The Wall That Heals!

The following is a speech that was given at The Wall That Heals in 2019 when it came to Arvada, CO.

How Many Vietnam Vets Do We Have Here?

Today, I would like to honor the more than 58,000 who are listed on that black wall… and those who are not. I'm not here to honor the names on that wall. I'm here to honor and remember the ones behind those names. Let's honor our brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country… and for your and my freedom.

 Today I am going to talk about them and you Vietnam veterans. And while I'm speaking about a specific group of veterans some of what I say will pertain to all veterans and… everyone here. There is a message for a nation here.

 I'm going to talk about a time - long ago – and far away - but not really that far away in most of our daily, if not almost daily thoughts ….and nighttime sweats. 

I don't know how each of you feel about your service THERE… so I'll speak somewhat in generalities. You apply what fits.

I‘m going to tell you something that I hope you've heard before but if you haven't, it's about time that you did. 

First… Let me tell you that you have nothing to be ashamed of for having served your country in that hell hole we know and remember as Vietnam. 

You didn't go to Vietnam to save those little folks from the big, bad communist thugs. You went there because you were ordered there. But once there, you did your job…and you did it well!

When you're reminded in some way of those times in Vietnam and your service there, by a certain smell; or, a sound; or, by a song of that era; or, whatever it is that brings you back to those times, I hope they're not all bad memories. I know your memories are all different. For some of you, they're not so good. I hope I can change a little of that for you today. 

For others your memories are about the courage and the sacrifices you saw on the battlefield. It's about those you served with.

Once you were there, and having served your Cherry time, then working your way into their ranks, it didn't take you long to realize… you were all brothers! If there's any doubt IN ANYONE'S MIND, I can guarantee you THERE'S NO SKIN COLOR IN A FIREFIGHT.

You were young and not really that well trained. You didn't know what to expect or what the hell was really going on. You were in a war that few understood, mostly by our leaders. But you fought hard and YOU won every single major engagement that you were asked to do. 

The Ia Drang valley was the first. You've seen the movie, WE WERE SOLDIERS. Colonel Hal Moore and the First Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment. Khe Sanh, the Ashau, the battle of Hue, The Tet Offensive, Rolling Thunder, Hamburger Hill, Linebacker I And II, and a hundred other battles. You won every single major engagement. 
 
I know that it was sometimes hard to understand how you made those sacrifices to take that hill today then walk off and leave it tomorrow and give it back to your enemy; to clear a zone for the farmers to harvest their rice only to have the PAVN and Viet Cong come in at night and take it from them anyway. 

Some of you served among those Vietnamese people and seeing them just wanting to be able to live in peace and freedom… like we do. The average farmer could have cared less who ran that country. He just wanted to be left alone. That contact with them may have influenced you in some ways. But I think it's that battle brotherhood that probably influenced you the most.

And when you came home, I don't know if anyone ever called you names and spit on you or not. I hope not. But some were! Jeered instead of cheered! But that shame is not yours. It's on those WHO protested during those times. IT'S NOT YOUR SHAME. 

You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did your job! President Nixon said, and I quote - "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam war. It was misreported then, and is misremembered now. Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic." – End quote. The saddest tragedy of that era is those that fell into that trap.

But you can walk away from it all with honor. You went there because you were ordered there, and again, once there, you did your job and you did it well. Afterwards, it was easy to fall into the trap of thinking it was all a waste. You can question the circumstances. You can condemn the war. You can condemn the politicians, the protestors, and especially the media. But never, ever, dishonor your fellow warrior for doing his job by ANY FEELINGS of Guilt YOU MAY HAVE! Don't let those that died on those battlefields ever be dishonored by any feelings of your guilt. 

And, you can stop asking that question of why you made it back and he didn't! He was a good guy! Why him and not me? Why did I make it home and he didn't?

I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why you made it back. You made it back to honor him! You made it back to make sure that he, or they, will never EVER be forgotten! You made it back to make damn sure their name is more than just another space on that black wall. Honor them! Remember their name! Remember their laugh?  Never, ever, let their names be forgotten! Remember them with honor! That's your job. And if that's a job you didn't accept when you came home, your new job starts today! That's why you made it back! To honor them! Never… let them be forgotten.

