On this day 1975 the war in Vietnam ended.

[Wigglestein]

On this day the war in Vietnam ended. Thank you to all the veterans of this war and to those who gave all. Our nation owes you more than we can ever repay.

 

[CallMeKate]

Indeed thank you all... including the man I married soon after. On this date in 1975 I was preparing for my high school graduation and first heard the news on the radio.

 

[MarkinPhx]

I might add a huge hug to all the the mothers, fathers, siblings, wives , and anyone else who had loved ones serving in that war.

 

[Alligatorob]

On this day the war in Vietnam ended. Thank you to all the veterans of this war and to those who gave all. Our nation owes you more than we can ever repay.

Absolutely!!

I never went, had a high draft number so didn't have to. I know I owe a debt to those who did.

My father was an engineer, a civilian employee of the Air Force, and then the State Department when Air Force employees became limited. He was in Vietnam for several years, including at the end. He got out a day or two before the infamous helicopter evac. He was flown to Guam along with about 1,000 others in a completely gutted 747, no seats, nothing all was removed to allow packing as many people as possible in. He was not allowed any luggage, not even shoes. It was a couple of weeks before he was able to make contact with us, a traumatic experience for the whole family, at least it ended well, too many did not.

 

[Wigglestein]

Indeed thank you all... including the man I married soon after. On this date in 1975 I was preparing for my high school graduation and first heard the news on the radio.

I was leaving my high school commons area on my way to gym when the announcement came over the PA. The corridor widened and there was a single payphone on the wall. Suddenly a line/mob formed of kids calling their parents about their older brothers coming home! Lots of hooting and hollering and no more class the rest of the day.

 

[MountainRa]

For some of those who came home, the war never ended. I think of those who struggled with issues and continue to struggle.

 

[EmptyCup]

A few years after this I worked with a guy in San Diego who was an officer on the RVNS Tran Hung Dao. He told me that the country fell so quickly they barely had time to get the ship underway and out of the harbor. They loaded on as many family members of the crew as time allowed, but I think he said they had to leave some behind. They ended up in the Philippines.

 

[DebraMae]

I was on Guam. Operation New Life was what they called the evacuation of the Vietnamese. They were set up in tents on Guam, what was called "tent city". On base families donated blankets and bedding. People carried whatever they could when they left Vietnam and that was now all that they owned. I still have trouble talking about the Vietnam war. I watched Ken Burns' special on PBS and cried all the way through it. Those boys who fought in that war were among the bravest our country has ever seen.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My second husband was in the marines in 1968 and had horrible nightmares from it. My junior high teacher was drafted and died there.

 

[Been There]

I missed Vietnam, but there was more to come. I watch the films on The Smithsonian Channel. Vietnam was a war we fought for another country. The idea was to keep the communists out of South Vietnam. I have more to say about it, but what’s the use?

 

[SeniorBen]

The U.S. got out in 1973 and let it fall to the communists. I turned 18 in 1975 so I kind of lucked out and didn't have to go to fight in the war. I'm not sure if I would have gone or not. I lived in NY, so it wouldn't have been that far a drive to go up to Canada.

I think I would have gone. I was kind of conservative back then.

 

[Jace]

 

[Sassycakes]

My future husband was rejected by the Army and was excepted by the Navy during the Vietnam War. We got married while he was on leave. We lost friends in that war and God Bless those that served.

 

[ElCastor]

I missed Vietnam, but there was more to come. I watch the films on The Smithsonian Channel. Vietnam was a war we fought for another country. The idea was to keep the communists out of South Vietnam. I have more to say about it, but what’s the use?

During the war I served in in the bowels of an aircraft carrier for three of my five years in the Navy. It wasn’t until I got out and returned to the States that I realized what an abomination that war was. I reported to the Sec Nav a second hand story that originated with a Marine who witnessed pushing prisoners out of helicopters, was told it was just a “sea story”, and resigned my reserve commission.

 

[Packerjohn]

I'm from Canada and have never been in the military. However, I remember the Vietnam War well. There was John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Johnson, the protests at Kent State, some American draft dodgers coming up to live in Canada to escape the draft.

Now, it looks like another big conflict starting up there in the Ukraine with the Russians. Some folks never learn.

 

[ElCastor]

I'm from Canada and have never been in the military. However, I remember the Vietnam War well. There was John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Johnson, the protests at Kent State, some American draft dodgers coming up to live in Canada to escape the draft.

Now, it looks like another big conflict starting up there in the Ukraine with the Russians. Some folks never learn.

Who could like what is going on in Ukraine? I don't ... But! If Putin was allowed to smash Ukraine, what next? No doubt reconstruction of the old Soviet Union -- a dozen more countries under the Soviet hoof, or maybe much more? China would likely interpret this as the starting gun ror their own construction project, starting with Taiwan. Would Canada care? Maybe not, but largely because the United States acts as a 3 million+ square mile shield. BTW, you were right about the Vietnam War -- a disgrace.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

Wars are never "fair". The only "glory" in war happens in books, when the human tragedy is long forgotten. And, it's because we forget that, we cause wars.

