Posted on Apr 21, 2015
Have recent Veterans lost perspective on the past.
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I’m a member of several retiree groups and veteran groups and recently have been getting really sick of hearing how bad we (the new generation of veterans) have had it:
Here is some interesting military history for you:
Marine SSgt Albert Luke Ireland (WWII and Korea) is recognized for being the recipient of nine (yes 9) Purple Hearts, the most ever awarded to a single individual in the US Armed forces.
Richard Buck (Korean War Vietnam), Robert Frederick (Vietnam), David Hackworth (Vietnam), Joe Hooper (Vietnam), Robert Howard (Vietnam), and William Waugh (Vietnam) have all been awarded eight (yes 8) Purple Hearts for their respective service to our county.
The "History" section of the November 2009 edition of National Geographic estimated the number of Purple Hearts awarded as:
• WWI: 320,518
• WWII: 1,076,245
• Korean War: 118,650
• Vietnam: 351,794
• Post-Vietnam Era: 42,955
I bring this up for several reasons….the least of which is this…..although “official conflict” in Iraq and Afghanistan lasted for over 14 years the total number of purple hearts equates to less than 12% of those awarded in Vietnam and less than 3.9% of those awarded during WWII. I am not saying that any conflict is any worse than any other. WAR SUCKS!!! is pretty much a mantra I assume most of us can get behind. What I’m saying is with all of recent publicity of Iraq/Afghan Veterans via the media, commercials (Wounded Warrior program for one example), Television (shows like NCIS), and now Hollywood (American Sniper) please let’s not lose track or sight of those who fought for our country in previous conflicts…..I realize that there are very few WWII vets still around but there are plenty of Vietnam War era vets still out there who not only did not receive a “hero’s welcome” when they returned from battle but as of late seem to be getting swept under the rug for some reason….maybe because they are not as tech savvy as the younger generation or maybe because the “Rambo” movies have them all typecast as loners who don’t want help or maybe it’s a byproduct of the “Me Generation” and people just not remembering or caring about the past……..I don’t know…..I just know that we need to make sure these folks are not forgotten and are as much in the “sight picture” for congress, state governments, and the veterans groups as the new generation of vets are....anyway soapbox being put away….thank you for your time.
Here is some interesting military history for you:
Marine SSgt Albert Luke Ireland (WWII and Korea) is recognized for being the recipient of nine (yes 9) Purple Hearts, the most ever awarded to a single individual in the US Armed forces.
Richard Buck (Korean War Vietnam), Robert Frederick (Vietnam), David Hackworth (Vietnam), Joe Hooper (Vietnam), Robert Howard (Vietnam), and William Waugh (Vietnam) have all been awarded eight (yes 8) Purple Hearts for their respective service to our county.
The "History" section of the November 2009 edition of National Geographic estimated the number of Purple Hearts awarded as:
• WWI: 320,518
• WWII: 1,076,245
• Korean War: 118,650
• Vietnam: 351,794
• Post-Vietnam Era: 42,955
I bring this up for several reasons….the least of which is this…..although “official conflict” in Iraq and Afghanistan lasted for over 14 years the total number of purple hearts equates to less than 12% of those awarded in Vietnam and less than 3.9% of those awarded during WWII. I am not saying that any conflict is any worse than any other. WAR SUCKS!!! is pretty much a mantra I assume most of us can get behind. What I’m saying is with all of recent publicity of Iraq/Afghan Veterans via the media, commercials (Wounded Warrior program for one example), Television (shows like NCIS), and now Hollywood (American Sniper) please let’s not lose track or sight of those who fought for our country in previous conflicts…..I realize that there are very few WWII vets still around but there are plenty of Vietnam War era vets still out there who not only did not receive a “hero’s welcome” when they returned from battle but as of late seem to be getting swept under the rug for some reason….maybe because they are not as tech savvy as the younger generation or maybe because the “Rambo” movies have them all typecast as loners who don’t want help or maybe it’s a byproduct of the “Me Generation” and people just not remembering or caring about the past……..I don’t know…..I just know that we need to make sure these folks are not forgotten and are as much in the “sight picture” for congress, state governments, and the veterans groups as the new generation of vets are....anyway soapbox being put away….thank you for your time.
Posted in these groups: 
Military History
Military History
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
Our military history and ALL our veterans are why I even joined. You can't have a future without a past, for without a past, you forget where you're going.
SSgt (Join to see)
There are a few newer SMs and some Vets who have been less than enthusiastic with past military folk and even condescending. For the most part we are making in roads in letting people know about WWII and the older wars so this history is not lost.
Yes I think many forget history and how modernization of the military has in many ways improved not only the standard of living but more so greatly improved the odds of surviving combat in general. However I think much of this has to do with the way the media coverage has changed as well as the influence of social media
In Vietnam 58,000 + SM's lost their lives. With OIF and OEF combined only 6847. I don't in any way use the word "only" lightly. Having lost a friend who is part of this aggregate and knowing others that have lost much more this variance offers little comfort. Hover if you break it down by number of deaths per year average its 3222 Vietnam and 571 for OIF/OEF. If you go back further in time and take a look at Gallipoli, a major battle just part of WWI, over 44,000 died in that one year battle.
In Vietnam 58,000 + SM's lost their lives. With OIF and OEF combined only 6847. I don't in any way use the word "only" lightly. Having lost a friend who is part of this aggregate and knowing others that have lost much more this variance offers little comfort. Hover if you break it down by number of deaths per year average its 3222 Vietnam and 571 for OIF/OEF. If you go back further in time and take a look at Gallipoli, a major battle just part of WWI, over 44,000 died in that one year battle.
MSgt Ronald Stacy Thank you for sharing this. You are correct. I hope that the reason for the disparity in the numbers can be correlated to technological advances making warfare "safer" for lack of a better word. Better body Armor, use of drones, tactics, equipment, and I could go on. It is truly sad to see veterans from any era fade into the memory of only a few. Like I said thank you for sharing this.
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