Stephen Harding wrote:
Mike Marron wrote:

Such crap. When Dad came back from SEA, he rarely if ever
talked about it, but he was never ever shunned. On the contrary,
friends, relatives, even my junior and high school teachers were
always wanting to pick his brains about his experiences in 'Nam.
And when he was invited to discuss the war and show off his Kodak
slides of his wonderful, uhh, "humanitarian" work helping to [ahem]
"civilize" the local "natives" (via his camouflaged, napalm-laden
Skyraider) it was like the old phrase, "When EF Hutton talks..."

Not crap at all. Here's the context of what I wrote with some
emphasis aids to help you properly understand.

This response is not only condescending, but it also shows how little
you know about how the VAST MAJORITY of 'Nam era vets were treated
when they returned to the States.

I might add that the treatment of _at least some_ of these Vietnam
vets by their peers (the *important* people in their lives) was
_not always_ as favorable as it ought to have been, especially in
comparison with WWII. Korean vets were largely forgotten about,
but Vietnam vets were "baby killers", to be shunned.

Yeah yeah yeah. Spare us your whining, sniveling, poor,
poor, downtrodden Vietnam vet don't-get-no-respect crapola.

I personally know some people who were rudely treated by females
at dances and parties when their Vietnam vet status was learned.
In the area I live, just having a military style haircut during
the late 60's - early 70's could provoke wry smiles of quiet
ridicule from ones young aged peers.

We resided in both on and off-base housing in some of the larger
metropolitan areas out west (like Denver) and I can tell ya that with
nary a doubt that wherever my ol' man went he was treated with
nothing but respect by civilians from all walks of life. Hell, even
the local longhaired hoods, the dope smoking neighborhood "bad
boys," respected him cos' deep down they knew he was even
BADDER than they (thought) they were -- regardless if he was
strapped into a supersonic jet fighter or pushing the lawnmower
around the yard on a peaceful Saturday morning.

The stories of returning vets being spit on by fellow 20 year olds
in the airport are probably over blown,

Understatement of the decade. Guess ya just had to know my Dad
to know that any 20-year old unfortunate twerp who dared spit on him
would've promptly ended up either A) flat on his back in the back of
an ambulance, or B) DEAD.

but unless you lived in a small town in midwest during that period,
or at least not in a well entrenched liberal area, a Vietnam vet could
have it socially rough, and might want to just keep his mouth shut
about the experience.

Actually, those "well entrenched liberal areas" you speak of were in
the minority and the overwhelming majority of self-respecting Vietnam
vets could go anywhere and say anything he damn pleased be it
Berkley Calif on the left coast or up there in that liberal no-man's
land of New England where you're apparently from.

Glad your Dad had no problems.

Sheeeeiit.