Make sure to familiarize yourself with our rules and guidelines before participating. The phenomenon of vets being spit on seems to be largely anecdotal so I'm not sure I can faithfully speak to its veracity. Very rarely. To your comment, I'm a combat veteran myself and dickheads would regularly walk up to me and try to pick fights or say dumb things to me when I was about. This answer in no way answers or even addresses the question âWere Vietnam veterans spat upon?â Instead it answers a completely different question âAre there any cases where Vietnam vets were treated well?â and then pretends that because sometime they were treated well, then they must never have been spitted on. Would you start a physical confrontation with a trained killer who you believe is also a war criminal? But it is true that many people did not respect a person's choice to serve his/her country in those years...and had no reservations about expressing their displeasure. They were anti-nuke protesters. Despite Sirota's contentions, Vietnam vets were a bit crushed coming home. Vietnam vets were raised in a society that honored veterans. For years I had been hearing stories that when American troops returned home from Vietnam, they were spat upon by anti-war protesters. ------------------------------------------------------------ And, as for Mr. Olbermann, the point is not whether the social science research collected in Jerry Lembcke's book "The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam" is correct and that no evidence exists of returning veterans being spit upon, but how most of these men were treated after the war. ", In the 1986 Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial, one speaker argued against a perception that "the cause for which we fought was not worthy of your lives." The Vietnam War claimed the lives of more than 58,000 American service members and wounded more than 150,000. Last week, both the New York Times and U.S. News & World Report reprised the horrific accounts of Vietnam War protesters spitting on returning servicemen. Vietnam veterans were often unwelcome at Veterans Day parades. And for the men who served in Vietnam and survived unspeakable horrors, coming home offered its own kind of trauma. I used to read the the website Daily Kos, and some years ago, a group of progressive Vietnam veterans took this meme on by daring anybody to document an example of returning vets being spit on (the vets had an advantage of being familiar with the military units of the time, thus they could challenge people as to which unit they served in, etc), At least in his case, nobody was able to convincingly come up with proof (most responses were like, "Well my dad told me he saw it and he wasn't a liar"). Another speaker noted, "For a long time we were forgotten. But Lembcke's most controversial conclusion is that posttraumatic stress disorder was as much a political creationâa means of ⦠I would guess that only one out of ten of the people strongly opposed to the war would actually say anything bad to a vet, so those few protest actions against vets that were seen on TV and in the press were just a very small, but vocal, segment of the overall population. Mistreatment of vets, more often than not, seemed to be a lack of respect or recognition. Press J to jump to the feed. Whether or not this was the case, they all believed it. That is how most of us saw this. A video I put together in my history class about the 1960's, it is about how veterans were treated during and after the Vietnam war. This list is way out of date. I was called a baby killer one time by a total stranger. In 1998 sociologist and Vietnam veteran Jerry Lembcke published "The Spitting Image: Myth, Media and the Legacy of Viet Nam." It Was America Versus North Vietnam. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskHistorians community. Its genesis was a controversial newspaper column of 20 July 1987 in which Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist Bob Greene asked whether there was any truth to the folklore that Vietnam veterans had ⦠In the future, please keep in mind our subreddit rules, specifically what we are looking for in an answer, before attempting to tackle a question here. Were veterans spat upon as they returned from serving in Vietnam? While there's little doubt that some Vietnam vets in uniform were spat upon during those turbulent years, no proof exists that antiwar protesters were the spitters. But AFAIK the supposed abuse is very likely an urban legend or maybe happened once or twice at most. In the 1986 Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial, one speaker argued against a perception that "the cause for which we fought was not worthy of your lives." This is a somewhat more serious subreddit compared to many others. A friend of mine says that it is just a myth but I'm skeptical. of the Navy did not want sailors walking through the throng. It is a myth that returning Vietnam vets were spat upon by antiwar activists when they returned from the war. Web. Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned From Vietnam is a book of selected correspondence published in 1989. A soldier, fresh from Vietnam duty, wearing his uniform, gets off the plane at an American airport, where he is spat upon by "hippies." While outright harassment of Vietnam veterans almost certainly did happen, mistreatment of Vietnam veterans was usually a lack of recognition-- a perceived amnesia about the sacrifices made by veterans. The "spitting" part is a sadly common story, specifically the fact that anti-war protesters/hippies were waiting at airports to spit on veterans returning from combat. During Fourth of July parades, the WWI and WWII and Korean War vets would come out to march, and there were very few Vietnam vets who wanted to participate due to the negative attitude they got from some people. The only contemporary accounts we have of spitting was during the Republican convention in 1972. (SALEM, Ore.) - Americans overwhelmingly believe that U.S. combat veterans returning from Vietnam were spit on by anti-war