The afternoon in the Pentagon auditorium on Aug. 28 was a time for reflection on a war that spanned 10 years and cost the country the lives of more than 58,000 young men and women. It was also an occasion to honor and thank nine Vietnam War veterans who’d served a total of 14 tours in-country and 225 years in uniform.
Kicking off the Pentagon’s first event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the conflict, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond V. Mason, deputy chief of staff for logistics, opened the ceremony recalling personal memories as well as his broader experiences as a young American citizen.
“I was a young Army brat and it was difficult for me to watch my dad come back after his third tour in Vietnam and not get treated appropriately, at least in my mind,” Mason said. “I was just a pretty young guy at that time, but I could feel that it wasn’t right. It struck me, and I knew if I ever had the opportunity to make that right I would do the best I could.
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Let's celebrate the blood and treasure lost for nothing. I am not anti-war I hate politicians dictating out tactics/rules of engagement. I blame Fulbright for the lives lost in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam ( no funding for arms to fight communists.) Brock will remember this.
ReplyDeleteA bad one I remember is from the French war when a patrol/group was abandoned in the jungles and the last radio transmission went something like "at least drop us some, so we can die fighting, but nothing. & then there was
DeleteDisgraceful!
http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=222&highlight=marines+abandoned