of return on an exclusive 8-month term. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try Leaders in the 1960s also assured that we could wage the war without economic sacrifice, and today many insist that we can remain safe while enjoying economic and social freedom. Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. I had a good guardian angel and continued to fly for the remainder of my tour.”. In honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29, signed into law in 2017 by President Donald J. Trump, AARP spoke with six veterans of the war about their most vivid memories — and about what they want Americans today to know or remember. He was the Veterans of Foreign Wars national commander from 2017 to 2018. We need to do that today. The day before Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, the last two U.S. servicemen died in the Vietnam War. Primarily because I had so much exposure to them and their families.”. The United States is a big country, and there are states where Vietnam Veterans were treated as true veterans of a foreign war. PTSD Treatments Not … The impact of the anti-War protests across the nation in the late 1960s and early 1970s fostered an anti-Vietnam Veteran atmosphere here at home that lasted for nearly 20 years after the war ended. The Vietnam War was not random; it was the result of calculated choices. “All the people who fought the war weren’t responsible for making the war. Over 1,500 people die in one week — a staggering number that represents nearly 7% of the state’s more than 22,000 total coronavirus-related fatalities. John Rivers (second from right) after his final combat operation. In April, President Trump said there was “light at the end of the tunnel.” Gen. William Westmoreland reported seeing a similar light in Vietnam in 1967. The first batches of COVID-19 vaccine have been reserved for healthcare workers and staff and residents of nursing homes. And I relayed the story to him, and he says, ‘Well, look, I can’t give you any information. Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union Veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. I didn’t know anything. Jim Doyle in Di An, South Vietnam, 1st Infantry Division base camp, 1969 (left); Doyle today. “I think the most important thing is that going to war is such an important decision made by our political leaders. The growing popularity of YouTube in South Korea has led to questionable attempts by users to gain viewers, including promises of vigilante justice. For years and years, I didn’t know how to get a hold of him. To the Editor: We, a group of Vietnam combat veterans currently in treatment, would like to comment on Joseph R. Kurtz Jr.'s Op-Ed article (March 10). Most vivid memory: fighting in the Battle of Huê´ during the 1968 Tet Offensive, “Many casualties on both sides, but exceptional esprit de corps by my fellow Marines.”. “So in ‘96, a friend of mine was appointed to a job at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a deputy or assistant secretary for something or other. The Marines are on Monkey Mountain, artillery is firing out into the jungle, there are flare ships dropping flares. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. “Americans should know that those of us who fought in Vietnam answered our nation’s call, and most of us were volunteers. Members of Middletown’s Veterans of the Vietnam War gathered at the Connecticut State Cemetery for a wreath laying for their departed comrades Dec. 6. From time to time during the American war in Iraq which began in 2003, aging Vietnam veterans wearing baseball caps and khaki jackets emblazoned with pins, patches, and the … Wallace served in the Marine Corps as an infantryman. So you know when you saw tracers, there were a lot of bullets you didn’t see. Jan 30, 2016 at 2:05 PM . Reducing the loan burden would help millions of students, but particularly Black and Latino graduates, who tend to receive lower wages, another manifestation of structural racism. 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