protesters in airports. College students spit and throw beer bottles at veterans April 23, 2015 April 23, 2015 Twice a year Panama City Beach welcomes our wounded heroes into the community for the Warrior Beach Retreat, but an event aimed at honoring our nationâs veterans took a different turn at their hotel. Likewise, at the 1985 ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New York, Mayor Koch calls the lack of previous recognition for Vietnam vets a "terrible injustice" and refers to Vietnam veterans as a "lost generation.". Appy, Christian G. Working-class war: American combat soldiers and Vietnam. "Choice" -- people were drafted, it wasn't always a choice. Feel free to submit interesting articles, tell us about this cool book you just read, or start a discussion about who everyone's favorite figure of minor French nobility is! But as he puts it the protests weren't about the war they were more about the new Nuclear Armed/Powered carriers CVN/A or CVN/B. If you have any first-person accounts (it happened to me or I saw it happen) of returning Vietnam vets being spit on, please click below where it says, "Click to submit your own comments," and tell us about ⦠Stories of spat-on veterans began proliferating in the U.S. media in 1990 as the country ramped up for the first Persian Gulf War. The outcome was that their morale was destroyed and they felt isolated. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Moderator | Shipbuilding and Logistics | British Navy 1770-1830, specifically what we are looking for in an answer. As Chrisitan Appy writes in Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam, this mistreatment generally did not manifest itself in "explicit acts of hostility but quieter, sometimes more devastating forms of withdrawal, suspicion, and indifference." And remember that the whole population can't be characterized by the actions of a few. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Do you have relatives who are veterans? U.S. Army. The low-ranking military were often very ill-informed about the background of the war. I had my windows up. Spitting was not uncommon, they were called baby killers, over all the viet nam vets were treated the worse of any vets in this country ever. I don't know if anyone spat on them, but it was true that when in uniform they were engaged in conversation by opponents of the war, which, by 1971, was the great majority of the population. Many vets will tell you it happened, and others will tell you that they never saw anything close to it. In this episode I hope to end the urban myth that Vietnam Vets were spat upon as they returned from fighting in the Vietnam War. For some reason, in the stories it is always an airport where the spitting ⦠There seems too be a current memeâI see it a lot on facebookâ that Vietnam vets were mistreated and spat upon when they returned. Panama City Beach spring breakers spit on Vietnam veterans. Most soldiers drafted after 1968 were antiwar even before they went ⦠I'm sorry, but this is not an acceptable basis for an answer in this subreddit, so I have had to remove the two YouTube videos you've linked here. The Vietnam War claimed the lives of more than 58,000 American service members and wounded more than 150,000. In fact, the antiwar movement and many veterans were closely aligned, and the only documented incidents show members of the VFW and American Legion spitting on their less successful Vietnam peers. The Journal editorialized on March 28, that "During the 1960s and 1970s, people opposed to the Vietnam War took out their rage on the wrong ⦠The forward port was in the Philippines The Home port was Okinawa and Service port was San Diego. (Flickr/Creative Commons)Investigations have been launched at two universities over accusations that fraternity members taunted wounded war heroes, urinated on an American flag, and spit on a wounded veteran and his ⦠Cookies help us deliver our Services. If you would like to volunteer to help us update and maintain this section, please send email to Bill McBride . I have heard a lot of stories from people with relatives and grandfathers who were veterans that allege that they were spat upon, treated badly or were held in contempt by the public when they have gotten back. My father and my uncles were veterans who were spit on and called names for simply wearing the uniform. Lots of people fee that they are free from consequence and act accordingly. Numerous first-hand accounts echo the idea that vets were "forgotten." New York Times n.d.: n. pag. My son right now is in the Navy and I am so happy at the way people treat him. Web. Some Vietnam vets are heroes, no doubt, but simply serving because you were forced to and suffering trauma or death as a result doesnât make you a hero â it makes you a victim. Veterans in the United States Senate. I have heard a lot of stories from people with relatives and grandfathers who were veterans that allege that they were spat upon, treated badly or were held in contempt by the public when they have gotten back. Yes, some people in the hippie/peace movement would try to find soldiers dressed in uniform and yell at them, throw things, and insult them. That's why it was considered such an outrage... a drafted soldier shouldn't be the scapegoat for the politics of his/her nation. During the Vietnam War, Australian army and navy men were told to not wear their uniforms when on leave back home. That's not true. Is it all just an urban myth? Vietnam Veterans in Congress . Jerry Davich who writes for the Post-Tribune a Chicago Sun Times Publication adds support to my theory that Vietnam Vets were not spit on when they returned. Follow up question: what is the origin for stories of returning Vietnam vets being spit on? Yet there is also a lot of comprehensive evidence that these stories are urban myths, and that soldiers ⦠Veterans were not a monolithic group. By the late 1960s, troops in Vietnam were battling authorities over hair length, and the right to wear love-bead necklaces and draw peace symbols on their helmets. He has pictures of the protests and a medical note about having to get stitches from getting hit with a rock by protesters. Stories of spat-upon Vietnam veterans are bogus. Here it is the WAR SUPPORTERS who are spitting on the pro-peace veterans. I protested the war, and knew some vets, and I saw them as victims getting squeezed in a vise of public opinion. /r/History is a place for discussions about history. The stories were usually very specific. Once Australia had withdrawn from the war in 1973, even the conservative side of politics distanced themselves from the war, leaving the military, especially the conscripts, feeling badly used. He recounts a study of 495 news stories on returning veterans published from 1965 to 1971. Were Vietnam War Veterans actually spit at/ mistreated after they returned from the War? