My dad is 82. Served in military for 30 ish years. On call for Bay of Pigs and two tours in Nam.

Whenever we go out to eat or he goes to my kids sporting events, somebody almost always approaches him and a conversation is struck about the military because of his hat, and he gets a lot of "Thank you for your service" from people walking by.

A few days ago, after another conversation by a stranger was struck up, and after he told me " this is why I wear the hat, to meet new people and to make up for being treated like **** when I came back home in 1968".

He never told me that before, and it just hit me. I knew in the history books about Vietnam vets not receiving a warm welcome home, but it's different when it's personal.

That is all.

Hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day weekend and remembers why we are able to celebrate!

Tell this to your kids as well

tell your dad 'thanks' on behalf of we lunatics on F16.

happy memorial day to all.

Thanks for sharing. May I add this...

I'm entirely opposed to the Vietnam conflict but I will go out of my way to go thank guys with Vietnam vet hats on. 9 times out of 10 I'll strike up a conversation with them and make them feel appreciated. I never tell them my views on Vietnam because it won't help.

AggieKig said:

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My dad is 82. Served in military for 30 ish years. On call for Bay of Pigs and two tours in Nam.

Whenever we go out to eat or he goes to my kids sporting events, somebody almost always approaches him and a conversation is struck about the military because of his hat, and he gets a lot of "Thank you for your service" from people walking by.

A few days ago, after another conversation by a stranger was struck up, and after he told me " this is why I wear the hat, to meet new people and to make up for being treated like **** when I came back home in 1968".

He never told me that before, and it just hit me. I knew in the history books about Vietnam vets not receiving a warm welcome home, but it's different when it's personal.

That is all.

Hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day weekend and remembers why we are able to celebrate!

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I guess white liberals have always been vile despicable vermin. They genuinely viewed people like your dad as baby killers. They belong in institutions.

rocky the dog said:

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Thanks for sharing. May I add this...

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Amen brother!!

The same realization when I was a undergrad at A&M is why once I had a classroom I invited local vets in to tell us their stories. They got the thanks they were owed from my students and I.



And it's part of why I've raised my little girls to recognize veterans and go out of their way to thank them. Brought a few Vietnam guys to tears.

Interesting story. My dad was a Vietnam vet too. He died in early March.

He had tons of Vietnam shirts. He wore them everywhere in more recent years. I seem to remember it started after getting help from the VA for PTSD. One shirt was placed in his casket with him.

He NEVER talked about his experiences there. I learned more about them when h his fellow soldiers came to the funeral services in my hometown and at Fort Sam. I've been trying to read more history from that time.

BQ2017 said:

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I'm entirely opposed to the Vietnam conflict but I will go out of my way to go thank guys with Vietnam vet hats on. 9 times out of 10 I'll strike up a conversation with them and make them feel appreciated. I never tell them my views on Vietnam because it won't help.

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Thanks for this and this is how you do it

My Dad was a Vietnam era vet. At that time, his first three years in the USAF, he was military intelligence. He was never "in the ****" so he never wore any gear. Still, I'd hate to be the person that walked up to him and give him any guff. 6'1" Mexican with martial arts training and zero ****s to give.

Boo Weekley said:

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AggieKig said:

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My dad is 82. Served in military for 30 ish years. On call for Bay of Pigs and two tours in Nam.

Whenever we go out to eat or he goes to my kids sporting events, somebody almost always approaches him and a conversation is struck about the military because of his hat, and he gets a lot of "Thank you for your service" from people walking by.

A few days ago, after another conversation by a stranger was struck up, and after he told me " this is why I wear the hat, to meet new people and to make up for being treated like **** when I came back home in 1968".

He never told me that before, and it just hit me. I knew in the history books about Vietnam vets not receiving a warm welcome home, but it's different when it's personal.

That is all.

Hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day weekend and remembers why we are able to celebrate!

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I guess white liberals have always been vile despicable vermin. They genuinely viewed people like your dad as baby killers. They belong in institutions.

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Oh the hypocrisy.

BigRobSA said:

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My Dad was a Vietnam era vet. At that time, his first three years in the USAF, he was military intelligence. He was never "in the ****" so he never wore any gear. Still, I'd hate to be the person that walked up to him and give him any guff. 6'1" Mexican with martial arts training and zero ****s to give.

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Ha. Ditto with my Dad. USAF and intelligence. He was all over the world in hot spots beyond Vietnam but we know little about it because he refuses to discuss it.

