“His angels will protect you wherever you go." ~ Psalm 91:11
It was the war American wants to
forget. We don’t remember Vietnam as a
moral or righteous war, but a collective memory of deep sadness and shame for
the pain inflicted on our veterans.
The war claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 American service
members and wounded another 150,000. And
for those who served in Vietnam and survived unspeakable horrors, coming home
offered its own kind of trauma.
Tired of attending the funerals of his buddies returning
from Nam, Terry left college and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. “I couldn’t be in school while this is going
on,” he recalled.
Wounded twice - the second time
seriously - Terry returned to Boston for treatment. Strapped to a gurney in a recycled bus, he
and other wounded soldiers were excited at being back on American soil,
comforting himself with images of girls hugging him in warm embrace.
But looking out the window and seeing civilians glaring at the caravan of hospital-bound vehicles, his enthusiasm turned to confusion. Protesters flipped the bird, shouted obscenities, and pounded their bus with fists and protest signs. His imagined safe haven was strewn with land mines of hate.
Abandoned by their government, many
veterans were tormented by their country’s condemnation of the war. They suffered grievous physical and
psycho-spiritual injuries. Unlike their
fathers, who’d fought “The Good War” and rejoined a booming economy, Vietnam
vets returned to an America slipping into recession and a VA system incapable
of adequately helping them.
They were just part of a complex web of people who voted in policymakers
supporting the war and who paid their taxes to finance it. He and his troops were merely doing their jobs;
carrying the burden of that for everyone else.
Nowadays, there are yellow ribbons, beer commercials showing
people clapping at airports, and banners on freeway overpasses. There are the well-intended "Thank you
for your service," and awkward handshakes.
Forty years late, Terry smiles politely knowing it’s done
with kind intentions. Having gone
through five decades of trying to reintegrate into the American culture, ribbons
and handshakes fall way short of what returning veterans actually deserve.
We learned to distinguish the kids fighting our wars from
the adults making the war policies. But we’ve
also become smugly complacent.
On Veteran’s Day 2021 and to veterans everywhere, “Thank You
for Your Service.” For those of you who honorably
served in Vietnam yet came home to a second battle on American soil, “Welcome
Home, we’re forever sorry!”
Lord, hold our troops in Your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless
acts they perform on our behalf. Let
them feel Your abiding presence. Keep
them healthy and free from sickness. Amen
