In 2017, then-President Trump signed into law legislation naming March 29th of each year as National Vietnam War Veterans Day; a chance to remember and honor those who answered their country’s call to duty. However, to many veterans and non-veterans alike the act was bittersweet. After all the war had been over for more than 40 years.
And during those 40 years the real impact — the real significance of the bravery and valor of those who met the enemy on the field of battle — had been softened by the passage of time. Lives, for better or worse, had been lived; families had been borne and raised; careers had flourished and slipped into retirement; beloved comrades had breathed their last.
There was irony abundant as well. The Vietnam War was not really a war. Only Congress can declare war, and no such action occurred. We entered the conflict through the back door when President John Kennedy decided to supply the South Vietnamese government with supplies, materiel, and military “advisors” to support their actions against the dreaded Communist North.
Later, President Lyndon Johnson was conflicted about how to continue what Kennedy began. Some historians feel that he had no option but to commit forces to help a strong ally of the United States. To not do so would call into question our country’s determination to help other allies around the world.
More recent evidence suggests that Johnson feared a defeat in South Vietnam would embolden both Chinese and Russian communists, which supported the Hanoi regime, and result in the feared “Domino Effect” of Asian countries falling into the grasp of communism. His determination overrode some in Congress who sought a negotiated peace, not wanting to commit American resources or lives to a questionable war.
Johnson’s eagerness to sign the Tonkin Gulf Resolution of 1964 giving the U.S. a legal entry into the war legitimized a staggering increase in men and women serving in the military. During the “official Vietnam Era” from 1964 to 1975 more than nine million individuals wore the uniforms of the far-flung U.S. military. More than 2.7 million served in Vietnam proper. During the height of the conflict 550,000 U.S. combat and support troops saw action in the tangle of Vietnam.
Some say that the Vietnam War is still insinuating itself into the lives of the bravest of our compatriots. The killing has not yet stopped. The ravages of war continue even today. More that 58,000 of America’s finest died in Vietnam. However, since the last shot was fired, more than 300,000 service men and women have died from the after-effects of Agent Orange and other toxic materials used to pursue our Vietnamese adversaries. That number grows exponentially year after year.
Although the vast majority of Americans supported government policy, Vietnam was by no means a popular war. By the end of 1965 a small, but very vocal, minority was making its voice heard across the country. Increasing numbers of casualties did little to help the situation. President Johnson’s visions of a quick, wide-spread victory soon gave way to the realization that the conflict was drawing us deeper into a seemingly bottomless morass.
Why did we stay? Much has been written about what President Dwight Eisenhower dubbed the “military-industrial complex”: companies that stood to make millions by supplying the armaments and munitions needed to pursue warfare. With those profits they could easily offer support to politicians who in turn approved of their military supply contracts. Eisenhower’s ugly vision remains in play even today. Egos and aspirations of those in political power added to our deepening venture in Vietnam.
But, let it also be said, in the loudest and most boisterous fashion possible: heroism and gallantry abounded in Vietnam. From the clerk-typists, cooks, and intel personnel who dove for cover at the sound of in-coming mortar rounds, to the GIs and Marines who fought face to face and hand to hand at outposts, fire bases, and landing zones throughout the country, to the airmen who showed no fear in diving to support their brethren on the ground, to the Brown-Water and Blue-Water Navy warriors, to the recon and “S&D” patrols who sought the enemy and vanquished them. Yes, individual valor was a common, everyday occurrence.
Unfortunately, too many of those brave individuals who survived still today carry the scars, both physical and emotional, of battle. Yet, even with those impairments they are quick to acknowledge and toast those of their mates who did not come back.
I was surprised when I took over the duties of County Veterans Service Officer at just how many Wells County residents served in Vietnam and in the waters off the coast of the country. And even more surprised at the number who brought home Purple Hearts recognizing wounds suffered. They don’t talk about it much. For the most part they’re quiet about their service. Maybe because they want to forget. Maybe because most “ordinary” people just wouldn’t understand anyway.
Nevertheless, on this special day, to those who served in Vietnam, to the many who stood ready but were not called, and especially to those who serve today I say stand tall. I salute you. we salute you. We, Americans all, are proud of your service and we are proud of you. Thank you for standing in the breech deterring those who would destroy our country.
And one final editorial comment. The lessons learned in Vietnam have not been taken to heart by the leaders of our county. Witness Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Africa, and other lesser-known conflicts those who control our national destiny feel the need to involve us in. Our wealth and the blood of our fighting men and women can be stretched only so far.
May God bless us all and may God save America.
Dewey Randall is the Wells County Veterans Service Officer . dewey.randall@wellscounty.org
