An anniversary of sorts.

[NFRay]

Today is the 32nd year anniversary of the evacuation of Saigon. I was a crew member aboard one of the ships that took part in that sad event. Was anyone else, from this board, there also ?

!975 also ended my 15 year seagoing career, Navy and civilian. 10 years of that time involved in Viet Nam.

As one Air Force pilot said after returning from a "Wild Weasel" run, over North Viet Nam, "Disney will not be much fun after this."

I guess I kind of feel the same way. After those 10 years, most everything else has seemed to be an anti-climax. I can't seem to get excited about much anymore. Maybe it's just old age, but that's better than not having an old age.

Just remembering how it was.

[The_Governor]

I am a Post-Vietnam War Marine Vet but I hold a real deep appreciation for Vietnam Era Veterans.While Hollywood made sure to show all WW-I and WW-II campaigns as heroic,Vietnam's Soldiers,Sailors and Marines were seldom afforded that courtesy.

I just turned 47 and clearly remember all the Anti-Vietnam rhetoric and the hate-filled comments thrown around the media in the late 60's and 70's

Pizzed me off then as a youngster and it still pizzes me off today.

Con Thien..................Semper Fi

[Big_Dave]

I have a cousin that used to work for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (he's retired now), over in Vietnam. He was pulled out during the last days just before the fall of Saigon.

He's got some wild stories about his time there.

As an army vet ('79-'88), it still pisses me off how 'Nam Vets were treated when they came home.

Thank you for serving. :cheers:

[EVlLBOB]

Nearly all of my buddies were Viet Nam Vets and they had some stories to tell but mostly they were invaluable to me for giving me the best survival edge in my training. One of my Buddies recounted how he was spit upon and called baby killer when he came back home. He was one of two survivors in his platoon that wasn't killed or seriously maimed. When he came home he was so disgusted with the government that he piled all his uniforms and medals into a heap in his back yard and burned it all. He now regrets that he did that but at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. He was a genuine war hero with silver and bronze stars and a purple heart. But he said that he didn't deserve any of the medals because he was one of the lucky who survived.

Soldiers today don't know how good they have it in regards to how they are treated and welcomed back. It used to be that soldiers were dismissed as second class citizens. Let's hope that those days are gone and that those who sacrifice are given the accolades that they are due.