The Vietnam War was unlike any other war in our country’s history. Look at the films from Hollywood that came out of this war: Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter, Coming Home, Tigerland, Born on the Fourth of July, the list goes on and on, but they all have the same theme — serving in Vietnam was brutal and coming back to America was almost worse.
I struggled considerably during that time because, as a college student, I had a draft deferment. Yet I felt it was totally unfair because simply going to college did not seem to be worthy of being delayed from the draft. I especially thought it was distorted when, in April of 1971, I accepted a free trip from my college to go to Washington, D.C., for a protest event. I went just to see Washington, D.C., for the first time, but I did not get to see much, as there were 175,000 protestors against the Vietnam War. What I saw that day disgusted me so much that I dropped my deferment, much to the confusion of the Selective Service Office in Williamsport.
The Vietnam War was complicated, to be sure, and it had more to do with the fear of the spread of Communism around the world than it was about the government of a small country in south-eastern Asia. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy did not help the matter, either. Historians have different views on whether Kennedy wanted to engage with the North Vietnamese or wanted to avoid doing so. President Johnson went all in as he did not want to appear weak; however, I am sure he had no idea that this ‘conflict’ would engage the USA for over a decade.
But at the end of the day, those men who served in that war deserved much more respect than they received. These men who simply obeyed their country’s call to serve in uniform came back to a country that treated them like they were ex-convicts.
In fact, they were also thought to be ‘stupid’ because the ‘smart’ guys avoided the draft by getting a deferment from college attendance, having children, working in an agriculture or specialized industry, or, for that matter, just claiming to be a conscientious objector. Some even went to Canada or Sweden, which welcomed these draft dodgers with open arms. I never heard of any who came back going to jail, but just in case, President Carter signed a proclamation for a pardon for all draft evaders on his first day in office.
To be sure, there were horrific things that happened in Vietnam, such as the My Lai Massacre in March of 1968, but if truth be told, our “good” wars had many rather questionable combat missions. The carpet bombing of entire cities in Germany and Japan helped bring about an end to World War II, but it also resulted in the death of many thousands of civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But it is the right time all the time to recognize and appreciate those who answered the call in the 1960s and 70s for the Vietnam War, and this is going to be done here in our county.
Another reason to appreciate our local government in Lycoming County is from the Lycoming County Office of Veterans Affairs and its director, W. Michael McMunn. An Army officer during the Vietnam War himself, McMunn knows personally the challenges that were in that war as well as the difficulties these servicemen had to deal with when they came back to the States.
Thursday, March 27th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, extending from Memorial Day 2012 through Veterans Day 2025, this year marks a milestone, as the VA Office will continue to remember our Vietnam Veterans every year.
The Lycoming County Veterans Affairs Office would like to invite our veterans and their families to the Lycoming County Commissioners Meeting on Thursday, March 27th, at 10:00 a.m. at their Board Room on the 3rd floor at 33 W. Third Street, Williamsport. The Commissioners will read a proclamation at their 10:00 a.m. board meeting, and at 11:00 a.m., the Veterans Affairs Office will invite the guests for some light lunch and refreshments in their office on the second floor.
And to all those who are serving or have served in our country’s military — “Aim High” (Air Force), “This We’ll Defend,” (Army), ”Semper Fidelis,” (Always Faithful, Marines), “Semper Fortis,”(Always Courageous, Navy) “Semper Paratus,”(Always Ready, Coast Guard) and “Semper Supra” (Always Above, Space Force) — we salute you all.
