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Ok but I'm not thanking a Vietnam vet for their service. The US should never have gone to Vietnam. The US should be responsible for the horrors they committed abroad.
Which is true, the US should not have gone. However, many people were drafted for war in Vietnam, and going may not have been their choice.
I still don't think thanking them for their service is the right thing to say, maybe something along the lines of "I'm sorry you were forced into a horrible war."
The guy in the picture, though, is a senior chief petty officer, which pretty much means he did 20 years at least. This guy retired and is still collecting a check from the government. A far cry from the draftees who were forced into combat and forgotten about as soon as they got home, lucky to have survived at all.
You have no way of knowing what his status at the time was or why he enlisted. It's entirely possible he was dirt poor, with a bad draft number, so he joined the Navy to make sure he wouldn't be on the ground in Vietnam. And staying in after would make sense at that point as he doesn't have anything to go home to.
Very true, however I was merely drawing a distinction between those drafted and tossed aside, and those who the original commenter said had committed horrors abroad. This guy is more likely to have been complicit.
To be fair, given his job, this guy probably didn't commit wild atrocities. He probably stared at a screen, waiting for the Viet Cong to deploy submarines.
This guy retired and is still collecting a check from the government. A far cry from the draftees who were forced into combat
Yeah so screw this guy. I can sympathize with the vets who didn't want to be there, but this guy was pushing for it. Roy C. Labit Jr is a terrible human being.
Most Vietnam Vets were drafted. That means NOT VOLUNTARILY!
Ok? So does that mean I should thank them for committing war crimes?
If anything I should thank people for draft dodging
Most vets really don't want you thanking them. They just want the stuff the law says they're supposed to have to get back into civilian life, reward long service, or get treatment.
Being proud of it in 2024 is very much voluntary
If someone asks me to serve the US military, I am sabotaging whatever I can because I am a decent human being.
If they didn't frag their commanding officer or otherwise dodge the draft, they functioned as a servant of imperialism, and as such, should have gotten got by the Viet Minh. (yes, including your grandpa)