YouBet said:

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BigRobSA said:

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My Dad was a Vietnam era vet. At that time, his first three years in the USAF, he was military intelligence. He was never "in the ****" so he never wore any gear. Still, I'd hate to be the person that walked up to him and give him any guff. 6'1" Mexican with martial arts training and zero ****s to give.

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Ha. Ditto with my Dad. USAF and intelligence. He was all over the world in hot spots beyond Vietnam but we know little about it because he refuses to discuss it.

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All I knew is he used fax machines before the public and they used the very early form of Al Gore's intertron.

my grandpa used to wear his WW2 vet hat everywhere and without fail, multiple people would come up to him to shake his hand and tell him thank you for his service. I can't remember the amount of times people would offer to pay for our drinks, meal, whatever we were in the store for due to his presence and that hat.

when he passed away earlier this year a few days short of 95 years old, the one thing I asked for was that hat. I haven't figured out what to do with it yet but I'll never forget how he lit up anytime someone came up to him because of that hat.

rip papa.

god bless all who have, do, and will serve.

AggieKig, I am glad you posted this. I often wonder why so many Viet Nam vets wear caps indicating such. My dad was in WW II and in the worst of the worst---D-Day, Battle of the Bulge. I never saw a WW II vet wear a cap etc. signifying their service.

But your post, and your dad's view, makes sense to me. I am glad to be educated.

And like most, my dad never talked about what went on "over there". With one exception. After Saving Private Ryan came out he talked about the most gruesome task he had to do and what he did to be awarded the Silver Star. And that is a story he should have told me about when I was a kid.

Your dad and how our country treated them is exactly why me and my fellow brother were treated so well after Iraq/Afghanistan.

Tell him I'm so grateful for him. I tell every Vietnam vet I see how grateful I am for them. Our country decided to right a wrong we did to our Vietnam vets by treating us so well.

AggieKig said:

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My dad is 82. Served in military for 30 ish years. On call for Bay of Pigs and two tours in Nam.

Whenever we go out to eat or he goes to my kids sporting events, somebody almost always approaches him and a conversation is struck about the military because of his hat, and he gets a lot of "Thank you for your service" from people walking by.

A few days ago, after another conversation by a stranger was struck up, and after he told me " this is why I wear the hat, to meet new people and to make up for being treated like **** when I came back home in 1968".

He never told me that before, and it just hit me. I knew in the history books about Vietnam vets not receiving a warm welcome home, but it's different when it's personal.

That is all.

Hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day weekend and remembers why we are able to celebrate!

---

No history lesson.
I was there, the Marxist Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden wantabes of the 60s ruled the streets.
Now they rule the house and senate.

My dad is a Vietnam vet, but he never wears anything identifying himself as one. He did 20+ years in the Army, but only did one tour in 1968-'69 as a helicopter pilot up north. He has dementia now, and since his long-term memory is better than his short-term, he's gotten more open about talking about his time there.

Three quick stories:
1. At a little shop in Helen, Ga., with my dad in the early 2000s. The proprietor has a Vietnam Veteran cap on, and he and my dad start to talk. Turns out they were in the same part of Vietnam at about the same time. It was the first time I had heard my dad talk much about his time there. The two guys talked for about an hour about their experiences there and when they came back. You could hear the mutual respect of two guys who both knew the other had seen some stuff.

2. At a dog show in Houston a few years ago. The guy in one of the booths was a Vietnam veteran, and I mentioned to him that my dad was, too. When I told him my dad was a Huey pilot, the guy got teary and made me promise to thank my dad. He said he was always grateful for the risks the aviators and crews took to get the grunts out, no matter what. That one left a big impression on me.

3. Went to the Vietnam Memorial with my dad. He hadn't been before, despite living relatively close at the time. We walked along until we got to 1968. He's looking at names, then about six or seven times in a quick succession says "I remember him." It was a bit sobering, to be honest.

I graduated from TAMU in 70 and was drafted 3 months later. Never served in Vietnam since I was assigned to a nuclear missile battalion. Being in the military at that time was not popular so I kept a low profile when off duty.

Side note: my Dad was a bombardier on a B-17 during WWII and received the DFC.

To all of you whose dad served during VN, THANKS TO THEM and THANKS TO YOU.

For all of those who served and did not come home, GOD BLESS YOU.

My own dad (now 98) served in the South Pacific with the Navy. He won't talk about it.

That's beautiful stuff, Teach. Good on you and your daughter.

