Here it is the WAR SUPPORTERS who are spitting on the pro-peace veterans. Vietnam Veterans in Congress . and the protests were bigger in Japan. For some reason, in the stories it is always an airport where the spitting … As I am saying all this way after the fact and have no links to said conversation, feel free to take this with a grain of salt. It is a myth that returning Vietnam vets were spat upon by antiwar activists when they returned from the war. This is a somewhat more serious subreddit compared to many others. If you would like to volunteer to help us update and maintain this section, please send email to Bill McBride . Veterans in the United States Senate. My father was in the Navy on an aircraft carrier. (SALEM, Ore.) - Americans overwhelmingly believe that U.S. combat veterans returning from Vietnam were spit on by anti-war protesters in airports. I am so glad people's attitudes toward the military has changed. Many vets will tell you it happened, and others will tell you that they never saw anything close to it. Press J to jump to the feed. Its genesis was a controversial newspaper column of 20 July 1987 in which Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist Bob Greene asked whether there was any truth to the folklore that Vietnam veterans had … I am personally confused about this issue given the varying levels of experiences and evidence from both sides. Feel free to submit interesting articles, tell us about this cool book you just read, or start a discussion about who everyone's favorite figure of minor French nobility is! He also said it wasnt like that every day it only seemed to happen when a Nuclear powered ship was pulling into port. In 1965, World War II veterans who were taking part in an antiwar demonstration were reviled as … Far from spitting on veterans, the antiwar movement welcomed them into its ranks and thousands of veterans … Some, like Wowwk, say they had invectives hurled their way; others, like naval officer … But Lembcke's most controversial conclusion is that posttraumatic stress disorder was as much a political creation—a means of … In short, your friend's claim that veterans' mistreatment is a "myth" is misleading at best. U.S. Army. What did they say? I have heard a lot of stories from people with relatives and grandfathers who were veterans that allege that they were spat upon, treated badly or were held in contempt by the public when they have gotten back. Whether or not this was the case, they all believed it. Lots of people fee that they are free from consequence and act accordingly. Those who opposed the war, and there were thousands, were welcomed with open arms by the antiwar movement, becoming a leading force in the country as Vietnam Veterans … I protested the war, and knew some vets, and I saw them as victims getting squeezed in a vise of public opinion. Continue Reading Below. Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned From Vietnam is a book of selected correspondence published in 1989. "Choice" -- people were drafted, it wasn't always a choice. ", In the 1986 Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial, one speaker argued against a perception that "the cause for which we fought was not worthy of your lives." Spitting was not uncommon, they were called baby killers, over all the viet nam vets were treated the worse of any vets in this country ever. During Fourth of July parades, the WWI and WWII and Korean War vets would come out to march, and there were very few Vietnam vets who wanted to participate due to the negative attitude they got from some people. The outcome was that their morale was destroyed and they felt isolated. One of my uncles even changed into regular clothes whenever he could and he wore a wig to escape the negativity that he constantly received. "NEW YORK PAYS HOMAGE TO VIETNAM VETERANS." I was called a baby killer one time by a total stranger. But AFAIK the supposed abuse is very likely an urban legend or maybe happened once or twice at most. By the late 1960s, troops in Vietnam were battling authorities over hair length, and the right to wear love-bead necklaces and draw peace symbols on their helmets. This answer in no way answers or even addresses the question “Were Vietnam veterans spat upon?” Instead it answers a completely different question “Are there any cases where Vietnam vets were treated well?” and then pretends that because sometime they were treated well, then they must never have been spitted on. The stories were usually very specific. He has pictures of the protests and a medical note about having to get stitches from getting hit with a rock by protesters. The Journal editorialized on March 28, that "During the 1960s and 1970s, people opposed to the Vietnam War took out their rage on the wrong … Very rarely. Is it all just an urban myth? Last week, both the New York Times and U.S. News & World Report reprised the horrific accounts of Vietnam War protesters spitting on returning servicemen. Many Vietnam vets took part in the protests. The phenomenon of vets being spit on seems to be largely anecdotal so I'm not sure I can faithfully speak to its veracity. There seems too be a current meme—I see it a lot on facebook— that Vietnam vets were mistreated and spat upon when they returned. Mistreatment of vets, more often than not, seemed to be a lack of respect or recognition. Some Vietnam vets are heroes, no doubt, but simply serving because you were forced to and suffering trauma or death as a result doesn’t make you a hero – it makes you a victim. That's not true. And remember that the whole population can't be characterized by the actions of a few. Print. Numerous first-hand accounts echo the idea that vets were "forgotten." Were veterans spat upon as they returned from serving in