DUmmies' friend claims Viet Vet. Wasn't. Questions come up...

[dutch508]

Midlodemocrat  (1000+ posts)        Tue Dec-09-08 08:29 AM
Original message
I have a question about military honors at a funeral. 
 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x21188

I recently had a friend who passed away and he told all of us that he had served in Vietnam. Apparently, that wasn't true because he refused to even consider being buried in Arlington (he had terminal cancer, so he knew he was dying)

His wife, although very sweet, is a little slow due to a brain injury and she was sure he had been in Vietnam. A search by the funeral home turned up nothing.

He DID, however, attend a military school, so the school provided a cadet to play taps and two soldiers to present the flag. There was no gun volley.

I am wondering about all this because I was under the impression that to have military honors, one had to have served in the armed services.

Can someone here, unhappycamper, perhaps? clear this up for me? I got full military honors for my dad and my FIL, so I am a bit confused.

Thanks.

Lots of fake vets out there. Doesn't suprise me al all.

Tahitinut makes it about him:
 

TahitiNut  (1000+ posts)        Tue Dec-09-08 09:31 AM
Response to Original message
6. After the 70s, when even Viet Nam vets kept quiet about being Viet Nam vets, ...
 ... the number of people who claimed to have been Viet Nam veterans was anywhere from four to six times as many as those who actually served in-country. There were about 2.6 million of us "boots on the ground" who're authorized to wear the Vietnam Service Ribbon.

In the 1980s, it became "acceptable" to have been a "baby killer" who didn't run to Canada or somehow escape the draft. At that point, guys who were in the service but weren't in Viet Nam or (particularly) guys who were somehow connected to a 'military culture' (military schools, ROTC, military brats, etc.) often claimed to have been in Nam. "Vietnam Era Veterans" would often omit the word "Era."

I personally regarded this as bizarre. After being treated like a leper when I got back from Nam, I was hearing about all the "my boyfriend," "my brother," "my cousin," and "my uncle" who were (all of a sudden) Viet Nam veterans. It was fashionable. Even more, it was fashionable to have been related to a Viet Nam vet. What perplexes me is the fact that too many of us were homeless, jobless, and alienated for there to be so many people who were (all of a sudden) "fashionably" related to one of us. The claims of relationships were ALWAYS accompanied by a posture/opinion regarding the Viet Nam War -- a posture strangely supported by the "expertise" that accrued by having that relationship. (Strangely, people in MY family STILL don't demonstrate the slightest interest about my time there.)

There are less than one million of us left alive. That's 1-in-300 Americans ... all over 55 years old. What're the chances YOU (anyone) know one or more of us? Hmmm??? (What're the chances?)

Midlodemocrat  (1000+ posts)        Tue Dec-09-08 09:59 AM
Response to Reply #6
9. It struck us all as very odd that he would 
 claim to be something other than what he was. His son is convinced that everything he did was classified.

Knowing his wife's limited abilities, this was just cruel to do to her. She went round and round for months trying to get an answer about where and when he served.

He should have come clean. 

The guy was prob'ly a DUmmie. The only person he cared about was himself.

[USA4ME]

TahitiNut

.....the number of people who claimed to have been Viet Nam veterans was anywhere from four to six times as many as those who actually served in-country. There were about 2.6 million of us "boots on the ground" who're authorized to wear the Vietnam Service Ribbon.

I wasn't in the military, but this strikes me as being extremely stupid.  I've never heard it said that the only way one could claim to be a veteran of any war was that you had to see action.  Military people who were assigned stateside were, and still are, an important part of the whole.  I understand active/retired military who saw action as being awarded special recognition for their service.

My Dad was in the Navy during WW2 and saw heavy action in the Pacific.  My Dad's brother was in the Army and never left California.  For my Dad to claim that my uncle wasn't really a veteran of WW2 would have been unthinkable, and for good reason.  He would never believe something that stupid.

.

[DarkHalo]

I like many many others am a Vietnam era veteran. I think most people dont understand the difference though. I was stateside working in nuke missile silos in South Dakota as Vietnam was ending. I usually dont even mention it to people, although i do have the decoration, as it might be construed as trying to sound like a legit Vietnam combat vet. Which I am definitely not. A number of times I have had long time friends surprised at discovering I am a veteran. It is just not something that comes up in every day conversation.

[USA4ME]

I like many many others am a Vietnam era veteran. I think most people dont understand the difference though.

I understand what you're saying, but IMO you're still a Vietnam Vet.  Period.  Military personnel who are at CENTCOM at MacDill AFB and never leave Tampa play a vital role to the boots on the ground and other military functions.  To me, they both deserve the recognition of being (if active during wartime) "War Veterans" even though they had different talents which necessitated assigning them to different tasks.  To not call what you did, or those who were before you and assigned to the same task, as important to the Vietnem War and therefore as Vietnam Veterans to me would be a slight.

.

[dutch508]

Let's take a look at it this way:

Anybody serving today is a Gobal War on Terror 'era' vet. Got no problem with that statement, although, GWOT knows no boundaries, so...

Anyone who's served in SWA (not in Iraq or Afghanistan) gets the OIF/OEF campaign medal. You sit your ass in kuwait for a year and you can wear the damn thing. Still, not a lot of heartburn from me. Someone has to be a REMF.

Anyone who's been shot at or blown up in Iraq or Afghanistan can get a CIB or CAB. To me, that's the shit that counts- the pointy end of the stick.

Joe Blow (from Cocomo) "I was in Iraq."
Ranger Rick (with a big fat ....) "Oh yeah? Where?"
JB: "Camp Liberty..."
RR: "Ooo..Tough duty. Sometimes they didn't have Chocolate Ice Cream."