Vietnam Veterans: A Topic That Was Unspeakable
An Address by Reverend John H. Ferguson, delivered at the Veterans Day Assembly at Juanita High School, Kirkland, Washington, November 14, 1994
I want to begin by thanking you for giving me the privilege of speaking to you this morning. We have come together to honor the military service of American men and women, particularly those who participated in the war in Vietnam.
I’m one of those people. I served in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. I was a member of the 15th marine Counterintelligence Team, operating just below the Demilitarized Zone. Our team was a part of small unit combat and intelligence operations, now known as the Phoenix Program.
If you want to honor someone, it’s beneficial to first understand their experience. Many people believe they understand the experience of the men and women who served in Vietnam. Unfortunately, that understanding has often been derived from stereotypes.
It is true that about half of those who served in Vietnam, experience some psychological and physiological residual of their war experience (e.g., sleep disorders or exaggerated startle reflex). It is also true that approximately one-third of those who served have some degree of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. A minority of those so afflicted are homeless. Only a small percentage of Vietnam veterans have ever been arrested or incarcerated for criminal acts. The truth is, that despite some lingering psychological symptoms, the vast majority of Vietnam veterans have gotten on with their lives. They are productive, functional members of society. In many cases, they have become civic, educational and business leaders in their communities.
The popularized portrayal of Vietnam veterans as lost and disturbed souls, lingering on the edge of violence, is as inaccurate as any group stereotype. However, saying these things does not deny, or diminish, the intense, often painful reality of our experience. I would like you to understand that experience, so that you may comprehend the contribution we believe we have made. Let me attempt to explain.
The majority of men who served in Vietnam were only a few years older than most of you. The average age of combat troops in Vietnam went almost directly from high school into combat.
Nothing can prepare a human being for the reality of war. It isn’t anything like war movies or television programs.
War is a physically exhausting, terrifying business. It places human beings in situations for which they are intellectually, emotionally and morally unprepared. Modern weapons do not simply kill people, they blow them to pieces. Guerrilla warfare has no front or rear lines. The enemy is often unseen and frequently indistinguishable from the civilian population. Unrestrained violence becomes the means for survival.
Teenagers placed in such an environment returned home old men, having lost their youth and innocence. They returned home with emotional and moral conflicts in need of resolution and closure. Unfortunately, that resolution and closure were unavailable for Vietnam veterans.
In recent years, it has been said that we “lost” the war in Vietnam. That seems to imply that those who fought it were ineffective warriors. Nothing could be further from the truth. Combat troops in Vietnam distinguished themselves with courage, tenacity and skill. On most occasions, they were victorious in battle. The war ended because those who made policy decisions decided it was a political imperative to stop the fighting. That the conflict ended unresolved was not the fault or responsibility of those who fought.
We returned expecting our society would do what it had done for our fathers and uncles returning from World war II. We believed the nation would gratefully honor our service, bringing resolution and closure to the conflicts our wartime experiences had created.
That honoring, resolution and closure didn’t occur. For a variety of reasons, people simply did not want to talk through, think about or be reminded of Vietnam. America wanted the war to be over, to put a decade of foreign and civil conflict away. Returning veterans felt confused, abandoned and, on occasion, betrayed.
Let me give you an example, with which I hope you’ll be able to identify.
The Juanita Rebel football team had had a terrific season. I’d like to introduce you to another winning football team. That team is the 1962 Neshaminy High School Redskins of Langhorne, Pennsylvania. From the starting offensive eleven, the left guard went to West Point. From there he went to command an infantry platoon in Vietnam. The right end went to Annapolis and became a Marine officer. In his second tour in Vietnam, he was an infantry company commander. The tailback graduated from college, enlisted in the Marines and served in a Counterintelligence Team. Yes, that’s me! (If it seems as if there were a lot of Marines in the group, it was partially due to the fact that several of the football coaches we admired and loved had been Marines in World War II and the Korean Conflict.)
The seven remaining players went on with their lives. Three of them went to college and on to careers in business. Two of the went into licensed trades. One of them entered a family business. The remaining player became a policeman.
What happened to the four of us who went to Vietnam? The left guard ended up calling in an air strike on his position, while being overrun by the Viet Cong. He lost most of his platoon. The right end was killed during a battalion sweep against the NVA. The tailback was wounded in a firefight. I went to Episcopal seminary to try to sort out the results of having been involved in interrogations of prisoners and assassination operations against Viet Cong leaders.
Seven of the starting eleven were untouched by the war. Their lives moved forward as expected. The lives of the three of us who served and survived were dramatically and unexpectedly changed.
In 1982, we gathered for our twentieth reunion. The team got together for a few moments to kid and brag, as old athletes are wont to do. When the conversation turned to our friend who died, and to the Vietnam experiences of the three of us who had survived, the seven others quickly left us alone. It was an amazing experience! It was thirteen years since we had been in Vietnam. Yet, Vietnam still remained a topic that was unspeakable.
Near the end of the last century, Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem entitled “Tommy.” It describes the experience of a British soldier home from the colonial wars. Let me share a portion of it, because it eloquently describes the experience and feelings of many Vietnam veterans:
You talk o’ better food for us an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all, but prove it to our face.
For it’s Tommy this an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “savior of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin fool — you bet that Tommy sees!
We were not fools, we did see that our society was not going to give us the honor, resolution, and closure that we needed.
So as individuals, and as groups, we created our own honoring, resolution and closure. We built a memorial to our fallen comrades in Washington, D.C. We staged welcome-home parades. We created rap groups, counseling centers and support systems.
Finally and belatedly, the nation roused to honor our service. It was no more than we deserved. We had kept faith with the values our parents, pastors, teachers and coaches taught us. The nation called, and we went forth into that far away place to face the realities of war, with a profound sense of patriotism. We served with honor, pride and courage. We put our lives on the line in service to our country. We said yes, while others were saying, “Hell no, we won’t go!”
Thank you for honoring us, and all the men and women who have answered their country’s call. It feels good to be acknowledged and valued.
Let me leave you with an idea. If you truly desire to honor Vietnam veterans, don’t stop with this assembly. Seek out those who served (perhaps your father, mother, uncle, aunt, teacher, or neighbor). Thank them for their service. Ask them to share their feelings and memories. That will bring them real honor, because in so doing you are telling them you understand and value their experiences and contribution.
Again, from my heart, I thank you for the privilege of speaking to you this morning.