Reply #94: You talk about this better than I ever could yet my experience is a lot

[Mountainman]

like yours. So many here at DU talk about events from 30 years ago in today's context and it just doesn't work like that. Right wingers did not start the spitting stories to bash the left or the anti war movement. Returning vets like me are the source of the spitting stories and there was no right wing back then as there is now. I remember the war supporters were union members and hard hats that fought with the protesters. I remember the main reason most guys were against the war was because they feared they would be selected in the lottery and sent to war themselves. They had to stop it before it was their turn to go. The anti war movement was a good thing in my opinion. It was not a righteous holy endeavor like todays DUers want to make it out to be. It was hip, self serving and there were very many good kind folks who were peace seeking people of good will and good intention. Thank God for them then and for them today.

One night in January of 1968 we were taken to sight out side the fence of Ben Hoa air base to defend our compound from a North Vietnamese attack. The ammo dump there was hit and it blew up, the concussion blew our truck into the ditch along side of the road. We were unhurt and the truck did not turn over. I read in a "History of the Vietnam War" book a few months ago that that night Ben Hoa and Long Bihn were attacked by 12 divisions of North Vietnamese regular army troops. Huey gun ships kept the North Vietnamese off our backs. They rotated ships with mini guns and then ships with rockets then mini guns and then rockets again, all night long it seemed. They were hitting the ground not more than 50 yards in front of me. The tracers from the mini guns looked like a long red neon light from the huey to the ground. Me and the guy with me were given a M60 machine gun which I didn't want to use because it made us a real good target. There was a guy in a guard tower near us with a 50 cal machine gun firing all night. Before morning he had been blown away and only half of he legs of his tower were left. I wasn't thinking of being pro war or anti war at the time. I wasn't defending freedom or making the world safe for democracy. I didn't support the war by then but all I was thinking of that night was how to survive. They came by later the next day and asked me if I wanted to go on a detail to help count the dead. I didn't want to go. They always inflated the count anyway.

A month and a half later I was at Tan Son Nhut waiting for the 707 to land and take me home. We had to wait three days laying on bunk springs with no mattresses and no food in our uniforms just so we could be rushed to the plane when ever it landed. The air base was being hit with mortars and the plane could not land. When it did land we were rushed to the plane in busses. The jets engines were running and as soon as we all were all on board it made a very fast run down the runway and a violent U turn almost hitting one wing on the ground and then made what seemed like a strait up climb into the sky. I wasn't sure if we would ever get home.
48 hours later I was looking at white "straight eyed" moms and dads and kids from our bus window at Travis AFB. It had been so long since I had seen American civilians it was like looking a something new, they were staring back at us. I was separated from my friend since I was being discharged and he was getting reassigned. I was supposed to go to his wedding but I never saw him again.

Many hours later I was walking through San Francisco airport and saw a guy and his girl friend walking toward me. I remember thinking to myself that I was a civilian just like him even though I had on this damned uniform in order to fly standby. You could tell we were Vietnam Vets by the yellow, green and red ribbon we were given to wear. I didn't know what they wanted but was ready to oblige them what ever it was. When they were a few feet in front of me the guy spit on me. I was kind of taken a back. I didn't know what the reason for that was but let it go because I didn't want to get into trouble and I thought the guy was just some nut. I made it home the next day on a Friday. My brother came over to my folks house which is were I was going to stay for a while. He brought some of his friends and one of the girls asked me if I had killed any babies in Vietnam. That was the second time I thought I just had met a nut of some kind. I didn't expect anything like that. On Monday morning my mom informed me that I just wasn't going to lay around the house and that I should get up and get my job back. I wanted to take some time off but she wasn't having any of it. It was as if I just came back from a cross country trip or something. Then there were news stories of vets going crazy and shooting people and the term "walking time bomb" started to be used.

Over time it got worse and I learned not to say I was a Vietnam veteran. I never talked about getting spit on to anyone because I had let it go out of my mind. Through they years I went through depression, divorce, alcoholism, drug abuse, getting fired numerous times, bankruptcy and homelessness.

Many sober years later I hear about the book saying the spitting stories were a myth. I could not believe that other people had similar stories like mine. I thought that mine was an isolated incident. I even called the Mike Malloy show to talk to the guy and he said that he could not prove it didn't happen anymore than he could prove it did.

Now 30 years later we have those DUers who for what ever reason think I am a liar for saying I was spit on. I think that they have a need to feel the way they do. It has something to do with the right vs left battle that is going on today and we just sort of got added into the mix for selfish reasons. Sort of like the anti war people who loved us as long as we would get up in front of a crowd with our uniforms on and gave an anti war speech. I did not take part in the anti war movement when I got home. I was tired of fighting. I worked for Gene McCarthy and voted for McGovern though.

I still wish I had gotten a welcome home like my dad did from WWII. I remember him telling some of his war stories to relatives and them admiring him for it. I could never do that. No one wanted to hear what I had to say. They still don't. I was glad when they built the Wall. I felt that we were getting some good press for a change. I have some friends whose names are on it. I went to see their names a few years ago and touched them.

DUers, we are not liars.