A Personal Happiness

This may be a little off politics, but it is so very relevent to today's world.

Back during the Vietnam War, this country treated those returning from SouthEast Asia very poorly. A lot of the population turned on these men returning home in sometimes vile ways. I know they were using their 1st Ammendment rights to protest, but the matter in which they did it was wrong. So many soldiers were drafted, went and did what they had to do, and when they came home, they were treated like crap! This was so wrong! It's one thing to protest the leaders that engaged us in Vietnam, it was a whole other thing to treat the soldiers like that. The stories I have heard and read make me sick! What were people thinking? A sad period if you ask me.

Now flash forward to today. When our troops return home from Iraq or Afghanistan, they are welcomed with cheers, respect, and a appreciation for their effort. People today understand the difference between D.C. getting us involved in these actions, and the soldiers that actually go there. The media has helped portray soldiers in more positive light that they did in Vietnam and that has helped. Also more people thought we were justified in the actions of this last decade than in the 60's. Even after people started to tire and turn against Iraq, and in some ways now, Afghanistan, the troops have been held in high regard. This is a great development! We do such a good job now thanking our soldiers for their service and sacrifices. I have been as proud of our current actions as I am sickened by the actions of the Vietnam era. We finally got it right!!

This affects me because I am a U.S. Veteran. I was not the greatest soldier ever, but I did serve. I have a lot of respect for those that have gone off to fight for this country no matter what the situation was. It's a deep belief of mine that we should respect these men and women to the highest degree. Thankfully, today we are. This makes me happy.