You made it back to honor that brotherhood that's formed only on a battlefield. That brotherhood is something that no one can ever take away from you - that bond that's seared into your souls. That's something no protester could ever have taken away from you. It's not about the politics of war. It's about your brother in arms. It's about that bond that nothing but battle can create. 
 
It's not about being in some foreign land fighting for a people that you didn't even understand. It's about that brother on your left or right flank. It's those you fought with! It's those you fought for. It's those that you were even willing to die for. And you know that! Be proud that you answered the call and gave it your best. Never apologize for anything you did during or after that war! You have nothing to apologize for!

Let me tell you why else you made it home! After building the most powerful WAR MACHINE this world has ever seen, you came home to build an economy that surpassed any before. You made this a better country. That's what you did!

Hell! You even won the Cold War. 

Have you ever even wondered why there are so many people running around out there… pretending to be Vietnam veterans? I don't think I've ever run into anyone pretending to be one of the protesters of that era. 
 
Why do our current soldiers thank you for showing them the way? Because that's exactly what you did! That's why!

No one can steal your valor! It's yours!  You own it! Your memorial in Washington, DC, along with the three servicemen statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial, with some 5.3 million visitors a year, is the most visited war memorial in this country! It has one of the highest visitation rates in the world. That is your honor! 

And listen to me now! You did not lose that war! You all know about the rules of engagement. Let me tell you about some that you may not know. Navy pilot Lieutenant Phil Waters, navigator and bombardier on an A-6 Intruder, from the carrier USS Constellation, flying into Hanoi on a bombing run, could look down at the surface-to-air missile sites on the dikes holding back the South China Sea. He could not attack those Surface-to-Air Missile sites. No collateral damage. He might destroy the dikes and flood the rice paddies with salt water, ruining their rice crop. He could look into the huge Hang Dai soccer stadium in Hanoi and see the SAM site inside it. He could not attack that site! No collateral damage! 
 
Did you know that our pilots could not attack the MIGs on the ground? No collateral damage. 
 
Without those rules of engagement, how long do you think it would have taken our massive airpower to have wiped out their entire air force? A week or maybe a month? But we could not attack them on the ground.
 
You know about the rules of engagement on the ground…don't fire until you are fired upon. 
 
Give those little folks a chance! Let them shoot at you first! These rules of engagement came straight from the Oval Office of Lyndon Baines Johnson, your President, and Clark Clifford, your Secretary of Defense. Both of whom were trying to buy a peace with our lives. You did not lose that war! The politicians may have. The protesters and the media may have driven them to it. But you did not lose that war! Remember, you won every single major engagement! That's what wins wars!

It's been falsely reported on the internet that General Vo Nguyen Giap, commander of the North Vietnamese Army, may have said when he was considering his memoirs that if that war had lasted another six months, they would have had to surrender. While that report is false, the reality of it could have been true. Think about it. No rules of engagement! But even with them, you won every single major engagement that you were asked to. You controlled South Viet Nam. You could go anywhere in South Viet Nam that you wanted to. Sometimes it might take a good battalion of Infantry to get you there. But once there, I'll bet you won the fight. With continued victories like those and the bombings of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Hanoi, and Hai Phuong without those rules of engagement, they would have had to surrender if our politicians had not given up too soon. You won your war! Never let anyone tell you anything different! Those are fighting words!

Ninety-one percent of you say YOU are glad YOU served! Seventy-four percent of you say you would do it again, even knowing the outcome. You were not the drugged-out culture that the media presented you to be back then. Ninety-seven percent of you were discharged under honorable conditions. Eighty-five percent of you made a successful transition back into civilian life and even formed successful companies! You became doctors and nurses. You became preachers, teachers, and professors. And for those of you who did, thank you for being there to tell those young students the truth about what you did. Your income exceeded that of non-Vietnam veterans of the same era by more than eighteen percent. That's pride! You did that!

You may have confusing emotions about what you did, but there is one thing that you should never forget: the brotherhood of having been there and done that! Of walking the walk, so others could talk the talk! Stand tall! Be proud of being a Vietnam veteran. You earned it! … You earned it! 

Thank you for your service! And welcome home, brothers and sisters!