I'm a veteran (post-Vietnam) and it was abysmal how those returning from there were treated. Contrast that with the post-911 veterans and it shows how, in some ways, we came to appreciate their sacrifices.

"I'm entirely opposed to the Vietnam conflict but I will go out of my way to go thank guys with Vietnam vet hats on. 9 times out of 10 I'll strike up a conversation with them and make them feel appreciated. I never tell them my views on Vietnam because it won't help."


BQ2017, possibly you would have felt differently if you had been alive at that time. Lots of division in America at that time.

I'm in fast food, and always looking to buy a Vet cap wearer a meal or dessert. Cant thank them enough.

Quote:

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I never saw a WW II vet wear a cap etc. signifying their service.

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I've seen a few. I think the fashion of wearing a cap signifying your service did not come into vouge until most of them had died.

One of the most fascinating encounters I've had was with an older gentleman who was sitting in a chair outside of the El Pinto Restaurant in Albuquerque. He had a jacket with a military patch featuring a donkey. Turns out he was with the First Air Commando Group in Burma in WWII.

Look them up, they were pretty bad ass.

Among other things, they hauled mules in C-47s to deliver supplies behind Japanese lines. Said they would tie the mule's ears down, so they wouldn't get caught in the control cables running down the roof of the airplane. Also, said the mules were pretty calm loading and during taxi. When the throttles were advanced for takeoff "everything in the mule would come out and flow to the lower end of the plane". And he got to clean it out, later.

I tell every VN vet I see "welcome home. You might not have heard it then, but you'll hear it now. Thank you and welcome home." Any other vet I know gets thanked once, but the VN guys will always hear it from me every time I see them. Sure it makes me weird, but they hardly ever got the respect they deserved.

RiverAg 80 said:

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AggieKig, I am glad you posted this. I often wonder why so many Viet Nam vets wear caps indicating such. My dad was in WW II and in the worst of the worst---D-Day, Battle of the Bulge. I never saw a WW II vet wear a cap etc. signifying their service.

But your post, and your dad's view, makes sense to me. I am glad to be educated.

And like most, my dad never talked about what went on "over there". With one exception. After Saving Private Ryan came out he talked about the most gruesome task he had to do and what he did to be awarded the Silver Star. And that is a story he should have told me about when I was a kid.

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Can you share it here? I'd love to hear it.

rocky the dog said:

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Thanks for sharing. May I add this...

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The problem is that we have a good size segment of the population that are not worth fighting for much less dying for and would gladly live on their knees.

Boo Weekley said:

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AggieKig said:

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My dad is 82. Served in military for 30 ish years. On call for Bay of Pigs and two tours in Nam.

Whenever we go out to eat or he goes to my kids sporting events, somebody almost always approaches him and a conversation is struck about the military because of his hat, and he gets a lot of "Thank you for your service" from people walking by.

A few days ago, after another conversation by a stranger was struck up, and after he told me " this is why I wear the hat, to meet new people and to make up for being treated like **** when I came back home in 1968".

He never told me that before, and it just hit me. I knew in the history books about Vietnam vets not receiving a warm welcome home, but it's different when it's personal.

That is all.

Hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day weekend and remembers why we are able to celebrate!

---

I guess white liberals have always been vile despicable vermin. They genuinely viewed people like your dad as baby killers. They belong in institutions.

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This country has become an "institution", run by the inmates.

pb488 said:

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my grandpa used to wear his WW2 vet hat everywhere and without fail, multiple people would come up to him to shake his hand and tell him thank you for his service. I can't remember the amount of times people would offer to pay for our drinks, meal, whatever we were in the store for due to his presence and that hat.

when he passed away earlier this year a few days short of 95 years old, the one thing I asked for was that hat. I haven't figured out what to do with it yet but I'll never forget how he lit up anytime someone came up to him because of that hat.

rip papa.

god bless all who have, do, and will serve.

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Wear it

I was in a Chamber of Commerce with a gentleman and we struck up a conversation and it came up that we both served during Vietnam. I said I was in the Mekong Delta and asked if he ever made it to Vietnam. He said "no, but I was within 800 feet plenty of times". He was a Naval Aviator.

I was never treated badly upon my return, but I lived in a small, at that time, and somewhat rural, at that time, town. I returned at Love Field on 07/25/70, in my Army greens, and was hardly noticed. I'm sure more liberal areas had other experiences. I was actually treated like a hero in small town Lewisville since many of my friends served also.