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Thank You, Vietnam Veterans

by Carolyn Abell

“No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now. Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic.” – Richard Nixon from his book, “No More Vietnams”

Earlier this month the United States Senate declared March 30, 2011 as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.” This particular date was chosen because on March 30, 1973, remaining U. S. troops withdrew from Vietnam under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

In a resolution introduced by Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina and co-sponsored by five other senators, including Georgia’s Johnny Isakson, the Senate is encouraging Americans across the country to recognize Vietnam veterans for their sacrifice and to make them feel the gratitude of a country that sent them to fight. “It’s time they receive the recognition they have earned and deserve,” declared Senator Burr.

While Richard Nixon might have had his faults as President, the above statement about the Vietnam War is spot on. Largely due to intentional misreporting by anti-war press members, a number of myths and falsehoods were generated and have continued to be perpetuated about this war and the men who fought it.

Statistical evidence contradicts most of these lies. For one, the majority of Vietnam veterans declare they are glad they served (91percent), with74 percent saying they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.

In contrast to the popular notion that a great number of Vietnam veterans were drug users, a myth promoted by such movies as “Apocalypse Now,” information from the Veterans’ Administration indicates that there is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam veterans and non-veterans from the same age group.

The few isolated atrocities committed by American servicemen were blown out of proportion, causing the general public to wonder if they had evolved into savage and inhumane beasts reminiscent of the degenerate boys in “Lord of the Flies.” The truth is that while we had a few incidents, the North Vietnamese routinely committed such atrocities against our side—a fact that seldom got reported. Former service members such as Charles Henderson have documented some of the most heinous acts of torture imaginable inflicted on United States soldiers and Marines by a female North Vietnamese Captain, whose cruel and deviant brutality earned her the nickname, “Apache Woman.” Thanks to Carlos Hathcock, one of the most talented and self-disciplined Marine snipers of all time, “Apache Woman” did not live to make Major.

A 97 percent rate of honorable discharges among Vietnam veterans should quell any myths that they were largely lawless heathens.

According to a speech by Lt. Gen. Barry McCaffrey in 1993, 85 percent of Vietnam veterans made a successful transition to civilian life. General McCaffrey further stated that these veterans’ personal income levels exceeded their non-veteran counterparts of the same age group by more than 18 percent. He added that Vietnam veterans had a lower unemployment rate than the non-vet age group.

Another prevailing myth is that a disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the Vietnam War. Statistical evidence shows that 86 percent of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians. Only 12.5 percent were black, while the remainder were “other races.” These percentages were in direct proportion to general population statistics at that time.

A lot of people think, too, that the Vietnam War was fought by the poor and uneducated. In actuality, these veterans were the best educated forces our country had ever sent into combat, with 79 percent having at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Many had taken some college courses or even earned a degree.

The survival rate of Vietnam veterans was also much higher than in previous wars, thanks largely to MEDEVAC helicopters. Pilots of these birds flew nearly 500,000 missions, airlifting over 900,000 patients. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result less than one percent of all American wounded who survived the first 24 hours, became fatalities.

Perhaps the highest testimonial to the quality of our Vietnam veterans, is that so many former draft-dodgers and cowards now want to claim credit for military service they never gave. And there is no greater insult to the ones who actually served.

I think the average American appreciates the sacrifices of all veterans. There is nothing more noble and honorable than serving one’s country in the armed forces. Vietnam veterans answered the call to duty, and they continue to serve today with acts of national patriotism, community involvement and serving in elected offices.

Make it a point this Wednesday to thank a Vietnam veteran. Tell him “Welcome home.”

Copyright 2011 Carolyn Abell

Lest They Be Forgotten

by Carolyn Abell

Some of my readers have asked recently why I haven’t written any op-ed columns in awhile. The reason is that I am writing a book, and it is a very time-consuming undertaking, but also an incredibly rewarding one, and has truly become a labor of love.

Although I was born in Florida and spent most of my life in that state, six years ago when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, we decided to sell our homes in Florida and move to Tift County, Georgia, where she grew up. She still had family in the area, and it just seemed that it would be easier to be near a family support network.

Right after my arrival, a group of history and genealogical enthusiasts announced in the local newspaper that they wanted to start the Tift County Genealogical Society. I attended the first meeting, and that’s how I became a charter member.

A guest speaker for one of our meetings was Rev. Dillard Ensley, from neighboring Cook County. Rev. Ensley has written several books on local history, and he showed us his most recent one, entitled “Great Was Their Valor: Profiles of Sacrifice.”  He wrote the book about Cook County veterans who had died in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  Also included is a section to honor those who had served as prisoners of war. When he finished his talk that day, Ensley presented the challenge to us to do the same thing for Tift County, and some of us decided to accept that challenge.

Two other members have assisted with the research, and I have been putting the book together. I volunteered to research the World War II veterans, and it has been one of the most richly rewarding experiences of my life. Thanks to a list provided by Ida Mae Williams in her book, “History of Tift County,” written in 1948, I had a start with names. In browsing through the microfilm newspapers from December 1941 through summer 1945, I picked up a few additional names that she had missed.

Through various methods, I have managed to locate family members and friends who either remember the men or had some keepsake from them. I’m so glad I picked the brain of Mr. Wilbur Dickens, a veteran who was in his 90’s himself, but vividly recalled his friend Garland Anderson, who sent him picture postcards from Hawaii, telling him what a paradise it was. Garland was killed when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Last year Wilbur Dickens himself passed on to his heavenly home; but I had his memories and mementoes already recorded for the book.

The aging sister of one veteran has kept a scrapbook of her brother’s photographs and correspondence from World War II before he was also killed. She generously shared it with me, to copy and use whatever I felt would enhance Loyce Alexander’s chapter of the book.

I have discovered that many history lovers have been equally generous with their knowledge and research. There are web sites now dedicated to the memory of sunken ships or submarines and the sailors who drowned. Sometimes a person will publish photos and information he has managed to dig up about crew members and passengers, as well as the details of the battle that resulted in the ship’s sinking.

Air Force historians are another group with a wealth of information about bombers and other aircraft that were shot down during the war. Sometimes I have found several pages of information about the crew of a B-17, such as the one that was shot down over Holland with George Paulk as the radio operator. The crew were rescued by the Germans found them and arrested them as prisoners of war. A Dutch man named Jelle Reitsma has written their story in outstanding detail at a web site I found. Paulk’s nephew even has a hand-made American flag that the Dutch people made and presented it to him. A photograph of that flag will be in the book.

Pat Doss’s father was one of the older veterans who served in the Army. She still has the V-mails that he sent her, and proudly showed me photographs of a ship that was named after her father.

The book is not only helping me to understand history better; it has given me the unique opportunity to meet some of the most generous and kind-hearted people in this area, as well as others from as far away as Hawaii. Almost every time I have contacted a web master for additional information, he has been gracious and helpful.

Another side benefit is that the attempt to find personal mementoes has put some distant family members back in touch with each other. Just a couple of nights ago, a man from north Georgia told me his aunt, who lives here in Tift County had phoned him, to tell him I was looking for information about his father, who had been a POW. “That’s the first time I had talked with her in 40 years,” he told me. “It was great to be in touch again.”

My goal for the book is to preserve the memories of men who died too young—who gave all they could give for a cause they believed in. It is because of them that I sit here in a land of freedom and plenty. May they never be forgotten!

Copyright Carolyn Abell 2011