By Marie Hughes
"Did you serve in the Viet Nam War?" I asked Ray Sullins, at Church, Sunday. "Yes, I did," he quietly said, his more than 6-foot 2-inch body straight and resolute in true Marine fashion, despite the cane in his hand. “Can you tell me what you expected it to be like when you arrived in Viet Nam, and what it was actually like?” I asked.
I watched as a flood of pain washed over his face, the questions releasing a myriad of unwanted memories from the deep recesses of his mind. He had locked those memories away long ago by the sheer strength of his will as a matter of survival, and it grieved me that my questions caused the pain I witnessed. He just as quickly took them captive once again his disciplined composure returning, and softly said, “No, ma’am, I can’t.” I apologetically told him I was sorry and that I certainly respected his decision.
“I was just raised that way,” he said, “I will just say this, War is Hell, but the strong are called to protect the weak. If they do not there will be no one to protect the strong when they need it.”
We, who have never been to war, cannot possibly understand the atrocities of it and the depth of depravity of the human heart. We cannot know the deep scars that penetrate the very soul of the soldiers who have witnessed them firsthand.
Unlike WWI and WWII, the soldiers of the Vietnam war returned home to a completely different reception than the heroes before them. Rather than being received with parades of honor and accolades from a grateful nation many were received with utter indifference. How difficult it must have been for these warriors who risked life and limb to serve their country under the direction of their Commanders to have most of their fellow Americans treat their service as irrelevant.
The American soldiers who served in Vietnam held to the soldier’s code of conduct which was: I will honor my Country, the Army, my unit and my fellow soldiers by living the Army Values. No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything for pleasure, profit, or personal safety which will disgrace my uniform, my unit, or my Country. Lastly, I am proud of my Country and its flag.
However, as is the case with most people groups, not all men who are revered as men of honor are honorable. There were a handful of leaders lacking the ethics and values in the soldier’s code, the very values we as a people hold most dear. Sadly, the behavior of these few caused many Americans to paint all soldiers of the Vietnam war with a black brush. A number of these dishonorable leaders were eventually punished and the brave soldiers who stood against them received commendations for their attempts to protect the innocent. Unfortunately, it was too little too late for many of the soldiers returning home to an apathetic America, an America who regarded the Vietnam War as a war we should not have been involved in and blamed the warrior and not the war.
With respect, we salute you all!