Particularly on college campuses. I protested the war, and knew some vets, and I saw them as victims getting squeezed in a vise of public opinion. Vietnam vets were raised in a society that honored veterans. Web. /r/History is a place for discussions about history. In 1965, World War II veterans who were taking part in an antiwar demonstration were reviled as … A friend of mine says that it is just a myth but I'm skeptical. The Journal editorialized on March 28, that "During the 1960s and 1970s, people opposed to the Vietnam War took out their rage on the wrong … Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned From Vietnam is a book of selected correspondence published in 1989. Very rarely. Mistreatment of vets, more often than not, seemed to be a lack of respect or recognition. The military leadership wanted to avoid this, hence the "no uniforms" order. That's not true. Lots of people fee that they are free from consequence and act accordingly. ", In the 1986 Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial, one speaker argued against a perception that "the cause for which we fought was not worthy of your lives." This is a somewhat more serious subreddit compared to many others. Veterans were not a monolithic group. While there's little doubt that some Vietnam vets in uniform were spat upon during those turbulent years, no proof exists that antiwar protesters were the spitters. New York Times. My son right now is in the Navy and I am so happy at the way people treat him. Numerous first-hand accounts echo the idea that vets were "forgotten. If you have any first-person accounts (it happened to me or I saw it happen) of returning Vietnam vets being spit on, please click below where it says, "Click to submit your own comments," and tell us about … A 1971 Harris poll conducted for the Veterans Administration found over 90 percent of Vietnam veterans reporting a friendly homecoming. I don't know if anyone spat on them, but it was true that when in uniform they were engaged in conversation by opponents of the war, which, by 1971, was the great majority of the population. I had my windows up. (Flickr/Creative Commons)Investigations have been launched at two universities over accusations that fraternity members taunted wounded war heroes, urinated on an American flag, and spit on a wounded veteran and his … of the Navy did not want sailors walking through the throng. In the 1986 Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial, one speaker argued against a perception that "the cause for which we fought was not worthy of your lives." Those who opposed the war, and there were thousands, were welcomed with open arms by the antiwar movement, becoming a leading force in the country as Vietnam Veterans … For years I had been hearing stories that when American troops returned home from Vietnam, they were spat upon by anti-war protesters. I have heard a lot of stories from people with relatives and grandfathers who were veterans that allege that they were spat upon, treated badly or were held in contempt by the public when they have gotten back. I used to read the the website Daily Kos, and some years ago, a group of progressive Vietnam veterans took this meme on by daring anybody to document an example of returning vets being spit on (the vets had an advantage of being familiar with the military units of the time, thus they could challenge people as to which unit they served in, etc), At least in his case, nobody was able to convincingly come up with proof (most responses were like, "Well my dad told me he saw it and he wasn't a liar"). Here it is the WAR SUPPORTERS who are spitting on the pro-peace veterans. (SALEM, Ore.) - Americans overwhelmingly believe that U.S. combat veterans returning from Vietnam were spit on by anti-war protesters in airports. I even spoke to some who could not point to Vietnam on a map. 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