Posted on Feb 20, 2020
For veterans who served from 1960-80s, do you feel guilty when someone says "Thank you for you service"?
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I served from 1978 to 81 and when someone says thank you for your service I feel like I'm stealing the thunder of the troops that are seving in these two wars. Mainley because I don't remember anyone saying it before. I remember being called baby killer or being spit at.
Prior Service
Vietnam War
Cold War
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 1664
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As I remember it, the 60s-80s were peak decades of the cold war. One of the key missions was nuclear deterrence...i.e. convincing the Soviets that engaging in ANY type of nuclear exchange would be a very bad idea. Its a scenario where both parties lose (although one may lose more than the other), or... both parties win. It involved keeping a strong, active force that could respond rapidly under a variety of scenarios. Fortunately a nuclear WWIII never occurred and many would say that, in the end, the US won more than the Soviets. But, again deterrence worked and the unthinkable did not occur. Sun Tzu said that it is best to win without conflict. I think that applies to the cold war. Whenever folks say that the US was not engaged in any major conflict during the 70s and 80s (after Vietnam), I remind them of what could have occurred if the US and NATO had not put forth a credible deterrent. A deterrent that required effective weapon systems, well trained personnel, and a commitment to win....and that's not chopped liver. If you served during those years then you deserve a handshake & a word of thanks. The world would be so much worse had the cold war deterrence mission failed.
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SPC Woody Bullard
SSG (Join to see) - I was in the 558th for 30 months 1969-1971. Was Major Goebel Thacker still the 619th Commanding Officer when you were at the Point? Major Thacker was the site C.O. when I was in the 558th.
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SPC George Edwards
I served in Germany from 1962-64 with a HAWK missile battery. When President Kennedy was murdered, our unit moved up to the Brenner Pass on a hilltop and set up. It was a very scary couple of days since there were all kinds of rumors floating around about who was responsible for the killing of our President. I had heard that Soviet planes were overflying our location and our BC had requested permission to shoot them down. Thank God that cooler heads prevailed.
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SPC John Tacetta
SPC Jeffrey Frusha - I was in Aschaffenburg 76-79 with the 3rd ID guarding the exit of Fulda pass.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SPC George Edwards -
I Was Stationed At Little Rock AFB. Jacksonville Arkansas, A SAC Unit, From 1961 - 1963,
And During The Cuban Crisis Our Shifts We 12 Hours Every Day - No Days Off - And Nukes Were Being Loaded Into B-52's 24/7 - Bring Them In - Load Them Up - Park Them Wither The Others -- Rince And Repeat 24/7/ - Kind-a Scary When Ya Realize ------------The explosive yield of atomic bombs is measured in kilotons (one kiloton equals the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT) while the explosive power of thermonuclear bombs is frequently expressed in megatons (one megaton equals the explosive force of 1,000,000 tons of TNT).------
Also During Those Years We Had Vietnam- Cold War With Russia And The Assassination Of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy -- Just Solved Recently- with some doubt- And None Of Which We'd Ever Would Have Considered, --
I Was Stationed At Little Rock AFB. Jacksonville Arkansas, A SAC Unit, From 1961 - 1963,
And During The Cuban Crisis Our Shifts We 12 Hours Every Day - No Days Off - And Nukes Were Being Loaded Into B-52's 24/7 - Bring Them In - Load Them Up - Park Them Wither The Others -- Rince And Repeat 24/7/ - Kind-a Scary When Ya Realize ------------The explosive yield of atomic bombs is measured in kilotons (one kiloton equals the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT) while the explosive power of thermonuclear bombs is frequently expressed in megatons (one megaton equals the explosive force of 1,000,000 tons of TNT).------
Also During Those Years We Had Vietnam- Cold War With Russia And The Assassination Of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy -- Just Solved Recently- with some doubt- And None Of Which We'd Ever Would Have Considered, --
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SPC Deanne Bosley -
There's Where One Of The Differences Lies Between The Men & Women Of The Services. The Women Feel Fortunate To Not Have To Go Into The Battle Field, Whereas We Men Are Embarrassed The We Weren't Selected An Were No More Than Bench Warmers. For Me, That Was Over60 Years Ago And It Still Remains On My Mind. -- -And Mine Was Vietnam Where I Had Friends And Co-Workers Whom Did Served - Tom Croff, US Army 101 St Airborne, Combat Division, -- Still A Friend After All These Years Since We Met In 7th Grade - 2 Tours In Vietnam - Earned A Purple With A Cluster = 2 Purples,. - While I Sat On My Ass In The Airmen's Club Sucking Down A Rum And Coke-- Where's The Justice?
