With undeniable emotion in his voice, I often hear my boss say, "Welcome Home Brother!" to a customer who comes into our mall wearing a Viet Nam Veteran hat or shirt. Those simple words said with such conviction have been said thousands of times over the years that I've worked for him but they never lose their effect on me. Each and every time I hear him, a lump fills my throat and tears well up in my eyes. Total strangers meeting for the first time share a bond that many of us can't begin to understand. Some may have volunteered to serve, most were drafted as mere boys and came back as men. Men who witnessed horrible things, had to do horrible things, and are haunted still by the memories.
Growing up in a small rural town in Indiana I saw too many go off to that despicable war. The war I abhorred but the soldiers sent over there had my utmost support. At one time it seemed that the draft board had a special vendetta for our little town because just about every boy of 18 that I knew was drafted up and shipped out. My uncles, neighbors, and boys I had grown up with all seemed to have to go. Too many came home in body bags, too many more came home without limbs, and even more came home with injuries we couldn't see. None of them were quite the same when they came home, none of them.
I found a moving tribute to the Veterans of Viet Nam by Capriliz entitled Vietnam War Pictures - So We Remember. The pictures are moving, especially if you had a loved one over there in the midst of it all. I agree with Capriliz that we should always show honor in some way to these Veterans and all Vets for that matter. We may not agree with the conflict or war they served in, but their service deserves our respect. The difference for the Nam Vets is that they were not shown respect when they came. They were spit on and cursed at by many.
"Welcome Home, Brother!" Simple words that mean more than we can imagine. Simple words spoken with heart felt emotion. Simple words of honor.
Visit Vietnam War Pictures
Image Credit: Honor Our Vietnam Vets
Thank you for including my lens in your review.
ReplyDeleteWe do need to remember and honor our vets.
Hopefully, the Vietnam war vets have forgiven us for the dishonorable way they were treated upon return to our homeland. It was a war that changed many people, but I cannot imagine how it changed each soldier who witnessed first hand the horrors of Vietnam.
Thank you to all our veterans and soldiers.
Thanks both of you for bringing this to life for me. I'm not an American and for me the Vietnam war is far removed from my own life, but reading your words, Bev, gave me a glimpse of how it tore real lives apart in the communities of America as well as overseas. And Carmen's lens showed me with these moving images and her own words a little of how life must have been for these young men so far from home.
ReplyDeleteYes, Bev, I agree with Nicki that your words about your boss and your own experience make us realize what some people had to go through. Being in Canada, we didn't have to go through having our young men drafted. I found the pictures and entire lens to be very moving. It always amazes me to see the quality work that can be found on Squidoo.
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