Comments

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  Lindsey E. Ford HMC (SW) May 18, 2013 at 5:33pm

  Bob - the only link between Nam and the USSR was they got weapons from the Soviets. There was never a realistic threat of a nuclear attack, both countries knew that that would be a no win situation! As far as your duck and cover exercises of crawling under a desk, in the 50's Rickover had made the nuclear submarine a reality. The federal government knew the effects of ionizing radiation and anyone within like 20 miles of ground zero under a desk would offer no protection. For anyone surviving such a thing, if they lived would be a miracle, most others would die in days or maybe months depending on the amount of radiation they received.

  We got our butts handed to us in Korea, when the French decided to cut their loses in Nam, why did our government decide to go to Nam? Korea and Nam we stood to gain absolutely nothing, just like the latest two wars we gained nothing and lost how many lives?
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  Pat Henderson May 18, 2013 at 10:48am

     Bob, the experience you relate is very similar to mine. The communist method of U.S. isolation was very similar to what the nazies attempted to use on Britain during the early years of world war two. ( Before the U.S. officially joined the fray.)

     Basically, we service people have been the pawns in whatever game diplomats and politicians have cooked up to keep the masses preoccupied and placid. The fact that we continue to serve with loyalty, pride, and professionalism points to us being better people than those who start wars or play political games.
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  Pat Henderson May 18, 2013 at 10:42am

     After reading and rereading Daniel Quinn's "Beyond Cilvilization" several times, my perrspective on homelessness has been altered. We tend to come at the idea of homelessness from a cultural perspective that believes that it is a problem that needs to be cured. If people can be helped up, they will rejoin mainstream society and become productive members once again. So-called homeless often avoid shelters because of overbearing demands placed on admitance or leave after a short stay to return to the streets. Why? Because living on the streets with other "homeless" people gives them something more than they get from mainstream society, something most people crave on a fundamental level but don't know how to find. Until well-intentioned people begin providing "homeless" people with the tools they need to succeed on their own terms, the street people will continue to leave shelters and avoid being "saved" by our society.
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  Bob Coombs May 18, 2013 at 12:32am

  Vietnam, what was it about? Yes, it may seem we should not have become involved in that part of the world, but here's what I remember.

  In grade school in the mid to late 50's we had duck and cover drills just in case mother Russia decided to nuke us. Why? Because our good friends the Rosenbergs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg )  decided to sell nuclear secrets to Russia. People in the neighborhood were building bomb shelters. Khrushschev was banging his shoe on the table and declaring "we will bury you", plus other rants at the UN.

  That was followed by the space race, with Russia and Sputnik in the lead. Then came the Cuban missile crisis.

  The commie goal was world domination, with the goal of  taking over/converting countries around the world to communism (the domino effect) with the eventual idea that the US would be surrounded and so we would have to cave in. Vietnam was about stopping the domino's in Asia from falling!

  That is what my memory says.
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  Lindsey E. Ford HMC (SW) May 17, 2013 at 8:49pm

  Thomas that is disturbing - the government sets a number of deaths and decides to discontinue the war at that number. We should have never been involved in that to begin with, what was our interest in that part of the world? It was only political, if the South had won we would have not received anything from it. Just like Iraq we pumped billions of dollars into that country and what did we get in return - nothing - that money could have housed and fed millions!
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  Lindsey E. Ford HMC (SW) May 17, 2013 at 8:27pm

  James if you had made first you would only have to worry about Chiefs and they were most likely too old to do any damage:) I think the only time I got tacked was 3rd class I was with the Corps, never again after that.
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  Thomas Collier May 17, 2013 at 8:24pm

  Chief, so true so true! But we also fund them through different channels. My cousin was commanding officer 1st Marines div. Winding down to the end of Viet Nam it became a body count war and the count was ours. That was amazing info he supplied me while visiting him and his wife in Pendleton. I guess 60,000. was the cut off point.Unfortunate for us gentlemen, COPY CATS are among us and as you said Chief, they do not come "signed or with UPC codes." What a world we live in.
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  James W Ward May 17, 2013 at 8:18pm

  Yes a lot are kinda nuts and love the life on the street but not all, some only because that is all they had when they came home.  I know one guy who did come back to the "real World" for about 2 years and then back to the streets he went. But the money to the people who hate us, end it.  Stop that money from leaving our shores to be used against us. It wouldn't be the first time I have taken a homeless Vet to breakfast.  Maybe that is all it will take, someone to step up with money to get them started back in life.
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  Lindsey E. Ford HMC (SW) May 17, 2013 at 8:18pm

  James if the housing on those bases was still functional, the biggest problem would most likely be that our government would not want to have to foot the bill! I think it is absolutely wonderful idea, if those housing areas -whether is is barracks or base housing was put under control of chartable organizations it would probably have a good chance of success!
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  Terry Schiele HM-2 (RN) May 17, 2013 at 8:14pm

  Jim,     I don't think I mentioned the words "Homeless vets" but I do agree with you about a partial solution.  Most would have never adapted to civilian life even if they had not entered the service. Most will not accept help for long as it is not in their comfort zone. They feel comfortable on the streets without any responsibilities and live day by day.  There was a program on TV talking about all the people living in the steam tunnels and RR tunnels, and service tunnels in NYC.  Most are drug dealers and addicts. They live in horrid filthy conditions but they are not willing to move to better free accomidations because that would be a 'responsibility'.  Some of these people are veterans. This is just one city that has these tunnels and most have been 'opened' and used by the homeless. Many people try to help but they only want help 'where they are'.  It will not change.  Talk about survivors!  What I have seen as an 'Observor'     Terry