Page 43 - A Soldiers Exposition
P. 43
WELCOME HOME SOLDIER
After a tour of duty in South Korea, I was transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington.
9 August 1974:
I arrived back in the United States on the day President Nixon resigned from office.
We had read the Stars and Stripes newspaper, but the information was days if not weeks or months old.
Armed Forces Radio was heavily censored.
I knew stuff was happening stateside, but I had no idea it was severe enough to bring down a President.
What in the world was happening?
The protestors at the airport were ruthless. They yelled and threw anything and everything at us. Hey,
you guys: I only served in “non-combat” roles. But, how would you know?
“Welcome home soldier. How many babies did you kill soldier?”
Did they not know it was the government, not the soldier that was to blame?
We were just doing what we were ordered to do.
“Yes sir, anything else sir. Are you ready for that bogus body-count sir?”
The Vietnam War was nearly over, but our nation remained conflicted internally over the war.
In my opinion, our leaders used a form of augmented reality by implementing the
All-volunteer military.
The goal was simple: Stop the draft; calm the protesters.
www.english-online.at/history/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-background.htm
