why dont the WWII veterans like me?

Question

I am a Vietnam vet, I was a Sergeant and i fought in Vietnam for 6 and a half months and was given a purple heart, so last week I went down to the veterans home to visit some of my old war buddies from Nam, we I entered I realized that half of the people were on one side and half were on the other. After I talked to the Vietnam vets for half an hour I went to the other side of the room and not a soul would talk to me!!!! They just ignored me completely and I made several attempts.... believe me they just wouldn't talk, I don't get it!!!! I think they are mad because we didn't win the war, well I'm sorry we didn't just nuke Vietnam like they did to Japan, I just want to know why they wouldn't talk to me, I just don't get it!!!!

Answer 1

WW1 and WW11 are concidered "JUST WARS" in that they involved so many countries some directly effected and most not.They were wars against tyranny and the expansionist warring attacks by Germany.

These wars were to STOP the horrendous aggression and the destruction of the rights and freedoms of the democratic nations.

In the case of WW11 ,the added factor of course was the massive genocide being conducted by Hitler .It all HAD to be stopped.

Now Vietnam.

Vietnam was for a long period an OCCUPPIED country by the French.When at last the Vietnamese people revolted and defeated the French,the US picked up where France left off as an OCCUPPIER.

Even before the French were defeated and before the US decame so involved,there was a CIVIL WAR smoldering ready to explode.

Likec in IRaq,the US's ludicrous invasion merely IGNITED that civil war.

The most important person driving the US policy in Vietnam was Robert McNamara .In recent years he has come out and publically admitted HE WAS WRONG and the US WAS WRONG.

Many international jurists consider the US atrocity in Vietnam was in fact a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.

The CARPET BOMBING of virtually the entire country was simply an obscenity.This is where the Mi Lai crime against humanity atrocity occurred along with many others.

All of this to say,I have talked to many veterans of WW11 (my father was killed three days after D-Day in France) and many rightly or wrongly feel that their WW11 war was a just war and Vietnam was not and view veterans from that war with less respect .

Many soldiers in the German army claimed that "They were just following orders" when they committed their crimes against humanity.IF Vietnam is in fact a crime against humanity what would you claim.

At some point .a soldier must follow his conscience and not ORDERS .

Answer 2

Some time ago I worked for the VA and noticed the same thing from WW2 Vets. And returning from Viet Nam, we were all treated with disdain by the government, the civilian population and the Veteran organizations. Today we are treated a bit better by them out their of guilt of not being able to separate the politicians and the military having to follow their orders. Also, Viet Nam Veterans have become a larger political power. Irregardless, Viet Nam was a"Dirty Little War" and we were the ones that had to fight it, over there and back here. We will never get the respect we deserve for our sacrifice except in lip service or from other Viet Nam Veterans. A welcome home 30 years after the fact just doesn't get it. We are the outlaws and the bad boys of the military. We will always be the scum of the earth to most of the US even though we did an outstanding job despite the politicians.Hold your head up and be proud! You served your country well no matter what other small minded Americans think. Semper Fi ! Viet Nam '67-'68

Answer 3

I don't know about YOU specifically, but...

I am a Navy veteran of Operations Praying Mantis, Desert Shield/ Storm, Kosovo, and 5 deployments on Southern Watch. I have my Purkle Heart and a Air Medal... but also experienced a similar situation at the local VFW and Legion.

I was discharged for hearing loss in 1999, and I guess those grumpy old WWII vets just couldn't see this 35 yr old PUPPY as an actual veteran.

I just got ACTIVE in the activities at the Post... volunteering my @SS off... and a year or so later, I was accepted.

First impressions are a pain. Good Luck and don't get discouraged.

Answer 4

First- huge respect to you for doing a fine job in an awful war.
I've a friend who's uncle fought in Long Tan and Nui Dat with 1st Royal Australian Regt-= he left from England to Aussie just so he could fight there.

2ndly- those world war 2 types can have a bit of a swollen head. Perhaps they've forgotten how much help they had back then from the Russians and the British and British Commonwealth soldiers.
Vietnam Conflict was an awful, dirty war against a people willing to fight for their freedom, and internationally unpopular too. World War 2 was an international fight or die.

So for me- kudos to you and all soldiers. You do a great job with crap equipment taking orders from idiots that get progressively stupider as they rise in rank.
You boys in Vietnam fought just as hard if not more so- and without your nation backing you all the way. Be proud and forget those tossers.
A proper vet would still chat with you even if you'd served as mop-bucket guard in Telic.
All wars are different and all wars are same.
Those old geezers are just being rude and stubborn. Put it down to collective stubbornness.
At ease, soldier.

Answer 5

Wow, not a clue. Try asking them. I know their parents raised them better. I don't know how many answers you'll get on line as I don't think there will be many WWII vets who are computer savvy to answer. Maybe someone could ask a family member and enlighten you. I like and admire you if that counts for anything. Whats up with that? All you did was the job you were ordered to do. The same as them, whether you win or not to me is not material. They were different times and the way a battle was fought was not the same. Wow, some ignorant comments folks. When you are in the military you don't get to pick and chose whether you go to battle or not and to the 180 day comment there were plenty of Civil War Vets who did much the same amount of time. Shame on them and shame on all the people who blame the soldier for doing the job they were ordered to do.

Answer 6

Ask the vets who would talk to you. Some WW11 Vets are still bitter about the whining of some of the vets in Vietnam. They really got tired of the complains etc. But if this is the reason there is a nothing you can do. Good luck in finding out.

Answer 7

WW2 Vets / Korean Vets / Vietnam Vets / Gulf War Vets

All from different times and situations.

Maybe they dont think much of 180 days service in Nam, seeing they possibly put in years worth of service.

Answer 8

WW II Vets have always been that way! You should have tried the VFW early on. They would not talk to us either!

That's why many 'Nam vets wont go to the VFW and started their own chapters!

It has changed now at the VFW, but old resentments have not!

But they (WW II) are going the way of the do do bird to the land of extinction. I think they are dying at a rate of about 1,200 a day!

I don't get it either! I never got why the VFW, and I boycotted them for years, would not let women who were vets on the same side as the men vets! They were separated by a wall!

Answer 9

You're sorry you didn't nuke Vietnam like they did to Japan--hmmm. Maybe it has less to do with you being a vet and more about you being less of a person. There was no reason to nuke Vietnam--there's was no reason for you to be in Vietnam.

Answer 10

Those WWII vets are all over 75 years old and are in a veterans' nursing home for a reason, which is most likely dementia or stroke, and they nor their families can no longer care for them. It's possible they didn't talk to you because they CAN"T TALK about anything, not even requesting a cup of coffee.