We all know that the myth of the \u201cmessed up Vietnam vet\u201d is a persistent one, at least as applied to Vietnam vets in general.\u00a0 Despite clear evidence to the contrary it persists to this day.\u00a0 IMO it’s the genesis of the recent media efforts to demonize more modern vets due to PTSD.<\/p>\n
The term \u201cmyth\u201d is absolutely apropos.\u00a0 Truth be told, a tiny fraction of vets did come back from Vietnam with serious issues; this has been the case in every war in history.\u00a0 But the vast majority came back and got on with their lives successfully.\u00a0 Despite the media\u2019s portrayal of Vietnam era vets as \u201cmessed up losers\u201d Vietnam veterans \u2013 those who actually served in-theater \u2013 as a group are actually more<\/em> successful and well-adjusted than their non-vet peers.<\/p>\n During the 1960s and 1970s the music industry bought into that media myth.\u00a0 It persisted into the 1980s as well.\u00a0 Hell, even Springsteen made mucho dinero<\/i> off of the myth with \u201cBorn in the USA”.\u00a0 It’s perhaps the quintessential ode to the myth.<\/p>\n Regardless, the Vietnam veterans simply continued with their lives.\u00a0 In general they became, and stayed, well-adjusted and successful.\u00a0 They simply kept their mouths shut and tended to business – just as their fathers and uncles from World War II and Korea had done.<\/p>\n But they also knew that they\u2019d gotten a raw deal from a very influential segment of society.\u00a0 As a group, they were portrayed as brutes and losers; in reality, they were anything but.\u00a0 And no one seemed willing to defend them.<\/p>\n That freaking hurt.<\/em>\u00a0 So they simply suffered their bad days in silence, and kept on keeping on.<\/p>\n But in the mid-1980s things changed a bit.\u00a0 The music industry began to alter its perspective.\u00a0 (I wonder if the POTUS at the time might have had anything to do with that, albeit indirectly?) And a few tunes that IMO captured the reality of the Vietnam veteran were released.<\/p>\n One of those songs in particular IMO captured their post-war experience.\u00a0 No, it’s NOT \u201cBorn In the USA\u201d; that POS of a tune did nothing but reinforce the media myth.\u00a0 The tune I’m speaking about IMO gave voice to the real<\/span><\/em> Vietnam vet’s frustration – the guy who came home, got on with his life, and put things behind him.\u00a0 Mostly.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t a plea for help, or a \u201cwoe is me\u201d story.\u00a0 It was a simple statement of fact, and of disappointment \u2013 and a well-deserved accusation of ingratitude aimed at much of US society.<\/p>\n It damn sure opened my eyes.\u00a0 I think the first time I heard it was when it dawned on me how badly our Vietnam vets got the shaft after they came home.<\/p>\n Why do I say \u201cingratitude\u201d?\u00a0 Because that’s exactly it was – from US society in general<\/span>.\u00a0 Vietnam vets got treated damn shabbily because many people didn’t support that conflict.\u00a0 So they shunned the people who were sent there.<\/p>\n Soldiers don\u2019t choose the wars we\u2019re sent to fight.\u00a0 Rather, we go where we\u2019re ordered, and fight \u2013 and sometimes die \u2013 because the nation<\/em> sent us.\u00a0 All that we ask is that we get treated fairly afterwards.<\/p>\n The Vietnam generation didn\u2019t want a hero\u2019s welcome.\u00a0 But they sure as hell didn\u2019t deserve to be spit on and called \u201cbaby killers\u201d, either \u2013 or portrayed like a bunch of losers or ticking time bombs by the press.<\/p>\n Vietnam vets didn\u2019t complain much at all about getting screwed over.\u00a0 But they sure as hell remembered.\u00a0 And after Desert Storm, they were instrumental in making sure it didn\u2019t<\/span> happen again.<\/p>\n IMO, we\u2019re seeing much the same today.\u00a0 The media is once again resurrecting the specter of the \u201cmessed up vet\u201d \u2013 this time due to PTSD \u2013 and using it to portray all vets as \u201cmessed up losers\u201d because a few have been badly affected by their war experiences.<\/p>\n . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s the tune that opened my eyes.\u00a0 No video accompanying this one.\u00a0 IMO, none is needed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n