Our teachers, the troops at home
One of the many tragedies of the Vietnam War was the way that many soldiers were treated (or not treated) when they returned home. A nation that had been celebrating Veterans Day every 11-11-11 and mourning together every Memorial Day was largely unable to separate the Vietnam War soldier from the national anguish over the war itself.There wasn’t a New York ticker tape parade for Vietnam vets until 1985, more than a decade after the war ended. It wasn’t until Veterans Day this year that Utah recognized their service in a ceremony at the Utah State Capitol.
Here’s what President Obama said to Vietnam vets in comments at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial just this past Memorial Day:
You were often blamed for a war you didn’t start, when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor. You were sometimes blamed for misdeeds of a few, when the