(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Limiting war is the true recognition of those who served and sacrificed – Daily Montanan [1] ['More From Author', 'July', 'Jim Jones'] Date: 2022-07-04 The National Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Day Act was passed by Congress in 2017 to recognize those who served in that ill-fated war. Because of the heated controversy about the war in the U.S., many service personnel came home to an indifferent, even-hostile reception. The 2017 Act was designed to demonstrate the belated thanks of the nation for their service – kind of a better-late-than-never gesture. In August 1969, when I was headed home from serving with a heavy artillery unit in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province, we were warned that there might be unfriendly war demonstrators present to meet our plane at Travis Air Force Base in California. There were a few folks there, but it was not a big deal. I did not encounter many folks who really wanted to talk about Vietnam when I got back to Idaho that September, but found it was best not to bring up the subject. My first job back in the states was working for Idaho’s former U.S. Sen. Len Jordan. Our office was deluged with war protesters in 1970-1972, and it was my job to hear them out. There were lots of claims about U.S. troops being baby killers or worse, which resulted in some heated conversations. The U.S. concluded its withdrawal from Vietnam on March 29, 1973, which is why Congress chose to commemorate the Recognition Day on the 29th of March. Idaho independently recognizes the day. When Vietnam fell to the Communists on April 30, 1975, it broke my heart and it continues to gnaw at me today, as it does for so many others who served there. I think of the 58,220 Americans who died in the conflict, about 251 of whom had Idaho connections. On one day alone, Jan. 31, 1968, during the Tet Offensive, 246 Americans died. More than 300,000 were wounded and many more have suffered from PTSD, drug or alcohol abuse, suicide or Agent Orange. Yet, it took years for the country to recognize the fact that so many faithfully served their country, regardless of whether they volunteered or were drafted. The recognition by Congress is appreciated, but what would have been so much more beneficial to the veterans would have been a recognition of the limits of our power. Recognizing the folly of getting involved in protracted wars without knowing what our objectives were or how to achieve them and at what cost. Had we heeded the lessons that were obvious from our disastrous Vietnam experience, we most certainly would have avoided the war of choice in Iraq. We would not have gotten mired down in Afghanistan for two decades. Recently, a regular reader of my columns asked, “what’s with Jim Jones constantly alluding to his Vietnam service?” He obviously thought I was patting myself on the back by describing myself as a “Vietnam combat veteran” in the tagline of my columns. Most writers have descriptive information at the end of an opinion piece to let readers know who they are. As with every other veteran, my war experience was one of the most important formative influences of my entire life. It speaks to who we are and how we view the world. I wrote a book, titled, “Vietnam … Can’t get you out of my mind.” I could not separate myself from my Vietnam experience if I wanted to, and I most certainly don’t. Obituaries of veterans generally mention their service experience because it was often one of the most important things that occurred during their lifetime, for better or worse. All veterans, and their loved ones, are entitled, especially on Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Day, to reflect on their service to their country. All of their fellow Americans can use the day to express appreciation for that service. This column was originally produced by the Idaho Capital Sun which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/07/04/limiting-war-is-the-true-recognition-of-those-who-served-and-sacrificed/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/