Vietnam? College students spit and throw beer bottles at veterans April 23, 2015 April 23, 2015 Twice a year Panama City Beach welcomes our wounded heroes into the community for the Warrior Beach Retreat, but an event aimed at honoring our nation’s veterans took a different turn at their hotel. It's a striking image -- these tired, grizzled men returning from a nightmare, only to be covered in hippie saliva the moment they hit the ground. Stories of spat-on veterans began proliferating in the U.S. media in 1990 as the country ramped up for the first Persian Gulf War. Despite Sirota's contentions, Vietnam vets were a bit crushed coming home. The Vietnam Memorial. If you have any first-person accounts (it happened to me or I saw it happen) of returning Vietnam vets being spit on, please click below where it says, "Click to submit your own comments," and tell us about … New York Times n.d.: n. pag. I have heard a lot of stories from people with relatives and grandfathers who were veterans that allege that they were spat upon, treated badly or were held in contempt by the public when they have gotten back. And a few years after the war ended I joined the military, and got caught in a protest group, and had people mob my car and I had a shake thrown on my wind shield. He recounts a study of 495 news stories on returning veterans published from 1965 to 1971. The … They were told that they would be spat on. Born out of accusations made by the Nixon administration, they were enlivened in popular culture (recall Rambo saying he was spat on by those maggots at the airport) and enhanced in the imaginations of Vietnam-generation men — some veterans, some not. Vietnam vets were raised in a society that honored veterans. In fact, the antiwar movement and many veterans were closely aligned, and the only documented incidents show members of the VFW and American Legion spitting on their less successful Vietnam peers. In the 1986 Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial, one speaker argued against a perception that "the cause for which we fought was not worthy of your lives." Vietnam veterans were often unwelcome at Veterans Day parades. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. That is how most of us saw this. Likewise, at the 1985 ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New York, Mayor Koch calls the lack of previous recognition for Vietnam vets a "terrible injustice" and refers to Vietnam veterans as a "lost generation.". I think if some people tried that now, they would be attacked. Vietnam veterans were often unwelcome at Veterans Day parades. During the Vietnam War, Australian army and navy men were told to not wear their uniforms when on leave back home. Make sure to familiarize yourself with our rules and guidelines before participating. However, the mistreatment of Vietnam veterans is a bit more complicated. Franklin, Ben A. ''Most Vietnam veterans were spat on when we came back," he said. Panama City Beach spring breakers spit on Vietnam veterans. As Chrisitan Appy writes in Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam, this mistreatment generally did not manifest itself in "explicit acts of hostility but quieter, sometimes more devastating forms of withdrawal, suspicion, and indifference." What have you guys heard? Gross, Jane. While outright harassment of Vietnam veterans almost certainly did happen, mistreatment of Vietnam veterans was usually a lack of recognition-- a perceived amnesia about the sacrifices made by veterans. ------------------------------------------------------------ Once Australia had withdrawn from the war in 1973, even the conservative side of politics distanced themselves from the war, leaving the military, especially the conscripts, feeling badly used. It all depends on where you are and the time period. It Was America Versus North Vietnam. But now we are not forgotten, we have our memorial, we've had our parades." (Flickr/Creative Commons)Investigations have been launched at two universities over accusations that fraternity members taunted wounded war heroes, urinated on an American flag, and spit on a wounded veteran and his … Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. of the Navy did not want sailors walking through the throng. Do you have relatives who are veterans? I always thought US citizens were mad at the US soldiers because of all the stories of mistreatment they did in Vietnam, like My Lai, and not just because they were soldiers. In 1998 sociologist and Vietnam veteran Jerry Lembcke published "The Spitting Image: Myth, Media and the Legacy of Viet Nam." A video I put together in my history class about the 1960's, it is about how veterans were treated during and after the Vietnam war. Press J to jump to the feed. Veterans were not a monolithic group. Jerry Davich who writes for the Post-Tribune a Chicago Sun Times Publication adds support to my theory that Vietnam Vets were not spit on when they returned. Web. For further discussion on how sourcing works in this subreddit, please consult this thread. A friend of mine says that it is just a myth but I'm skeptical. I even spoke to some who could not point to Vietnam on a map. There is not a single corroborating news report from that time of any solider being spat upon. While there's little doubt that some Vietnam vets in uniform were spat upon during those turbulent years, no proof exists that antiwar protesters were the spitters. My son right now is in the Navy and I am so happy at the way people treat him. The Vietnam War claimed the lives of more than 58,000 American service members and wounded more than 150,000. Now we are not forgotten, we have our memorial, we have our memorial, we 've had parades... G. 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