Reflections on Vietnam Veterans Appreciation Day

“Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without legs. Sometimes they don’t go home at all. That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.” – Forrest Gump

Unlike Forrest Gump, that’s not all I have to say about that.

March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Appreciation Day. The date was selected because that date in 1973 was the day the last United States combat troops left Vietnam. (April 30 was the date in 1975 when Saigon fell to the Communists.) I remember those dates, as many of you, Dear Readers, will remember as well. I also, as many of you, lived through my teenage years watching the horror on television screens nightly of battlefield assaults. And I, like many, saw classmates both drafted and voluntarily leaving for Vietnam – some of whom did not return.

This column will not address my political views on that era or the U.S. government’s involvement. Suffice it to say, I have them. I will remind you, however, of just some of the many maladies which have plagued Vietnam veterans over the decades since their service there. Among those are: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and from effects of Agent Orange – bladder cancer, chronic B cell leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, and respiratory cancers, to name just a few.¹

An issue somewhat unique to Vietnam veterans is the treatment they received when they returned home. I was inspired several years ago to write a poem about an encounter with a Vietnam veteran while living briefly in North Carolina. I never knew his name, and he owned the dry cleaning establishment I patronized.

“The Dry Cleaning Man,” 1998

He was the owner; a tall, Black, 50ish, slender man with a toothy smile.
Good morning, ma’am, it is a fine day
Yes, sir, it certainly is, she said, as she hurried on her way.

Months passed, maybe a year, always same greetings, same smiles
Seated behind the counter today; the same smile, the same greeting,
And he was wearing his full dress Army uniform
Memorial weekend

Isn’t it just a fine day, ma’am he said
Thank you for your service, sir, she replied.
No one has ever said that to me, said Dry Cleaning man, and I surely thank you.
We were told to not wear our uniforms coming back into the States, he said.
They blame us, and I guess I understand, so many left there for dead.

I never knew his name. He was the Dry Cleaning Man, and a Patriot.

Weeks later, I ask, where is your boss today
Heart attack, instant, yesterday
Did anyone else say “Thank you, sir, for your service” to him, I wonder?

Say it.

* * *

They wear those Vietnam Veteran caps for a reason. Please say it.

To all our Veterans – from World War II, Korea, the Middle East, serving at home and abroad, I salute and thank you. Although we lost nearly 60,000 young people to the Vietnam War, I especially wish to thank and salute those of you who came home and were never thanked those decades ago upon your return.

¹ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Sharon McMahon, CNWC

The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace advice of your personal physician or licensed health professional. Please consult your physician for any issues you may have related to nutrition or fitness activity.