Is there a disconnect between the Korean & Vietnam Veterans & the Gulf/OIF/OEF Veterans?

Never heard of any disconnect of that kind.

COL Mikel J. Burroughs as long as technology advances there will always be a disconnect between warriors of different generations. The older generation will believe that the younger generation has it much easier than they did, and the younger generation will look at the older generation as being out of touch. This is human nature. Since I am a big fan of We Were Soldiers, I will use the battle in the Ia Drang Valley as an example. Imagine dropping soldiers with modern gear into that situation. Starting with the simplest thing food and water. MREs are more compact than the canned rations of the time, and they can be heated safer without fire. We have hydration bladders allowing soldiers to carry more water in a less cumbersome manner onto the battle field. Next the protective gear is better developed, and while still not impervious, it would provide better protection than they had. Communications equipment has improved steadily over the years. Nothing is impervious to battle damage, but the odds of maintaining a line of communication are better with the modern equipment. Finally support. Modern technology allows for better aiming of artillery allowing for better fire support. CAS imagine the boost in morale when those soldiers pinned under enemy fire see the A-10, Apache, and Cobras firing up their missiles, rockets and guns. With all of these differences, the same battle is going to be a completely different experience for each generation.

If you want real evidence of this, look at the differences between World War I and World War II in Europe. Those wars were separated by twenty years. The way in which battles were fought completely changed due to technology. Air Superiority was a novelty in WWI, but a necessity in WWII. It doesn't mean that one generation of warriors is better than another, it simply means that even when they have common ground, the landscape of that common ground is vastly different based on time.

The first step to bridging the gap is understanding why it exists. The real problem is that the one thing that is common among all who have faced combat is loss. Every unit that has gone into battle for extended periods of time has lost unit members. Friends, Battle Buddies, Comrades, Brothers in arms. The problem arises in that every single human deals with that in a different way. Another way to bridge the gap is to embrace the differences in the experience. Take the discussions in specific directions get those soldiers from different generations talking about what tools they had to perform the job at hand. If you want the ultimate ice breaker, get em talking about chow. No matter how many advances the technology makes, the one thing that never seems to be found is a good way to give healthy, tasty, hot meals to those in the field. Once they have that foundation, then you build on it.

If there is it is sad. But unfortunately like anything else there are a few.

Just a difference in Theater-Gaps.

There should be not disconnect, but I continuously see a pee pee measuring contest between the generations. My dad was a Combat Wounded (Combat Infantryman) and Vietnam War Veteran, I got to see (first hand) what some veterans went through. Their plight is much like the younger generation's. No one cares about us nor do they care about the sacrifices we all made.

My only regret with my dad is not being able to tell him, "Welcome Home!" before he passed away in 2010.

My recommendation to all: Lean on each other and ensure your brothers and sisters are taken care of. Do not let them suffer in silence and on their own. Engage them and get to know them.

The prime differences is that they all involve different generations. There were some who were crossover per se who served in both Korea and Vietnam. The current generation has very few from Vietnam seeing service. I know a couple of guys with 2 stars on the NDSM.

Korea was fought in rough and rugged terrain on the Korean peninsula, Vietnam moved into a jungle environment and ODS/S, OIF & OEF have gone into desert and mountains of SW Asia. The only thing in common is that good men died.

We of the Vietnam era were dumped on by our fellow citizens and our country in general for merely serving let alone surviving and coming home. Were were shunned by our own in service organizations like the American Legion and VFW because ours was not a "real war." It was our generation who suffered the indignities of being shunned and outcast by our country that decided NEVER AGAIN! We assured change so the current generation of war fighters do not have to suffer the same things we endured.

Bridging the gap is a damn hard thing to even fathom. Our wars were different times, different circumstances, different parts of the world. Our only common thread is the uniform. Well maybe a second, we are all fighting to get our due with the VA......

I was on during the Cold War through Afghanistan and there is a difference between each one. For each were for different reasons and areas of the world. The only thing they each have in common is that we were each sent out to do a job. That job was to keep the U.S. safe or at least try to help those that could not protect themselves.

The mere time difference between the current conflicts and the Korea and Vietnam conflicts is GREATER then those conflicts and World War I. Add that to the differences in the perception of the veterans of the differing eras, of course there is a disconnect!

While I am happy for the current veterans and them not having to go through the crap we did, I do not really see the possibility of anything else. While all war is about the same, the other stuff is so different for us and them that there is not enough that we have in common.

Just one more casualty of the Vietnam experience.

I did 36+ year from 1975-2014, both active retirement and GS Retirement. I find few personnel who know about the Korean War. Logistics, intelligence, preparedness, and failures can all be reviewed and prevented. There were personnel who were deployed with dress shoes...those were not helpful for the winter, and frost bite caused casualties. We had a General Officer who could not believe that the US Bazooka could not kill a Soviet made North Korean tank...he went out shot a tank and got captured. I served in Korea for 7 years at different times. I just went back last Oct and wrote a book. I am still learning, but, I think a lot of others will also be learning. Yes, I think there is a gap between the different military generations/wars. What do you think of our lack of intelligence warning and prevention of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor HI on a Sunday morning...then, 9 years later, in 1950, on a Sunday morning we got surprised by North Korean attack that kicked us down to Pusan and almost into the ocean. Yes, there are lots of lessons we could learn from the Korea War, but few look at it.

Respectfully, I don't think the majority of veterans from the Korea/Vietnam era feel they ever received the level of support, official and unofficial, we have...they may be right. My father, 505th ABN, NCO, injured in a jump...never received a penny of VA benefits, and has been fighting for them for the better part of the last decade. Meanwhile, his younger co-workers (yes, Dad's still putting in a full day at the job) include some guys getting support for PTSD and other qualifying conditions. Some of those, were only in country for six months to a year, on a FOB, working as aircraft maintainers.

Furthermore, I think that there's a general perception that "we" aren't of the same caliber to begin with. I get into frequent debates with my father, father in law, and fellow Legion members about the level of training more modern service members receive, and how many "support" billets and MOSs we come from. Sometimes, I find this amusing...and sometimes, I give it serious thought. The fact that they fought without the equipment and technology we have today only adds to that perception.

Mostly, I think it's an extension of the general divide that's existed between every generation, but perhaps more-so with the current society. I think it may even be less than overstated to point out that demographically, we aren't the same force either...and some veterans may be concerned about what that means for the future.