 

[Timewise 60+]

My best friend was a marine officer in Viet Nam. After serving over a year in combat areas he was severely wounded. After months of medical treatments and recovering he lost his commission to the Corps! This was heartbreaking for him, as his life's dream was to be a marine officer. He was successful in business and had a very good career in management with multiple large companies. He also is an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, hiking, and hunting birds. I have always known that he chose not to hunt large game, as he did not think he could kill an animal like that after what he experienced in Viet Nam.

I have been friends with him since 1974, and we know each other well. He recently told me he can no longer hunt birds or kill fish. It appears he has had a bad relapse of PTST. His memories from that war are terrible...not to mention the way our men were treated when they came home.... Americans must never let this happen again...the price is too high!

Same for the Korean war many soldiers died and many that returned had lifelong health issues....the USA must NEVER fight another war unless we are directly attacked!

 

[Sassycakes]

My husband joined the Navy during the Viet Nam war. He had been rejected by the Army. When my son was in first-grade years later his teacher had the same last name of a boy who was in my class at school and had asked me to be his partner in our school's yearly play.
I asked the teacher if she was related to him. She said yes and that was when I found out he had died in Viet Nam. I cried like a baby.

 

[ElCastor]

My husband joined the Navy during the Viet Nam war. He had been rejected by the Army. When my son was in first-grade years later his teacher had the same last name of a boy who was in my class at school and had asked me to be his partner in our school's yearly play.
I asked the teacher if she was related to him. She said yes and that was when I found out he had died in Viet Nam. I cried like a baby.

I joined the Navy a few months prior to Vietnam, not because I didn’t want to go to Vietnam, I had never heard of it, but because I was draft eligible and wanted to sleep in a bunk, not a ditch. As it turned out I earned a Vietnam service ribbon in the engine rooms of an aircraft carrier. Never set foot in Vietnam and never saw it unless it was that cloud on the horizon. That was one wretched war.

 

[Lexi]

My oldest brother was drafted into the Army during this period. Thankfully I still have him. That’s not lost on me. Thank you to all that serve.

 

[DGM]

I joined the Navy a few months prior to Vietnam, not because I didn’t want to go to Vietnam, I had never heard of it, but because I was draft eligible and wanted to sleep in a bunk, not a ditch. As it turned out I earned a Vietnam service ribbon in the engine rooms of an aircraft carrier. Never set foot in Vietnam and never saw it unless it was that cloud on the horizon. That was one wretched war.

Had a friend who graduated in 65. He enlisted in the Navy to learn computers. He went to basic and computer school. Then, the Navy said they had kept their side of the deal and sent him back to school to become a radio operator on a river patrol boat. He saw more combat than many grunts. He, like many other "Brown Water Navy" personnel, died at an early age of cancer from swimming in Agent Orange.

 

[ElCastor]

Had a friend who graduated in 65. He enlisted in the Navy to learn computers. He went to basic and computer school. Then, the Navy said they had kept their side of the deal and sent him back to school to become a radio operator on a river patrol boat. He saw more combat than many grunts. He, like many other "Brown Water Navy" personnel, died at an early age of cancer from swimming in Agent Orange.

I guess I was lucky. A lot of those 5 years resembled a vacation. I‘m reminded of one of the members of my unit in OCS - the dullest knife in the drawer. After graduation we all got our orders. For me a carrier. He was very upset. He got shore duty in a place he never heard of and had a very hard time pronouncing - as he put it, Barbuhdose. (-8

 

[jimintoronto]

A fact that many Americans are not aware of.......Somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand Canadians served in the various US military branches during the time period of the war in Vietnam. Why ? In some cases they were living in the US and subject to the draft, but a much larger number volunteered to join, from Canada. My 1965 Toronto grade 12 graduating class had 112 males in it. Of that 112, 23 went to Buffalo New York and enlisted ( mostly in the USMC ). 7 were KIA in Vietnam, 6 were wounded and one John Lemon was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery. I went the other way, and joined the Canadian Forces, serving for ten years.

A second fact. During the US Civil War, a large number, more than 30 thousand Canadians served ( mostly on the Union side ) . Why ? In that war, wealthy young American men could buy somebody to serve in their place, for about $400. The man who agreed to serve in the other's place, would get paid by the Union army, and if he was killed, or died of illness, his family back in Canada would get a death payment from the man who he was replacing. Many northern Union units had whole companies made up of Canadians. Michigan infantry units sent recruiting parties into Ontario, trying to get more man power. The official position of the Canadian Government was to be neutral, but most of the Canadian public supported the Union position. Canada sold huge amounts of supplies, food and horses to the US Government during the war. JimB.

 

[Feelslikefar]

When Vietnam ended, I was stationed on Shemya Island, Alaska, keeping up our part of the Cold War.
A sobering time, knowing it was offically over.

For us, new challenges lay ahead.

When I deployed to Desert Storm, I wondered if this would be a long, drawn out one or relatively short.