Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Military Vietnam ? No, Vietnam Era....."Oh"

If I read your original post correctly, you volunteered for the Army in a time of war. That is more than most people did or will ever do for their friends and family.
I joined the Marine Corps Reserve prior to 911 as a 0311. I was part of one of the last grunt battalions to be sent to Iraq. It was awful watching Falluja on the news every night. I finally made it to Iraq and then back again a year later and then on to Afghanistan and a few other countries in the Middle East and then few other non-combat deployments. Now I see younger Marines, that joined a wartime Corps going through exactly what you described. They enlisted willing to go wherever the Corps sends them but have not been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan or Syria for that matter. They feel like less of a Marine that those that have been to a combat zone. I remind them that they joined the service in a time of war. I didn’t do that, I joined for drinking money while I went to college and a war just happed. My hat off to anyone who enlisted during a war, you enlisted understanding that you would very likely be sent to Vietnam. I didn’t do that.
You couldn’t help not making it to Vietnam; I can’t change being deployed so late to Iraq and these young Marines fault they have not been deployed yet. We don’t have a lot of control over the nature of our service. A Veteran that served honorably should never feel like less that other that happened to serve in a combat zone.
If people look at you funny or are giving you SH^T over Vietnam Era vs Vietnam Vet, remember that you served and tell them to faq off.