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2006-07-04 Home Front: Culture Wars

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Posted by Frank G 2006-07-04 14:14|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Regarding the "Viet Nam memes" (not that I don't think hardships like that are unknown to returning vets, of course) :
Dropping The Bomb on Vietnam Myths

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-07-04 15:10|| 2006-07-04 15:10|| Front Page Top

#2 excellent link A5089!

"Four months later the study came out. The unemployment rate in the economy at the time among all males was 6%," he said. "But among the men who went to Vietnam it was 3.9%--the lowest unemployment rate of any major group in America.

Burkett looked into the apparently high suicide rate among Vietnam veterans and found it was not even remotely true.

"Vietnam veterans have one of the lowest suicide rates in America. The two years after the war there was a slightly elevated rate that was only modestly higher then our peers who never went into the military. It fell off dramatically after that," he said.

Widespread Vietnam Veteran homelessness is another myth.

"Back, around the late 70's Teddy Kennedy had a $10 million government grant to have a building in Boston for all the homeless Vietnam veterans. Several of guys gave testimonies about how they ended up on the street after Vietnam, but I got the military records of those individuals and virtually none of them were Vietnam veterans," he said.

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-07-04 15:21|| 2006-07-04 15:21|| Front Page Top

#3 I would like to add a personal note, however. After Gulf War I, I played host to a Marine discharged because of a cranky back.

He was fresh out, with little more than his duffle bag and caught in the predicament of not being able to get a job because he didn't have a place to live, and not being able to get a place to live because he didn't have a job.

The guy was actually living in a small cave near town for a few days while looking for work.

I gave him a section of floor with a loaner blanket, a bunch of black coffee and a dozen donuts and within a week he had a job paying well enough to get an apartment. Within a few months he had moved from a security guard to be a self-taught computer guy at an airport.

Last I heard, he passed the MSCE test and had moved to Seattle. This was a couple of years after he was just an ex-Marine who needed some floor for a week or two.

Yeah, technically he had been homeless.

Not a bad investment for some coffee and donuts.

Posted by Anonymoose 2006-07-04 16:05|| 2006-07-04 16:05|| Front Page Top

#4 karma investment, Moose, big-time!

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-07-04 16:19|| 2006-07-04 16:19|| Front Page Top

#5 My thanks, Anonymoose. We need more of exactly that kind of friendship for the returning vets - across the range, as needed, from a place to crash to introductions and references. Your friend was obviously a self-starter, LOL. I'll wager he passed your efforts forward.

I did similarly for a few Vietnam vets back in the day. Good guys who needed to unwind - and I had a place appropriate for depressurizing. Plus, hell, they were interesting guys who were excellent company, for the most part. One has been a solid friend since - 37 years.

Good on ya.

Posted by Hupeating Flins9708 2006-07-04 16:28|| 2006-07-04 16:28|| Front Page Top

#6 I've got a couple of friends who are both Viet vets and homeless. They live the way they do by choice. One rides a Harley anywhere he wants to go, lives off his medical disability (40%) and whatever odd jobs he can get. The other one lives somewhere in Tennessee, but regularly comes through Co. Springs during the summer. Most of the other Viet vets I know (from my own service, and also from being in the military for 25 years) are doing just fine. My son-in-law is a Gulf vet and has a steady job. I haven't met many out-of-service Iraq or Afghanistan vets, even though there are thousands of military and retirees in this town. I'd guess there are some war veterans from any war that have difficulty returning to normal life. I had trouble even in the military. I don't think any of it's permanent.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2006-07-04 23:47|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2006-07-04 23:47|| Front Page Top

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