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. As much of the American public perceived the war as a failure, there existed a general desire to "forget" the war. New York Times 7 May 1985: n. pag. What did they say? Thanks! They took a bus from the base for protection as the Dept. That study shows only a handful (32) of instances were presented as in any way antagonistic ⦠The Vietnam Memorial. For further discussion on how sourcing works in this subreddit, please consult this thread. Vietnam veterans were often unwelcome at Veterans Day parades. Franklin, Ben A. ''Most Vietnam veterans were spat on when we came back," he said. The ⦠The Portal for Public History I am personally confused about this issue given the varying levels of experiences and evidence from both sides. Yet there is also a lot of comprehensive evidence that these stories are urban myths, and that soldiers were not spat upon, and that these stories were created and circulated by the Right Wing. And the ship anchored in the Tonkin Gulf There were protested in San Diego and Okinawa they had rocks thrown and they were spit on. A 1971 Harris poll conducted for the Veterans Administration found over 90 percent of Vietnam veterans reporting a friendly homecoming. I think if some people tried that now, they would be attacked. and the protests were bigger in Japan. The first reported instance of spitting occurs during an International Day of Protest featuring "Veterans for Peace in Vietnam." I am so glad people's attitudes toward the military has changed. Not one. We will either remove it or have someone update it this year (1999). I always thought US citizens were mad at the US soldiers because of all the stories of mistreatment they did in Vietnam, like My Lai, and not just because they were soldiers. Many campuses around the country started to ban any show of military on campus, like public displays of ROTC. What have you guys heard? "VIETNAM IS A FOCUS FOR VETERANS DAY." However, the mistreatment of Vietnam veterans is a bit more complicated. Some, like Wowwk, say they had invectives hurled their way; others, like naval officer ⦠The military leadership wanted to avoid this, hence the "no uniforms" order. Particularly on college campuses. They were voicing their opinions. My father was in the Navy on an aircraft carrier. The debate in society was about the war, and veterans were as much a part of that debate as everyone else, if not more so. New York Times. Things have really changed in this country and the vast majority are very pro-military now, so this all may seem very odd to you now. Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. Those who opposed the war, and there were thousands, were welcomed with open arms by the antiwar movement, becoming a leading force in the country as Vietnam Veterans ⦠In 1965, World War II veterans who were taking part in an antiwar demonstration were reviled as ⦠Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Born out of accusations made by the Nixon administration, they were enlivened in popular culture (recall Rambo saying he was spat on by those maggots at the airport) and enhanced in the imaginations of Vietnam-generation men â some veterans, some not. The truly outrageous acts were uncommon, but of course did make the news....the same as the off the wall stuff makes the news today. I even spoke to some who could not point to Vietnam on a map. And a few years after the war ended I joined the military, and got caught in a protest group, and had people mob my car and I had a shake thrown on my wind shield. Many Vietnam vets took part in the protests. One of my uncles even changed into regular clothes whenever he could and he wore a wig to escape the negativity that he constantly received. It's a striking image -- these tired, grizzled men returning from a nightmare, only to be covered in hippie saliva the moment they hit the ground. Gross, Jane. In short, your friend's claim that veterans' mistreatment is a "myth" is misleading at best. As I am saying all this way after the fact and have no links to said conversation, feel free to take this with a grain of salt. Continue Reading Below. He also said it wasnt like that every day it only seemed to happen when a Nuclear powered ship was pulling into port. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. There is not a single corroborating news report from that time of any solider being spat upon. Convention members spat on antiwar Vietnam vets protesting, most famously told in Born on the Fourth of July. But now we are not forgotten, we have our memorial, we've had our parades." Press J to jump to the feed. Print. It all depends on where you are and the time period. I am sure some of the protests were about the war it self but i can only speak to what I have seen from his Navy box and the protests near the Naval bases. Numerous first-hand accounts echo the idea that vets were "forgotten. "NEW YORK PAYS HOMAGE TO VIETNAM VETERANS." Far from spitting on veterans, the antiwar movement welcomed them into its ranks and thousands of veterans ⦠They were told that they would be spat on. Chapel Hill, N.C: U of North Carolina Press, 1993. And evidence from both sides mistreatment is a bit crushed coming home Vietnam is FOCUS! 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