Lets Show US Troops in Iraq That Americans Have Changed

There have been many comparisons drawn between the war in Iraq and the Vietnam war; both have been unpopular wars in the eyes of the American people, both President Johnson and President Bush suffered from low approval ratings because of their respective wars, and it took the Democratic party having the majority of both houses of Congress to declare an end to US involvement and bring our troops home.

Now that President Barack Obama has set a date of August 2010 for U.S. troops to all be withdrawn from Iraq, Americans shouldn't make the same mistakes we did when the troops returned from Vietnam. Unfortunately, when troops returned from Vietnam, they were spit upon by the American people and humiliated for the role they played in the war even though many were drafted and were just following orders. Even though we are all feeling the effects of a poor economy, let's also not forget about our troops in Iraq and show them when they return that American citizens have learned from their past mistakes and welcome them home with the fanfare and honor they deserve.

To keep prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Vietnam War in our hearts and minds, we wore POW/MIA bracelets with the name of a serviceman engraved on them. I had a Vietnam POW bracelet, and I can remember watching the TV broadcast of the soldiers coming off the planes during Operation Homecoming in 1973 hoping that the soldier whose name was on my bracelet, would be the next guy to exit. I propose we do something similar for the returning troops from Iraq and all wear Until They All Come Home bracelets.

As opposed to what Americans did after the Vietnam war, let's show our brave men and women, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters who fought in Iraq that the sacrifices they have made for our continued safety have been appreciated. When they return, it will be a symbol for them to know that their friends, family members and the American people stand firmly together in support of their efforts, and are proud of the job they have done to remove Iraq's dictator and bring peace to the country.

Comments

[jhNY]

As our soldiers did not bring peace to Iraq, but rather, war and a punitive occupation, I cannot be grateful for the 'peace' you imagine they've provided to that nation. But as they were willing to do honorable and righteous things in our country's name, however midirected they were by their commander in chief, I honor their service and their willingness to serve. Nobody's going to spit at anybody when the troops return-- and damn few folks ever spat at returning troops after Viet Nam fell, very much including folks who adamantly opposed that war, despite the claims to the contrary by revisionists of history in media and politics.

What happened to vets from that war was a bit more subtle-- employers suspected that vets were unstable and possibly drug-addled and were slow to hire them (and, as now, there was a recession to greet them on return), their non-serving contemporaries sometimes shunned them socially because of how war had changed them, and most ordinary people in country just wanted, as per usual, to move forward, without really acknowledging or providing the hardships the vets had endured or their post-war dificulties in adjusting to civilian life. The real challenge for us today is to avoid these other post-war outcomes for troops returning from Iraq-- unemployment, under-employment, social ostracization, underfunding of post-war programs and services to vets.