Flame — HabitableZone

Flame » in reply to Viet Vet Dis Myth - Birth of an Urban Legend

re: Viet Vet Dis Myth - Birth of an Urban Legend
azstrummer — (archived)

I was certainly anti-war during the latter phases of Vietnam especially since my name was going into the draft lottery. No telling what I would've done had my number not come up high.

I think there were probably some instances of soldier abuse but I didn't see it in my city (Tucson) where there was a huge military presence. It just stands to reason that there are radical elements on both sides of issues that overreact. I tend to agree with you though that the hawks probably exaggerated the claims.

I did however enlist in the military once Vietnam was over and saw for myself the low esteem that people in the military received in large military towns. Much of it was deserved, not so much for how Vietnam was fought but just in general because of the way the military trashed the towns they existed in. Now my experience came from the Navy where that effect was amplified. When a large ship came into port and you had weary, horny, and alcohol-deprived sailors hitting shore in large numbers, they tended to not act very civilized. The few of us that did weren't exactly given the benefit of the doubt.

Now growing up in Tucson in a primarily Air Force town, there didn't seem to be that alienization since the members of the military there generally held down an 8 - 5 job and lived among the citizens.

Art Martin

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (83 posts)