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Written by: Wayne PeacockUSAA President & CEO
Fifty years have passed since the final American military forces left Vietnam and our remaining prisoners of war were returned. Even after the passage of five decades, we still owe these veterans a large debt of gratitude.
March 29th marks the 50th National Vietnam War Veteran’s Day. This is a national chance to show our appreciation for the many sacrifices these incredible man and women made, this was indeed a war no one wanted but our men showed their courage in the service of our country.
During the conflict, political controversy and disagreement were sadly misdirected toward those who had admirably served our nation. When these brave warriors returned from Vietnam, they received neither a hero’s welcome nor appreciation for their service that they deserved, but instead got apathy, anger and hate.
After their wartime service ended, these unsung heroes went to work, served in government, and became involved in their communities. Vietnam War-era veterans went on to lead Fortune 500 companies, direct Oscar-winning films, create a prominent computer-programming language, map the human genome and many other outstanding accomplishments.
Today, there are approximately 6 million living veterans from the Vietnam era – more than 30% of America’s veteran population left to struggle alone with self-doubt, shame, and the memories of those left behind.
Editor’s note: It is appalling to realize how many of these veterans are among the homeless population all over this country and still little is done to help or support them. I would personally like to acknowledge several of my friends living here in SCA who served our country at that time and I am sure there are others here too that I personally do not know…. Thank you for your service! And to Mark Cook and Nelson Orth, Thank you, please know, I’m proud to call you my friend!
Written by: Wayne Peacock- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.