02-05-2013, 05:35 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-05-2013, 05:38 PM by wheelguner.)
As JASmith mentioned, in WWI it was called "shell shock", in WWII and Korea "battle fatigue" and Nam gave us "PTSD". I do not want to sound as if I am whining but my families history has been written on the battle fields of time, from the Scottish Highlands to Desert Storm we have served and I have spoken with many that served before and have formed a strong opinion regarding one thing that has changed. Our warriors from WWI and WWII came home to cheering crowds and ticker tape parades. Those wars had a defined beginning and end. Korea was the first of a different kind of war in that for all purposes it is on-going and as far as I know no massive welome home ceremonies. Viet Nam was similar in that troops were rotated in and out of country and was the first war that lacked the support of our entire country, and had no finite end. It was so unpopular that troops came home to chanting crowds screaming baby killer and throwing tomatoes and eggs. My older brother was career National Guard Cadre as a logistics and supply officer. His unit was one of the first to hit the sand box as part of the "rapid mobilization force". They came home in convoys that were greeted with crowds of families, friends and townspeople lining the highways and overpasses. Now many of our troops fly in smaller groups and deplane at commercial airline gates. I have seen the news footage and commercials that depict their welcome from the folks waiting for their own planes and I bless every individual that stops and welcomes those in uniform. The point I'm struggling to make is the veterans of WWI and WWII, by the massive welcomes they received were given a mass form of "Absolution", they were made to believe that what they accomplished was good and right. This is missing now. I have business style cards printed that I hand every man in uniform, it simply says "I appreciate your Service". This make sense to anyone else? EDIT.... LRRPF52 looks like we were typing together and you posted first. Looks like we feel the same. Semper Fi