There's Where One Of The Differences Lies Between The Men & Women Of The Services. The Women Feel Fortunate To Not Have To Go Into The Battle Field, Whereas We Men Are Embarrassed The We Weren't Selected An Were No More Than Bench Warmers. For Me, That Was Over60 Years Ago And It Still Remains On My Mind. -- -And Mine Was Vietnam Where I Had Friends And Co-Workers Whom Did Served - Tom Croff, US Army 101 St Airborne, Combat Division, -- Still A Friend After All These Years Since We Met In 7th Grade - 2 Tours In Vietnam - Earned A Purple With A Cluster = 2 Purples,. - While I Sat On My Ass In The Airmen's Club Sucking Down A Rum And Coke-- Where's The Justice?
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SPC Deanne Bosley -
I'm Rather Certain Others May Feel Differently, But This Is From My Personal Feelings,
I Can't Speak For The Others.
I'm Rather Certain Others May Feel Differently, But This Is From My Personal Feelings,
I Can't Speak For The Others.
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We all became rock stars after Desert Storm, and certainly post-9/11. But, until then, Vietnam Vets never got the respect or gratitude they deserved, despite fighting an unwinnable war with honor. Until the very last member of that old military, from WWII to Korea to Vietnam, gets called home, we should all trip over ourselves thanking them for their service and make every effort to afford them the respect they earned.
You're stealing nothing, SPC Zacke. You deserve it. Thank you for your service.
You're stealing nothing, SPC Zacke. You deserve it. Thank you for your service.
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PO2 Robert Carrillo
Whoa unwindable!!! I wholeheartedly disagree with you, if our behind the desk politicians and leaders let us do what we knew what to do we would have wiped the nva off the map but no our communists leaders hindered us. No sir I take offense to that comment.
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LCpl Kenneth Moore
PO2 Robert Carrillo - Carrillo, I really think what Lamb is saying by un-winnable war is attributed to what you just said. In other words what you said is WHY it was un-winnable. He just didn't elaborate on WHY it was un-winnable like you did, saying "The behind the desk politicians and leaders of ours hindering your all out capabilities." Which is true. In addition, he wasn't saying that the NVA made it un-winnable. Remember, the US never declared war on Vietnam. Of course to the fighting men it was definitely a war. But technically, mistakenly, it was considered a "conflict", which led to the bad decision making from the politicians that handcuffed the men actually doing the fighting.
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CMSgt Rodney Lee
I was part of a Disaster Preparedness Team trained in base nuclear recovery operations. The Cold War training was for real in the 1980"s.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
COLD WAR- - 1945 - 1968
---"The Cold War | The Post War United States, 1945-1968 | U.S ...
http://www.loc.gov/.../cold-war
In the years after World War II, the rise of atomic weapons, along with competing political and economic ideologies from two global powers–the United States and the Soviet Union–set into motion an era of competition and mistrust known today as the Cold War."
----I Served From 06/29/1961 - 06/10/65 -- Cold War With Russia - Vietnam - Cuban Crisis - Assassination Of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.---
---"The Cold War | The Post War United States, 1945-1968 | U.S ...
http://www.loc.gov/.../cold-war
In the years after World War II, the rise of atomic weapons, along with competing political and economic ideologies from two global powers–the United States and the Soviet Union–set into motion an era of competition and mistrust known today as the Cold War."
----I Served From 06/29/1961 - 06/10/65 -- Cold War With Russia - Vietnam - Cuban Crisis - Assassination Of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.---
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