OPINION:
“Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.” These words are the founding principle of Vietnam Veterans of America, and they represent the scars and burdens of men and women who were given extremely short shrift for the sacrifices they made at their country’s call.
I first heard those words from my uncle Richard, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive and who also experienced many of the harsh truths contained in that vow upon his return to civilian life. After my own return home from service in the Air Force, he was the first to encourage me to enroll in the VA system immediately as a returning Iraq veteran, to ensure my access to benefits and treatment if the need arose. Through several conversations with him over the years, it was easy to sense a great deal of pride in what his generation of veterans accomplished to support ours, and how hard they work every day to uphold that defining principle.
I’m writing today in response to The Washington Times article by Jacqueline Klimas on Oct. 19. Interestingly enough, I read this piece in the lobby of my local VA clinic on Monday morning. The broad-brushed “out of touch” characterization of groups such as the VFW and American Legion, and the overall tone that permeated much of the article, was very surprising and disappointing as I watched groups of selfless veteran volunteers — mostly from the Vietnam era that forms the majority of their membership — diligently helping the clinic staff and cheerfully assisting every one of their brothers and sisters who walked in the door. Based upon my experiences with the veterans from this visit and other similar encounters in my community, the people who make these groups worth supporting are out helping their fellow veterans at 10 a.m. in places like the VA clinics and Vet Centers, instead of just drinking and smoking at the post hall.
The bar is just one room in a building, and we should take a good look beyond that room before casting judgment on the group. The same goes for generational assumptions; it’s undoubtedly insulting and hurtful for a female veteran to have someone assume she’s only a spouse, but it also presents a teachable moment and an opportunity to narrow that generation gap just a little bit. If that person cares enough to put the time in at the local post, it’s worth trying to reach out to them.
There’s no question that the generation gap exists, just as it did for the Vietnam veterans who transitioned into leading the groups that didn’t initially welcome them. They will have to address it and adapt, just as we must prepare to eventually take on their responsibilities. That process is a two-way street, though, and their younger critics should bear in mind that they faced a much wider and harsher gap. My uncle spoke of that on one notable occasion, when he told me how statements like “Oh, Vietnam wasn’t a real war” and “I don’t really know what that business was all about” came from many World War II and Korean War veterans who sadly didn’t hold his service in the same esteem he held for theirs.
Unfortunately, his experience in that regard wasn’t particularly isolated or uncommon. Steve Gillon’s book “Boomer Nation” provides more examples, one of which features Vietnam veteran Rick Weidman describing what he received: “You didn’t fight a real war. We won our war, and we didn’t kill any babies.” I don’t bring this up to disparage in any way the veterans of World War II and Korea, who rightfully earned every accolade they’ve received and then some. It only serves to provide some much-needed perspective on our current issue with an uncomfortable but relevant truth.
Every generation has a gap with the next, and ours shouldn’t drive us to draw arbitrary lines in the sand. We’re on the same team, and every group brings something to the table. The community service and fitness pursuits of fine groups such as Team Rubicon and Project Red, White & Blue are enhanced by the fact that we can count on the traditional groups and their older members to have our backs in Washington, D.C., and the state capitals. They have some catching up to do with technology and social media, but they know how to hold political feet to the fire when it really counts. They are the reason why we have a Post-9/11 GI Bill that truly allows us to pursue higher education. As Jonn Lilyea points out, they also led the charge against President Obama’s 2009 flirtation with blatantly breaking the core promise at the root of the VA’s existence. We have it much better than they did. If we forget why, we won’t do right by the next generation.
Mike Lermon is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who served in the US Air Force from 2005 to 2009 and also worked with U.S. Forces in Iraq as a civilian from 2009 to 2011. He currently works with Mission: VALOR, a new veterans service organization that seeks to address the crisis in veterans employment through practical solutions, mentoring and diverse industry partnerships.
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