Monday, May 26, 2014

General Martin Dempsey

General Martin Dempsey
Last night while we were watching the PBS Memorial Day ceremony, they introduced the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. My eyeballs almost popped out and I blurted:
"He doesn't have either Vietnam medals!"

I guess the man was too young to make the war.

Republic of Vietnam campaign medal
What does that make me and the rest of us Vietnam Veterans?  Dinosaurs?  Are we now like the vanishing WWII and Korean War Vets to the general public?  I found this very disturbing.  I don't feel all that old and I have both these medals and the DD-214 to prove it.
Vietnam Service Medal

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was thinking about the differences the Nam vets had to face on returning home. Scorn, derision, hatred. At least 75% of these people didn't want to go in the first place yet did their duty and lived to come home again. The didn't have the comforts of today's modern soldier, they didn't have the support of their countrymen, they didn't even have the sense that they were doing the right thing. My Dad was a Viet Nam vet. There was no parade, no party, no people lining the streets to welcome him home. If the American people had seen what I and my friends saw, daily, rows upon rows of pallets of wooden boxes, stacked one upon the other, each containing a young man gone before his time, the war would have ended much sooner. The forklifts worked day and night at Dover AFB, shifting these boxes, sorting them out for the Last Flight Home. These newer Generals have seen action in boardrooms and computer screens. Will they earn their campaign ribbons from a desk? You are now an "old soldier". You were actually there. SW

Anonymous said...

Yep! Not many leaders were around for Vietnam. We were on hand yesterday in Mayport to greet a guided missile cruiser come home after 7 ½ months at sea. Very emotional! 7 sailors met their babies for the first time. We love spending Memorial Day surrounded by Active Duty and retired Veterans. Everyone seems to understand. No explanations necessary. TW

Anonymous said...

Thanks Bert. I'm sore all over from moving my aunt out and in. Now I feel old on top of that! But, it ain't nothing' but a thing and on this day of memories I'm still here. BM

Anonymous said...

Have a great day Bert..... WF

Anonymous said...

General Dempsey was a Vietnam Era Veteran. He was in the Military a year before the war ended, but was never "boots on the ground' in Nam. AD

Anonymous said...

Wow. CB

Anonymous said...

Returning warriors of honor. Semper Fi and thank you for serving sir.

Anonymous said...

Yes you are a dinosaur.

When I was still on active duty at Hill AFB the base newspaper ran an article about people on base's different experiences in the AF. I was the only person on base, officers and enlisted, who had served in Nam. That was in 1989.

Take care. CN

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