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Veterans speak on life during, after war
Speakers served in both Vietnam and Iraq
By Sarah Nennig
“The first thing you lose when you start war is the truth” – Vietnam War veteran Mark Foreman
In an emotion-filled room Wednesday Sept. 24, veterans from both the Vietnam and Iraq Wars met to share their experiences and offer their perspective on their experiences.
The event, “Vietnam to Iraq”, was held in UW-Milwaukee Union Room 191 at 7 p.m. It was sponsored by five progressive, anti-war organizations.
As they shared their stories, some audience members were genuinely affected by what they heard, as many could be seen wiping tears from their eyes.
The veterans joined the military for a variety of reasons. A couple of them joined for lack of options after high school, and some joined to leave their hometowns. One of the Vietnam veterans, Michael Williams, explained that he wanted to escape from the racial turmoil and discrimination in his home state of Mississippi during the 1950s and ‘60s.
When Williams enlisted, Vietnam wasn’t even on the radar, and had he known what was to come, he said he most likely wouldn’t have enlisted. Some of the others joined because their fathers were proud veterans, and they, like them, felt a duty to serve.
“The first thing you lose when you start war is the truth,” said Vietnam War veteran Mark Foreman.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy to be a corpsman, and did not want to see any combat. Williams was told that serving would open many doors to job prospects that were otherwise unavailable to African-Americans at that time.
He also explained that he, along with other members of the military, were lied to about the problems with Agent Orange, a dangerous chemical used throughout the conflict. Since the Vietnam War, many vets have reported lasting health problems due to their exposure to Agent Orange.
According to many of the veterans, the recruiters were the ones doing much of the lying. One of the men was told that he’d never see combat, but three months later, he was in the heat of battle. Many veterans shared a similar view on the government’s ability to enact stop-loss, which happens when the government decides to keep a soldier past his contract.
For many of the men, what impacted them the most were the memories of the friends they lost and the horrors of combat that they witnessed. From the deaths of children and young soldiers, these images linger in their memories long after they came home.
One of the veterans said he was plagued by guilt because he was unable to help his fellow soldiers following an attack. Also, many of the men were angry for being sent to fight in wars that, according to many of them, are nothing more than corporate money machines.
“This country is an empire,” Williams said. He explained that while many people believe that they are fighting for freedom, they are just serving a different government agenda.
Since these men have returned home from their service, they have suffered a variety of problems, both physical and psychological. Many felt that they had a difficult time finding the right treatment for their problems, but most of them agreed that the best thing they can do is speak about their experiences.
Through their sharing and their insight, the veterans hope to cast another light on wartime and politics so the youth of America are able to make the best decisions possible.
> Comments
Raymond R. on Oct 02, 2008 at 02:14 PM:
Great article; thank you Progressive Students of Milwaukee for bringing this event to UWM and thank you other veterans organizations as well.